On Saturday morning at 8am, Amy Ruck and I set out on a mission: We ran a 10k for the first time. You must understand a few things in order to realize how simply wonderful it was for both of us. Neither Amy nor myself had run in a race before..no 5k, nothing! She set out to run this race in July, a month before I moved here. I moved to STL in August. As soon as we started spending time together, we just connected. Since then, my brother and I have been sharing in community with her and her family. They are some of the best people I have ever met. Amy and I have a lot in common..including the same frustrations and passions with the Church. We have lifted each other up, prayed for each other and laughed until we cried. We are also in a sweet card "club" together..rummy 500..play it.
She had told me about the race and I was really proud of her for training and for sticking to her desire to run the race. However, I really didn't want to run it with her, in the beginning atleast. On a sunny Saturday morning, Amy called my up and I went running with her. She had no problem running 4 miles..I felt like death. I realized how out-of-shape I was/am and I didn't like that about myself. I vowed to change my ways. I am cooking a lot of good things and watching what I eat. When it comes to excercise, I hate doing it but when I'm done, I feel great. I went running a few times..with no intention of running in the race with her.
Then I went with Amy to pick up her packet. It was all over from there. The shop where the registration was was filled with athletic and attractive people wearing spandex and looking good. They were excited about the upcoming run and..it got to me. As Amy and I walked back to her car, she casually said, "did you want to run tomorrow?" and I responsed, "uhhhmm, sure!"...and then we ran.
I was not adequately prepared to run at all. In fact, I had a terrible terrible cold that week and the morning of the run. Amy had a pretty substantial back injury herself. Nonetheless, we were determined. The race started and the first 25 minutes weren't bad. In fact, I felt great! Then my body started to freak out and every step was getting harder and harder. Amy was so great throughout the entire race. She kept encouraging me and pushing me and calling me "sunshine"..which was annoying at the time but, very sweet post race. We saw the 6 mile mark and saw the finish line and it was GLORIOUS. I haven't felt that much joy or adrenaline in a very long time. Amy and I finished the 10k together, with her family at the finish line. It was one of the greatest feelings of my life. Apparently, 6 miles is nothing for some people but, it was something agonizing for me. But, my body was fine. We finished and now, we are looking forward to running together on a regular basis..and running a half marathon over labor day weekend in Virginia Beach!
Post race, her back hurts. My body is sore and something is seriously wrong with my left foot. However, the memories we made are unforgettable.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Grocery Store Blues
I was in the grocery store the other day, buying honey crisp apples and jalapenos for adam and I's awesome burritos. I simply turned my head and noticed all the beautiful color and texture of the fruit and vegetables that I was surronded by. It all looked so good and colorful and healthy. And I wondered, who was it that decided that all this beautiful fruit was not good enough? When did we start producing high fructose corn syrup and cellulose gum and potassium sorbate? And when did we start liking it and not thinking it was weird to eat things we couldn't pronounce? Now, don't get me wrong, I love various manufactured foods that come in colorful boxes and food with "additives"..without this we wouldn't have: crunchwrap supremes and zebra cakes and my favorite..peanut butter concretes. I just think it's odd that God gaves us everything we need to survive. He gave us apples and peaches and strawberries and pineapple and melon and carrots and peppers and pecans and peanuts and read meat and chicken and whole grains. Why wasn't this good enough for us?
Monday, October 1, 2007
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