First Annual Shake Family 5K

First 5K of the New Year?  Check.

That is right.  Yesterday, with the company of several family members, we started the New Year off right.  We walked a 5K together.  I cannot even begin to articulate the significance of this day and what it means to me.

The Shake Family (my mom's side of the family) get together every New Year's Day for our Christmas / New Year's celebration.  The men slave over the fire pit making us delicious food.  It is seriously all the yummy meat you can eat!  We even have enough for leftovers that can last for days, but I digress.

While planning our day, I got a text from my Aunt Jo.  She came up with the brilliant idea of walking a 5K during the day.  She thought it would be a symbolic and fun way to start off the new year.  I loved the idea, and it even brought tears to my eyes!

Plans were put into motion, the route was created, and a starting time was sort of decided. There were a few hiccups along the way, but a group of us, including my dog Ellie, took off for our 5K adventure along the streets of Washington, IN (pronounced Warshington by some people).  It was a lot of fun and we were able to take in the sights of this quaint town while chit chatting.  Ellie had a good time, but it was difficult walking with her!  I guess this means we need to practice some more.

The weather was absolutely perfect.  I was able to wear a couple of layers and still stay warm during our jaunt.  I was discouraged during our walk because I was wearing my running shoes, and the bottoms of my feet were hurting by the end of our walk.  Throughout the day I also experienced some pain in my hips.  I am hoping this is just because my body is getting readjusted to being more active.

It seems like our first 5K was a success, and we plan on continuing this tradition every year. . . perhaps even expanding with more participants.  Fun!  Happy New Year!

Participants in the First Annual Shake Family 5K

First Run Post Hiatus

D-O-N-E. Done.  First Run after an extended vacation has been completed!  I knew that yesterday was the day the run would be completed so I spent some time first thing in the morning in prayer and reading the bible and mentally preparing myself.  I saw this idea from a running page awhile ago, and I thought I would try it out.  I took my running shoes and on the bottom of them wrote down a bunch of things that I was struggling with and trying to let go of.  It was hard to make out some of the words I wrote, but I didn't do it so I could read them again.  I did it so that I knew they were written down there, but they would be under my feet both literally and metaphorically speaking.

In addition to all of that, I recruited moral support and had planned my first run to be completed with a friend.  I met Kristal at her work during her lunch break so we could run together.  Now, anyone driving by us would argue that we did not run together, and that is true - sort of.  Kristal is faster than me so of course she pulled ahead of this slogger (that is slow jogger in running terms), but even though she was faster than me there was still something significant about looking up and seeing her ahead of me and that encouraged me to continue on.  To me, we ran together.

It was freezing cold.

There was snow on the ground.

When we started there were even flurries falling.  I had even mentioned that we might want to run inside, but Kristal refused.  She reminded me that we would be training for the Mini-Marathon in Indy in May during these next few months and that would mean time outside running in freezing cold weather.  We had to get used to it.  She was right.

I am glad she pushed me to run outside.  Once we got started it wasn't too bad.  I might even prefer running when it is cold compared to running in the extreme heat of summertime!  I had come prepared to run outside so I was dressed in layers.  My running outfit consisted of:

*leggings
*sweatpants
*running socks
*running shoes
*long-sleeved t-shirt
*hooded sweatshirt
*gloves
*hat that covered my ears
*iPod (because I struggle even worse when I don't run with music)

When we were finished, I was sweating, but I was not overheated.  I made sure to drink plenty of water all day long as well.

I went a little slower because of the weather conditions.  Some of you may not know this about me, but I have this intense fear of falling and getting my teeth knocked out.  It might have something to do with years and years of intensive orthodontic work to get my smile to what it is now, but nevertheless, I did not want to wipe out on the snow so I took it slow.  I was able to run approximately 2 miles with a 17 minute mile pace.  Not bad for the first run.

Yes, I lost speed, but I was still able to RUN (slog) the entire time.  There was NO walking!  That was an amazing feeling for me.  Last night I noticed that my right knee was sore and this morning my legs, mainly my quadriceps, are sore.  That soreness comes with the satisfaction that I got back out there and did it so I will bask in it and be thankful for it.

Have You Seen Allison?

Confession is good for the soul.  So, here goes. . .

I have been spiraling for months now.  Struggling with emotions and things I have no control over.  I have holed myself up and have let depression take over.  I have been consumed with thoughts and feelings and have not dealt with them in the way I should.

What started this?  Who honestly knows?

One thing I can say for sure is that grief is a very real thing.  People think that after a certain amount of time you should be past it and all better.  Well, it has been close to two years since my dad has passed away, and I can honestly say that year two is just as hard as year one was.  Thanksgiving and Christmas I were bad; Thanksgiving and Christmas II were super bad.  I think you also feel like as more time passes you can't really talk about it because people are over talking about it with you.  That they are just thinking get over it already.

Let me be clear about one thing - I have AMAZING friends!  And NOT a SINGLE ONE OF THEM has ever told me they do not want to talk about my grief with me.  In fact, if I bring it up, they do listen and are supportive.  This is just something that I, not wanting to be a burden to anyone, have internalized and believed.

That could just be an excuse.  I don't know.  In conjunction with these feelings of sadness, I have really struggled at work.  I have been put in situations this year that I have not been confronted with before.  As a teacher that is one thing I love about teaching - each year is different and challenging.  But being so sad and then being challenged at work has not been a good combination for me.

I would literally come home from work (later and later every day), make myself dinner, and be so worn out from my day that I would fall asleep on my couch.  Who had time for running?  I was just trying to get by.  This, of course, led to a vicious cycle.  I was too tired to work out.  Ironically, I knew that working out would help give me energy, but I could not make myself do it.

I didn't not run completely.  In fact, on Thanksgiving my dear friend Kristal and I started a new tradition of completing the Drumstick Dash.  It was freezing cold, and at the time I had not run for two weeks so I was worried about doing it.  Maybe it was because of the cold, maybe it was because I was really excited about getting home to the delicious meal, or maybe it was because I was running with a friend, but I ran the Drumstick Dash with my fastest mile time!  It was such a good feeling!  I was pretty proud of myself that day.

Another milestone for me was that I put up a Christmas tree this year.  Now, this may seem like it is not a big deal to some people, but to me, it was huge.  I have not put up a Christmas tree for two years.  Last year I wanted nothing to do with Christmas.  The year before my family was spending so much time in and out of the hospital and at the time Kristal was my roommate and darling Shalom was at that age where a tree with all sorts of ornaments was not a good combination so we didn't put one up.

My dad always loved Christmas.  He really wanted to make Christmas special for us and loved having a tree.  I decided this year I was going to put the tree up.  If only it had been that easy. . .the box containing the Christmas tree was brought in and returned to my garage numerous times before I decided to finally put it up.  Here is a picture of my tree this year:

My Christmas Tree 2013

Did putting up my tree make Christmas any easier?  No, but it was a start.

The desire to run has been in me even during these months I didn't do it.  I got teary-eyed when I opened one of my Christmas presents from three of my favorite students.  Here is a picture of my present proudly on display in my house:

Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.

It is a medal holder that has the bible verse Psalm 119:32 on it.  The one medal hanging on it is my Warrior Dash 2013 medal.  The bible verse says:

This verse just speaks to me and encourages me to continue to run because I have been set free.  Set free from all of this junk that I have been carrying.  The burden is the Lord's.  I need to continue to give it to Him and turning to Him instead of letting it weigh me down and make me weary.  Getting this present meant so much to me and has helped give me the strength to start training again.  

In addition to that beautiful gift, I logged into Facebook one day (which I even neglected Facebook during my time off of life. . .although, maybe that was not a bad thing.)  Run for God had posted my favorite verse that very day.  I have to share it with you now.

My path has not been straight.  In fact, I had done a U-turn towards the wrong way instead of pushing forward.  It may be difficult, but I am recommitting to trusting the Lord with all of my heart and not leaning on my own understanding.  

I have some pretty exciting things coming up.  Here is a sneak peek teaser of future blog posts: lacing up the shoes, New Year's Day 5K, Run for God II, and more!  

Running My First 5K!

Saturday, October 12th was the day! I ran, without stopping, my first 5K! I was terrified before it started because I once again allowed life to get in the way of my running.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to run the whole thing. I told myself that I was just going to try my best.

Our Run for God group ran our celebratory race at Arbuckle Acres in Brownsburg. The route was completely shaded and beautiful. At times it was even dangerous...with the falling walnuts and all.

We started the race and the faster runners pulled ahead pretty quickly. I soon found myself completely alone on the trail.  The first mile was definitely the hardest for me, but I seemed to fall into a rhythm after that. I told myself just to finish running the second mile and then I could decide if I was able to run the third mile. I finished the second mile and decided I was going for it!

The third mile was a mental battle. I went back and forth about running or walking. I even told myself that no one would even know if I walked it. But I would know, and I kept reminding myself that integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. 

Then the song "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North came on my iPod.  This song is not a great running song because it is slow paced.  However, the song means a great deal to me. I remember listening to the song when my dad went through his scary whipple surgery. I remember it bringing comfort to me during my darkest days after my father passed away.  I put it on repeat. The first time it played I was teary-eyed, but I let the words comfort me and strengthen me. I listened to the song until I crossed the finish line.

Crossing the finish line is a feeling I cannot describe. I never thought I would be able to do it, but now I know I am capable of a lot more than I thought I was. 

Who do I have to thank for this wonderful day? Well besides Jesus, I want to give a huge shout out to the awesome Run for God group that I was blessed to be a part of for the last twelve weeks. Here is a picture of these amazing, inspiring people!

This group of people was the best!  I loved hearing stories about how running while giving glory to God touched and changed lives!  I will treasure the friendships I made during the time with this group. 

It's Run at Work Day!

I logged into Facebook today and found out via Runner's World that today is It's Run at Work Day!  The amazing part?  I had actually ran at work today!  Today was our annual Dog Jog event which is a school fundraiser.  Every other year I have participated by walking around the track.  This year I decided to come out of the closet...I was going to announce to the school community that I, in fact, was a runner.  I was kind of nervous about this.  I mean, there were lots of people (adults and kids included) around.  People that I worry about what they think of me.  I know...crazy, right?  But true!  A friend of mine was there to catch a shot of me in my running glory. 

I did it.  I jogged the entire time.  I was pretty proud of myself and even though I was more than slightly self-conscious, I kept on going.  I was slow, but I still felt pretty good that I kept going. 

This friend that captured my running moment was a HUGE help to me today.  Every time I jogged past her, she was there cheering for me...yelling and encouraging me to keep going.  It made me smile and want to keep going even when I thought of quitting so many times. To my dear friend, you know who you are, and thank you so very much! 

And just to prove that today is It's Run at Work Day. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Color Me Rad

I started this journey in February of 2013.  I desperately needed to throw my life into something different.  I was suffocating in my grief of losing my father, and I was losing my mind.  You may remember a friend of mine posted on Facebook about joining her team for Color Me Rad, and that is when things clicked.  I was going to start running.  This was the 5K I was going to run.  That fateful day I joined her team started me on my journey of becoming a runner.  I have had many starts and stops, but overall, progress has been made, and I am still moving forward. 

How did it feel running my first 5K?  Well, I don't know yet.  I did something even better at this 5K.  I walked with friends.  Our before picture:

I even had the privilege of having my favorite three year old in the entire world walk with me in a very special way:

 

 

Yes, that is right.  My beautiful Little Girl rode on my shoulders for part of the 5K, and I had a blast doing it.  I kept thinking how I have lost more weight than Little Girl weighs.  Having her on my shoulders was not easy, but it was a great reminder of how I had been carrying extra weight, but that it is no longer on me. 

 

It took me back to when I started this journey.  I declared then that there was no deadline.  I even named my blog Not a Deadline to remind myself that there is no deadline.  It is a continuous journey.  During my journey I have had setbacks.  I have had roadblocks.  I even flat out took breaks for extended periods.  I have not, nor will I, quit.  Period.  

I don't have a great picture of my after, but here is the selfie I took after completing.  This seems like it will be a tradition for me at races. 

What is up next?  Electric Run on October 5th and our Run for God group 5K on October 12th.  November will start my training for the Mini-Marathon! 

Where Have You Been?

Great question!  Where have I been?  I dropped off the face of the blogging world for awhile.  There are no good reasons.  I became incredibly busy and lost focus.  School started in a whirlwind, and I have been drowning for weeks in work.  I hate to admit it, but I had even stopped running and watching what I ate for a few weeks somewhere in there.  I stopped making myself a priority.  I saw this, and it spoke to me about what I have been doing:

I love my job.  I truly believe it is of the highest calling, and I take it very seriously.  I work hard and always want to do what is best for the children I encounter on a daily basis.  As school started, though, I found myself spending at least 12 hours a day working on school things (including the weekends), and it became suffocating. 

Then it was time for the Warrior Dash, and I was so frustrated with myself for not being better prepared for it.  However, I did it, and it felt amazing to be able to do something like that.  I realized that day that I would not have been prepared no matter what (simply because I had NO idea what to expect).  Warrior Dash caused me to refocus.  I remembered why I started on this journey in the first place.  I started to realize that I needed to prioritize some things in my life. 

I found this quote, and I love it.  I am going to have to print it off and hang it up to remind me:

 

 

I need to have my priorities burning inside of me, and I need to commit to those wholeheartedly.  I can't forget about them or turn away from them.  I need to remember what is important to me and why it is important.  That way I will stop making excuses:

 

 

Do not get me wrong.  My job is very important to me, and it is a priority in my life.  I take it very seriously.  However, when I let it take over and consume me so wholeheartedly that I do not have time for other priorities, I get out of balance.  And the funny thing is?  I can tell it affects other areas, too.  If I don't work out, I have less energy and less focus...which means it takes me longer to do those school things I need to get done. 

 

I am recommitted to working out and making this journey a priority.  I may not blog daily, but I will try to blog more often than once a week.  This will help keep me accountable.  And when I am accountable, and when I make myself and this journey a priority, the other areas in my life benefit.  I am going to end this blog with this question: Why not me?