13.1 Because I'm Only HALF Crazy

Early mid life crisis?  Perhaps.  For some inexplicable reason, upon celebration of my 29th birthday, vowed to run a half marathon before my 30th.  Crazy?  Yes.  One short year ago I had diligently trained to run a 5k.  (For those who are metric-conversion challenged that's only 3.1 miles.)  Yet, somehow I had myself convinced I needed to run 13.1 miles?  Yup.  Crazy.

Someone once told me "A half marathon is only a 5k with a ten mile warm up."  Fiddlesticks!  That's a bunch of nonsense right there.  Training for a spring race proved to be quite the test of determination.  There is really nothing fun about running distance on a treadmill (or as Chanda calls it...the hamster wheel).  My hatred for the treadmill pushed me to running outside in all kinds of fun weather conditions.  Though we had an unusually mild winter, without fail we'd have amazingly gorgeous weather during the week and then craptasticly cold, wet, and snowy weekend weather.  Weekends were my "long" training runs.  Go figure.  

Little did I know how important this outdoor crappy weather training would turn out to be.  Friday packet pick up presented a gorgeous breezy 70+ degree day.  What a difference a day makes.  Race day was wet and cold.  So very very cold.  We got rained on and pelted with sleet.  Around mile 7 I calculated my time and distance in my head and determined my "goal" finish time was not likely to happen.  "Just keep running!"  I told myself.  I've been super spoiled by running the Akron Marathon relays.  The cheering and neighborhood support is fantastic.  Other than the occasional glare from disgruntled drivers, there were zero "neighborhood" folks along this course.  The "human cones" (race volunteers) would sometimes cheer halfheartedly.  (Though, who can blame them for their lack of enthusiasm when it was freaking COLD out!?!) 

Thankfully, I have an amazing husband.  (As does my running partner.)  Our men braved the dreary conditions to come cheer us on.  They endured three whole miles of trekking along the course to see us at three different locations (including the finish line.)  Three miles may not sound like much, but keep in mind they wore jeans, boots (work & cowboy respectively), and one even sported a cowboy hat.  Those of you who know our husbands can guess which of the two wore the cowboy apparel.  They sure do love us.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours 6 minutes and 46 seconds.  I finished at exactly the middle of the pack (over all, in my "gender" and in my age category.)  It was over my original goal time of finishing under two hours, but gosh darn it I finished.  At the advice of Nathan from one of his blog posts, I had armed myself with a "back up goal" of finishing with less than "ten minute mile" average pace.  I accomplished my "plan b" goal with an average pace of 9:41 minutes per mile.  I'll take it. 

Another Fantastic "Plain" Story

 

The newest release from Cindy Woodsmall, The Scent of Cherry Blossoms is a "Romance from the Heart of Amish Country."

I am a home-schooling mom of three.  That doesn't allow for much "leisure" time to devote toward reading.  Still, I finished this charming book in less than 48 hours.  It has a heartwarming story with thoroughly developed and loveable characters.  The imagery is so fabulous I could nearly smell the cherry blossoms as the story came to a close.

With an intriguing plot line that draws attention to the deeply drawn lines between Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite, I found this story to be thought provoking.  I love how author Cindy Woodsmall can entwine the Gospel message within a "Plain" setting.  I was immediately swept up in the family drama with Annie Martin caught in the middle.  I found myself cheering for Aden Zook as he struggles to find his own place in his family.

I loved the update glimpse of Mattie and Gideon from The Christmas Singing.  It was nice to see their wedding come to fruition.

I highly recommend this book.  My only regret is that it was over too soon.  I will miss my new friends from Apple Ridge.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.

The Crossing by Serita Jakes

Imprisoned by memories, Claudia Campbell lives each day in the shadow of a ten-year-old murder. Who can set her free?
On the way home from a football game, a decade earlier, a masked gunman opened fire on a Texas school bus.  Cheerleading coach B.J. Remington was killed, but her murderer was never found. Claudia, who had a close friendship with the young, spirited teacher, constantly relives the anguish of that day, caught in one moment in time. When her husband, the assistant district attorney, becomes determined to uncover the mystery of that tragedy, the secrets buried over the years threaten to tear their family apart.

I received this book for review several months ago.  I knew from the publisher's description (as seen above) that this was not going to be a lighthearted read.  Though I hesitated to read it, now upon completion I'm glad I did.  I do recommend reading this thought provoking story about how one event can change the course of your future.

This book took some twist and turns that I didn't see coming.  The format was different than other books I’ve read, but it was easy to follow the developing characters.  I was especially fond of the internal monologue sequences that contained the dying thoughts of B.J. Remington.  It prompts you to take a good hard look at your priorities.  Does your focus line up with eternity?  Or are you hung up on the temporal trappings of this world?

Overall an excellent story and I highly recommend reading it.

 

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Heart Warming Christmas Read

Author Cindy Woodsmall has again penned a beautiful Amish Romance.  This time the setting is split between both Ohio and Pennsylvania Amish communities.  The Christmas Singing explores the consequences of heartache and the hope of restoration.  I was immediately captivated by the characters, especially Mattie Eash.  The character is so well developed I find myself believing "Mattie Cakes" is a real place from where I wish I could order my next cake.

My favorite quote from the book encapsulates the heart of her character: "Look at who I am.  I spend months planning and preparing cakes that are marred with the first slice and devoured in minutes...But having something that I've worked on taken apart doesn't make me give up.  It's the thrill of creating it and the joy it brings to others and the memories it gives that matter.  That's who I am."

As we approach the Christmas season, I think this is a great story to help you recenter your focus on things that truly matter:  Jesus Christ and interpersonal relationships.  Don't allow the frenzy of Christmas (shopping, baking, etc) distract you from taking the time to treasure the precious moments with your loved ones.  We never know how long any of us have.  Make every moment count. 



I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.