it's official...

6 MARATHONS IN 6 MONTHS

So... I have decided to make it 6 marathons in 6 months!
This is an effort to increase the fundraising potential for ESP. It will serve as a personal challenge in faith and endurance as well.

I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ... then that is how you run a straight race...I believe God made me for a purpose, and when I run I feel His pleasure...
--Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire

by endurance you gain rewards and comfort for your pains...

Gu. Power Bar. Hammer Gel. Clif Bar. Jelly Belly sport beans. Luna Moons. Gatorade...the list goes on for products promising the gift of endurance...

Yes, I can be counted among those who use these various products, but putting in the training is really the only way to be sure your body even knows how to run efficiently, no matter if it is the uber-fave PB & J or Vanilla Crisp Power Bar that you choose to fuel up with.

Frank Shorter, American distance runner and winner of the 1972 Summer Olympics Marathon once said "The marathon is all about energy management..it’s the perfect distance to truly test the human physiology basically because of the amount of sugar we can have in our tanks."

Thursday was my long run of 14, and I was humbled by my struggle late in the run, when my glycogen stores were probably less than desirable. I don't carry a fuel belt for my runs under 15 miles, simply because I've grown accustomed to the mileage without taking solid food, just fluids with electrolytes and a sugar source. But on this day I needed more...lesson learned. Luckily, my recovery for the remainder of the day did not yield any soreness or fatigue. I took a day off of running on Friday as usual after a long run, and was back in my Asics on Saturday for an awesome 8-miler.

'Seas'ing the day and hitting the beach!

...leaving more than footprints on Fernandina Beach!

A trip to Fernandina Beach, Florida this weekend was exactly what I needed. Seeing my two best friends coupled with an hour-long run that included only me and the beach, was nourishment for the soul.

Running on the beach is not an easy feeling to put into words. Every sense is tapped. I know for sure my eyes were graced with every shade of yellow, red, orange, green, and blue as the sun was still making its grand appearance over the water, at the point where my eyes can't take me any further.

I had on my running shoes, but sand will settle anywhere regardless if its invited or not...the tiniest grains with their notorious grit somehow still made their way in between my toes.

Even though I was not alone on the beach, all I could hear was the subtle, soothing sound of waves that gradually and courteously folded themselves onto the shore.

And for comparison's sake...I had to dip my finger in the Atlantic for my tongue. Because my sweat is really salty, and I know that this particular electrolyte plays a crucial role in keeping the body well hydrated, I regularly lick the salt off the tops of my hands and scraped from my forehead and cheeks while I'm running. Call me defensive, but this is not gross. There are worse things, and I think it's actually kind of smart!
My taste test actually revealed that the ocean water and my sweat are indistinguishable.

What amazes me the most is that every trip to the beach feels like the first. Few things have quite the novelty.

Craig has always loved the beach and I even remember when he first put his own set of footprints in the sand.
Though Craig doesn't have the vocabulary to describe how the waves sound when they rush in, or how rough the grainy sand feels when he puts his hands in it, I am certain the wonder is no less. And anyway, words will never suffice.

Craig learning how to walk on the beach
Jekyll Island, Georgia

In my dreams, I am a Kenyan

Free. Trials. Are. Awesome.

Thank. You. Netflix!
One. Movie. No Question.


A little over two years ago, I signed up for my first marathon. I never made it to that race. I didn't even make it past 15 miles in the mileage buildup in my training schedule. Mostly, over- training delivered the injury to my foot. I was exposing my body to physical demands it had never been asked to withstand. The solution was to stop training and give my foot the rest as ordered. A year or so later, with adequate rest, a sound training plan, and loads of determination I finally completed a marathon. And that's when I knew I was hooked!

I was inspired by the movie, Spirit of the Marathon, about a year and a half year ago, while I was recovering from the failed attempt at my 1st. Spirit of the Marathon illustrates the appeal of the marathon, highlighting various amateurs and marathon's stars as they prepare for the Chicago Marathon. In the six separate stories, each runner shares their inspirations and reasons for taking the challenge. Running a marathon is completely different than any other athletic endeavor if you think about it. There are only a handful, the top elites, that are concerned with winning or can hope for a top 3 finish. These are the ones with a running cadence faster than the fastest mph setting on your average treadmill. Seriously. Everyone else donning a race bib is completing the distance for personal motivations. This "race" is about setting your own goals and not being the best, and being okay with that. Still, though, in my dreams, I am a Kenyan and go on to win lots of marathons.

In the 'spirit' of training for Chicago, it's no surprise I didn't hesitate when prompted to choose the one movie for my queue. My free trial yielded free inspiration!

Again. Thank. You. Netflix.

Some days you gotta dance...

ESP Summer Camp 2009 Prom!

My best friend, Emily (hey Em!), lives in Watkinsville, and sent me these clippings from the local paper covering the ESP Prom on June 26th. Outfitted in tuxes and formal dresses, campers were cuttin'-a-rug all night! These kids really live it up whenever they get a chance!

If craig could talk...

If Craig could talk, he'd say, "Just Do It"...

Actually, my mom claims that in 1986, she became the original author of this familiar expression. Mom was a runner from the time she was an undergrad at Georgia Southern University and made laps around campus in blue jeans and Phi Mu T-shirts before there were such things as "running shorts" and dry-fit tanks, and, needless to say, she drew some weird looks. She believed that running, like laughing (as Jimmy Buffett knew), kept you from going insane, especially in the most stressful of times in life, so, it's no surprise that she continued to run while Craig was sickest. Craig's surgeon asked her how and why she could still run with such emotional and physical stress weighing on her heart and body, and in between the exhaustive visits at Craig's bedside. Mom's reply was, "I just do it." Nike birthed the slogan in 1988. Mom had 2 years on them and, looking at this picture, Craig could have been their poster child!

I broke a cardinal rule of running this past week by running the day after my long run in the spirit of continuing tradition. In years past, on the 4th of July, I'm usually running the Peachtree, but wasn't in Atlanta for the festivities this year. Anyways, you should ALWAYS take a day of rest after a long run. Because of this, I can tell I haven't fully recovered physically or mentally, and today's scheduled easy 5 miler is looking like 26.2 to me...then I saw the above picture on my refrigerator, and heard Craig say, "Just Do It".
I'm sold!

let freedom ring!

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

As we celebrate our freedom, which comes at a dear cost, let us not forget the value of one another. Are we not all created for the same purpose? And was freedom not created by that same One?

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!