I'm Not Ready For This

2011, in Michigan

I think most of our readers know why I haven't blogged since mid-April, but for those who don't: my husband Kevin went home to be with the Lord after a sudden heart attack on April 23.  I am devastated to have lost him at only 47.  We had 11 years together, the last 5 of those married, but it doesn't feel like nearly long enough.  I feel angry & cheated out of the 40 or 50 years I thought we'd have together.  And I don't feel ready for this life I have to now live without him.

I know, however, that God is with me and will be with me in all the days to come.  He knows what I need to get through this and He will make sure I have it, so I am living on faith and taking each little step as I see it in front of me, even though I can't see any farther than that right now.

Ketchup Post

Catching up on a few things I haven't had a chance to blog in the past couple weeks....

5K PR Watch

I made another attempt to achieve a new 5K PR at the 2nd Merrell Summer Series 5K on 8/28.  It was in the 80's and very humid that evening. I think they tried to help us ignore the heat by using race bibs leftover from the Polar Bear Run, but they didn't really help.I carried water with me since there were no water stops in the 1st race, but I still struggled through the heat and slowed down rather than sped up.  I'm okay with that, though. A lot of the reading I've been doing lately has said to run by feel, not by pace or speed.  So when it's hot and the run takes more effort, it's okay to slow down.  I'm still working hard and getting the benefits of that conditioning. As always, I had a lot of fun running with my friends from the Indy Women's Fall Training group.  And got a bonus t-shirt! Carmel Road Racing Group was giving away old race shirts to people who had preregistered.  Everyone knows how much I love Christmas, so I'm sure it's no surprise I picked this 5Ks of Christmas shirt.

 

I Am A Spartan

One of my friends told me about the Spartan Workout Tour, a free group workout designed to teach you how to train for a Spartan Race.  I've never done a Spartan Race - they look pretty hard core - but the workout was free and included a free t-shirt. So how could I say no?

Patriot Challenge 2014

Awesome medal, great shirt, & our names on our bibs!

Last weekend I ran the Patriot Challenge obstacle course mud run.  This was my 2nd year running it, and it was even more fun this time around!  I am already signed up for next year, too. 

You can read my recap of last year's race here (which means we've been blogging for over a year now - yay!).  I was hopeful that I would have improved since I've been going to boot camp for several months, and I did!  I finished in 54:17:9, over 3 minutes faster than last year.  But more importantly to me, I didn't skip any of the obstacles!  Last year I was unable to do any that required upper arm strength.

I still had trouble with one this year - it involved a rope hanging over the back of the bleachers, with a tire at the end of it.  I had to pull the tire up until it reached a certain mark.  I really struggled and that slowed me way down, but I eventually got it done.  I am determined to keep working on my arm strength - some day I will be able to do a pull-up.

Go Ape Adventure

Last week, Josh & I took a day off and went to the Go Ape Treetop Adventure Course at Eagle Creek Park.  We'd both been wanting to do it since it opened in 2012.  It's much more than just a zip line - it's an entire high ropes course with rope ladders, swings, bridges & other crossings.  We had so much fun!  It takes 2 to 3 hours to complete the course, so we definitely got our money's worth. 

I'm not really afraid of heights, but I was still a bit nervous.  Even after 13 weeks of boot camp, I still don't have much upper arm strength, and for some reason I thought that I had to hold on & partly support my weight on a zip line.  I knew there was a harness to keep me from falling, but I didn't realize the harness actually holds me completely and don't have to hold on at all.

Patriot Challenge

You can't tell it in this picture of me approaching the finish line, but I am having fun.  The Patriot Challenge was a 3 mile obstacle
course at Lucas Oil Raceway.  Billed as a family-friendly course with obstacles that are challenging but still doable for anyone 10 and above.  I do not see how any 10 year-old kids could have done a few of those climbing obstacles, however, without some help.  Especially since even I was not able to pull myself up a couple of them where I had to use only my arms.