the quest continues

On Thursday morning, I signed up for another marathon.

"Dear Lauren,

Congratulations! You are now registered for Callaway Gardens Marathon."

That, in of itself, is not surprising.  

What is surprising is that this particular marathon is in about 5 weeks. 

dude.

5 weeks. 

craziness.

The reality is that if I want to be an awesome Fifty State Marathon person, I need to start doing crazy things like running marathons 5 weeks apart and running 3 marathons in a year.

So on January 25th, I'll be running in the Callaway Gardens Marathon and knocking another state off my list. 

Since this is a whole new level of insanity for me, I don't really know what I'm doing in terms of training. I'm using Hal Higdon's 4 week multiple marathon training schedule and repeating one of the middle weeks for the 5th week. 

I'm adding another day of running, going from 4 days to 5 and hoping that I don't fall down into a tired, whiny, crying mess. I probably will cry at some point but that's ok - if running a whole bunch of marathons was easy everyone would do it.    

I'm nervous. I'm excited. and I'm already tired. This is going to be awesome. 

happiness is....

1 day ago, our car came back. 

13+ hours later, we pulled into an icy driveway.  

Christmas cookies are being decorated by little hands.

Life is good.

Thank you Lord for the gift of your Son.

Please help us to remember that He is indeed the Reason for the Season. 

Christmas is the season for.... waiting?

I'm currently going through an exercise in patience.

Two days after Thanksgiving our car broke down. The diagnosis: a new transmission. It's been 16 days and we still have no car.

6 days ago, my family was supposed to drive to Alabama to watch me cross my 6th marathon finish line.

5 days ago, we were supposed to drive to Ohio to visit my best friend and her beautiful family.

3 days ago, I was supposed to see White Christmas, with my best friend in tow, on the big screen. Something that I was ridiculously and completely excited about.

Yesterday, we were planning on heading to my inlaws to decorate Christmas cookies and spend time with people we love.

Instead, we're here. Waiting.

(at this point I could/should write a post about Advent and how God is using this situation to teach me about patiently waiting for the Savior but right now my heart just isn't in it #truth)

My poor children are confused. We've stopped telling them anything and vaguely mention that we're going on a "long trip" at some point. Everyday, I have to send "we're still here" update texts to anxious grandparents.

I've been angry. I've been sad. I've been in denial. Right now I'm somewhere between all three. As I told my Dad, through clenched teeth and tears, I just want to go home.

I'm trying hard to trust the process. To believe that we're still here for a reason. I'm trying to listen to Christmas music and sing along with a cheerful heart. To watch A Charlie Brown Christmas with my kids and laugh when Lucy threatens to slug Snoopy.

Ultimately, I will get home for Christmas, even if I have to hitchhike up the Eastern seaboard, because no one should have to celebrate Jesus' birthday without their family.

Race Report: Nike Rocket City Marathon

Marathon #6 completed!

On Saturday, 12/13/14, my running partner and I ran The Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. 

It was awesome.

First and foremost, I am ridiculously proud of this girl ----> (the one in the Dunkin Donuts hat)

She completely, totally, and utterly rocked her first marathon. She never gave up. She never complained and RAN THE ENTIRE WAY. It was awesome to share this experience with her and reminded me how amazing long distance running can be.

As for me, I enjoyed every moment of this race. The course was pancake flat and part of it ran through the US Space & Science Center: giant rockets, space shuttles - so cool. There was no half attached to this race so the course and support were super marathoner friendly with ample port a potties and aid stations.

I ran this race in honor of my mother in law, Robin, who was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer. Thanks to some very generous people, I was able to reach my fundraising goal for the American Cancer Society. For race day, I reached out to family & friends on Facebook and asked them for the names of their loved ones to wear on my shirt. It was a honor to carry these names with me for 26.2 miles. 

I also ran this race in honor of my IRun4 buddy, Joshy. He is an amazing boy who has undergone, and continues to experience, physical pain and various limitations. It has been a boon to share this experience with him and his amazing Mom. They have been incredibly supportive and encouraging and I love sharing my miles with him.

 It's hard to believe I have run 6 marathons. I remember how far fetched and daunting the idea of running a marathon was. Who am I kidding? It still is! But I can genuinely say I enjoy the process. I feel blessed to have a family that supports my running and racing and a body that keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

Marathon #7 is the Pittsburg Marathon on 5/3/2015!