Cowtown 2015

One of the races Doug and I do together is the Cowtown.  We make a weekend of it and enjoy staying in a hotel for a couple of nights and doing things we want to do without our children.. and we race on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Well... except for this year. We had ice and snow for DAYS! This isn't a big deal if you live in areas that get this junk for entire seasons, but in Texas, we get it for 30 minutes and then it moves on. But this week, it lingered. And then it came back.

Saturday's 5k and 10k races were cancelled. We will complete a virtual race in the next week or so in order to complete our challenge race. But early Saturday afternoon the ice started melting, so we loaded up and fled our house while we had the chance!

We got to Fort Worth and this is what we found outside the expo. DANGEROUS!!!! It was sooo icy! 

picture by Libby

But as you can see, we weren't the only crazy people! These are the lines for packet pickup! This race normally has thirty thousand runners for the weekend of races... with the weather, everyone needed to pick up their race packets in the same 12 hour window. insane.

About 5pm the race directors cancelled the ultra and the full, but decided to keep the 1/2 marathon. Doug and I drove the course.  It was BAD! 

At that point, we decided that there was no way we would be able to run.. It just wouldn't be safe. So we ate a big mexican dinner and chilled. 

BUT.... workers for the city of Fort Worth and the race worked ALL NIGHT and put down 14 tons of sand.. so we decided heck, we are already nuts, lets just race.

from Cowtown's facebook page!

It also helped that my sister Libby and my running friends were going to go ahead and try.  

So at 8am we found ourselves standing out in front of Will Rogers Colosseum in freezing temps and drizzle getting ready to run 13 miles in slush.  And we were excited about it. Normally on Sunday morning, there are about 15 thousand runners.  While it wasn't as packed as normal, there were still a lot of us out there!

Libby and I were in corral 4 and Doug and my BRF's (best running friends) were in corral 5. Cowtown changed up the corral structure and start this year and it was SOOO MUCH BETTER!! In the past it was a free-for-all at the start and you were lucky to not get trampled. This year the start was slower and more methodical and you didn't feel like you were going to get run over before you made it to the start line! It helped that there were fewer people, sure, but it was a significant change for the better.

The course was slushy and at times dangerous.  But there were volunteers or cones at almost all of the super slick areas. I'm calling it an adventure race and Doug has labeled it a Steeplechase as we jumped many a water obstacles!

Prior to the race, Libby and I went in hoping for a time goal.  But Sunday morning, we knew that a PR was not going to happen! Our goal was to finish without falling.. and to have fun. 

The first mile of the course is insanely packed with people. 

from Cowtown Facebook page

And then you turn and go down into the park. oh my! 

You can't even tell that it is Texas here!! 

And here is Doug on the course. So glad Alisa took pictures too!

Along the way I made Libby stop and take pictures! 

And looks like I accidently took one at one point trying to put my phone away... see I'm having fun.. I'm smiling even when the camera isn't on me! :)

Here we are getting ready for the dreaded Mile 9 Hill!  

We ran up almost the entire thing. 

And finally, here we are at mile 12. It was still soo cold! 

FINISHED! We ran it in 2:22. Not a PR by any means, but we had fun and didn't fall! We were sooo cooollllddd at this point!

With my running peep at the end.

And celebrating another completed race with Doug.

And I'll leave you with this picture taken by MarathonFoto. I LOVE it.  

I am buying this (and the entire package of my race pictures for that matter..)

I think this picture sums up who I want to be, and be known for.

I love my life.

I'm not afraid to do hard things.

I embrace challenges.

I don't work hard becuase I think I'm going to "win"

I work hard becuase I find joy in the process.

I have already won.

Being a whole person

There are days when I feel frustrated with myself, my eating habits and my overall self. But those days are becoming fewer and fewer. When I get down and start focusing on the love handles that don't budge or the size of my hips, I remind myself of where I have come and that I am STRONG, I am HAPPY and that I am a good role model for my children!

And being strong and happy are the absolute best things I can be for my children. Sure I'd love to have smaller hips, but my girls are not going to learn to be strong and happy if I focus on the size of my hips. These days when I catch myself voicing negative thoughts about my body, I try to quickly shut down those thoughts. My girls don't need to start worrying about the size of their hips! And that's what they will do if that's what I model.

So how am I squashing the negative body thoughts? Running of course, but also riding the bike, swimming and lifting weights. I feel like I am becoming a complete athlete! And I have to say feeling like a "real" athlete is the best way to rid yourself of a negative body image.  Through this process I feel like I am finally being a whole person.  Not that I wasn't trying to be a whole person before, but I was too scared. I was too scared to try to be healthy. I had tried and failed. And tried and failed.  That trying and failing repeatedly with my weight transferred to being to scared to try to do new things in every other area of my life. What if the failing with my weight translated to failing with my job? And on and on. Sure I could talk a good game, but deep down, I was scared. 

But I'm not scared anymore. Conquering my weight opened the door for me to try new things. I found that I love competing in triathlons. I found that I can run a marathon. I found that I love painting, and am good at it! I found that I can be me without having to feel like I have to apologize for it or try to hide my shortcomings. I found that I can be me.

And that's what I am trying to teach my girls... I want my girls to know that they are strong and whole people, just as they are. I want my girls to try new things and to not be afraid to fail. I want them to know that they don't have to hide their weaknesses or measure their success in life against the size of their hips. I want my girls to understand that they are complete people. I pray that my girls will KNOW that they are WHOLE people.

The first ten years of 2000

A quick look back at the last ten years...

2000: We lived in North Carolina where Doug was a pastor and I taught at a local high school.  Madalyn Grace was born May 4

2001: Doug, Maddie and I had moved into our new home in South Texas. Doug took a pastorate in a small town and we were glad to be back to Texas just four hours from family.

2002: Settled in and enjoying small town life with our sweet Maddie.

2003: Living in poverty in Lake Worth.  During the summer of '02 we realized that time with Doug's dad was running out so we looked to get closer to family.  Doug made the decision to change professions and become an investment advisor.  In doing so, we had to start over and he had to study in order to prepare for the licensing tests.  It was an important and significant time in our lives.. but very lean!

2004: Doug's dad died November 11 2003.  After much discussion and doctor tests we decided to be grateful for the one child we had and not pursue additional help with conceiving.  We had no idea that God would bless us and I would be able carry another child. Alexis Joy was born on November 15 2004.  Also in 04 Doug was recruited to a firm in our hometown.  We moved back in June.

2005: Doug recruited to a new firm. I went back to work after being able to stay home with Lexi for a year.

2006: Doug doing well in his job and I was offered a position teaching at our local high school.

2007: Maddie got sick.

2008: Doug was elected to the school board.  I was given the opportunity to move to teaching art!

2009: Maddie was diagnosed with kidney disease. God blessed us with the birth of Kylie Faith.

2010: Doug was President of our local Optimist Club.  Our house on the market.

It's been a busy decade! 

Looking forward to what God has in store for us during the next decade.

Have you ever noticed

Have you ever noticed that there are some people in the world who just can't be happy?  I happened to have a conversation with someone this afternoon that truly can't be happy.  I don't get it.  It makes me sad.

There are so many things I want to say to this person, but I can't.  I just hope that he/she eventually figures out that no matter what, life is meant to be enjoyed, whatever our circumstances.

I wonder about myself after having conversations with people like this.  I wonder if I am that negative.  I wonder if I complain like that.  I truly hope I don't. I'm afraid I might.

A couple of years ago Doug and I saw a story about a pastor who challenged his church to stop complaining and start changing the world through a good attitude.  They have the rubber bracelets that help them to remember to be grateful.  It's called A Complaint Free World. The challenge is to go 21 days without uttering a complaint. 

I tried it before.  It's HARD!  I didn't make it.  I gave up.

But I'm going to try again.  I don't want to be the kind of person that causes others to shutter when I walk up.  I don't want to be a joyless person.  I want to enjoy life.  I want to embrace the grace that I have been given.  No that doesn't mean I expect everything to be perfect, but it does mean that I choose to not dwell on the difficult.

So I ask those of you that seem me everyday, hold me accountable.  I'm gonna do my best!  Cause' I've got too much wonderful in my life to focus on junk.