Taking back the trail

So  I know I missed a post from my first long run on a road, and then Mondays run before I even get to today's.

Saturday was a 12 mile run and my first long run on a paved trail. I ran straight from my house to the Silver Comet and brought one goo thing to take half way. It went well and I ran faster then I thought I'd be able to, hitting an average of 8:30 minute per mile.  The weather has been great so that mixed with actually taking a supplement really helped my time.

 yes that is a Vulcan salute 

 my time was really better but I did a cool-down which killed the pace per mile on the bottom, I've still not loaded my data off the Garmin so this is all I've got. I want to put it on a new laptop but doubt that I should spend the money on it, so until I decide to this will have to do.

It was so nice to see so many runners and people on the trails Saturday morning!  Women running in pairs as well as some running alone like myself, as well as men and families.  We cannot let fear control us and scare us away from doing what we love.

Together we can take back the trails.

Monday Tina and I ran at the gym, so nothing very exciting except we got to watch Bones, I've never ran to a show before really so it was interesting.

Today I decided to run the advanced run of 8 instead of the 5 I usually do, mainly cause Saturday I won't be able to do my long run since I'm running the Savage race with a friend that is coming up from Florida.  Again the weather was amazing and Oreo even ran the whole thing with me.  I think that doing the same route (he's a bit scared of cars and cyclists) we always ran in the neighborhood was getting to him so I risked it and took him on the trail which really helped power him.

I will admit that I miss my runs with the Lord...I hate that the idea of trying to run again without music and just my thoughts and prayers to God. The idea of being quiet before Him as nature surrounds me sounds great but impossible for me. I guess at least I still have the desire to be with Him intimately. I just have to find a way we can.

I think training for my marathon, knowing I have certain distances and speeds I need to reach is making it harder, but after I've achieved this I want to return to these calmer runs. The runs I did just for fun, just to being with my heavenly Father.

On a side note we had to reschedule our Prophecy group to Thursday this week in place of Tuesday so cannot wait for that!

Lastly, the group workout I had mentioned in a few posts didn't workout. Which does show me that I think God has me going in a different direction, but at least allowed me to meet two wonderful people along the way. Now I have the rest of this year to save and think about becoming a substitute Ride instructor for Gold's, if they still need one by then.

Running in Heavenly Fog

Running today, the beauty of autumn still lingers as winter begins to take hold.

The Holy Spirit begins to settle all around me as a fog, I run towards it and He fills my lungs. As I breathe Him in He revitalizes me. Filling my lungs with each breath, releasing all the negative events of late.

One little tear at a time, the Lord begins to cry, cry for all those hurt and hurting, cry for the unfathomable love He feels for each and every one of us as He walks with us every moment of every day. He helps me release and all of the sudden I take off. Running faster and faster...all my emotions out, my fears out, my sorrow, running myself out so I can let more of Him in.

I run as fast as I can till I have nothing left.  Then the rain changes, from tear drops of understanding to his baptism. With every drop I am reborn in His image.  Recreated within His love. I feel a bond with all the nature around me, I become one with all of His creation. We running with Him....and I feel empowered!

Now I run quickly again, but not because of running away, not to empty my spirit but to fill it!  I can't get enough of His presence. I want more of Him, bless me oh Lord, BLESS ME.

Fog lies before me again and as my body tires I push myself toward it, I need to reach it. To feel His embrace once more and as I finally approach it I feel an intense love for me, one I don't understand.  One I don't deserve but gladly accept.

I finish my run with a new rejuvenated focus on my Heavenly Father and a greater connection with nature.  I needed this and praise the Lord for those in my life who understand this bond, and help motivate me to move beyond my fears of failure, of others hurting me, and most of all my fear of letting others down and what they want for me instead of worrying about letting myself down. Of figuring out what I want for me.  I realize due to my past I've created, to keep myself away from myself.

I cannot wait to rediscover who this Child of Christ really is, once she lets go of everything holding her back.

Hebrews 12

This has been a very interesting week, well interesting time in my life recently really.  My birthday, mom's birthday, applied for a new job (finger's crossed with many prayers!), current work has been crazy busy, some outings scheduled with friends & family, and one blind-date (didn't work out though). Mix that with the emotional stress I put myself under on a normal basis anyhoo, two of my closest friends battling severe depression, major financial battles that not only I am enduring, but having to watch many of my family members go through the same...it has also been very overwhelming!

So when one of my friends had to cancel today, I decided to take the wonderful weather welcoming September in as a chance to have a run with God.

When I run with one of my running partners we go 4-6 miles, when I run with the other I run 6-8 miles, when I run with just myself I run 10.5 miles, and when I run for the world I run 13.5-14 miles (a very rare run indeed)...no matter the distance I always run with the Lord!

This was a 10.5 mile kind of day. A just run everything off kind of day. I ran with just God, no music, no conversation...just God and me.  Emptying myself onto Him, my thoughts and fears, reaffirmed my trust and faith in His decisions and spoke that no matter what happened, I knew it was His will and I would follow.  I didn't know what the future holds, who my soul mate is, where I'll live or work, how my bills will work out, but I know that they will...through Him and His hand on my life, it will all be okay.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 

Hebrews 12: 1-2 NKJV

Ending this blog post on a positive note, my friend's father and the outreach pastor stood in the place for my father and spoke a blessing over me a few weeks ago. One that I cherish, and now get to see every time I wake up!  Knowing that my heavenly Father's blessings are on me, over me, and awaiting me, I cannot wait to see what His Almighty plans will be!

One thing the future does hold for me....Autumn & the state fair!!! Yay!