Facing the Wind

Well, mark it down! :) It's an historic day here in Kansas City. The weathermen perfectly predicted this morning's weather system. Awesome job, guys! :)

According to NBC Action News (and weather.com), there was supposed to be a line of rain pass quickly through between 5 and 7 this morning. After that, the temperatures would plummet and the winds would kick up as a cold front moved in.

Spot on!!

I woke up for the morning's run at 7:00, and it was raining outside, but it was light. I checked the radar, and, sure enough, the system was almost through. So, I figured that by the time I'd stretched and changed, it would be done. Totally worked out! However, I also knew that the winds were supposed to pick up and the temperature drop, so I knew I needed to get started asap to minimize the damage. Had to start running pretty much RIGHT after the rain stopped so I could get as much of the run done as I could before it got too cold.

So, I started out probably around 7:45, and it was about 40 degrees with a 17 mph wind out of the west (slight angle from the north). It wasn't too bad, and I just thought, "Wow, this isn't terrible after all!" (I'd kind of been dreading the wind after last week's encounter with a 25 mph north wind.)

The first few miles weren't too bad save for the one mile straight into the west wind. But the temperature was pretty good, still, and once I turned south, the wind wasn't bad at all.

Oh, mama! Then things started to get ugly. By the time I was at about mile 6, the wind was getting confused on which direction it wanted to blow, and it was certainly getting stronger. When I ran over the interstate overpass, I swear I almost got blown over the rail. haha! :)

Finally when I started back home toward the north, I really noticed the temperature drop. YEOWZA! My 40-degree wardrobe was being outmatched. My hands were starting to lose a little dexterity in my "medium cold" gloves. (I have a system.) :)

It was interesting to watch the flags blowing in different directions. The ones at mile 7 were blowing straight southwest. The ones at mile 12 were blowing straight northwest. And I felt that! There's a little curve that shoots me straight northwest, and there are no trees to block the wind. Every time I run this into a northwest wind, I just about get swept back to Oz. Today, I honestly wanted to cry as I ran into it. The wind was like a brick wall, and I was an ant trying to push against it. Nothing felt better than when I finally turned the corner to turn out of it.

Emotionally and mentally, the battles that get fought on a run like this are interesting. It's my firm belief that running is one of the most amazing gifts in my life. The Lord has blessed me with the amazing passion and the ability to do it, so it is my personal policy to NEVER hate a run if I can help it. I've come to realize that any time I am able to enjoy this gift without the pain of injury, it is a good thing.

That thought was one small little blessing of the morning. Sometimes when I'm on a really tough run the Lord will just all of a sudden bring this thought to my mind: "Hey! What do you know? I'm running without pain right now. Awesome! Thank You, Lord!" :)

After dealing with injury so many times, when I finally DO realize that I'm running pain-free, it totally lifts my spirits. I'm reminded of the gift and of God's grace and provision. He has blessed me so much, and I have NOTHING to complain about. Not even a measly little 30-mph wind in a 27-degree air temperature. (I wonder what the wind chill wound up being by the time I was done.)

Bottom line: We're all stinkin' blessed, but we can easily lose that perspective by focusing on the wind. Today, let's all focus on the blessings instead of the obstacles. God is good. He is faithful. He is real. He loves us.

Thank You, Lord, for the ability to face the wind and to run pain-free. :)

Happy weekending, everyone!

The New Running Buddy

Gosh, it's been forever since I've blogged! I don't know if anyone is still plugged into this channel, but if you are, happy Thanksgiving!! :) We have so much to be thankful for. Even if we're at our absolute wit's end, we can always be thankful for something. If nothing else, salvation through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins through Him. Hallelujah! :) :)

Today, I'm thankful for just about everything: my Lord, my family, my home, material provision, health and my running legs. :) AND...today? I'm thankful for new experiences and puppies. :)

This morning, I went on my first run with my parents' lab/golden mix dog, Missy. :) She's probably the only dog they have that could have gone all 6.5 miles with me, so we hooked up the leash and went for a spin!

She did SO great! It took a while for us to find our stride. She started off super fast and didn't know where to settle in regarding which side. And I really didn't know what would work either. (We eventually settled her on my left.) There were a few issues getting out of the big metropolis of Canton in the form of other dogs that barked their heads off at us, but Missy did so great at ignoring them! I was so surprised.

Once we got out of town and hit the dirt country roads, we were on a roll! She kept up the pace so well. The biggest challenge was the cars. Man, those scared her to death! The first truck that went by wasn't anywhere close to us, but it sent her scrambling into the ditch, where she just sat down with her tail tucked. Poor thing. That happened most of the way. Good thing we only got passed by about 6-7 cars. And, by the time we hit the last mile, she'd gotten a little more used to it. She'd only slide back behind me toward the ditch and slow down. I'd do a little spin to get out of the leash trap and coax her back up to my side.

There were a few other distractions (i.e. a deer, a loose dog), and she got super tired by the last mile, but it was so fun to have a little buddy! I wish I could take her to the city with me. I'd feel so safe with her! I'm not sure how she'd handle the traffic, though. But, man, what a great running buddy! Who else could go out for their first run ever and survive 6.5 miles? :) Great job, Missy.

The bigger overall lesson for me was in releasing control of my run. haha! It's been my pace, my race, my choice for so long that it was a little adjustment to worry about someone (thing) else. And to put her needs above my own was new. Especially when working through the car issue. It's hard for me to stop during a run, but I had to stop with Missy a few times and love her back into the groove. And the love part was a challenge for me. It was honestly really frustrating at first. I did yell at her once or twice when she lagged behind or tangled me in the leash, but by the end of it, the Lord had ministered to my Spirit and given me the patience and love for my girl. :) It was a great experience. And she was so great. :) I love my Missy. :)

So, here's to a new running buddy! And to the new experience of dog running! :) Now that I think of it, I don't think I'd ever gone on a real run with a dog before. I'd taken them out for shorter runs around blocks just for their sake before, but I'd never done an actual morning run with a dog before. It was great! I can see why people love it. :)

Anyway...Boston training starts in a little over a month, so I'll get back in the writing saddle as the training gets going. I'm sure there will be more lessons than I can anticipate. :) That's just how awesome God is. :) He's got special plans in store for me and for us all.

Again, happy Thanksgiving everyone! Praise the Lord! :)

-Jill