I'm hell bent on reaching my goal

I have 5 weeks until my racing fun begins. The training runs to come are 18, 20, 14 and 22 miles, the shorter is a resting run. June 23rd, I am running the Sunriver Marathon, elevation is at 4,200 feet. It's a flat route on a bike path, but highly elevated. 3 weeks later on 7/14 I am running a 50K trail run. The elevation goes up to over 7,000 feet, I hear I'll be sucking wind. On 7/28, 2 weeks later, I bring things down a bit and run the Mt. Hood 50 miler, total elevation gain is 5,600 feet. After the Mt. Hood 50, I begin fully preparing for my first 100, Javelina at the end of October.

Yesterday, I ran 16 miles on my favorite mountainside. Having the elevation begin at 360 feet is pretty good considering my Garmin is constantly registering my house in the negative. My run yesterday went from 360 feet up to 2967 at my 8 mile turn around. It is one big uphill until I decide to turn around and go back.

I have begun to question if I am doing enough to prepare. Every time I stop to walk on this mountainside, I ask, do I really need a rest? The big black bee that shows up every time I slow down does get me  moving again. Am I training hard enough?

A few things help answer this. I started this training period having come back from a stress fracture that left me torn, physically and emotionally. I've run the Mt. Hood 50 before and when I trained for it last time, I wasn't training on a huge mountainside that I am now conquering. So perhaps, really, I shouldn't be so hard on my self. I am going to be just fine. I'm strong, have over come a lot and I CAN DO ANYTHING!

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” William Arthur Ward

Ask, Believe, Receive. The healing of my Stress Fracture

With all my heart, I believe that God gave me the gift of running and the gift to encourage others. Running is extremely important to me, I absolutely love it. As most people know, I had to hang up my running shoes on January 14th due to injury. It was devastating, I was depressed and traumatized. I really thought my life was going to be over. But, I got through the healing time. I didn't run for 5 1/2 weeks, giving my healing longer than it needed. Followed my resting time was 6 weeks of therapy. During that time, there have been lots of worry and lots and lots of prayer.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Throughout my time of healing for my injury, I prayed every day. I'd get down on my hands and knees and prayed, I cried and I begged! I would go to church and hear about people being healed. I would hear how some would thank God daily for healing and finally they would be healed. I heard about people who were healed instantly. I began thanking God daily for healing.

This is a great explanation on how God answers prayer: http://executableoutlines.com/pray/pray_08.htm
It basically talks about how God answers prayer; no, instantly, wait, not as expected.

During my 6 weeks of therapy, I was nervous and worried if I felt a single twinge of discomfort. I would say out loud "I bind and rebuke that pain in the name of Jesus. I ask for healing and thank you for healing!"I also constantly kept hearing from God and others that I really need to quit pushing on the area.

During the week of April 15-21, I was now a few weeks out of therapy and into training. That week was a bad one for me. My leg at the injury site was beginning to hurt. It hurt at times when I ran, at times when I walked, and always when I pushed on it. I was really beginning to worry. I was mad, I cried and the thought that I wasn't going to be able to run again was just too unbearable. 

I remember several occasions that I would just cry out to God. I begged for healing. I said "God, if you were standing right in front of me, I would go to you and beg you for your healing, please don't take running away from me, it is so important to me!"

I went to church on April 21st. It was a church service that I almost missed due to my children's bad behavior. I was sitting at church and listening to the speaker and once again I heard of someone else being healed instantly. Right in my seat, I just about burst into tears. I prayed to God silently in my seat, "why not me God? I've been begging and begging for months. Please don't take running away from me, pllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssseeeeeee!!!!" Well moments later the speaker said he was going to say a prayer for anyone that needed healing. I stood up for my leg and for the depression that I was experiencing. I was healed for both of those problems that night.

The next day, I set out for a 10 mile run and felt nothing, no pain. I heard, "you can push on it!" But I didn't want to. I was afraid that it wasn't actually healed and I was finally being obedient and not pushing on the area, so now I can push on it? I did push on the area. I felt nothing. Every run has been flawless since. No problems.

So what is next? I'm running the Sunriver marathon 6/23 in Oregon, the Siskyou Out Back 50K 7/14 in Ashland, OR, the Mt. Hood 50 7/28 and Javelina Jundred, my first 100 miler Oct 27-28 in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

God will be with me on every run.

14 mile trail run for Mother's Day 2012

My 14 mile, Mother's day run was up on the mountainside, my new favorite trail. It's extremely hilly, very warm, hard and fun. It's my me time.
It started at an elevation of 360 feet to 2650 feet at the 7 mile turn around.
The run was warm. I was still in protect the knee mode after Friday's fall at Crossfit.  Knee was fine.
Throughout the run, I saw 5 humans, two snakes, almost stepped on both of them, the 2nd one I told it to get out my way. I saw two fat squirrels, tried to give it bites of my sandwich, but when I came back, they didn't take it. I saw two large birds, a lizard that I really almost stepped on and I yelled at it. Plus, I saw a bear!!! So unbelievably awesome. It was the size of my Australian Shepherd and it was running back into the forest. I could hear it running also. I was  just a little nervous about running past where it ran back into the forest, but it was fine. That was the highlight of my run. I didn't want to go home, I love it up there on the mountain. Happiest place on earth. Week ends with 35 miles, a 9 % increase.