Kimberlita

Let me be honest, it’s not pretty. First off, I don’t have an ideal runner’s body. I have short legs, I carry my weight in the middle and I have broad shoulders. Therefore, my body has to compensate for all that while I’m running. Had it not been for my last sprint I probably would haven fared better. Of course, I really felt like limping across the line, puking, falling down, and calling it a day. But how exciting it that. So I didn’t. Instead, I walked slowly to my parents, smiled, and drank my water. I slept most of the day and could feel the pain from pounding seeping in slowly as the day wore on. Needless to say, by betime I was very uncomfortable. It felt as though my legs were going to explode and someone had taken a sledgehammer to my feet. Not ideal sleeping conditions. But I literally slept on ice. It helped but I was sitll restless. The soreness this morning wasn’t that bad execpt for the inside of my ankles. I must over pronate my feet inward causing strain and tearing to those ligaments. It’s been pretty painful. But hey, my quads are slowing coming along. I could actually sit down on the toliet today. Haha. The pain is all part of it and if you can’t stand the pain then you’re not ready to be a winner, that’s for sure. I’m a winner everytime I met a goal or a challenge.

I’m getting very tired and the ice packs are calling my name. More to come…

Ok, ok…so 12 races just wasn’t enough, I had to make it 13. And I decided, I was going out with a bang. So, I did. I finished this rather lengthy race series with the Presque Isle Half Marathon. It’s a fast and flat course but a longer distance than I have ever run. I was intimidated in the bathroom line by some girl saying she was going to race it in under 2 hours. I thought, goodness, I’m just trying to finish and not walk. We had a good down pour early in the morning so that made the roads wet and filled with puddles. But that was the trade off for cooler temperatures and overcast skies. Which was a blessing in disguise. So, by the end of the first mile my sneakers were soaked. Bummer! Wet shoes make perfect conditions for lots of blisters. About mile 5 I caught up with the girl touting the under 2 hour finish. She was starting to slow down. I paced with her for the next 6 miles and enjoyed some light conversation, some strategizing, and some encouragement. My legs were really hurting by mile 9 but we were cutting it close to the 2 hour mark. At mile 11, I left my pace buddy and mustered up all the gumption left in me and started to speed up the pace. I had 16 minutes to finish 2.1 miles. From mile 12 to mile 13 seemed like forever and I felt like I had sped up considerably. I kept thinking the finish was just up ahead. But it was more like, waaaay up ahead. As I saw the finish line, I started my usual sprint. I was shocked that I hadn’t walked a bit and that I had the energy to sprint. And sprint I did, with head held high and legs moving quickly, I crossed the finish line with a huge smile on my face. After all, I had did it. Not only had I finished, I had finished in a remarkable 1:59:53. Phew! Seven seconds under the goal time. Needless to say, I was pleased, very pleased. So, all that’s left is the marathon. I don’t know about that. I’ll start thinking about it after my nap.

It was just over a week ago that I met with a long lost friend and his new wife. We grew up together through Christian school and lost touch after he moved to Florida. I was so moved by our meeting I could barely contain myself when I got home. You would think that after college and life as an adult we would have little in common. On the contrary, it was like chatting with an old friend. Our commonality in the Gospel and ministry made our conversation pleasant and edifying not nerve-wracking. I was so overjoyed to hear of someone else serving the Lord whole-heartedly. They are just loving the work God has placed them in. It is such an encouragement to hear that type of enthusiasm. It was great to share what God is doing in our lives and our ministries. And to rehease the blessings of being God’s child and in his care. What a precious time of fellowship! I went away thinking that I should be more thankful for what I have in Christ and what he has provided for me in my short lifetime. I feel like their joy rubbed off on my and gave me renewed endurance to serve the Lord with a bright and joyful life. As you have probably read earlier, I had been pretty discouraged. But, the Lord brought this dear couple along to show me it’s worth it all. Service for Christ is a privilege and a joy we share with others–saved and unsaved. It has certainly chanaged my outlook and I’m so thankful for it. All of my dreams may not be realized but I am confident that they will be and my service is just a small token to show my appreciation for the Gospel working in mylife. What a great God we serve!

My year of racing brings many fond memories to mind as well as a smile to my face as many challenges were met. I decided last August to begin a race a month for 12 months and ending this July. It began as an exciting adventure and ended as somewhat of a tedious task. Along the way, I had some great experiences. I raced in 3 states. I took a couple of trips to make it to the races. I raced with friends which is always fun. And even got a few nice t-shirts. I remember shaking off those last minute pre-race jitters and stepping up to the start line confidently. I rembmer chit chat with a competitor before I zoomed past him. I remember the thrill of hearing my name called for first place in my age group and winning an award. I remember weeks of self determination and training when I didn’t feel like it. I remember sprinting, skipping, long distances, and weight training to make me a better runner. I remember giving up things to continue my training. I remember feeling like I was going to vomit 2/3rds of the way through almost every race. I remember flashing a big smile to each race volunteer that cheered me on. I remember the last section before the finish line with the crowds cheering. I remember my lucky red race shirt. I remember holding my hands high, like a champion, as I crossed the finish line. Here’s a breakdown of where I was and what I did…

August: RiverFest 5K in Watertown, WI….23:26, one of my better times and one of the hottest days in WI

September: Zest Quest for you Best 10K at the Cliffs Valley Runner’s Village….this was a beautiful race and it was awesome at the Cliffs village. It was an extremely hilly course and surprisingly I made it in my best time yet 48:40…under an 8 minute mile. I was just a minute behind the overal female winner.

October: Spinx RunFest 5K in Greenville, SC….23:45…not bad but the gradual incline to the finish killed me…I stopped to tie my shoe too! I took third place in my age group. That same evening a friend and I drove up to Brevard, NC to run the Flight of the Vampire 5K at dusk in Transylvania County. It was a beautiful run. I was really sore from the morning so my time was something embarrassing like 27:29. Two in one day though!

November: Turkey Bowl 5K in Greenville, SC…at BJU…high stakes competition…my co-worker beat me and I took 3rd place. It’s okay though, I had one first the year before.

December: I took holiday break and it was too cold.

January: I was too much of a wimp to run in the cold.

February: I was too caught up in Valentine’s romance. Yes, yes it’s true.

March: Reedy River 10K in Greenville, SC…it was a cold start but it warmed up quickly. I didn’t feel great that morning and so my overall pace wasn’t that fast. Plus, the end sported a huge hill (and I’m not exaggerating) and that killed my time. I enjoyed racing it with my friend Michelle. A guy threw up right next to me as I was taking off my chip. I even managed to get all prettied up and head down to Atlanta for the day with a special someone. I also raced the President’s Race to the Rock 5K at Clemson University. I had my best for a 5K at 23:18 just 16 seconds slower than first place in my age group.

April: Cooper River Bridge Run 10K in Charleston, SC….my time was a little worse than last year’s race but it was still a fun time with friends! And, of course who can beat the beach!

May: Easley Lions Club Run for Sight 5K in Easly, SC…not my best 5K time but good enough to win first place in my age group. Lots of rolling hills, LOTS!

June: Living Strong 5K in Edinboro, PA for cancer research…a very hot day for a 5K . I think my time was 25:01 which is relatively slow for me but the heat got me. Candlelight Run 5K in Greenville, SC….a cool run with luminaries along the way…a little late at 9pm, but still fun. My time was not great but that’s okay.

July: Cherry Festival 5K in Northeast, PA….a standard finish of 23:45 and I didn’t even stay for the award that I won. Shoot!

I hold my head high proud of what I’ve accomplished. I think I might have one more race in July and then I’m going to back to concentrating on just a few races for the year and enjoying my exercise a little more. Who knows maybe I’ll train for the 2012 Olympics…it’s a goal at least.

A.K.A. Eat Fest 2008…haha, just kidding. Although, I did eat more than my fair share in the past 3 1/2 days. The festivities began Thursday night when my sister and bro-in-law came into town. We had some homemade pizza and salad. You haven’t experienced good pizza until you’ve had Parenti’s. I can’t remember what else we did that night since I was so full from dinner. Friday morning I woke up early to squeeze in a moderate run before everyone was up and about the activities of the day. The morning was cool but perfect for a fast run. I even got to see some of the early parade preparations. Then, I came home, took a quick shower and we were off to the annual Millcreek parade. It was a lot of fun sitting there and enjoying the floats. When we got home, company was just arriving for our picnic. Once again, we had lots of good food including ribs, potatoe salad, corn on the cob, and my famous ice cream dessert. We sat around and talked and played with our younger guests. Julie, Jon, and I took an hour or so and headed off to Waldameer amusement park. We had a fun time reminiscing and enjoying a few rides. Jon and I had an awesome ride on the new roller coaster. The cool thing about the park is that the high rides give you a great view of Lake Erie. We came home for a bit and then set out for the fireworks over the bay of Lake Erie. They were great! But, I like any kind of fireworks. My day couldn’t have been better with a parade, a run, AND fireworks! Saturday, Julie and I went for a run at Presque Isle before breaking the bank on our shopping spree. Actually, we didn’t break the bank. We made out very well with sales and didn’t feel guilty about any of our purchases. Saturday night we sat around the fire and talked and laughed about possible baby names for the upcoming “baby” Parker. Sunday morning Jon, Julie, and I took another run at Presque Isle and then tried to recover from all of the eatingn we did over the weekend. I have to say this Fourth of July has probably been one of the best in my life and I’m so thankful for the blessings the Lord gave me in family.

I planned to run against time, yet I never put on my watch today. I geared up with my most comfortable, light running outfit, my iPod, and my favorite sneakers. My goal was to run for 2 hours and see how much ground I could cover. I headed out to Presque Isle on Lake Erie for the challenge. The weather conditions were perfect. It was overcast, light winds, mid to lower 70’s with some drizzle. So, I definitely didn’t have to battle hot temperatures or high winds. I started out at a faster pace than I would have liked but I toned it down as I realized it. I found that the first hour wasn’t that bad. The second hour proved to be much harder and I had to stop to walk a few times. All in all, over two hours my average pace was 9:20 per mile which isn’t bad considering I’ve never run past about 1 hour 20 minutes. I ended with about 12.25 miles behind me which is farther than I’ve run before.

I learned a few things from today’s run. One, I still had to take a restroom break within the first hour (those who know me know this isn’t uncommon). Two, all the water fountains are shut off so I need to bring water with me or I will die (like I almost did today). Three, all those push ups and crunches pay off since a runner needs core stability just as much as leg muscle. Fourth, I’m pretty sore after that many miles. I think I swung my arms too hard the last stretch because my upper body is sore. I was probably careless with form just because of fatigue. Also, my hips are sore. That is most likely from too much side to side motion which is another form issue. And last, I think I just might be able to pull off a half marathon in three weeks barring any serious injuries.

And yes, I had ice cream today to celebrate!

Wow, I love watching these. I caught a little of the men’s and women’s 800M finals today. Those runners are so awesome. It is amazing that first and second place are determined by a hundreth of a second. It inspires me to do my best in running. It energizes me to push myself beyond my limits. It shows me that I need to keep up my weight training to improve my running. It makes me wish I had a coach and a good one. It makes me wish I could even dream of being in the Olympics someday. Yeah, me a white girl.

I can’t wait for the Olympic coverage in August. Look for me. I’ll be out there in G-vegas running with a huge smile on my face knowing I’m living my little dream by getting faster and stronger.

After weeks of questioning myself and figuring it out, I think I have. I was just a trial run. I was a “fill in” or a replacement for someone he knew he couldn’t have. For one, the person he liked is in a serious relationship and isn’t saved. I looked similar to her and I’m sure he hoped that my personality was similar, too. However, he wanted me to be her. He wanted to see it work to get away from what he knew he couldn’t have. He couldn’t just appreciate me for the good, Christian girl I was. He was too attracted to what he can’t have. I was just part time to try to ease his conscience. Plus, it is pretty hard to build that close abiding friendship and comradarie with someone when you create situations that are predominately romantic. Romance seems to be very selfish if it is used to build a genuine attraction to someone. It simply doesn’t last.

I feel I did everything I could right. In the end of it all, I was seriously hurt and hurting and so in reaction to that (and not saying it was right) I said some harsh and possibly way off base and out of line things. Someone once said that “Truth without love is harsh” and that is very true. Some of what I said was true, in part, even if the person is too prideful to admit it. I care too much about folks to turn a blind eye to things. He’s not used to being told he’s wrong or have his character or moral questioned. And it probably wasn’t my place to point those things out…but I did. Because…everyone in his “Christian” circles thinks he’s great because of his upbringing or his church involvement or his relatively quiet and sweet spirit at church. But folks can be totally different people in other places and you don’t know that unless you get past the superficial acquaintance. And people have seen things and know of things in his life that should be questioned. But, Christians, they turn and look the other way. They are happy with the friendship they have without regard to the whole person and a concern for someone falling off the deep end. I’m not saying he will. But he somewhat secretly is creeping down that slippery slope. How sad! I said something and got the third degree. Oh well. I hope he atleast thinks about how he comes across to say the least.

I do not hold myself as perfect, let alone a pillar of Christian character. I do know though that I’m not fake about who I am and what I do in front of different groups of people. I’ve experienced how hurtful that can be and I refuse to be like that. I have a good heart. I also am open to all sorts of people. I don’t disguise my need for acceptance or ego boost by sitting with the newest, attractive, available singe man in my Sunday school class with the excuse that they normally sit alone. Give me a break! I’m sure there are plenty of others to befriend and include if that were truly the case. I wish people were just real and honest and not always trying to impress or be something so people think something good about them. How does that last for eternity?

I was thinking about his unsaved friend of whom he has romantic interest. It’s as if his acceptance and close friendship drives her further from the Gospel. When he’s with her, he accepts her for who she is and her unbiblical lifestyle, practices, and language. He may even join in with some of those things. He is faithful in church, but how does she view it? I guess it’s just his hobby, his thing, what he does on Sundays. She’s smart enough to know if he really believed it he wouldn’t be doing what he was doing. He’d stand up for what is right. So, to her, eternity, faith, the Cross, the work of Christ is no more than “religion”, a social club, something to earn merit with God and ease one’s conscience.

I could say more, but then I’d still be repeating myself…

I have to admit that in the past couple of months I have not felt very loved of God. I know it is true, but I have struggled with having the faith to really believe it. I feel as if my prayers hit the ceiling, that what I read in the Word does not impact my life, and sadly, that most if not all days it seems that God hates me more than He loves me. I realize those are some startling statements but it is possible in the depraved human state to think that way. I know I am redeemed but I find that my dream of life have not been realized that is extremely disappointing to me. However, I found great encouragement in this weeks worship services and am thankful for a strong body of believers. These Scriptures and songs touched my heart in a deep way.

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these thigns we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angles nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast unmeasured, boundless, free,
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me is the current of Your love,
Leading onward, leading homeward to Your glorious rest above.

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore,
How He came to pay our ransom through the saving cross He bore;
How He watches o’er His loved ones, those He died to make His own,
How for them He’s interceding, pleading now before the throne.

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, far surpassing all the rest,
It’s an ocean full of blessing in the midst of every test.
Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, mighty Savior, precious Friend,
You will bring us home to glory, where Your love will never end.

Oh the deep, deep love, all I need and trust is the deep, deep love of Jesus.

by Samuel Trevor Francis & Bob Kauflin

…and I’m going to it. Well, I don’t know if his name is MacDonald. I’m heading back to Greenville to take a class down in the Anderson/Clemson, SC area through Clemson Distance Ed. and SC Department of Agriculture. I signed up for the class way back in February because it was cheap and I did have connections down there. Now, it’s still cheap but I have no connections. Oh well! That’s life, right? Anyway, it was actually pretty thrilling to get an acceptance letter from Clemson into the graduate program. Too bad it’s non-degree. I have no ambition right now to pursue another degree that requires lots of study and money. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to socialize with fellow teachers from all over the state of SC and learning new material from a different perspective. It should be interesting sharing a motel room with a complete stranger. I think I should have thought a little more carefully about this farm thing though. For one, I’m allergic to hay and most outdoorsy things and I’m allergic to a lot of animals. Ha! Second, I’m a clean freak! I’m going to be sending out an SOS if I have to milk a cow or pet a chicken. Yuck! Well, if I had to choose, I’d milk the cow. Birds are dirty…didn’t your mom ever tell you that? All in all, I will enjoy a change of pace and the quaint little towns of Pickens County. I also plan to do some exercising at the Fike Recreation Center since I do have an official CU ID. I’ve seen it once and have been jealous at how nice it was. Okay, I’m an exercise nerd and I know it. Well, off to pack my overalls… Yeehaw!