I have an editorial calendar that tells me what to publish/write each day. It is booked a month out. It keeps me accountable & on track, but sometimes you just have to write what is on your heart and mind. And so today’s original post will be published at later date.

I will make the assumption that you’ve been reading the last few days articles. If you haven’t, I encourage you to go read them.

You know that I attempted to run another 100 mile ultramarathon a few days ago. I only ran 80 miles because I missed the cutoff by one minute. ONE FREAKING MINUTE. I’ve had a lot of people ask me about that one minute. How did it feel? Why did it happen? Am I upset?

I’ve had time to reflect, analyse, and sleep on that ONE MINUTE and here my thoughts.

Sometimes what we think is a horrible thing, is actually a blessing. But too often we are so caught up in being pissed off with that ONE MINUTE that we don’t look for the blessing. When Joe (the race director) asked me for my timing chip back I burst into tears. Running for 24 hour straight hours might have had something to do with it! I pleaded with him to let me finish what I started, but the answer was no (if he let me, he would have to let everybody do it). I accepted it and gratefully sat down collapsed on the chair in the darkness.

That ONE MINUTE all comes down to perspective. Either you can be bitter or you can be thankful. If you gave it everything you had and then some and still more, you will have no regrets. Use that ONE MINUTE to show others that God knows what He is doing.

I believe that God gave me that ONE MINUTE as his way of saying, “you know what Sarah, you’ve had enough. Go get some sleep. I love you and care about you and I will spare you”. While I always start what I finish, this was a new concept for me to grasp in the middle of being up for almost 30 hours on end. I’ll finish what I started, just not this time around. (Yes, I guess that means I’ll be back.) Instead of being upset at that ONE MINUTE, I’m actually thankful for it. Yes, thankful for it.

You see, life isn’t a fairy tale. Real life has major disappointments. Setbacks. Challenges. ONE MINUTE’S. We can either accept our ONE MINUTE and look for the blessing or be bitter. We control how we react. React with bitterness and you’ll see everything from a deep, dark place. React with grace and courage and see things with mercy and compassion and God’s faithfulness.

What is your ONE MINUTE? Look at it from a different (positive) perspective. It may just change your outlook on life. And bring you closer to God.

peace, sweat, love: life

Photo credit: O2Images

Race date: Feb. 4, 2012

Huntsville, Texas

Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Ultramarathon (I would not and did not quit)

The day dawned bright and clear, not a cloud in the sky … nope, that’s the way a fairy tale starts, NOT the way a 100 mile ultramarathon race report starts. Let’s get down to business.

The morning began at 3 a.m. Driving up to Huntsville, Texas, the rain started. Along with a very entertaining lightning and thunder show. It was dark and humid and wet. Upon arriving at the state park, the rain poured and I had to run over to the little house and pick up my race number. I was soaked. I was trying to find the house in the middle of the darkness and pouring rain. A big, white extended pickup truck was pulling up behind me and I motioned for him to roll down the window and I asked if I could hop in. He said sure. So I hopped in and perched on a kids car seat. We finally got to the race number pickup place and his wife and I jumped out and ran to get our numbers. Then I ran back to the shelter and got ready.

My first crew person, Jeremy, was driving from San Antonio and got caught in the bad weather, so I had to change plans last minute. Not what I was counting on. I left my nutrition bag and clothes bag in Devin’s dad’s car and took what I would need until I would see Jeremy.

5:50 a.m. Devin and I headed over to the race start. Here is a photo courtesy of Drymax Socks and Ian Sharman.

The start of Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Ultramarathon Feb 4, 2012 ( Drymax photo)

We all huddled together under the start/finish tents and were given the countdown. Then we all joined in 4, 3, 2, 1 and we were off down the trail! In the pouring rain, lightning, wind and thunder. Yep, ultras don’t let weather stop them!

The Rocky Raccoon 100 (RR100 or RR) course is considered an “easy” 100 compared to other 100s. But everything is relative. Today was no exception. Since RR started keeping track of the weather on race day 14 years ago, there has never been a drop of rain. Today we got 1.90 inches.

Most people go think of a muddy buddy where they pay someone to make the mud. Today’s race course was a perfect muddy buddy FOR 100 FREAKING MILES. Writing this, I still can’t believe I made it as far as I did.

Back to the race start.

Devin and I ran together for the first 20 miles. It was pitch black for about the first 90 minutes. Combined with the heavy rain, it made for an epic race start, to say the least. We came upon the Damnation Aid Station (AS) and was surprised they didn’t have salt out. This was the beginning of the very long and lonely six mile loop. We hit the Damnation AS before heading on to Park Road AS. Thank God Jeremy had arrived and I had some much needed Gen UCAN and some sweet potatoes. Then it was on to Dogwood – the start/finish line.

Devin and I were still running together and we ran the first 20 miles in just over four hours. It was just after 10 a.m., I was trying to find Jeremy and he was nowhere to be find. I was shouting like a mad woman “Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy,” and then others joined in. It was funny and frustrating all at the same time. I couldn’t linger much longer, so I left the AS and headed back out for loop 2.

I had my phone at this point as the rain had subsided and I called Jeremy. He was at the next aid station and I gave him instructions as to what food I needed. I caught back up with Devin and he was hurting. I trudged on ahead and got to the Nature Center AS and instead of Chia Seeds soaked in water, it was Sunflower Seeds. I downed them anyway. At this point I called Shannon and asked her if there was anyway she could come up earlier. She said yes. Praise the Lord. I re-caught back up with Devin and we made the trek to Damnation AS. This stretch was horrific. The mud was absolutely insane. Fucking insane. I’ve run in all different conditions and this was shoe – almost short – sucking mud. On the way to Damnation AS it was downhill, on the way back uphill. My right hip flexor has been having some issues, but has not really bothered me on my runs.

I would not quit.

Got to Damnation AS, had some vegan potato soup (which later I found wasn’t vegan, just GF) and then started the six mile loop once again. This section sucked. SUCKED. They need at least one person out there cheering you on. As with all ultra races, crowd support is only at AS. You run with yourself and yourself alone. Minus the company of those other ultra runners around you of course.

I ran with Devin a little longer then he said he wasn’t feeling well and held back to walk. I ran on. Made it through Damnation AS, up the muddy hill, to Park Road AS where I met Jeremy and he told me Shannon would be at Dogwood AS. I couldn’t wait. I would get to change shoes.

Made it to Dogwood AS and did this loop in five hours. Still on track for a 24 hour finish. I sat down and we began to change out my socks. My feet were on fire and blister prevention was critical. Poor Shannon got inducted to the world of 100 mile crewing mighty fast. She pulled off my disgusting shoes and socks, poured baby powder in a bag, dipped my feet in the bag, removed feet, put vaseline on my blisters, then duct tape on that. It is a long process! Fresh socks, same shoes. I felt like a new woman. I ate some sweet potatoes, nuts, cashew “cheese” and date rolls. Good to go.

I would not quit.

Back out for loop 3. I was in high spirits. There was a little section leaving Dogwood AS where family/friends were cheering. And they cheered for everyone else too. They (complete strangers to me) started cheering for me as I came through the clearing. I ran over and gave them some high fives. One guy gave me a hug. And there was a guy in a wheelchair. I gave him an high five, a hug and a kiss on the check. Yes, duct tape does wonders.

Soon I was at Nature Center AS, got what I needed for the next four hours (no crew access at Damnation AS) and headed off down the trail. The same people at the clearing above were also at this clearing and once again we all high fived each other and the wheelchair guy got a kiss on the other check. It made me smile to bring joy to someone!

It was Mile 43 at this point and I was iPod free up until then. I knew I would need some music to keep me going on this lonely stretch. I also had to get headlight and flashlight as darkness would be setting in. Once again, I ran down the muddy stretch, to Damnation AS and out on the lonely six mile loop which feels like a 100 mile loop. There is a reason why they call it Damnation, let me tell you. Man, is it dreadful out there. During this loop I saw elephants, heard voices, saw voices (really, just a runner and pacer running past me), and other creatures that don’t live in Texas. It was dark, kind of cold. I had been running for about 12 hours at this point. It becomes less about your running and more about keeping your mind from running. If that makes sense. You’re tired. Wet from all the rain (and sweat). Muddy, stinky …

During this entire loop, my feet were pretty much on fire. Although I had started out with clean, dry socks and precious duct tape, I couldn’t keep them that way on the course. I ran through some executing pain. I have to be honest – the thought of quitting kept crossing my mind. There is no way to properly describe the pain. No words can do the pain justice, but I kept telling myself the pain of quitting is worse than the pain of not finishing. And so I hobbled on. I made small talk with other runners as we passed each other – either coming in or going out. Laz and I chatted for a bit then he took off. At one point, this charging bullet ran past me. I was in such a daze I didn’t realize it until later, but it was Hal. The winner of the 100. Feels great to be lapped!

Finally made it back to Damnation AS. Then on to Park Road. I was in bad shape and as runners passed me going up a hill, I saw it was David. They stopped and talked with me. Gave me a hug. Told me to keep at it. He was on his last loop – I think? It’s all so blurry to me. Soon enough, I hobbled into Park Road AS, collapsed on a chair and cried. Shannon asked me what was wrong and I kept saying “my feet, my feet, my feet.” My God, my feet. They didn’t hurt, they were on FIRE. It was like I was running on hot coal. Not warm coal, HOT coal. I stripped and changed shorts and said I would love a pacer for the next loop. I put on a beanie and got some gloves. It was cold out. I stumbled into Dogwood and again collapsed on the chair. Devin, Alida, Shannon, Rick were all there supporting me and we got me back up and ready to run loop 4 – miles 60-80. It was 10 p.m. Little did I know this was the end of the beginning. Jeremy was my pacer and out we went. I could barely run, but I could keep a fairly decent walk up at this point. So we walked.

I would not quit.

Remember it is pitch black and the only thing we have for light is our headlamps and a little flashlight in my hand. My biggest fear was tripping and falling. Not getting eaten by an alligator. The course has a lot of roots and if you aren’t careful, you WILL trip and fall. I had several close calls all day and I kept catching myself. Talk about a long ab workout. Running in the dark only intensifies it. I carry a handheld water bottle, so if I went down, my water bottle and flashlight would go flying. Not something I wanted to add to running a 100 mile race.

We got to Nature Center AS, got food from Shannon and prepared yet once again for a long loop. At least I had company! We estimated it would be about 3:30 a.m. till we would see her again, so she went and washed my socks so I would have clean socks for the remainder of the race. So sweet. Jeremy and I left the AS and walked out. I was so exhausted. And the pain was a level 11. Or 13. It was high, I know that. Back through the really muddy section. It kept getting worse because each runner had to go through it twice. (There was also a 50 mile race at the same time). So, oh, 5,000 people kept trying to make a new path. The trail went from being a few feet wide to several feet wide. To no avail. And in the dark, you really can’t see what you are running into. Oh, let me tell you, it was here I questioned why in the world we/I do this. 100 mile ultramarathons are fucking insane. While I was trying to avoid the worst of the mud, I got stabbed in the face by a sticker bush, whacked by another tree branch … muddy buddy races? Those are for wimps.

Made it through and on to Damnation AS once again and out for ANOTHER six mile loop. There were some muddy, slippery sections here too. That just went on forever … It was here that I started to lose it (again). I saw all kinds of things. I guess running and being up for hours on end will do it to you. My pace went from a death march to a death walk to a death hobble to a death crawl. I literally thought this loop would never end. The pain was fierce. Stabbing. Fire. I MADE myself keep moving forward but all I wanted to do was curl up in the trees and just sleep (maybe die). I kept calculating the time and the 24 hours finish time was LONG gone. I would be lucky to finish by 9 a.m. at this rate. Other runners kept running past me and they were on their fifth and final loop. Demoralizing. I still had one more fucking loop to go and I wasn’t even done with this loop! I tried to stop thinking about it and told myself to give it my all. Everything I had and then some. And still some more. I told myself that a finish is a finish. Be it first place or last place. Never give up.

Jeremy and I finally made it back to Damnation AS, got some words of encouragement that I would make it and up the hill we went. We passed some of the AS volunteers cars and I would have given anything to sleep in them. Instead I was on my burning feet.

I would not quit.

I haven’t mentioned this until now, but my nutrition and hydration were perfect. I usually don’t pee and that is not a good thing for an ultra. Let’s just say that the RR course has my DNA all over it. I was peeing up to two times per hour. I don’t think I was drinking that much more than normal, but something was up in my system. I laughed to myself as the tree visits progressed throughout the day. From a full on squat in the first 20 miles to barely a squat during miles 60-80. Like I always say, we were born to pee natural .

As we limped on, I kept thinking when this would end and how in the damned world I was going to make it another 20 miles. Only by the grace of God. As we were approaching Park Road AS and Shannon, my right foot became REALLY bad and my tears flowed. I knew I had to do something about it or I would never make it to Dogwood. Shannon was right there and kept asking me if I was OK. I think my face said it all.

I would not quit.

I went to the AS tent and sat down. My right hip flexor was in major pain (it felt like a bobcat clenched on to to it and wouldn’t let go). So it was hard to sit/stand. We took my right shoe off, and survived the damage. This AS didn’t have the medical supplies Dogwood did, so we all did the best we could. My blisters were showing through the duct tape from mile 40 – that’s how bad they were. I had blisters on tops of my foot, the bottom of my foot, the ball of my foot – in fact it’s probably best to name the areas I didn’t have a blister. We used my race bib pin, cleaned it off with a shout wipe (said a prayer) and I started popping the blisters. As I did the first one, the AS lady was like “that was an impressive blister – I’ve never seen one that big!” At least I get a PR for that. Ha! We took care of my foot, re-duct taped, put my shoe back on as I screamed. And I thought to myself, child birth has to be easier.

I. WOULD. NOT. QUIT.

The AS lady (never got her name) told Jeremy to get me moving, that it would hurt a lot, but make it to Dogwood AS as I had to be there by 6 a.m. I hate, HATE cutoffs! I never even thought I would have to worry about a cutoff at RR. But was I wrong. I knew we had to hustle. I got help out of the chair (that hurt like a son-of-a-gun) and barely hobbled out of the tent. Oh. My. God. Help. Me.

We had four (?) miles to cover in under an hour. Granted I had just run 74 miles by this point in some pretty terrible conditions. But SS does not give up. Nor quit even when the pain makes me curse. I knew I had to give it beyond the deepest layer. I started thinking about areas that didn’t hurt – which weren’t many! – like my ears, my nose, my pinky finger … and started finding the gumption to run. More like a hobble to start with, but turned into a run. I tried to stress to Jeremy how important that cutoff was and I think he finally understood it. He is a 15 minute 5Ker, so he knows speed. Which was perfect. He started pushing the pace and I kept up. I kept catching myself as I tripped over damn roots, but never once fell down. Score. We kept running. People heading back out for their fifth and final loop. I kept telling them I would join them. Jeremy kept pushing the pace and I kept following his lead. It was nice not to have to worry about running. Just follow him. We ran up hills. We ran down hills. We ran over the flat sections. I ran down the demons. As we neared the end of loop 4 and mile 80, we knew it would be close. I ran even harder. I crossed the line at 6:01 a.m. ONE FREAKING minute late. Joe (the RD) came over to get my chip and I asked him if I could please finish this race. I have never not finished anything I’ve started. He said he couldn’t. I lost it. But I was so exhausted I had no energy to put up a fight. Shannon gave me a big hug and told me she was proud of everything I did. Running 80 miles is not exactly easy, kiddo. I fell into a chair and got wrapped in a wrap blanket. Devin and Alida came over and heard the news. We were all heartbroken I think. It took eight hours (including AS stops) to run that loop – the first loop took four hours. You can see that I was in major pain.

What makes it even harder to accept is that we ran those last two miles in 16 minutes. I have NO idea where I got the energy to fight through some pretty intense pain, but I did. To God be the Glory.

I would not and did not quit.

So there it was. The end of Rocky Raccoon 100 mile ultramarathon as an official DNF. BUT I want to make this part VERY CLEAR. I did not quit. I was forced to not finish. SS (Sarah Stanley) does not quit, will not quit. I even asked to go back out and run the fifth and final loop, but I was told no.

Am I bitter? I have to say no. I gave it my all and then some and still some more. I believe that God had me be a minute over the cutoff in order to protect me. Am I disappointed? Of course. It is not easy having a public DNF, but I believe that God has a reason for it and I will bounce back and become stronger then ever and use it as opportunity to show others God always knows what he is doing .

I ran for 24 hours and completed 80 miles. 14.5 hours of running in the dark. I am proud of myself for fighting through some very painful times.

Shannon drove me over to the shelter where Alida gave me some warm PJ pants and a sweatshirt. I pulled off my shorts, put the pants on, threw the sweatshirt on over my clothes, and she helped me into the tent and onto the air mattress. I couldn’t move my right leg, so I had to lift it with my hand like a pulley system. It hurt like hell. Rosie was in bed because she fell and hurt her knee and still ran 76 miles until she, too, was forced to drop. Alida took a photo of us in bed. Neither of us could move and we were both cold. I took some NyQuil and was out like a light. Apparently I got up in the next hour or so and went to pee outside with the help of someone. I’m not sure. Then I fell back into bed and was out for a few more hours before we left the camp site around noon. Man was it a long day.

When we got back to Devin’s, I fell on to the bed and Alida covered me up with a blanket and put my feet up. They were SO swollen. I was out. It hurt to move, so I just stayed in one place for a very long time.

I’m sure I’ll write more about RR100, but that is what I have for now. I’m still tired. I can move better. I finally ate my first meal in 48 hours. Washed my hair and my face. Changed out of my sweaty clothes. Walked down the hall. See, it’s all about perspective .

Some closing thoughts.

Each time you run a 100 miler, you attempt to run a 100 miler. A 100 miler is fucking insane (as I said on loop 4 to the trees). I ran my first 100 miler Aug 22/23, 2009 and did really well. Placed eighth overall in the women and third in age.

Crew/pacers can make or break you. If you ever get the chance to crew or pace or volunteer for a 100 miler, do it. You won’t have any regrets. I’ve been on both sides. From a runners perspective, we can’t wait to see you. You are a huge piece of heaven to us.

I want to thank my crew that grew by the hour for being there for me. You have a hard job too and I don’t underestimate that one bit.

My nutrition/hydration were PERECT. Never felt better.

Each time you attempt to run a 100 miler you are doing something that 0.00000000001 percent will NEVER do. And that is something to be proud of.

Ever want to be inspired? Go crew/pace/volunteer for a 100 miler. It will change your life.

If you wish to sponsor a child in Africa, like I do, you can go here to do make a difference for a little boy or girl.

Running 100 miles is fucking insane. And that’s why I’ll attempt to do it again.

In the meantime, I’m getting some sleep.

peace, sweat, love: life

A sample of the race course conditions.

My feet at mile 40. Ready for duct tape!

Shoes after 40 miles. And these are clean.

Swollen feet about 10 hours after finishing running 80 miles.

Devin cheering Sarah on as she goes back out to run miles 40-60. Still smiling!

Its been a little over 10 hours (written Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012) since I’ve stopped running and I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the grueling day and night.

After I woke up from a deep sleep, I was inching myself across the bed and this thought popped in my head “if you could see me now.” So I’m writing a bit about that first.

If could see me now you might see this:

• Crawling across the bed to charge my phone because it hurts to move.
• Swollen feet the size of footballs.
• Blistered, mud-stained and cut up (from duct tape) feet.
• Looking at my water bottle 12 inches away and calculating how much energy it will take to get it and deciding it will take too much.
• Haven’t eaten a real meal since Friday evening and still don’t have an appetite.
• Still in PJ bottoms, sports bra, race shirt, long sleeve shirt, jacket and sweatshirt (same clothes 36 hours and counting). And shivering. 
• Lifting my right leg with my hands in/out of bed and any sitting/standing position because it is in so much pain 
• Sweat-dried hair.
• Sound asleep and being jolted awake with a soft scream as my feet blisters pop and continue to swell.

Stick around for the full, juicy report! And if you have any questions, post in the comment section.

peace, sweat, love: life

For the next few weeks, each Monday is a new series called “How I Eat.” Last Monday I gave you an overview of my food journey. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, I urge you to go back and read it. It will help you to understand the context of today’s edition.

I wrote seven different points last week and I’ll cover them in the coming weeks. Today I will talk about what I DO eat and DON’T eat. And try to answer the questions that you might have as you are reading.

First a few beliefs I have about food and our body.

1) Our body was made by God (1 Cor 6:19) and we should take care of it (personal responsibility)

2) If we have the ability/option to eat real food, we should

3) Our food supply/system has been drastically modified (no pun intended)

4) The majority of us don’t know where our food comes from, how it grows or how to gets to our plate

5) Our relationship with food is because something happened to us (negative or positive) VS starting with the earth (see point 4)

6) We misuse various terms like: “in moderation,” “I earned it,” “occasionally,” “my reward”

7) Our body ages and with it, comes challenges that we can either ignore or take positive steps to help improve

What I Do Eat/Drink

• Fresh veggies (organic where/when possible)
• Fresh fruit (organic where/when possible) 
• Nuts (and occasional nut milk/cheese)
• Meat/fish (organic, nitrate-free, farm raised)
• Earth based supplements (hemp hearts, brewers yeast, chia seeds, flax seed oil, etc) 
• Water (herbal tea on occasion) 
• Eggs

Here it is. Race eve. Not just any race eve, but a 100 mile ultramarathon race eve.

It is Friday evening and I’m in Houston at Devin & Alida’s place. Devin is also running the 100 miler. Go us I’m just about to attempt to fall asleep at 7pm. 3:30am cometh quickly! 

I know people have questions about ultras, but particularly 100 miles in general.

#1) What will I eat?

I’ve written about it before, but aid stations (AS) don’t really have real, nutritious food. They have processed sugar, candy, etc. For this 100 miler I’ve made my food or bringing everything with me. At the AS I will eat cold, hard, boiled potatoes dipped in salt, fruit dipped in salt and hot chicken broth at night.

Here is the food I made and brought (and bought if we are going to get really technical!)

Sweet potatoes. I bought 7 LARGE sweet potatoes. I may never want to eat another one again! I mashed 5 and chopped the other 2. After mashing I added fresh, grated ginger, sea salt, a little honey, brewers yeast, cinnamon and a little Goji Juice. Once I filled the 25 little baggies, I added soaked chia seeds and hemp hearts.

Chopped sweet potatoes with fresh, grated ginger & cinnamon

Sweet potatoes with chia seeds

Sweet potatoes with hemp hearts and chia seeds

Row of sweet potato nutrition!

I will eat some pure energy nut bars (Lara Bar & Bearded Brothers), sunflower seeds, Q Energy, nut butter, and Gen UCAN. *I have no idea why it flipped the photos around. I didn’t have time to fix them. You’ll have to turn your computer or smart phone around if you are really picky

Gen UCAN (mix with water)

Justin's Nut Butter (almond)

sunflower seeds

Lara Bars

Bearded Brothers Natural Energy bars (with chia seeds)

Q Energy Drink (mix in water)

Alida also made cashew butter (raw/vegan) and I’ll have some with veggie chips. All the food I will be eating is additive free, chemical free, natural, and/or homemade. Just the way I like it

That’s the food part.

#2) Travel

For a big race (I think a 100 miler qualifies), I like to be at the race 2 days before hand. And smart decision that was. You never know about flight delays/weather/other. I flew into Houston, TX from Denver, CO. And not a moment too soon. A HUGE snow storm moved in just hours after I flew out. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. Thank the Lord I booked my ticket to fly out on Thursday.

Shannon picked me up at the airport and we made a quick trip to the store to get some ingredients (tuna, avocado, tomatoes) for my lunch. Then she dropped me off at Devin’s. I made my lunch, took a late nap, went and got all the sweet potatoes for race day and salmon for Friday’s night pre-race meal.

I had a good night of rest (although I was getting nervous) and woke up refreshed Friday morning. To a weather forecast of 80% rain and 83% humidity. 24 hours till go time.

I made 2 hardboiled eggs mashed with avocado and cut up cherry tomatoes for breakfast, then started preparing sweet potatoes! As they were baking I got some work done, shot a video, and tried to relax . Not much luck there. Ha! My best friend Rachel called me and then my friend Terry called and prayed with me. Definitely better after that!

Took a nap, mixed my sweet potatoes up and laid out all my food for tomorrow. This whole nutrition thing takes a lot of planning, prep and hard work!

Had salmon, peas and sweet potatoes for dinner and going to bed early. We have to be up at 3:30am and at the race by 5am. Race start is at 6am.

Pre race dinner!

I’ve trained hard for this. Put a lot of time, energy, and investment into it. I am ready by the grace of God.

My prayer is that I will run strong and that God will use my feet to honor and glorify him. And that children in Africa will be sponsored.

Thank you to my friends, my supporters, everyone that encourages me, and yes, even to the haters- you actually motivate me to do a better job for the Kingdom of God. So thank you!

I’ll be posting live updates as I am able (80% chance of rain might hinder that plan) or my crew will.

Till next time, may you be encouraged to go do something positive, something hard, and do it well.

Oh and you don’t want to miss tomorrow morning’s article. It’s really good if I do say myself.

Sweet dreams!

peace, sweat, love: life

Each Friday we feature a real-life person who has embraced a healthy lifestyle from a former sedentary life. We hope their story inspires you to start living and breathing a healthy life!

Today’s story is from Adrienne who lives in Phoenix, Ariz.

Sarah: 2003 was the year that started the change for you, can you share with us what happened?
Adrienne: In 2003, I moved to Arizona to take yet another job in television. While I’d been somewhat athletic growing up, I was always raised to think it was better to be smart, than pretty. And it showed. By the time I arrived in Arizona, I was at least 50 pounds overweight, a complete party girl, with many health issues looming on the horizon (diabetes, stomach issues, etc) and most of all, my self-confidence was shot. And I didn’t realize ANY of these things.

Sarah: How did you start your healthy life journey?
Adrienne: Through circumstance, a co-worker was successful following the Weight Watchers program, so I thought, “Why not?” In April of 2004, I’d removed 56 pounds to reach my goal weight, and was approached by Weight Watchers about becoming a Group Leader – and helping others reach their goals. Again, I thought “Why not?” and agreed to take the facilitation training and start part-time. Within weeks of the training, I realized that TV was no longer a good fit for me, and came to work for WW full time.

Sarah: Wow! That is incredible! Tell us about your new job!
Adrienne: Fast forward eight years, and I’m now one of the Managers of the company, helping with training, media and still leading members to reach their goals each week, some even taking off more than a hundred pounds.
This isn’t a WW commercial, though. Losing the weight sparked me to find ME. I often say “My outside matches my inside now.” I’m confident. I’m raising my family to be healthy and active, so they can avoid the struggles I had. My daughter has a fabulous self-image, which means the world to me, since I didn’t have that kind of role model growing up.

Sarah: Tell us how you started running.
Adrienne: After having my daughter, I was trying to find “my thing.” That thing that was mine, that wasn’t work. Or family. And some friends across the country reminded me about running. I’d dabbled in running here and there, but didn’t think much of it. Well, having a toddler was enough to make me lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement.

It was quiet. I could think. Or not think. And my feet just kept moving. The miles became my therapy. And I felt stronger and more confident than ever before. That was fall of 2010. Since then, I’ve run two half marathons, and more than a dozen other races. And then, less than two weeks ago, I crossed the timing mats of my first marathon. Needless to say, I’m hooked.

Sarah: What is life like today for you?
Adrienne: I’m healthier and happier at 34 than I was at 24. My goal used to be just to see my next birthday. Now my goal is to be that healthy, white-haired woman who passes the young whipper-snappers at races, while encouraging them the whole way.

Sarah: Do you have any healthy goals for 2012 and beyond?
Adrienne: My  goal is to run seven races. Raging from four miles to two marathons. I have specific time goals for the marathons so I’m working with a coach on that. Incorporate some cross-training and continue to live a healthy life!

Adrienne before

 

Adrienne after (finishing a race)

The first weekend of January I embarked on my first ever back-to-back marathons. What is a back-to-back marathon? Glad you asked! A back-to-back marathon is when you run a marathon Saturday morning and then run another marathon Sunday morning. So 52.4 miles (plus travel) in 24 hours. Let’s just say it’s not for the faint of heart.

While I’m used to ultra distances and hardcore events, doing something for the first time still has that vibe of nervousness and anxiousness.

I’ve been training for Rocky Raccoon 100 mile ultramarathon and I needed to get in some long miles. I figured what better way to get the miles in then to add another challenge to the plate. Back-to-back-marathons it was! I registered for the races a few months previous and I was really excited to run both. I love home town races!

A 2:30am wake up call and I was once again bound for the airport- my second home at this point. I flew into Mobile, AL after a layover in Houston where I had to run from one terminal to another. I got my warmup run in early! After landing in Mobile, the hunt was on for some healthy food. No Whole Foods Market Bar this time. Thankfully I found a Panera Bread and had a salmon salad.

After getting to my friend’s place, I took a much needed nap. Feeling refreshed I buried myself with work and then researched for a nearby yoga studio. I was in for a treat! There were 8 people including myself. One of the fun things about traveling all over the country is the diversity of yoga studios across the nation. I love it!

It was a great practice- perhaps because I finally did a headstand! I had been practicing for years and I finally got it. It clicked when the yoga teacher had me squeeze my inner thighs- right above my knees- together. Granted the headstand was against a wall, but I was still excited.

That evening Ken made seared tuna and a green leaf salad. So, so good!

Friday morning it was time to hit the road and head up to Jackson, MS. Along the way I stopped and met up with Heather. It was a nice way to stretch the legs!

The drive from Mobile, AL to Jackson, MS was a little over 4 hours. Traffic was slow going through a few towns. However the drive went by quickly as I listened to messages by Steven Furtick at Elevation Church.

Finally arrived in Jackson and headed to the expo. It was small and awesome. They had a blues band playing, a harmonica in our goodie bag, and everyone was super friendly. Then I checked in to my hotel and pondered what I would have for dinner. The marathon had a list of places that were offering marathon specials vs a traditional pasta dinner which was another bonus point for Mississippi Blues Marathon!

I found a cute little restaurant and had a salad with crab. Got a gallon of water at CVS on the way back to the hotel and then crashed early. Oh what a party animal I am on a Friday evening!

Saturday morning came quickly. I rolled out of bed, went through my usual race morning rituals (drink my Gen UCAN, sleeveless shirt, compression socks, shorts, shoes with orange laces and a big smile ) and then headed to the start. It was on the cool side, but I knew it would be warm/hot/sunny later on, so I warmed up by doing some yoga poses while waiting in the potty line.

7:00am and the marathon was officially started! Let the back-to-back marathons journey begin!

As we started out the sun was rising and it was beautiful. Right away the course had a climb. My legs were feeling really, really good. It is amazing coming down from elevation to sea level. I felt strong and happy to run! I kept a pretty good pace and was surprised by how friendly everyone was! Usually I’m the one who talks to people around me- it was nice to have others start the conversation!

As the course went on, I was starting to realize that Jackson, MS had hills. And not just one or two, but like 50. I’m not kidding. The only thing saving me was that I was at sea level. However, sea level made me feel too good. I ran really strong, enjoyed the course, the people, the volunteers and wondered why no one told me that Jackson, MS had freaking hills! By mile 20, I was really feeling the affects of the heat and hills. I reminded myself that I had a marathon to run tomorrow so don’t die today.

MS Blues Marathon elevation graph

I just kept running and reminded myself that there was an end even if I didn’t see it. Finally, I could see and hear the finish line. Of course finishing on a slight incline. 4:12 and finished 7th in my age group. Not too shabby!

After crossing the finish line I walked over to the sidewalk and collapsed on the concrete. It felt great to just lay down and gaze at the sky. But I couldn’t linger long- I had an ice bath to get and another drive BACK to Mobile, AL. I dragged myself over to the post-race party and the food spread was pretty great. They had sandwiches, cookies, tomato soup, rice & beans, pizza…if you are looking for great post-race food, put Mississippi Blues Marathon on your list!

I sat on an ice chest as I ate some food and then a volunteer needed to get in it. I told her she would have to shove me off. I was so exhausted. She graciously got me a chair and I transferred my tired butt to it. Then I scrapped myself off the chair and began the walk over to the car. I saw some relay runners and I casually mentioned to them that they made the right choice.

I stopped at a gas station on the way home and bought 20lbs of ice. Ah, ice bath. It couldn’t happen soon enough. I lugged myself and the ice up to the room. Where is my sherpa when I need one?! After freezing my legs off, I got a warm shower and hustled to pack up and check out. Someone suggested a cafe to get some food and I stopped on my way out of Jackson. I met a nice couple and we ate together. I love nice runners!

I shot a quick video before finally hitting the road. Jackson, MS it was nice to see you all of 20 hours!

I stopped in Biloxi, MS on the way back and dipped my feet in the ocean and watched the sun set. Never miss an opportunity to enjoy the ocean!

I got back to Mobile, AL around 7pm, got a bite to eat although I was more tired than anything and fell into bed at 8:30pm. Marathon morning was just hours away.

FIT Project Miami Edition

Race Date: Dec. 11, 2011

HERE IT IS! The last race of 2011 and the last race (No. 18) in the 2011 Rock n’ Roll Marathon series! Hallelujah! I can’t believe I survived this year!

I flew into Ft. Lauderdale and I was getting off the plane a flight attendant – Jim – was getting on. Now this may not seem like a big deal, but I flew here a few weeks ago and Jim was on my flight to Denver! Travel/fly much Sarah?! Needless to say, we were both in shock!

A friend picked me up and we headed down to South Beach. I was digging the warm, humid weather.

Saturday, I took a yoga class and walked around the town a bit. Oh and picked up my final race bib of the year. WOOHOO!

If you’ve been following my traveling/racing adventures you know that I haven’t spent much time home, let alone having time to do normal things like getting my hair cut. My last haircut was back in June when I was traveling in Vancouver, B.C. Yeah, past time for one! So I researched a reasonable hair studio and got a haircut Saturday evening before having dinner with the other runners that also ran all 18 RnR races. What was special is that I was the only female to run them all .

After dinner I crashed. Race morning cometh!

Sunday morning dawned and I was excited for the 13.1 mile victory lap. The sunrise was beautiful and reminded me that God will never leave me nor forsake me. I met up with my friends and before we knew it, we were running! The weather was humid (hey, it’s  Miami after all!) and sunny, then turned to rain and wind at around mile 9 for me.

The course was fairly scenic which I like. There were some hills via bridges and the wind made them challenging (but fun). I have to say I felt pretty strong. I always put my whole heart, mind and soul into whatever I do and every race I run. Today was no exception.

As I was running, I was thinking back over the past year and everything I have been through, overcome and achieved. More about 2011 this weekend.

Soon enough, I was hearing the sounds of the finish line and I ran to it. 1:54:41. Good enough for 30 in my age group (out of 397). As I crossed the finish line, I thought I might become emotional with the accomplishment I just achieved. But I didn’t. I simply got my medal, wandered through the crowd and walked back to hotel. No fanfare. No celebration. Just quietly ran and finished.

I had a photo shoot to get to! I quickly got a shower and then did my hair and makeup. The shoot was a ton of fun and it was a nice way to conclude a very epic year! And then after the shoot I took a glorious nap. Yessssss.

That evening I went out to dinner with other running friends and we talked about the past year. Good memories.

I headed back to FLL on Monday where I ended up spending the night at Midway in Chicago on the floor and made a friend Nancy. All the flights were full to Denver, so had to wait for the Tuesday 6 a.m. flight out. Needless to say we didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. And we both crashed on the flight to Denver.

Another flight down. Home. Mission accomplished. Thank you Jesus. To God be the Glory. Amen and amen.

peace, sweat, love: life

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen the photos I post of the meals I prepare and eat. While this is second nature to me, I’ve realized that the rest of you are curious about the food I eat. Over the next few weeks I’ll share with you my food journey, the foods I don’t eat, the foods I do eat, the foods I crave, what I drink, what I don’t drink – my personal seven health principles.

But first, an overview of my food journey.

I’ve always been a really healthy eater. From childhood, the food on my plate was a lot of fresh, organic veggies (that I planted, raised, harvested with my bare hands), fruit, organic whole wheat flour (that I ground), whole milk and then skim milk, goats milk that I milked (make sure they don’t eat onions!), honey versus white sugar, 100 percent pure maple syrup that I helped make from maple trees on our farm (fun fact: it takes 40 gallons of raw sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup), drank my first soy milk when it first came out (1986? 1985?), ate kale before it became the 2012 buzz word (back in the early ’80s), only drank water (no soda, barely any juice and no coffee), and if we ate meat we killed it. I knew where my food came from, how it was raised and the blood, sweat and tears it took to get that tomato on my plate.

I started cooking and baking at the age of 5. I began making breakfast then lunch and dinner. Everything was made from scratch, all organic and of course tons of vegetables. I enjoyed experimenting and creating new dishes. I cooked with fresh herbs and whatever was in season. It’s probably why the kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in a house. I love, love to cook and prepare tasty, colorful dishes for other people. If you’ve ever had my cooking, you know this first hand.

For four years (1994-1997) I had a successful bakery with my two younger sisters where we made everything from scratch. We ground organic wheat berries to make the whole wheat flour, we used honey  (I remember lugging 50 pound buckets of fresh honey up to the kitchen) vs. white sugar, we used all organic ingredients, fresh, in-season fruit, fresh organic brown eggs, organic dairy and of course made with a lot of tender loving care.

Translation = no processed crap, no food dyes, no additives, etc. in the food we ate. If it was a cookie, cake or tart, it was made with the freshest, purest and organic ingredients.

I remember when Muir Glen, Garden of Eden, Cascadian Farms and Stonyfield Farms weren’t household brand names. Yes, I now feel old.

When I went to college, my body was shocked that the rest of the world didn’t eat like I had. It was a great eye-opener. After college, I was happy to be back in my own kitchen and cooking/baking again!

Then in the early 2000s I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. For being so young I thought it was ridiculous that I was put on a variety of medicines instead of being encouraged to look at other treatments. (Prescribing pills is quick. Healthy treatments can be a long process.) I strongly dislike medicine(s) and took myself off them after a few months and began other methods of natural treatment and making sure the food I ate was organic and as fresh as possible. Much like I grew up on. For the first couple of years my body seemed to do well with it and I was happy that I ditched the medicine. Then my training started to increase and other added stress began to take its tole on my body and my endocrinology and adrenal system took a huge hit. My body responded my treating everything I ate as inflammatory. Now a little side note. Autoimmune diseases need anti-inflammatory foods. Combined with turning older (God bless aging), I needed to do something different.

So, I started experimenting with the foods I was eating. I did extensive research and came to the conclusion that I should take grains out of the food I was eating. A few months later I took dairy out. I loved cheese. I thought it would be really hard for me not to have it, but you know what? A few months into it I decided to have a cube of cheese at a party and I couldn’t stand it. Proof that your body can learn new tricks. And by taking grains and dairy out of the food I ate, it pretty much eliminated sugar as well.

Since removing all dairy, grains (not just wheat or “Gluten Free”), legumes (and I loved beans) and pretty much all sugar (even honey) I’ve noticed substantial positive body improvements. My body isn’t fighting with itself (as much). I’m still a work in progress. I do have an occasional – and when I say occasional that means one or two times a month – a baked goodie. Like a cupcake.

Now I have many things to say about all the above. I wish I could write them all right now. But you don’t want to read the entire journey right now.  And I need to keep your interest so you’ll come back and read the rest of it .

However, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts based upon my research, working with people across the country, traveling across the country and my own personal opinions. I’ll explain in greater detail in future parts what exactly I mean by each point. Here they are. Get ready, they are deep (laugh, it’s a joke).

1) Too much dairy in our ‘diet’ (diet meaning the food we eat, not a diet plan)

2) Soy is not a health food

3) We don’t know where our food comes from, how it is made or how it made it onto our plate

4) We mask our disease with pills vs. healing our bodies with real food that God created

5) We buy packaged food – wrappers, boxes, bags, etc. vs. buying or growing fresh produce

6) Farms and farmers are being replaced by developments OR being paid to genetically (GMO) grow crops (corn being a great example) (The food we eat today is vastly different then the food we ate 10, 50, 100 years ago)

7) We are a lazy, sick nation instead of being a hard working, healthy nation when it comes to our health and the food we eat

I believe we have the ability to heal our bodies (granted with God’s help) and it is our responsibility to take care of the body God gave us (as well as the land He created)

In the coming weeks we’ll discuss these points, I’ll share the foods I do eat, recipes I’ve created, some of the myths and truth behind the different foods and why I believe that if everyone took their health as seriously as I do, some of the health problems we are seeing might cease to exist or be drastically reduced.

peace, sweat, love: life

We’re kicking off a new series called Fitness Friday! Each Friday we’ll feature a real-life, inspiring story of someone who has changed their life from inactive to healthy.

I think you’ll be really inspired by today’s feature!

Matt is 26 and lives with his wife, Lindsey of 3.5 years in Greenville, SC. They hope to adopt a child in the next year. He is a branch manager for a local bank and you can follow him on Twitter.

Matt & Lindsey (before life style change)

Sarah: What motivated you to start losing weight and exercising?

Matt: Three factors primarily: one, was a diagnosis of pre-hypertension (high blood pressure) at age 23. My doctor had me on blood pressure drugs and warned me I might have to take them the rest of my life. Second, I began to notice that the pants which had fit me all through college didn’t fit so well anymore! Finally, and most important, was the quiet encouragement of my dad. He took up running in his late 40s for his health and had even gotten into racing a little. It occurred to me that I couldn’t conscience a world where my own dad could outrun me. Plus, he seemed to be enjoying it so much that I figured I’d should try it.

Sarah: How did you and your dad help each other?

Matt: Well, we live 700 miles apart so chance to actually run together are pretty unusual. But I can tell you, every time we are in the same state on a weekend we are looking for a race to run together! For example, this summer we are planning to do Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN. Also, we text each other often about workouts. We both have to get up between 4-5 am on weekdays to get a run in before the day starts!

Sarah: How long did it take you to reach your goal weight?

Matt: I started my running career at 240 pounds. A fitness challenge at work inspired me to watch my diet and keep up the exercise. Within 15 months I had dropped from 240 to my target weight of 165 – I guess that works out to about 5 pounds per month.

Sarah: love the healthy weight loss! 

Sarah: You have some impressive and inspiring marathon and half marathon times! Share them with us!

Matt: My first three marathons were anything but impressive in terms of time goals (but I had fun!). I really hadn’t built up the physical stamina to run that kind of distance so I ended up walking much of the last 6-8 miles. Then in October 2011 a training plan with much higher mileage finally got me ready and I ran a 3:04:35, just 25 seconds faster than my Boston qualifying time. In that race, I was running with the 3:10 pace group until mile 14 when I decided I was going to go for broke and see if I could make up 5 minutes on the last 12 miles and I did!

My half marathon PR came just a couple weeks ago at a local race. It was 1:23:35. I’m pretty happy with that but I definitely feel like I can improve.

I’ve also done a couple of ultramarathons – one 50K and one 24-hour run. Both were very low-key events with about 80 runners in a state park. Those were surprisingly fun. Not a lot of pressure to finish in a certain amount of time, and you can really enjoy nature and companionship with other runners.

Sarah: What do you love about running?

Matt: Where do I start? I love being able to get out an enjoy the world on foot. I love the fact that I’ve made friends with runners all over the country. I love beautiful sunrises enjoyed in solitude on the trail near my house. I love the thrill of toeing the line at the start of a race, full of anticipation about what will happen over the next 3 or 13 or 26 miles. I love my volunteer work as the social media guy for PACE Running Magazine (on Twitter @pacerunningmag). I love coming in from a hard training run knowing I’ve left it all out there. I love being able to clear my head before or after a busy day at work.

Sarah: In order to drop the weight, you had to not only start running, but also change the way you eat. What is your plate today vs before?

Matt: I worked in foodservice at the university I attended, and that meant all-you-can-eat buffets three times a day. Nice for a college kid on a tight budget but not great for my waistline! Since then, I’ve become much more concerned with eating unprocessed foods. We live less than a mile from a great little farmers’ market, and we probably shop there more than we do a regular grocery store. I limit my meat consumption and have really grown to love some “unusual” vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and avocado.

Sarah: So many people are looking for a quick fix when it comes to their health. What would you say to them?

Matt: It’s not going to be quick. Almost everything in life that’s worthwhile takes time, effort and patience. The most important thing is to write down your goals and your plan to get there. Nobody is successful by thinking “You know, I’d like to be healthier.” You have to have specific goals and a detailed plan on how to get there.

Sarah: What are your goals for 2012? 

Matt: I spent a good amount of time on New Years’ Eve 2011 writing out what my goals would be for the coming year. Here are some of the running-related ones: sub-2:50 for a marathon; sub-1:20 for a half marathon; run 3,000 miles total, and enjoy every day of it. But the one I’m most excited about is this: help at least 3 other people get started with running so they can enjoy this sport that’s become such a big part of my life.

Spinx Marathon 2011

Thank you Matt, for sharing your incredible story with us! We hope this encourages others to take that first step- literally- and start embracing and living a healthy life!

peace, sweat, love: life