Marathon Monday #16

Four weeks to the Finish Line!!  I jogged 16 miles Saturday morning, and I felt good and strong while I was out there!  Due to a bit of hip pain that may have caused me excessive concern, I toned it down and took Thursday and Friday as complete rest days, then Sunday was also rest and recovery, stretching and sitting with the heating pad.  I was sore post-run, but nothing out of the ordinary, and I feel better and ready for some light hills and strength training today.  My feet are getting tougher in a good way, and my mental resilience is growing stronger now too!  I want to use wisdom and avoid pushing myself too hard, but by the end of Friday night, I felt tired of my own excuses and determined and ready to get out there on Saturday morning, and that was good for me to press through my own fear and inner drama... I'm in the home stretch, and it's exciting!!

I'm super grateful for Central Park at The Station in Moore - it's been the perfect training ground for me in so many ways... a lovely lake/pond with ducks and geese and turtles, a 1.27-mile clean and open trail where loads of people come to train or to walk their cute dogs, the ability to stop by my car regularly for water or energy chews as needed, and easy access to a clean bathroom and filtered water at The Station - YAY!!  This = a turtle fam getting some sun this weekend.  They're much braver when they have crowd support.  One turtle by itself would've popped right back into the water when I stopped for a pic, as I know from lots of experience. lol

Once again, I stopped for a bathroom break and changed my socks at mile 9... I think that helps my mind to feel like it's a fresh start and it helps prevent terrible blisters (or so I tell myself), so I'm planning to pack a bag with extra running socks, body glide, etc. for Mom to have ready on Marathon day so I can stop and change into fresh dry socks once or twice. lol

I was out there for around 4 hours - I remembered sunscreen this time, but should have reapplied midway through.  This round, I spent the entire jog listening to an Apple Music playlist of 2000s hits, which was a fun dose of variety and familiar memories!  I had one slow interval set where I walked an extra 3 minutes because my heart felt like it was racing, but outside of that, I was very steady in my walk/jog intervals, so I'm confident that's the winning formula for race day!!

Yay for the redbud (should be purple-bud) trees!  Boo for the wasp duo that I dramatically changed course to avoid! lol

Four weeks from now, I'll have reached this long-anticipated goal, and I'll be recovering and feeling proud and grateful for this journey.  And shifting my focus to new meaningful goals for the road ahead of me.  I still feel confused and disenchanted sometimes, but the lack of purpose I felt for most of my 20s and 30s has vanished.  There is so much I want to do and accomplish, and I'm more concerned that there isn't enough time for all of it (but whatevs, we have eternal life ahead of us - what a gift!!)  Anyway, happy last day of March, friends and fam!!  I'm confident that you're finishing strong in this first quarter of 2025!  (*Friendly reminder that tomorrow is April Fool's Day.)

Marathon Monday #14!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, and Happy Marathon Monday!! ❤

Spring is springing, and I'm so enjoying it (minus the intense sunburn on my neck from my 5.5 hours outside yesterday -- I'll remember sunscreen next time)!!  Of all the leaves and blooms and fruit on all the various trees, the Bradford Pear trees always capture my attention.  Something about the extravagance of so many perfect little temporary blooms - both the quantity and the quality of God's work there speaks to me about His creativity and generosity and love of detail, and the idea that there is beauty and value in things that have a short life span.  (Pink flowers would make it extra special... someday, I wanna visit the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC... I thought about all of that during my walk yesterday.) ❤

Anyway, on the Board of Empowerment & Inspiration for today is Linda, Chettles, and Rachael LaJo.  Linda is my friend from yesteryear in Lindsay's Lifegroup... she's been living in Colorado for several years now and she lives a really active, vibrant life including lots of hiking and 5k/10k/trail races!  Chet Lee recently signed up for the Disney Marathon this coming January... 26.2 in 2026!  He has a plan in place to train hard for that after completing the Tulsa Tough bike race this summer - go Chet!!  We're gonna plan our family Disney/Universal trip for that same week, so I'm super excited to cheer him on at the Finish Line!  And Rach is feeling verrry ready for a job transition... she's been working hard and has already taken a full book of handwritten notes in her medical coding classes - I'm guessing she'll finish the online classes and be certified by the end of April! (PS the nutcracker pic still makes me laugh!)

Y'all know I love the number 7, and yesterday was a series of 7s for me.  I did 6:1 intervals (jog six minutes, walk one) for 20 miles then one cool-down mile.  I did 3 sets of 7 miles on my RunInterval app (highly recommend).  I took a bathroom break at mile 7, then I fully changed clothes + socks and shoes at mile 14 - I think it helped my feet stay less blistered, so yay for that!!  I listened to podcasts, music, and the last 2 hours of my audiobook.  I focused on "strong and healthy" as my mantra - listing as many things as I could think of (strong and healthy mind, strong and healthy body, strong and healthy soul, strong and healthy spirit, strong and healthy decisions, strong and healthy connections, strong and healthy sphere of influence, etc. Then I went through a body scan with that mantra too.)  All of the above helped keep me going and keep my brain focused on good things!

My pink Brooks Hyperion shoes are likely what will carry me across the finish line next month.  Although I'm pondering changing shoes halfway through like I did yesterday.   It's a distinct possibility.  Also, the turtle family (above) congregating on the fake alligator head at The Station always brings me joy!

I'm in the final stretch, so I revamped my original training plan a bit!  I felt pretty great yesterday, and I'm planning to stick with the Galloway 6:1 intervals for the actual marathon, but continue to build speed and strength and endurance in the meantime!  (The Thursday runs are being exchanged for my Wednesday walking miles with Kristin, and I'm being super flexible on the dates all around, so long as I get all the workouts in at some point.)

Start line & finish line pics - (I changed into fresh clothes at mile 14).  Completing 21 consecutive miles is huge for me, and these endurance runs are reeeally boosting my confidence and resilience in an emotionally draining season!  Also boosting my sense of joy and hope is the arrival of Spring and the physical reality of seasons changing from dark and dreary and cold and dormant to brighter and more colorful and warm and full of life.  I just feel like I am craving spring and new growth in all aspects of my life, and it's hopeful to see the first hints of it popping up!! ❤

Another before and after pic.. my bag of extra clothes and shoes and body glide for my feet + bottled waters, Cliff Bloks black cherry energy chews, and a banana for during the run (yum - it all worked well)... then a protein shake with spinach, banana, and berries when I got home - yay!!

40 days to the race, and 7 more Marathon Monday posts to go!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Marathon Monday #11

"Self pity is poison, but movement is medicine!" 

~Robin Arzon, Peloton ❤

"You are better equipped to deal with stress when you are moving.  When you feel tense or frustrated or worried, it is difficult to think your way into feeling better.  The more you think about the situation, the larger it becomes in your mind.  Trying to think your way out of it often leads to a spiral of overthinking and rumination.  The first step is not to think something different, but to DO something different.  It doesn’t matter what.  Stretch on the floor, go for a walk, work on a project.  Get out of your mind and move your body."

~James Clear

YES to that advice!!

Kate, Kirsten, and Becs are three women who inspire me today!!  Kate is a real-life friend who is fighting MS this year and has been busy fully reshaping her diet and lifestyle to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible - her attitude is faith-filled, determined, and inspiring!  Kirsten Ferguson is a feisty Peloton NYC coach who shines the light of Christ in her classes, and she ran her first Full Marathon last year!  Becs Gentry is a London Peloton Coach and a frequent marathon runner - love her spirit and love her 60-minute NYC Marathon simulation class (complete with music and her sharing race memories from all 5 boroughs).  I love it!

Happy Marathon Monday - starting week 11, officially in the second half of this training season!  I'm going to start throwing in 3 people who inspire me on Mondays - fun!  Here's to the power of movement and physical exercise to help us move forward in all of life with more mental clarity and emotional stability!! ❤

"I want to face the day as the version of myself who takes over by the time I'm done with my workout: braver, more optimistic, and ready to face whatever challenges await me!  Movement brings out the best in us by making us happy... the happiness that comes from having a sense of purpose and belonging, the happiness of feeling connected to something bigger than yourself, the happiness that is best described as hope...  If you're looking for a guideline, it's this: MOVE! Any kind, any amount, in any way that makes you happy.  Move whatever parts of your body still move, with gratitude.  Move by yourself and in community.  Move in your home.  Move outdoors.  Move to music or in silence.  Set goals that are personally meaningful.  Take baby steps, then conquer a big stretch.  Seek out new experiences and explore new identities.  Pay attention to how activities make you feel and how they change you.  Listen to your body; give yourself permission to do what feels good.  Revel in metaphor and meaning.  Look for places, people, and communities that inspire you and make you feel welcomed.  Keep following the thread of joy as long as you can!" ❤
~Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement

February Fun!

Super Bowl Sunday did not disappoint!!  Mom and Dad hosted this year's party... lots of good food and fun conversations catching up with the Wallaces, Lemieuxs, Rick, and the Parrishes!  (I saw very little of the football game, commercials, or halftime show, but that's rarely what I show up for.)

Miss K made bracelets for the Chiefs and the Eagles... she thinks Jalen Hurts is "a hottie" so she cheered for the Eagles, and I'm a lukewarm-at-best fan of Travis Kelce for as long as T-Swift chooses him, so here's our pic being fierce rivals (who barely watched the game but had fun dressing in the team colors). lol

Rach is completing this masterpiece today, but Kyndal is going with a CFA-themed Valentine's box and handmade V-day cards for her volleyball girls - super cute! ❤

UPDATE:  She finished it - super cute!! ❤

I spent the first quarter enjoying some great snacks + talking with Rick about his upcoming medical procedure + looking through Jill's amazing pics from their 17-day cruise to Antarctica - they LOVED it!!  Then Rach and I talked with Bill and Debbie Wallace through the 2nd and 3rd quarter of the game - the Wallaces can always be counted on for entertaining travel stories, and it was nice to get an update on Clint and Ty and their children.  We got some group pics before the Lemieuxs left at halftime, then we spent the final quarter of the game helping Kyndal Faith brighten up her V-day cards - cathartic and fun!!  (Photos by Mamaw)

Kyndal took the group pic at the top of this post... it's all the adults + Triston (who will technically be an adult in less than 2 months).  He starts his new Starbucks barista job next week, and I'm excited for him!  Then I took this happy group pic of everyone there, obviously minus me. =)

There was chips & queso, little smokies, 3 kinds of cookies, mini cupcakes, fritos & bean dip, sausage balls, Domino's pizza, and I made my "famous" chocolate layer cake with buttercream icing (pictured below) for the first time in a while - yum!

Breaking up the different events with a meme... gracious, this one feels true for me right now.  I'm still a fan of winter, just not on days when I need to do longer runs and strongly prefer being outside to the treadmill!

This past weekend's "long run" was only 6 miles, which actually felt refreshing and energizing.  I did that yesterday afternoon before the Super Bowl party.  I know these temporary tattoos are cheesy, but every once in a while, I'm in the mood for them and they make me really happy!  The left pic = my reflection in the window at the Station, feeling strong and proud of myself at the end of my six mile jog!  This coming weekend, the schedule is 14, which would be my longest run in life to date, so that feels a bit more intimidating - wish me luck!

One more fun meme to transition into the next event!

Saturday morning was Tate Haywood's 7th Birthday Party!!

That astronaut balloon is the very cutest, and Karli went all out with this layer cake with sparkly outer-space frosting and surprise planets (colored vanilla cake balls) hidden inside - epic!!

A spaceship tent, present time, delightful brunch foods, cake time, and Parker and Kate building together!

7 for Tate Haywood, or L for "Auntie Lindsey!" lol

Tate wanted a fun birthday toast, so all the kids got some sparkling cider (and approximately 0% of them understood the concept of waiting for the toast moment to drink it. lol  Poor Chettles.)  Kate and Parker are the cutest little friends!  Parker's face in the top pic was her deciding to be funny and hide from my camera, but I got the pic just in time. lol

The party was great - I got to re-meet Chet's dad and got to catch up with Melissa (also back from a recent cruise where she was sick for over half of it), Teresa, Kristin Foster, Evan, Sarah, Chet, Karli, and more.  I got to give Melissa the lovely Christmas wreath Mom made for her - she loved it!!  And who doesn't adore brunch foods!?  (Looking at you with a tinge of judgment, Chet Lee.)

Chettles, talking about his open house:  "Yeah, it's just down the street and to the right.  You can't miss my sign in the yard!!"

Me, knowing I absolutely missed it on my way there:  Maaaaybe don't underestimate me. ;-)

Sarah and I stopped by the open house -- an updated 1800-sq ft home within my cash price range in the Country Crossing neighborhood a quick walk from the Wilson home... dream scenario for me if I were certain I was moving, but alas, God is still keeping my next step a fun mystery surprise from me and everyone else! lol

In other news, I watch a stupid amount of TV but rarely write about it here.  My main show thus far in 2025 has been The Equalizer, a gem with Queen Latifah, the girl from 21, Eddie from Friends, Awnt Vi (who can be a little much), and Delilah (love her) - as of tonight, I will be fully caught up, but Season 5 continues on 2-16, so that's exciting!  I'm always a sucker for crime-solving action + drama + the family dinner dynamic, and I enjoy that this is an unconventional family unit of a strong single mom and her sister and daughter!! ❤

Also watching season 2 of Severance (wow!), High Potential (pretty fun)... and recently finished The Diplomat (really good), the final season of Blue Bloods (farewell, Reagan fam!!), and season 2 of Shrinking (very well written).

Friendly reminder, and it feels notably true for me lately.  Our mind, body, soul, and spirit really do work together, for better or worse!

Happy Birthday Eve to Rachael LaJo!!  After over 4 years as a Tinker AFB employee (the last 1.5 working from home 4 days a week), she recently submitted her deferred resignation, deciding to take the Federal government up on their crazy generous and unprecedented offer to gift her full pay and benefits for the next 7.5 months whilst she finds another job and gets double pay for a little while!  (Oh, how I wish the State of Oklahoma could make me the very same offer in this season, but alas, the State has no money and there is a shortage rather than a surplus of court reporters. lol)

Anyway, looking forward to celebrating with the fam tomorrow, and to dinner with Kristin tonight!!  That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

❤ ❤ ❤

Marathon Monday #8

Happy Monday!  It was a good weekend and a very solid beginning to what tends to be my favorite month.  Lovely weather outside, multiple birthday celebrations, fun people and fun pictures, feeling proud of my food choices and tracking, and conquering 12 miles (at a 15:1 run/walk interval ratio).  Less than halfway to the full marathon goal, but it was my longest training run so far and the most I've jogged in one day since 2010, so I feel proud and grateful, and I'm celebrating that progress!

I felt great through most of this weekend's long run, and I know that is due in part to having a week of choosing better foods... prioritizing protein (2 shakes and sometimes bars), vitamins, collagen, creatine, and getting at least a little fruit and veggies every day!  Little by little, I am starting to see myself differently and believe that lasting change is possible.  I can tell the difference when I'm in a peak state mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and I plan to keep pressing into that.

#MarathonMonday #Week8 #ProgressoverPerfection

❤ ❤ ❤

Photo Friday!

Happy Friday, friends!  They closed the courthouse for the morning, and I think the roads will be much better for this afternoon.  What a grueling 2.5-day work week this will be. ;-)

Thanksgiving and Christmas 2024 were closer together than usual, and there are always so many fun parties and events that go by fast through the holiday season!  I love the details and feel like little things tend to get overlooked when life is really full, so I'm taking a minute to slow down and recap a few things through the holiday season today...

Here's Mom and Dad at Justin and Anna's dining table after the big family Thanksgiving dinner! ❤  Mom has Jace's discarded hoodie wrapped around her for extra warmth. lol

The fam came by to see my house on Black Friday before our Red Robin lunch.  The Whitaker boys always love this couch in my bedroom, the "cotton candy couch" according to them! =)

Quick pic with Chet and Karli outside Mission BBQ after Parker's ballet!

The cutest little feisty mouse from The Nutcracker!

Submitting my final CCU assignment (a paper on leadership)... I waited for the family dinner so it wouldn't feel alone and anticlimactic. lol

Professional photos by Amy... YAY!

I'm thankful for these women and our time together at CCU, and I'm so happy we have these photos to commemorate that!!  I told Chet and Sarah we're doing a legit photo shoot (with them and their families) for our Golden Friendiversary next December, and I'm quite serious about that. ❤

JEM + the Wilsons and Bradleys singing fun Christmas carols at Chet's 4th Annual Child-Free Bougie Charcuterie Board Party! lol

Kristin Michelle and I by the tree... they came by on December 15th (the official last day of class) to celebrate the official end of my grad school season, which meant a lot to me!!

Fun with Rach and Kyndal Faith (this was at Quail Springs mall the day before our Tulsa road trip)!

My 5k jog at Lake Hefner... probably my favorite training run thus far - the weather and the lakeside sunset view were fantastic, and I pushed myself and felt really good about it!

Hogie ❤

(Sapulpa Christmas Chute - photo by Chet - could corgi puppies BE any cuter!?)

Kudos to Dad and Jace for looking at the right camera. lol

This pic makes me very happy!! ❤

Lunch with Mom at the Moore Chicken Salad Chick on our party prep day (12-27).

❤ Parker E joining the fam! (minus Dad and T, who didn't come for this year's party)

Parker being the very cutest while toasting in the new year!

The ladies behind us had super-fun pink and gold balloons, so this = me deliberately getting that in the background of our Bow Bridge pic at Central Park!!

I was hoping to recreate the giant syrup bottle pic from 2010 but couldn't find any so this had to suffice.

This = why I chose the S'mores Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity later that night!!  I want s'more! ;-)

On a far more serious note, this was the only artifact you could touch at the 9/11 Museum, a 10-ton piece of steel recovered from the collapsed buildings.  The tour guide encouraged us to touch it and to work together to try to lift it (which was obviously quite impossible)... but he used that to emphasize the magnitude and difficulty of a cleanup project involving 180,000+ tons of HEAVY metal and debris surrounded by semi-toxic dust.  It made things click in a new way in my mind, so I appreciated that!

The 360-degree-view from the One World Observatory is epic and very worth the visit!!

Verse outside of Trinity Church. ❤

The Miss K's unicorn drawing at our last family dinner! ❤

My backyard this morning. ❤

An appropriate winter season meme and an illustration of being deeply rooted that I love!

Shifting gears a bit, this was a fun-filled and food-filled holiday season!!  I'm honestly surprised that I haven't gained back any weight (likely thanks to the consistent increase in exercise), but I haven't lost any lately either.  More importantly, I haven't been taking care of myself in a way that makes me feel good and proud.  I have zero regrets about enjoying fun foods during vacations and holiday parties, but there were also plenty of solo, stress-based or apathy-based sugary snacks that have had a negative impact on my sleep, mindset, blood sugar, physical endurance, and overall health.  I'm seeing that more clearly, which is a gift in itself.  I'm genuinely not far from where I want to be at this point, but staying on the right trajectory is VITAL!  Thanks to having a clear plan and checklist, I've done very well with my marathon training workouts, but exercise alone is not enough.  One way or another, the season of life ahead holds a lot of transition and potential for stress, which means I will crave all the familiar comfort foods... but my mind, body, soul, spirit, and circle of influence would all benefit greatly from me making consistent, healthy nutrition choices!!  So today is prep day for a body kindness reset tomorrow - taking responsibility and buying some healthier foods, restarting the CGM tracking, and printing out a food game plan and habit-forming checklist for the marathon training months ahead!

That's all for today.

I love you and believe in you,

and I hope you take care of yourself
and have a fun and beautiful weekend ahead!!

❤ ❤ ❤