Marathon Monday #18 (+ Memes)

Hello, and happy Marathon Monday!

This is my friend, Kristen, with her parents.  She had her final chemotherapy treatment at MD Anderson last week - praising God for the progress she has made, and praying for her continued health journey!! ❤

On this "holy week" leading up to Easter, that is sooo worth celebrating!  I also wanted to start this post off by reminding myself of truth and of the major themes in life - that our God is at work bringing life and hope and healing - that His power and goodness are what sustain us, and He is with us and for us, working all things together for our good and His glory! ❤

Okay.  Less than two weeks to go till race day...

And all is not exactly well.  My game plan was to conquer 20 miles on Sunday... look at me all fresh and ready to go the distance.  That plan was thwarted by a random (and hopefully minor) injury to the top of my left foot. 

The pain started Saturday on our way back to the car at the outlet mall...

Walking by some lovely, well-placed outdoor couches and chairs...
Me:  There's no rush - we can sit down here for a minute if you need to. 
Mom:  Oh, I'm okay.
Me:  Yeah... welllll, I need to sit down! lol

I wore some cute Sketchers sandals I hadn't worn in a while... they fit me well last year, but I had to hold my foot in just a slightly strange way to keep them on right this year.  Anyway, the top of my left foot was suddenly in pain Saturday night... and I said out loud, "The last thing I need is a foot injury right now!"  

After a mini-break, our car wasn't far, then I drove home and changed into flip flops and figured all was well.  Sunday afternoon, I did my dynamic warm-ups and got everything prepared (body glide, sunscreen, energy chews, fresh shoes/socks, etc.) to do my final long training run at Central Park Sunday afternoon.  And 5.5 miles into it, that same foot pain started up.  I slowed down a bit, changed my socks and shoes, and tried to mentally push through it.  "Pain does not exist in this dojo.  Fear does not exist in this dojo." lol  

Shocking, I know, but that delightful mantra didn't solve anything. lol  I made it two more miles at the slowest. jogging. pace. ever with two more sitting breaks thrown in, and by then it was off-and-on shooting pains from the top of my foot through my left shin, and I knew finishing was out of the question... so I hobbled back to my car and called it quits for the day.  (Not sure how to describe it - to wiggle my toes or flex or point my left foot is painful, and there's intermittent pain on the top center of my left foot with regular walking.  LAME.)  I called Chettles and Mom feeling very frustrated, concerned, sad, and irritated... it helped to breathe and talk through that a bit.  On almost any other day, I would feel pretty proud of 7.5 miles, but I really wanted to finish 20 one more time, and more than that, I want to be strong enough to finish the Full in 13 days (without causing myself any lasting damage).

Anyway, I came home and took some Advil, hobble-walked the big trash can down to the curb, blogged for a bit, then took it suuuper easy, elevating/massaging and icing/heating my foot while watching Brittany Runs a Marathon (something I thought of during those last 2 miles at The Station, an inspiring movie where the lead character gets injured fairly last minute after a long span of intense training, then ends up having to do a different race than the original one she had signed up for).  Cried my way through the ending of that again - it's so well done!  I'm sincerely hoping the injury and postponing things is not my story here, but I need to be extra careful over the next two weeks.  I will say the movie was a reminder to me that I am determined to complete a marathon no matter what - I'd highly prefer two weeks from now to November!  Please join me in praying that this is a very short-lived injury and that all will be well by race day so I can finish strong and healthy - that is still the goal and plan!!  Obviously, time will tell (and either way, God will be good and kind, and I will be proud of the effort I've put into all this).  Resting easy for now, and I may try a shorter walk on Wednesday or Thursday.

Okay - thanks for listening and for praying with/for me.
To lighten the mood a bit, here are some Monday Memes - enjoy! =)

Women's magazines and/or my own brain...

Hope you have a fantastic Easter week ahead, friends and fam, and that God continues to bring new life and hope and healing wherever we (individually and collectively) need it!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Best Brothers Ever, Part 2

Friday was the JSB pics, followed by The King of Kings (animated movie) at Warren Theater.  Saturday was a Tulsa trip for Kyndal's volleyball tournament at the Titan Sports Complex, where Jeffrey Edward and Ellie Faye came to watch her 2:30 game!!

This = Kyndal and Rylen, a kind friend who is her current bestie on this team! =)

It was good to catch up with JEM, and I'm so grateful for him and Ellie taking the time to come support Kyndal!

Pic with Mamaw and a team huddle!

Mom's a big fan of Jeffrey Edward, and it always makes me happy when my friends and family get to hang out!

Kyndal had a few great serving streaks, and their team went undefeated all day Saturday!  Rach captured these fun team pictures while they were hanging out upstairs between games. =)

Rach and I snacked and chatted in her car for a bit during the longer break, and we pondered the ironic mismatch of this person's bumper stickers. lol

Kyndal Faith with Ellie Faye and Parker Elizabeth - love them all! =)

Chet and Tate were planning to come for the afternoon game, but Parker heard that and vetoed it, telling them, "Kyndal is MY friend." lol  So the whole Wilson fam joined us for the last game after Parker's ballet pics! =)

That final game started 45 minutes ahead of schedule, which was kinda frustrating!  But still awesome for the Wilsons to be there for the celebratory final set and get some pics with the fam!!

Charge 11's team pic after winning all 3 games that day... Mom and I came home and did not return for the Sunday games, but they won gold in this entire tournament, so HOORAY - go Charge!!

A final pic with the Jaceman, who was hard to track down (outside playing football with his stepbrother, Aden, and their friend, Isaiah).

After learning there was an hour wait for the Riverwalk Los Cabos, we decided on the Little Kitchen at the outlet mall!  Very different menu, but still good and fun, and a better atmosphere for hearing each other in conversation. lol

Mom grabbed a random guy walking by to take our group photo here, and surprise to no one, it turned out Chettles knew him! lol

We stopped by Claire's for the Mini Miss K to get her ear pierced... (just the one - she had them done recently, but one earring came out overnight and the hole closed up).

Parker Elizabeth's first time in Claire's with her adorable ballet bun, unicorn scrunchie/bracelet, and beautiful hair crown! #feelincute  I just love her almost-4-year-old self!!

JEM and Kelly went to the Ben Rector concert that night, and he texted this pic of them running into Laura Allison - fun!  

*Post title is a throwback to this post last year, when Chet and Jeff came to cheer for Kyndal's 2024 team.  I'm mildly upset about a potential injury today - more on that tomorrow - but I feel rich in relational love and support, which helps tremendously for anyone facing any stressful situation.  I am especially grateful for the long-term friendships of the Wilsons and Moss families - having healthy male friendships means a great deal to me, and having kind and trustworthy people who have been around for a while and seen me at my lowest, yet they continue to believe in the most beautiful/healed version of me and to cheer me on as I work to move toward that is a gift I don't take lightly (and hope to reciprocate well).  Anyway, I sincerely believe I have the best friends around, and my heart is full of gratitude for them tonight!! ❤

Happy Sunday, and congrats again to Kyndal Faith and her team!

❤ ❤ ❤

JSB!

Yesterday was Triston's first JSB (Junior-Senior Banquet), aka CHA's version of prom, minus dancing.  Mom and I joined him and several of his classmates at the Myriad Gardens downtown for a few pre-dinner photos! =)

Holden, Libby, Gavin, Athena, Worth, Karissa, Triston, and Kate! 

Mom grabbed these pics of him with Rach and Kyndal Faith at their house earlier!

Kate and Triston in an obnoxiously-shadowy spot with a lovely background... she brought comfy shoes for their long walk through downtown, then changed into her heels.  I told her, "Oh, that was smart!!" and her mom chimed in, "Oh, that was me - she was sure she'd be fine in the heels!" lol

A group pic and a couple candids by Mom

Everyone looked great... and yay for Athena smiling with her teeth showing!  Apparently, it's overrated at that age. lol

Me and Mamaw with T-man!

I was so happy to run into Abby there too! =)

Gavin, Worth, and Triston!

The girls and their wrist corsages! =)

Love the tulips in the background!

Group pic by the Crystal Bridge... it was fun getting to see them all dressed up.  T-man introduced us to several of his friends and to Kate's family, and they were all happy to pose for pics for this particular night!  I hope they all had a great time at dinner and a fun after-party!!

Quick flashback to my very own Junior-year JSB with Chris Munn 24 years ago!

And now, I'm off to MWC to ride with Mom to Tulsa to watch the Mini Miss K in another Volleyball tournament - fun!! ❤

ONEderland!

Good morning and happy Friday, friends and fam!

There have been loads of important non-scale victories and things to celebrate along the marathon-training journey!  However, after a few months of feeling stuck behind an invisible barrier, finally reaching ONEderland this morning for the first time in 15 years is a scale-victory worth celebrating!! ❤

I made the above collage for the Blossom Support group where everyone posts their numbers.  And at this point, I figured why not share it here too - with appreciation for all of the above versions of myself.  This milestone took longer than I anticipated and required some difficult choices, and I am very grateful to Blossom for helping me get here!  It really does feel like an internal sigh of relief to be back in the ones - I was 25 the last time I was here.

Numbers Game:  In case you're unfamiliar with weight-loss-group lingo, my highest weight ever was 296 in January 2023 (just after my four failed IUIs and finding out Mom's cancer had returned).  My starting weight when I chose surgery last year was 277, and my current weight is 198.  My goal for myself is to reach 177 or below (which was my best weight in 2009, and the 100-pound mark from my surgery decision).  And Dr. Apel's goal for me was 155 - TBD on whether that ever becomes my desired goal, but I doubt it.  I understand that the scale isn't everything and the changing numbers don't define me or change my value, and BMI is not always an accurate indicator of genuine health and wellness.  At present, I am grateful to be in a pretty good place mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  And I want to continue with body kindness and taking good care of myself, focusing on being healthy and strong over being "thin."

ONEderland at 41 on 4-11! ❤
Random number stuff like this brings me joy. lol

Text I sent Kristin yesterday - I knew I was close and thought it might happen then, but no such luck. lol

I had great initial weight loss, then I hit an intense plateau around 205 where this has felt just out of my reach for a while.  I'm grateful that I've avoided extremes, and I'm grateful things are finally shifting again.  The physical progress is exciting, but more importantly, the sense of mental breakthrough that comes with crossing this painfully-stubborn milestone!  I'm ready to stay on this side of 200 and keep moving forward in pursuing a strong and healthy mind, body, soul, and spirit. ❤

Fifteen days to the Finish Line!

I'm confident God is with us and for us,
working in us and through us!!

Okay, that's all I've got for today.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead!

❤ ❤ ❤