Hello from the Wild and Wonderful West Virginia!

Have you ever set a goal, a big goal, one just out of your reach, one that caused friends and family to scratch their heads concluding you’re crazy?

That is exactly what happened when I set the goal to run a marathon.

Sunday I completed that goal!!!!!

But I need to tell you a little secret.

I failed. I failed to meet my “A” and “B” goal. Somewhere the “C” and “D” goal even slipped out of my reach. Midway through the race, I had to decide how to deal with the disappointment.

What happened?

I trained hard, consistently, met my goal race pace in training and exceeded it.

So what gives?

Three weeks before the race, hours before my final 20 mile run I broke my little toe grazing it on a chair.

Not to be outdone, I taped it and took a Motrin/Tylenol combo. I repeated this until my race day. It felt mostly better. I had no side effects during training with this approach.

We invested a lot in this marathon from the hours of training and travel costs. I didn’t want to cancel. I was sure I could pull it off.

Race day I learned a powerful lesson. Motrin/Tylenol impact the GI and electrolytes creating a risky, if not dangerous, situation for marathoners racing hard.

That combined with humidity had me struggling with dry heaves at mile three.

Think about it.

I had 23.2 more miles to go. I was in agony and early!

By mile 18 I was experiencing full body cramps and had to shift to the final goal of “Just Finish the Race even if I have to power walk it.” I finished it and had an IV at the finish line.

Suffering pushes us to dig deep within ourselves. And I was digging deep on the course. Thankfully, I am not new to overcoming painful situations. I drew upon past coping skills.

Here are three strategies I used to overcome suffering:

1) Gratitude

Never underestimate the power of gratitude when suffering. I chose this marathon because I knew that West Virginia offered a stunningly beautiful setting. Soaking up the beauty enabled me to press through the pain. I am grateful for the beauty of the course. I kept soaking it up. I was grateful for the time with my family. I was grateful my son, Josiah, flew in to watch us celebrate this goal. I was thankful for the support of the other runners when I struggled. There was so much to be thankful for.

2) Glorifying God

Praising God for the ability to run fueled me to run with endurance. Movement is a gift from God alone. I knew it. I had profound moments of connection with God as I praised Him for the ability to run.

3) Authoring the story I want to tell

At mile 26, my family stood cheering me on. Over the cacophony of wild cheers, I asked Sammy, my four-year-old grandson, to run with me. He was ecstatic!!! He loves running and shared a few slow training runs with me in the past.

We finished the last half mile of the marathon running side-by-side.

We crossed the finish line hand-in-hand.

One percent of the world’s population finishes marathons. But how many grandparents cross the finish line with their grandchildren?

This became a new story, a story redefining grandparenting. Aging doesn’t mean we have to resign ourselves to a rocking chair, wheelchair, or move with a cane.

Redeeming the race meant emphasizing to my grandchildren the value of fitness, setting goals, enduring, and finishing hard things. It was triumph over trials at its best!

I am so thankful that I broke my toe and made the rookie mistake to take NSAIDS. Racing fast, I would have missed this most treasured opportunity. What a powerful story we now share as a family!!

Moriah's Race

Now for Moriah. She raced hard and fast! She completed her first marathon placing first in her age group (20-29) with a time of 3:43. Did I mention this is her first marathon? She has only been running for a year!!

Moriah is a picture of strength. She has four children, three of which are four and under. The obstacles were no match for her will power. We are all so proud of her accomplishments. She reinforces the example of fitness for her children as well. I look forward to many more years of running with her and her children.

Bath and Body Talk

Circling back to all things bath and body related because that is why you are on this list! I took Sheer Elegance Body Butter with me.

I used it to prevent chaffing. However, I missed one spot and experienced fiery pain in the shower. No worries, the body butter provided instant relief.

We plan to spend several more days sight seeing in West Virginia. Sierra is filling orders in our absence and doing a great job.

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Udderly His,

Christina & the whole herd

Took a shower this morning with my AMAZING soap!! Smells AMAZING!! LOVE IT!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Warsaw, MO

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