On to Plan B....

Race Change: Chevron Houston Marathon to Aramco Houston Half Marathon Dear Hillarie Van Zanten: You have successfully switched your race from the Chevron Houston Marathon to the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

Time for an update!  Its been 3 weeks since the infamous "Acorn Attack".  I have spent a lot of time in the pool still, visited the Chiropractor and had long conversations with the husband.  

The last of these left me with a heavy heart and a lot of praying for an answer.  J has always had my back when it comes to my drive to see goals achieved.  This has not changed but for the first time he voiced concern over the long term affects of continuing to push through to the marathon next month.  It was time to take a moment to listen and contemplate this.  What is the ultimate goal?  What are the repercussions after the marathon if I pushed it?

In the end, he's right, as usual!  Of course this pisses me off but God brought this man into my life to support, encourage and sometimes be my dose of reality when needed and for all of this I love him!  

I am not physically or mentally ready for 26.2 miles.  To run a marathon unprepared is not the goal.  It would be miserable (not that a properly trained for one isn't but I digress).  So I will take my ultimate goal off the table for now and will go to Houston next month to run, not for PR or to qualify for a bigger race but just to run.  I will run the Half Marathon for the pure fun of it!

Thank you all for the support this year!  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  Here's to 2016, a healthier year both physically and mentally!

Wish me luck!

Acorn-1/Me-0

This was the plan anyway!  Saturday's weather was ideal and most of the group was back out and ready for 16 miles.  It felt great to get going.  Football and the upcoming College games were the topic of conversation.  We were 2 miles in and I decided to take the lead (or they let me think anyway).  And then it happened.  One step all is going just as planned and the next step you watch your ankle turning in an unnatural direction and then you are on the ground!  A darn acorn! Unbelievable!

So after x-rays, the good news, its not broken.  It is however, a partially torn ligament.  Three days off my foot and then to see how much I can tolerate.  Not the way I wanted to start my weekend but all is not lost.  As a friend said, "tis merely a flesh wound'.  

We've got 6 weeks to go but I'm taking it a week at a time and in the end, it is what it is.

Wish me luck!

Day 30 of Thanks

Whew......I'm thankful I made it through.  I didn't always post an individual "thanks" but I did give thanks for each day this month.

I am truly thankful for the opportunity to reflect on the things that I am thankful for.  I didn't even begin to skim the surface though.  I think it would take a year or more to give thanks to all the blessings in my life.

I started today off with another swim and I have to admit, it is getting easier and I may even have caught myself smiling!  After a weekend of rain and not completing my training runs, it was nice to start the week off with a fresh start.  

Tomorrow is the first day of the last month of 2015 and it will blow by.  I will blink and it will be the new year and I'll be wondering what's in store for me.  But tonight as I lay down to sleep, I'm going to say my prayers and thank God for everyone that touches my life.  When I wake up tomorrow to start the day, I will take a deep breath and try to remember to live each day fully and not worry about what lies ahead.  One step at a time, one day at a time, one run at a time!

Thank you for continuing to check in and supporting me!
Wish me luck!

Day 29 of Thanks

Thankful for a lazy day in pjs finishing the tree decorations before the week starts!  Let the cookie baking begin!

Days 23-28 of Thanks

Another post of multiple days of thanks!

Day 23 - Thankful for two women I have had the pleasure of getting to know through Vacation Bible School.  We have formed a small bible study group and they are so much more knowledgeable than I but VERY patient as I work through understanding my faith and things that don't come as easy to me.

Day 24 - Thankful my mom!  She is always there ready to see the humor in things I don't.  To remind me to laugh at myself and not take things so seriously.  When it comes to her family, her love for us is fierce and she loves her grandkids beyond measure.

Day 25 - Thankful for a wonderful day spent with my family.  My mother in law and a very special person in her life came for Thanksgiving.  We spent the morning shopping and the afternoon taking Dave to the Book Store Depository for the JFK tour.  It was a great day spent getting to know him.

Day 26 - Happy Thanksgiving!  So much to say thanks for....Started the day with a few of my Running Club kids.  It was so fun watching them race and see how far they have come since the start of the school year.  Thankful for a great friend that paced me through the race and for a wonderful husband that served as team photographer again this year.

Thankful for the wonderful meal (although turkey is not my favorite).  My dad even said my stuffing was the best I've ever made.  (Thanks Dad for the sweet lie, love him)

Day 27 - Thankful for the calm nature of my husband.  When we realized the night before that our fridge and dishwasher were going to need to be replaced, he just rolled with it.  He was up and at Lowe's at 5:30 on Black Friday, scoping out the deals and sending model numbers to me for research before we made our purchases.  And to top it off, had to run to Hobby Lobby in the pouring rain to buy a new Christmas tree.  I was just going to deal with a tree that only half the lights were lit but his response, "You said you wanted a bigger tree, so let's go get you one!"  Love this man to the moon and back. 

Day 28 - Thankful for a reprieve in the rain so that I could sneak in a 6 mile run.  Thanks to my running partner again for keeping an eye on the weather and texting out a call to run!  

Days 18 - 22 of Thanks

This pretty much sums up the last 5 days.  Since Tuesday's storm, its been a whirlwind week.  IVZ was my running partner on my first track workout back from injury.  She warmed me up and cooled me down.  The best part......she looked at me when we finished and said, "Good job Mom"!  

I swam 3 days this week and actually felt like I was getting the hang of it!  I even got a friend that's been battling an injury to come out and join me.

Saturday morning saw our first cold spell and the wind was brutal!  I was thankful for a friend that packed an extra hat and gloves so I didn't freeze and for a group that may all be at different levels of injury but we are still out there supporting each other through whatever distance we can make.

IVZ had a soccer tournament with a new group of girls and they had a great showing.  I'm thankful for a great club & coach that keep things in perspective.  

I'm thankful for Sundays & the opportunity to worship and thank the Lord for all that he has provided for me and my family, even as undeserving as we are.

Day 17 of Thanks

Today I am thankful for my family.  That we are all together safe and under one roof.  After last night's storms and a day of cleaning up and assessing the damage, we have a lot to be thankful for.  The Lord was watching over us.  The damage could have been so much worse.  

Kids enjoying the fallen tree before its removal