The Fargo Half Marathon is a little over a month away and besides finishing it under my time goal, I have another big goal I’m working on:

Raising $500 for Operation Christmas Child running

as part of Team Samaritan’s Purse!

Samaritan’s Purse is an international relief organization with this amazing mission:

After sharing the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus said “Go and do likewise.” That is the mission of Samaritan’s Purse—to follow the example of Christ by helping those in need and proclaiming the hope of the Gospel.

We have been big fans of Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, for several years now. I even wore a shoebox for them {yes, there is a picture!}.

The boys really get into shopping for the presents and boxing them up to send off. I’ve said before we can’t MAKE our kids care about charities or causes or the less fortunate, but the boys honestly get so excited about putting together gifts for kids who don’t get much – or  anything – for Christmas.

It may not be Christmas season right now, but OCC is never far from my mind. My dear friends Amanda and Jessica are fabulous advocates for OCC and recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to see first hand the impact the shoeboxes were making for children, for communities, for the Kingdom.

I’ve always wanted to do more to help with this amazing ministry, and then I found out about Team Samaritan’s Purse. It’s a way for me to do something I love – running – while supporting a cause I love – Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child!

Here’s how it works:

1. I run. 13.1 miles at the Fargo Half Marathon, to be exact.

2. People “sponsor” me to run through my fundraising page.

3. The sponsorship money all goes to support Operation Christmas Child!

I’ve always loved that many races use part of the entry fees to support a good cause, but this is a way I can take that one step further!

Now, I’d really love for you to join me in this by actually running with me, but I know that’s just living in a dream world, so can I ask you to join me in a few other ways?

1. Pray. Pray for Operation Christmas Child and all of the other ministries of Samaritan’s Purse. And pray for me as I’m training – to stay injury-free, get my lungs back in shape after a cold setback, and stay motivated!

2. Share. If you wouldn’t mind, I would love for you to share this with your friends and family and readers and anyone who might be interested in praying or donating! Tweet it, Facebook it, pin it – anything would be MUCH appreciated!

3. Donate. I’m believing for us to pull together $500 before race day, which is Saturday, May 18th! I really actually don’t like asking for money AT ALL, so it’s hard for me to come to you asking you to donate, but I just love Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child so much – they are worth stepping out of my comfort zone to ask you to consider donating ANYTHING at all to sponsor my run! I’m running 13.1 miles, so maybe you want to give $1.31. Or $13.10. Or $131.00!

There is a little widget in my sidebar over there to the right to click on over to the fundraising page OR you can just click here, especially if you’re reading this in your email or feed reader!

Thank you so much for any support you are able to provide and please let me know if you have any questions!

And if you are a runner and want to know more about Team Samaritan’s Purse, check out the video below and visit this page for more info!

{Click here if you can’t see the video!}

Any OCC fans out there? Let’s raise this $500 together!

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One of the questions I get asked the most is “How did you get started running?”

First of all, I truly despised running with all of my being until about two years ago this summer. From my elementary school days on, any attempts I made at running, for gym class or otherwise, made me feel weak and slow and completely unathletic. Throw in a case of mild exercise-induced asthma, and running was the last thing I wanted to try to get fit.

Then I caught wind of the Couch to 5K program, mentioned it to a friend, and there was no looking back. We started in May of 2011 and were doing pretty well…until she left on a missions trip and I got pregnant! That kind of threw a wrench in things!

I had at least built up a little confidence in myself because of those five or so weeks trying Couch to 5K. While I was pregnant, it seemed like everyone I knew took up running. I didn’t need any other motivation than that indirect peer pressure to make me want to start moving again as soon as the doctor cleared me post-partum.

April 16, 2012 was the day I got serious about this whole running thing. And I started slow again.

Newbie runner tip #1: Start slow. Ease in.

Yep, I started back at the beginning of Couch to 5K. Being 6 weeks postpartum and still a newbie, I wanted to ease myself in. There was no pressure to go a certain pace or mileage. I just got out there and moved. A very little bit of running and a lot of walking to start off.

If you don’t know anything about Couch to 5K, it’s basically intervals of running and walking, starting with very short runs and longer walks and increasing the running time as you go. The plan is all laid out right here and there are many apps that will help you time the intervals as you run!

On April 16, 2012, I did 1.83 miles in 26 minutes. That included a five-minute warm-up walk, then alternating 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes. I walked for a minute to cool down at the end.

I remember the first time I went over 2 miles. I was THRILLED! And I stayed in that 2 mile range for the next month, still alternating running and walking.

Newbie runner tip #2: Build up endurance first. Speed will come later.

In the middle of all of this, we went through selling and buying a house and then moving. I had no gym membership or treadmill at this time. I ran outside whenever it worked for The Hubby to watch the kids. And I usually nursed Double J right before I left. It was a bit of a juggling act, but it got easier as he got older and spaced out his feedings.

Newbie runner tips #3: Give yourself grace and listen to your body.

Following the Couch to 5K plan had me running three days a week and, even now, three to four days a week of running is still my norm. Cross-training and rest days are important for keeping your body healthy and injury-free. I experienced some knee pain a few months in to running and had to take more days off than I wanted, but it definitely shortened my recovery time. {Turns out I needed better shoes, but I’ll get to that in a later post!}

After a few months, I started to compare myself to others who had been running longer than I. Big mistake.

Newbie runner tip #4: Set your OWN goals and celebrate your OWN accomplishments. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.

When I was pushing myself to be more like other runners, I was NOT happy running. I needed to take a good look at the improvements I had made from week to week and take pride in what I was doing! To help me focus on MY running and no one else’s, I signed up for a 5K. It gave me something to work towards and took my attention off runner’s envy!

I ran my first 5K with my sweet sister July 28th and I knew I was on my way to being a “real” runner!

{I’ll talk more about how I built up my distance over the next several months time in a future post!}

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I wanted to share a few resources that helped me get excited about running and gave me lots of info! Run Like a Mother and Train Like a Mother are great books for motivation, gear recommendations, tips for making running work together as a mom, and lots of laughs! The Another Mother Runner blog is fabulous as well.

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Who is ready to lace up their shoes and give this running thing a try?! Is anything holding you back? Any other questions about getting started running?

If you are already a runner, what helped you when you started out?

*I am not a medical expert or a trainer of any kind. I am just sharing my own personal experiences with running and fitness! Always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.

**This post contains affiliate links.

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Well, as I write this, I am sick in bed, probably made worse by this weekend’s happenings, but it was totally worth it to have the kind of race day I had Saturday!

My best friend from home, Janna, texted a while back saying I should join her to run the Irishman over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. If you’ve been around here for any length time, you know how Irish I am and how much I LOVE St. Patrick’s Day, so I was definitely interested. And the actual race set-up intrigued me – a 5 mile, 5K, and 1 mile race all in one day! I signed up, excited to run with her and get back into the racing atmosphere for spring!

Spring in this area doesn’t always equal spring, though. I woke up to 20 degree temps that morning and a windchill of 5 degrees. FIVE DEGREES. There was no backing out at that point, having paid for the race, put together an rocking race outfit, and driving all the way up to my parents’ with the kiddos, so even though I had a cold and it was cold, we layered up and sat in the car with the heated seats on until we HAD to line up!

Here we are after the 5-mile race. Janna has been running much longer and is much faster than I, but we set up some goals for the day that we would both be happy with. Our 5-mile goal was 45:00 or less. We hit 44:36!

The 5K was up next, after we went back to Janna’s house to warm up and refuel. It was not ANY warmer even though it had been an hour and a half since we finished the 5 mile. And both the 5-mile and 5K were IN TO THE WIND for the way back. My lungs were not happy with the cold and wind and congestion that were already there, but we were shooting for a 27:30, so I pressed on. 5K time – 25:34!!! We were both in shock at the end!

We were so blessed to grab lunch with another friend of ours during the break between the 5K and 1-mile.

Jess, Janna, and I all went to elementary school together and we can still chat it up for quite a while! I’m so thankful God has kept us in each other’s lives even though I’m not living nearby!

With a yummy lunch in our tummies, it was time to tackle the last race: the 1-mile! I hadn’t run just a mile to be timed since…um…high school gym class, I think! It was super fun because our 1-mile race was at the beginning of the St. Patrick’s Day parade and people had already lined the streets in the STILL super cold weather to cheer us on!

Best part about the mile? Downhill, straight shot to the finish!

{my favorite running picture of me ever}

We didn’t set a 1-mile goal, but we did want to break 80:00 for the whole Irishman. 1-mile time – 8:05! Irishman total – 78:15!

Of course I was smiling at the end of all this! PRs all around for me, running with one of my best friends, and St. Patrick’s Day everywhere we looked! It was a great time!

And look at our awesome cheering squad {minus my dad who was capturing all these great pics!}…

Doesn’t get much better than that, unless The Hubby would have been there as well! Unfortunately, he had to work that day, but he was cheering me on through texts all day!

We ended the day watching the parade until we couldn’t handle the cold anymore, listening to live traditional Irish music INSIDE downtown, and warming up with Mom’s homemade beef stew!

I had to throw on my race shirt once I got home because I’m pretty proud to say I am an…

Now excuse me while I go nurse my sick body back to health! Have a great week, friends!

Anybody else do a St. Patrick’s Day race this weekend?! Or celebrate at all?

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As most people were waking early to start Thanksgiving dinner preparations, The Hubby and I were up eating a small breakfast, putting on our running gear, and heading out to do a little running.

Ok, a LOT of running. My first half-marathon, to be precise. And it wasn’t really just ANY half-marathon – it was a trail run. I had no idea what that entailed before Thursday. Oh boy.

I wish I had taken a few pictures along the way to give you a little idea of what a trail run looks like, but I’ll just give you this summary…

*We dodged animal droppings along much of the course.

*Of the 13.1 miles, less than a mile was paved.

*”Single dirt track” means trenches barely wide enough in which to place your feet.

*We had to keep our eyes out for flags marking the course, which weren’t always easy to spot.

*We had to keep our eyes on the ground to keep from tripping over tree roots.

*I may have bit the dust tripping over a tree root while looking for flags.

*It’s not easy to keep running when you don’t where you are going to put your foot next!

*Creek-hopping was involved. I obviously stepped IN the creek with one foot.

*Hills are a totally different story when they aren’t paved. Yikes.

But you know what?

I did it. I ran a half-marathon. And I beat my goal. Even the goal I set before I knew the craziness of the course!

The rest of the day was kind of a wash as I was laid out not feeling well {still figuring out what food/drink works best for me after a long, hard run}, but thanks to the The Hubby and my parents, I didn’t have to worry about a single thing for Thanksgiving. They even saved me a plate of yummy food to eat when I started feeling better!

The best part of my whole half experience?

Running it with The Hubby. I’m not sure I could have made it through without him. And I’m pretty sure I would have gotten lost and scared along the way as well! He kept me moving, gave me lots of mental tips, and assured me that I was not the only one who though the course was insane And we had 2 1/2 hours of “uninterrupted” talking time! I can’t thank him enough for sticking with me and encouraging me through my first half!

I’m also very thankful for my parents who came down the night before, watched the children, and made Thanksgiving dinner so we could run, run, run!

I am SO glad I got my first 13.1 in before winter, but I think my next half will be a road race!

A few pics from the day…

{I’m pretty sure this is exactly what I looked like when I was in labor. Not joking at all. I liked to stand and hang on The Hubby while in labor.}

{There. That’s a much better picture.}

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for and encouraged me along this running journey! If you’re on this “path” as well, let me know what you’re running next so I can pray for and encourage you, too!

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