Running for good. v.|2

 Hey hey, I'm doing it again! Last year I ran with the Indy Monumental Half Marathon with Team World Vision and I'm excited to join in again this November.

  The whole thing was awesome last year- the training, running and learning more about how we can all be a part of the solution to impoverished communities around the globe. Honestly, running last year played a huge part in me realizing that this is one of my passions- working with others to make a difference around the world in tangible ways. So let's do it again! 

  I'm actually not a great/fast/strong runner. I have a pretty small network of friends and not a ton of influence. So each time I do this, it feels daunting. The running part AND the raising money part. But that's what makes a challenge worth doing, right?

  Here's the deal- for every $50 we collect with World Vision, that provides one person with clean water. That's amazing! Every single dollar counts because your donation is added to mine and all of that is added to my church's team, which is combined with teams from the entire state of Indiana- last year we raised $600k for clean water!!!! Even the smallest donations quickly add up and every single one gives me extra motivation to rise before the sun and log my training miles. 

  So here I am, asking YOU to donate! We have 11 weeks to go and I need your help. It takes such little sacrifice from us to create lasting change around the globe. Isn't that amazing??

 Want to make an even bigger impact? Tell a friend! Run with me! Shop my Noonday Collection shop or host a Trunk show- because I'm donating 100% of my commission this Fall to World Vision. (Thats a win-win because you're supporting artisans and fair trade AND raising money for clean water). 

  You can make donations directly on my World Vision page here and shop Noonday Collection here. 

(Imperfect) Half Marathon Training.

  I'm 4 weeks from running the Monumental Half Marathon and, to be honest, I'm nervous as all get out. Gah! 13.1 just seems like a lot of consecutive miles, am I right? My 20 year old self would have laughed and run it confidently, but eleven years and two babies later have me a little anxious about it all.

  But let's back up and talk about the training process. Despite my nervousness about the actual race, I have loved these weeks of training. Loved them! And for a host of different reasons. Re-establishing a morning workout routine, falling back in love with running, having a tangible (and big!) goal to daily work towards, and pushing myself- all have been fun/hard/worth it.

  Setting a big goal and actually working towards it has been one of the best parts. Daunting, for sure. Setting out to run 13.1 miles and raise $2k for World Vision aren't small things. Will I be able to run then entire time? Will people actually donate money? But its the smaller, broken down milestones during training that are encouraging. 13 miles? No way. But 5? I can do that! Heck, I ran 8 last week and didn't die. $2000 is so much money! But slowly, donations have come in! That feels amazing! So much of my life right now consists of immeasurable and not-concrete work. Taking care of babies, loving my husband, tending to relationships. Amazing things, but not the kind that you can track progress easily. I've been reading Nehemiah this week and the theme I keep hearing from his story is 'pray and put in the work.' Again and again, Nehemiah talks with God about rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem and then, he does the hard work. Every day. Not one without the other- they're always together. Prayer and action. The training process has made that lesson real for me. I have covered my runs, fundraising, and the actual race in prayer, and I've also put in the work and miles.

  The second biggest takeaways I have from training is that I (or God in me!) can do hard things and its ok to give myself grace. I have a tendency to take myself out of things because they're too hard or I assume I could never do it (whatever 'it' may be). That has always seemed logical to me, to simply sit out of things I'm not qualified for. I have probably missed out on a hundred amazing things because I bought into that lie! I'm so glad I stopped wanting to be a runner again and simply became one, one mile at a time.

  Also, grace. Grace upon grace upon grace. I push myself, but I also don't beat myself up. Done is better than perfect. I don't want the fastest mile or to keeping running when I know I should walk for a minute. A finished race is a race ran well! A missed training day for a toddler who woke up too early is ok. Even if I fall short of my actual fundraising goal, friends and family have already donated enough to provide clean water for TEN PEOPLE! It's the grace along with way, coupled with not quitting, that will (hopefully!) add up to a finished race on November 4th!

  I might change my mind by November, but right now I want to keep running. Maybe I'll find something else to train for? I'm not sure, but I love that I'm back in a groove enough to want to keep going!

Running for good.

We've talked about this right? I'm running a 1/2 marathon in a few weeks (9.5 to be exact!) and, while I know it's not a big deal for lots of people, it seems like a big deal to me. 

  In late high school and college, I loved running and did it often. Then I had babies and a pocketful of excuses and just, well, stopped running as much. So because of that, running 13.1 miles seems like a big deal.

  But even more, it's a big deal because I'm not doing it in vain or just to prove something to myself. I'm running so that kiddos in Africa can have clean water, walk to school instead of to get clean water, have better health, and have HOPE. No small things, right?

I'm running the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon with Team World Vision on November 4th and raising money along the way. For every $50 collected, we can help get clean water to one person. Let's do this! Even the smallest donations add up quickly and every one give me extra motivation to rise before the sun and log my training miles.

  So here I am, asking YOU to donate! It takes such little sacrifice from us to create lasting around the globe. Isn't that amazing??

Want to have an even BIGGER impact? Tell a friend! Run with me! Host a Noonday Collection trunk show or simply shop online- because I'm donating my commission from all sales made September-November to World Vision. Guys, that's a LOT of potential donations from gathering your friends and shopping (early Christmas gifts!).

Email me or head to my World Vision page to make a donation!

Running.

  Our church is working through a sermon series about keeping our mind/body/spirit healthy and they kicked off with a message all about physical fitness. They even created groups to join for people working towards a common goal- including a World Vision running team. It was sort of the catalyst I needed to get back into running and have an official goal to work towards. Last Fall I signed up for a 5k and ran it (way faster than I expected!) and it felt amazing! With winter and two kids who happen to hate the gym childcare, I haven't don't a ton of running since then and that bums me out. 

  So, I'm doing it. I'm running a half marathon this Fall and training starts now. I'm nervous, a little skeptical about how I'll fit in runs when I'm on kid duty 99% of the time, and a bit worried I won't be able to finish it and it'll all just be a bit embarrassing. BUT as one of my most favorite ladies says, I'm doing it scared. If I wait until it seems like an achievable goal, then it will never happen. 

  I'm writing this down and sharing with you so that it's out there. Maybe a few people are working on fitness goals of their or or will just simply ask me about this. I won't be a broken record (I know everyone isn't super invested in my daily 3 miles runs) but I will pop in every so often to share little updates on how training is going, how I'm feeling, and how God is working in my through this. 

  I have four big things I want to focus on while I train:

Jesus// I want to use my morning runs for prayer and worship. I did this all through high school and college and its 100% what I miss most about running as part of my daily life.

Discipline// My health is really important, but it often takes a backseat. That is absolutely because of my lack of discipline and overeagerness to say yes to other things/people. My kids and husband won't suffer if I'm taking care of myself (though I often think that because of the time it takes away from them). I want to be strong and disciplined enough to stick with something and see it to completion!

Healthy family// I truly do want my kids see that health is important in our family. I want it to simply be an everyday part of our lives and maybe even something that comes naturally to them because of how I help model it. Ideally, I would be able to have uninterrupted workouts on my own time and by myself (SO MUCH EASIER) but that isn't practical and it doesn't help my kiddos see me making health a priority. So, I'll likely be doing all my runs with the boys! 

Active marriage// It's funny how God hears and answers our prayers in ways we don't expect. Maybe funny is the wrong word for it? I have been praying for Justin and I to have more shared hobbies since we were dating. We've certainly found some over our nearly 8 years being married, but I'm really excited that we're both running the half marathon this fall. I'm sure training will be hectic, but I'm excited to go on long runs with him. Doing things together is one of my favorite things, so I'm really excited to make this a fun part of our marriage!

  I'm happy to say I logged my first run of the season today! (not including my workouts at the gym) I took the boys out in the jogging stroller for a couple of miles and its wasn't awful. It was actually really fun! Now only 6 more months to go...

But seriously. Give me all your half marathon/running/running with kids tips! 

Up & Doing. {June}

//run 5 miles// Pretty self-explainatory. 

//make sorbet// I'm in love with my KitchenAid mixer. Have we discussed this? I'm getting more comfortable with the ice cream attachment, and am on to bigger and better recipes. Have any great sorbet recipes for me? {Hint: orange is my fav}

//go on a summer date// We live in such a fun city, and for the first summer in years, we'll really be around to enjoy it. Maybe a minor league baseball game? Concert on the prairie? So much room for activities! {Name that movie}

  As a side note, I've noticed lots of bloggers are doing monthly goals these days. I really love blogging about my three goals each month because, well, it keeps me accountable. But I've also gotten tons of encouragement and ideas from bloggy friends. It made me think- would anyone be interested in a monthly goals link-up? Discuss. 

Banned.

Dear sweet, Jersey,

   Gosh, you are adorable. And really, you're a great running partner. When you don't have to poop. But you're indefinitely banned from running. For some reason, you think its super cool to save all your deuces for our little jogs, which is whatever. But then you fake-poop the entire time. Girl, its not my fault you're gun shy. If you can't just take care of business and stop making me look like a stop&go running fool in the park while simultaneously messing with my mileage and pace- you are just going to have to get your exercise in the backyard. Tough crap. Literally.

  Sincerely,

      Katie {the one who feeds you}   

Up & Doing. {April recap}

::Run more. I DID IT!!!! I ran at least 8 miles all but one week in April. Holla! I've lost a few pounds and am getting some (but barely) endurance back. It feels so good and I'm excited to stick with it.

::Create&Declutter. I made progress! I purged my closet and reorganized and found/possibly convinced J to make a new headboard. It takes time and money and lots of begging Justin to help me. But we're chugging along!

::Garden. I successfully started lots of seedlings inside (and have extras! Who needs tomato or green pep starters?). They grew so well (except for you, Mr. Zucchini.) and I transplanted them all into my garden plot yesterday. I'm growing 11 different veggies/herbs and some flowers, too. I'm so excited and much more hopeful for this year's crop! Eek! Fresh veggies and cut flowers.

 After a month of royally sucking my goal-achieving, it felt great to get shiz done! April was good and I can't wait to get started on May's 3 things. 

Up & doing. {April}

  So, clearly March was no bueno in the goal department. Here's to hoping April is much, much better!

::  Run more. Once upon a time, I was kind of a runner. Somewhere in my late high school, early college years I fell in love with the sport and ran a lot. Then I got a little sick, had a little surgery, started a full time job- and kind of fell off the wagon. But I'm determined to ease back in. Slowly but surely, I'll be a runner again. So, my goal is to log 8 miles a week this month. A baby goal, for sure.

::  Create/declutter. I'm determined to tackle our bedroom, pallet headboard or not! This will be the month.

::  Garden. Its gardening season! I want to get all of my seedlings started inside and ready to transplant by the end of the month. Eek! Fresh veggies...here I come! {ps. any good suggestions for garden flowers? I have some room left in my plot and want some blooms!}


And since we're a few days in, I should let you know my goals are already off to a good start. I've been jogging, finding new headboard ideas, planning to purge our bedroom this weekend, and have all the supplies to start my seedlings tonight! April, let's do this. 

thankful.

I've been feeling pretty thankful today...

for lots of things.

here's just a few:

TPCC. J & I couldn't be happier we found this place as soon as we moved to Indy. humble, biblical, and real.

York peppermint patties. I'm obsessed right now.

Crunchy fall leaves. and really just everything about Fall. change is good for the heart.

Brisk morning runs with Murphy. I always feel so refreshed and clear-headed afterwards

Learning. and the privilege to do so. I feel so blessed with my education.

Justin's job. God's been so faithful in providing for us and we are so thankful that he has this job!

that Friday is only 5 days away. (that's when Justin will be home!)

Justin. my better half. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I fall more in love with him every day. and I miss him so much when he's gone!

what are you thankful for today?