*waves* Hi! Running Update! Hello :D

So, Hi! 

It seems to be that the last time I wrote to you all about running was the middle of February right after I ran 12 miles. Holy cow. So much has happened. 

Let's see:

I managed to do 14 miles two weeks after the 12 which is the farthest that I've ever gone.  I was exuberant when the run was over and so very excited to have accomplished it! Woo!

I  did something to my hip though during, I think, the 12 miler, that has caused some problems and pain during (and after) all of my runs since... so much so, that a few weeks ago I set out to run 11 and only managed 9.78 (only with a good amount of walking), and decided to rest up a bit after that. bummer.

What else? My grandfather was in the hospital all month (and still is there and could use thoughts and prayers), sickness descended upon our house -- on everyone for what felt like f o r e v e r  but was only a week-ish), my husband was away for four days, little girl turned two (!!!) and then I made a difficult decision to not run the full marathon. sigh. 

I've found myself really far behind in the training schedule (It really was a crazy March!). To try and catch up now would be foolish, as it would probably lead me to an injury. I'm not as strong as I was last year at this time, and I don't want to permanently hurt myself.  I need to get stronger, I need to change my approach, and I need to start training earlier for 26.2 miles than I did this year. I am disappointed and sad, but I know this decision is for my health and sanity. Oh, I will run the Pittsburgh full one day, it's just not going to be this year. I am all in next year :) 

Enough about me.  Let's talk about my charity, Women's Choice Network, which is really the point of all  of this! 

I've raised, with your most generous help, $1,386!  Yay, you!!!  *dance party for you* (seriously, I just chair danced for you)

This leaves me to raise $1,234 in only 31 days!  If you've thought about donating, but haven't done so yet, please do! 

If you were able to donate last year, I thank you for your kindness and generosity, and I ask that you consider donating again this year, to help me reach my goal of $2,620!  

- - -

Fun fact: It takes $275 to fund the centers a day. With $2,620, we can fund the centers for 9.5 days! Cool beans, huh? (We're at 5 days now with $1,386!)

- - -

SoOo, to close: As much as my journey has been about me tackling the difficulties of training for a full marathon, it has ALWAYS been -- even more so -- about my charity, Women's Choice Network.  Don't think for a moment, that a shorter race means that I am less dedicated to reaching my goal, or doing what I set out to do.  I am, in fact, more determined than ever. WCN is a great organization that empowers women and supports women through difficulty, gives them hope, and treats them with love, respect, and compassion.  You and me? Let's be instruments of this beautiful work. Please donate today! Right now. This moment! Do it! You know you wanna! :) :D

Blessings! And so much Joy!

nicole mArie

donate: http://www.crowdrise.com/teamwomenschoicenetwork/fundraiser/nicolepost

Surprise Package :D

On Friday afternoon, I ran a few errands with my littles and when we arrived home I noticed a box on my front stoop.  I assumed that my husband probably had ordered [insert random computer part here], and that it wouldn't be for me.  Well, it was definitely not a computer part.  The return address was from the Pittsburgh Marathon which totally piqued my curiosity as I was not expecting to receive anything from the organization at all.

These are my goodies! (pretend like you don't see the papers on the floor under the table)

It's called the "Ultimate Race Package" that I somehow won or something?  I am still not sure how it came to me that I was a "winner"... Maybe I got in on a FB or Twitter contest... idk but dude, that asics backpack is totally awesome and legit.  The Steel City Road Runners Club winter hat is great, too. Best part?  VIP status on race day.  That's right!  As a VIP I get private bathrooms (woo!), pre and post race food, VIP seating for race-watching (which, I think, will mean nothing for me as I'll be one of the last people to cross the finish line, but the thought of it is cool) and other stuff that you can read in the letter below.  

I am super excited.  It was a great moment for me on Friday because I wasn't having the most wondrous day, and to come home to such an awesome box of goodness was terrific.  

Hmm... Did I post that I ran 12 miles last week and 8 this week?  Yeah, I did. :)  

hehehehe, for those of you who didn't get my fundraising email, this is what I wrote about my 12 miles:

I ran it slowly, but it was 12.(03) miles just the same. Yes!!! When I reached 10 miles, I shouted and jumped and shouted again (and continued to sing out loud). When I reached 11 miles, I was louder and jumped higher (still singing), and when I hit 12(.03) I smiled, shrieked, and practically collapsed on the spot and began to stretch.  The picture attached is me immediately after I sat down to stretch.  I So earned a beer (and ibuprofen) that night ;)

<----picture mentioned in email.  I can't believe I sent out an email with "pic" in it.  *shudder* whoops.






My 8 miles were uneventful  (by the by, it is SO nice that my training program builds in short.long runs here and there). I got my miles in at the gym while watching Ironman 2 :) in our cinema room. Yeah, it was an awesome morning.

Hmm... that's all that's "new" on the running front.  I've got 60 minutes of running to get in this evening that I am looking forward to doing.  I am this close (you know, just a pinch) away from raising half of my overall goal. That is so darn awesome. The joy I feel about this makes me want to run and run and run more and more!

blessings! and joy!
nicole mArie

#4, #7, #8, #9 of my 29 faces in 2013

# 4 is four faces.four feelings.

#7 is hombRAY created by my husband, worn (and picture taken) by me

 #8 happened after I took a painting one of my kids made and drew/wrote on it.  I was pleased with how she turned out.  I like this one a lot.

#9  this is  me.  This is a self-portrait that I took today immediately after my 12 mile run.  I am hot and sweaty and gross and in a whole lot of pain, but gosh, I was (and still am) elated that I managed to run 12 today!  Woo!!!! 

Okay, now I'm only behind 2 days... I'll catch up this week.  

blessings! and joy!

nicole mArie

good morning, pink sky. good morning, pittsburgh. it's a good day for a run.



I took this earlier today... around 7:00 am, I think.

:)  



blessings! and Joy!
nicole marie

on this journey, you are here. too.

Two nights ago I asked facebook to find me a gym buddy ;)  While I didn't find a gym/running buddy (near enough to me), I found people who wanted to help (or be that gym/running buddy if they lived closer).  My friends offered help via skype or texting or via a wake-up call in the morning.  I know the coolest people and I am so.glad. for my friends.

Simply because of this encouragement (and a text message at 4:30, and my daughter waking me up at 5:40 looking for milk --which we did have, by the by), I found myself up and out of bed yesterday at 5:45.  I was at the gym by 6:10 and got a 5k in. Woot!  I even hit the chapel for quiet time with Jesus after the run. Woot!

This weekend, well tomorrow, I am scheduled for a 7 miler and I am a little nervous about it.  Okay, a lot nervous.  I didn't start my training plan on time, and it had been a while since I ran more than a couple of miles, so my long run last week was hard. It was difficult, just as it should have been for a person who hadn't put in the work for it. sigh. But I'm in this.  I'm going to keep working my training plan for 26.2 miles. I'm going to keep moving forward, even if I do it really really slowly ;)

What I have on my side:
I am running for wonderful, beautiful, and brave women and their families.
I am accountable to my organization, WCN, and to the people who are donating to my charity.
I have the advantage of knowing what it feels like to run Pittsburgh (okay, some of Pittsburgh) because I ran the half  last year. I already know what it feels like to cross the finish line.

Thank you, friends, for offering your encouragement.  Thank you, friends, for being excited for me when I posted to facebook, "5k and jesus before 8am. Woot!" Thank you, friends, for journeying with me. This sort of support is incredibly motivating for me.  It helps me. You help me, you makes a difference :)

Thank you to those of you who have donated, or who are thinking of donating.  Women's Choice Network is a fantastic organization, and the women who need their help need our help. You are instrumental in family preservation, you are instrumental in educating these women so they can care for their littles, you are instrumental in getting real help for real women in a life-affirming and empowering ways.  Please help me rock this fundraising so that WCN can rock their good work :)

I'll let you know how the run goes tomorrow!

Blessings! and Joy!
nicole mArie

Today. Just this:

blessings. and Joy!

nIcole mArie

A reason to run (and train!) :)

(For those of you who have already viewed this as an email, sorry for the duplication.  It took a long time to write out, so I'm getting the mileage out of all.these.words.)

Hi, Everyone :)  

First, Merry Christmas to you, on this, the 12th day of Christmas!  Also, a Happy New Year, too! 

I'm trying to get all of my ducks in a row so that I can start training today.  (I like that it's 1.3.13 ;)) An email/blog is my last "duck", I think.  Woot! 

Last year, as many of you know, I ran the Pittsburgh Half Marathon and raised money for Women's Choice Network.  I never would have managed to cross the finish line without your kind words, encouragement, and prayers.  I never would have been able to raise more than $2,700 without your help.  We did these remarkable things together. *high five for you and your generosity* I am still humbled by the 13.1 miles and the total funds raised.  I am hoping that we can work together again this year :)

What's different: 

I am going to train for the FULL marathon.  All 26.2 miles. Yes, really. A few years ago I woke up one morning and thought that it would be cool to finish a marathon. (What?!) This year seems to be the year to do it. The littles are less little, and I have a better understanding of what is expected of me while I'm training and preparing.  I do want to be completely honest and real with you, my friends and family -- my partners in this.  I am nervous and freaking out.  I know that I have the ability to make this happen. I just have to put in the work. Do the work. Live the process.  Love the process.  See and be the someone beautiful -- or the someone crazy (it depends on your view point) -- that happens when the race is over. I hope that by telling you this, by throwing myself into a place where others know what I need to do, by being accountable to your donations, that I'll dig in deep. in deeper. and run. and run. and run. 

I'll be blogging again about my journey. (See!  What did I tell you? Blogging now :P) The blog is a bit easier to find this time around.  Just go to nicolemariearts.com.  Bookmark it, or pin it, or something it ;), and you'll be able to read about the good days, the bad days, and about the crazy days ;)  I offer pieces of my messy.beautiful life in words for you here. 

My fundraising page is here:  www.crowdrise.com/teamwomenschoicenetwork/fundraiser/nicolepost   

or here: crowdrise.com and search for "nicole post".  My personal page will pop up and you can donate :)

In the middle of February  I get to "check-in" with WCN and let them know how fundraising is going -- I'd love to give them a big, fat, fantastic number.  If you are willing and able, please consider donating.  I absolutely appreciate your generosity and kindness, and know that they will, too. :)  

You were an important part of my journey last year, and I thank you for that.  If you weren't able to journey with me last year, or if we are new friends this year, I hope that you will  chose to journey with me :)  

Blessings! and Joy!

nIcole mArie

Be a Runner of Steel.

Be a Runner of Steel.  I've been trying to concentrate on this because if you looked up the definition of emotional in the dictionary you would find this:

e·mo·tion·al:  
           1. Nicole Marie

oh? yes.

How so? Well, it depends on the moment of the day. Currently, I have a knot in my stomach, I am nervous, terrified, worried, and stressed.  This is also mixed with a little bit of excitement and the reality of Sunday morning.

Oh, that's it?  Yeah, that's all.

1/2 Marathon is on Sunday!  Yay!  I really am excited, but all of those feelings mentioned above, yeah, I feel all of those feelings, too.  I know that I can do this, I know it.  I am just worried. What time should I get there in the morning?  what do I wear?  Do I bring another set of clothes for afterward?  Will my husband make it to the finish line in time?  Will he find a parking spot?  Will I eat enough before the race?  Will I fuel properly during the race?  How sore will I be after the race?  How much will I end of walking?  Can I make it in the pace I want to make it in?  Will I injure myself?  Will I be happy?  Will I cry?  How many people will pass me?  Will it be cool enough?  I sort of want 50 degrees -ish or 60 degrees and rain ;)  I'm ok running in the rain.  Can I really be a Runner of Steel?  Will I do it?



Happier thoughts:


My goal of $2620 was reached last Friday around 4:30pm. Woo!!!!  If you have not donated yet, and would like to do so, you still can right here.  Donations will be accepted through Sunday.  Please help out if you can!

You can track my progress, if you'd like!  Automatic Facebook posts will show my split times, tweets will be tweeted -- @nicolemariearts is my twitter name, or if you'd like, you can receive texts to find out where I am and how I am doing.  Sign up here.


Interested in the course I'll be running?  Check out this animation, it's pretty cool :)

There are a bunch of neat things to explore on the Dick's Sporting Good Marathon website, go and visit.

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers these next couple of days.  I really am excited, even if I am experiencing pre-race jitters ;)  I just wanted to be honest with you all.  It is what it is.

Okay, okay, I am ready to be a Runner of Steel.  Thank you for helping me get this far.  We've only got 13.1 miles left to go!


Blessings!  and Joy!
nicole mArie

Goal :) Reached! Yes!

Goal!  You did it!  You brought me to my goal of $2620 for the race.  Thank you for your generosity and kindness, love and support!  Onward to the race on May 6th!  YaY!!



I reached my GOAL!!!


Blessings! and Joy!
nicole mArie

btw, 10, omg.

By the way,  I ran 10 miles in 105 minutes last Saturday :)  In the rain.  It was awesome.  I might have been sore until yesterday ;) but it was totally worth it.

I was going to link a map of my 10 miles, but for safety reasons, I won't do that ;)  

I have a 50 minute run to do today, and another on Friday before a 5 miler this Sunday.  Yep, 10 is the longest I go before the race in 10 days.  I have been preparing and thinking about this for so long.  To think that it is just around the corner is strange -- but quite wonderful.  I just want to DO IT now!

Another plug for my charity:
I am only 233.40 from my goal.  Please help me make up this little bit and reach $2620!!!!!

Nicole Marie's Fundraising Page

Blessings! and Joy!
nicole mArie

Race Number 12430, confirmed!

A Call for Sponsors! Please!

A call for sponsors! I've only got 17 days to raise $673.40 for Women's Choice Network before my I run my first 1/2 marathon on May 6th. Please help! Please donate! Please pray for my health as I continue to train!

Thank you, dear friends :) 

Blessings!  and Joy!

nicole mArie

Nicole Marie's Fundraising Page


UPDATE: I only have $373.40 to go!  Woot!  The people in my life are such witnesses of love and generosity! Thank you :D

before 7:15 am I can run 5 miles

That's what I did this morning.  I ran 5 miles before 7:15.  It felt SoOoOO good!   And the morning was beautiful.  The sky was perfect and colorful, the birds were singing -- even the wild turkeys :) -- it was fantastic and fresh.  Running felt nice, which is a huge plus because when I ran this weekend, it was all I could to do get a 5k in (I was slated for 8 miles. yikes).  Thank goodness for my cousin, Ray, who decided to run with me.  I would have stopped a few feet into the run (seriously), but he kept me moving.  I figured that since I hadn't run for a week (I was sick with an awful chest cold), that anything would be better than those first few few feet.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was not excited about the waking up part this morning -- 5:30 am comes really, really, really early, especially when I woke up with each of my children last night and I had a few coughing fits -- but I thought leaving someone (my running buddy) on the corner in the just-before-dark-lifts kind of light at 6 am would have been shady of me.

I am starting to really stress about the race IN 18 DAYS!  I keep getting sick or life gets in the way and I am not feeling prepared for it.  I've got a 10 mile run slated for this weekend.  It is the last weekend before the race for me to run that far before having to just step back and taper and chill out (I think that I was scheduled to do it a week ago).  The friend that I ran with this morning was trying to calm me down while I was expressing my nervousness.  He reminded me to stay in a good place in my head because all of this training is a mental battle, too.  If I mess up my head space, I won't even be able to do it.   He's totally right.

I have more to write, but the little boys just woke up.  I will say that waking up early to run facilitated my ability to shower, pray, have coffee on my front porch, and now write this blog before the littles woke up.  I am a huuuugggeee fan of all of those things :)

Blessings! and Joy!
nicole mArie


Also, I am still looking for sponsors for the race!  I would really like to reach my goal of $2620, and I am hoping for your help!  Thank you :)

Nicole Marie's Fundraising Page

things i thought (after my 8 mile run)

i like to run.
i dislike the first 2 miles of my runs.  if a person thinks that they hate running,  i say that they need to learn to run longer than 2 or 3 miles, and they just might find that they do like running (after the first 2 are out of the way)
 
i am thankful for Clif Shot Bloks Energy Chews.
 
i don't dislike running hills,  i just don't like how slowly i run hills currently.
i think that Walk It Out is a funny song to listen to while running.
i am so grateful for my husband who cooked me eggs and made me a smoothie when i walked in the door from my run.
i think it's pretty neat that i burned 951 calories
i think that it's comical that i probably ate all of those calories back when we were at Moe's for dinner ;)
i think that I'm incredibly blessed, and i am so very pleased to be sharing this adventure with you
Blessings! and Joy!
nicole mArie

Oh! 7.42. What a number!

Oh, so I ran 7.42 miles yesterday.  Dude.  :) You can't see my face right now, but I'm grinning widely and quite excited thinking about this.


This is what my smile looks like, both surprised and excited all at once.  I don't look nearly as sweet or cute  :)                              -------->


I dropped all the littles off at my parents so that they could visit and I took off down the hill and into downtown Pittsburgh.  It was a beautiful day for a run!!!!!

I ran through the Strip District and over two bridges and along the North Shore near the stadiums, and down to Point State Park, through PPG Place (where people were ice skating!), and all over the place and finished in Market Square.  As usual, the first 2 miles were tricky -- I don't think my body is fully warmed up until around the 2 mile mark.  That's what it seems like, anyway.  Once I hit 2 miles it seems like I can just run and run and run.  The last mile was rough, and I was certainly ready to quit and was glad that I did when I did.  I didn't realize that I had tacked on that extra .42 of a mile until after the run, and if I had known, I probably wouldn't have run it ;)  I didn't have my google tracks app set up properly so it didn't announce when I reached each mile.  Oh well.

All in all, it was amazing.   I am amazed at what my body is strong enough to do right now.  I ran well over HALF of my half marathon yesterday.  YES!  I am a little sore today, but nothing that some good yoga and stretching can't take care of later...after I clean this house a bit a lot :)

Blessings! and Joy!
Nicole mArie


Also, I'd like to say that I am still raising money for my charity, Women's Choice Network.  I've got $780 more to raise to reach my final goal.  Please consider helping me out today!  You will be blessed abundantly for your generosity and kindness! Visit my fundraising page for details!

Running Music

Yesterday I asked Facebook friends about music selections for workouts / runs.  I'm in need of some new tunes to help keep my motivated while training, and I was hoping for some inspiration from my friends.  My friends delivered.

My friend, Kellie, suggested jog.fm.  This site is really cool.  You punch in the pace you'd like to run/cycle/walk, and up pops the best songs for that pace :D  There are also some great play lists to pick from.   There's a great mixture of music too, from all spectrums of music.  just. great. music.

hahahahaha There's eve an "80s and 90s Sweat" playlist.  How can anyone be sad when BSB, Ace of Bace, La Bouche, Journey, EMF, and Run-DMC are all part of the same mix?  Like I said, great music.

A few friends mentioned that they like to pray while running, or listen to podcasts and be more calm about their run.  I totally get it!  Some of my best prayer over the last year has been during my runs, even when listening to music.

When I run outside, I am more likely to turn off/down the music and just feel the run, to pay close attention to my foot strike and breath, and to focus on nature around me.  When I'm in the gym, it's all  I can do to not fall off the back of the treadmill when I have to run more than 30 minutes.

Oh, and then there was Rob who was introducing me to Skrillex for the gym. Odd for me, but I'm not opposed to it.  And Patrick suggested Brittany, Whitney, and Cher.  Really?  Even as a joke, really?  (Oh my gosh, does anyone remember Celebrity Death Match on MTV from many moons ago?  hahaha I can only imagine that match up.  Skrillex v Brit, Whit, & Cher) Anyway.

I am off to fold laundry which is now "lava" on my living room floor.  (little boys idea, not mine)

What do you like to listen to when you run/workout?

Blessings! and Joy!
Nicole

mantra: babies, husband, family

Last Monday I only had a 40 minute run to do.  That shouldn't have been difficult.  I should have been able to hop on the treadmill and run, run, run, like it was no thing. For some reason, it was a thing. a big thing. a difficult thing. Quite honestly, it was one of the hardest runs that I've done so far.
Hardest. Run. Yet.

Why?  I'm still not sure.  Perhaps I wasn't all in.  Perhaps I was distracted.  Perhaps I really wanted to be running outside.  Perhaps it was all of the above.

There were more walking spots than usual (normally, in a 40 minute run, I'd do one or two 30-60 second "rest walks" to stretch my back out), and I stopped many times on the sides of the treadmill and tried hard to convince myself to jump back on.  My music wasn't exciting me, people watching wasn't helping, water breaks weren't good enough, nothing.  I really almost stopped running.  What would it matter?  Who would know?  Will it be that detrimental if I don't finish today?

I got to thinking about it -- thinking about what I was running for, why I was running.  For whom I was running.

I am running for babies. Babies who don't have a voice. Babies who don't have a choice. Babies who are tiny humans in need of someone to care for them, to pray for them.  I run for the babies and their mamas who need me, and who need you, to care for them and pray for them.  My running is my prayer for them.

I am running for my husband.  When we were married 4 1/2 years ago, I vowed to love him always, and to help get him into heaven.  Every time I run, every foot strike on the pavement (or treadmill), every breath I gasp for, these are all prayers for him. For us.

I am running for my family.  I run for my 3 littles, that I might learn to be a good mama for them, that they might grow in wisdom and joy and silliness always.  I run for the 5 of us, that we, as a family, brought together as part of the Divine Plan, might figure out what our mission is in this life even beyond the need to grow in holiness together.

And when I quickly went over these things in my head, my mantra became: babies, husband, family. babies, husband, family. Don't stop. Keep running, hard work, dedication. babies, husband, family.  And I got through the run. And I stretched. And I was never so glad to be done with a run.

I am thankful to be running for more than just myself.  I am grateful to be able to elevate my training and running to something for more than just me.  If I didn't have that, I'm not sure that I could have finished this particular 40 minute run.

I used the mantra during my runs (and cross training) the rest of last week.  I did much better in the moments when it got difficult.  Incidentally, on Sunday I ran my first 6 miles. There was a moment around mile 4 when I realized that I still had 2 miles to go and was frustrated, but I dug deep and just. kept. running.
babies, husband, family.
Woot!


Blessings! and Joy!
Nicole

Family Gym Night [The Science Center], and Intervals, Oh and Running

Last night, my husband decided to join me at the gym which meant that the kids were going to come, too. The little boys were very excited to go and play, and Grace, well, she managed to fall asleep on our way to the gym so we just hoped that she would wake up in happy spirits.


As an aside: What a day the boys got to have!  We were at the Carnegie Science Center in the morning, shopped for birthday presents for friends and cousins in the afternoon, and then gym playroom at night!  Sweet!

 In the Robot Room

There were 2 of these giant operation games.  The boys really got a kick out of playing with them.

Back to the gym:
Since Bob was there and I wanted to work out with him  we decided to "run" on the elliptical.  I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I am not really a fan of the elliptical machine.  I would rather run (surprised?).  I do, however, find myself using it as a tool to work muscles that I don't otherwise work while running outside or on the treadmill.  Usually I'll hit the elliptical on days when I know I'll be using free weights as my warm up.

Anyway, a mile was more than enough for me, and he seemed ready to move on around the mile mark, so we were going to head down to the sprint track to do lunges and squats and all sort of fun legwork exercises. I spied a free treadmill just as Bob did when we were walking down the stairs, and he saw the look in my eye and suggested I grab it before someone else does.  He decided to cycle, and I ran intervals.

I. ran. fast.

I started at 6.5 mph, ran a minute or two, stretched, and then began climbing speeds in .2 increments.  10-20 seconds rest in between 45-30 running time 1 minute running time for the first few speeds).  It really felt good.  I climbed all the way up to 9.1 mph and ran at that speed a few times 3x for 15 each time.

9.1 mph Woot!  hahaha, I ran a mile and a half in 13 minutes -- a record for me ;)

After the my intervals and Bob's miles on the bike, we did a couple of exercises on the circuit machines.  Just looking at them overwhelms me. He showed me how to use a few of them to isolate different arm muscles (I'm terrified of getting giant shoulder muscles and still having flabby arms, Weird, huh?).  I still am not sold on the machines, but I appreciate his help.  I think that I'll have to try them out a few more times to become more confident with them.

We left the gym earlier than I had intended as Grace woke up and was grumpy for Nicky, so we called it a night.  It was a great night though, and I'm looking forward to more gym dates with the family!

---------------------

This morning I ran for 40 minutes.  I ran around 3.5 miles.  It was a "slow" morning compared to last night, but it was running just the same.  The goal was to run for 40 minutes with my heart rate average 60-75% of it's maximum, which I did, and not to run at crazy speeds.

I am learning how powerful that my body can be.  I am learning, slowly, how fast I can go. I am learning how much I can really accomplish with hard work and dedication. (Thanks, Dolvette).  I am learning how much I can endure when I put my mind to it.  I like this learning. I like it a lot.


Blessings! and Joy!
Nicole mArie

A Sunny 5 Miler

Highland Park Reservoir

Picture taken by my brother, Michael

I ran 5 miles on Sunday. Outside. In the sun. Without a jacket. In Highland Park. Woot!

(All of those phrases were definitely important enough to have a period to separate them from each other. Really.)

It was the first time running outside since December 31st. It was also the first time that I ran in almost 2 whole weeks. The first 3 miles were 11 minute miles and the last two were 12ers. Good stuff for my not running in a while! I also realized toward the end of my run that while I was a little tired and ready to finish, I know that I had another mile or so in me. It was very encouraging.

The soreness that I experienced yesterday was more than I wanted, but I'll take the bad with the good.

Oh! I've reached my fundraising goal of $1310! YaY! I've had 11 wonderful and incredibly generous human beings sponsor me, and many promises of my sponsorship. Since I have 74 days until the race, I've decided to make a new goal of $2000. With your help, I know that I can do it! If you haven't already sponsored me, please consider it. Consider helping out the babies and the mamas who Women's Choice Network is helping!

Thank you for reading. Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings! and Joy!

Nicole mArie

http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/?m=823520#0

Prayers.Donations for WCN

As you know, I am running the half marathon this May and raising money for Women’s Choice Network, too.

Today I received an email from WCN asking for additional prayers for their ministry. This is an excerpt:

“Our growing centers need your prayers. Our staff and faithful volunteers are on the front lines everyday. Pray for wisdom, compassion, insight, and boldness to share God’s love. February is one of our busiest months for outreach. Our Education Outreach speakers will visit over a dozen schools, churches, and fairs with the message of abstinence reaching thousands of students this month. Thanks for your support and daily prayers!”

Please consider saying an extra prayer for those at WCN and for those who are seeking their help and counsel. Also, if you are able, please consider donating to WCN via the link below, as I continue to raise money for them. I’m 73% to my goal of $1310 — all with your help. Thank you for your support!!!

Half Marathon for WCN.

Blessings! and Joy!

Nicole