Training- week 2

This week was a little better as far as time goes, but I've still been having some problems with my lower legs.  I started a new training method where I'll run for 4 minutes, then walk for one minute, and continue that pattern until I've completed my mileage.  I have found it to be pretty helpful, since mentally it's much easier to push myself for 4 minutes at a time than to think "okay...I've got 4 miles to go.."  But that's just me.  I've had to run on the treadmill this week since it's been pretty cold, or maybe I'm just a wimp.  For the running segments, I would set the speed anywhere between 6.2 and 6.7 mph (avg pace 9:40 to 8:57) and my walking pace to 4 mph (avg pace 15:00). The average pace evened out in the end and I was pretty pleased with my times considering it was only my second week, but two of those days I would get about a mile in and the shin pain would come back, so I'd have to walk more often than I would have liked.  I'll most likely take a week off or so, just to rest my legs and rule out a stress fracture.

Tuesday- 3 miles, avg pace 10:30

Thursday- 4 miles, avg pace 10:30

Saturday- Supposed to be 4 miles, but ended up 2. Avg pace 10:22
This was when I really started to worry about the pain in my legs.  I thought I could finish my miles by walking, but even that was pretty excruciating, so I decided it was time to stop.

I was supposed to run 3 miles today, but like I said, I'm taking a few days to a week off just to rest and ice my legs.  We'll see how it goes after that.

Half Marathon training- week 1

This week was the first of 12 weeks of training for my half.  Before I share how the week went, I'll give you a quick rundown of what my weekly training plan looks like.
Sunday- short
Monday- rest
Tuesday- short
Wednesday- rest
Thursday- medium
Friday- rest
Saturday- long

Last weekend was Disciple Now, so I had to rearrange my days a little bit.

Saturday- 3 miles, average pace 11:44
This was a bit slower than I had hoped, but for the first day, I'll take it.

Monday (MLK Day, so I had the day off work)- 3 miles, avg pace 9:54
I definitely think this is wrong...

Thursday- 2 miles, avg pace 10:33
About halfway through this run, I started feeling some pretty bad shin splints coming on, so I decided I needed to cut it short.  I was aiming for 3 miles, but that just wasn't going to happen.  Given the fact that I had to do some walking, the pace wasn't terrible.

Saturday- 3 miles, avg pace 11:21
This was supposed to be 4 miles, but again, the shin splints.  I think it might be my shoes. I bought them in May, but apparently that's too long to use the same shoes. I went to Dick's Sporting Goods that afternoon to look at shoes, fully intending to get a professional opinion and then purchase the pair I liked on Amazon. #sorrynotsorry. I have a pretty flat arch, so the lady recommended a stability shoe.  Before I even left the store, I bought a pair of Asics GT-1000 3's on Amazon for $20 cheaper than the store.  They should arrive by Tuesday.

Sunday- 4 miles, avg pace 10:54
This is technically the first day of week 2, but since I switched my long and short days, I figured I'd include it in week 1. My friend Melissa came over this morning to run it with me. She's insane training for a full in February and routinely runs about an 8:30 mile, so I was a little nervous about running with her.  She's actually running the half with me (just for fun, might I add) so she was super nice about going a little slower than she's used to. My legs were still a little sore, so I made her walk quite a bit, but even still, I'm pretty happy with my pace.

We're expecting a few days of snow and rain this week, so I may be stuck on the treadmill this week. We'll see how it goes!

Brave

Have you ever felt like you allow fear to take over your life? Sorry, too heavy? Let me start over. Good morning! Beautiful day, isn't it? There. Now stop avoiding the question. Last week I finished a book called Let's All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs.  Y'all, it was incredible.  The premise of the book is simply an encouragement to stop living in fear and just step out in faith and do something brave. It doesn't even have to be anything huge, just something that you would normally look at and think, "Someday I'd like to try that" or even, "I could never do something like that". As I was reading, I started thinking back on all the times I didn't allow myself to do something out of fear of failing.  My family took a lot of vacations when I was little.  We would load up our RV and hit the road. My sister and I usually loved it. We would get to the RV park and see all the other kids that got dragged taken on vacation with their families and immediately hope to make some friends. Being the protective, older sister that I was, I'd send Kerry to scope out the prospects. Meaning, I would send her on a mission to approach kids at their campsites or the playground and say something like, "Hey! We have marshmallows at our trailer. Wanna be friends?" while I looked on anxiously from afar.  However, I feel like what often got said was more along the lines of, "My sister wants to know if you wanna be her friend," making the scene of me gawking in the distance even more weird.  The point is, I sent her to do the work because she was/is fearless.  She can be friends with anyone.  Even back then, if she got rejected, she would just shrug and move on to the next marshmallow-loving kid that wasn't creeped out by the chubby girl back at the trailer holding said marshmallows.  For me, the idea of approaching anyone and asking to be friends (especially without marshmallows) was out of the question. Even still, it is very rare that you will see me approaching anyone just to make conversation.  Maybe that comes off as rude, but really it's fear of rejection and failure.  Failure to look cool. Failure to be funny. Failure to make them want to talk to me ever again. Well let me tell you..reading this book really struck something in me.  I'm tired of living in fear. I decided to take the author up on her challenge to do one brave thing. So, I signed up for a half marathon! Insane? Maybe. Brave? I definitely think so.  Maybe this won't cure my fear of rejection from people, but it will definitely be a step towards conquering my fear of failure in general.  I'm excited to start training.  I'll also post updates of my training progress to have some accountability. Here's to 2015, and here's to being brave.

To the bride on her wedding day

This weekend I have the honor of standing beside one of my best friends as she marries the love of her life.  I am so excited for all the festivities leading up to the big day, but even more than that, I am thrilled for her to begin this next chapter in her life.  August 11th will mark Justin and I's two year anniversary.  It seems like just yesterday we were the ones on the stage promising ourselves to each other.  I have learned so much about what that means in these two short years, so I would love to share my heart with any bride-to-be, and if it were possible, myself two years ago.

Dear sweet bride,

The day you've been dreaming of is finally here.  Take it all in.  It will be over before you know it.  My encouragement to you is not simply for this day, but for the days to come.  I know people have probably told you that marriage is hard, and you've probably thought, Maybe for you.  We're different.  Please hear me.  They are right.  It is hard.  But an easy marriage is one in which there is little to no vulnerability.  When two people are completely open, it gets messy.  But in those messy moments, you will find that trust and respect are built.  Can I let you in on another little secret?  There will be days that you won't be happy.  There will be days when you look at your husband and wonder who this man is that you married.  You will wonder if you made a mistake.  You didn't, and neither did he.  Most importantly, neither did God.  Would you believe me if I told you that God did not join the two of you together for the sole purpose of making you happy?  His desire is to make you holy, more like Him.  For that to happen, it requires you to be stretched, and sometimes, dare I say, unhappy.  But there is always joy.  Joy does not rely on circumstances or feelings.  On those days when you find you are incapable of feeling love for your husband, hold on to this joy.  It will get better.  As for the expectations you have going into this lifelong commitment, let them go. Or at least talk about them.  Let no expectation go unspoken.  Unspoken expectations almost always turn into broken expectations, and if you're anything like me, cause feelings of he should have just known.  A silent resentment will set in, and it will destroy you.  Don't let it.  Hold on to joy.  And always encourage.  Never let a day go by without speaking an encouraging word.  I know I have so much more to learn, and so will you.  Today, sweet bride, you are beautiful.  Your marriage is being prayed for.  Give thanks today and every day for the man waiting for you at the end of the aisle.  He is a gift.  Treat him as such.

Your friend,
Kristen

What you really need for college...and what you really don't

It's almost that time of year again.  The time of year where you can't go to Target without seeing at least a few overly excited recent grads and their moms walking around with a cart filled with bathmats and organizational supplies.  Six years ago (SIX?!) that was me.  I probably went to the Bed Bath & Beyond website multiple times a day to scroll through the endless assortment of bedding and shower curtains, not to mention the convenient list they provide you to tell you all the things you really need.  Well friends, if you are that recent grad who is about to go shopping with your mom and attempt to check off all the items on the BB&B checklist, just hold your horses until you check out my list.  I know six years sounds like a long time to speak to what you really need (or not) in college, but trust me, I remember all too well.  With that being said, I have compiled a list of the must-haves and the extremely overrated items. These aren't the obvious items like towels and sheets, but stuff that I either had to go out later and buy at the most inconvenient times or things I didn't ever use.  Share this with a friend, and neither of you will be sorry.

Must-haves

-First aid stuff.  I'm talking Bandaids, Thermometer, Ibuprofen, and even Imodium.  Trust me...when you need it is not when you will want to have to go out and get it.
-Small tool kit.  Something random will break and you will need a screwdriver.
-Mini sewing kit.  I found some at Dollar Tree.  It will save your life when a button falls off.
-Extra pillow.  You never know when a friend will get locked out at night (obviously because their roommate is studying so hard and needs privacy) and need to spend the night at your place.
-Power strips with multiple outlets
-USB stick/flash drive.  If you ever use a computer lab on campus, these will be your best friend. 
-Random bathroom stuff that your mom always had around: Q-tips, cotton balls, etc.
-Batteries.  Again, you will always need some at the most inconvenient time.
-Lightbulbs
-Umbrella
-Simple cleaning supplies.  Things like a broom and Clorox wipes come in really handy.

Totally unnecessary

-Blender.  I can not tell you how unnecessary this is.  You will have nowhere to wash it, unless you want smoothie chunks clogging up your bathroom sink.
-Ironing board.  An iron might be useful, but I would check your dorm's laundry room before buying one.  An ironing board, on the other hand, is pointless regardless.  Just lay a towel down on your desk and you're good to go.
-Too many organizational supplies.  I know the fabric bins from Target are too cute to pass up, but you maybe need 2 large ones and 2 small ones.  I would say wait until you unpack and can't find a place for things, and then go get more as you see the need for them.
-A notebook for every class.  Evaluate the professor.  Some of them read the notes straight from their PowerPoint, which sometimes you can print from their website.
-The textbook for every class.  Again, wait until after the first class to see if you actually need it.  Usually they tell you if you need it or not, or at least what they primarily test over.  After that, DO NOT...I REPEAT...DO NOT BUY YOUR BOOKS ON CAMPUS!!!!! You can find almost all of them on Amazon for a fraction of the price.  One more thing: don't bring your books to class.  It will scream "I'm a freshman!"
-An excessive amount of towels.


I hope this helps!  I'm sure there are more things I'm forgetting on both lists, but if I think of anything, I'll revise. 

House tour- Part 1

I realized a lot of people asked me a looooong time ago to post pictures of our house once we got it all put together.  That obviously never happened, so I apologize.  For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting, welcome to our home...kind of.  This is just the living room, but I will post other rooms sooner or later, and by that I mean whenever I decide to clean.

Perfection is exhausting

The past month has been absolutely crazy.  We took our youth to camp the last week of June, and just got back yesterday from a World Changers mission trip to Philadelphia.  Both were incredible.  Before I continue to share about these experiences, I must rewind.  Months 1-10 of living in Virginia were incredibly difficult.  To be completely honest, nothing in me wanted to be here.  I was resistant to get to know many people because as far back as I can remember, I've avoided vulnerability.  I like to take my time testing the waters.  Are you trustworthy or are you going to stab me in the back?  Are you going to take what I tell you and use it against me?  If you get to know the real me, will you decide I'm not so great after all?  Once I determine the answers to these questions, I can move forward.  Moving to a new place presents all kinds of problems, especially for a self-conscious introvert.  On top of the struggles already in place just because of my personality, I have found myself maneuvering around the politics of feeling like because I'm a pastor's wife, I'm not allowed to have struggles or baggage, or even be honest about how I'm feeling.  No one has told me this, but I feel an expectation placed on me to be perfect.  Unfortunately, the church (not ours specifically) has become a place where vulnerability is not encouraged, and because of that, I found myself remaining silent around the girls in the youth group who deserve my honesty.  Over the past month, I have felt God working on my heart to break down the walls I had built up to the people here.  This past week especially, I made it my goal to start sharing my heart with the girls.  By the end of the week, I was able to share things with them that a year ago I swore I would never be able to share.  I was told things I NEVER thought I would hear from them.  Things like: "You are one of the coolest people I've ever met" and "When you talk to us, it's like how a 7th grader feels when a senior talks to them".  Like.....WHAT?! ME?????  I was blown away, and partly ashamed that it took me so long to let myself open up.  I'm so thankful for God's unending faithfulness and for being patient with me.  So many things are coming up that I'm beyond excited about being a part of, and cannot be done without honesty and vulnerability on my part.  Pretending to be perfect and trying to impress people is exhausting, and can only be done from far away.  It's taken way too long, but now I'd rather be a real person who is able to make an impact from close up and let people see my messy, imperfect life.

"We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us."  1 Thess. 2:8