Rock N' Roll Marathon San Antonio, TX

Well, I did it! I finished my first maraton Sunday, November 16, 2008 in San Antonio, TX. The last 16 weeks have been a challenging, but rewarding journey. I trained with some friends I met at the YMCA where we work out at. There were many who ran with us and helped us along the way. My friends, Jill, Dana, and Nancy ran the full marathon with me and then a few others ran the half. The four of us have been through ups and downs physically and emotionally throughout this whole process. I will forever be bonded to these gals. Love you girls!! The race was way better than I ever expected. I never thought I would be able to say that! We had a blast. My goal was to finish and enjoy the experience to the fullest. Thankfully, I was able to accomplish both. We had so much fun interacting with the crowd and bands along the race. I was really scared that I wasn't going to be able to finish because my IT band on my left leg had been bothering me for about a month and was hurting badly on Saturday. I was thinking how dissapointing it would be to have to go home and say I didn't finish. At church, Pastor Herbert had been speaking on the miraculous. He had people who needed a miracle come down to the front for prayer. I went down and had them pray for my legs. It seemed a little selfish, but I know if God cares about the sparrow, he cared about my marathon. On race day, my IT band bothered me the first 5 miles. I just kept stretching it and kept my knee brace really tight. After 5 miles, my leg didn't bother me at all! I know it was a God thing. There's no way I could have finished the entire marathon on my own. There were so many other God moments throught the race. I'm so grateful for all the people who kept me in their prayers. God is good! My parents and Chris went with me. They have been a huge support system. They waited at mile 13 and 23. It was a big motivator while running to know I would be seeing them soon. The last .2 miles of the race was straight uphill. Seriously??? I turned the corner to the finish line and Chris was in the crowd yelling my name. Then, he started running with me on the other side of the baracade towards the finish line. It was so sweet! I'm so thankful for my marathon experience. Once we crossed the finish line, we were all hugging and crying. We were so overwhelmed. It's almost an indescribable feeling. I definitley want to run another one soon. There's more pics at http://www.asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=31362. You have to type my bib number, 15311.

The Expo on Saturday at the Alamodome. I like to describe it as Affair of the Heart for runners. This is just one small part. The picture does not do it justice.

Me at the Expo.

All of the runners


Me, Jill, and Nancy- first time marathoners

Mile 13

Off again

The winner for the women

The winner for the men

Finish line! What was I thinking? I'm starving! I need to eat now!

Jill and I with our medals. You can't really tell, but the medals were really colorful and pretty.

Girls Night Out

Another October update...My bunco group went to dinner and a movie this month. We saw Nights in Rodanthe based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. I'm a huge fan of his, but was a little disappointed with the movie. The book is definitely better. I recommend any of his books though. I have his new one, The Lucky One. I can't wait to start it. I had so much fun with the girls. I always look forward to getting together every month.

Mrs. Starke's Class

I took these pics at the beginning of the school year of my classroom. A lot has changed since then, but I just wanted to give a glimpse of where I spend my days. I've worked at Apple Creek Elementary in Moore for 4 years. I've taught 5th, 1st, and 3rd grade. Kids are my passion and I love my 3rd graders even when, occasionally, they test my patience. I truly see my job as a mission field and take very seriously the opportunity I have each day to invest in the lives of children. It's a privilege and an awesome responsibility that I don't take lightly. First and foremost, I want my kids to feel loved and then, the rest will fall into place. Go Cougars!

Halloween

More catch up... My school bunco group had a costume party October 30. It's always nice to de-stress from school, kick back, and eat yummy food. The costumes ranged from Cheech and Chong to Marilyn Monroe to disco. I was supposed to be a 70's chick, but kind of ended up looking like Dolly Pardon.

My third grade team

OU/Texas Weekend

I know I've been MIA for awhile, so I'm going to do a little catch up from the last month. Chris and I went to Dallas for the game. We had so much fun despite the outcome of the game. Thanks Steven and Amy for the tickets! We owe you some serious babysitting. We also saw Michael Buble in concert Saturday night in Fort Worth. It's our second time to see him this year. He was just as good the second time. I love his Frank Sinatra-style of music. It's very romantic. If you have a chance to see him, it's worth it. We tried to go eat downtown before the concert, but couldn't get a table anywhere. We were starving, so we had to resort to eating at fast food tex-mex restaurant. Very romantic! After the initial frustration, we couldn't help but laugh and had to take a picture. Another Starke memory.

Our romantic dinner

Michael Buble

Bump in the Road

Well, I think I officially win the worst blogger of 2008. I'd like to thank.... Seriously, though, we've been going none stop, but I must improve on my blogging endeavors. Just a little update on the marathon training. Last Saturday I ran 20 miles and felt great. My feet hurt a little bit, but other than that, no problems. I had my little twin cousins' birthday party immediately after running. I had just enough time to take a shower and get out the door. Later, I came home and graded papers for a couple of hours and then went to a friend's house to watch the OU game. Sunday, went to church, one of my student's birthday parties, and the fair. Monday, I was on my feet all day long at school and went grocery shopping in the afternoon. Long story short, by Monday afternoon, I had extreme swelling in my legs from the knees down. I wish I would have taken a picture. It was freakishly bizarre. I looked like I had gained 10-15 pounds in my legs. I looked like I was 9 months pregnant or an 80 year old grandma. Thankfully, I had no real pain, just tightness from the fluid. I began a week-long regiment of Motrin, elevating my legs, and ice baths. (Not so bad, after you go numb. A sweatshirt and Starbucks and you're good.) Finally, a week later, I look normal! It was definitely a frustrating process. I couldn't run or work out the entire week. Thankfully, it was an easy week in my training, so I think I'll be fine. I have definitely learned my lesson the hard way: rest is important.

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

I know I'm CRAZY, but I will be running my first marathon November 16 in San Antonio, TX. I have participated in several races before, but this will be, by far, the most challenging thing I've ever done in my entire life. If you sense a little intimidation, you're right. That said, I know I can do it. If Oprah can do it, then I can, right? At least that's my what I keep telling myself. After running in Race for the Cure last October, running has quickly become one of my passions. Last Spring, I started running with a group from the YMCA where we workout at. They have been such a blessing, personally and with my running. Running gives you a natural high that is like no other. I love the feeling of pushing myself to the limit. With running, you set a goal and receive immediate gratification. Even with training for a marathon, each day you get a little bit closer to your goal. I'm in the sixth week of my 16-week training. So far, so good. Last Sunday, I ran 16 miles for the first time. I wouldn't say it was great fun, but it could have been worse. This Saturday I'm running 18! I will keep you up to date with my on-going training. Please keep me in your prayers!
http://www.rnrsa.com/

Big Cedar

Sorry, it's been forever since my last post. It's been crazy with school starting...more on that to come. I promised to share a few of our adventures this summer, so here is part 2. At the beginning of June, we went with the Starke's to Big Cedar, MO for a few days. We had a blast. We went fishing, swimming, watched movies by the pool, ate yummy food, and went on a family bike ride. Chris and I made some memories when the chain came off his bike and we had to walk most of the way back. All in all, it was great trip and we loved spending time with everyone.

Grace and I attempting to fish.

Sophie and the guys.

Chris and I at a several waterfalls on our bike ride.

Grace and Chris checking out the fish.

Todd, Chris, Steven, and Sophie

Chris and I before the bike chain incident.

Family bike ride

Chowing down on the front porch of the cabin.

Sophie and me on the porch.

Chris and Grace napping.

The family half way through the bike ride...we had to turn around and go back!

Sunset Beach

Since I'm brand new to the blog world, I thought I would share some of the fun things Chris and I have already done this summer. I'll share our adventures over the next few posts. We traveled to Sunset Beach, North Carolina the last week in May with my family. My aunt has a beach house and she was so sweet to let us stay in her beautiful home. This was my second trip to Sunset Beach, but Chris's first. It's a very quaint town that can only be reached by a draw bridge. It was very relaxing. We found an irresistible ice cream shop and indulged almost every night! We had a blast and loved watching Evie, my niece, experience the ocean for the first time.

The view from outside the lower balcony.

Evie taste testing sand. Yummy!

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Chris and I on the beach.

My Dad body surfing. He's a big kid in a grown man's body.

Me, Evie, and Nana taking a stroll on the beach.

My sister Andrea and Evie hanging out in the rocking chairs.

Some surfer dude, I mean my dad, and Evie

The whole family on our last day.