Community and Goals

Today I ran a 6 mile race in the rain. It didn't start raining until mile 3, but then it poured! I loved it! Before it started raining, it was just humid (I know I said I would never call CA humid again after visiting the South this summer, but is was humid). We were so happy once it started to rain because it cooled us off. Is was so beautiful. We ran on a trail right outside of Bakersfield. You could See the Kern River while you ran! These are the people I've been training with and ran with today. This was after the race when we were all soaking wet! I am training for a half marathon in Vegas next month and am finding it difficult to get my miles in each week. It was nice to have people to run with today!

Community- don't we all look for it? These runners are a community. I didn't realize it until our Fall training was over, and I missed them. They are a group of great people who really care about each other. I believe that if the church can tap into that kind of community, people would be wanting to come in. I long for that in our church! I love my church family, but it's lacking that close bond and accountability within a group setting.

Goals- Almost 2 years ago, I set a goal for myself of losing 20 pounds. It's been a much longer road than I ever thought it would be. (I thought I'd lose 20 pounds in 2 months!) There were times when the weight just seemed to come off effortlessly (not too many of them though), and mostly times when I would work and work and wonder why I couldn't lose anything. I even hit the longest plateau in weight loss history (one year!) along the way. I have finally lost those 20 pounds and accomplished so much more than I ever thought possible. I am so happy to be back down in my wedding dress size! More than that, I am glad I am in shape- best in my life! What I am most excited about is my lifestyle change. I don't see this weight loss as the end (well, I am done losing weight), I see it as another marker on my journey to live an active life. This is something I wanted to do before I ever thought about having kids. Maybe now, I am ready to open a new chapter in my life...