In three days, I will be running my first marathon. Two years ago, this wouldn't have been on my radar. I was just glad to run for 20 minutes. But then I ran a 10K and survived. And I ran another 10K and survived. And then my brother-in-law and sister-in-law ran a marathon. And another sister-in-law completed a biatholon, the running and bicycling kind, not the cross-country skiing and shooting targets kind. They were my inspiration. Then I realized I needed better shoes and maybe some other stuff to help me recover. So on Saturday, I will get up sometime around 4 am to make sure I make the last bus taking me out to the start of the race at 5am to start running at 6 am. It will be the final sacrifice of sleep for this marathon that I will make. My biggest challenge will come around mile 18, when I will be running 1/2 mile south of my house and be sorely tempted to make a right turn on Harris to go home. But I am confident that my family will be there to cheer me on and keep me going in the right direction.
My last few weeks have been a bit discouraging because I have been suffering from pain that caused me to NOT complete my 20 mile run of the official marathon route. I have been doing a lot of stretching, using the roller and "the stick" and very little running to give my legs the maximum rest. The few times I have run, it has been short, fast runs that I have really enjoyed and reminded me of why I started running in the first place and my attitude has improved. I have spent a lot of time training for this and my goals are pretty basic: finish it within 6 hours with a secondary goal of finishing below 5 hours. To accomplish this, my plan is to run a 10K without stopping for anything except bathroom and drinks, then speed walk 0.3 mile. Run a little more than a 10K to reach the halfway point and speedwalk 0.4 miles. Two more 10Ks separated by a 0.3 mile rest will bring me to the finish line. The first half is almost totally downhill, so my average might be closer to 10:30, but after that, I will try to keep a 13:00 pace in my runs and 15:00 walking pace. I am bringing marzipan and Gu to give me energy in between stops. I might also bring the 1L camelback as much to carry the food and focus on drinking the gatorade at the rest stops. The Marathon is providing Cliff Shots which have made me feel sick in the past. My pre-race meal which seems to work for me is a banana and 1/2 cliff bar. I might need the camelback just to keep my stash. I will be running in an orange shirt with arm warmers and shorts, unless the forecast is for rain, in which I will wear a loose rain jacket and leggings so that I don't deal with chafing from the wet shorts.
I keep telling myself that I have prepared for this as much as I can and God has given me the strength and determination to keep going even when I wanted to quit. He has brought four wonderful women in my life through the East Valley Runners group who have encouraged me in each long run. Most of them are running the half marathon, but one lady will be running with me. And He has made me stronger through it, mentally as well as spiritually. He has proven that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). And He has been showing me why He gave me Hebrews 12:1-2 as my life verse all those years ago when I hated running: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off all that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race set before us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (my words from memory). The training I have done for this race has been so good for me, though training in godliness through it that God has done in my heart during the many runs, both short and long has been of greater value (1Timothy 4:8). I praise God for encouraging me to accomplish this and for carrying me through the difficulties that come with training for it. And I will rejoice in the fatigue and inability to walk on Sunday, much less go up stairs.
February 26, 2014
January 15, 2014
Running my butt off
There is a literal component to my title, but it also reflects how much running I am doing to prepare for the Marathon. In fact, considering how much I have hated running up until 2 years ago, when I realized how quick and easy it is to get ready to run, my mileage is getting pretty impressive.
There have been set backs. I started to develop a Bermuda Triangle of pain--right foot, left knee and right hip which sent me to get an abbreviated consult with a physical trainer who gave me some exercises to help me with it. While I was trying to run the plan for the experienced runners, for which I qualified because I have run a 10K, I started experiencing exhaustion that left once I humbled myself and moved to the running plan for inexperienced runners. It also reduced the amount pain in my foot/hip/knee. I have have yet to run any of my long distance without having to walk part of the distance.
The last long run involved long stretches of uphill and equal amounts of downhill. The uphill portions were so hard and I ran the first set way too fast for my legs because they gave out on me at mile 10 when I was supposed to run 17 miles. I cut it short and walked 14 miles. At the beginning, however, one runner gave me some great advice as I was struggling: "Don't focus on the uphill portions, focus on how it will feel going downhill." And isn't that what the Bible tells us to do?
"Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame..." (Hebrews 12:2)
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..." (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
And so, I have taken joy in considering every run a learning experience, not a failure to meet goal X. For instance, I have learned never listen to a comedy-based podcast while trying to run--you can't run and laugh simultaneously. When your body is telling to to make a potty stop, walk until you can reach a potty because you cannot run and "hold it." Plan your route on long runs to include potty stops because you WILL hear the call of the potty at some point. Carry money with you to buy something from the gas station/coffee shop/grocery store when you use their facilities to thank them. Or just leave them some extra money. Don't eat Gu on an empty stomach, thinking that it will give you energy for the run because all of that sugar will give you the runs. My personal preference for pre-run food is a banana and half a cliff bar if I am running a long distance. I save the other half for when I am done. Marzipan is a great running food--much better than Gu because it has sugar and a bit of protein and melts in your mouth without the need to chew it and tastes SO much better. Walking is okay because it allows you to exercise different muscles. Running with people is better than running alone. Polar heart beat monitors cause really bad welts on my chest. Chafing can happen in the bosom area (sorry for the TMI). Anytime you run father than you ever have run, even if it is not the distance you should run is a successful run.
I have learned that I can do more than I think I can do, that running without music is a great time to experience God and running can be a wonderful date with your husband, especially when he is as encouraging and supportive as my husband. He slowed down and stayed with me during the St. Paul Turkey Trot even when I was having a bad attitude because it was SO incredibly cold. So many of the runners I have met through the East Valley Runners club have been uplifting during the run and helped me become mentally stronger as I persevere during the long distances. In fact, we came up with a motivational song:
"Hit the road (name). I know you can run some more, some more, some more, some more. Hit the road (name). I know you can run some more. Yes we can!" (to the tune of "Hit the Road, Jack).
I will end with a new song by Jonathon Thulin that has been playing in my head. I love the imagery in this song, which is matched by his song "Dead Come to Life"
There have been set backs. I started to develop a Bermuda Triangle of pain--right foot, left knee and right hip which sent me to get an abbreviated consult with a physical trainer who gave me some exercises to help me with it. While I was trying to run the plan for the experienced runners, for which I qualified because I have run a 10K, I started experiencing exhaustion that left once I humbled myself and moved to the running plan for inexperienced runners. It also reduced the amount pain in my foot/hip/knee. I have have yet to run any of my long distance without having to walk part of the distance.
The last long run involved long stretches of uphill and equal amounts of downhill. The uphill portions were so hard and I ran the first set way too fast for my legs because they gave out on me at mile 10 when I was supposed to run 17 miles. I cut it short and walked 14 miles. At the beginning, however, one runner gave me some great advice as I was struggling: "Don't focus on the uphill portions, focus on how it will feel going downhill." And isn't that what the Bible tells us to do?
"Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame..." (Hebrews 12:2)
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..." (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
And so, I have taken joy in considering every run a learning experience, not a failure to meet goal X. For instance, I have learned never listen to a comedy-based podcast while trying to run--you can't run and laugh simultaneously. When your body is telling to to make a potty stop, walk until you can reach a potty because you cannot run and "hold it." Plan your route on long runs to include potty stops because you WILL hear the call of the potty at some point. Carry money with you to buy something from the gas station/coffee shop/grocery store when you use their facilities to thank them. Or just leave them some extra money. Don't eat Gu on an empty stomach, thinking that it will give you energy for the run because all of that sugar will give you the runs. My personal preference for pre-run food is a banana and half a cliff bar if I am running a long distance. I save the other half for when I am done. Marzipan is a great running food--much better than Gu because it has sugar and a bit of protein and melts in your mouth without the need to chew it and tastes SO much better. Walking is okay because it allows you to exercise different muscles. Running with people is better than running alone. Polar heart beat monitors cause really bad welts on my chest. Chafing can happen in the bosom area (sorry for the TMI). Anytime you run father than you ever have run, even if it is not the distance you should run is a successful run.
I have learned that I can do more than I think I can do, that running without music is a great time to experience God and running can be a wonderful date with your husband, especially when he is as encouraging and supportive as my husband. He slowed down and stayed with me during the St. Paul Turkey Trot even when I was having a bad attitude because it was SO incredibly cold. So many of the runners I have met through the East Valley Runners club have been uplifting during the run and helped me become mentally stronger as I persevere during the long distances. In fact, we came up with a motivational song:
"Hit the road (name). I know you can run some more, some more, some more, some more. Hit the road (name). I know you can run some more. Yes we can!" (to the tune of "Hit the Road, Jack).
I will end with a new song by Jonathon Thulin that has been playing in my head. I love the imagery in this song, which is matched by his song "Dead Come to Life"
January 10, 2014
Lost Dutchman Inspiration
We hiked at Lost Dutchman State Park on New Year's Day with MANY other people. We got there too late for the guided tour, but apparently well before the rest of the parking lots filled up. There is one part of the mountain which is called "praying hands" because the rocks look like two hands together in prayer. However, a different formation caught my attention. I call it, the "praising hands" feature because it looks like a series of hands raised up giving praise to God.
The second song was from the "Passion: Waiting Here For You" album and sung by Christy Nockels.
I also had some verses playing in my head that I tracked down to Psalm 19.
So basically, I felt as if I was joining the mountain in worshipping God for the amazing complexity and beauty of His creation, of which I am a infinitesimally small part. Even without that amazing experience, it was a great day because it was January, I was with my family soaking up the sun and getting some exercise and fresh air. And I waited until after the polar vortex headed back north to post this to avoid hate mail, to which I would reply, "Just wait until summer."
This started a couple songs plying in my head,which I will share via videos. The first song is called "Open Skies" by the David Crowder Band
The second song was from the "Passion: Waiting Here For You" album and sung by Christy Nockels.
I also had some verses playing in my head that I tracked down to Psalm 19.
So basically, I felt as if I was joining the mountain in worshipping God for the amazing complexity and beauty of His creation, of which I am a infinitesimally small part. Even without that amazing experience, it was a great day because it was January, I was with my family soaking up the sun and getting some exercise and fresh air. And I waited until after the polar vortex headed back north to post this to avoid hate mail, to which I would reply, "Just wait until summer."
January 1, 2014
Happy New Year with a new focus
So the year is done and I have less than a month to prepare for my older son's 11th birthday. Last year, inspired by oneword365.com I focused on joy with moderate success. This year as I have been praying to figure out what God wants me to focus my efforts for the coming year, many words have come to me. In Bridgetender Academy this year, the focus has been to help my kids become kinder and more respectful to each other because those are life skills that God values. God has been working powerfully in me to help me become kinder and more respectful, though, as all Christians, I stumble and need His grace, forgiveness and restoration. I am seeing some response in the kids, but have gone through a rough period of backlash that reminds me that progress is never a straight path, but a series of loops that go through mountains and ditches.
But kindness is not what God wants me to focus on this year. The word I kept getting from Him while running this week is "presence." With my iPhone and other things, it is so easy to check out of pretty much everything and even easier to take a 2 second "check out" when in a group of people to see what is going on in some application or other. We have instant video through Amazon and Netflix and then there are blogs to read which "need" comments. None of these things individually are bad. In fact, I can say that I have made new friends with Ken and Christie Hagermann, missionaries in Asuncion,Paraguay because I made comments on their blog and comments led to email and email led to a Skype conversation to help them celebrate the New Year at 8pm our time last night. However, obsessively checking Facebook or other interactive applications on our phones and putting priority on them rather than people is exactly the opposite of the overall job God has given us of loving Him with everything we have and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is distracted living, which is far more dangerous than distracted driving, because we can miss so many blessings, so many treasured moments, so many opportunities to show the love of Jesus and have really NOTHING to show for it. So my goal this year is to be fully present with God, fully present with my family, fully present with friends and fully present with neighbors and whoever He throws in my path. And this is what it will look like:
But kindness is not what God wants me to focus on this year. The word I kept getting from Him while running this week is "presence." With my iPhone and other things, it is so easy to check out of pretty much everything and even easier to take a 2 second "check out" when in a group of people to see what is going on in some application or other. We have instant video through Amazon and Netflix and then there are blogs to read which "need" comments. None of these things individually are bad. In fact, I can say that I have made new friends with Ken and Christie Hagermann, missionaries in Asuncion,Paraguay because I made comments on their blog and comments led to email and email led to a Skype conversation to help them celebrate the New Year at 8pm our time last night. However, obsessively checking Facebook or other interactive applications on our phones and putting priority on them rather than people is exactly the opposite of the overall job God has given us of loving Him with everything we have and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is distracted living, which is far more dangerous than distracted driving, because we can miss so many blessings, so many treasured moments, so many opportunities to show the love of Jesus and have really NOTHING to show for it. So my goal this year is to be fully present with God, fully present with my family, fully present with friends and fully present with neighbors and whoever He throws in my path. And this is what it will look like:
- Less Facebook presence--feel free to call me out on FB when I start backsliding (because backsliding is part of persevering)
- Less comments on blogs, though I will still keep reading the blogs that I am reading because I REALLY enjoy reading them.
- More phone calls to keep in touch. Be forwarned!
- More face-to-face time for AZ folks
Happy New Year. May God bless you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
December 26, 2013
Dead Horse Ranch Camping Weekend
I hope and pray that everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday. We had just the right amount of Christmas presents and Christmas surprises. My parents went for the fun and sentimental by buying a slot car track for us and our kids.
I am getting "caught up" with the blogs that I have been wanting to write but limited by time. I started this sometime in May but didn't get very far. The pictures were taken with Eric's Nikon and I think that he is also the principle photographer.
We spent Memorial Day weekend of 2013 camping two hours north of the Phoenix-metro area at a state park called Dead Horse Ranch, which is located near the Verde River. It is a great location to camp for an extra long weekend because it is within 30 minutes of Sedona and even closer to Jerome and Tuzigoot National Monument.
Background: Dead Horse Ranch State Park got its name because a Minnesota family looking to buy a ranch in Arizona decided to buy the ranch that had a dead horse on its property. They named their ranch "Dead Horse Ranch." When they decided to sell it to the state, they made the state keep the name. Most people think of sand, cactus and canyons when they think of Arizona, but this location, like Woods Canyon Lake and other camping areas near a river, this place is GREEN. It has big Cottonwood trees, tall grasses around the dammed ponds, and I even heard and saw red-winged blackbirds, which is one of the birds I REALLY miss from my days in Lake County, Illinois. And all this green is surrounded by the red rock cliffs and high desert.
To do in Dead Horse Ranch State Park:
First of all, Memorial Day weekend was pretty hot. This is a better place to camp at during the early spring/late fall.
* Fishing: There are three stocked ponds and the Verde River. The problem with camping on Memorial Day is that it is right before they re-stock the lakes, which means that only the REALLY smart fish are there, if any. We didn't catch anything. If fishing is your focus, check with the park to see when the best times to fish are.
* Hiking: There are several trails to hike around the park. The hike we liked the most took us near the river, where the kids and I took off our shoes and walked around in places up to our knees. Eric fished without success in a different part of the river.
* State Junior Ranger Badge activity worksheet: For those campers who have kids, a lot of state parks and most national parks have Junior Ranger programs where kids complete activity sheets based on the park's features in exchange for a button.
* Facilities: Dead Horse Ranch State Park has four camping areas. We stayed at the Raven loop, which was set up just for tents. It is the highest camping area in the park, which is NOT ideal for tents. There were few, short trees around the area and therefore very little respite from the sun unless you have a sunshade, like we do. Furthermore, while we were there, every afternoon the wind whipped up, blowing up sand. Therefore, lounging around the tent was NOT an option in this area. The most ideal place to camp is the Quail Loop, even though it is set up for RV campers, because it is near enough to the river that there are tall trees and grass in the tent areas, which makes the area cooler. Note: I have nothing against RV campers other than RVs with air conditioners make a lot of noise and create light pollution that obliterates the stars. There might be some envy, too regarding the sleeping arrangements. All of the camping areas have free showers, which I REALLY prefer to have when camping.
Because our family is not a fishing family in general and our kids tolerate only so much hiking, we took the opportunity to drive to Jerome and Tuzigoot in one day. Jerome is a former mining ghost town and current tourist trap, a la Galena to Illinois natives, about 20 minutes of twisty roads from Dead Horse Ranch. There is a place where you can go to look down one of the mine shafts and a state park which details the town's history. The town is built on the sides of the mountain, so driving involves twisty roads, also similar to Galena. We didn't really tour the whole town, so I can't give a review of it. The state park is nice and gives kids a chance to earn a Junior Ranger badge. We had our dog with us, so I stayed out with the dog while Eric toured with the kids and then they hung around the outside while I toured the inside. I didn't spend a lot of time in the museum and have forgotten most of the information. But I DID spend a lot of time looking at the surrounding area. You can see the red and white cliffs of Sedona from Jerome. We could have spent 1/2 a day there touring the rest of the town, but we wanted to see Tuzigoot National Monument.
Tuzigoot National Monument is an the remains of an old pueblo built by the Sinagua people that sits atop a hill. What makes Tuzigoot wonderful is that you can tour the remains and actually go inside the biggest building and tour around the surrounding buildings. There is also a wonderful view of a marsh--yes, that's right, there is a MARSH in Arizona! The kids picked up their second Junior Ranger badges of the day, this time from the federal government. Tuzigoot is 10 minutes from the campground.
The day we returned home, we took the long way and visited Montezuma Castle., which is roughly 30 minutes away and not too far off of Highway 17, which brings you back into the Valley of the Sun. It is another National Monument involving Native American ruins. This is a spectacularly well-preserved pueblo of the cliff-dwelling Sinagua people. One reason that it is so well preserved is that they do not let people climb in and look at the building. Because it is built on a cliff, you only get a far-away look. However, the park museum has a video tour of the inside of the house. It is also located off the Verde River, so the area is surrounded by lovely, tall trees. It is hard to capture Montezuma's castle's size in photographs because it is so high and so far away from the path. The picture did I choose was because it does show relative size. The interesting thing is that if you look closely at the picture, you will see black spots, which are more holes carved out of the cliff. I can't remember if these were store rooms or more rooms for families or a combination. Regardless, the ingenuity of these people who made Tuzigoot and Montezuma's castle without the wheel or iron tools is quite impressive.
All in all, Dead Horse Ranch, because it is close to so many other places, would be a great place to hang out for a week. Below are some distances to some other fun places to visit:
Sedona: 30 minutes away. It has shops and lots of great trails with fabulous views. Some of the trails have pueblo ruins. There is a lot of New Age stuff there as well as countless ways to separate you from your money, just like Galena, Illinois.
Slide Rock State Park: 40 minutes away
Oak Creek Canyon: about 60 minutes away, which is a great day hike.
Lowell Observatory: about 1 hour. They give a great tour and, last time we were there, they gave you an opportunity to vote on the Pluto decision.
Wupataki National Monument (more Pueblo Dwellings): 1 hr, 15 min.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Park: 1.5 hours
Note: Lowell Observatory, Wupataki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Park are all very near Flagstaff. You could probably do two of the three in a day and have dinner in Flagstaff for a break from camp grub.
I am getting "caught up" with the blogs that I have been wanting to write but limited by time. I started this sometime in May but didn't get very far. The pictures were taken with Eric's Nikon and I think that he is also the principle photographer.
We spent Memorial Day weekend of 2013 camping two hours north of the Phoenix-metro area at a state park called Dead Horse Ranch, which is located near the Verde River. It is a great location to camp for an extra long weekend because it is within 30 minutes of Sedona and even closer to Jerome and Tuzigoot National Monument.
 |
| View from our campsite the first night at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. It reminds me of that scene from Star Wars of Luke at dusk with the setting suns. |
Background: Dead Horse Ranch State Park got its name because a Minnesota family looking to buy a ranch in Arizona decided to buy the ranch that had a dead horse on its property. They named their ranch "Dead Horse Ranch." When they decided to sell it to the state, they made the state keep the name. Most people think of sand, cactus and canyons when they think of Arizona, but this location, like Woods Canyon Lake and other camping areas near a river, this place is GREEN. It has big Cottonwood trees, tall grasses around the dammed ponds, and I even heard and saw red-winged blackbirds, which is one of the birds I REALLY miss from my days in Lake County, Illinois. And all this green is surrounded by the red rock cliffs and high desert.
 |
| This looks more like a photograph taken in Lake County, Illinois or Minnesota rather than Arizona. |
 |
| However, expanding the scope of the picture adds elements that you won't find in either IL or MN--cliffs |
To do in Dead Horse Ranch State Park:
First of all, Memorial Day weekend was pretty hot. This is a better place to camp at during the early spring/late fall.
* Fishing: There are three stocked ponds and the Verde River. The problem with camping on Memorial Day is that it is right before they re-stock the lakes, which means that only the REALLY smart fish are there, if any. We didn't catch anything. If fishing is your focus, check with the park to see when the best times to fish are.
* Hiking: There are several trails to hike around the park. The hike we liked the most took us near the river, where the kids and I took off our shoes and walked around in places up to our knees. Eric fished without success in a different part of the river.
* State Junior Ranger Badge activity worksheet: For those campers who have kids, a lot of state parks and most national parks have Junior Ranger programs where kids complete activity sheets based on the park's features in exchange for a button.
* Facilities: Dead Horse Ranch State Park has four camping areas. We stayed at the Raven loop, which was set up just for tents. It is the highest camping area in the park, which is NOT ideal for tents. There were few, short trees around the area and therefore very little respite from the sun unless you have a sunshade, like we do. Furthermore, while we were there, every afternoon the wind whipped up, blowing up sand. Therefore, lounging around the tent was NOT an option in this area. The most ideal place to camp is the Quail Loop, even though it is set up for RV campers, because it is near enough to the river that there are tall trees and grass in the tent areas, which makes the area cooler. Note: I have nothing against RV campers other than RVs with air conditioners make a lot of noise and create light pollution that obliterates the stars. There might be some envy, too regarding the sleeping arrangements. All of the camping areas have free showers, which I REALLY prefer to have when camping.
 |
| Wading in the Verde River on a hot day |
Because our family is not a fishing family in general and our kids tolerate only so much hiking, we took the opportunity to drive to Jerome and Tuzigoot in one day. Jerome is a former mining ghost town and current tourist trap, a la Galena to Illinois natives, about 20 minutes of twisty roads from Dead Horse Ranch. There is a place where you can go to look down one of the mine shafts and a state park which details the town's history. The town is built on the sides of the mountain, so driving involves twisty roads, also similar to Galena. We didn't really tour the whole town, so I can't give a review of it. The state park is nice and gives kids a chance to earn a Junior Ranger badge. We had our dog with us, so I stayed out with the dog while Eric toured with the kids and then they hung around the outside while I toured the inside. I didn't spend a lot of time in the museum and have forgotten most of the information. But I DID spend a lot of time looking at the surrounding area. You can see the red and white cliffs of Sedona from Jerome. We could have spent 1/2 a day there touring the rest of the town, but we wanted to see Tuzigoot National Monument.
 |
| A view of the closed mine that started Jerome from the State Park parking lot |
 |
| A view of the red and white rocks of Sedona from Jerome |
Tuzigoot National Monument is an the remains of an old pueblo built by the Sinagua people that sits atop a hill. What makes Tuzigoot wonderful is that you can tour the remains and actually go inside the biggest building and tour around the surrounding buildings. There is also a wonderful view of a marsh--yes, that's right, there is a MARSH in Arizona! The kids picked up their second Junior Ranger badges of the day, this time from the federal government. Tuzigoot is 10 minutes from the campground.
 |
| The main building atop the hill surrounded by the ruins of support buildings |
 |
| The kids and I with the main building off to the left. My youngest is not in the picture, but Jacques is near my feet. |
 |
| The marsh near Tuzigoot from the hill. Green surrounded by brown is common in desert river valleys. |
The day we returned home, we took the long way and visited Montezuma Castle., which is roughly 30 minutes away and not too far off of Highway 17, which brings you back into the Valley of the Sun. It is another National Monument involving Native American ruins. This is a spectacularly well-preserved pueblo of the cliff-dwelling Sinagua people. One reason that it is so well preserved is that they do not let people climb in and look at the building. Because it is built on a cliff, you only get a far-away look. However, the park museum has a video tour of the inside of the house. It is also located off the Verde River, so the area is surrounded by lovely, tall trees. It is hard to capture Montezuma's castle's size in photographs because it is so high and so far away from the path. The picture did I choose was because it does show relative size. The interesting thing is that if you look closely at the picture, you will see black spots, which are more holes carved out of the cliff. I can't remember if these were store rooms or more rooms for families or a combination. Regardless, the ingenuity of these people who made Tuzigoot and Montezuma's castle without the wheel or iron tools is quite impressive.
 |
| Eric and I trying to give perspective. |
Sedona: 30 minutes away. It has shops and lots of great trails with fabulous views. Some of the trails have pueblo ruins. There is a lot of New Age stuff there as well as countless ways to separate you from your money, just like Galena, Illinois.
Slide Rock State Park: 40 minutes away
Oak Creek Canyon: about 60 minutes away, which is a great day hike.
Lowell Observatory: about 1 hour. They give a great tour and, last time we were there, they gave you an opportunity to vote on the Pluto decision.
Wupataki National Monument (more Pueblo Dwellings): 1 hr, 15 min.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Park: 1.5 hours
Note: Lowell Observatory, Wupataki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Park are all very near Flagstaff. You could probably do two of the three in a day and have dinner in Flagstaff for a break from camp grub.
December 13, 2013
Christmas Joy
That has been the title of the Winter recital program for Experience Arts School, which has a goal of training future dancers, singers, musicians and thespians to give God glory in their performance. My girls take aerials there, which is dancing on a long silk fabric that you might see in the circus. They love doing it and I see it as a way to make them strong physically and bringing beauty and daring into their lives. One daughter has been disappointed to learn that she would not graduate to the next level as she had hoped to do in the Spring session. After giving her some comfort, I tried to put it in perspective for her. I asked her if she enjoyed it and she said that she did. I asked her if she would enjoy it any less if she had to stay an extra semester at her current level and she said "no." Then I asked her if she would rather get stronger and better prepared for the next level or flounder by being promoted too soon. She didn't like the line of questioning at first, but later, admitted that she still enjoyed being in aerials. And I saw joy in her performance the next day
This year, my goal was to focus on joy. I haven't been very consistent. This summer, I was missing my friend and her family, my kids were missing their friends and asking God why He would remove the one homeschool friend that I was content to have. I started to take my toys and go home. And then I was miserable because, truly, God is the best friend I could ever have. He has given me a husband who is my earthly best friend. He has given me four perfectly wonderful kids who bring me joy in so many unexpected and unconventional ways. And He is my best friend ever. He has given me a long distance family that is wonderful, including all the in-laws. He gave me Jesus, His only Son. Am I being greedy forwanting demanding more? I let go and waited and tried to focus on having joy in what God gave me. In the late summer and fall, I started seeing God answer my questions and bring new people in my life for His perfect purpose. Joy is a choice, not a feeling, just like love, just like faith. I can't say that I will always be happy, but I will try and find joy in God, even in unhappy situations.
Joy in running is falling short these days. I am tired. I haven't quite made it to being able to run a half marathon yet. I had been trying to keep up with the "experienced runners running their first marathon", but in truth, I am not experienced. My left hip started hurting. I tried to make some changes. Now my left hip, left foot and right knee hurts when I run distances. I went to get a short PT evaluation and have exercises to do. I am going to take a short break while I do the exercises every day and join the "couch potato to marathon runners" because I am a couch potato at heart. I will continue to train because the Bible says that perseverance builds character and because the long runs are a time when the Holy Spirit speaks to me about my kids, my life and my walk with Him and how He is using this training for training in godliness. And that is where my joy in running is found.
My preparations for Christmas are noticeably lacking this year except for trying to focus on Jesus. We have the tree up and decorations out. I haven't stepped foot in any store since before we left for Thanksgiving. We haven't watched a single Christmas movie or TV show. Christmas cookies are non-existent. But I am hoping to have friends over to help me make cookies and take some of them home with them. And this is the Advent, or season of waiting, so most of my preparations might take place the last week of Christmas. And God is blessing this Christmas season without any of my "preparation."
May God bless you and your family this Christmas season with His presence and fill you with His joy.
Love,
Tandemingtroll and family (who was photobombed by a precious and very cute nephew in their Thanskgiving family portrait)
This year, my goal was to focus on joy. I haven't been very consistent. This summer, I was missing my friend and her family, my kids were missing their friends and asking God why He would remove the one homeschool friend that I was content to have. I started to take my toys and go home. And then I was miserable because, truly, God is the best friend I could ever have. He has given me a husband who is my earthly best friend. He has given me four perfectly wonderful kids who bring me joy in so many unexpected and unconventional ways. And He is my best friend ever. He has given me a long distance family that is wonderful, including all the in-laws. He gave me Jesus, His only Son. Am I being greedy for
Joy in running is falling short these days. I am tired. I haven't quite made it to being able to run a half marathon yet. I had been trying to keep up with the "experienced runners running their first marathon", but in truth, I am not experienced. My left hip started hurting. I tried to make some changes. Now my left hip, left foot and right knee hurts when I run distances. I went to get a short PT evaluation and have exercises to do. I am going to take a short break while I do the exercises every day and join the "couch potato to marathon runners" because I am a couch potato at heart. I will continue to train because the Bible says that perseverance builds character and because the long runs are a time when the Holy Spirit speaks to me about my kids, my life and my walk with Him and how He is using this training for training in godliness. And that is where my joy in running is found.
My preparations for Christmas are noticeably lacking this year except for trying to focus on Jesus. We have the tree up and decorations out. I haven't stepped foot in any store since before we left for Thanksgiving. We haven't watched a single Christmas movie or TV show. Christmas cookies are non-existent. But I am hoping to have friends over to help me make cookies and take some of them home with them. And this is the Advent, or season of waiting, so most of my preparations might take place the last week of Christmas. And God is blessing this Christmas season without any of my "preparation."
May God bless you and your family this Christmas season with His presence and fill you with His joy.
Love,
Tandemingtroll and family (who was photobombed by a precious and very cute nephew in their Thanskgiving family portrait)
November 4, 2013
Hello Stranger, Nice to Run into You Again
I know, it has been a LONG time since I have written anything. I have had lots of post ideas floating in my head, but have lacked the energy, will and desire to follow through with my ideas. Honestly, this summer in Arizona has been the most humid, which means it has also been the most miserable. I definitely prefer "pizza oven hot" to "extreme sauna hot". And with children involved in this, that or the other, our only ventures out of the fiery sauna furnace were a couple of camping weekends, which will be the subject of future postings.
In the spring, just after the Boston Marathon bombing, my husband decided to start running to see if he could run distances. Like all new ventures, he researched different training plans for newbies. He made it to running a full mile in time for summer and we spent the summer running at 5 in the morning together. It was both a joy and a series of marriage building moments, especially as we starting adding mileage to our runs. In general, though, I really enjoyed running with him because he knows how to encourage me and add goofball moments to our run time. We ran in a 5K together in July in Phoenix called "The Splash Mob 5K" which raised money for a school teaching homeless children. We were supposed to get really wet all through the run, but they had problems with water delivery. It was not pleasant. I will never run in the Valley of the Sun in the summer again. Then we signed up to run in the Maggie's Place 9K, raising money for an organization that provides group housing and training for young pregnant women who are in bad situations. I ran the 10K last year and we had both signed up for the 10K this year. Unfortunately, bursitis interrupted Eric's training and he was unable to participate. If you live in Arizona and like to run, Maggie's Place is a well organized race with really great folks cheering you for you as you run. Eric is now back to running and we will be running in the Turkey Trot in Minneapolis as we visit family, most of whom have just completed the Minneapolis Marathon.
And now, with the encouragement of my husband, I have signed up for the Phoenix Marathon in March. I have also joined a training program run by coaches that are affiliated with the Marathon for camaraderie and an a running plan/pace plan. I am running Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with my long runs on Saturdays. Last Saturday, I ran 7 miles for the first time in my life and didn't die. Of course, in a couple of months, this will seem like a quick run, just like, 15 years ago, a 30 mile bike ride was a short ride for Eric and I. I will be running somewhere around 70 times before I run the actual marathon. My trainers so far have only given me weekly training plans, so I don't know how many miles I will run before race day. So far, I have run more than 20 miles on six separate runs. On Tuesday, the group had us run a mile as fast as we could. My time was 9:17 minutes, which was about a minute faster than I thought I could run.
Now, if you have seen a pattern on races in which I have participated, you will see that I usually run for a cause. I had thought about running in the P.F. Chang marathon, and running for Team Charity Grace, who is a little girl adopted several years ago by a homeschooling family and has been diagnosed with mitochondrial disease. The price tag, however, is excessively steep and I didn't think I could get ready in time to run a full marathon. So I decided on the Phoenix Marathon and gave money to Team Charity Grace. However, I don't want this marathon to be just what I can accomplish in 4-5 hours of my life. I want my run to mean something. So I am asking my friends and family and the strangers who read my blog to help me help others. I have a cause that I would like to support during my training program, a cause to encourage me to lose that last 20 pounds and a cause that I would like to support for the actual marathon.
The first cause to encourage me in my training program came to my attention quite a while ago. I was reading "The Church of No People" blog and one person kept making funny but spot-on comments and his electronic moniker was "The Barba" which is Spanish for beard. I started reading his blog posts at "Rambling with the Barba", which is also incredibly funny and great encouragement to my walk as a Christian. He and his family are Christian missionaries living in Paraguay reaching out to young men and women there to help them in practical ways as well as lead them to Christ. They recently moved to Encarnacion, Paraguay, which is right across the river from Argentina and a relative hop, skip and jump from Brazil. They are embarking on creating a youth center called "The Bridge" and need help funding it. I like bridges because my last name in Dutch can be translated as either "bridgetender" or "troll" (hence my electronic moniker). I chose the "bridgetender" translation for my homeschool name, hopefully for obvious reasons. To donate to their cause, go here.
The second cause you can choose to donate is the American Cancer Society because there are so many people I know who have battled cancer or who are currently battling cancer. Cancer sucks and the treatment isn't much better. To donate to this cause, go here.
The third cause I would like to benefit is my church's program to help the immigrant community by providing ESL classes, tutoring for elementary and middle school children, computer classes, parenting classes and Bible studies for Spanish-speaking immigrants. Once they get a fundraising link, I will publish the link.
I will spend the next week or so figuring out how to put the fundraising widgets on my page as well as a widget to track my miles for training so that I can write about our camping experiences. Life is busy, so I probably will only publish once a week. Thank you for your support
In the spring, just after the Boston Marathon bombing, my husband decided to start running to see if he could run distances. Like all new ventures, he researched different training plans for newbies. He made it to running a full mile in time for summer and we spent the summer running at 5 in the morning together. It was both a joy and a series of marriage building moments, especially as we starting adding mileage to our runs. In general, though, I really enjoyed running with him because he knows how to encourage me and add goofball moments to our run time. We ran in a 5K together in July in Phoenix called "The Splash Mob 5K" which raised money for a school teaching homeless children. We were supposed to get really wet all through the run, but they had problems with water delivery. It was not pleasant. I will never run in the Valley of the Sun in the summer again. Then we signed up to run in the Maggie's Place 9K, raising money for an organization that provides group housing and training for young pregnant women who are in bad situations. I ran the 10K last year and we had both signed up for the 10K this year. Unfortunately, bursitis interrupted Eric's training and he was unable to participate. If you live in Arizona and like to run, Maggie's Place is a well organized race with really great folks cheering you for you as you run. Eric is now back to running and we will be running in the Turkey Trot in Minneapolis as we visit family, most of whom have just completed the Minneapolis Marathon.
And now, with the encouragement of my husband, I have signed up for the Phoenix Marathon in March. I have also joined a training program run by coaches that are affiliated with the Marathon for camaraderie and an a running plan/pace plan. I am running Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with my long runs on Saturdays. Last Saturday, I ran 7 miles for the first time in my life and didn't die. Of course, in a couple of months, this will seem like a quick run, just like, 15 years ago, a 30 mile bike ride was a short ride for Eric and I. I will be running somewhere around 70 times before I run the actual marathon. My trainers so far have only given me weekly training plans, so I don't know how many miles I will run before race day. So far, I have run more than 20 miles on six separate runs. On Tuesday, the group had us run a mile as fast as we could. My time was 9:17 minutes, which was about a minute faster than I thought I could run.
Now, if you have seen a pattern on races in which I have participated, you will see that I usually run for a cause. I had thought about running in the P.F. Chang marathon, and running for Team Charity Grace, who is a little girl adopted several years ago by a homeschooling family and has been diagnosed with mitochondrial disease. The price tag, however, is excessively steep and I didn't think I could get ready in time to run a full marathon. So I decided on the Phoenix Marathon and gave money to Team Charity Grace. However, I don't want this marathon to be just what I can accomplish in 4-5 hours of my life. I want my run to mean something. So I am asking my friends and family and the strangers who read my blog to help me help others. I have a cause that I would like to support during my training program, a cause to encourage me to lose that last 20 pounds and a cause that I would like to support for the actual marathon.
The first cause to encourage me in my training program came to my attention quite a while ago. I was reading "The Church of No People" blog and one person kept making funny but spot-on comments and his electronic moniker was "The Barba" which is Spanish for beard. I started reading his blog posts at "Rambling with the Barba", which is also incredibly funny and great encouragement to my walk as a Christian. He and his family are Christian missionaries living in Paraguay reaching out to young men and women there to help them in practical ways as well as lead them to Christ. They recently moved to Encarnacion, Paraguay, which is right across the river from Argentina and a relative hop, skip and jump from Brazil. They are embarking on creating a youth center called "The Bridge" and need help funding it. I like bridges because my last name in Dutch can be translated as either "bridgetender" or "troll" (hence my electronic moniker). I chose the "bridgetender" translation for my homeschool name, hopefully for obvious reasons. To donate to their cause, go here.
The second cause you can choose to donate is the American Cancer Society because there are so many people I know who have battled cancer or who are currently battling cancer. Cancer sucks and the treatment isn't much better. To donate to this cause, go here.
The third cause I would like to benefit is my church's program to help the immigrant community by providing ESL classes, tutoring for elementary and middle school children, computer classes, parenting classes and Bible studies for Spanish-speaking immigrants. Once they get a fundraising link, I will publish the link.
I will spend the next week or so figuring out how to put the fundraising widgets on my page as well as a widget to track my miles for training so that I can write about our camping experiences. Life is busy, so I probably will only publish once a week. Thank you for your support
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