My Buddy Jocelyn

Back in September I mentioned a group called IRun4. This is a group that matches runners with special needs children and adults. The runner dedicates all of their miles or workouts to their buddy and helps bring awareness to a special cause. When I signed up at the end of September I was informed that the waiting time to be matched was about 6-8 weeks time. At that time the group was just over 4000 members strong. That includes runners and buddies. Everyday I would read through all of the encouragement on the Facebook group page and feel overwhelmed by the love and support that everyone gives to each other. The support doesn’t just stop at running and working out, after the tornadoes hit the town of Washington, Il. this past November there was an outpouring of prayer and love for all of those affected. This group is truly a family that stretches across borders, lakes, oceans, and continents. As of today (December 30th, 2013) there are 11,815 members currently in the group, and it groups exponentially everyday. There are still approximately 1,800 runners waiting to be matched with their very own running buddy. I can’t express the magnitude of love this group holds for everyone.
After enrolling to be matched with a buddy, my wait both flew by and drug on. I felt like the day would never get there to finally be matched. Well my day came. The night before I checked the waiting list and I was about # 12 on the list. I knew if there was a group of matching the next morning I would be on it. The next morning when Addie woke me up to nurse, I quickly grabbed my phone and walked to her room. I checked my notifications and nothing was there. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed. I felt like a little kid waiting for Santa Claus. As I was sitting there a message from one of the Admins messaged me. That was it! I was matched. I looked through the list of matches and found my name. I was matched with a child named Jocelyn. I thought, how neat is that. My daughters name is Addilyn and we are running for a little girl named Jocelyn. I did a little digging to find out as much as I could about my new running partner. She is 2 days older than Addilyn and just precious. Please go read all about her story at her Facebook Page.
Jocelyn is such a fighter and an unbelievably strong little girl.

Isn’t she a cutie? I am so blessed to be able to dedicate miles and my running to Jocelyn.
If you would like to know more about IRun4 please visit the website: www.whoirun4.com.
If you would like to learn more about Jocelyn please visit her website: www.facebook.com/eighthmiracle.
I will write a post soon introducing you to Jocelyn’s struggles in her young life.

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I am sorry I have been away for so long. I have been testing the waters with another blogging platform, but I decided I like this one much better so with this new year my goal is to write a post at least 2 times a week.
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Day 1 of Training

It is official I have started training for the Disney Princess Half in February. My goal is to finish the race in 3 hours or less. There are a lot of training plans out there for half and full marathons to follow. I am going to try and follow Jeff Galloway's training plan. His plans usually include a long run on the weekend then two 30-45 minute runs during the week. I am going to try and do three shorter workouts during the week to get in shape quicker. Or at least that is my plan. Last night I was trying to figure out the best time of day to try and get my runs in. I don't really like running with the jogging stroller, because it slows my pace, and it is kind of hard to push. Well after talking with the hubby I decided that unless I can find a cheap tread mill and run when Addie is sleeping that it is best to just push her in the stroller. With hubby's work schedule we never know when he will be home. One week it could be 5 PM every day, then the next week it might be 8 PM. I could try and run early in the morning, but running in the dark around my neighborhood doesn't sound appetizing to me.

Water Hazard on the Golf Course

So day 1 of training started today. I loaded the stroller, the car seat, the baby, the diaper bag, the dog (i decided she needed to get in shape too), and me in the car to drive to the path I mapped out.

We live relatively close to a retirement community and they have golf cart paths that follow all of the main roads through the community. One of the paths travel like 20 miles or more through the community from one town to the next. The path is nice and paved, plus the landscaping is pretty.I parked at the sheriffs department at the beginning of the path and unloaded all of the above list.

I am the typical first time mom. I packed everything I could possibly need for Addie. Wednesday when I go to run again, I am NOT carrying nearly as much stuff. Is there a reason why I think I would need a fully stocked diaper dag? I don't know, maybe, but I doubt it.

Anyway back to my run today. We started out great! A nice warm-up followed by run/walk intervals. I had planned on running .20 miles then walking 2 minutes. I did that about once then had to start running shorter distances. My running partner Bella (a miniature australian shepherd) is very out of shape as well. At about 3/4 of a mile she started slacking way behind. We were running early this morning, but it was still kind of humid out. I started running less and walking more. The whole 2nd mile we pretty much walked back to the car. It is going to take some time for her to lose some weight and being a productive running partner, but that is what team work is for.

I must of made her bored.

The running path is a golf cart path that is about 12 feet wide and nicely paved. However, the drivers of the golf carts are not so nice. Some of them were really nice and gave me a lot of room when they passed, but some... not so much. Also, the path is mostly straight, but there is some turns. Those turns... how can I say this nicely... some of those drivers think they are in the golf cart version of Nascar! They fly around the turns. I am pretty sure they are pulling an Earnhardt Sr. and throttling through the turns instead of braking! But we didn't have any near death experiences so I think this is my new running path. There is quite a bit of shade along the way as well. Some of the best qualities of this running route is the fact that the paving is smooth, there is shade, most of the people are friendly and wave or say good morning. and it is pretty much unlimited running. The road is called Buena Vista Blvd. It goes from one side of the community to the other, so it is probably 15-20 miles long total.

While on our run Addie must of gotten bored because she passed out in the stroller. Since this was the first actual run with her in the stroller I used the head support from the car seat. I am glad I did, because it supported her head when she fell asleep. She was a great running partner. Once we started going, I didn't hear one peep out of her. Normally she is a very "vocal" baby, but not today on the run. Either she slept the whole time, or she was really enjoying it.

Here we are midway through our run. She of course was sleeping, but I couldn't help getting such a cute picture of her!

The actual run wasn't that bad. I completed 2.06 miles. My pace was really slow because of all the walking. **And my dog thinks she must stop and potty about every quarter mile (Read about her here)** It was actually probably one of my slowest runs ever, but at least we got out there.

I am officially on the waiting list to be matched with a buddy for I Run 4 (IR4). The email says it could take 6-8 weeks before I get a match due to the over abundance of runners requesting matches.

With that said, if you know any one who is a runner and would be interested in being matched send them over to whoIrun4.com. Also, if you know anyone that is physically or mentally handicapped that would love to have a runner, or some one that has a child that is handicapped, please send them to the website as well.

On a side note... I listen to Pastor Mark Driscoll podcasts during my runs. He said some pretty awesome things: One of which was... "When good things become God things, they become bad things." He was preaching on one God and how we worship other things like: sex, money, people, things... It was something that really stuck with me.

The baby is awake now... Time to play. Stay tuned.

IRun4

God works in very mysterious ways. The other day I was thinking of writing a blog post about why or what I run for. I thought about all of the reasons I get out there on the pavement. Some of the reasons included: running to stay healthy, running to lose weight, to relieve stress, for God, and to run for those who can't. I think about the people who literally can't get out there an run. A couple days later I was reading some blog posts from other runners and came across one that was titled, "I Run 4." This post was about an organization called, "IRun4."  I took the time and looked at their site and read about the organization. It was started recently by someone who decided to dedicate his runs to a handicapped child that he knew. Well the idea spread like wildfire. It is now over 6300 people strong and growing in leaps and bounds daily. After learning a bit more about this group, I sent a request for my own running buddy. 

I truly believe that God sent me to this group. The group is not just for runners, it is for anyone that is willing to get out and run, walk, workout, or dedicate any type of physical activity to their buddy. I am still waiting to find out who my running buddy will be, but I am very excited and I am trying to have lots of patience while I am waiting. If you are a runner or know a runner please visit the website. 

Once I get my running buddy (and it is okay with the parents) I will share the joy with you.