Saturday, May 3, 2014

Half marathons and Easter.

Because nothing of actual importance happens in my life, small events then become important. But you better believe I'm going to blog about them anyway. 

We ran our first trail half marathon on April 19! This was the description of the course on the race site:
"This race comes with bragging rights.  What makes this half marathon different is over 800 ft. of vertical gain.  It goes up and down the ski slopes in Boyce Park and then summits Indian Hill the highest point in Allegheny County."
I read that the day before we raced and I suddenly realized I might not have trained appropriately with all my speed workouts on the track. Oh yeah, and most of my training runs were on unplowed sidewalks like this:

longest, snowiest, coldest winter ever
Even reading the race description, I didn't really realize what a trail half would be like.

pre-race. I got new headphones the night before that were guaranteed not to fall out... I'm obsessed with them. They're called Yurbuds, and they really don't ever fall out.
horrible-looking kick at the end; I felt like I was flying :) The only part of the race that was on a road was the last 100 meters.
post-race pic
So the entire race was on these itty bitty trails running through the forest, up and down these big hills. And I loved it. I tried really hard to keep running up all the hills for the first seven miles, but after that it was literally faster for me to walk up them than run up them--and it saved a lot more energy. It was a different kind of mind game to run the trail half. Sure, I got my slowest time ever by a lot (2hr30m30s), but it was so fun running through the woods and talking to people and knowing I could walk when I wanted without mentally beating myself up. It was also the perfect day for the race: low 60s, cool breeze, sunny. Brian placed second overall (and would've placed first if he hadn't accidentally missed a small loop at the end that he ran later voluntarily), so we got to bring home some winner's loot: 4 (we think beer) glasses, a bike light, a box of Powerade chews, a bag. Even Brian got 1hr50m, so I don't feel so bad about going so far over my goal time of 2hrs. Trail runs are just different beasts.

So that started off our Easter weekend with a bang! Sunday I gave a talk in church on the last week of Christ's life and the Atonement. It was really powerful to prepare for it the week leading up to Easter. One story I came across really touched me.

President Hinckley told a parable of sorts about a one room school house in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough no teacher had been able to handle them.
Then one day an inexperienced young teacher applied. He was told that every teacher had received an awful beating, but the teacher accepted the risk. The first day of school the teacher asked the boys to establish their own rules and the penalty for breaking the rules. The class came up with 10 rules, which were written on the blackboard. Then the teacher asked, "What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?"
“Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on," came the response.
A day or so later, the lunch of a big student, named Tom, was stolen. The thief was located—a little hungry fellow, about ten years old.
As Little Jim came up to take his licking, he pleaded to keep his coat on. "Take your coat off," the teacher said. "You helped make the rules!"
The boy took off the coat. He had no shirt and revealed a bony little crippled body. As the teacher hesitated with the rod, Big Tom jumped to his feet and volunteered to take the boy’s licking.
“Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?" the teacher asked.
After five strokes across Tom’s back, the rod broke. The class was sobbing. Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. “Tom, I’m sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!”
As I read this story in preparation for my talk, I identified very deeply with little Jim. Often when I take a personal accounting of my standing with God, my shame for the mistakes I have made make me feel like a spiritual cripple. But Christ has taken the beating for me for those mistakes, and I will love, and indeed worship Him forever because of it. 

After church, Brian and I enjoyed our first Easter dinner together, where I got to make my first Easter ham, potatoes supreme (Mom's recipe), Jerusalem salad (WOW I don't like red onions), and rolls, followed by a vanilla bundt cake for dessert. I loved everything except the salad, but that's pretty typical.
We only had one Easter decoration adorning our apartment that we made for a craft night FHE: bunny banner! I actually really liked how it turned out, so I'm saving it for next year, along with our paper shamrocks we made for St. Patrick's day. 
I don't know why our kitchen looks like an aquarium.
Other than that, I've had some humbling editing experiences, I got some layers in my hair, Brian and I are teaching EQ/RS (not together) tomorrow, and oh yeah, we're moving. Just a couple blocks away from where we are now, but it was all very sudden. I have mixed feelings about it. I love the big windows and wood floors of where we're at now, but come summer I'll be so grateful for the A/C that we're moving into. The new place costs the same but has a dishwasher, heat that works, A/C, and won't have busy street noise like we do now. Plus the floors don't slant, the shower doesn't alternate between Hades' fire and the Artic, the kitchen was just redone, and we have friends who live in the same building (though they might move to Boston right when we move there). 

I was going to blog about our summer plans too, but that'll have to wait until next time. We're happy and healthy here in Pittsburgh!

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