Race for the Cure 2011

Saturday was the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Little Rock.  Since I am training for a 1/2 marathon, I decided to run the race rather than walk it.  I was supposed to run 6 miles on Saturday so the plan was to run the race then go come and run another 3 miles.  I decided to do my long run on Thursday so I could just run the race on Saturday and relax.  I paid an extra $5 to run in the competitive 5K which started at 7:30 (instead of 8am when the other 44,000+ started).  They only let 1500 people sign up, so it wasn't that crowded in the corral or during the race.  I ended up finishing in 28:05 and came in 232nd.  I was no where near the front, but since I was in the first 300 to cross the finish line, I got a medal!  All in all it was a great race for a GREAT cause!!  Our church had a team and they said it took them close to 2 hours to walk the course.  There were close to 45,000 who registered for the event.  It is truly an experience!!

Eliza-Grace Turns 1!

About 2 weeks ago, my precious niece turned 1! We went to Springdale for a fun weekend of activities. The theme of the birthday party was "You are my sunshine" and Lauren did an excellent job on the party.

Happy Birthday Eliza-Grace!!!  Aunt Summer and Uncle Scott love you sooooooo much!!!!!!

Razorback Football

This year I have already gone to 2 Razorback football games.  That is more that I have been to in the past 5 years combined.  About a month ago, we were lucky enough to get to go to the Troy game on the Bud bus.  Some of our friends won it at a silent auction and invited us to come along.  It was awesome.  Instead of having to worry about getting to Fayetteville, parking, and getting home, we go to enjoy the ride up there each lots of food, hang out on the bus before the game (since it was raining) and then we had a driver on the way back when we were worn out and really wouldn't have wanted to drive anyway.  Below are a few pics of our awesome ride.

The 2nd game of the year that we went to was the Auburn game.  We were lucky enough to score some friends extra season tickets so not only did we have great seats, but we got to sit with people we knew.  Our seats were right beside the student section and WOW they were fired up.  It was an awesome game.

I'm soo glad the Hogs are off to a great start this year!  Hopefully we will make it to at least one more game this season.  For now...Happy Friday....Go Hogs!  Beat Ole Miss!

Have you met Hannah?

Do you know the story of Hannah?  I had always heard the story of Hannah and never really given it much thought.  The full story can be found in 1 Samuel 1.  Below is my summary of the story.
Hannah was the wife of Elkanah and eventually the mother of Samuel.  Hannah was barren.  I envision Hannah experiencing every emotion during this time of trial.....bitterness, hurt, anger, sorrow, anguish, humility, and eventually joy.  Elkanah had 2 wives....Hannah (who had no children) and Peninnah (who had children).  Hannah's bareness lasted year after year.  During a trip to Shiloh Hannah couldn't take it any more, she stood and went to the Lord's temple and poured out her soul to the Lord.  There she was mistaken by Eli as being drunk as his lips were moving but there were no words being spoken from her mouth.  Once she explained to him that was not drunk but deeply troubled, Eli told her to go in peace and may the Lord God of Israel grant what she had asked for.  Sometime after that (we don't really know how long) Hannah become pregnant and eventually gave birth to Samuel.

I recently finished the book Hannah's Hope (Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage, and Adoption Loss) by Jennifer Saake.  It really opened my eyes to the story of Hannah.  In the book, the author talks about her struggles to have a baby.  Many of the things she said, I thought "WOW" I have thought or felt the same way before.  What I love about this book is that it is not only for people struggling with infertility, but also for anyone who knows someone struggling with infertility.  At the end of each chapter is a section called "Burden Bearers" which is specifically for friends and family. 

Below are a few of my favorite lines from the book:

"Knowing God is in control doesn't keep the pain at bay.  As you find yourself in uncomfortable places or conversations, ask God to give you grace to survive the moment, along with an understanding heart to hear the intended meaning behind your friend's words."

"If my miscarriage was "early," don't think my baby was any less a person, any less my child, any less significant, than if he had died later in life."

"However, I think one of the most important lessons I learned is that there are times when attending church is more harmful than helpful."

"Scripture is clear that we may come directly to the Lord with our needs."

"Popular Bible study author Beth Moore writes, "God's word never said we were not to grieve our losses.  It says we are not to grieve as those who have no hope." (1 Thess 4:13) Big difference."

October Awareness

When we think of October, we usually think "Breast Cancer Awareness" month.  This is what always came to my mind.  I am a supporter of this and am always amazed by the amount of support Breast Cancer Awareness receives.  For example, Scott was watching an NFL game Sunday and I was overwhelmed by the amount of pink on the field.  It is amazing to see so many people coming together for a great cause.

I never thought about October being awareness for anything else until about 6 months ago.  Did you know that October is also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month?  Yep.  Thanks to President Reagan it is.  See his Presidential Proclamation here.  In addition October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. 

Here are a few states on Pregnancy and Infant Loss....

• On average 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage
• An estimated 500,000 miscarriages will happen each year
• 1 in every 148 babies are stillborn
• 3 in every 1000 babies die shortly after birth

These stats can be found here.

While the Awareness is on Pregnancy and Infant Loss, many of the people who suffer from this also suffer with Infertility .  Infertility is the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term after 12 months of trying to conceive.
Here are some stats on Infertility....

• 1 in 6 couples between the ages of 15-44 currently deal with infertility.
• More than 9.3 million women and 2 million men seek fertility treatment annually.
• Male infertility has been found to be the major cause of a couple’s inability to conceive in 50% of childless couples.
• Most insurance companies in most states view fertility treatments as "elective procedures", and only 15 states currently have laws that require any sort of insurance coverage for this process.

These stats and more can be found here.

As someone who has experienced early pregnancy loss (February 2010) and is still battling infertility, I have found comfort in knowing I am not alone.

Below are a few links with more information for anyone wanting to learn more.....

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness & Research Institute
Remembering Our Babies
Hiring for Hope

Running Totals: Week 35, 36, 37, 38, 39

Half Marathon training officially started on September 12th.  3 weeks in and so far things are going really good.  I mentioned last month in my running post that I signed up for Race for the Cure and needed to be able to run a 5K in under 27 minutes.  Last week I ran it on the treadmill in 27:16.  Only 16 seconds left to knock off my time.  I have just under 3 weeks to accomplish this.  We are going to Fayetteville this weekend for the Arkansas/Auburn game and for my nieces 1st birthday.  Scott and I plan on running a 5K Saturday morning, so I guess it will be a test of just how fast I am able to run in a competition setting.  Also, I have to run 7 miles Saturday and this is a great way to get just under 1/2 of it in.

August 30th - 3.5
August 31st - 3.6
September 1st - 3.5
September 3rd - 4.1
Weekly Total: 14.7

September 5th - 4.1
September 10th - 4.1
Weekly Total: 8.2

September 12th - 3.5
September 13th - 3.25
September 14th - 3.5
September16th - 3.5
September17th - 5.1
Weekly Total:  18.85

September18th - 2.0
September19th - 4.25
September 21st - 3.5
September22nd - 6.2
Weekly Total:  15.95

September 26th - 3.75
September 27th - 3.5
September 28th - 3.5
September 30th - 3.6
October 1 - 3.0
Weekly Total: 17.35

Yearly Total: 389.15


61 days to race day!