Hope, Running & Life.

The top 3 viewed posts last week were:

*What Not to Do During the Marathon + 1st Running Injury + B-day Partying + Monday Matters!

*Skye’s 8 Month Update!

*Friday Favorites + I highly suggest doing this!

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Let’s chat about Sunday for a minute:

Thank you thank you for sharing your book recommendations with me yesterday.  I’ve already started on two of them!  My throat felt back to normal yesterday (thank you antibiotics) but overall I just felt pretty crummy still.  Taking another rest day from running today and hopefully tomorrow I’ll be back to logging the miles for marathon training.

I’ll probably miss a total of 2 days of training (I’m counting Saturday as a miss since I didn’t do the workout and Sunday I always take off so 2 days missed) but I’m not worried about that!  I’m still good to go on shooting for a pr.

From Hansons Marathon Method:

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It was nice to have real food again!  I did a research study (aka I had her try two different mixes) on Brooke and she prefers Kodiak Cakes to other pancake/waffle mixes.  They really are the best.

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They went to church and came home to me reading in bed.

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Skye went from crying about something to extra happy in a split second.

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Brooke fell asleep on my arm while writing her bday thank you notes.  My arm is still recovering from being like this for a few hours.

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Skye is still quite obsessed with watermelon.

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And Brooke has decided that it isn’t possible to wear too much pink.

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PS Brooke is somehow turning six in two days.  Quick flashback to her first bday party.

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PPS I saw that Jordan Hasay went running in the airport during her layover… I have wanted to do this every single time I have had a delay/long layover.  And now I think I will:

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I wrote this next little part a few weeks ago and thought today would be the perfect time to post it (sometimes I write posts in advance for days like today when I don’t feel good:)!

The other day during this podcast, Des Linden said something that I really loved:

“I’m a realist with a little bit of hope.”

PS I’m sorry I talk about Des so much but I pretty much consider us to be best friends since we met and talked for 24 seconds on 4/18/2015.  I mean, Des is even leaning in towards me in the picture below so I think she feels the same way about me.

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I truly think hope is what gets us through anything.

Think about it for a second.

During those really hard miles in a race or the last interval of our workout what is it that helps us to finish?  Is it thinking about how we are a failure or that we absolutely cannot go another step that gets us to our goals?  Absolutely not (for me at least… if it does for you please explain to me:).   Mentally, what gets us through those really hard parts of our training or racing is hope.   Hope that you are going to start feeling better soon.  Hope that you’ve got the strength to keep going.  Hope that you’ve completed crazy runs/races before and you can do it again.  Hope that you truly are stronger than you think.  Hope that you can do hard things and that today is your day to kill it.  That type of thinking is what helps us to push.  I think it is very important to be real with the situation (hey, I’m not ‘hoping’ to OTQ during my next marathon because that is not realistic for me right now) but I am thinking our running is going to be pretty flat and quite sad without that hope.  Some hope that we are going to hit our goals or that we are going to get to that finish line is what keeps that left foot, right foot, left foot motion going strong to the end.

Hope is truly what got me through those dark years of my divorce.  When I talk to Andrew about his experience with his divorce, it is the exact same thing for him.  Hope.  It’s what got me out of bed in the morning.  Believing that things would improve when I was at rock bottom and as lonely and heartbroken as I thought possible is what helped me to keep moving forward.  Thinking back to that time where I cried more than I wasn’t crying in my parents’ basement, I can say that the little glimpses of hope in a brighter future for me is what helped me to keep going.  Those glimpses started out small but with time and work, my hope got stronger and larger.  I remember changing many of my passwords (I have since changed them;) to 2015willrock.  2013-2014 were hard so when 2015 came along, I knew I had to pep up my hope game so typing 2015willrock over and over again helped me to keep the hope going strong.  2015 still had a lot of hard months thrown in there but it was a whole lot better because my hope game took a step in the right direction.

This is a quote that I had up in my room during those years.

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The good things really do come.

I feel like my entire body from the top of my head to my toes softens and changes when I have hope in running and in life.  When times are tough I go from an anxious and stiff position to comfort and calmness when my thoughts change from those that are negative/worrisome to hopeful thoughts that things are going to work out.  And even if the thing we ‘hope’ for do not happen… it sure makes the journey we are taking so much more enjoyable.  Looking back on life I can see that God’s plan is perfect.  Just trusting that plan gives me all of the hope in the world for the tough things in life that happen as I go from here on out.

So maybe try this week to add a little bit more hope to your training.  And of course, if you are in a hard time of life right now, I promise you that adding hope to your thought processes are going to make all of the difference in the world.  <— And I learned that from my mom so of course it is 100% accurate because she is the smartest woman I know and she has been through so many incredibly hard times in her life.

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What are your thoughts on HOPE?  How does it help you in running or life?  What are some things you are really hoping for lately?

Have you ever run somewhere that isn’t a normal place for people to run (like an airport)?

What color do you wear most often? (In running clothes or normal clothes)

What workout are you looking forward to this week?

-18 miles with Andrew this weekend!

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47 comments

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I once had limited time and a hill workout on tap, the only place to get that done was a parking garage as I was working in Old City Philadelphia. So yup, ran up and down the ramps of the five story parking lot.

My favorite Des Linden quote, which I think she said on the live Ali On The Run podcast, is “Get out of your own way and see what happens.”. This is what my current hope, that I can get out of my own way.

Happy Monday, and glad you are feeling better!

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Okay, I needed that quote… WOW! That’s my new favorite! Isn’t it crazy that we do that to ourselves?

That is amazing that you did your hill workout in a parking garage… brilliant! Thanks Amy, I hope your Monday is an awesome one too!

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I may steal that parking garage idea……..the one on the nearby college campus will be empty for another week or two, and it is cooler and shaded!

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It works! Just be prepared for confused and then amused looks for any parking attendants that may be working…LOL.

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I love this, Janae. Hope is SO important to have. It’s definitely helped get me through some of my darkest times, and I’m still clinging to it today. I have hope that I will race again and be able to achieve the PRs I want, and I have hope that my broken heart will heal, and I will meet the man who is going to love me for me for the rest of our lives.

Once when it was storming really badly, and it was too bad for me even to cross the street at the apartment complex I was living in at the time, I ran in the parking garage. I even incorporated the stairs to make it a bit more challenging. Looking back, I don’t think it was the safest idea, but thankfully I was alright.

Hope you feel better soon, my friend!

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You are amazing at holding onto the hope Natalie! I KNOW you will race again and kill those PRs and there is so much good and brightness up ahead for you!
Good call on bringing the stairs into the workout, I bet it was a hard workout. Have a wonderful Monday Natalie!

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Glad you’re feeling better! Love that quote – I’m printing and hanging up today. Also, Brooke looks soooo grown up in her recent pictures! My “baby” turned 21 yesterday. Time sure flies.

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21 .. Oh how exciting! It really is going by way too fast! I am SO glad you love that quote, it is amazing! Have a beautiful day Cheryl.

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Hope is also what got me through my divorce. I always say “Hope Heals” <3 Just a little glimpse is all you need to get you out of bed in the morning! Thanks for sharing your personal stories with us! XO Hope you're feeling better!!

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Oh I love that–> HOPE HEALS… so so true! I woke up feeling a million times better, thank you Katie. Have an amazing day and THANK YOU for sharing your story. I’m going to share Hope Heals with people that are struggling.

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Oh, what a wonderful post today, Janae! Thank you so much for sharing!
I hope you kick strep’s butt :) But seriously, things have been going really well for me lately, but I was struggling earlier this summer. Work was pushing me to my limits but now I have a new job that I really enjoy and I think hope/positive thinking got me through it! Although I’m still hoping for like… $10 million so I don’t have to work but that’s not very likely!!
I was at a hotel once that had a broken treadmill, so I ran outside… except the area where I was was pretty much all hotels near an airport. So I ran through hotel parking lots in big circles. I got a lot of strange looks from people but I did it anyway!
Color – probably something boring like beige or black, but that’s only because they go with everything! I am a big fan of neutral clothing that I can mix and match. For running, probably blue – I have a lot of shorts/tanks in shades of blue.

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Thank you Rhiannon! I am SO glad that things are going so much better for you now…. I love how you got through the hard part. I hope you get that 10 million too!
Oh that is awesome–> We do what we gotta do for a good workout. I wear a ton of black too. You just can’t go wrong with those colors:) Have a wonderful day!

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I’m so glad your throat is better! And I’ll wish that reading a bit more in bed will make you feel strong enough for a run tomorrow.

That first picture of the girls is a keeper! :)

Will Andrew bike beside you on your 18 miler?

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YES… he is!! I am beyond excited for it! It’s a 3 x 3 workout too so I’m going to chase after him too:) My in-laws are going to have the kids which is so nice. Thank you Amanda. I hope your day is perfect and even though I feel so much better, I’m going to take some time in bed to read;)

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Needed that little hope pep talk today, thanks!

I’m most excited about my race!!! I needed that hope because I’m not all that sure that they will keep the race. With that fire it might be canceled. I don’t know if that’s something they would reimburse or not but mostly, I worked really hard and want to run it!

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AHHH I’ve been thinking about you! I really hope that it isn’t canceled! You should go do drop13 this weekend instead if they do cancel it!!!! You have worked so crazy hard for this.

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Oh I didn’t even think of the drop 13! I’ll look into that one just in case ;) thanks!

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Hope is so powerful. My favourite Canadian, Terry Fox, ran what he called the ‘Marathon of Hope’, to raise money for cancer research. He was an amazing man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox (My daughter has the middle name Hope, because of Terry.)

Get lots of rest, and feel better, Janae!

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Wow. Wendy, thank you so much for sharing his story with me. He was incredible. Thank you Wendy and I LOVE that your daughter’s middle name is Hope. Thanks Wendy!

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Oh what great timing for your post! I will definitely keep Hope in mind as a mantra for this week. My group long run yesterday (15) didn’t go so great (for a variety of reasons) and I’ve been feeling kind of dramatic about it ever since. Last week was a tough one that even included sprinting through the airport with all of my luggage – ha! Pretty sure I looked quite the hot mess doing it too! It was the customer service rep’s idea that I needed to do it……he was a little misinformed about what was going on at the gate but I didn’t know it at the time.
I am going to look toward my 16 mile run on Sunday with HOPE and view it as a fresh start.
The best part of my long run yesterday was running into my cousin along the way. I told him we were doing 15 today, and he replied “15 what”? At least it gave me something to laugh about for the rest of the run.
I definitely wear a lot of black – it works well if you travel a lot for work.
Hope you are feeling better soon Janae!

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Cathy! I am so sorry that your 15 miler did not go well. You are not alone, I am always very dramatic about my running too. You are going to rock your 16 miler this weekend and you better tell me all about it. Hahah your cousin is awesome. Thanks so much Cathy, have an awesome day!

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Well I’m gonna go ahead and say that the stars aligned for you posting this, and me reading every word of it. I didn’t know I needed it until I was done reading. My heart is lighter.

We cannot ever know or possibly understand what anyone else is going through (i.e. my experience with divorce was probably nothing like yours), but what we do have is something so very common — it isssssss hope.

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Oh Tiffany, I hope you are doing well and you are so right… we have something huge in common. I hope you are having a beautiful day and I need a blog update from you;)

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I’m currently staying at a military base with my husband. Last week -before I discovered the gym- I went for my runs literally around base which is also a medical center. Sidewalks were not quite adequate for running and I think I was the only runner out there lol. So yeah…I’ve certainly ran at weird places.

My go-to are neutral colors for any type of outfit I’m wearing. Black, beige, white, light blue and light pink.

I’m looking forward to my long run around where my In law’s live. That is the most gorgeous running scenery and after a full week running on a treadmill, that is very much needed.

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Hahah yeah, you definitely have! I’m glad you found the gym and I hope you are loving where you are staying Nathaly! Enjoy that long run… that scenery sounds amazing!

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Sorry you aren’t feeling well! You and Tina from Carrots n’ Cake are living parallel lives on opposite sides of the country! Feel better soon!

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I need to text her!!!!! Maybe we both got it in Seattle in last month and it is just now showing up;) Have a great day Bridgette!

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Funny b/c I thought the same thing!

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HAHAHA that would be crazy!!!

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In the Army, we have a saying “Hope is not a method….or a course of action.” Meaning that you have to have a plan beyond simply hoping for something to happen or go your way. This saying has been beaten in to me (figuratively, not literally).

All that said. Between our oldest and our second my wife was quite ill and had 4 miscarriages….2 of them in 2011. So we said some prayers, got some help from medical science and ‘hoped’ a lot. In 2014…. our little hope bubble came along…her name is Hope. A little over a year later Hope got a brother (along with their much older sister). And now I can’t say that saying (Hope is not a method…) anymore in our household.

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Wow, thank you so much for sharing your story. You and your wife have been through a lot. I got goosebumps when I read about Hope and your son and your older daughter. I love everything about this. Thank you .

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I wear royal blue polos and khakis to work 5 days a week, so blue dominates my wardrobe! Running clothes I have a lot of bright colors………….yesterday I was wearing neon yellow skirt and bra and watch, ha!

Tomorrow I have a 10 miler planned. I haven’t gone over 8 yet this summer, so I am excited but also a bit nervous. It’s going to be in the 80’s by running time! I think I am going to put a few bandanas in the freezer to have as cold rags on the run!

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Purple! Love me some purple!

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Just this summer I ran a 5k around our cul de sac while Hope road in her battery operated pink car. Pretty sure every neighbor has offered to babysit the next time I need a run.

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sorry you are sick with strep! hope you are feeling better soon

great post today on hope – i haven’t given it a lot of thought, but i want to say “i hope i don’t die during the workout” is a hope i’ve had? :) i maybe should have bigger hopes.

small hopes: “i hope i hit that pace.” then if i do, “i hope i hit that pace and still feel good.” then “i hope i can feel that the whole workout.” and so forth –

i’ve not run at the airport, but i often wish it when waiting at the gate!

i tend to wear a lot of purple. it’s a color i really like wearing!

just have one workout this week, 800m repeats on tap. looking forward to it!

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Recovery week so my favorite workouts will be sleeping in, lying around, and walks just for fun and fresh air.
My tops, running and regular, are a variety of colors. My regular shorts/pants are usually blue jean colored and my running shorts/pants are almost always black.

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Brooke is looking so grown up (and gorgeous) lately. This age is so magical when she can be a big girl/big sis and at the same time still fall asleep on your arm. Sending you lots of feel better thoughts!

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Glad you’re feeling better and YES to hope. I lost my prospective job on Wednesday at 1 pm, and I’m unemployed right now. I’m also moving in five days to Columbus for that job! I cried for five minutes, did some job hunting and calling around for an hour, and then I shut my computer and gave it to God. I have faith and hope that He will always provide for me. Because He always has! By 2:30, I received a job offer in Columbus exactly like the one I was supposed to have. Life doesn’t always work out like that, but we’ve got to have the hope that it will!! It gets us through everything a little bit more easily :) Thanks for sharing and being vulnerable – it matters to us! ?

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WOW, Miranda… what an incredible story. I am so happy that you got the job in Columbus… good luck with the move and thank you for sharing this with me. It’s amazing how things always work out!

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Thank you for this post and that quote! I have hit some small injuries lately and feeling discouraged about things. Thanks for sharing Janae!

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Oh Rebecca, I am SO sorry about the injuries you are dealing with right now. You are going to come back stronger and even more hungry for running once you heal up. I’m always here if you need to talk. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

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This was just wanted I needed to read today. I plan to look at hope a little differently this week. Thank you for being a ray of sunshine in this world!

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Thinking about you Kerry! Please keep me updated with how you are doing!

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I swear, waffles are one of those foods that just never get old! I could eat them every day! Lately we’ve been making a big batch and then freezing them to pop into the toaster on early mornings!

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I’m glad you’re feeling better! I’ve never seen anyone running in an airport, but it certainly would be a good use of time on a long layover. Hope is powerful!

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i needed to read this today, after this week. very true and inspirational girl! and i need hope to get through the next 2 weeks, honestly. a lot.
love that she ran through the airport! i usually just walk back and forth, back and forth.
my most popular colors are hot pink and black (work out clothes). work clothes are quite the variety.

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Hey Adrianna! I hope that you are doing okay and that these two weeks are going better than expected. Thinking about you!

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