I titled my race report "third time's the charm" because I registered for two other races for today that did not happen. (What are the statistical chances of that happening?) I signed up for the 5,000m in the Highpoint meet and the 5,000m in the UNC meet. I only planned to run one of them, and earlier in the week had decided on the Highpoint meet and paid for that one. However, I received a call from Highpoint mid week letting me know that the meet would be moved to Sunday night since rain was expected on Saturday. I was not happy that the race was moved to a completely different day. I had other plans on Sunday night and would not be able to race then. I then figured I would just run the 5,000m at the UNC meet, however, when I checked the revised schedule for the UNC meet, I noticed that the 5,000m had been removed from the schedule. I then learned that I was the only person signed up for the race so it was taken off the schedule. UNC offered I could switch to the 3,000m. I was nervous about switching to the 3,000m because I have not run a 3,000m in a little over 10 years and was concerned that I would not have the speed for that race. I do not consider myself a 3,000m runner. However, at the end of the day, I figured the 3,000m was my best option for a track race.
Race day: My race was scheduled for 8p. I decided to go up to UNC about 2p to find the track and paid my entry fee. I am directionally challenged and had trouble finding the track. When I did find it, I could not find parking, and it was pouring down rain. I finally found a spot to park and went to track only to find out they were on a weather delay. I asked the women who I checked in with for information on the delay but she did not have any information. I went back home. I came back a few hours later, the rain has stopped, and the meet was back in action. They skipped the break in the meet and my race started just a few minutes after 8p.
When I checked in for my race I was not on the list for the 3,000m so they added me on to bottom and gave me hip number 14. However, when I got to the starting line the man lining us up did have me on his list either so he decided that I could not be 14, and I had to be the last person, 18. I changed my hip numbers and went to the last lane. The man lining us up was not pleased that I was not on his sheet and I felt bad that I was causing his so much frustration.
Furthermore, since the meet was running behind, the meet officials decided to combine the men's and women's 3,000m. This means we had about 30 people starting at the same time. We were informed that the men would start on the waterfall start and we would start a little behind them. We probably started about 2 meters behind the men which is where we were told to start.
The meet officials finally got us lined up and the gun went off. I came through the first lap in about 76 seconds and the 800m at 2:43. I had no idea what I should be running since I am not used to the 3,000m, but I was excited that before I knew it we only had a mile to go. I wish I had looked at my mile split, but just did not think about it since this was such a fast race. I actually did not look at any of my splits for the laps after the second lap. I ran in the lead pack for the race. It was a tight pack and I just tried to maintain my position and not trip over someone feet. I finished 4th. My official time was 10:07 for the 3,000m. (I clocked myself at 10:05 so I guess I started my watch 2 seconds late.)I did not really have a time in mind that I wanted to run. It would have been fun to break 10 mins., but overall I am happy and I had fun running the race. I still do not consider myself a 3,000m runner though. The winning time was 10:04.
I ran two track meets and really enjoyed both. I'm bummed my mini track season is over. I had so much fun being back on the track.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Emotionally Tied to My Jeans
For all the women reading this post, you know how difficult it is to find the perfect fitting jeans. It seems so unfair that men can walk into a store and come out with a pair of jeans a few minutes later. I’ve always had a hard time finding jeans because I’m not cut like the “average” person. (I realize that average is a relative term.) My Mom has always said I’m shaped like a box, making it a little better by saying I’m a cute box. Jonathan seems to be in agreement about my box shape. All this to say, in the past, I have spent hours in the store trying on jeans. Sometimes I still walked of the store not completely satisfied with my purchase.
In college I found a style of Gap jeans that I felt like fit well, and I kept buying this same style of jeans. I’ve gotten rid of most of these Gap jeans because they are quite tattered and do not fit that well. I’m not sure that they ever fit that well, they were probably always a little too baggy but I went through a phase where I did not want to wear anything too tight. I have one pair of these jeans left. As I have been getting rid of old clothes in preparation for our move, I just cannot seem to part with these jeans. I remember how hard it was to find these jeans and that I actually felt comfortable in them. As silly as it may seem, for now, I think I’ll hang on to these jeans. They remind me of so many memories and they do make for a comfortable pair of jeans to lay around in on a lazy day.
In college I found a style of Gap jeans that I felt like fit well, and I kept buying this same style of jeans. I’ve gotten rid of most of these Gap jeans because they are quite tattered and do not fit that well. I’m not sure that they ever fit that well, they were probably always a little too baggy but I went through a phase where I did not want to wear anything too tight. I have one pair of these jeans left. As I have been getting rid of old clothes in preparation for our move, I just cannot seem to part with these jeans. I remember how hard it was to find these jeans and that I actually felt comfortable in them. As silly as it may seem, for now, I think I’ll hang on to these jeans. They remind me of so many memories and they do make for a comfortable pair of jeans to lay around in on a lazy day.
Race Report from Duke Track Meet
This past Saturday I ran in a track meet at Duke. Here's my race report.
Race Report for Duke Invitational 5,000m
Prologue: We are in the process of moving. Typically I get fairly nervous a few days before a race, however, I was so consumed with moving details that I did not have a chance to get nervous until a few hours before. Also, when I get stressed I get a stomach ache and have trouble sleeping. I experienced both of these signs of stress the week before the race. My stomach aches during the week prior to the race coupled with getting stomach pain in my last race, made me wonder if I stomach would pose a problem during the race.
I did have a few good weeks of training since my last race and those weeks gave me some of my confidence back. Also, my legs felt rested from an easier week prior to the race.
Race:
I arrived at the meet in plenty of time to warm up. I picked up my hip numbers at 6:30p and my heat was set to go at 6:45p. When the man in charge of giving us our hip number called out my name he said, "Sarah Lee, number 16" then he looked at me and said "I love your cakes." I resisted the urge to say something sarcastic. Even since I got married and became Sarah Lee, I've heard many jokes about my name. None are original. After getting my hip numbers, I did some final stretching and strides before my race. I had forgotten how crowded it is down on the track which made it a little harder to do my strides.
I was in heat "B" of the 5,000m and it was a very full heat. I did not go out fast enough and got boxed in early. I had to run around the outer edge of the pack a few times to get a better position which I'm sure wasted some energy. I had trouble moving around too much in the first few laps, but after those laps, the pack broke up a little. I stayed with the lead pack for the first mile. I came through the first mile in 5:40. After the first mile, one women took off. She ended up getting first. I thought about going with her but she seemed to be pushing a fairly hard pace. She did not hold that pace the entire way, but I did not know what she was going to do and we still had 8 and 1/2 laps left. I stayed with the pack behind the leader. I wish I could remember more of my splits but I cannot. For the rest of the race, I just sat back with a few other women and then kicked with a lap to go. I found it very helpful to have others do the pacing and I could just focus on watching the lap count drop.
I finished in 17:53. I was pleased to run under 18 min. and would love to run a little faster this Saturday to finish out my North Carolina experience on an especially good note.
On a personal note, I am happy to be getting faster. Running healthy is a great feeling. At different points within the past 10 years, I have not been able to train well (or at all) for a variety of reasons. It feels great to be back at a point in life where I can work toward accomplishing the goals I was unable to strive for at other times in life. I'm thankful and now running well had deeper significance for me. I still have not made the exact times I want to reach, but I feel like I am on the correct path to get there.
Two more North Carolina races to go: a track meet this Saturday and the blue cup on 4/20 (a friendly competition between the MBA students at Duke and UNC. My husband is at Duke and spouses get to participate so I plan on running in that race.)
Thanks for reading my race report! :)
Race Report for Duke Invitational 5,000m
Prologue: We are in the process of moving. Typically I get fairly nervous a few days before a race, however, I was so consumed with moving details that I did not have a chance to get nervous until a few hours before. Also, when I get stressed I get a stomach ache and have trouble sleeping. I experienced both of these signs of stress the week before the race. My stomach aches during the week prior to the race coupled with getting stomach pain in my last race, made me wonder if I stomach would pose a problem during the race.
I did have a few good weeks of training since my last race and those weeks gave me some of my confidence back. Also, my legs felt rested from an easier week prior to the race.
Race:
I arrived at the meet in plenty of time to warm up. I picked up my hip numbers at 6:30p and my heat was set to go at 6:45p. When the man in charge of giving us our hip number called out my name he said, "Sarah Lee, number 16" then he looked at me and said "I love your cakes." I resisted the urge to say something sarcastic. Even since I got married and became Sarah Lee, I've heard many jokes about my name. None are original. After getting my hip numbers, I did some final stretching and strides before my race. I had forgotten how crowded it is down on the track which made it a little harder to do my strides.
I was in heat "B" of the 5,000m and it was a very full heat. I did not go out fast enough and got boxed in early. I had to run around the outer edge of the pack a few times to get a better position which I'm sure wasted some energy. I had trouble moving around too much in the first few laps, but after those laps, the pack broke up a little. I stayed with the lead pack for the first mile. I came through the first mile in 5:40. After the first mile, one women took off. She ended up getting first. I thought about going with her but she seemed to be pushing a fairly hard pace. She did not hold that pace the entire way, but I did not know what she was going to do and we still had 8 and 1/2 laps left. I stayed with the pack behind the leader. I wish I could remember more of my splits but I cannot. For the rest of the race, I just sat back with a few other women and then kicked with a lap to go. I found it very helpful to have others do the pacing and I could just focus on watching the lap count drop.
I finished in 17:53. I was pleased to run under 18 min. and would love to run a little faster this Saturday to finish out my North Carolina experience on an especially good note.
On a personal note, I am happy to be getting faster. Running healthy is a great feeling. At different points within the past 10 years, I have not been able to train well (or at all) for a variety of reasons. It feels great to be back at a point in life where I can work toward accomplishing the goals I was unable to strive for at other times in life. I'm thankful and now running well had deeper significance for me. I still have not made the exact times I want to reach, but I feel like I am on the correct path to get there.
Two more North Carolina races to go: a track meet this Saturday and the blue cup on 4/20 (a friendly competition between the MBA students at Duke and UNC. My husband is at Duke and spouses get to participate so I plan on running in that race.)
Thanks for reading my race report! :)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Facing Failure
Today I failed. I would actually refer to my race as an epic fail. I ran an 8K (5 miles) and got a stomach pain at mile 3. This was not a "I feel like I am going the throw up because I ran too hard pain." No, this was just plain old stomach pain. I have only had similar pain while running one other time. I consider this race an epic failure because I trained hard and tapered for the race yet I did not run like it. The time I ran today, I could have run without so much training and especially without tapering. My legs are fine, they feel great. I never had a chance to push my legs because my stomach pain slowed me down too much. I worked hard to not perform. This all coupled with the fact that I can be hard on myself can be a bad combo.
My sweet husband was at the race to cheer me on and there to provide a big hug at the end. He was very supportive. Post race I was all tears, and just wanted to leave. I did my cool down on the treadmill at our hotel. Last time I got such bad stomach pain in a race there was beer after the race which helped to calm my tears. This time there was no beer so the tears continued. Days like this are not my proudest days, and I wish I handled them a little better. At this point I hope to never return to Kinston ever again. I know this is an extreme statement and I will probably change my mind at some point, but for now I'd like to forget the race happened. For this race I won't be writing a race report. All I would have to write are mile 1-3 were fine, mile 4-5 were no fun.
At first I did not plan to write anything about this race, but I later decided to blog about it because sometimes all I do is read about people having the perfect races, and that is not how the the life of most runners pans out. We all have bad races and today I had one and felt a strong sense of failure. I'll have to remember this race for a few weeks because I am not racing again until April 8th. Quite honestly, I'm a little afraid of failing then too. I could try to put an optimistic spin on this blog, but I'll pass on that. I know running a bad race is not the end of the world, but it still stinks and just does not feel very good. Hopefully next time I run a race I will have a happier race report to send out.
My sweet husband was at the race to cheer me on and there to provide a big hug at the end. He was very supportive. Post race I was all tears, and just wanted to leave. I did my cool down on the treadmill at our hotel. Last time I got such bad stomach pain in a race there was beer after the race which helped to calm my tears. This time there was no beer so the tears continued. Days like this are not my proudest days, and I wish I handled them a little better. At this point I hope to never return to Kinston ever again. I know this is an extreme statement and I will probably change my mind at some point, but for now I'd like to forget the race happened. For this race I won't be writing a race report. All I would have to write are mile 1-3 were fine, mile 4-5 were no fun.
At first I did not plan to write anything about this race, but I later decided to blog about it because sometimes all I do is read about people having the perfect races, and that is not how the the life of most runners pans out. We all have bad races and today I had one and felt a strong sense of failure. I'll have to remember this race for a few weeks because I am not racing again until April 8th. Quite honestly, I'm a little afraid of failing then too. I could try to put an optimistic spin on this blog, but I'll pass on that. I know running a bad race is not the end of the world, but it still stinks and just does not feel very good. Hopefully next time I run a race I will have a happier race report to send out.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Running Through the Forest Thinking About "Jesus Messiah"
Recently I have been listing to the song “Jesus Messiah” by Chris Tomlin quite frequently. This is a great song for a running mix or just to listen to at home. The line I have had in my head from this song is, “Jesus Messiah, Lord of all.” The song talks about Jesus as a great redeemer and the Lord over the entire world.
The words of this song have really spoken to me lately, and especially this morning on my run. As I have been studying about Jesus and the time before Jesus came, I can so clearly see that the Old Testament sets the way for a perfect messiah. In the Old Testament, the Israelites wanted a king, and had many kings, but none of them could rule perfectly. Even the kings, who were the good kings, were still far from perfect.
David was a great king, but also had a great sin. In 2 Samuel 2:11 David committed his great sin by sleeping with Bathsheba, who was a married women. Then David compounded his sinful acts by having Bathsheba’s husband killed when David put him in the front of the battle lines. David did not repent of his sin until God sent Nathan, a prophet, to convict David of his sin. David then repented of his sin and the Lord forgave him. Even though David sinned, the Lord still favored David and appreciated that David truly had a heart for God. David was so far from perfect, yet he recognized his need for the true God, Yahweh. This is so encouraging to me because I sin everyday and as I repent of my sins, I am thankful God is concerned with the state of my heart and not that I can perfectly obey.
Flipping back to the Jewish people wanting a Messiah, many people back in Jesus day had a different idea of what type of savior God would send, however, many agreed that they believed that true king and messiah would come from the line of David. Christ did come from the Davidic line. God made a covenant with David and part of that covenant said he would, “enable his son to build a temple.” God did not mean David’s direct son but meant someone from the Davidic line. Someone from the Davidic line did rebuilt the temple in the Old Testament, but David’s descendents still realized the need for a perfect king. Christ fulfilled this by being the perfect king. Christ was not the king many expected. Many expected a more powerful king, but looking back we can see how perfectly Christ fulfills the promises from the Old Testament. The Old Testament is so filled with messianic prophecies that pave the way for Jesus.
Today I was thinking through all the people in the Old Testament had to go through as they were taken from their land, lived in exile, and then rebuilt the temple. The people deserved this as they constantly sinned but God so graciously provided for his people in the Old Testament just as he provides for us today. The words of his song about Christ humbling himself for his people and coming as a redeemer give me such a such a deep appreciation for what Christ did on behalf. I need reminders of just how perfectly history is planned out, and Jesus amazing love for God’s people. So many years and so much history all build up to the plan God has to redeem the world. The final stage of redemption for the world has not come yet, but our savior has come, and will come again.
As I ran through the Duke forest this morning and listened to this song many times, all of this history was so fresh in my mind. This song encompassed so much of this history and my life that I was thinking about. My body was tired, my legs felt like dead weight, I was already getting nervous for a race next week, and I had was thinking about the studying I needed to do, but this song gave me a sense of peace and thankfulness that Jesus sent this perfect messiah who is so real in my life. I still wish I faster and smarter and I’m still nervous about my race and stressed about my test, but comforted by the powerful love of Christ, my Lord and savior. Becoming a Christian did not automatically take away my fears, but it gave me an ultimate hope to live for today and everyday.
The words of this song have really spoken to me lately, and especially this morning on my run. As I have been studying about Jesus and the time before Jesus came, I can so clearly see that the Old Testament sets the way for a perfect messiah. In the Old Testament, the Israelites wanted a king, and had many kings, but none of them could rule perfectly. Even the kings, who were the good kings, were still far from perfect.
David was a great king, but also had a great sin. In 2 Samuel 2:11 David committed his great sin by sleeping with Bathsheba, who was a married women. Then David compounded his sinful acts by having Bathsheba’s husband killed when David put him in the front of the battle lines. David did not repent of his sin until God sent Nathan, a prophet, to convict David of his sin. David then repented of his sin and the Lord forgave him. Even though David sinned, the Lord still favored David and appreciated that David truly had a heart for God. David was so far from perfect, yet he recognized his need for the true God, Yahweh. This is so encouraging to me because I sin everyday and as I repent of my sins, I am thankful God is concerned with the state of my heart and not that I can perfectly obey.
Flipping back to the Jewish people wanting a Messiah, many people back in Jesus day had a different idea of what type of savior God would send, however, many agreed that they believed that true king and messiah would come from the line of David. Christ did come from the Davidic line. God made a covenant with David and part of that covenant said he would, “enable his son to build a temple.” God did not mean David’s direct son but meant someone from the Davidic line. Someone from the Davidic line did rebuilt the temple in the Old Testament, but David’s descendents still realized the need for a perfect king. Christ fulfilled this by being the perfect king. Christ was not the king many expected. Many expected a more powerful king, but looking back we can see how perfectly Christ fulfills the promises from the Old Testament. The Old Testament is so filled with messianic prophecies that pave the way for Jesus.
Today I was thinking through all the people in the Old Testament had to go through as they were taken from their land, lived in exile, and then rebuilt the temple. The people deserved this as they constantly sinned but God so graciously provided for his people in the Old Testament just as he provides for us today. The words of his song about Christ humbling himself for his people and coming as a redeemer give me such a such a deep appreciation for what Christ did on behalf. I need reminders of just how perfectly history is planned out, and Jesus amazing love for God’s people. So many years and so much history all build up to the plan God has to redeem the world. The final stage of redemption for the world has not come yet, but our savior has come, and will come again.
As I ran through the Duke forest this morning and listened to this song many times, all of this history was so fresh in my mind. This song encompassed so much of this history and my life that I was thinking about. My body was tired, my legs felt like dead weight, I was already getting nervous for a race next week, and I had was thinking about the studying I needed to do, but this song gave me a sense of peace and thankfulness that Jesus sent this perfect messiah who is so real in my life. I still wish I faster and smarter and I’m still nervous about my race and stressed about my test, but comforted by the powerful love of Christ, my Lord and savior. Becoming a Christian did not automatically take away my fears, but it gave me an ultimate hope to live for today and everyday.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Run for the Oaks 5K
This weekend I ran the Run for the Oaks 5K in Raleigh. I'll try to remember as much as possible for this report, but now that it is Wednesday night, last Saturday seems like a long time ago.
The weather was great on Saturday. The temperature was in the 40's at race time, although it quickly warmed up after. The race was in downtown Raleigh. The course started in Moore Square, and mainly seemed to go out and loop back around to end at the same place we started.
My legs felt heavy from the beginning after a long week of running, but as the gun went off I got a burst of energy. I ran the first mile in the mid 5:40's...If I remember correctly the split was 5:44. After mile one I felt great and had a spirt of energy. I hit the second mile in the 11:40's. I think it was about 11:45. However, after I hit the two mile mark, and had 1.1 miles to go, I started to feel fatigued. Also, another woman had just caught up to me and passed me at this point. When she first passed me, I thought, oh well she beat me, she looks strong, and I'm feeling beat. However, then my ubber competitive nature kicked in and I picked it up. We went back and forth for awhile, and then with about 800 meters or less to go, I sprinted it in. I've never really had a kick, but on Saturday, I actually surprised myself and had a kick. My finishing chip time was 18:20.
As a prize I won a $50 gift card to a running store in Raleigh, which was great because I needed a new water bottle for my Sunday run. Overall the race was well run and enjoyable. I'd recommend it.
Here is a link to the results. http://bit.ly/h9kH4J
The weather was great on Saturday. The temperature was in the 40's at race time, although it quickly warmed up after. The race was in downtown Raleigh. The course started in Moore Square, and mainly seemed to go out and loop back around to end at the same place we started.
My legs felt heavy from the beginning after a long week of running, but as the gun went off I got a burst of energy. I ran the first mile in the mid 5:40's...If I remember correctly the split was 5:44. After mile one I felt great and had a spirt of energy. I hit the second mile in the 11:40's. I think it was about 11:45. However, after I hit the two mile mark, and had 1.1 miles to go, I started to feel fatigued. Also, another woman had just caught up to me and passed me at this point. When she first passed me, I thought, oh well she beat me, she looks strong, and I'm feeling beat. However, then my ubber competitive nature kicked in and I picked it up. We went back and forth for awhile, and then with about 800 meters or less to go, I sprinted it in. I've never really had a kick, but on Saturday, I actually surprised myself and had a kick. My finishing chip time was 18:20.
As a prize I won a $50 gift card to a running store in Raleigh, which was great because I needed a new water bottle for my Sunday run. Overall the race was well run and enjoyable. I'd recommend it.
Here is a link to the results. http://bit.ly/h9kH4J
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Feeling powerless in the face of a test
I would like to preface this blog entry by saying that for the most part I have enjoyed my learning experiences at seminary. I have learned a vast amount about psychology and theology.
Now, on to my topic, my Old Testament class. This is the first class I legitimately think I could fail. I have never had a fear of failing my other classes, but this class is known for its high failure rate. With my other class, I have always known I would do fine if I prepared for class and the tests. Old Testament includes one test at the end of the class and the one test makes up students entire grade for the class. Furthermore, part I of the study guide includes 133 questions, some of which I am not even sure are correct on my study guide. Part II of the study guide includes questions about the main points of every book in the Old Testament.
I realized that the class is a self-defeating experience where I feel helpless and uncertain if I will pass. No matter how hard I study, I still may fail. I also feel a sense of injustice for myself and the other students who are taking the class. We can study for hours, but many come up short, and many are unable to even attain a “d” on the exam. We are in a helpless position. This class has given me a further glimpse into what the helpless in society must feel. This may seem like quite a stretch given this is just a class. But, this is one I work on everyday, unable to find many of the answers, and I remain a voiceless class participant as I struggle through it everyday. I cannot ask students who already took it for help because this is against the class rules so I must reside myself to solo studying with my commentary in hand 7 days a week.
I know many people in society feel voiceless because they live in a sense of poverty. Many people do not have a voice and must just struggle within the system. I live a life vastly different from people who sit in material poverty, but today I get a glimpse into feeling helpless and powerless. I know this is only a glimpse, but this small glimpse into helplessness is tough. Back to studying I go. I would love to ace this test to make up for some of the injustice those other hard working students had to face as they failed this test. I can only hope that I pass this test. Two more weeks until test time.
Now, on to my topic, my Old Testament class. This is the first class I legitimately think I could fail. I have never had a fear of failing my other classes, but this class is known for its high failure rate. With my other class, I have always known I would do fine if I prepared for class and the tests. Old Testament includes one test at the end of the class and the one test makes up students entire grade for the class. Furthermore, part I of the study guide includes 133 questions, some of which I am not even sure are correct on my study guide. Part II of the study guide includes questions about the main points of every book in the Old Testament.
I realized that the class is a self-defeating experience where I feel helpless and uncertain if I will pass. No matter how hard I study, I still may fail. I also feel a sense of injustice for myself and the other students who are taking the class. We can study for hours, but many come up short, and many are unable to even attain a “d” on the exam. We are in a helpless position. This class has given me a further glimpse into what the helpless in society must feel. This may seem like quite a stretch given this is just a class. But, this is one I work on everyday, unable to find many of the answers, and I remain a voiceless class participant as I struggle through it everyday. I cannot ask students who already took it for help because this is against the class rules so I must reside myself to solo studying with my commentary in hand 7 days a week.
I know many people in society feel voiceless because they live in a sense of poverty. Many people do not have a voice and must just struggle within the system. I live a life vastly different from people who sit in material poverty, but today I get a glimpse into feeling helpless and powerless. I know this is only a glimpse, but this small glimpse into helplessness is tough. Back to studying I go. I would love to ace this test to make up for some of the injustice those other hard working students had to face as they failed this test. I can only hope that I pass this test. Two more weeks until test time.
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