I did it! First Half Marathon in the books!

I have finally reached one of my goals!  I began training 4 times for a half marathon and was unable to actually make it to race day three of those times but on my fourth attempt I made it!

On Sunday, I ran the Clearwater Distance Classic in Clearwater, Florida.  I completed the 13.1 miles in 2 hours 30 minutes and 28 seconds.  I know that is rather slow but I am so pleased that I actually completed the training and made it to the starting line and then the finishing line!  I have had so many setbacks I was beginning to believe it was not possible with my current life situation.

My first attempt,  back in 2012, I got a severe case of malaria so training was over.  Then, I tried again, and a combo of malaria and Typhoid Fever.  Third time, a stress fracture in my right foot!

But, my perseverance pushed me through!  12 weeks of focused half marathon training and a good 8 weeks before that took me to the Clearwater starting line feeling calm, confident and excited.

There were a lot of people at the race and the event was actually a 5K, 5 miler, half, full and ultra all in one!

We all lined up for a 7:05 start.  Someone sang the national anthem and my eyes filled with tears. I love to hear the national anthem.  It fills me with such pride to be an American and to appreciate all that this country offers.  Living in 3rd world countries for over 12 years makes you see your own country with more appreciation.

The course went over two bridges which provided the only 4 hills. But they were steep and long!  But the views from the top were beautiful.

"Remember the this seemed impossible?"  Yes, yes I do.

The first bridge was a breeze.

At mile 3 I had the biggest cheering squad of anyone on the course!  Jayden, Kelon, Braeleigh, Mom and Dad were there with posters cheering me on!

Braeleigh, Jayden (behind sign) and Kelon

 It was so great!  I felt like a celebrity!  Mom kept taking my picture and the kids were giving me high fives.

I continued on, crossing another bridge. I turned on some music at that point and danced along (my head bobbing really) as I ran.  At the turn around point I felt great and began thanking the Lord out loud for the blessings He has given me.

Crossed the bridge again around mile 9, it got me a bit winded this time and had to walk a bit.

I found my cheering squad again at mile 11 and Dad tried to run with me a bit -I pushed him away.

I always run with a thumbs up  - not sure why.

Dad came up and said, "I am going to run with you."  I laughed and said, "No, you're not."

I crossed the final bridge with tired legs but feeling strong.

One mile to go!

Running up that last hill (bridge)

When I crossed the finish line, they announced, "Jessica Matthews from Gainesville, GA. Welcome to Florida."

Mom, Dad and the kids found me soon after and congratulated me.  The kids were very excited and asked all kinds of questions.

Kelon:  "What place were you in?"

Me:  "I don't know."

Kelon:  "You were high because you did really good."

I have always heard that these races are not really for winning, except the elite runners, but more for reaching personal goals and your own self satisfaction.  But how do you explain that to children that have been taught that they must be 1st to be a winner?

Before the race:

Braeleigh:  "Jessie, are you gonna win?"

Me:  "No, I will not will the race."

Jayden:  "You don't know that!"

Me:  "Actually I do."

Kelon:  "I think you could win."

(Glad they believe in me so much!)

I am really very proud and satisfied with the race.  I was thinking that the race itself would give me more satisfaction but I think the entire process was where the satisfaction came from.  I loved training.  I loved having a set schedule that told me what to do each day.  I loved knowing when I could run and knowing it was okay to rest on certain days.  I love the entire process and I am going to start it again as soon as I get back to Uganda and talk to my training partner, Heather.  In the meantime, I am running every other day to maintain and not gain too much weight here in America.

One of my motivations for beginning this journey of health and fitness is my mother.  She has always been so strong despite her many health issues.  She would like to do more exercise and be healthier overall but she is not able to do that on a regular basis because of her type 1 Diabetes.  I decided that I was dishonoring her by being overweight and out of shape when I had a body that was capable of being fit.  So, I began dieting and exercise as a way to honor her.

Mama and me

Already failed

Well, I wanted to post a blog every week this year and I have  already failed!  Is a weekly update so difficult?

In my defense or as an excuse, I am in the USA now.  I arrived here on the 11th of January.  My daily schedule is not the same here as in Uganda, obviously.  So, I struggle to maintain the same routines.

I arrived on Thursday and then spoke at Tallapoosa First Baptist on Sunday morning and evening.  This is my grandmother's church and the church I grew up in.

Then, we went back to Gainesville and I planned to speak at Poplar Springs Baptist Church, but it snowed!

Then, we left on Thursday for Florida!  (See the next post about that trip).  The point of all this is that it always seems to be a whirlwind within a tornado that was just hit by a hurricane whenever I arrive in the US.

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

Be Filled

The 2018 Esangalo Children's Choir is traveling on Thursday to America.  These are 20 children from our community that have been practicing for the past 2 years for this trip.

The tour is called The Be Filled Tour.  Be filled with Christ, be filled with His Love.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The kids did great. They smiled the entire time. They sang great.

They sang for their parents and the community yesterday at church.  The kids were so excited to be performing.  They were also very nervous.

Evan and Leslie Richardson are the tour directors.  This is Evan thanking the community after the presentation.

The parents and community were also excited.  Many of them told us they were not going to their usual church that morning, that they were coming to hear the Choir and they were wearing their gomez dress. This is the typical fancy dress the women wear.  It is distinctive because it has shoulders that stick up and a wide belt that ties in the front.  This is the top level fashion and dressy dress here - formal wear!

The parents were so excited and happy!

We had many visitors from the community.

The lady in green with the pink head wrap is wearing a gomez.

If you want to see the choir perform in America, check the calendar at this link:  https://www.helpinghandsmissions.org/2018-choir-tour

Beautiful Feet

These feet are dusty. These feet are calloused from walking without shoes on long dirt roads.  These feet have cuts and scrapes. These feet are not pretty to look at.

But oh, how beautiful are these feet!

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7

These are the feet of our 2018 Esangalo Children's Choir.

These feet leave on Thursday to travel to America.  They will be there for 5 weeks sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in churches, schools, and groups all over the south east.

Pray for these feet.  They are young.  They are nervous. They are far from their homes in Uganda.  But these feet are so beautiful!

Cows in the ditch

I ran nine miles yesterday.

But that is not what this post is about.

Those nine miles took me through the countryside that surrounds the Village of Eden.  Heather and I ran at 7:00 in the morning on a Saturday.

As we ran, we passed several families out in their gardens tending to them.  In my last post I wrote about how dry everything is here, which made me wonder what they were doing.

We  passed a few huts that were plowing their field.  A man would be holding the plow that had either  2 or 4 cows tied to it.  Then, to the side was a young boy with a stick or whip.  His job was to keep the cows in line as the man guided the plow.  One boy was not doing so good at guiding the cows and the man was yelling at him, probably because the 4 cow team was getting into the ditch.

Running allows you to think about these things long after you normally would ponder.  So, I pondered.  "Why are they preparing now?  We are supposed to have another month of dry season. They can't plant until the rains begin."

But then I turned it inward, "What are you preparing for?  Are you doing something in anticipation of what the Lord is going to send in the future?  Are you preparing now for the blessings that God will send?"

I am still pondering.  Maybe I will find an answer on my next run.  But, I am thinking about how I prepare.  Do I prepare for the future blessings or do I only deal with the current problems like the cows in the ditch?

Week 1

One of my ideas for posting each week on this blog is to write about each day based on a photo I took that day.
This would be easy if I knew that you all wanted to hear about Anna every time. . . I have so many photos of her on my phone, no problem filling the pages.  But, I understand that is not what most want to hear about all the time.  So, this is a good challenge to me to take photos of me doing other things too because I actually do other things besides care for Anna, although she does consume much more of my time than I ever imagined.

So, I thought one or a few photos a day for a work week of Monday to Friday.  I may throw in Saturday and Sunday at times, but lets start with the work week (be realistic).

This year started well - January 1 was on Monday, so we are off to a nice, even start!

Monday, January 1 - We started the New Year with a church service.  The children love to dance and sing.  Whenever we have corporate worship time all the kids go to the back of the church  so they have plenty of space to dance.  I wish I could say that I join in, but I don't. My two left feet and uncoordinated hands get in the way. But, I enjoy watching them and Anna is definitely Ugandan.  She can dance with the best of them!

January 2 - We are in the really dry season. We have  4 seasons here - dry, rainy, really dry and really rainy. I saw these women filling the jerry cans and carrying them to our Prayer Garden to water the flowers.  Things have gone from green and lush to brown and crunchy overnight.  A heavy dust hangs in the air and at night when I shower, my washcloth is always a brown color from the dirt I have accumulated throughout the day.

January 3 - Anna keeps me moving all day, everyday.  Here she is in her pj's.  I fed and bathed her early today so that I could take her to our Staff Bible Study ready for bed.  One day maybe she will actually fall asleep at the Bible Study.  So far, no luck.  But, when we return home I can put her straight to bed so that is a plus.

January 4 - I had a last minute trip to Kampala today.  I had to go and pay to ship over 200 drums to the USA!  We had drums made for our choir tour and they were ready to ship.  Claudia (sleeping) went with me to renew her work visa.  We left at 5:30 in the morning, we stayed in Kampala about 3 hours and then drove back - we were riding over 10 hours!  It was exhausting but we accomplished a lot.

January 5- I am very busy this week because of many things.  First, I am flying to the USA on Wednesday - I have all sorts of things to get done before then.  Secondly, school begins in one month so I have to prepare for my residents returning, school opening, etc.  Third, my S1 students are making a big change and I have to prepare for that. Fourth, Anna.  Fifth, we are making plans for all of 2018.  Sixth. . . . I could keep going, but the point is that I am busy.  This shot is of this weeks to do list.  I have not finished yet and will continue working on it over the weekend and into next week.  

2018 Resolutions - Just putting them out there.

I really hate to say that I have a few resolutions for 2018 - so cliche!  So easy to drop and break them. But, I do have a few.  I think I am pretty predictable but I am sharing them here so that maybe I won't let these fall by the wayside in the race that is life in Uganda.

1.  Continue running and complete the half marathon on January 21.  Then, complete at least one more half this year.  I might (might) consider training for a full marathon. . .  (am I crazy?)

2.  Journal everyday.  Before my life went into overdrive I did this everyday.  EVERYDAY.  But somewhere along the way, I stopped. I need to do it - it is therapy and so encouraging when I look back on events of my life.  Ways God brought me through my struggles and to remember the victories.  

Yeah, my eyes are closed and my hair is big.

3.  Blog at least once a week.  (I am doing good on this so far!) Also, be more open - share my thoughts and random ideas as I type.  I may loose some of my 8 followers, but at least it will be real.

4.  Read through the Bible.  I was 90% finished last year, but I stopped. Those minor prophets, Leviticus and other OT books just got the best of me.  But, I am going to have another go. Does listening it on audio count? I could go through those books while I cook lunch or fold laundry - there is an idea.

5. Continue making healthy (generally) choices for my food and lifestyle.  Life is so much better when I am healthy.  I want to stay where I am or get better. Do not retreat!

Hovering Goal and my stubbornness

I have had the goal of running a half marathon for many years. I have started training several times. I even signed up and paid the fee the first time I was training.
But life has gotten in the way. Not excuses but REAL life events. Life events that usually only happen to missionaries or to people living in third world countries.
The first time I was training, I ended up with cerebral malaria and almost died. Malaria isn't like a cold or even the flu. The first time you have it, it knocks you down and then drains all your energy and reserves out of you. The cerebral variety also leaves you with residual headaches for about a month after the virus is gone. Training is over!
The second time I started training, I got Typhoid Fever and Malaria at the same time!  Trading is over!
The third time, I got a stress fracture in my foot and I got a baby!  Let me clarify- Anna came to live with me- it was sudden and I was overwhelmed with having a 13 month old that was the size of a newborn. She was weak, very sick and needed me more than I needed  the half marathon. Training was over for the third time!

Running in the Santa Hat Fun Run 10K in Kampala on December 17 - I was happy!

I have to admit that I felt defeated. I was wondering if I was setting unrealistic goals for myself- blah blah blah. . .
I am a stubborn person. No, let's say strong willed. Determined. Stupid(?). Whatever. I REALLY want to meet this goal. It is looming over me.
So, I have been training again - for the fourth time.   But this time is different. This time is better.
First, I have had malaria so many times now that it doesn't knock me down, it just weakens me for a few days. And I am not as susceptible to it. (Told you I was stubborn). Secondly, I am training with someone. Heather had graciously agreed to support my craziness and run with me.
I can't really think of a third reason but things are just better.
I am in week 9 of a 12 week plan - I have registered for a half-marathon on January 21!  I have three weeks left!
We can do this!
I can do this!