Ciao Italia!!

Tim and I just took a 10 day trip to Italy for our 5 year anniversary...amazing is all I can say!! I am not exageratting when I tell you it was the best trip of my life!! It was so fun to go and explore and see new things with Tim--we had so much fun together. I am here to tell you after 5 years--marriage is fun!! And we consider ourselves extremely blessed!!

So we started our trip in Venice--it is so picturesque!! This is the Italy of the movies -- the beautiful canels, the sweet homes...I told Tim that if we could ever build our own house, I would love for it to be an Italian style villa!! We celebrated our anniversary on Sept 14th by taking a Gondola ride and eating at a canal-side restaurant--Tim gave me a pair of beautiful diamond earrings and 2 beautiful roses!!

While in Venice, we also saw all the major sites, St. Mark's Square, the Basillica, etc., and we went to this amazing Modern Art exhibit with art from around the world. It was cool.

We left the quiet of Venice and took a boat, bus, plane and train to get to Rome; we felt very well traveled when we arrived in a very noisy Romeat 10 am. We found our hotel, checked in, and then we were off for 2 full days in Rome--thanks to our friend Naomi Marvin who put together a tour of Rome for us--we walked our butts off and saw EVERYTHING--St. Peter's, the Vatican, the Borghese Park, The Coliseum, the ruins, the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps...and more!! We ate amazing food--the pizza and the mozzerella cheese was the best I ever had--we loved Rome!! Tim and I both were very inspired in this big city!! We already want to go back!!

From Rome, we again tool a train, boat, taxi and a bus to get to Positano, Italy. This little beach town is in the South of Italy, on the Amalfi Coast. Positano is what I hope heaven looks like!! Our walking tour of Rome wore us out a tad, so the timing of Positano was perfect--we had a full day on the beach, we toured the island of Capri, and we went to see the ruins in Pompeii. The whole trip was amazing, but this part was my favorite.

We went back to Rome for our last night, enjoyed our favorite Pizza and Gelato, and came back in time to watch Georgia beat Alabama last weekend!! Go Dawgs!!

I SO recommend a trip to Italy...check out our pictures here:
Italy Pictures!!

The trip was so fun--I had a hard time coming back to reality!! Poor Tim has had to work all week, and I have had the pleasure of a week off...thank God!!
Hope you enjoy the photos!!

still learning...

I am still learning. surprise surprise, I just don't know it all yet. you see, that is a tough lesson since I come from a family that prides themselves on always "knowing"...always being right, winning arguments, saying the last word, and basically being on top. I love my family; and much of my success is due to those characteristics that have been bred into me...the desire to win, compete, do my best, strive to be great...but I am still learning.

This summer can be summed up in that sentiment; learning. I am in the process of learning some of lifes great lessons, and boy is it a struggle for me to be in this process. I definitely am not an "enjoy the journey" type of gal...I like the completion, the final note, the end. So being in the midst of learning lessons, and then having to make choices while in that season, and having those choices affect what you are doing...gosh, my head is spinning.

And the struggle!!! I was running tonight and I was just angry because I feel like I have handled some things poorly and wish that I had communicated some things clearer. But how would I know how to do that until I learned it? I have to go through these things so next time I might get it right...I might be better next time, and know how to handle it with the wisdom I gained in this season. But I just want to know it now and get it right the 1st time!!!! AHHHHH. frustration sets in.

I sometimes wish I could learn as fast as I could eat. This is silly, but wouldn't it be cool if all the lessons I was supposed to learn could come in an ice cream cone, and I could just eat it and have all the knowledge (maybe the calories can be different based on the size of the issues I needed to learn about :) )...

Well all this reminded me of a Switchfoot song...Learning to Breathe...

Hello, good morning, how ya been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never thought I could fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad

I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

What complicates things even more is this unfair expectation I place on myself to get it right the 1st time, with no practice...that's when I feel like "my head gets kicked in"...

So here's to life, and all the lessons we are learning...

Leigh

The attack of the Wii

So I bought Tim a Wii for our 5 year anniversary and gave it to him on Friday night...now you know this is a BIG deal, because I am the one in the family with "Addictive" behaviors and seriously in a 1 year period, played over 450 games of NCAA Football on our old Gamecube (yep...that was before I started all this exercising!!)...so I only decided to get Tim the Wii after much thought about how I have overcome my gamer addictions, and YES I could handle it, and just say "No" when my game playing started to take over my life.

So we have had the Wii set up for 24 hours now, and all day yesterday I didn't play it...but this afternoon, Tim asked me to play Wii Tennis with him. Begrudgingly I complied, thinking that it is his "gift" and I need to let him enjoy it with me, and a few games can't hurt.

And for those of you who don't know, the Wii is different then other gaming consoles where the controllers are motion senstitve, and you use your arms, and all the motions to make moves; not just your fingers. So the plot thickens..

So we played a few games (I won), and I am starting to get excited about it. Kobe, our dear sweet giant of a dog, was laying on the couch the whole time, interested in what we were doing. All of a sudden, he gets pretty excited about how I was playing, and jumps off the couch, starts biting my wrist, and trying to tackle me. So we are like chill out, tell him to lay down...for the next 3 games, he repeats this pattern...

Then on the 4th game, after we have put him back on the couch, and he listened and he is laying there, I go for a backhand, I wind up and swing my arm across my body...and at the same time, Kobe is trying to get off the couch, and at the perfect timing, I smash him across the face...I hurt my hand I hit him so hard! He ran out of the room and I followed him, totally consoling him, apologizing, etc...it was tragic. Tim was cracking up.

So after we made sure he was ok, we went back to playing...a few minutes later, Kobe walks back to the den and starts to enter the room...he saw my hand go up in the motion of the serve, and he turned, tucked his tail between his legs and BOLTED from the room.

Tragedy I must say...NCAA Football Video games ruined me, and the Wii Tennis has ruined Kobe.

Hilarious.

good news since yesterday's post...I slept 11 hours last night!! Bedside Baptist had a mandatory meeting this morning, and we all attended!! :) It felt good.

Have a great day!

Leigh

sleep deficit...

sleep deficit...
Have you ever been so tired, that you can hardly think, move, breathe, comprehend...but no matter what you do, you can not sleep? That has been the story of my August...I am glad it is now September!!

This past month has been a crazy one...we have been particularly busy at work, planning all of our fall events, and hearitfirst.com has continued to grow like crazy, so opportunities have been coming out of the woodwork...or web I guess :) ...

And I have had some heavy things on my mid, decisions I had to make...weighing out the consequences of these decisions...sorting through my guilt about some decisions, and understanding that...and trying to answer the question: what is the best thing for Tim and I at this point in our lives. We are coming up on our 5 year anniversary...what are my hopes and dreams for the next 5 years?

So basically, my mind has been slammed, working in overdrive the past month, so full I can't manage it. I am the type that has to wring something out ENTIRELY and weigh every option and analyze EVERY detail before I make a decision...that is exhausting. For me, but for those close to me as well.

So anyway...I am this stressed...but I can not sleep!! I have been up every morning at 4:30-5 ish...and not to work out!! I usually don't work out until 6:30 am!! Then I can't take naps, because my mind is racing...it is ridiculous!!

So it is Saturday morning, and I went to bed at 2 last night, and I am up ready to go at 6:45 am!! No plans to work out until 9:30 this morning!!

So all of this combines to a very "slowed down" state of Leigh...I feel like my comprehension levels are at an all time slowness, and my reaction to everything is skewed.

So there. No point to this rambling except I am so tired!!

But on the brightside...FOOTBALL starts today...this is my favorite day of the year.

I love college football. Go Dawgs.

Leigh

Colorado Pics

Hello!!  

Tim and I spent 6 days in glorious Colorado last week...can I say 85 degrees and NO humidity!!  It was a great escape for us!!

The 1st part of the weekend we spent with my cousins Byron, Melinda and Logan in Denver. We love them so much!! Tim and Logan are two peas in a pod...they can hang out all day long.

I did have to do some work though (GMA Music in the Rockies), but it was very rewarding work...I taught some courses to independent artists on how to market their music online, and participated in some industry round tables.  That was fun...only tough part was cell phone service and the wireless connection!!  

This slide show is mostly from our trip into the Rocky Mountain National Park, where we drove up to the top of the mountains 2 times...over 12,000 feet high!  It was rad...

Enjoy the scenery!

 

Rocky Mountain High

Tim and I have been in Colorado since Friday night...I LOVE this state. And that is wierd, why??? I am the antithesis of an "outdoors" type...I do not love the woods, snakes, camping...ummmm no. But Colorado is amazing.

We flew in Friday to spend the weekend with my cousins Byron, Melinda and Logan, and we had a BLAST...these guys are so fun to be with, so relaxing, and just really cool people. We went to the pool, and went to the Alpine Slide - - basically a luge type slide at 10,000+ feet in Breckinridge - and just relaxed. They are our family, but we consider them friends, they are so much fun to be around. Byron and I worked out--well he actually whipped my butt swimming and then running--but it was great.

Then on Monday we drove to Estes Park, for a GMA event that I am speaking at. Estes is cool, it is at the base of the Rocky Mountain National Park - which we both loved!! Once again -- Miss "Anti-Outdoors" was a freak about driving up the mountain to the top--we actually did it twice!! And we have take a ton of pictures, that I might post if I ever get to it (not a strength of mine!!).

The coolest thing about being on top of the mountain is the perspective of just how small we are on this planet called Earth...and to remember how mindful God is of us. We were at about 10,000 feet, at a rest stop, and there were these chipmunks running all over the place...and I was thinking, "how on earth could a chipmunk get up this high?"...I mean, did the 1st 2 chipmunks on the mountain like hiking? It sounds silly, but the verses about how "every hair on our head is numbered" really seem to make sense when you see this little 8 pound chipmunk running around on the hillside of a mountain.

Well I have one more session then we are back to Nashville...hope you are doing well!!

leigh

Saturday's are for football...

So it is a beautiful day today in Nashville...I mean today has to be the perfect summer day. It is probably 80-85 degrees, and oddly the humidity did not come out to terrorize us today.

My day started with a 6 am wake up call (please do not tell me how ridiculous this is--Tim already has!! :) ), so I could ride my bike over to meet Suzie for our bike workout. I wore my normal bike shorts and a tank top, because it has been crazy hot all week, so we figured we would go early to beat the heat.

Well to our surprise, it was the perfect morning, sunny, no humidity, I actually could have worn a long sleeve shirt!! So we rode about 18 miles, and it was a slow, lazy, non-lance armstrong effort, but it was an effort nonetheless.

I got home earlier then normal for a Saturday (since we did not try to run or swim), and Tim was up, so we decided to head to Meridee's, our favorite breakfast spot in Franklin. what a payoff--french toast stuffed with cream cheese--could it be any more fattening? It was amazing, and I did not care.

So I came home, took a nap...then I woke up and hung outside with the doggies...it was beautiful. they decided to terrorize our neighbor dogs for a good half hour, then we headed inside.

So I started flipping channels, and I ran across a rerun of the 2006 Tennessee vs. Alabama football game. Now if you know me, you probably know 2 things about me:

1. I LOVE Football. Yes, the countdown is on (41 days) until Georgia's 1st kickoff of the 2007 season

2. I hate the Tennessee Volunteers. It is true hate. There is no other description.

So you must realize that my #1 (love for football) took over, and I am actually sitting here watching this game. Tim questioned my choice--and I defended myself saying--"do you know who won this game?" (cause neither of us did)...so that was my justification to sit here and to watch football.

And today is the perfect weather for a fall Saturday in Athens, GA, between the hedges.

I am ridiculous--I am SO excited.

4 minutes left in the 4th quarter, this is a close game! Go 'Bama!!

Hope you are well...

Triathlon!

So today I completed my 1st ever "Olympic Distance Triathlon" -- 9/10 mile swim, 26 mile bike and 6.2 mile run.  Yeah, it was pretty insane...long...tiring...but FUN!! 

I was honestly completely nervous before it began--I did not sleep at all last night, and was feeling very UN-prepared...I am typically obsessive-compulsive about training, but I definitely bit off more then I could chew on this race...

You see on May 28th, I completed a short mini-triathlon in Nashville - 200 meter swim, 8 mile bike - 2 mile run--it was so short and quick, and I loved it--I could compete, and pass people...and let's just say I became a tad over-confident in my new found triathlon abilities...so I looked at the racing schedule for the southeast this summer, and even though today's tri was only 6 weeks away, I decided to give it a go.

Well, in total Leigh fashion, I really tried to fit too much into my life at once -- you see, over the past 6 weeks, I have had a busy travel schedule...

--Trip to Greenville, SC for my cousin's graduation with Tim, then on to Atlanta to visit my brother

--Trip to Wilmore, KY, for a festival for work

--Trip to Dallas for a festival for work

--Week long vacation with Tim & friends in Chattanooga

--Trip to Wisconsin for a festival for work

6 weeks, 5 trips...I trained in Atlanta, Wilmore/Lexington KY, Dallas, Chattanooga and Appleton, Wisconsin...swimming miles, biking a few hundred miles and running over 100 miles...insane.  But fun nonetheless!!

So the tri was a challenge--more so mental then physical--we (Tim, my 1 fan came with me) got to Chattanooga on Friday night, rested all day on Saturday, then we went to the race site at 6 am Sunday morning...after setting up my transition area, I was off to the swim start.

The swim was in a River, it was my 1st open water swim ever.  The water was not too gross, it was warm and there was a good current.  I tried my best to follow the bouy's, and actually finished in 32 minutes, my fastest time at this distance ever.  I got out of the water, and ran to the transition to get on the bike, telling myself to relax, and to remain calm...my heart was racing.

The bike ride can be summed up in 1 word -- HILLY!  There were honestly NO flat spots on the course...it was a long up and downhill...this was the toughest part of the race--and the longest.  I finished in 1 hour and 37 minutes, which again, was a great time for me, but very slow compared to my competition.  I mean, so many people passed me, I started to laugh about it...and it was a blow to my ego, but hey, my goal was to finish, so I decided to just gut it out.  It really was long though, and I am happy to have finished!!

And then the run...I was the most confident about my run, because that is still the easiest sport for me to train for...so I rarely will skip a run workout...I did it a tad slower hoped (64 minutes for 6.2 miles), but I passed 3 girls in the last 2 miles that I had my eye on, which boosted my confidence!!  The cool part about the run was that my Mom was volunteering at the 1 mile/5 mile water stop (the run was one where you run 3.1 miles then turn around and run back), so she was there to cheer me on @ crucial times...when I had just started going on the run, and when I needed a boost to finish well.  I finished strong, and my Dad and Tim were at the finish line cheering me on -- I was exhausted & glad at the end. 

I grabbed 2 bottles of water, and finished off 3 pieces of pizza within 15 minutes of finishing...I did not realize how hungry I was after working out for 3.5 hours!!

I had a lot of fun, and am looking forward to my next event...not quite sure which race I will do next, but I am so fueled to get better...my goal for this race was to finish and to learn...now that "Grandy" in me is kicking in to become the best ever.  (It never ends!!)

Well I hope you are doing well...I am happy I have a day off of work tomorrow to rest and recuperate...I will probably take 3-4 days off, then get back at it!!

Hope you are well!!

Leigh

PS: My pre-race photo, and my finishing sprint...

the 5 year plan...

Hey all...

you know me--I am a planner. I love plans, lists, more plans, ideas that lead to plans, and even more lists. Yes I am the lame-o who makes lists for myself on Saturdays, that actually include "wake up" and "eat" and "shower"...ok, I know, just bear with me...

So when my boy Elroy and I got married, we went to Costa Rica on our Honeymoon--it was AMAZING...getting married in September limits travel on the eastern seaboard due to hurricanes, so we flew west to paradise...so when we were on our honeymoon, we started making plans (the boy knows the way to my heart!!)...and we said that on our 5 year anniversary, we wanted to go to Italy...

it was a pipe dream at the time, and to be honest with you, at the beginning of 2007 it was a pipe dream as well...but God honored our plans, and yesterday we booked our flights to Italy from Sept 12-21!!!!!!! God had his list too and wanted to check it off for us!! :)

We are finalizing the details, but we do know this...we will be in Venice on a Gondola ride on September 14th, 5 years from the day we said I DO!! I am psyched!!!!

We are going to Venice, Rome and Positano. Our friend Bethany is working on the ultimate Italian itinerary for us...it will be a fun list that I can check off!! :)

So here's to plans!!! and lists!! and the pens/pencils I use to mark things off the lists!!

the country music half marathon...I finished!! had fun!! and hurt my back!!

I am proud to say that I not only survived an extremely busy GMA week last week, but I finished the Country Music half Marathon in 2 hours and 28 minutes on Saturday. And for those of you who keep up, I am proud to tell you that I ran the entire race, except for 2/10 of a mile on part of mile 12...at that point I knew I was going to hit my goal time (my goal was 2:30), and there was yet another hill...so when I got to the top, I grabbed my breathe so I could make a roaring finish. My friend Suzie always saves enough energy for a strong finish, when often I am too impatient and just get to the end...but I wanted to run through the crowd with my fists pumping and smiling because I completed anther goal. If you recall, when I did my marathon in January, I was using the "run-walk" method where I ran for 5 minutes, then walked for 1 minute throughout the entire race. It is an amazing method for long distances...but starting in February I began to train myself to run the whole thing...no walk breaks. So I am dually proud that I finished, but that I ran, and that I met my goal.

The race was so much fun...people were everywhere cheering for us; it was like a big party. People were literally tailgating down Belmont Ave. The bands are never really great, but it is fun to have the distraction for like 30 seconds as you run by.

The best part was running with my friends...Suzie was along for the run, as usual...she is like my alter-running-ego, and now she is gung-ho bout the triathlon season coming up. Also, my dear friends Rebecca and Laura came down to run with me--they both have been training and it was a joy to run the streets with them. We literally sang songs, laughed, and helped each other through. If it wasn't for them, there is no way I would have run the whole time--they kept me at it. The older I get the more I know that the best friends are the ones that you can pick up with wherever you left off--Laura and Rebecca are friends from Lexington, from my grad school days...they came and visited me when I moved to Florida (surviving some brutal sun burn) and now they have dropped in on Nashville--it is great to have pals who love you no matter what and it can just be fun, with no strings. Laura's hubby Brent came down too...he was the honorary "Sheriff" of Nashville for the weekend, and kept it real with Tim as the cheer squad.

The worst part of the weekend is this lower back / upper butt pain -- I had this pain at about mile 19 of the marathon...and it came back at mile 6 on the half on Saturday. Today I went and got a cortisone shot and stayed home from work. Man it always seems like when you take a sick day all of these great TV shows and movies will be on...I got nothing. I slept, checked email, and that's about it. My back does not feel much better...but I do have some drugs for the rest of the week, so we will see. The moral of the story is that I need to stop skipping sit-ups at the end of each workout and get my body in shape!!

Well I hope you are doing well...

Off to my next race...my 1st triathlon on 5/28/07 here in Nash...

Leigh

a new way to be human

I have to be honest--I go through life a lot of the time trying to PROTECT myself at all costs from "feeling"...things happen that are sad, or hard to hear, and I try to go to a remote place ... where the actual events in my mind are an arms length away ... and I will not allow myself to be affected by that moment, issue, emotion, or problem...basically I will pour myself into whatever task is at hand, and get extremely focused, so I do not have to feel...

It really started when my college roommate died back in 1999...it was a sudden death, and the last time I had seen her was 3 months prior at her wedding of all places...and how do you deal with that? How do you handle watching her husband stand by her casket? I think that was a very defining moment in my life, in the sense that without knowing how to handle that deep pain, I bottled it up, and did not deal with it.

I vividly remember going back home from Kelly's funeral...I lived in KY then and was in grad school, and I remember the morning after the funeral I was riding my bike to class...my mind was racing about all the crap I needed to get done after missing 5 days of class and work...and I hit the brakes on my bike and stopped----the harshest of all realities hit me--life goes on. Life actually goes on after all of that pain.

Honestly, that was a pill to swallow...and because of the funeral, the sudden death, and the deep, incomprehensible sadness...that was the moment when I started to protect my heart at all costs of getting hurt.

hindsight is 20/20...at that moment, I had no idea what I was doing...I was putting a hard shell around my heart that would help me to not FEEL, to not be vulnerable, and to have little emotion, esp. as it relates to tragic events.

Well I think yesterday I took a BIG step towards allowing myself to feel...a lot of crap is going on in my life, and all of my friends’ lives. I am afraid 2007 has not brought a ton of great news for many around me, and yesterday was one of the worst days ... without going into too much detail...I had to sit around and watch many people go through pain...and it was awful. And honestly, all day long, I tried to ignore the pain and sadness I felt...but by 8 pm last night, it broke me. I allowed myself to be vulnerable to my feelings, and I was sad, mad, anxious and a whole host of emotions...it has been so painful to "feel", and to feel so terrible for the others...it is hard to put into words...

I woke up this morning thanking God that he allowed me to feel...and please know...there are a lot of people waking up today to a harsh reality, and for me to be like "Yeah! I can feel" is like a slap in the face...but it is not meant to be a slap at all...at all.

I thought of this song below, A New Way To Be Human...and I know that God is moving in all of this pain in our lives and in all of the situations, and telling us that there is a better way, and that He is the way...and that He brings redemption.

And as He can bring redemption in my life in the area of vulnerability and feeling, He brings redemption to all of those hurting.

here are the lyrics...

A New Way To Be Human...Switchfoot

Everyday it's the same thing
Another trend has begun
Hey kids, this might be the one

It's a race to be noticed
And it's leaving us numb
Hey kids, we can't be the ones

With all of our fashion
We're still incomplete
The God of redemption
Could break our routine

There's a new way to be human
It's nothing we've ever been
There's a new way to be human
New way to be human

And where is our inspiration?
When all the heroes are gone
Hey kids, could we be the ones?

'Cause nobody's famous
And nobody's fine
We all need forgiveness
We're longing inside

There's a new way to be human
It's nothing we've ever been
There's a new way to be human
It's spreading under my skin
There's a new way to be human
Where divinity blends
With a new way to be human
New way to be human

You're throwing your love across
my impossible space
You've created me
Take me out of me into...

A new way to be human
To a new way to be human

You're a new way to be human
Where my humanity bends
To a new way to be human
Redemption begins

You're a new way to be human
You're the only way to be human

At the 25-mile mark of the marathon, I allowed myself to be vulnerable and I threw myself into the moment and burst into tears, knowing I would complete the marathon. I allowed myself to enjoy it and be PROUD of myself, and honestly, that never happens...I never allow myself to "settle" or enjoy what I have accomplished...

It was a new way to be human for me...let me encourage those who are being tested...redemption always comes...rarely does it look exactly like what we think...but it comes.

Leigh

the time of my life...the marathon blog...

I don't know where to start...the journey to run a marathon started years ago...I can not even pin point the budding of the dream...but I know that for as long as I can remember, I wanted to dun a marathon...it is amazing to have completed it!!!

The 2 things that I keep thinking about are empowerment and encouragement...I feel so empowered that I can achieve anything I set my mind too. I honestly did not believe I could complete this task...when I hit mile 25 then running through the finish, I was overjoyed, emotional, I was crying, and screaming!! I literally ran through the finish waving my hands to pump up the crowd and screaming "Cheer for me I am finishing a Marathon!!!" I pulled my "football player" who threw a winning touchdown pass or just won a game--I was so psyched!!

And encouragement...the verse "I can do all things THROUGH Christ Jesus who strengthens me"...phil 4:13...it is so true. This journey took a lot of time and prayer...I was begging Jesus to help me through the pain from miles 18 on, and he delivered me...it was GREAT! Another member from TNT had the verse written on the back of her jersey, and it honestly kept my mind fresh...thankfully!! And as I have said a ton of times before...YOU can do whatever you set your mind to! I am so encouraged that I completed this...do not let anything hold you back!!

Ok on to the play-by-play for race day...

Race day was both wonderful and painful, but the joy has far exceeded any of the pain...it is Tuesday night, and yes, I am still sore...but it is almost blissful--knowing the soreness came from such a triumphant finish!!

We got up on race day at 6:00 am...but I hardly slept the night before. I dreamed that I missed the start, and that I could not tie my shoes...so I was a bit groggy when I finally awoke. Bad news was the weather--on race day, it was the coldest morning in Phoenix in the last 16 years--30 degrees (we had expected 50!!)...so I had to dress warm. I ate a muffin, got my stuff together, and went down to the lobby to meet my Team in Training (TNT) teammates.

Here is a pic of Tim and I in the lobby pre-race...



So we got a pep talk from our coach, Mari-etta, who told us what to expect and what to plan for on the course. I got to hand it to TNT, they were amazing!! They prepared us the whole way!!

So we boarded our bus, and headed to the start. We got to the race, jumped in line with the thousands of others, and took off!! It was so great to have a running partner--Suzie and I stuck together for the 1st 16 miles. At every mile, I would mention that I was still having fun, and Suzie would "check" it off the list, as in another mile down, and we were still smiling!! We really had a good time, we chatted a little, but got to see some fun scenery as we started in downtown Phoenix and ran towards Scottsdale.

Here I am at 8 miles...not really in any pain (yet)...still feeling good...



Let me tell you, running with TNT was the biggest advantage...we were surrounded by purple jerseys--there were TNT members everywhere, and there were fans cheering for us all over the place. We never felt alone on the course at all, and our coaches were everywhere, giving us tips and running with us to help us along. We saw our coach around the 9-10 mile, and she warned me that I was leaning forward a bit--that was about the time my legs started to feel a tad sore, and started to get tired. I listened, and tried to focus on standing tall and slowing down a tad.

So at 13 miles, we hooked up with my dad, who was going to run the final 13.2 miles with us. Here is a pic of Suzie and I at 13...we are still feeling good!!



The distance started to catch up with me around 15 miles...I started to get really tired...and my right knee began to ache...I had been having major trouble with my right arch the 3 weeks leading up to the race, but my arch was great...but my knee must have taken the brunt of the pain...so now the mind games began...

so I hit 15, and kept thinking I just need to make it to 18, because I had run that distance before, so it was a mental thing to get there. I got to 18, and knew only 8 was left...and I started to get HUNGRY...I was starving. My dad was encouraging, telling me that my mom and Tim would meet us around mile 20 or 21, so that is all I thought about those 3 miles...food is coming soon, just keep going. And honestly, what else was I going to do? I figured I was in the middle of Scottsdale, AZ, and the only way to get food or rest, I HAD to keep running!!!

Here I am at mile 21, eating a protein bar and chugging Gatorade! Thank God fro my mom and sweet husband for being my traveling pit crew...



so mile 21-25 was really tough...I ran off from Tim and my mom after refueling for about 3-4 minutes, and I literally could not run at all...my right knee had the most excruciating pain through the right side, and I literally thought I could not run at all...this was the one moment where I did not think I could go on...I stopped and told my dad I had to walk, and he gently encouraged me and told me to walk to get warmed up again. As I walked, the muscles in my lower back were now crying out...so running was actually less painful then walking. Determined to finish, I knew it was time to pop the iPod in, and let some music carry me through to the finish.

Then came along my TNT coach Mari-etta-at just the right time. She ran with me from 21.5-22.5, and at that point, knowing that I only had a 5k left, I knew I could finish. At this point Suzie was about 5 minutes behind me, and her dad had also joined her on the course, which was really cool.

At mile 25, with all of my pride, I tried to keep it together, and be stoic and not show emotion...then I realized how lame that is, and decided to allow the emotion to overcome me, and I started crying!! Still in a lot of pain, but I knew then that I would finish, and I was so proud of myself for taking the journey and for completing it. I was elated. There are very few moments in my life that compare to this--working in sports for so long, there are a lot of victories I have been a part of as a team, but to know that this was me, and my 2 legs carrying me to the finish, that was a sweet feeling.

Here I am waving my arms to pump up the crowd before I cross the finish line...


Check out the medal around my neck!!


Tim and I at the finish...


My dad and I enjoying the moment...

Getting stretched out by my mom...


Suzie and I at the end...



again...what an amazing experience. I cannot say enough about Team in Training. If you are at all interested in this amazing cause, and in being a part of the team, I will tell you all about it!! Check it out: http://www.teamintraining.org/ highly recommended!!

Will I do it again??? Hell yeah! Training and competing in this marathon was a life-changing experience. I feel so energized and it has built me up in such a positive way. My knees are hating me as I type this...but I plan to take 2-3 weeks off to rest, then start training for the country music 1/2 marathon here in Nashville in April, then hopefully for another marathon in 2007!! Suzie and I (and my friend Jeannie!!) plan to attempt a triathlon as well!! I have gotten in touch with my sporty side!!

Well thanks for reading, and thanks for taking this journey with me. I encourage you to make 1 decision today that will be a step in the direction of your dreams. Just Do It. You are capable of far more then you probably give yourself credit for.

God Bless...Leigh

the marathon...it is Finished!!

I have always wanted to use that phrase, "It is Finished"...well I completed my 1st ever marathon today!!

It was an unbelieveable experience...I plan to share more later when I am in a little less pain...for now...the photo:

Photos...the night before...TNT rules...

Things in AZ have been great so far...we went out for a team dinner last night and the food was incredible (salmon and mashed sweet potatos for me!!) ... today my mom and dad got to town, so we hung out, shopped at the runner's expo, and took naps.

Then...we went to the Team in Training Pasta dinner...it was a pasta meal (imagine that) and a motivational speaker...and then a teammate shared her story. It was unreal--there are over 1,700 "team members" here, and we raised over 5 million dollars collectively towards a cure for Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood cancers...I got chills as they brought a loady to the stage that raised over $54,000 in honor of her sister in law who died last christmas of a blood cancer...unreal. UNREAL! She was an inspiration to me.

Then, the teammate who shared her story...she lost her daughter 3 months ago, and she is out here raising money and running a marathon in her daughters honor. 3 months ago...she shared that she was angry and sad and all kinds of emotions...but mostly she was ready to put up a fight to help others and to find a cure. Now that is someone to admire!! How often I look up to CEO's and athletes...these are people just like us with crazy determination and dedication to do something extraordinary. WOW.

so it is 9 pm here...not quite ready for bed...trying not to be too nervous...pray for me!!

Here are some photos from tonight!!

the jersey...



the rad hat my brother bought me...yes I know it does not match purple...



the number is already on my shorts...



the family at the pasta dinner...



my team from nashville...



Suzie and I...



well I am going to bury myself in my book until I fall asleep...thanks for reading!

Leigh

PS: Shout out to Emily Gary--you know me so well--thanks for the care package, the brownies and the special surprise (I won't incriminate you and type out the secret thing you sent me!!) THANKS!!!!!!

PSS: My jersey with my mom's super cool iron on:

being a part of something bigger...

the marathon is this SUNDAY!!!!

I can not hardly believe it! I have been having waves of excitement and fear all week long...I can barely sleep!!

All of my life I participated in sports, and this is the closest feeling to when I was at Georgia and Kentucky, and would be anticipating big games that my teams were a part of...at Georgia, I would literally get so nervous before big games--I HATE to lose, and I would go to the bathroom literally 2-3 times within 20 minutes of tip-off. I can't even imagine what Sunday morning will be like!!

It has been such an amazing experience being a part of Team in Training. Our team from Nashville is really great--I barely know a lot of the team, but we have all seen each other in moments of complete pain and elation. That is neat to be with people through that.

But it has beeen all I thought it would be and even more to raise money and Awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Leukemia is a horrible disease, and the way it has affected my life, but more importantly Kelly's family...man it is tough. It has been inspiring and empowering to come together with a group and to make a difference. One of my teammates has raised over $8,000!!!! He is my hero right now. I think as a team (in Nashville only we have raised over $75,000. I am so excited about that.

I can only encourage you to JUST DO IT. Do whatever is in your heart that you are holding back on. Running a marathon and being a part of a charity organization that I cared about were 2 desires I had for so long...but for so long I let "other people do it" and did not believe I had the capacity to run like this. Well we are more capable then we think we are. JUST DO IT!! That is an encouragement!!

Please keep me in your prayers this weekend...we start at 7:40 am MTN time on Sunday. 26.2 miles is the goal.

Please pray that I:
-finish

-enjoy the ride - just HAVE FUN while I am out there

-injuries--I am nursing a swollen arch and an overused knee...They have been big issues throughout training, but my arch decided it did not like the idea of pounding for 26.2 miles this week, and is swollen...it is trying to hold me hostage...but I hope it cooperates!!

-and for our team, including Suzie, that we embrace being a part of something bigeer and enjoy it all!!

Thanks so much for reading and encouraging me along the way...hopefully I will blog while I will be out in Phoenix, or I will ask Tim to help me out!!

Leigh

The ode to my wingman...

Honestly, it is just not fair at all that God has given me such an advantage. I mean, I did not really ask for it, and I never thought I needed it ...or would never admit that...and I COMPLETELY do not deserve it...at all...but God gave me my wingman anyway.

Despite my craziness and self dependence; despite my stubbornness; despite it all, God gave me Tim, to be my ultimate wingman.

It is no secret to those of you who are close to us that he is the jem. He is calm, caring, polite, aware of others, considerate, kind, freakin' smart, confident...and lovely. I always tell people in business that Tim is my "secret weapon". He is!!

Believe me--I have taken a giant leap of faith becoming a brand manager for a website--taking myself into the online world full force for the 1st time in my career...and it was a scary move, because of my lack of experience in that area. But guess what? Tim is a web genius--he can code a website from scratch, design anything, and talk in about 56 different web languages (are there even 56?). I can call him with anything computer related, and darn it he can figure it out!! It is amazing.

And since this is Marathon countdown week, let me share with how he has helped me with that -- he has stood by me every step of the way as I have reached for this dream. There are several times that I have noted how selfish this quest has been--it really is a self-fulfilling prophecy for me to run this thing...and the sacrifice he has made for me to accomplish this...I have honestly been training for over 6 months, ran over 500 miles, cross trained every other day (can you believe I still feel fat?)...all this time I have spent time away from him. Anytime I mention the time spent away from him, he confidently reassures me that he supports what I am doing, and is ok with it. And he actually means it!!

And since October, I have been fighting injuries -- all the way to right now. 1st it was my knee, then my shins, then my knee, and now my arch...he has served me and brought me ice packs, rubbed my knees, rubbed my feet, dealt with me wanting to sleep all day on Saturday after my runs, and dealt with me leaving every morning at 6:00 am, only to be asleep on the couch by 9-9:30 pm.

This morning he awoke to me crying and asking him to look at my feet--my right foot has swollen up like a balloon, and he put on his glasses, rubbed my feet, listened to me, told me I would be ok, hugged me, and told me I could do it. That brings tears to my eyes even thinking about him...

I am so blessed. Our God is a good God and brought this self-reliant, independent woman a man who could help complete me and meet the needs I did not even know I had.

God bless my wing man...

Leigh

PS: you can go to his page and check out his AMAZING music at: www.myspace.com/hisboyelroy

the marathon iMix

so my iPod is my friend...I love running to good tunes...it is a freeing feeling to be out in the sunshine, listening to a great song, and feeling free...

so in just 1 week, at this time I will be walking up to the start line, getting ready to run in my 1st marathon!! Yeah!!

This morning, I had a bit of an old school moment...I wanted to buy a few more songs to round out my iMix (which has 176 songs on it, for 12.2 hours of running...I don't think the marathon will take that long, but who knows!! :) )

So I went shopping on iTunes, and bought these classics:

Dreams by Van Halen
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
Final Countdown by Europe
More Than a Feeling by Boston
We are the Champions by Queen

Very nice...those songs will motivate me and take me back to some old school memories fom my past basketball and softball days!!

My overall playlist has a lot of random songs on it, my friend Emily sent me 2 amazing playlists of her own that are filled with all of the popular pop songs...

Here are the top 5 artists on my playlist: (meaning I have the most songs by them on it):

Madonna
Switchfoot
U2
Future of Forestry
David Crowder*Band

I also have a lot of Snow Patrol, Coldplay, Bethany Dillon and Shawn McDonald on the list.

I am getting so excited about the race!!
I can't believe it is 1 week away!!

Leigh

thanking jesus for madonna and leather...

so the title of this blog is the old fashioned marketing idea to lead with a great headline to get people hooked...but honestly, when I was running this morning, I thought of it...

So I am half a mile from the finish of my 8 mile jog this morning, and I was tired, (hope that doesn't happen during the marathon at 7.5 miles!!), and I needed a pick me up. I was listening to my NEW iPod nano (the RED one--thanks sweetie!!!) (sorry about the shout out to Tim and to Apple), and some Dashboard Confessional song came on. And I like Dashboard, but sometimes their love/angst songs are not so motivating...so I hit Skip on the iPod (I have a running mix I listen to that is always on shuffle to keep it fresh)...and guess who came on...MADONNA, with her song "Hung Up". At that moment, a half mile from the finish, needing a pick me up, I said out loud..."thank you Jesus".

I mean, the bible says to always be thankful, in all things...and boy, when you need a pick me up to get through a tough part of the race, madonna is your girl. Now you know I am already a big Madonna fan, I mean, I flew to Chicago this summer to see her concert...so it was a great moment, and one that I needed to be thankful for.

In a related story...I was out shopping with Tim, Casey and Danny last week looking for the post-Christmas sales, and I found a brown belt at the Gap. Ok so a confession...I hate parting with money, and I especially hate spending money on items that are "necessities", like belts and shoes and toothpaste and overall the stuff you would buy for yourself at Walmart...I mean I am 32 but I still wish my Mom would buy me those types of things!! So I have honestly needed a new brown belt since last Christmas, but have been too cheap to buy one. I mean $20-30 bucks? for real, that feels way to expensive for a belt of all things.

So anyway, this Christmas I decided it was time to get a new belt, that it was way past due. so we were at the Gap, and I picked out the belt, it had a price tag of $24.95...I seriously stood in front of the belts the entire time we were in the store contemplating the purchase...then I decided to dive in, spend the money, and have a nice new belt.

So I go to check out, and it rang up at $9.95. I looked at the screen and asked the check out girl--"it's only $9.95", and she was like "yeah, it's on sale"...I immediatly say "Thank you Jesus" out loud, right to the check out girl (Casey can vouch for this!).

Being thankful for the little things!!

Leigh

Have a good weekend!!