My 1st Road Race...

My 1st Road Race...
Hey all...this Saturday I am running in my 1st ever road race!! Tim and I are driving down to Orlando tomorrow for a much needed vacation...and I signed up for the Miracle Makers 15k on Saturday...I think it is 9.3 miles! I am excited!!!! It will be tough since this will be longest I will ever run alone, without myy faithful running partners, Suzie & Suzanne...or my dog Jackson (he did 7 miles with me last Saturday!!)...but I am excited!! Some of my friends in Orlando are coming down to the race to cheer me on, so that will make it all worth it!!

Life is good...God is faithful...this training has been all consuming and an uber challenge mentally, as well as physically...but I know that God has been with me every step of the way. My left knee really aches, and there are days when I feel totally beat up...but it really has been amazing. I can not encourage you enough to take a step towards one of your lifelong goals today...you won't regret it, no matter how insane it seems! (come on...me running a marathon is at best a ludicrous idea!!)...

anyway, let me know how you are doing...

Leigh

Everyone's Chipping In...

Hey guys, it's Friday morning, and I actually have a day off from running today, to rest my legs for 10 miles tomorrow morning! WOW...I am actually quite nervous about it...I ran my normal 5 on Wednesday, and thought about the fact that I would be running double tomorrow...ok I need to stop psyching myself out about it!!!

Anyway, I was thinking about Leukemia this week, alot actually...it effects SO many young people! The Leukemia society sent us these facts...

Did you know:

--Every 5 minutes someone is newly diagnosed with blood cancer (Leukemia, Lymphoma, etc).

--Every 10 minutes someone loses the battle...dies.

--And leukemia still causes more deaths than any other cancer among young people under the age of 20.

WOW. This is a cancer that is killing people our own age...and at a staggering rate...

Just think...in the amount of time that I spent watching the LAGUNA BEACH (sweet!) marathon last Saturday (sadly, about 6 hours of it), in the 360 minutes I was vegetated on the couch...36 people died of Leukemia. wow.

And if you consider my husband's Star Wars or Lord of the Rings (extended editions, of course!) marathons...about 10 hours of viewing pleasure or 600 minutes (for those of us counting)...60 people died of a blood cancer during that time.

Those stats are wild...

Most of us will go to a movie this weekend, or spend time eating out with friends...just think about what the $10 bucks you spend while you are eating out can do to help fight this cancer...would you consider matching your entertainment spending this weekend to donate to fight the cancer that is killing the most young people in America?

How about just $10? That is a mere sacrifice...we are such a blessed country...let's all give so we can find a cure.

Even my pretty beagle is helping out...


You know, I know we all have causes that are dear to our hearts...so if this is not the cause that makes you want to donate or be active, I understand...but I encourage you to be active for whatever cause that motivates you this weekend...give back. It really is a great feeling. Running usually does not feel great in the middle of it, but when I am done, I feel so accomplished and satisfied...you can to by being active for the charity of your choice.

I hope that these stats make you think...if you want to give, please go to the link below...

www.active.com/donate/tnttn/leighholt

or if you want to donate, but not online, send me a message, I will give you my address.

Hope you have a GREAT Friday! :) Thanks for reading...
Leigh

The older I get, the less I know

The older I get the less i know...I used to hear that phrase when I was younger, and did not believe it. I always thought it was false humility...but now that I am OLDER, I know it is true...

It is amazing to me how we are all helpless without Christ...It is amazing to me at the same time that he is in perfect control.

I was running last night with Suzanne, and we had a good conversation...she was talking about a situation in her life where she felt like she was wrongly judged, and the person judging her was knee deep in her own wrongs when she pointed the finger at her...and I have had a similiar experience...it is just such a frustrating place to be in, because you want to respond, but how do you in a loving manner, maturely, and the way Christ would? I certainly do not have the answers...but a few years ago, I certainly would have thought I knew how to handle it...

I am so lucky that God is in control of all of this...even when I cling to it myself and try to manipulate my circumstances and being, he is still in control. that really makes me feel better...

how are you doing today?

PS: I got a DQ Blizzard tonight...it was awesome...just wanted to share!

The Italian feast

Yep...I am planning a fundraising dinner on Saturday, August 19th at my house...my mom and Aunt Ginny are coming to town to cook an entire italian meal from SCRATCH...you better believe it...they are AMAZING in the kitchen...

Wanna come? Are you in Nashville and near? Please feel welcome!

It is a fundraising dinner, so it is $10/person...it is seriously wierd to invite people to my house and ask for money...it took me 4 days to create the invite because it was so awkward...but hey, it is to find a CURE...so it is worth me asking!

Also...what is $10? That is easy to blow on a typical night out to dinner...and you won;t get my mom's cooking at any restaurant!!

Be there or be square...

Random musings from this weekend...

So here are a few random tidbits from my weekend that I felt compelled to share...

--So Tim and I went out to dinner last night, and we wanted to try something new...now let me set this up properly...Tim and I love food. I mean LOVE it. We get giddy about restaurants and over indulgence. So recently we began to stop going out to eat during the week, so we can save our money and go to nicer restaurants then Panera or Pei Wei for our Saturday night dates...the old standby is Cheesecake Factory...but this week we were adventurous, and tried a new restaurant...

Well anyway, Tim orders Enchilada's, and boy is he excited...so he takes 2 or 3 bites, and looks at me a tad funny...he thought he recognized the taste...he is mentally going through all of the Mexican restaurants we frequent...takes 2-3 more bites, and just looks downright disappointed...he then tells me that it tastes exactly like his "Chicken Enchilada Suiza" by Lean Cuisine...EXACTLY like it...what a downer when you wait all week to go out to eat...then realize that you paid $13.99 for a Lean Cuisine...

I told him to look on the bright side, that maybe, JUST MAYBE, this restaurant GAVE Lean Cuisine their recipe, and they were the "Founding Fathers" of that Lean Cuisine meal...just maybe...(PS: that didn't really cheer him up)

--Walmart...makes me mad. I am not kidding you...I enter happy, I exit Mad. I needed lightbulbs, and I was on the food center side...I asked 3 employees where the light bulbs were, and I got these responses...
1. "Over across the store...on the other side"...ok thanks, that clears it up for me...
2. "I have NO idea where they are, I really don't"...wow, thanks
3. "Walk to the end of this aisle, turn right, and you Might run into them"...well at least that got me started...

Anyway...Always Low Prices certainly comes at a cost...

--OK the last random musing...My dogs are freaked out by hot air balloons!! It is HILARIOUS!! They will not go outside when they see one...it is so funny...and they wimper. You have to see it...but it is great.

All right, thought I would share...got to go wreck my mind and watch Entourage...

Leigh

8 miles down...

I had a great morning this morning, God shined on us and brought us slightly cooler weather, and we embarked on an 8 mile journey through the Belmont area of Nashville...man the scenery on a run can sure make a difference!! I actually felt so good this morning, it was amazing to run the same route we rn about a month ago for the 1st time we did 7 miles, and not feel beat down and like I was going to die a slow miserable death...today I actually had ENERGY!

I am telling you...if you ever want to chase your dreams, it is worth it! This whole experience has been a great mixture of humility and empowerment...there are more days then not that I do not want to get out there and jog, (and at my pace, these jogs are glorified walks!!) but it is such a great feeling when I am done. I am learning so much mentaly and physically, it is insane--I got a lot more then I bargained for by signing up for this journey!

Well the running is going well, and my fundraising has been slow but steady...it has been fun to receive support checks and support NOTES in the mail...everytime I get a letter of encouragement I hang it on the fridge...it is fun to hear what others have to say!!!! I got a donation from my a lady who works with my friend Kelly's (my roommate who passed from Leukemia) Mom this week that was so inspiring...Leukemia has touched so many lives, and I believe now more then ever that it is a cause worth fighting for.

If you feel the urge, and want to give, click here:
http://www.active.com/donate/tnttn/leighholt and you can give online. This week I am going to donate 1 day out at lunch to the cause...

Thanks for reading and in advance for your encouragement!!!!

LH

PS: A highlight of today's run was running past Emily & Bethany's yard sale...they cheered me on like a real race!! :)

I am getting old...

I am getting old...it is so funny because whenever I say that, people blow me off...maybe because I still look exactly the same as I did on the day I received my driver's license...God has blessed me to not age too drastically...so I have moments like this all the time...I went to look into a gym membership tonight and the 1st thing the lady said was "what school do you go to so I can give you your discount"...I should have asked her if she meant high school or college... :)

Anyway...running is going great, it is so amazing...I want to share more often but gosh I am tired every night! The reason I title this blog about my age though is this...

My knee hurts! Yep,, it is aching...when I walk up and down stairs, and put too much weight on it, it aches...so this is the same knee that I had surgery on when I was in HS...about a year after I got the driver's license...so let's do the math MySpace friends...I got my license 15 years ago!!! The surgery was 14 years ago...that makes me certifiably OLD. It is insane to think about that! I graduated college 9 years ago...yes COLLEGE (Go Dawgs) not HS...

So this blog is really a waste of time...just here to tell you I'm old...my knee aches...but I am trying to make it!

8 miles this Saturday...going for an all time distance record of 8! Wish me luck!

Leigh

PS: My age might prohibit me from remembering writing this blog...