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Why do I do this again?
Lot’s of people look at me cross-eyed when I mention I ran a half marathon recently. Some smile nicely as if to keep the crazy girl calm and quietly slip away. But many slap me on the shoulder and say, “Great Job!”
Talking about sports, especially some of the things I do (long distance cycling, speed skating, etc), sometimes draws mixed reactions. Especially when I talk about my dad (climbed Kilimanjaro & Rainer, biked 3100 miles across the country, etc).
It’s genetic. And I’m okay with that.
Although this past weekend, I might have questioned it once or twice.
I ran the Sedona half marathon Saturday.
Any athlete knows that some races just aren’t as good as others. Stomach trouble, freak cramping, or some other random issue.
Me and Stina at the start Well, lucky me, I got a few of them. I still managed to enjoy the day and take one minute off my time last year, but it was painful.
At the start, with my friend, Christina, excitement hummed in the air. It was COLD (29 degrees) but the bright sun bounced off the beautiful red rocks. *sigh* I’ll never tire of that view.
Me chugging around the last corner toward the finish By mile five I had a stitch in my side that burned like fire from hades. Couldn’t get a good deep breath and that just snowballed into fatigue, cramping and whole nine yards.
But, my good friend Christina kept my spirits up and chugged along with me. It was her first half marathon ever, so it was fun to share that with her.
I’ll be honest, I thought a few times, “Why do I do this again?” But the answer presented itself shortly thereafter.
A challenge.
What is life without challenges? Some we choose, such as running, extreme sports, etc, and some we don’t. My mother-in-law, while I was running this 13.1 mile race, was sitting in a chair getting ready to receive her very first chemo treatment. She didn’t ask for that challenge, but she’s facing it head on.
Stina and me at the finish with our medals and Sun Drop soda Her finish line might not be lined with spectators cheering, tons of food, Sun Drop soda and a finisher’s medal, but she’s persevering, regardless.
The challenges we face, no matter what they are, we can grow from. Spiritually and mentally.
My race ended with me being a bit short of my goal time, and I was very sore, but I’m stronger because of it.
When I wanted to stop and walk, I thought of my mother-in-law.
When I wanted to stop and walk, I prayed to God for strength.
When I wanted to stop and walk, I thought of my sweet hubby cheering me along back in Phoenix.
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When you want to stop and walk, what do you do to keep going?
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The meaning of a name. . .
Me & my mother-in-law, Lynn. Today I have a heavy heart.
My mother-in-law is in surgery. One that will hopefully prolong her life for many years since her recent cancer diagnosis.
You might wonder what’s this got to do with the title of my post today,The meaning of a name. . .
Most of you know that Lynn Rush is my pen name. My mother-in-law played a part in that, though. So, I wanted to share the story…
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As much as I love my husband and his character-building, very Dutch last name, its complex spelling and pronunciation doesn’t work well in the writing world. So, you can imagine I was encouraged to pick a pen name early on in my writing career.
I’m a sentimental kinda gal. I mean, I tell everyone the diamond in my wedding ring is my mother-in-law’s engagement diamond. She’s been married to her hubby for over 42 years!
It’s just me. I love that stuff.
So, when I was encouraged to pick a pen name, I had to go the sentimental route with that as well. I wanted something nice and short, easy to remember, and just kinda flowed off the tongue.
Yet I wanted some meaning behind it.
We threw out funny last names to go with Sheri (Yep, that’s my real first name) such as Speed, Crash, silly ones like that to kind of represent my love of speed (speed skating, road biking, mountain biking) and the tendency to crash while participating in those adventures.
But nothing flowed.
So, one morning, my sweet hubby and I were on a scenic drive, throwing out name ideas. I don’t remember the exact wording, but the conversation went something like this:
“Hey, Char, what about Lynn?”
He smiled. “Well, it is your middle name.”
“But I was thinking more of your mom, though. It’s her first name and she was the first to read anything I’d ever written. Plus, she’s a great writer. Remember she wrote When Was It Love for our wedding?”
He smiled and nodded. “It’s nice.”
I thought it only appropriate, considering Lynn was instrumental to where I am today, and not just as a writer, but as a woman and wife as well.
We decided on Rush to kind of go with the speed-junky-thing I have going on, but most importantly is the first name. Technically it’s my middle name, but I know the real reason behind it.~~~
So, I dedicate today’s post to Lynn Boeyink. She’s stepped into a war for her life after having been diagnosed with a form of liver cancer that didn’t leave her with great odds of beating. One of the many battles she’ll face is today…surgery.
Love you, Mom II.
If you’re interested, you can follow her journey on CaringBridge.
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Christmas Check up . . .
How is the holiday season going so far for you?
We’ve got quite a change for this year’s celebration. Good things and not so good. 2010 has proved to be a most eventful year.The first few months of 2010 turned out to be very crazy. I got a new job after four months of unemployment, got a book contract, got an agent, and thenlost a book contract because the publisher closed its doors.
**whew** Right?
Oh, it gets even more exciting . . . I found myself unemployed again here this past September, but then a couple months later, I landed the best job ever! Assistant to a bookstore manager.
What better job for a writer, right?Right after starting that spectacular new job, we got some devastating news. . . my sweet mother-in-law, Lynn, got diagnosed with cancer. At first it looked pretty grim–but as testing went on, we’ve been told she may be a candidate for surgery after all.
So, if you pray, pray. . . she’s only 62 and I’m so not ready to lose the one who inspired my pen name.
Yep, she’s why I picked Lynn. . . but that’s a post for another day.
Christmas 2010, if everything goes right, will be hopping here. Everyone is converging here in the desert to escape the frigid midwest weather. But most of all, I’m just thankful we can all be together, especially with my mother-in-law’s health concern hovering over our heads.Looking back over the year, it sure made me focus on the true meaning of Christmas. For me it’s Jesus’ birthday, and second to that, celebrating the love of family and friends. I’m so blessed!
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How are the holidays going for you? What are your plans?
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Comfort . . .
My BFF sent this email to me the other day, and in light of the recent cancer diagnosis my mother in law received, it really fits where I’m at these days….
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A Nativity Scene was erected in a church yard. During the night the folks came across this scene. An abandoned dog was looking for a comfortable, protected place to sleep. He chose baby Jesus as his comfort. No one had the heart to send him away so he was there all night.
We should all have the good sense of this dog and curl up in Jesus’ lap from time to time.
