(below is an entry I wrote two and a half years ago.)

About 3 weeks ago, I was with some friends on a Saturday night and we on a whim decided we're going to train to run a 5-k!  Of course, this is all fine and dandy in theory, right?!  Our first run was going to be the following Monday morning.

We decided we will run 3 days a week at 6:00 a.m.  The only thing I wasn't sure of at this point was the 6:00 a.m. thing.  To quote a previous pastor of ours, "I'm not sure God is even up that early!".

Monday morning arrived and I very groggily got out of bed and sleepily walked out the front door.  I got to our meeting point and shivered in the cold air.  We were all so pumped up!

We started out walking briskly and were chattering away.

Then the first 3 minutes came up.  We start running.  One minute goes by and I'm totally feeling the burning in my lungs. Two minutes go by and I am gasping for breath.  By the time we're on the third minute, I am feeling like a fish out of water!  Finally, the timer rings!  Whew!  Blessed relief.

We start walking again, but not quite as briskly as before.  Lest I bore you with the details of the entire morning, let's just say that I'll leave it to your imagination.  If the first 5 minutes were that bad, can you even begin to comprehend how the last 5 minutes went.  Oh My Word!!!!!!!!!!  Burning pain doesn't even begin to describe my lungs and legs.  wow.  For some interesting reason, there was no more talking!  We were just concentrating on surviving!

We also didn't get as far in our last 15 minutes as our first 15 minutes.  Imagine that?  Our running in the last 15 minutes was more like a slow stagger..... 

I was breathing so hard and panting and gasping for breath.  This totally surprised me.  I wasn't prepared for how much you use your lungs when you run. 

I crawled into my car without stretching. Big mistake! I hurt so bad, I could barely use the clutch to shift on the way home.  I don't think I had still caught my breath by the time I got home.  I staggered (literally) into the house and the only thing I could think of was going into the shower and sitting on the floor and letting the hot, hot, hot water massage my aching legs and back.  I was in so much unbelievable pain.

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I can't believe how my body has adapted to the running. The only disgusting thing is I weigh more than I did a year ago. Grrrrr..... You would think that if I stepped up my running the pounds would magically melt away. Yeah - not so much. I guess I like my midnight snacks too much!

A little over a month ago we started running longer miles on Sunday afternoons to start training for the half marathon we're running May 2010. To my surprise, I discovered that I actually enjoy these long runs! After we hit the 3rd-4th mile, it starts feeling easier, somehow. Your breathing regulates and you start going on automatic.

The other thing it does is clear my mind. There is something that happens to your body when you run for that many miles. It's totally exhilarating! I have a better mental attitude after I pound the pavement awhile.

I am so grateful to my running buddies, who have encouraged me these past couple of years. I know without them I would've stopped that very first day! (Yay for girlfriends. It's free therapy!) I love you guys so much and am absolutely grateful for you.

Recently I heard of an eighty year old woman who ran her 20th consecutive NYC marathon. I so want to be like that when I'm eighty.

Now I just have to get my husband on board. I'd love to run with him too... I can just see us now.

Eightyish.

Gray hair.

Holding hands as we cross the finish line together.

(that sounds totally sappy)

We're doing something new in our youth group this year. We're having something called  "gt squared" once a month. (we write it with the cool little 2 after the t, but I don't know how to do that in Xanga.) This stands for *guy talk/girl talk*. We meet in two different homes, Brent with the guys and Sarah & I with the ladies. Brent's going to be taking them through "Wild at Heart". I'm going to be taking the girls through "Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free". I think it's going to be interesting, and a lot of fun.

So, this morning I spent an hour and a half studying for gt squared this next Wednesday. It's a very fascinating book, and I can tell I'm going to be coming face to face with lies that Satan wants me to believe. But as I was studying I noticed some things in a new way completely unrelated to what I was studying.

I was in Genesis 2 & 3. I can't believe I've known this story all my life and never saw some of the details. (maybe I did, but my mommy memory, which means lack-thereof, displaced it with diapers and child rearing!

So I have some questions... and I need some of you Bible theologians to clarify some things for me.

1) In chapter one it says that God created the animals and then man and woman. In chapter 2 it says after he created man, he wanted a helper for him. Then it says God made the animals (including the birds) out of the ground. (2:19) and brought them before Adam to see if one would be right. As God made the animals and brought them to Adam, he named them.

Alright - this is where my mind went.  God made the birds & fish one day (clearly) and the land animals another. He made the animals first and then man and then (am I reading this right) created those animals again, out of the ground (this time to see if one could be helper for him)???? And then he created woman.

Or did he create Adam before he created animals?

 In verse 18-19 it says: And the Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them.  

Wait a minute? I thought the birds were created on Day 5? That's why I'm wondering if he made animals twice?  The second time, looking for a helper. Or am I making this waaaaaay more complicated than it actually is?

The other thing I was thinking... did the animals talk at the beginning of creation? Adam obviously talked... if God wanted a helper for him... wouldn't he have created that helper with talking ability? And --- bear with me here. Maybe that's why Eve wasn't all shocked that the snake was talking to her? Because it was common? And the snake... must have *walked* upright somehow. Because... if you're already made to slither on the ground, how would it be a curse to slither on the ground? Which God very clearly did (cursed the snake to crawl on it's belly).

And - - - one more question? I always thought it was Satan in the form of the snake. Um... well... it says the serpent was more cunning than the other animals. (3:1) It doesn't say anything about Satan deceiving the snake... So were these animals able to think like we think??? Obviously God is Truth and the snake was deceptive... which is not from God... so definitely it was Satan deceiving Eve. But did he come in the form of a snake... or did he just use the snakes' natural cunning and ability to talk to bring deception to her?

Oh my goodness - I hope you all are not freaking out at my questions!    I would like some feedback, though.