Shamrock Shuffle 8k Race Recap

Last Sunday, March 21, I ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k (4.9 miles) in downtown Chicago. This was my longest race to date and my longest running distance ever! I've never run more than 5 miles in a row (though I have been training with 6 1-mile repeats in the same session).

I ran the race with four other people from my church as part of Team World Vision to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief. We raised nearly $1,500.00 altogether so far! There's still time to donate if you'd like to participate. Thanks to everyone already who supported us!

None of the runners from my group had actually run 5 miles before (except Boyi since she's on the cross country team at her high school). It was kind of funny because our group included me, who has been training for races (triathlon & 5k) since last May; Tiffany, who started seriously training for this 8k a little over a month before the race; Josh, who apparently had been training for a while and running 5 miles every weekend; Boyi, who did cross country in the fall, but had to start running again to train for this race; and Craig, who didn't really train at all (he played basketball and then ran a little less than 4 miles with us the other day--we were doing 5--and was still really sore from it the day of the race).

Josh and Craig pre-race.

The girls: Tiffany, Boyi, and me before heading down to Grant Park. Tiffany and I made our team shirts. They say, "Everyone loves a Shamrock Shuffler." The Team World Vision logo's on the sleeve and our names are on the back.

Weather on race day was cloudy, windy, and around 30-something degrees. At least there wasn't any snow on the ground (it snowed the day before), but it was still a little wet. We got down to the race site at about 8:15 AM. Luckily Josh's apartment (our homebase) was a really short walk to Grant Park. So Tiffany and I checked our gear and then we headed over to the Team World Vision tent for a group picture (which I'm somehow trying to get a copy of). Then we tried to warm up a little (for the race and just because we were cold) while we headed over to the start corrals. None of us did this race before so we were all in the open corral. We seeded ourselves in the 9-minute mile group (which was the first one after corral C). Then we stretched and waited.

The race started at 9 AM for the elite runners (of which we are not) so by the time we got to the starting line it was nearly 9:30 (and the elite runners had already finished the race...haha). But it was pretty exciting starting out and running under a bridge with people cheering for you above it. I've raced in the city a couple times before (Chicago SuperSprint Triathlon and Santa Shuffle 5k), but none of them were actually running through the city streets. That was a new and fun experience for me.

So the first couple miles were mostly just dodging people and trying to pass them up (and trying to run carefully over a slippery bridge, jumping up onto the sidewalk then having to run up a short flight of stairs to get to the upper sidewalk, jumping back down into the street...). Tiffany, Boyi, and I stayed together for the first 2 miles. At the first mile marker, Tiffany asked me what our time was and I looked at my watch and said, "8:30...we're so slow!" Okay, so maybe we weren't that slow, but normally in races I tend to run my first mile faster than normal so I guess I was just surprised.

There were a lot of people throughout the entire race though, so it was generally still "crowded." The site says 36,000 people signed up though I know some of them didn't come because of the weather (which actually wasn't that bad for the race). I picked up my pace between miles 2 and 3 and lost Tiffany and Boyi somewhere behind me (though apparently Tiffany could still see me & follow me until after mile 3). So I just kept trying to run and keep a decent pace. It's kind of like a game. You pick someone, then you try to pass them. Then once you pass that person, you pick another person and try to pass him or her. I was getting tired by mile 4 though, but I knew it was almost over so I just kept pushing through. Luckily my knee wasn't hurting me during the race. I was concerned about that so I had my knee brace just in case but decided I didn't need it.

The worst part about the course was the slight hill right at the end (Roosevelt Rd.). I thought that's where I could push myself a little more to the finish line, but by the time I got up the hill, I was even more tired. So I tried to sprint a little bit toward the finish (which was still kinda far away), but had to slow down in the middle, and tried to push toward those last few meters to the finish line. I did it though!! Everyone in my group finished. The picture to the left is our post-race group pic. I finished in 0:42:35; 5,781 out of 25,567 finishers; and 528 out of 4,000-something women in my age group (I don't feel like looking up the exact number right now.) So not too bad for my first 8k. My eventual running goal right now is to continue building my mileage so I can run a half marathon (not this year) and as part of my triathlon training. I also want to improve my 5k speed so I'm under 25 minutes (or maybe even under 24!).

What are your running goals? Any race tips for me for the future? I'm still a newbie. :)

Whirlwind.

I wrote this post Sunday night, but I'm finally able to post it up.

Whirlwind. That’s the way I would describe my weekend. I just spent my entire weekend with my church youth group and now I’m writing this as I’m on a plane to Nashville for the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. I must say that I love flying at night. I love seeing the tiny city lights and right now the sun is setting and the view out the window is just breathtaking. It’s like a sea of clouds and just on one side of the plane I can see the horizon and the beautiful orange, pink, and blue hues of the sun. Then on the other side of the plane, there’s the moon--a single light in the midst of clouds. It reminds me of just how small my corner or the world and my life is compared to the greatness of the Earth and all God created. All I can say is, “WOW.”

This past weekend was another example of God’s greatness and glory. Our youth group participated in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine from 12 noon on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday. The entire week leading up to the famine I’ve been stressed more than usual. There have been so many events and activities going on and I’ve just been overwhelmed with planning it all. I felt so unprepared going in to the famine this year compared with last year. It was almost like the event just snuck up on me. 

Of course, the 30 Hour Famine is more than just an event. It’s our way of helping see people the way God sees them and to share God’s love with those in need around the world by raising money to help feed children for which hunger is not a choice. Despite my feelings of unpreparedness and everything that seemed to go wrong Friday night (our projector didn’t work, one youth counselor lost her voice during worship for the remainder of the weekend, we were way behind schedule, etc.), God was working in the midst of it all. 

We had some meaningful conversations with some of the teens, built fellowship with one another, had great insights during our Bible studies, and were encouraged by the testimonies shared at the end of the famine. One girl said the famine helped “reconnect her with God,” which brought tears to my eyes. Just knowing that young lives were being transformed through our time together this weekend makes it all worth it. No amount of planning or preparedness can change what God is already doing in hearts. 

So even though I’m completely exhausted physically (only running on about 11.5 hours of sleep for the entire weekend), my spirit is refreshed. This weekend God made it so everything else I had to do was on hold and all I did was focus my attention toward him and toward the teens he loves. I love our teens and I’m already looking forward to spending more time with them and investing more deeply in their lives. I can’t wait to see what God will continue to do in our group and at the upcoming Youth Conference in April. As I drove home from the famine last night at 8 p.m., I thought, “Youth ministry sure takes a lot of time.” There’s no doubt in my mind, though, that it was time well-spent. 

I care. And so I run.

For the short time that I've been running semi-competitively (aka. competing in 5k races), each new race was mainly a competition against myself, trying to run faster and to improve from the previous race.

A couple weeks ago, I sort of spontaneously registered for the Shamrock Shuffle 8k (March 21, 2010) with a few other people from my church. This time I'm running with more of a purpose. We joined Team World Vision to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief as part of this race.

The four of us from the left of the picture are all racing again in the Shamrock Shuffle (plus one of our youth group members too!)

So the challenges of this race for me are twofold:

1. It's the longest distance I've ever run (4.9 miles). I'm gradually trying to increase my endurance and distance over these next few weeks of training. I ran 4 miles last week, so I'll get there, but my goal is to just finish and not worry about my time.
2. To raise at least $200 as a team for Haiti. Right now we're at $130, but I really think we can go above and beyond our $200 goal if we all kick up our fundraising efforts a few notches.

Will you consider sponsoring us in this race to raise money for World Vision and Haiti? You can donate to our Salt 'N' Light Team or you can donate to me (but I've already reached my personal fundraising goal, so I'd encourage you to donate to the team first).

If you have questions about donations or the race, feel free to contact me. If you can't sponsor us financially, consider coming out to watch the race on March 21 (if you're in Chicago) or at least be praying for us as we train and run!

Once a Pug, Always a Pug

Tomorrow marks exactly six months after our first and precious pug, Jasmine AnnMarie (left), went to doggie heaven.

Losing Jasmine was like losing a family member of our family. She lived with us for 16.5 years so I basically grew up with her. Jasmine was at my college graduation (literally...sort of. She was staying at my college house while we went to the ceremony), she comforted me when I cried, she brought so much joy and laughter to our home, and she was the subject of many of our family prayer times.  Those six months of being pugless felt like so much longer! Those who have dogs understand that life just isn't the same without them.

This past Saturday, though, our family welcomed our new baby, Lexie Madison (right)! What a joy it is to have another pug in our lives! Lexie has been adjusting well to her new home and has already proven herself to be smart. She learned "sit" in two days (though she still needs some practice)!

At times I've felt a little sad because now I want to change my laptop background and phone background from Jasmine to Lexie. I almost feel bad because it seems like I'm pushing Jasmine aside and paying all this attention to our new puppy. I realize this is partially true, but I also know that Jasmine would probably tell Lexie what a great family she has now. Many people get excited about their dogs when they're puppies and when they're new and then get tired of the daily care for the dog. Not so in our family! We always loved spending time with the pug or just having Jasmine around. Although all us kids won't be home much longer, I know Lexie will be well-cared for by my parents.

Jasmine, though you're no longer physically with us, you will never be forgotten. All our great pug memories are from you and we wouldn't have gotten Lexie if we hadn't enjoyed the past 16.5 years you gave us. We'll never get another breed of dog. Lexie, we'll try not to compare you to Jasmine. I know you've already proven yourself to be unique and we love you too!

Our family never expected to get another pug so soon, but that's the way it worked out. I'm excited to see what other great things God has in store for 2010!

Jasmine loved sleeping. Lexie may be the same way.

Dog (or animal) lovers! Do you have any dog stories to share?

And the winner is...

I just used the random number generator to choose the winner of a signed copy of Cupidity by Hayley and Michael DiMarco. The number was 14, so after I just counted down the comments (skipping mine and Michael's responses), so the winner is....

JayeMarie!!

Congrats, Jackie! You can DM me on Twitter with your mailing address or email me at christywong(at)tyndale(dot)com.

Thanks, all! And be sure to check out Babble of the Sexes for more relationship articles and commentary from The Bachelor by Hayley and Michael!

Yes, I Suffer from Cupidity

I've been in a relationship with Gerald for the past two years and 3 months (almost), but I have to tell you--I suffer from Cupidity. What's Cupidity? It's stupid love. It's actually a real word that means "eager or excessive desire esp. to possess something; greed." I think that actual definition still applies to the word in terms of relationships. There's a picture of Gerald and me on the left, but ignore the creeper in the green shirt. Now back to cupidity.

Greed is selfish. It motivates us to do things--sometimes stupid things--just to get what we want. In relationships, most (if not all) of the problems come when we are thinking of ourselves first--being selfish. When we so desire love from another person, sometimes we may act stupidly just so we can have that relationship with the other person or what we think is love.

Months ago, I was asked to read an early version of Cupidity: 50 Stupid Things People Do for Love and How to Avoid Them by Hayley and Michael DiMarco. One of the editors here at Tyndale wanted the opinions of some of the people in the target age group for this book and I fit right in.

As I read through the manuscript, I had so many "ah-ha!" moments, some "Gerald does that exact thing. He needs to read this book" moments, and plenty of "Wow, I do this" moments. For disclosure, I will mention that I am working on publicity for this book as part of my job at Tyndale, but I'm writing this review because I truly believe that this message needs to be heard.

Michael and Hayley go through several types of Cupidity through the book:

• Emotional acts of Cupidity
• Mental (gender-specific) acts of Cupidity
• Physical acts of Cupidity
• Social acts of Cupidity
• Spiritual acts of Cupidity

Let me just give a few examples of how this book has pointed out acts of Cupidity in my own life. One chapter is called "Failing to Notice Him." I'd been told that men feel loved by feeling respected, but this chapter really helped to drive that point home. I know I don't always tell Gerald that I appreciate or notice the things he does--and being who he is, he'll let me know that. This can lead to petty arguments since sometimes I think I act more like a guy and want to fix problems or offer up solutions. But anyway, the DiMarcos stress the importance of telling your man simple words to make him happy like, "You are so strong. I love your big hands and your strong back." or "You're so good with cars, computers, providing, etc." They reminded me that as women, we need to stop projecting our desires and needs onto the men we love. They aren't women.

Hayley and Michael even give suggestions of seven ways to admire a man:

1. Tell him how well he did at taking care of something around the house
2. Compliment his abilities in front of his friends (I think this is a BIG one)
3. Remind him how safe he makes you feel when you are out together
4. Thank him every time he does something for you
5. If he corrects you, don't argue to prove yourself right. Just say, "Thank you so much for caring." (I need to remind myself of this one!)
6. When he has a win in his life, congratulate him
7. Never make fun of his masculine tendencies--appreciate them

Now there are other acts of Cupidity that I was enlighted to as I read this book, like having friends of the opposite sex, playing God (I think I do this without realizing it), not accepting his "kills," becoming too comfortable with each other, etc. You get the idea.

So whether you're single, dating, engaged, or married, I think everyone--women and men--will glean something from this book. I think its only problem is that the book doesn't look very masculine, so I doubt many guys would pick it up. It's pink and red, and even the font inside is red. This is why I gave a copy to Gerald and his housemates (3 other guys) when they moved in this past weekend. Hopefully they actually read it because it's so practical and helpful! Hayley and Michael write in a conversational style and lay it all out there. They've made their share of mistakes and they're helping us to not make the same ones.

I think everyone, especially people around my age--and even my high school teens in youth group, should read this book to help change the way a relationship now is going or to prevent relationship heartache in the future.

So I'm going to give away two copies in a random drawing on this blog. To enter, glance over the table of contents here (you can read the entire first chapter too) and post which act of Cupidity you need or want to read about and why. I'll randomly draw a winner on February 1 so you'll have the book in time for Valentine's Day.

Which act of Cupidity do you need or want to read about? Why?

Why I Run

It's that time of year where people make new year's resolutions to get in shape for the next year. This is pretty obvious when you go to the gym and the parking lot is fuller than usual. I'm still trying to get in shape, but I only have a couple main fitness goals for 2010:

• Complete my second SuperSprint Triathlon with a faster time than last year (54:52)
• Work to set a new personal 5k record under 25 minutes (or at least beating 25:10)

To help motivate those of you who think you could never run even a mile, I'll have you know that I never considered myself a runner. I hated running. In fact, in junior high, we had to do the mile fitness test and had to finish in under 11 minutes. I don't remember exactly how long it took me to finish the run (or in my case, run/walk), but I'm pretty sure it was close to 11 minutes. I have no idea how I came to be able to run 3.1 mile races, and with decent times.

So why do I run now? (and bike and swim)

It used to be mainly just to lose weight and to get in shape (it still is partially about that), but I also get a sense of accomplishment from completing each run or race. I'm also just amazed at how God created the human body to have this kind of physical endurance (an endurance that keeps on building as I train and work out). I never would have thought that I could finish a SuperSprint triathlon (375m swim/10k bike/2.5k run) or run a 5k. If you'd have asked me if I'd ever do either of those things years ago (even last year), I'd probably say, "No way."

My triathlon training also taught me that just as I was so willing (or could at least force myself) to wake up extra early to work out in the mornings, go to work, then do another evening work out, I should be training myself up in my spirtual life as well. Here is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT):

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

More than training up my physical body that will not last (we're only getting older every day), I need to remember to be training myself spiritually, reaching toward that heavenly prize. If I'm disciplined enough to wake up at 5 AM to swim, I can also be disciplined enough to wake up a little earlier to read my Bible and pray once in a while. If I can head straight to the gym after work, I can have my quiet time be the first thing I do when I get home too. It's all about priorties and living in light of what we're striving for. So a struggle for me at times is not allowing my race training and working out to get in the way of my time with the Lord. That is far more important and precious. It has lasting value.

So in 2010, I want to reach those fitness goals (and eventually my triathlon goal is to do a Sprint distance triathlon). More importantly, I want to be more disciplined in training myself up in the way of the Lord. Can we all encourage each other to take up this last challenge together?