Life Lessons from the Timber Trek

It's been almost three weeks since the Timber Trek and I think I've finally wrapped my head around it being over.  After nearly a year of planning and preparation, it took a while not to wake up every morning and think "What needs to be done for the race today?  Who needs to be emailed/called/coerced/blackmailed into something?"  I've finished up all of the post-race to-dos:  mailing ghost runner t-shirts, selling extra shirts, delivering leftover goodie bag items to the sponsors, putting my pile of papers and notes in some semblance of order...okay, well I haven't done that yet.  But I'm almost finished. 

When I first began mulling over what to write in this post, I imagined it would be a full recap of the entire event from start to finish.  Instead, I realized that while I do want to capture some specific memories of that incredible day, it is more important to me to articulate the lessons I gleaned from the whole experience.  

So first, here are some details that I want to remember:

• The weather was supposed to be rainy and awful.  I had watched the forecast like a hawk all week, but never really freaked out about it.  I prayed and knew that beyond that, there was nothing that could be done.  When I stepped out of the shower around 4:15am the morning of, I heard it pouring outside.  I frustratingly vented to God as I pulled up the weather app on my phone.  It read 5am: 30%, 6am: 30%, 7am: 30%, 8am: 0%.  No joke.  The very start time of the race had a ZERO percent chance.  It was if God was telling me, "I have told you a thousand times that I've got this.  Trust me."  And He did have it.  It sprinkled a bit during set-up and break-down, but not a single drop fell during the races.  Amazing.

• The incredible sense of calm as Sarah (my Fundracers point person) and I drove around the neighborhood in the dark in a golf cart marking the course before dawn.  As we drove, we prayed for the event as we'd done so many times before.  I was excited but calm and in proper "event mode", which can't be attributed to anything but the Holy Spirit's peace.  

• The overall spirit and sense of community was almost palpable.  Watching neighbors introduce themselves to others and strike up conversations and then later cheer one another on was just the neatest!  Beyond raising money and awareness for Street Grace, this was about building community in our neighborhood.  It's cheesy, but I was literally watching my dreams come true.  

• Getting to run the Fun Run with David, Luke, Audrey, and David's parents and having my family cheer on the kids.  Audrey and Luke had been hearing about this for so long and had sacrificed time with me while I worked on it.  They even put in time serving by putting up and taking down signs, making posters, stuffing bags, etc.  Watching it come to fruition through their eyes was just as cool as seeing it myself.  

• Everything ran smoothly, even when it didn't.  There were a few hiccups, but we all rolled with it and everyone kept their cool.  I've done enough events to know this is not something to take for granted.    

• After the race, I received an email from one of the board members who had never been  supportive of the event.  In the note, he congratulated me and complimented how smoothly it went and how clean the areas were post-race.  From him, these were hard-earned nuggets of gold. 

• My friends and family are just amazing.  They are truly the BEST.  Over and over again I was reminded of this.  Sweet friends stayed late with me on Friday night while I was waiting for t-shirts to arrive so we could finish stuffing bags.  Some drove for hours to be a part of it.  Some gave hundreds of dollars.  Some got up at 5am or earlier to come out, point people in the right direction, and cheer because they knew that simple act could help make all the difference to participants.  Professional t-shirt design and photography were possible because of generous friends.  So many prayed.  So many listened and encouraged.  So many believed in this and showed up, ready and willing.  Simply put:  I could not have done this without David and our small group, friends, and family and I will NEVER forget that support.  

And in case you missed me shouting it from the rooftop, here are some stats from the race:

• Over 100 people came out to participate in the 5k and Fun Run

• $2,500 was raised for Street Grace

• 30+ volunteers came out to stuff bags, set-up, check-in registrants, cheer and guide participants, provide music and sound, hand out water and bananas, break-down, and clean up

• 20 businesses sponsored the race

And finally, the Top 5 Life Lessons I learned from putting on a 5k:

1)  A courteous and prompt "no" is almost as nice as a "yes."  I learned this from asking 50+ businesses for sponsorships.  If they couldn't/wouldn't do it, the next best thing was respecting me enough to tell me quickly so I could move on and not waste my time with 2-3 follow-ups.  In fact, I found myself nearly hugging several business owners after they'd just flat out said no.  I now try to take that respect into consideration when I know I have to turn others down!

2)  Don't assume.  (You know what they say about that.)  People you thought would be a sure thing may not be and those you almost didn't approach could come through in a huge way.  You'll never know if you don't ask.

3)  God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.  Cliche?  Yes. But OH so true.  And if you are operating under your calling, WHEN (not if) adversity crops up, it's a lot easier to deal with.  Not easy, mind you, but easiER.

4)  Keeping calm really does make all the difference.  In event planning, as in life, things are going to go wrong.  Something will happen, whether big or small.  You can do everything in your power to plan, prep for, and attempt to prevent this, but when it does occur, your attitude about it is everything.  As a leader - be it in the home or elsewhere - that attitude is contagious.  If I had freaked that the music was late or complained about a screw-up, the entire tone of the event could have been very different.  You don't have to be flippant, but you do need to stay positive and in calm control of the situation if you want the outcome to be the best it can be.  (If only I could remember this when my three year old loses his ever lovin' mind over a missing acorn.)  

5)  Celebrate the heck out of a victory.  I mean really milk the thing for all it's worth.  One of the very best lessons I learned from my grandmother was to "work hard, play hard."  I built in several big and small celebrations months in advance so I could look forward to them and to ease the post-event funk.  The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to stop, celebrate, and reflect on the awesomeness of a big accomplishment before just plowing ahead to the next goal.  Taking that down time gives you pause to appropriately thank God and others as well as giving you a chance to refuel yourself. 

So that's it.  That's the gist of the day plus what I learned from the whole experience.

I don't know if there will be a second one next year (hint: probably).  Even if this was a one-time deal, however, I am so glad I said yes to God's calling.  It was not easy and was often met with hurdles and push-back from our HOA board.  Even when they finally came around, I had sponsors let me down and registrations were so slow that I wondered if anyone would show up.  And yet, people came through and numbers rolled in last minute just as everyone told me they would.  

God was faithful time and time again and showed up in a bigger way than I could have ever imagined.  And just in case I didn't express it enough, there is no way I could've done this without my family, friends, small group, and neighbors.  I keep trying to put it into words, but I know I'm falling short.  The bottom line is that I am grateful and forever changed by the experience!

My awesome small group presented this to me the week after the race.  Aren't they just the sweetest?!  It was so thoughtful and meant a great deal.  
There may have been some choking up...it was all David, though.  

Plateaus

I've hit a couple of plateaus here lately that I feel the need to lament about for a moment.  Spoiler Alert:  I promise I'll finish on a good note.

The first is in the area of weight and fitness.  I'm well aware of the shallowness in that and that I've already dedicated way too much blog space lately on the subject.  That being said:  C'MON, MAN.  

I've lost 7 of the 12 lbs I want to lose, but cannot seem to break past this point.  I'll usually get to this number and, having had endured dieting for 4-6 weeks already, I'll throw in the towel and gain it all back.  I've been at this on and off since November ("off" being pretty much all of December and a good chunk of January), but with slightly more regularity since February and I'm just kinda over it.

At the risk of getting the "just wait" comments, I gotta say I am not at all pleased with what age and this post-baby stage of life has done to my metabolism.  I used to be able to reign it in diet-wise for a week or two and jog around the block and the weight would come off.  (Okay, that's not entirely true, but I swear this did used to come a little easier.)  Now I take one cheat day, or lately, just a cheat MEAL over the weekend, and I spend three to four days getting it back off, which does not equal a lot of progress.  

There are a few other areas that I'm feeling these plateaus as well:  a couple of different friendships, organization projects around the house, and, the hardest hitting one right now, the neighborhood 5K I'm trying to put together.  

I haven't shared a whole lot about the project, but I've been working on it in the background.  I can't remember where I left off or what I've already written, so let me give you a quick recap of the timeline:

Late October - I got things rolling and submitted a proposal to the HOA board.

November - I met with the Board and presented the proposal.

Mid-January - I finally heard back from the Board with a green light.  Unfortunately, all of the spring dates were booked already with the organization I wanted to partner with.  We began to look at Fall, but only two dates were open.  Due to an oversight by the race organization, one filled up and we were left with a less-than-desirable mid-November date.

Mid-March - The race organization added a new employee and tons of Fall dates opened up.

Early April - After running it through several channels, a date was chosen:  September 26th.  Glory be.  We secured the a website domain name and got to work on drafting publicity.

Mid April - I submitted an official announcement and two proposed course options to the HOA Board for approval.

Now, if you read in between the lines of the above, you will see some struggle.  There have been some serious back and forth and ups and downs and excitement and disappointment over this already.  So, when I got an email earlier this week from a Board member stating we needed to talk about "some things that would definitely have to change before the Board could give a thumbs up" you can imagine my discouragement.

Again I say, C'MON MAN.

In my previous life, I was in charge of a lot of volunteers.  I recruited them, trained them, and celebrated them.  It was my world for a period of time.  

Here is one of the many things that I learned during that time:  When someone competent is willing to step up and do something for your business/organization/community FOR FREE that falls within its vision/goals/priorities, you do not make it difficult for them.  You empower them.  You support them, encourage them, and give them the tools they need to succeed.  You do not want to make them jump through hoops or micromanage them or make them wish they'd never volunteered in the first place.  That is a no-no.  Duh, right?  That is Managing Volunteers 101.  

And yet, that's been my experience and it's all been so...defeating.  I feel tired.  And the real work of organizing, registering, drumming up sponsorships, etc. has not even begun yet!  Ugg.

I was in the mental thick of it Wednesday night and had a hard time sleeping.  I was rudely awaken by my alarm at 5:45am Thursday morning.  I got dressed and sleepily drove to the gym in the dark.  I prayed on the way, asking God to help me push through these walls that seemed to be cropping up everywhere.  As I pulled into a parking space, I ended my prayer by asking Him to just give me some signs and encouragement that day.  I needed to know He saw my weariness and I needed a "fresh word" as they say in churchspeak.  

I walked through the gym doors and immediately noticed a new display of t-shirts for sale.  The one in front jumped out at me.  It read:  "Remember Why You Started."

Huh.  That's a coincidence.

I did my workout and drove home to finish getting the kids ready and take Audrey to school.  Flipping through the radio channels on the way, I stopped on the local Christian station and heard a song I hadn't heard in awhile.  The song was "Our God" by Chris Tomlin and talks about how God is greater, stronger, and higher than any other and that if He is for us (which He is) then no one can ever stop us or stand against us.  (Romans 8:31)

Well.

My outlook and mood were starting to slowly shift, thankfully.  What really sealed the deal, however, was a devotional I read later that day.  The title drew me in immediately.  It was so fitting, I actually laughed out loud.  It was...get ready...Did I Hear God Wrong?

Perfection.  Please stop and read it right now.  I could summarize all of the key points, but I wouldn't dare be able to do the great job that Lysa TerKeurst did.  

It was everything I needed at the very moment that I needed it.  Just as I was wondering whether I'd really been called to do the race...whether I'd misunderstood God's prompts...I received multiple signs and a breath of fresh air from Him that renewed my resolve.  Obedience to God rarely means walking an easy path.  It's a road full of valleys, peaks, and a few plateaus, but oh, the view at the next level is worth it.  

Stay tuned for more race news and in the meantime, please pray for favor and support from the HOA Board!