Are you real?

I love children’s books. Love them. Some are silly, but some really take life lessons and make them so simple. Sometimes I think adults would benefit if they went back and read their old children’s books to really understand life. Lets face it, as adults we sometimes loose the basics in the shuffle.


Over the past few weeks I've been pondering a few different topics, re-reading old text books as well as complex philosophers like C.S. Lewis and Emerson in order to further my understanding. That's when I ran across one of my favorite children's book, The Velveteen Rabbit.

So, in celebration of child-like simplicity and clarity, I've included my favorite passage about love that I just revisited this afternoon.

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."


"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."


"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive.

But the Skin Horse only smiled.

Pushing your limits

So on Octover 22, I completed my very first half marathon!! I can't even begin to describe my excitment or sense of accomplishment. It was such an incredible experience, I've taken the past few weeks to just soak it all in! haha First of all, if you have never participated in a race of any kind, I don't think I can accurately relay the energy, encouragement and excitment. A half marathon is just like that, but on steroids!

I started training for my half when I first heard about it in August. I followed Hal Higdon's plan and it was PERFECT! It broke it into doable pieces, only alteration I made was adding a mile every week to my long run, so my longest run the week before was 12 miles, making 13 fit perfectly into my routine. I ended my training running about 30 miles a week, much different then the three I started out with.

Hal Higdon's Novice Half Marathon Training Program

About two weeks before the race, my cousin posted on Facebook he was looking someone to run his first half marathon with, how perfect! Never having run together, I was a little nervous, but TJ was a trooper and hung with me all the way till mile 10. Amazing considering he is at least four inches taller and six years younger. It made the race go so quickly! We really had some good heart to heart. It's for those moments why I run. It's getting away from everything and just reflecting on life without pressure or anything else to do.

We got to the race start at 7:00 that morning when it was about 30 degrees. I couldn't believe how it took my breath away when I got out of the car. Once the gun went off, my muscles still weren't as warm as normal, this was the first big cold of the year. Pretty sure my body wasn't awake and loose till mile 3. Needless to say, the first few miles were really slow.

At mile 10, TJ took off and killed it! I think he finished in 2 hours and 5 minutes. Like he said, only three minutes short of the world record....for a full marathon. :-) LOL

I put my headphones in for the first time and the following song came on my shuffle. Now tell me how can you not kick it into gear when you hear this? I was dancing the entire time it played.

10 mile song

The last mile, the next song came on. As old school as it is, it is my absolute favorite running song. How does it not kick you into gear? I think I repeated it three times. :-)

Pick it up!

I ended up finishing in 2 hours and eleven minutes, pacing 10:00. Not exactly proud of it, but happy. Especially for my first!

I remember seeing an interview with Kelly Osbourne and she said she never thought she would be the girl who snacked on rare carrots. Well, I never thought I would be that running girl, but I can honestly say I've caught the bug. I literally think about running and look up articles to read about it. Now that, my friends, is sick. There are worst things :-)

Oh! And for my pilot wives, DH WAS in town! Got in the night before :-) How amazing is that? I was a little depressed he wasn't going to get to share in my excitement, along with my uncle, mom and dad.

Ok, I will stop gushing. Let me just encouraging you to make a goal. Then set doable steps to accomplish it. Goals that take work and dedication. Where the possibility of failure is real. There is nothing like pushing your limits and watching them back down.