How's He Doing - The Marathon Series FINISHER

Here’s the last instalment guys! Well, for now. HEHE.

I’m a huge romantic so at least half of the race I was thinking about Josh. Naturally. LOL.

But it’s true. At the beginning of the race we started by running the first 1-2 KM together, and I gave Josh the thumbs up to take off. I did so gladly, not wanting to hold him up, and wanting him to exceed to his best!

Watching him take off and pass literally hundreds of people down the long flat stretch of road ahead of us was quite incredible. I could see his cute little red half zip sweater making his way though all the people until eventually he disappeared so far ahead of me.

If we compare this to the marathon of life that we’re all running, I think we can have 2 different responses to a scenario like this.

A) Dejected by the fact that we can’t keep up pace with the person.
B) Excited by their success and motivate to do YOUR personal best as they rock out THEY’RE personal best.

Option B empowers everyone. And option A tears down everyone.

When we get down on ourselves about the successes of someone else when our success looks “lesser” in the moment, we limit ourselves, and we limit the other person by burdening them to feel bad about their success. How unfair we can be sometimes! To ourselves and to other’s who we should be cheering on in their success making sure they’re enjoying and savouring every moment of it! Imagine someone working their whole lives to achieve something, and then we rob them of the joy of achieving and experiencing it because we want them to feel bad for us. We’ve all done it. But I think we an all realize how yucky that is.

When we CHOOSE even though we don’t always feel like it, to motivate ourselves by the successes of others and be inspired by their work and growth and achievement, we empower ourselves and we empower that other person.

It’s crazy how sometimes we actually allow, and make other people’s positives, negatives for ourselves, when we can choose for it to be a win win for everyone!

Even when Josh was SO far ahead of me I couldn’t even see him, I still thought about him. And I didn’t resent the several KM’s ahead of me he was. I was genuinely SO HAPPY for him and would actually get GIDDY thinking about how good he was doing and the amazing time he was going to achieve. And it made me run faster!

I would think about how he was killing it, and how for me and my ability to run, I was killing it! It just looked a little differently. But I also knew how proud of me He was going to be when I did cross that line. Even though it would be at a slower pace than him, it was going to be amazing and He was going to celebrate with me too.

Let’s think of other’s on their races, even when they’re ahead of us, positively, happy for them, and inspired for us. Win win!

All my love,

Ashley XOXO

Run with Me

I remember running up the initial incline of Crowsfoot road. If you live in the KW area, you know what I”m talking about. Throughout the race every KM is spray painted on the pavement, and every single one I made just to stomp on. Felt kinda good you know? Another one under my FEET. Shortly after I made it to the top of Crowsfoot and it started levelling out I made it to about 12 KM and all I could see is a long stretch that looked never ending ahead of me. All of a sudden my music was interrupted with the sound of my phone ringing in my ears.

“Hello?”

It was my brother Andrew calling me to see how I was doing, to give me encouragement and tell me how proud he was of me. Just that 30 seconds of encouragement breathed life into me for another 10 KM.

Sometimes it’s like Phone a Friend on who wants to be a millionaire. But it’s up to us to PROACTIVELY make that call to that friend who might just need to hear a simple “Hello, how are you doing, I love you, You’ve got this, you’re awesome.”

There is power in the “phone a friend.”

So on I went until about exactly 23 KM, and the 22-26 KM stretch was the hardest for me. My phone rang again.

“Hello?”

At this point I could barely muster the breath to carry on a conversation, but it was my parents. And they were cheering me on even from thousands of miles away, right there in my ear.

My tank was filled up again to push through the second half of the race. Who might need their tank filled up by some words of encouragement or act of kindness around you today? What might take you 30 seconds could get them through “many KM’s” of life.

It was about 28 KM and things were starting to hurt at this point. I had broken away from the pack and had found myself on the road by myself. Well besides the random tumbleweed on the country roads. And all of a sudden I saw these two crazies waving at me from a car <3 … It was my future Mother and Father in law, Lisa and Mark. I instantly felt l wasn’t alone and a burst of energy came over me! But you won’t guess what happened next.

Mark got out of the car. (Lisa had to be the much needed get away driver :P)

How many times do we want to just “help people from the car.” But when we GET OUT OF THE CAR and actually start running alongside people in their journey’s that’s where we make real impact. Mark actually ran beside me, encouraged and coached me along for probably just short of a KM. It impacted my heart so profoundly I had more in the tank to keep going.

You know sometimes someone does something once and it’s amazing. But when they are a consistent source of encouragement, it’s like a fountain of water that refreshes constantly. Sometimes it’s easy for us to say, “Well I did it! I did what I was supposed to do. I was there for them. I was there for them like 10 times. That’s enough.”

Do it again.

40 KM in. Mark shows up again. “Ashley you only have 2KM left! You are so close, you can do it!” He runs with me for a little, and when he knows I”m SUPER close he says he’s gotta get back to the finish line to get the other’s ready for my arrival!

Just amazing.

After the race I was debriefing with Josh and he shared an incredible story with me that I’ve asked him if I could share here.

Josh had run the marathon, much faster than me. He pushed his way through, maximizing every step he could with efficiency and speed. He got to 40 KM and his hamstring seized. All of a sudden his strong stride turned into a limping jog. Josh wasn’t even sure he was going to be able to finish running feeling instantly dejected.

It’s the LAST 2 KM of the race. People have been training for their times for a long time, they’ve endured 40 KM of running and they’re close to the end, this is where they kick into high gear to get their best time, they’re putting themselves “first” in their efforts.

But a lady stopped, slowed down, and said to Josh, “You are finishing this race. Come on.” Pat him on the shoulder and made him start running with her again. Somehow the pain left. Josh picked his pace back up, and raced ahead of 3 more runners to the finish line.

Josh didn’t know who that woman was, but was almost brought to tears thinking of the sacrifice she made when she could have been gunning for the finish line herself, to make sure that he made it too.

Let’s not be so obsessed with reaching our own “finish line” goals in life that we miss the people also running with us along the way. Your small sacrifice can actually be the difference between someone finishing or not finishing at all.

Thank you to everyone who “Ran with me” and inspired me to "run with others” in life.

All my love,

Ashley XOXO

MARATHON SERIES III : How'd I get that bruise?

I turned the corner, finish line in view, strangers and family cheering me on as I finished what would be a great accomplishment— 42 KM of straight running, no stopping. A final burst of energy and adrenaline came over me as I sped past a few more runners taking that intentional step across the finish line. As my sneaker made it’s way to full contact on that last step across the line I thought, “YES!”

A few minutes later after my awesome fiance & future Mother & Father in law greeted me with hugs and water and smiles I started to feel this weird sensation on my lower back, an intense bruise. I quickly realized that the small “runners fanny pack” that I had been wearing around my waist for the past 42 km had overtime, actually intensely bruised my back.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize it during the run. I was distracted by the task at hand, and the work I was exerting to reach my goal.

It’s also interesting that this fanny pack is as light mesh as you could get, it doesn’t seem heavy, it wasn’t necessarily a concern of mine, but it did have a huge impact on my back as the small weight of it throughout 42 km compounded on my back over time. For the next week, I was left with a very tender bruise.

Okay Ashley, so you got a bruise on your lower back. Tough cookie? My point isn’t that the bruise was a big deal, but what this experience represents is a big deal.

In life, it’s important that we continually evaluate what we are carrying that maybe we need to set aside and lay down. Things that we need to trust in God’s hands and not our own. Sometimes that’s easier said than done, sometimes this is something we have to do everyday. Lay down our worries, or cut unhealthy things out of our lives that we are carrying as weights. We need to free ourselves from that which may weigh us down even in the slightest bit. That little stress, or that slightly unhealthy relationship may not seem to be sinking your ship right now, but compounded over time, you may be left with a bruise and wonder… “Where did this come from?!”

I love how Hebrews 12 says let us strip off every weight that slows us down. What proverbial fanny pack is tied around your waist that you need to cut loose, you need to lay aside, or place in God’s hands.

Whatever that may be, I encourage you to evaluate what it is you are carrying so that you can free yourself up daily, trusting in God’s provision and not your own, cutting the negativity our of your life and focusing on the positive, so that you don’t find yourself 42 km in with a bruise.

Maybe you have a bruise already. Well good news. Bruises heal. <3

All my love,

Ashley XOXO

The HILL

Running through back roads of Conestoga is pretty flat. You kind of ease into a comfort zone of straight roads, farmland, country sunshine… and then out of no where, there’s the steepest hill you ever did see coming up in less than 700 metres.

It’s easy in that moment to think, “How am I going to maintain my pace up this hill, how am I going to not stop, I can barely make it on this flat road, let alone a HILL.”

But it’s in that moment that you take captive that thought and start telling your body and your mind that you are going to maintain your pace up that hill, that you can do it. Declare positivity, faith, a can-do attitude over the hill, over your life situation. It isn’t this hooky magic, but it informs you mind, which then speaks to your body about what it’s attempting to accomplish, and thus it looks for every resource in your body to see that delcaration through to fruition.

Your mind and body will resource what you tell it. Whether it good or bad.

If you tell it there’s a hill and you can’t. You won’t. If you are saying you’re tired, you’re going to have a bad day, that you can’t— your mind will actually look for ways to affirm that.

If you tell it there’s a hill coming up and we are going to crush it. You’ll at minimum, do better than you would of, had you told yourself you couldn’t. Your body and mind will look for muscles, energy restores, positivity, strength to get you through. You’ll start seeing opportunities that you hadn’t before, you’ll start seeing the progress you’re making.

What are you telling you body and mind? That’s what you’re resourcing yourself with. Don’t you want to resource yourself with strength, ability, power? Start declaring that.

Even focus the next 24 hours, to not tell yourself one negative thing. And if you do, actually say out loud, “No, (enter the opposite positive thought here). And just SEE how it changes your frame of mind, your energy levels, the atmosphere around you, even the situations and people around you!

It’s so simple, yet so powerful.

So back to the hill. I’m preparing for this hill, and before I know it, I’m on it, I’m in the middle of it, and I’m thinking, “Wow, it’s actually not as steep as it looks.” You see from far away, it can be intimidating, it can seem so steep in relation to where you are. But it’s crazy how every step forward, eats away at the height of that mountain, it actually puts it under your feet literally and figuratively, and you are ON TOP of it before you know it.

Here’s to the hills— and getting to the top.

— Ash XOXO.

Anointing - MARATHON SERIES

It was about 9 km into the race and I had the realization that if I was going to really finish this thing, and run more than 3 times the distance I had already run, I was going to need SUPERNATURAL strength. Y’all know what I’m talking about?

So out of know where I just spoke out loud, the word anointing! (I’ve never done this before, it just seem to come out of my mouth!)

I prayed: Lord, anoint me to run this race, set it a part as a purposed journey for me to accomplish and see through to the finish through your strength and power.

ANOINTING is a biblical term that, in short, is… to be fuelled by the Holy Spirit’s power in order to accomplish something that is set apart for God’s greater purpose.

Every time I’d start to get tired, I would yell ANOINTING! I think I was starting to scare some people.

I was reminding myself I was purposed to run it with specific provision to do so. Meaning, I was declaring in faith that I was ANOINTED to run it, I had the authority, ability and power to run it, because of God’s anointing.

Back in bible days, you couldn’t become KING, and obtain the rulership and authority that you were being given, until you were anointed as king. When you were anointed, now you had the proper blessing, provision, and intention, the permission to go walk into what God had for you. Kings were anointed for a specific task and calling, and they were given everything they needed to accomplish their mission by God. Because they were anointed. For a specific thing, at a specific time.

The oil that they used to anoint kings was representative of the Spirit of God but also of the official designation to an office by God’s decree.  It was an indication that they were sanctioned or ordained by God. 

What is it that perhaps has always been a dream of yours, or something that you’ve been gifted in, talented in, that God is anointing you to do. I encourage you to think about that, identify what it might be in this season of life for you, uniquely. And then take hold of that thing, and do it with the confidence that you are anointed, purposed, to do this!

I’d love to hear what that might be for you!

Ash XOXO

TRAINING GROUND - the marathon seri

TRAINING GROUND

Sometimes, without even realizing it, your present day activities & habits are actually your training ground for that which is NOT YET.  Something you don’t even know about… How could you be training for it?

So my fiancé & I (meaning I signed us up, paid and didn’t tell him) decided to run a marathon in 30 days, meaning 30 days away we signed up & started training. 

The only reason we were physically capable of running a marathon with only 30 days on intentional training, was the years of athletic conditioning beforehand. 

Did I know that those early mornings at the gym a year ago would be preparing me for an eventual marathon? No way! Did I still somehow drag myself out of bed and do it? Well, most of the time.  What is it that your daily routines could be setting you up for… (that is so exciting!) Start preparing— do what is good, what is right, what is healthy. That’s why we’ve gone to the gym for years. Because we knew it was good, it was right, it was healthy, we didn’t know for what specific purpose it may serve. If you’re having trouble knowing where to start and what to build into your routine, yes look at your goals & vision for your life, but also it’s in the simple doing what is right, what is good, what is healthy. Being obedient to God in the little and the big.

Treat your present with excellence, invest into it, you never know what it could be preparing you for. Then, at a moments notice, you find out about an open door, an opportunity, a challenge laid before you, and with only “30 days” of intentional training, you  can actually do it. 

When you’re in “training mode” you learn a lot. You learn lessons that help you grow and prepare you for your “marathon.”

You learn what you’re good at, and what you are BAD at. For example, I realized that I could not STAND Josh running ahead of me and waving at me to hurry up. I usually hit a wall at about 9 KM that I had to start preparing to get through, and then I’d be okay again, I learned that hydration is everything, without Water throughout a long distance run— your muscles are going to get super tired. I learned that water becomes a cupcake at the end of 20km and I learned that what you wear on your feet is IMPORTANT so get a good pair of sneakers and socks. I learned that training with others is so encouraging. Sharing the journey, having each other to be accountable to and get that run in, and then cheering together at the end— that’s everything. Get people around you.  All of these learnings helped me make the right adjustments in order to face the full 42 KM.

I hope you are making the literary connections between whatever it is that is your training ground right now. What is it that you can learn and take away, and improve, that will set you up for success in your “marathon.” 

I have SO much I have written about this whole marathon journey, but for now I’ll leave you with that. Train now, to be ready for what is coming even if you don’t know what it is. Maybe you’ll find out what’s next & be able to step right into it with little specific preparation because of all that has gone before it. 

Here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming: 

• “Phone a Friend” what happened at 22km 

• Grace & Anointing - how I talked myself through the 42km 

• The HILL

• Run with me

• The family

• Where did I get that bruise? 

• How’s he doing

• Was that an angel? 

What are you looking at?

One of the many beautiful things about doing life with people that you look up too is the constant inspiration and wisdom that you receive.

My friend Britany Lester is one of those people that literally everyone loves to be around. Doesn’t matter your interests or personality type, Brittany makes everyone instantly comfortable and she is so easy to connect with on a real level, quickly. That’s one of the many reasons I appreciate this wonderful person.

She recently spoke at Slate Church’s Creative team night  about a lesson she learned from her Driver’s Ed teacher, and it was so powerful.

He told her something like this— "You will go where you’re looking. If you’re looking to the left, you’ll go left, if you’re looking to the right, you’’ll go right, and if you’re looking straight ahead, you’ll go straight ahead.”

In the context of life. WOW.

Where are you looking? In life, what we focus on, is where we will end up “going”. If we are looking at the negative, that’s where we will find ourselves in life. If we are constantly dwelling on what we don’t have in life, we will get stuck there.

We have to shift our focus to LOOK at what we want in life. Focus on these things, surround yourself with these situations, and people… Then that’s where you’ll go.

Philippians 4:8 says this: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Whatever it is you desire, whatever you want your life to look like, your day to look like— focus on that, dwell on that in faith, speak that in faith, take action in that direction, and watch it all come in place.

XOXO - Ash

Order (not a pizza)

Most of us get great satisfaction about cleaning up, or organizing a space. We may not all enjoy the process, but once it’s completed, we feel a sense of accomplishment. We feel accomplished when things are in order.

One thing I was noticing the last time I was cleaning was the fact that I always clean the sink first, and then end up throwing things in there after wards, making it messy again, and then having to clean it again.

Or sometimes I’ll clean the floor and then end up walking over it before it’s dry. I thought, if I could just figure out the right order in cleaning the house, it would save me time, effort and frustration.

All of a sudden house cleaning was turning into a blog idea: The importance of order in life and the efficiencies and value order brings. When we do things in order, we get things accomplished with efficiency and little frustration. But when we go about life out of order, it often slows us down from reaching our goals. When we do things out of order, we end up accomplishing less, often experiencing frustration, finding that shortcuts and cut corners often mean even more effort is required in the end.

Sometimes it seems like doing things out of order may be easier or more satisfying in the moment, but in the end, sticking to the right order wins.

Take making your bed first thing in the morning.

They say making your bed first in the morning sets the tone of productivity for the rest of the day. Not making your bed, because you think you can do it later, can actually affect the way you think for the rest of the day. You may find yourself procrastinating in other areas and trying to take other short cuts.

What time are you setting your alarm? They say that waking up the exact same time every single morning, adding order to your routine can actually improve your energy and productivity throughout the entire week!

There is value in order.

Often times allowing things to play out in the right order in life, takes patience. We are a generation that wants everything yesterday. We are the microwave generation. Give it to me INSTANTLY. Skip steps so I can have it faster. But consider this analogy.

There was an aspiring photographer that was wanting to rush the development of their photos in their dark room in order to showcase them at a party where the who’s who were going to be in attendance. Developing photos in a dark room requires complete darkness and a certain amount of time. If you take those photos out into the light prematurely, they are ruined. They aren’t fully developed, they have not yet reached their potential.  Rushed to make the party and showcase their work, they rushed the development of the photos, and they were ruined.  His first impressions on those at the showcase tainted his reputation for years.

I think of this in a career sense. Wherever you are right now in your professional pursuits, look to learn as much as you can in the season and position that you are in. Develop yourself as you prepare for that next opportunity— when it comes in the right time, you can be ready to step into that increased responsibility with strength and confidence. Don’t rush things out of order. Put in the work, put in the time. .

As a baby you crawl before you walk because you are building up the muscle and balance necessary to carry out the responsibility of walking. And if you fall from crawling there’s a lot less impact than if you stand prematurely and really hurt yourself when you fall. Again, value in respecting the proper order.

I wonder where we can all add a little more order to our lives or daily routine. Or where might we be trying to skip steps, take short cuts and cut corners, when we really should be patiently doing things in the right order. Then, when we reach our goals, in the right time, in the due time, our character will have grown, and we will feel the true satisfaction of achievement having followed the right order.

A few thoughts about Order. Now Imma go ORDER a pizza. And wash the sink.

Ash