And God said, "Let there be pancakes!"

I had pancakes today, but not just any pancakes.  Today, my darlings, I had my most favorite of all time pancakes.  These bad boys aren't for amateurs though, so if you don't like pancakes (hater), then please stop reading.

And never speak to me again.

No, for real though.  I had the bestest granola pancakes in the whole wide world that come from the most fat-/sugar coma-inducing factory in town:  a little brunchery called Le Peep.

Easily, one of these pancakes is over five billion calories but, when you get them as your meal, you get TWO steering-wheel sized flapjacks of joy.  Seriously, these 'cakes will change your life.  I truly believe that they hold the key to world peace.

But why all this writing about pancakes lately?  I mean, they're gifts from Heaven, but isn't this a bit much?

No.

But I digress.  Today I ran my first half marathon.  I have been training for this bad boy since the beginning of July and have (not) loved every minute of it!  Sadly, however, after my final long run of 13 miles last Friday, I ended up with a painful case of peroneal tendonitis.

Dear Life,

Thanks for the friggin' lemon.

Not.

Love,
Anouchka

If you read my last post, you will see but a glimpse of the roller coaster of emotions that have been running my life this week.  I've gone from depressed to humble to at peace (very briefly) to devastated to depressed to...  Barf.  I'm annoying myself with all this whining.

However, I post with good tidings this day!  Despite having been to two doctors this week, eating ibuprofen like popcorn, getting blisters and losing sensation in my toes from the inserts recommended by a foot/ankle specialist, constant anxiety over whether or not I'd even be able to participate, and the unquestionable weight gain from the lack of exercise and increased emotional munching, I ran the race and beat my training time by nearly nine full minutes.

Ladies and gentlemen, my first half marathon (13.1 miles) time:

1:46:45

(8:09 minute-mile average)

I realize that my time is pretty good -not great- but I cannot help it if I am not from Kenya.

Anyway, the gun went off before sunrise (yup, it was still dark out) on this frigid morning.  For the first four miles or so, I could not feel any of my upper body, much less my feet.  However, I truly think this was for the best, as I couldn't feel any pain in my tendons.

Huzzah!

As I ran, I reflected back on this week of physical lethargy.  Though my body wasn't terribly active, my spirit was forced to be.  This is dangerous territory for me, because it means that I have to think beyond my comfort zone (i.e., whether to have toast or cereal for breakfast).  One thing that my extra "free time" enabled me to do was to spend time with my Creator.  There were no excuses to get me out of this one.

Reading the Gospels and the accounts of Jesus' miracles reassured me that if Jesus could raise people from the dead, He could heal my tendonitis.  I asked Him to do just that countless times over the course of the past eight days.  But He didn't...

...He did something even better.

It is only by the grace of God that my foot pain was minimized and I was able to run this race.  You might think that it had something to do with my body being in running condition prior to the race, or even the compression sock that enabled me to run, but think about it further.  Let me ask you:  Who created our bodies to withstand marathons?  Who equipped us with arms and legs to move?  Lungs to breathe?  Eyes to see a beautiful sunrise over the valleys of the heartland?  Motivation to practice month after month?

If you answered "ice packs and Icy Hot" then you are hopeless.

Praise God for tendonitis!  Truthfully.  It sucked and I hated every minute of it this past week, but knowing that I could accomplish this feat (well, a feat for lil' ol' me) with the guy who invented the human body in my corner significantly outweighs any inconvenience of my "first world problem."  It reminded me that my body now is only temporary, but a relationship with the ultimate running buddy is eternal.

So I celebrated, and thanked God for pancakes.