I am a believer.

After the run I enjoyed lots of smoothie :)

 For we are all God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the
good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:10

It was a run I will never forget. After a busy day I left the house a bit after 730pm for what I had planned to be a 4 to 6 mile run.  As soon as I started jogging I was shocked how great I felt. Just one house down from my house I thought "wow... I feel GREAT"..

I decided to put my ipod on "shuffle" where it shuffles all the songs ... I didnt know what i was going to get. But from the first to the last each song was PERFECT for where i was at that moment mentally and physically.
From Mika's "Love Today" which got me thanking of Josha in colorado... to Beckah Shae "Such a Time as This"... that came on as I was pondering my future and my past.  PEFECT.

As I kept running... I thought... "well.. maybe I should do 8" ... I mean I COULD NOT believe how wonderful I felt! I had energy, I felt light and the run was so easy. Effortless. As I went along I debated which was the smart thing to do. At that moment a song came on that reminded me to "be in the moment" so I decided to take it 2 miles at a time and see what would happen.

As I finished 8 miles I still felt wonderful. So I committed to 2 more... 10? yes..

 It was surreal. Its was like a dream. I felt so connected to God and thought and prayed and pondered .....people in my life who have struggles, rejoicing and saying prayers of thanks for people in my life and for my family. It's so hard to explain what it was like. Like a God hug.  

I was SHOCKED as I finished 10 miles it felt like I had just finished an easy 4. Mind blowing experience. So I continued. Mile 11 was good. Mile 12 I started feeling hungry! ha.... I have never been hungry on a run. But I was only 1 mile from 13.... It was insane to me to think I planned on 4 to 6 and ended up doing 13. I looked at my watch at mile 10 and wondered if I could get a new PR.. Last half I ran I did in 2:02... I wanted a new pr... but was it the smart thing to do.

I pushed a bit more but made a conscious decision not to push too hard. Being reminded by yet another song to live in the moment. So I listened to my body and was ok with where I was...

When I finished 13... I was shocked. I was tired. but not the I just ran a half marathon tired.

It was a God Hug moment for me. I had so many thoughts, so many prayers... felt so connected to who I was what I could be.

What was the difference? The last run I has was a HORRIBLE 4 miler. The kind of horrible run that makes you think "how did I ever enjoy this?" How can I have THAT kind of run and only 4 days later have THIS happen?

Nutrition.

The horrible 4 miler was after a day of eating SAD.. donuts, hamburger, onionrings.. dr pepper.. SAd. 

The only difference is nutrition. I am the first to admit my 90% raw vegan diet I have been trying since Sunday is radical. I never really understood and sort of doubted that a distance runner could be raw vegan. It goes against many ideas in nutrition that we read. What about pasta and carb loading? ..... But last night made me a believer.

I had read and watched videos of raw vegan marathoners saying their recovery time was better, their energy levels were better and their running improved dramatically with the change in diet. But I have always been a skeptic.  .....not anymore.

I had energy. I was never thirsty. I didn't have to stop to go potty... My tummy was so very happy. I was literally smiling as I ran. Several times esp when the perfect song would play I would laugh. I found joy, I ran for fun, I loved ever minute it was like I was 7 years old again.. ......I wanted to keep going.

I am sold on this way of eating.I understand it might not be for everyone for many reasons. It hasn't been the "diet" for me for many reasons until now. I am prayerful as I continue my journey that God will lead me in my decisions of health and what that looks like for me. Above all I want, need and desire to be a light in the world of darkness, to love where I am NOW, and be thankful for what I have been given.

I have lots more thoughts that just can't all be written in one post.. so i will leave those for another time.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as
your soul is getting along well. 3 John 1:2