Get Fit With Me For December.....

December 1st is around the corner and I wanted to encourage you to come and do this challenge with me.  I am always doing new goals and I have decided to do 3-A-Days for the entire month of December!!!  This means I will be doing three workouts a day for the entire month of December!!  I thought it would be fun if I shared my challenge and maybe have some others do this with me and we can hold each other accountable.  It is important to have someone to check in with and to have cheer you on!!  I am going to post a list of workouts below that I have found on Pinterest and decided to do.  Feel free to find one or several that interest you.  I will also list my specific plan below so that way if you want to do the exact same as myself, then you are able to.  There will be a few rules below to make it fun and interesting, so feel free to join in.  I will be doing ALL of my posts, updates, check-ins on my fitness Instagram Account: KatyRoseTrains.  If you have any questions feel free to message me, email me, etc.  Let's do this challenge together and get healthy together!!  Let's get fit for 31 days in December and start healthy habits!!!

Here are the 10 Series of Different Workouts Below:

Cardio Circuit 1

Glutes Workout 2

Total Body Workout 3

Variety Workout 4

Squat Workout 5

Speed Workout 6

My 3-A-Day Workout Schedule

Monday- Morning Session: Speed Workout 6

Afternoon Session: Variety Workout 4

Night Session: 3.1 Mile Run

Tuesday- Morning Session: 3.1 Mile Run

Afternoon Session:  Squat Workout 5

Night Session: Total Body Workout 3

Wednesday- Morning Session: Glutes Workout 2

Afternoon Session: Variety Workout 4

Night Session: 3.1 Mile Run

Thursday- Morning Session: Cardio Circuit 1

Afternoon Session: Speed Workout 6

Night Session: 3.1 Mile Run

Friday- Morning Session: Squat Workout 5

Afternoon Session: Variety Workout 4

Night Session: 3.1 Mile Run

Saturday- Morning Session: Cardio Circuit 1

Afternoon Session:Speed Workout 6

Night Session: 3.1 Mile Run

Sunday- Morning Session: Squat Workout 5

Afternoon Session: Glutes Workout 2

Night Session: 3.1 Mile Run

THE RULES

1. Weigh yourself on Day 1 (DO NOT LOOK AT THE SCALE!! Step on the scale and have someone else write down your weight on a piece of paper and then have them put it away in a place that you do not know!)

The goal is to NOT be obsessed with the scale and with weight.  It will just be done at the first day and last day.  On the last day of the challenge you can see how much weight you lost in 31 days from this challenge!!

2.  Have someone else take your measurements on a piece of paper, and once again DO NOT look at it.  Have them put this information with your weight number and on the last day have them measure you again and that way you can see how many inches you lost in 31 days!!

3. Check in with me as MANY times as needed during this challenge.  If you are struggling/need encouragement/tips/etc.

My Email: zlkaty@aol.com

My Instagram: KatyRoseTrains

My Facebook: KatyRose Nogales

4. Take "BEFORE" pictures.  These are for your eyes only!!! Then at the end of the challenge take an "AFTER" photo and put them side by side so you can see all of the changes your body has made in the 31 days!!

5.  Take your time, pace yourself and workout smart!! Drink plenty of fluids, make smart choices with eating, and do the best you can!!  It is important to remind yourself that you are doing SOMETHING!! 

Something is better than NOTHING!!!  

I am excited to have others do this challenge with me, please feel free to invite others to do this with us.  The more the better!!!!!

I Am Not A Survivor, I Am A Warrior......

Every single person has been through rough situations.  We ALL have struggles and issues.  Nobody is perfect, we all sin.  If we were perfect, then we wouldn't need a Savior to save us from our sins.  I am not saying that I have it all together, or have it all figured out.  What I can say, is that I am a constant work IN Progress, I am always Under Construction, and my eyes are being opened Daily!!  The moment you stop learning, you stop growing.  The purpose of this post is to hopefully empower others to not make excuses.  I love the example of "worry" from Joyce Meyer

The next issue is something that needs to be learned, and it is quite the hard one to learn.  Forgiveness from others/ the past/ and to forgive yourself.  When I would teach in the church this is the most common issue I noticed that believers struggle with.  It is easy to hold onto anger and create a list of someone else's wrong doings.  How about looking in the mirror and only looking at yourself!! You are responsible for what YOU do, not OTHERS!!  What if it was the other person's fault?  CHOOSE TO FORGIVE!  What if they never say they are sorry or own up to it?  CHOOSE FORGIVENESS! 

" Well, I will only forgive them if I see change..."  You are NOT the judge, God is!!  We do not have any right to hold judgment over anyone.  

There is no "Winning" in this life, there are constant lessons to be learned.  The sooner you can forgive, then the happier you will be.  Our past does NOT dictate our future.  There are two types of people in this life: Victims, and Warriors!

What Category Do You Fall Into????

Not everyone has a great start, but you sure as heck can have an awesome finish!!!  It took me years to learn and figure out my obstacles.  I could not figure out how to overcome them, and then I learned to forgive and let go.  God will judge each and every person according to what they have done.  I am no better than anyone else.  I have become a strong woman because I have decided to do it Gods Way and become a Warrior for his kingdom.  There is something powerful about opening the Living Word of God and having him speak to you through it and bring it to life!!  It is the most incredible thing when you can share something you have struggled with and encourage a brother or sister so they don't have to go through what you went through.  

There is something beautiful about being vulnerable in our struggles and opening up to others that we know and trust.  We are here in this life to encourage one another and uplift each other.  Our society constantly tears each and every person down and gives a list of each person wrong doings.  Understand that we are ALL broken and need love from one another.  The moment we stop looking at others and focusing on ourselves, then we can start to truly dig deep and work on ourselves.

So what can you learn from this blog post???  To stop looking at others, and focus on yourself.  Do you want to be a survivor or a warrior?  

Survivor- A person who survives, especially a person remaining alive after an event.

The Remainder of a group of people or things.

A person who copes well with difficulties in their life.

Warrior- A Brave or experienced soldier or fighter.  Fearsome Warrior

Two pictures come to mind when I see Survivor/Warrior.  To be a Survivor is to come out alive but still shaking and can barely take the next step.  To be a Warrior, it is a person brushing off doubt and being brave,taking action, and running towards a target.

So now that you are a Warrior, how do you fight??  

All of the fighting is done in prayer!!!  That is how you battle supernaturally!  We are not in a physical fight!!  The sooner you realize that, then you can start fighting properly and effectively.  This life is hard and un-fair, but instead of complaning and surrounding ourselves with others that agree with us, why not start changing and stop complaining!  How about putting on love, even when you don't feel like it.  It is a CHOICE!!  We cannot rely on our feelings, because they are unstable and subject to change.  If you want to be victorious, start praying!!

It Starts With You......

Are you a Parent?  If so, then this message is JUST FOR YOU!!!  I have a statement for each and every parent..... IT STARTS WITH YOU!!!

What am I referring to?  Your child/children.  Studies show that the first 2-3 years of life, a child will have learned behavior and have learned values and morals.  If you put time into your child on what is acceptable and what is not, then you have a head start!!  This takes TIME and EFFORT.  It is not easy to put down the technology and take time out of your day to sit down and teach/play with your child.  But this is your JOB as a parent!!!  Society teaches us to have technology entertain our children and for parents to be glued to their phones.  Put down your phone and parent your child!!! Do not expect schools to do it, churches to do it, or someone else to do it.  What you put in, you will get out!!!

Being a Stay At Home Mom was challenging because it is VERY HARD WORK!!  Stay at home mothers and fathers do NOT get enough credit for this job.  There should be paid days off, vacation days, sick days, and bonuses!!  Round of applause for every stay at home parent.  When I was home with my children it was a full time job, there were no breaks.  Yes it would of been easy to stick my kids in front of the television and have them entertained ALL Day, but I knew that was the wrong thing to do.  We were always outdoors doing activities because fresh air is good for you, and I want to have healthy active kids.  I didn't want our children to be un-healthy.  I myself learned that I needed to be active and healthy as well because I want to be able to chase my children and not have my behind glued to a park bench on my phone.  I want to encourage you to lead by example.  What is important to YOU, will be important to THEM.

It is important to be on the same page with your spouse.   My husband and I knew from the very beginning about respecting others, being kind, saying please and thank you, right and wrong, and MOST IMPORTANTLY ABOUT OUR SAVIOR JESUS!!!  This was taught from the VERY BEGINNING.  I myself never knew about Jesus until grade school.  But let me explain, there is a difference about "learning about Jesus" and "personally knowing him."  I learned all about him, but never received him as my own.  This was NOT going to be passed down in our home.  Our children know who Jesus is and love him and receive him.  Jesus is actively alive in our home and in our children's hearts.  So my suggestion to you is grab a list and get with your mate and decide what is most important for your children to learn in your home.  Then figure out ways to teach your children.

The next important lesson is to teach your children that NOT ALL KIDS ARE POURED INTO.  Do not expect others to have your same values and morals.  There are many that do NOT have Jesus, and many children who do not have parents pouring into them and guiding them.  Many times children will go off to school and start seeing other kids behavior and pick it up by habit and bring it home and act it out.  This is our job as parents to once again reinstate that what some children do, is not acceptable in "our" home.

When I became a parent there was never a guideline on how to raise kids.  There is no equation that works for every family.  I had to learn by trial and error.  I still to this day am learning by trial and error.  It is ok to make mistakes and be human and drop the ball.  I want my children to understand I am not perfect and mommy and daddy will let you down.  Not on purpose, but because we are human.  But JESUS will NEVER let you down!!! Jesus is President in our home and Resident in our home!!!  So let this message encourage you to spend time with your children and put in the effort.  The payoff will be HUGE!!!  Invest in your children.  Time is precious and you can never get it back.  Be silly with your children and let your hair down.  Have fun, enjoy them!!

TIME...

Time is priceless.  Time cannot be bought.  Time cannot be earned.  Time cannot be recovered.  Once it is gone, it is gone forever!  This concept needs to be president in our lives.  Time spent with family and loved ones is precious and MANY times people take it for granted.  Many believe there will always be another day to make up for it, but if you remember in God's Word it states we are to focus on today, and today only.  We are not guaranteed another day. 

 Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of it's own.  Matthew 6:34.

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know awhat a day may bring.  Proverbs 27:1

How much TIME do you spend on your phone?  How much TIME do you spend watching TV?  How much TIME do you spend working out?  How much TIME do you spend reading Gods Word? How much TIME do you spend with your family? 

By answering these questions, you will see what is most important to you.  I am reminded of this even more now since I am a Mother and have children.  I am reminded that these moments are priceless, and I will NEVER get them back.  Having family members being absent I am reminded of all the memories that THEY are missing and these are regrets that they will have in due time.  I don't ever want TIME being robbed from me or memories being taken from me.  I read an article from a Pastor that said the number one thing people wish for on their death bed is: " More TIME with their loved ones and they have regret from wasting TIME on things that didn't matter."  People don't wish for more money, or a bigger home, or a nicer car.  That is why the Bible says "  Do not store up for yourselves treatsures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  Matthew 6:19

So I want to point out again what are you doing with your time?  It is so important to not be careless and lazy with it.  We need to make sure we PLAN ON PURPOSE to make sure we use our time wisely.  Everyone has the SAME number of hours in a day.  Do you ever notice it seems that some are able to accomplish so much more than others?  It honestly takes looking yourself straight in the mirror and being honest with yourself!  I only have control over what I do with MY time, and I am stating this BOLDLY...

The phone WILL be put down
I WILL be outdorrs playing with my children
I WILL not be on social media at home
I WILL take care of my body while on earth
I WILL keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and stand firmly on his word
My Family WILL know how much I love them and how my life revolves around them.

Fitness Motivation

  My Fitness journey is on-going and WILL always be on-going.  I don’t feel there will ever be a moments where I am like “YES!!!”  Before I started my fitness journey after I had both of my children, I was always told that fitness is a “lifestyle change.”  It is something that needs to be incorporated DAILY and WEEKLY.  There can be days off and “breaks” but that can only be for a short time.  There have been many instances where I worked my butt off then took 3 weeks off, and with that long of a break, I end up having to start over again.  If you are tired of starting over, then DON’T STOP!!  As long as you keep going then you are IN PROGRESS!!  

We can end up putting too much pressure on ourselves and have un-realistic expectations.  We need to cut ourselves a break and be realistic.  Changes are NOT going to happen overnight.  Everything good takes time.  It is worth the weight and it is worth the effort.  If it was easy, then everyone would be healthy and in shape.  The best message that keeps me motivated is seeing my children every day.  I want them to see my transformation, I want them to have a strong healthy mother that can chase them and play sports with them.  Many times as people age they let themselves get out of shape because they are too tired or busy with work.  Many times parents are not able to play with their children or keep up with them.  I vowed to myself that as I become older, I will continue striving to be in the best shape of my life.  I will be in better shape then when I was in my 20’s.  I will never stop making new goals for me to complete, and I will never stop running.  

I never want someone to look at me and think “wow that looks easy, or she has it made.”  I literally bust my butt with training.  I know that if I didn’t do it, then I wouldn’t be the best version of me that I could be.  It is important to encourage others and have inspiration from others.  I love looking at people training and their workout plans.  It makes me feel like I am part of a fitness family.  My motto is always Faith & Fitness.  You cannot have one without the other. 

I want to challenge you to make a plan and stick to it.  Hold your head high and be the BEST version of you for yourself and for your family!! You deserve it!! They deserve it!!!  You will FEEL better, FEEL stronger, and BE healthier.  I love being an open book with my on-going journey, and that is what my Instagram fitness account is all about (Instagram: KatyRoseTrains)  I even have a website that has everything on it (Website: KatyRoseTrains.com)  I love to encourage and motivate others while doing it myself!!! 

  Be blessed,

   KatyRose

FIGHT!!!!!

There needs to be a revival of God’s people. It seems like recently there has been such an increase of violence around the world.  There have been news story after news story of terror happening all over our world.  This honestly causes a stir in me as to where I get angry.  It isn’t the type of anger that most would think about though that I am referring to.  This message is directed towards Gods people.  We need to rise up and take back what the enemy has stolen.  Why at times do we lay down and accept things happening to us and around us?  We have been given unlimited power from what Jesus conquered at the cross and at times we go out and do not properly have our armor on.  We need to be fighting in spiritual warfare for the violence happening all over the world. We need to be interceding on loved ones and strangers.  Many times we will hear something and say “Wow that is too bad.”  Saying that does absolutely nothing!! Angels do not move on words like that.  We need to be quoting the Word of God and standing firm in our faith.  We need to get Gods Word deep into our hearts so we can pull it up at any time.  I honestly believe with my whole heart that we could be seeing miracles like we read about in the Old Testament, but the church has grown lazy.  Where is your fight?  This message is to not condemn anyone, but to cause a stir.  This should make us want to do something about it.  That “something” is getting on our knees and fighting where it truly matters: Spiritually.  The Spiritual Realm is where EVERYTHING happens, and we need to fight properly, and that is with prayer.  We ALREADY overcome, now we just need to STAND in what Christ ALREADY did and speak it into existence over what we are believing God for.  I saw something on the news today that caused this stir in me, and it got me fired up.  I am not preaching just to you, but to myself.  I felt the urgent need to post this blog because I feel the Church of Jesus Christ needs to properly stand firm on the solid foundation, which is God’s Word and CONTINUALLY fight.  We need to finish this race stronger than when we started!!! Fight!!! Fight!! Fight!!!

Standing Firm & Being Bold...........

This blog post is going to be on how to truly stand strong and firm in what you are believing God for.  I can honestly  tell you that I am going "through something" at the moment and I am believing God for certain things.  I do not see any signs of the things that I am believing God for yet, but I remind myself that I am NOT moved by things that I can see.  I fix my eyes on things of the eternal, on things that I cannot see.  I am not moved by the things of this world because they are temporal and subject to change.  This post can be for new believers and for those who are strong in their faith walk, or like myself "going through" at the moment and waiting for God for a specific time.  I want to encourage you to stay strong and to stand firm.  When we stand on God's word we understand that it is the ONLY truth in this world, so this should give us confidence.  We cannot look to ourselves for answers, we are to have faith and take him at his word, because he cannot go back on his word.  If his word says it we have to confess it over our lives and our situations DAILY!!

  We are to take ownership over his word and speak it into existence.  Many can get discouraged as to why nothing has happened and when this happens we need to remind ourselves to fix our eyes on the things that we cannot see.  This is where it says we stand on the firm solid rock (which is his word) and we are to not be moved.

 I do not care on what is "cool" in this world, or how the government is going/ economy/ etc.  We serve a BIG God and NOTHING is impossible for him!!  It pleases God when we have faith in him and when we believe BIG things from him.  I want to encourage you to get into Gods Word and confess scriptures over your life DAILY.  Rise up in the morning and start confessing his word before your feet even hit the floor.  You have divine favor if we arise to another day.  If you are awake another day that means you have breathe in your lungs and your heart is beating another day.  It is truly a gift and we need to practice giving thanks and stop complaining.  We need to break our daily routines of complaining.  We need to "plan" on purpose on how we can stay in the word of God throughout the day.  I just recently downloaded a podcast for Joyce Meyer and this way I am able to stay in the word on the way to work.  I read books on my down time that are uplifting and that offer the Word of God.  Listening to Praise & Worship music is important as well.  PRAYING DAILY is a given!!  How we treat others and how we speak to others shows if we are bearing "fruit" as it speaks about in the Bible.  We are responsible to do our part and not solely focus on ourselves and our situations.  It is important to constantly "look up" and see who we can bless next.  We cannot stay in our own little worlds only focusing on our own situations.  So I want to ask you something..... Are you being Bold for the kingdom of God?  Are you standing firm in your faith walk and taking him at his word?

 When we struggle in our faith walk it is so important to involve ourselves in a good church and be around other believers.  I cannot tell you how much I look forward to Bible Study on Wednesday Nights.  It honestly gets me through the week.  Just like "working out physically" we need to work our muscles "spiritually."  We need to be putting the time in spiritually.  Going to church on Sunday simply isn't enough.  We need to be "feeding" ourselves every single day of the week.  I can honestly tell you that it has taken me a long time to get to where I am at with my boldness in Christ and I am still working on it daily.  I have learned by trial and error on when to be bold.  When someone needs prayer, I will pray with them on the spot and lock arms with that person.  It could be a friend I have known for years, or a complete stranger.  This concept used to scare me because you start having fear on what others will think, and I finally am at that point in my faith walk on where I have learned on how to be bold in that specific area.  This is just one of many examples that I can give.  I hope this blog post encourages you in your walk with the Lord and helps you stand strong in your current situation.

I AM A MARATHONER & FINISHER!!!!

The title of this blog literally speaks for itself.  I am beyond humbled from this experience.  Nobody could of prepared me for what I experienced while running this Marathon.  I am going to keep this short because I could write probably 10 pages.  There will be video posted below from my experience and also a series of photos that show my entire journey.

The Beginning of Race:

I was in Corral "H" so we started 20 some minutes after the race because they went from A-T.  In the video you will see the start of my corral and the fireworks that went off.  I was stretching and anxious while waiting. I had thoughts going through my head constantly: "Can I really do this?"
 Mickey Mouse counted down and the fireworks went off and I started crying because it finally started, and I began to run.

The Race:

I had my NikePlus Running watch on and I constantly viewed my pace.  I knew I had to keep a 15 minute mile.  The Disney Race said you must maintain a 16 minute mile or you could be picked up from the course for going too slow.  I knew I had to stay in a certain range.  I played around with running and walking.  I knew I had to go slow because I had to remain strong until the end.  At the beginning of the race you have the most energy, so I know I had to look ahead until the end and remain calm and steady.

The volunteers at Disney were the BEST I have ever seen.  People are looking you directly in the eyes and high fiving you and encouraging you.  I honestly felt I had family members there cheering me on.  There were so many funny running signs that people made that had me laughing out loud.

The Race Route:  

We ran through all four of Walt Disney World Theme Parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.  We ran through the Magic Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Epcot.

They had surprises along the way.  They had characters throughout the park where you could take pictures with.  They had live entertainment along the sidelines.  We got to run on the baseball field at ESPN complex.  They had live animals that you could pet and hold along side the sidelines.  They made sure you stayed entertained through the entire 26.2 Miles

When It Got Hard:

I was feeling ok until I reached Mile 10 and sure enough my right knee started.  My husband taped my knee in advance because I hurt my right knee during my Marathon Training and sure enough it made it's ugly face present during Mile 10.  My knee was aggravated when running, so I had to speed walk more than run.  Thankfully the Lord above let me speed walk without feeling the intense knee pain.  My first thought was "oh well, at least I made it to Mile 10 before I threw in the towel."  I continued speaking to Jesus during this race.  I started confessing scripture out loud and reciting it over me as I continued.  I asked Jesus to give me the strength that he had when he had to walk and carry the cross to be crucified.  I told him I would do this for him and that when I am weak then he is his strongest.  I continued and was able to keep going.  My husband surprised me at a couple of stops during the race.  I saw him at Mile 8, Mile 13, and Mile 19.

Hitting The Wall:

People always talked about "the wall" and I was curious to know what that felt like.  I felt it at Mile 20.  Mentally my mind was like "Katy, 6.2 Miles left this is easy you got this, almost done!"  But my body had another idea.  The pain I was in was so extreme, I don't even have words for it.  My body physically could not run.  I could barely put one foot in front of the other.  I was stumbling and in so much pain.  I thought I broke my foot at one point because of the pain.  I could feel all the blisters all over my feet.  I knew for sure I lost 2 toenails.  Both of my knees were DONE!!  My hands were extremely swollen.  It was everything for me to keep continuing for the last 6.2 miles.  I did these last miles at a snail pace.  At Mile 25 I saw a double amputee and I began to start weeping.  It was so moving to see him doing this Marathon and it was so encouraging.  I then got a rush of adrenaline and said to myself "I am doing this for my children and for those who cannot run."  I was in Epcot and approaching the fnishline.  Keep in mind the Disney Parks are open at this point, so you have people that are there for Disney watching this whole thing.  I had people shouting my name and cheering me on.  Their cheers kept me going and  I continued to cry at this point because I was in so much pain and was so moved from this experience.  I crossed the finish line and did it !!!!!!

What I learned:

I learned how strong I am mentally!!! My mental is stronger than my physical!!! I learned it was God and him alone who got me through this race!!! It was Jesus himself!!!  I learned I can do ANYTHING and ALL things are possible with Jesus!!! I am 31 years old and a Mother of 2 and I can proudly say I am a Marathoner and a Finisher!!! I am a woman who couldn't run 1 mile that set a goal to do one 5k.  I did that 5k then set a goal to do a Half-Marathon.  I ran my entire Half-Marathon and finished with a time of 2 hours and 18 minutes.  I then set a goal to do a Marathon!!! I have officially smashed and conquered EVERY single one of my goals!!!!!

Here is my video below:
(The Expo Event, Morning of Race, Jamming out to music to pump myself up (this song is from my brother "See-Z" song called "Work.") The start of the race for my Corral, Running during race at Mile 8, After race, and me walking to the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KU9oN2X5fg&feature=youtu.be

Here is a photo collage from the entire weekend!!!
 (Song by my brother "See-Z" called Fire in My Soul.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZPck3-9oiQ&feature=youtu.be

My First Marathon is 2 Days Away..

My Marathon Is Rapidly Approaching!!

I am literally 2 days away from running my First Marathon!!  I am anxious and excited at the same time!!  It honestly is an adrenaline rush because I have no idea on how I am going to do for this race.  I had a training plan set up in advance that I was able to stick to for a month and a half.  The remaining 2 months have had so many complications and issues from: getting sick back to back, injured, diagnosed with vertigo, etc.  My longest run to date is 17miles, My goal was to run 22 Miles for my longest run, but 17 will have to do.  I have rested now and not run for a few weeks and this is because my right knee gets aggravated when doing long runs so my goal is to rest my muscles and joints as much as possible before the big race.  I want the freshest pair of legs for Sunday!! I debated back and forth whether or not to even attempt this race because I know I have not put in the proper training needed.  The athlete in me though would regret it if I didn’t at least attempt the Disney Marathon.  It would hurt me to see photos from the race that others posted because I would of known that I should have been there.  It is better to attempt the race and have zero regrets.  I want to enjoy and capture every single moment, and if I don’t finish it is ok because at least I followed through with it.  We leave for Orlando tomorrow 1/8/16 and we will be staying in a hotel for the weekend.  The expo event is at the ESPN Sports Complex in Orlando, and I am super excited to see all of the fun stuff they will have.  At this event I will pick up my race bib and race packet.  The plan for Saturday is to relax and take it easy at the hotel because Sunday Morning we will be waking up at 2:00am to get ready for the race because the Marathon starts at 5:30am.  I am excited that I will have my Polaroid Cube with me during this run so I will be doing photos and videos throughout the race.  I will make sure to write a detailed blog post on my experience (like I did for my Half-Marathon race)  If you want to read my experience for my Half- Marathon the blog post is listed here: 

http://katy-katyrose.blogspot.com/2014/11/my-first-half-marathon.html

My husband is amazing and has been my biggest supporter and my biggest fan!!! He has helped me in training by taking care of the kids so I could go workout and run.  I honestly couldn’t of done this without him.  My man will be by the sidelines doing updates and posts during the race.  I cannot wait to see him at the Finish Line!!!  I am so blessed to have him in my life and excited that I literally get to run to him!!!!

 I want to thank everyone that I follow on my Instagram account.  It is so inspiring to be able to see other men and women out there in the world living in different states, putting in some serious training.  It is always encouraging to see others putting in the work, and it always motivates me.  I also wanted to thank all of those that follow me on my fitness account on Instagram.  The support I receive is overwhelming and it helps me to know that there are people rooting for me and cheering me on.  I am grateful and appreciative for everything.

 This will be my last blog post before my race!! My next one will be after Sunday!!!

Not Settling..

Many times we get in a mind-set of thinking we don’t deserve better, and we end up settling for mediocre.  I am hoping this blog post encourages you because it is speaking to myself as well.  We only get one shot on earth here and we need to remember to keep that in mind.  When you truly grasp that you don’t get another shot, then you are more careful and calculated with making decisions, relationships, career choices, health decisions, your faith walk, etc.  Many people get in the mind-set “oh I will do it tomorrow, or next week.”  Remember, that you are NOT guaranteed tomorrow or next week.  We are to take each day at hand and work with one day at a time and not get ahead of ourselves.  If you are a born again believer then you know that you have a new identity IN Christ Jesus and that you are made brand new!!  By knowing this, it should empower you to learn your new identity in Christ Jesus and learn exactly who you are by reading his word.  What good is it be a brand new creation and not learn about what has been purchased for you?  We need to learn the tools that we have received and how we have favor that surrounds us like a shield.  We are not alone anymore and we can do ALL things through Christ Jesus because he WILL give us strength.  We cannot settle when we are followers of Christ Jesus.  We are to be a light in a dark world, and share the love of Jesus with others.  We are to not be bitter and not gossip about others. We need to set an example at our job place, in our homes, and when nobody is watching.   As you are aware it is a brand new year and you can start making healthy changes RIGHT NOW!!!  Make a list and find out what is important to you and decide on what you truly want out of life.  DO NOT SETTLE!! Dream BIG, Pray BIG, and Believe BIG!!!  With God ALL things are possible and he can do anything!!  It pleases God when we put our faith and trust IN him.  We are to march forward and be godly and this should be modeled in our behavior and how we speak.  It is easy to say one thing with our mouth and have our actions show otherwise.  Start small, and then get to the bigger things.  I know when I read the word of God I find myself getting convicted on certain issues and realize I need to work on different areas on myself. This is an amazing gift!! It is a gift to receive revelation from the Lord Almighty when reading his word.  I have heard many say that they never hear God speaking to them, and my question is:  “How often are you in his word?”  God WILL speak to you through his word and he will be gentle when speaking.  We are to be people of God and know that we are different from the “world.”  Our values and morals should be the total opposite of the world.  Do not bad mouth others.  Love covers a multitude of sins, and we are to forgive because while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us and forgives us from our sins.  I want to encourage you to NOT settle!!! The bible says if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, then we can speak to mountains and they will be cast into the sea.  Start having faith in small things, read his word, and see the power of God Almighty!!!

God Bless,

KatyRose