We Finished!!

Truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life, the 2008 KDF Marathon was unbelievable!  Praise the Lord for strong bodies, minds and believing that we can do all things through Christ.  Prayer got us through to the end for sure!  I remember praying around mile 22 while we were on River Road and struggling to keep one foot in front on the other.  As we pushed through those mental walls where you think you can’t keep going, we kept saying encouraging one another along to the next mile marker!  The bridge was probably the most challenging portion of the race and it seemed up hill both ways!  After the bridge we only had about a mile and a half to go and we really picked up the pace and passed quite a few people!  As we turned the corner and passed the finish line, it didn’t seem real.  We finished it an amazing 3:55:26 and placed 17th and 18th in our age group out of about 100 in the 25-29 age range!  What an accomplishment!!  Our goal was 4 hours, so to finish almost five minutes below our goal was unbelievable.

I must say this whole race and training experience grown my faith in an amazing way.  Training with my “pink hat sister” as we were called during  the race by bystanders, was such a God thing.  What started out as two new friends just running together a few days a week for fun has grown into a friendship that I believe will last a lifetime.  Our time together was spent sharing about what God is doing in our lives, our families, raising children, prayer, fun childhood memories, current struggles and time encouraging one another.  I’ll miss more than anything our Saturday morning runs – they were something I looked forward to all week long.

I must also mention our BIKE TEAM – Dustin, Josh  and Jimmy!  Holy cow, you guys were amazing!  We could not have done this without you – seriously!!  They rode their bikes the entire way, taking pictures, providing so much encouragement as they YELLED for us as soon as we can into sight!  They took care of all of our gel packs and were so helpful as they rode their bikes beside us for miles!  WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

Dustin – thanks for sacrificing so much time so I could train for this race!  Your love and encouragement is amazing and I am so thankful for such a selfless husband who truly puts his family first!  I LOVE YOU and know we’ll do another marathon together!

Thanks Rachel for letting your husband come cheer for us!

Mom and Dad – thanks for understanding and encouraging my desire to do hard things!  You have been so helpful with the girls and I know they love every minute they spend with you!  Thanks for teaching me to finish what I start and never be a quitter, to have a good work ethic and for helping become who I am today!

Suzanne and Ron – Thanks for meeting us along the route!  Your sign was great and your encouragement was so helpful!  Shannon always talks so highly of you two.  Thanks for helping her reach her goal of doing a marathon!

Family Rules

Recently at a moms group, we were encouraged to make a list of family rules for our home – in at attempt to create an atmosphere of order, love and encouragement.  I loved the idea and loved even more the suggestions to make the list short – who wants to try to memorize a whole list of rules and try to keep up with everyone and how well they are following them.  After some discussion between Dustin and I, these are the three we arrived at in hopes of having a positive, happy home that honors the Lord and develops godly character in our girls!

Schadt Family Rules to Live By:

1.  Obey Mommy and Daddy

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. – Colossians 3:20

2. Have a Happy Heart – aka Good Attitude

A happy heart makes the face cheerful – Proverbs 15:13a

3.  Think of Others

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than                  yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of  others.