Summer Reading

First things first. This morning’s run was a very humid 12 miles with Rebecca. It wasn’t pretty, but we survived. I took a tennis lesson in the late afternoon and then went to a core class at the gym before heading to book club.

The girls in my small group are doing a book club on Wednesday evenings this summer. When I say “small” group, I guess that is somewhat misleading. Check us out.

It has been amazing to see how God has orchestrated bringing us all together. As an intentional effort to get to know each other better, the girls did a weekend retreat last summer where we all shared our “stories” and testimonies. It was beyond powerful. As each one of us shared our stories and our struggles, whether it be anxiety, sexual trauma, miscarriage, losing a parent at an early age, etc., there was someone else in the group that had a very similar story. There was someone who could relate. Someone who God placed in our lives for a reason. And yes, we ALL have issues and struggles and have endured many storms, but until we shared this with each other, we really didn’t know just how deep our connections could be. Honestly, that weekend was a huge eye opener for me about the awesome things that can come from bringing light to your struggles and being transparent with people. It definitely planted a seed in my mind about starting a blog, and here we are. But I digress. This post was supposed to be about books.

The book that we are studying this summer is:

I am obviously not going to go into any sort of details on this book or our discussions, other than to say that I HIGHLY recommend it for any married or engaged couples. She does a great job of discussing a very sensitive subject and backs it up with wonderful passages from scripture and real life stories that are very relatable. I want to give you one excerpt from the first chapter that I feel like will do a good job of giving you a glimpse of whether or not you think this book could benefit you and your spouse. She writes, “We’ll look at the most common sexual intimacy headaches that crop up for women. As we explore problems like body image, the impact of the past, pornography and differences in desire, we’ll hit some of the highlights of research and other information about sex. However, the answer to these headaches is not simply for more information or even greater understanding. Although information and understanding are helpful, our relationships can be transformed only as God reveals and changes our hearts.” She goes on to say, “God is doing something in your life and in your marriage. He desires to transform your heart, to teach you how to love and how to be loved. Are you willing to surrender this part of your life to Him?”

I am also currently reading:

Love and Respect is a Christian ministry centered around a simple biblical truth found in Ephesians. Ephesians 5:33 says “Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” A wife has one driving need―to feel loved. When that need is met, she is happy. A husband has one driving need―to feel respected. When that need is met, he is happy. Without love, she reacts without respect. Without respect, he reacts without love. This can become a crazy cycle, which traps many couples in its grip. Love and Respect reveals why spouses react negatively to each other, and how they can deal with such conflict quickly, easily, and biblically.

Our small group did a series on Love and Respect this past spring. Unfortunately, due to my tax season hours, I wasn’t able to attend much, if any. But I am making up for lost time now and am really enjoying this book.

Next in line are:

Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders by Aimee Liu is one of the first books about eating disorders written by a survivor that connects more than 40 personal stories from men and women to recent scientific facts and discoveries. Many people talk about eating disorders, finding treatment and recovery, but most don’t speak about what happens next: life after recovery. Her key revelations include the temperament required for eating disorders, the long-term effects of eating disorders on health, brain function, relationships and career, why some individuals recover while others relapse, and why many relapse in mid-life, which treatment approaches are most successful long-term and how parents can tell if a child will be vulnerable to eating disorders.

I know this is also a sensitive topic, but I really can’t wait to read this book! I love that the title is a pun on one of the common misconceptions about eating disorders. It is not about gaining weight. Eating disorders are so much more complex than that. It is about gaining back your life!

And:

Meb For Mortals describes how three-time Olympian Keflezighi prepares to take on the best runners in the world. More importantly, the book shows everyday runners how to implement the training, nutritional, and mental principles that have guided him throughout his long career, which in addition to the 2014 Boston win includes an Olympic silver medal and the 2009 New York City Marathon title.

I got this book as an award at a local 5K this past spring and I am excited to start reading it. I am hoping that he will have some good practical advice for me to implement in my own training and that I can incorporate into the training plan for the marathon training group that I will be working with this summer. I’m interested to read his fueling strategies for longer races and workouts. Meb is sponsored by and uses Generation UCAN, which is powered by SuperStarch, a healthy, natural, gluten-free innovation in carbohydrate nutrition. SuperStarch is a complex carbohydrate that uniquely stabilizes blood sugar and causes virtually no reaction from the fat-storage hormone insulin. It’s a healthier, more efficient energy source than sugars, caffeine, or high-carb meals. I used Generation UCAN as fueling before and during my last marathon and was very pleased with the results, so I can’t wait to learn more about it.

Oh, and check out my new reading spot …

I know it looks slightly perilous to be hanging directly over the rip-rap, but the views far outweigh any potential threat.

Well, that’s it for now. Gotta run!