Assignment, offense, and running talk

  An assignment leads to an offense...

  I am going to start off with the thing that is bothering me most.  We had an assignment to observe a group fitness class.  I went to the gym and observed a circuit training class.  I told the instructor why I was there and what I was doing.  She was so kind, and told me she would like for me to take her class. I explained that I was not taking it that day because I had an 11 mile run the next day, and really needed my rest.  She cringed when I said 11 mile run, and looked repulsed at the thought (that should have been my first clue) but I just brushed it off as I realize a lot of people cringe at the thought of running that distance, heck even I used to.  I don't cringe anymore, but I will tell you it takes a certain amount of discipline and "psyching up" to get myself through it.  I sat and observed the class, then went on my merry way to do the rest of my reading and studying for school.

  While I was writing my paper from the observance it had occurred to me that I never asked what her certification was, and I knew that if I didn't include that information my paper would be incomplete.  I went back to the gym several hours later and none of the people from the morning were there.  I found the instructors business card labeled "Personal Trainer".  When I called her to ask about her certification, we were talking, and she was wanting me to take her class, and I informed her that once this half marathon was over I was going to back off of the running a bit so I could concentrate on strength and such and that I would love to take her class.  Then she says to me "you know...running makes your butt small"  I say, "well, I have had a big butt for all my life" and before I could get anymore words out she interrupts and says, "No, I mean flat, a flat butt that has no form."

  Now I know no woman wants a flat but, I get that, but I am of the firm belief that my backside is not now, nor has EVER been in danger of going "flat".   I am not so much upset about the fact that she told me my body was going to change in an undesirable way from running as I am that a "Personal Trainer" would condemn a healthy habit that I have worked so hard to establish.  She is supposed to be encouraging cardiovascular exercise, and human movement in general!  I will not hold a grudge and I especially know that being offended is a sin(1).  WHAT?? you say?  BELIEVE IT.  Why?  Because when we are offended we often get tripped up, and led to anger, resentment, and hate (that's sinning). I don't want to sin because I want to please God, and live my life as a light.  Rather than going through all that, I will just let it go, and know my boundaries with this woman.  I will also chose to focus on her positive attitude and good qualities.  I am almost certain that when she hung up the phone she soon realized the blunder she had made.

  An 11 mile run...


  Did  you know that it is only okay to type a numerical character if the number is 10 or higher?  How cool is it that I have run so far that I can use numerical characters?  ha ha, I am just full of information.  Oh just wait, now that I am fully enveloped in studying, cramming all sorts of information into my brain, I will probably be sighting more little known facts...bear with me :).

  Saturday morning (yesterday) while I was preparing for my run, my Haley asked me how far I was running, and I told her, then she said "But won't you run out of breath?".  I explained to her that I have learned to control my breathing, and that my body was conditioned to do this type of thing.  But friends, that little question she asked carried me through my run.  When my hips and back began to ache, and when I began to question my own endurance, and wondered where my energy had gone, I remembered that I was conditioned, and out of the depths of my imagination. "The body is stronger than the mind"(2),  there was a place that I could find the energy, the endurance.  I believe God gives me strength, and I also believe he gives me little nuggets of encouragement to reflect on for those moments of doubt.

More of my take on running in general

  When running long distances I really want to find the flattest run possible.  Sorry folks, I like to run, I never said I was into self torture.  You have read in the past of my dealings with hills, and if you haven't it won't take long to fill you in...I have tried them, I run them when I have to, and avoid them when I can.  Avoiding hills feels a slightly like sneaking a candy bar into the middle of a salad though.  I have been hearing about the dangers of running on cement.  Most of the time I don't run on cement as I run the roads around my house.
 
The pros of running by my house...I am out in the country so there are no lights.  I don't have to deal with lots of cars and their exhaust.

The cons...hills, and the danger of being alone while running.

 Which reminds me...I need to get hand held pepper spray.  While I was on my last 3 mile run I passed by a man on the other side of the road.  Of course every story I have ever heard about runners being taken over flashes through my head, and as I size this man up, a terrifying thought hits me "I couldn't take this guy if I needed to."  It is very unfortunate and angering to think that  just because I am weaker that it would be "okay" to do with me as you please.  I guess in a way it's like leaving a million dollars in your car and not bothering to lock the doors, so I guess I will be locking my doors with pepper spray.  These are real thoughts and fears I face when going out alone.

  Rest day...

So today I will enjoy a rest, take the kids to a birthday party, and then begin it all over again next week.  My Half Marathon is on October 14th.  I am supposed to run 12 miles next saturday.  I am still debating on weather I want to run that long the week before the Half.  I don't want to be burnt out and dread the Half.


  Forgive me...

for the long blog post, but it has been so long since I have written a quality post, and who knows how long it will be before I can write another...if this even is one ha ha.

I learned that if I am going to quote people, or insert things I have learned, I need to site where I got the info...so here it is. Numbers are behind the quote or reference in the paragraphs above.

1. Strongs Concordance: Offend. Greek 4624: To entrap. i.e. trip up (figuratively, stumble (transitively) or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure):--(make to) offend.

2. Chris Powell on Extreme Makeover Weight loss edition.
  

Goings on

Okay, the last time I tried to blog when I was this burnt out was a mess.  But I have found a scrap of time, and darn it, I am going to use it.  I figured I would take you though a new typical week with me.

  Sunday: Church/family time
  Monday: Drop kids at school, come home and study, and attend a 2 hour live class
  Tuesday: Drop kids RUN 3 miles, head home (unless there is an urgent need for some type of grocery, then I will grab it) Study work on assignments
  Wednesday: Drop kids early RUN 5 miles, hurry home, attend 2 hour class then study and work on assignments
  Thursday: Drop kids, run 3 miles, hurry home, study, work on assignments
  Friday: I haven't totally figured Friday out, but the hope is that I will have my assignments completed and will be able to run errands, and help with my kids school related activities.
  Saturday, tie up any lose ends, and family time.

  That is a rough draft week, didn't want to bore you with too many details.  I have always appreciated the value of time, but now I do even more, because when I go get the kids then come home, tidy up the house, make dinner, and spend some minutes with my husband, I am eager to see if there is just one more thing I can do, but by then I am pretty spent.

  RUNNING:
My running has been going surprisingly well, especially for how tired I have been feeling.  I also have been trying different courses, which has really made a difference in my motivation to get out there.   As I may have mentioned in the past I want to specialize in weight loss.  I also want to specialize in encouraging children and youth to be fit and give them fun ways to move their bodies.  The great news is that I can!  There are specialty certifications I will be able to take to help me toward that goal.

  Saturday is an 11 mile run.  I have already mapped out a course as that will be the longest distance I have ever run while training.  My last Half marathon I ran only 10 miles for my longest run before the race.

  Well that is all I can squeeze in for now.  There really is so much more to say, I want to return to my usual musings about the things I see and find, and how I feel, but that will have to wait till a later date.  Thanks for reading, and take care my friends...I miss you.

An intro to my first few courses, and run talk

  I just want to say that this self improvement stuff is not easy!

  This was my thought as I was on my 5 mile run yesterday.  Lately I have been having trouble getting into the groove of running.  I think the reason I am having such a hard time is because of the new schedule.  In the summer I could get my run in the early morning hours, but now it isn't feasible with the girls having to be to school so early.

  What is feasible about that is that my online live class gives me plenty of time to get home after I drop the girls off.  This means NO before care.  Oh how you wouldn't believe the resistance I sometimes get to this.  I can't exactly blame them though...I made them this way.  I was always first to pick them up from any situation, it started with Sunday school.

  I have sort of concocted a plan in my head.  Each of the courses are 5 weeks, and I have three courses this 5 week term.  Fit-100 with a teacher that promises to deliver a great learning style!  The name of the course speaks for itself, it will be the introduction to the main reason I have begun this journey.  Tech-102 this course is assembled around OpenOffice.org.  We will have to learn in my opinion extensively, how to use 3 aspects of this program.  I am thrilled that I will be learning word processing, but at the same time am nervouse because some of the language can be dry.  There are on Tuesday evenings "academic assistance" sessions that you can bet I will be logging onto!  Last but certainly not least is Enlish-111, this is a course that promises to teach me how to use my adult skills such as prioritizing, collaborating, and breaking up big tasks into smaller more manageable tasks, among other things.  The plan I have made up is to drop the kids off at school, then go over to the gym, get my run in by treadmill, or around my gym area.  There is actually a nice foot path that I have talked about in he past, but it goes a long a busy highway where there is a lot of exhaust so I don't like to do that too often.  Then after my scheduled work out I will either go home, or change clothes and head for the library.  I have this idea that being at the library for my non live teaching days would give me a responsiblitiy free place to study, and will keep away the monotany...plus it will feel like I am "going" to college :)


My long run days are on Saturdays so they won't conflict with school, and after my half marathon my running schedule won't be so stringent, that will be another worry for next month...you know how fearful I am that I am going to quit running.  However I do think I will take a break after the half in October, and do crosstraining in between. 

  
  I am learning lots of college lingo that I never really knew what it meant, like Syllabus, and synchronous, and Ruberic.  I asked God to let me retain all that I learn, and so far He has really helped me!  And I just learned that blogging is going to help me in my writing assignments!  My first 5 week term starts tomorrow, but the instructors have already posted some of the assignments, so I have gotten a jump start.  My worst fear is falling behind.  I like the luxury of taking a lot of time to study and take notes. 

  Tomorrow is my 10 mile run.  I am looking forward to it, but also know that this is how I do.  I feel all big and bad like i know I can do it, being all relaxed, but then the morning of a long run comes and I have to remind myself constantly of the benefiits.  I will burn 1,000 calories, I will have the most awesome runners high, I will totally deserve the break I get over the next two days, and some bragging rights.  You would be surprised at the level of procrastination that goes just before a run LOL.

   

Feeling failure...maybe I need a change.

  Well, it seems that I promised myself at some point in this running journey that I would not compromise.  I was holding pretty good to that, even last Thursday I wasn't able to get a run in due to a busy schedule in the morning.  Then in the afternoon I was having stress pains so I put it off.  Finally that night I told myself "you have just long enough to get the three miles in before it gets dark.", so I put on my running gear and blasted the three miles!  I even set a personal record!  It was dark and I was out of breath considerably when I came rolling up the driveway. But I felt pretty darn good.

  Then it occurred to me.  That night run went so well because it was different, a change.  I don't think I have become bored with running, although I do think I have become bored with my route.  There are other courses I can take, but I get nervous about doing so because at least on my route I know when I am almost done, or to my half way point, or where the dog is that is going to bark at me any minute.  I know which side of the road to run on to avoid blackberry branches that stick out too far, or to stay in plain sight of drivers.  I know the air is safe and I won't be breathing in exhaust fumes....But sometimes I wonder if the fear of the unknown is part of the victory of trying something new.  Does that make sense? 

  I have noticed that on my cross train days (when I do actually cross train) after I am done lifting weights (okay, if you just pictured me on a weight bench with a bar across my chest pressing 100 lbs, you are welcome to keep that image, but I gotta tell you it's not correct, picture more like me standing with  a 12 lb weight in each hand with quivering arms on about the 10th rep pushing upwards) that I always feel most like running.  Sooooo....I am thinking about going to the gym, doing some weight training, then heading outside for a run around the nearby neighborhood, or the footpath.  The day I can program into my phone step by step spoken directions for a new neighborhood run, I will be so thankful!

  Saturdays are usually my long run days.  This Saturday I was scheduled to do a 5K race, that is 3.2 miles.  If I have no races in my area, or don't feel like shelling out the money to run in one, then I just do the mileage.  The reason Higdon puts races on the schedule is to see where one is speed wise.  Well, I had every excuse in the book to blow off that run.

1. my kids were both at sleepovers

2. my husband had the day off and wanted to spend it together 

3. I already know my pace from the awesome three I ran Thursday night...

and the list goes on.

  So I listened to my voices.  The scale reflects my failure. And I need to stop beating myself up and get back on the wagon.  Here is another crux.  Today is a scheduled rest day, and I really want to stick to the schedule.  I will not run or do weights today because I have a big week ahead of me with running, and will need my energy, but I won't be able to help feeling like a failure because I didn't run on Saturday when I truly could have found a way.  

  This is what I will tell myself.  Tomorrow is a run day.  You will run.  You will do great because of all that rest you had.  It will set a nice tone for the day and the week.

  Praying that I get all my runs in despite the voices and my new schedule.

I must have smoked a pack in my sleep

  I had the toughest run today that I have had in a long time.  I can't remember the last time I wanted to quit in the middle of a run...oh wait, yes I can, because I did.  I even wrote about it.  Chalked it up to being too hot and some other stuff.  I now realize that I should have just slowed the treadmill down.  Today was a 5 mile run.  First one in a while.  With this training program the mid week run jumps up a mile, sort of like the end of the week run.  Even after my chest was hurting like I had smoked a pack of cigarettes.

  I have really come to crave my long runs.  Yes I still stress a bit about them, and I do get tired while on them, and I am human, so I procrastinate in the morning before I run them.  Then "why?" you ask do I crave them?  It's the feeling after.  Every time I watch that show Extreme Makeover, I get encouragement from the people who are making an extraordinary move in their lives.  Today when I was watching, Chris looked at the guy after he had completed a work out, and said "now you can do anything".  That is exactly the way I feel after a long run.  I believe signing up for a race is birthed from  the high of a long run.  I think the more I run, the more it takes to experience the high.

  Todays run for instance was so difficult that I really was discouraged with it all day.  I made good time, and completed the task, and probably burned more calories than most good 5 mile runs, but it was a let down.  Tomorrow I am due for 3 miles.  I am not going to say that should be easy, I am just hoping I get a good nights rest for it.  I even ate salad today.  I noticed that if I eat anything that grew up from Gods green earth, that I get better results.

  At my kids school there are other runners, how do I know?  I know because I have seen two vans with running stickers!  I sure hope I figure out who they are and above all I hope they are nice!



  

Talk about my day and show you my new shoes!

I

I decided to go Vlog for tonight...what do you think?  My dear friend Wanda says I should make more, I kind of like it!