thursday's ten: the non-suggested 5k edition

times i wouldn't suggest running a 5k

when you've been sick with the flu 3 out of the last 5 days.
when because of your back being injured for 6 weeks followed by the flu, you haven't trained even once in the last 2 months
when it's classified as an off road adventure
when your asthma is acting up
when you stayed up until 3 am with a girlfriend eating junk and watching tv
when you are used to temperatures over the mid 60s (in tennessee) and you are now set to run in 40 degree northwestern kentucky weather
when rain is also predicted
when your tennis shoes are so old they aren't really great for running on any surface anymore, much less non-paved surfaces
when you forget to take your inhaler until halfway up the first hill (thank GOODNESS i had borrowed a spibelt to carry it in and was able to remedy that quickly!)

BUT

if you choose to still do the 5k after ALL that?

it may be awesome
it may be fun
it may be the worst time you've ever had because you ended up HIKING in the woods on a single file trail instead of running a 5k (guess that's what they meant by off road)
there may be gorgeous scenery

you may feel an enormous sense of accomplishment just for surviving
it may be something you want to do again, at least once in awhile :-)

it's a great day to try an authentic indian restaurant

my friend natasha and i like to eat
mmm, a lot
and this week she told me that she's discovered a new authentic indian restaurant a few miles away
so, to the lunch buffet we shall head :)

tonight i shall babysit for some regular clients
and then collapse into bed
(if the last couple of nights are any indication, that is!)

may you all have a wonderful weekend...
especially brooke as she kicks her husband's butt in their race ;)
(go #teambrooke!)

may you have many adventures to tell us on monday
if that's what you desire
or many moments of peace and calm
if that's what you crave
and many moments to live in awe
of the life you've been given.

blessings,

Fitness Friday: to run or not to run?

i've never been much of a runner

i walk pretty fast, so i was able to get 5K times of around 45 minutes when i walked the entire thing

but earlier this year i started running more during my 5K's (maybe 1/2 mile total, but still) and started noticing that i began getting 42 and 40 minute times.

i determined to run an entire 5K soon, and even put it on my "30 before 30" list

(even though my yoga teacher had always said it's bad for your back/knees/etc)

and then

april hit

and after moving me into my new environment

i had a major asthma attack that put me in the ER and required an overnight hospital stay

and i became terrified to run

it took a long time for me to go out for a walk even

and the first time i went hiking i thought i was going to die

that childhood asthma i thought i had outgrown

had come back stronger than ever

but now that it's been a few months and i've done a couple of semi-serious hikes and a nice little 3 mile hike last weekend

i've decided something

next weekend is the 1 year anniversary of my very first 5K

and i'm doing it again

last year i kind of strolled through, simply happy to be out and moving

this year, i WILL run at least half of it

so i've started what many of you have been doing for awhile

the couch to 5K program is what many of you have done

i've chosen a similar program: 5K 101 

simply because it has a free podcast you can download that tells you what to do when.  easy!

today is only my 2nd workout, which means i will only be 2 weeks into it when i do the 5K

but still

i am fairly certain i'll be able to handle it

if nothing else, i'll plug my headphones in and start the training podcast i'm on...

i'll let you know how it goes :)

Fitness Friday: well, that just makes sense

i'll be the first to admit that my sleep cycles are not normal

i'm working on it though

and this last couple of weeks, i HAVE noticed an improvement

besides biting the bullet and actually crawling into bed a bit earlier

the only other thing that's changed is that i'm exercising more

not a LOT more, just more

and then yesterday i stumbled across this article from msnbc

one of the people mentioned states that an hour of exercise can make up for an hour of sleep

so sleep 7 hours, exercise for one

apparently it's the same benefits

erm, i'll have to work up to 7 hours of sleep a night...

but i think that's a definite possibility

especially since my complaint about going to bed earlier is that i can't fall asleep...

same study shows that regular aerobic exercise can improve ability to sleep

well, fall is in the air

time to put on those running shoes!

Thursday's Ten: fall stuff

last week i shared one of my favorite fall things

fall tv

this week...the rest of the good stuff :0)

for the record, i'm not a huge fan of what comes after fall.  but these initial days of breezes blowing through the screen door, tickling the wind chimes, crisp leaves to crunch, warm beverages to delight in...they are what i like.

winter can be skipped.

(although, yes, i'll try to come up with a top 10 list when winter comes too.  most likely #1 will be 'tennessee's is short')

soooo,

my favorite things about fall

1.  bonfires and outdoor activities

2.  starbucks: pumpkin spice latte.  yes please.

3.  actually, pumpkin anything.  and the cinnamon pumpkin fragrance mixes...to.die.for

4.  gorgeous scenery to capture in a picture

5.  pumpkin delights from little debbie.  i haven't seen them yet this year...i hope they're actually back!

6.  being able to walk/run/jog without being completely drenched in sweat from the moment you step outside

7.  football...yes, i'm hooked.  love going to NFL games, love watching it on tv

8.  blankets on the couch and robes at the ready.  and slippers.  ahhh.

9.  fall clothing.  i do love me some comfy clothes

10.  soup season.  oh, how i love comfort food.  oh, how i love an excuse to make soup!



join me, yes?  what are your favorite things about this season?

Thursday's Ten: promises

i feel like it's important (for me at least) to do this every once in awhile. so here are the promises i'm making myself as of right now, in this moment.

1. i will not worry about money and where this or that payment will come from. thus far, God has provided my every NEED...why would i think that would change?

2. i will enjoy each moment instead of focusing on what's "wrong" with my life/finances. in the grand scheme of things, i'm so incredibly blessed...and it's only when people outside of myself start wondering aloud how i'm handling things or what's going on that i start questioning. i need to remember something my dad always quoted: "there's nothing that will happen today that God and i can't handle together"

(erm, i may have gotten a huge hospital bill last night since my insurance is crappy and been doing a bit of concerned thinking...)

3. i will enjoy time spent with children...even if they are whiney and argumentative with each other. it's tennessee, it's summer, and it's hot...we're all whiney.

4. i will continue getting active, continue my routine with WiiFit, and finally get up the nerve to go for a walk/run even though i'm afraid of an asthma flare-up. guess what? that's what my inhalor is FOR!

5. i will learn to can foods, specifically tomatoes. i read not too long ago that eating canned tomatoes from the store is awful for you and that if you must buy them you should look for glass jars instead. i figure if i preserve the ones i grow myself in glass jars i'll be one step better :)

(and yay for money saved...i use a LOT of canned tomatoes when i cook italian foods!)

6. i will take a hard look at composting. now that i live in a neighborhood where curbside recycling is available, it's much easier to be green in that regard...next steps would be compost and rain barrel...perhaps not this summer, but soon.

7. i will take a few moments each day to be intentionally grateful

8. i will continue 'settling in' at a reasonable pace

9. i will take emi to the vet for a check up

10. i will spend more time with those i love

told you i'd be more positive...

i watched grey's anatomy tonight, as per my usual
and the end quote struck me, as it often does
i've shared the wisdom so often evident in those final words
on other blog posts of mine (like here and here)
and this one had to be shared too.

as a wanna-be runner...these words can easily be applied to the hiking, jogging, and 5Ks that i do.

they can also be applied to my current state of mind.
and i have hope, that i'm still scaling the side of this particular mountain.

wisdom of grey's:

they take pictures of mountain climbers at the top of the mountain
they're smiling
estatic
triumphant

they don't take pictures along the way
cause who wants to remember the rest of it?
we push ourselves because we have to
not because we like it

the relentless climb
the pain and anguish of taking it to the next level

nobody takes pictures of that

nobody wants to remember

we just want to remember the view from the top
the breathtaking moment at the edge of the world

that's what keeps us climbing
and it's worth the pain

that's the crazy part

it's worth anything.

- Grey's Anatomy, 2010