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Archives for June 2013

It’s Thoughtful Thursday! Let your heart do the traveling!

June 27, 2013 By

Hoping this isn’t a repeat but if it is..it’s a good one!  Thanks Carole!!  You do have a Brave, Open Heart!

A dear friend of mine, Carole MacLean, shared this quote with me.  I started to write about it and then realized it can stand on its own because in one short sentence it sums up Thoughtful Thursday.

If you think sending a handwritten letter, no matter how long or short won’t make a difference then remember this quote.

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. Phyllis Theroux

How about we all move our heart today?

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Ready, set, GO make it a Thoughtful One!

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Filed Under: Food/Healthy Eating

My Relationship Status with the Treadmill: “It’s Complicated”

June 11, 2013 By

Dear Treadmill,

I need you, I want you, I dislike you intensely.  You are always there for me, calling me, acting coy.  You whisper sweet encouragement like:

  • I will go as fast or as slow as you want
  • Your running wish is my command
  • I have a fan for you and lots of buttons for you,the gadget queen
  • I will keep you warm and dry
  • I will hold your water and make it available at any time
  • Music or TV..whatever you wish
  • If I fall ill my friend is right next to me as my back up

So I succumb to your sweet whispers as it rains or snows or even in the dark of night.  And you…

BETRAY ME…with

  • confusing buttons that make me go faster than I want
  • boredom…the scenery never changes
  • throwing me off when I dared to lose concentration
  • throwing me off again when I dared to remove my jacket and forgot to keep running
  • video taping the whole thing ( I think you have a deal with American Funniest Home Videos)
  • no sympathy for my scraped hands and knees ( see above)  I swear I heard you chuckle

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And yet I can’t resist going back and giving,you, Miss Treadmill, another try.  We are getting better at getting along.

You haven’t thrown me off the last couple of times ( my knees and  hands thank you), I’m learning to push the right buttons and have outsmarted you by staying focused ( instead of being like the dog who suddenly sees “squirrel”)

After looking for a you tube video to post to this blog I now understand your reluctance to be nice.

I found people who abused  you by:

  • running on you with high heels ( yeah..I’d throw her off too in a nano second and you did )
  • trying to bike on you instead of run
  • running drunk ( no explanation needed on what happened there)
  • trying to jump on after you are already running at full speed
  • playing hopscotch on you and your friends ( jumping from one running treadmill to the next)

Here’s a link to some of  “those”  treadmill abusers:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4XFDweEgeU‎

So despite your attitude problem, Miss Treadmill, I will continue to try but in the meantime I have bad news.

The open road will always be my main squeeze…oh yeah!

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Filed Under: Fitness, Fun, Health, humor

It’s Thoughtful Thursday! Technology Saved the Day

June 6, 2013 By

I often say I am just tech savvy enough to be dangerous even though my husband calls me the “gadget queen”.  I also  have to admit that I have been resisting lazy about learning all the bells and whistles for each gadget.

Despite my laziness I find myself being so very grateful that technology has saved  me time energy and a little angst when my brain cells aren’t connecting.

My car, for one,  is way smarter than I am and has saved me from locking my keys inside at least 100 times.

I also have many tech savy friends that have saved me from self induced tech trouble.

And now, despite my resistance, ( and being a tad sentimental)  I have to admit that it may be time to give the old address book the heave ho.  It is worn and tattered and seen its better days. It also has a mind of its own and goes missing for days on end.

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I realized this when some of  my tech savvy friends came to the rescue of  “Thougthful Thursdays”.  They did it  without even realizing it..just doing what came naturally to them ( tech wise).

A life raft was thrown my way long before I was in danger of drowning.

Magic?

I wish ( would have made an awesome blog post!)  but no.. just a happy accident.

I was writing notes for  “Thoughtful Thursdays” and wishing I had my address book with me when a light bulb went off.  The last time I was with these friends we exchanged addresses, e-mails, birthdays etc. via SMART PHONES!

There I was in the oh so comfortable Jiffy Lube waiting room writing cards wishing I could mail them on my way home and like magic two of my brain cells collided and I checked my phone and there were all the addresses I needed.

Woohoo!!!

Mission accomplished.  Stamps purchased at the grocery store, note cards breeding indiscirminatly in my desk, and my purse, addresses on smart phone, pen hiding in the grunge of my car, purse, couch cushions or on occasion at my desk.  No excuses not to write these notes anymore!

Thoughtful Thursday gadget style with a little old school thrown in for good measure.  The best of both worlds wouldn’t you say?

So go out and make it a Thoughtful one..my uber smart car, phone, computer and running watch told me to remind you!

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Filed Under: Food/Healthy Eating

Run for the dream..just don’t run out of gas!

June 5, 2013 By

This past Sunday I completed my third half marathon and the only one I have attempted in warm weather.  The weather and Vitamin P ( procrastination) are the two biggest obstacles to my running.

I always come away  from these races with some good insights, a few chuckles and some new ( although often temporary) friends.

Here is what I learned from the Run for the Dream Half Marathon:

  • Don’t run out of gas.  I mean this in the truest sense.  Nothing like rolling into the parking lot on fumes!
  • Just glance at the weather predictions and I mean just look at whatever lame drawing they have..you know the ones with the clouds, sun, rain drops etc.  DO NOT READ the prediction of 81% humidity ( aka sauna)  Not the kind of adenaline rush I wanted the night before especially since I think it should be 65, sunny and with a light breeze for EVERY race.  ( a girl can wish can’t she?)
  • Remember not to break my rule of NOT looking at the race course and description before the race  Yup I looked and then remembered my mantra “Ignorance about hills  IS bliss!”

Okay..enough of the don’ts ..here are some aha’s.  Some are new and some are just things that have come to past over time.

  • No matter how good I feel or how strong I finish I always look like hell at the finish line..and that is okay.  I will never figure out how some women finish the race and still look fresh. And yes I am jealous!!
  • I like smaller races.  This one had between 2500-3000 runners.  Sounds like alot but not really. I’ve done a 10k with 40,000 of my closest friends and decided that 3,000 sweaty people is enough for me.
  • Go for the water even if its to pour it down my back or front.  The back is for the cooling effect..the front..well it gives a more dramatic display that I am actually working and sweating more intensely than I really am !
  • Don’t forget to have fun..here I am at mile 8.5 having some fun with the local parrotheads..I think if it had been a real bar half the runners would have quit right there…:)IMG_0071
  • Have a plan if  I end up being the very last person in..it hasn’t happened so far but the plan is in place.

Ready for this?

If I am going to have a police car following me becasue I am bringing up the rear then its time to do the ole princess wave, keep smiling and be grateful that I am at least running a tad faster than the police car or that some people may , possibly,  think I am famous.

Yeah right…

Seriously..I would work that bit so hard people would be cheering..or maybe the volunteers would be cheering that they can finally go home!

I  loved this race for the name alone. Who wouldn’t like to “Run for the Dream”?  Maybe I will just pick my races for the name from now on..hey works for me.

I do like to set an intention for each race long before the race day.  This time it was for a young adult named Jeremy and his family.  Jeremy had a pool accident last August that left him paralyzed from the chest down.  He is working hard to regain the use of his arms and legs.  His whole family runs for the dream EVERY day.  They could map out a course but hills and mountains and obstacles that they must tackle pop up when they least expect it.

Thinking of them and how they face their “run” everyday with faith, grace and smiles motivated me to get my rear end out the door and on the run.  I thought about them, prayed for them and thanked them for  letting me be a witness to their strength.

So Jeremy..I almost ran out of gas before the race even started..but I got there, I started, I finished and I thought of you.  May you continue on your race for YOUR dream and may all your future hills level out as you run your own race to recovery.

Oh and guess what..it turned out Sunday was Jeremy’s birthday ( I had no idea)…Happy Happy Birthday Jeremy..May all YOUR dreams come true!

Blessings,

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Filed Under: Fitness, humor, Life in Virginia