Hamster on a Wheel

Posted on by
Reply

image

3 worst things about running on a treadmill at the gym:

1. Feeling like a caged hamster running on a wheel.

2. Having to smell gross old-man cologne for the entire length of your workout because you can’t run past the guy next to you… because you’re a hamster on a wheel.

3. Not being able to escape getting hit on by weird guys because they know you can’t move away from them…. because you’re a hamster on a wheel.

1 redeeming aspect of running on a treadmill at the gym:

1. Decreased swamp-ass/ lowered risk of heat stroke. 

That is all…

A Sign of Peace

Posted on by
1

Sorry I have left you for so long,  my friends.  I have had so many amazing changes occur in my life and I’m excited to fill you in! I have a new career,  new amazing friends to share my life with and new goals to achieve.

I’ve continued to run and feel that I’ve gotten stronger.  This summer,  I have kept my schedule pretty regular.  I have treated myself to several recovery walks along the ocean afterwards and these pictures are from my greatest of discoveries while on one of these walks… a baby sea turtle making its way back to the ocean.

It’s brothers and sisters had left it much earlier in the day and it was stumbling around trying to figure out which way to go.  So precious and tiny!

When I posted this on Facebook,  a friend of mine informed me that turtles traditionally represent peace in one’s life.  How fitting that I should see this now.  I am happy and at peace… there are so many adventures to look forward to in the upcoming months.  I can’t wait to find my way to the ocean and experience the successes of all my efforts!

 

 

 

#LikeaGirl

Posted on by
Reply

Many of you have probably seen this Always commercial already but, for the few who haven’t, I must share.  This very powerfully shows the power of words and how even to this day, describing something as being done “like a girl” is meant to be insulting.

I’ll be tagging all of my EPIC and not-so-epic accomplishments this season with #likeagirl.  Saying that I run “like a girl” is probably the best compliment you can give me… second only to “You’re crazy!”  Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs

Active.com’s Tips to Run through the Heat

Posted on by
Reply

run in heat 3

The heat is getting fierce and my long runs have gotten slower and more taxing as a result.  There are a few things you can do to stay safe during the hottest months of the year and the following article from Active.com lists most of the tricks that I commit to during the summer.  On my last long-run, for example, I left at 7am only to realize that this was already too late in the day.  The earlier in the morning (or later in the evening) the better.  Check out the link for other useful info:

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/6-Tips-to-Run-Through-the-Heat.htm

Buzzfeed’s 21 Things Runners Won’t Tell You

Posted on by
1

20140628-115249.jpg

Hope you get as much of a kick out of this as I did! (Numbers 1 & 2 are especially embarrassing but true, lol!)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/annehelenpetersen/things-runners-wont-tell-you

… and Strawberry too!

Posted on by
1

strawberry jam

And for those that like my post on home-made Mango Jam,

http://walkruninspired.com/2014/06/25/home-made-mango-jam/

I have to also share that we decided to make some strawberry jam afterwards too!  Sticky, sweet, messy fun!

Home-made Mango Jam

Posted on by
1

mango jam

Its mango season in South Florida!  People who are blessed enough to have a tree in their back yard are eating them up and desperately trying to give them away to co-workers, neighbors and friends, lest they should rot on the ground or get eaten by squirrels, opossums… or the dog.  (My dog Charlie has eaten a few of my neighbor’s mangos and has come back into the house with quite the cute mango mustache on several occasions.)

Well, my caddy corner neighbor and my mother’s next door neighbor has the most gorgeous and fruit-filled mango tree in the neighborhood.  Luckily they believe that sharing is caring and gave us a few.  And this is what we came up with to use up that yummy goodness. Mango jam!!

Delicious on toast, on a ritz cracker with cream cheese, in the center of thumb print cookies or simply spooned right into your mouth!  Although the process is fun, its time consuming and messy.  All worth it in the end, though.  Check out the photos of our afternoon together.

Focussed

Posted on by
Reply

robert brault

No more need for tears.  I’ve found my focus.

Sometimes we humans create and work towards goals just to keep our minds engaged and to keep ourselves focussed on things we feel we do have a level of control over. Focussing and working towards achieving things we feel that we can actually attain gives our minds a rest from the hurt and seeming hopelessness of those things we have no power to change… We figure, “At least I can move forward in some way.”  And the truth is it helps, because we ultimately do move towards something… Anything.

But here’s why I hadn’t truly yet shed the tear and found the focus: I was proud of my races but had no one waiting or cheering for me at the finish.  I made food for myself but had no one to share my meals with.  I had ideas for all sorts of creative activities but had no one to see enjoy them when I was done.  I could think of a ton of fun things I wanted to do and try but had friends too far away to enjoy them with.

But I finally understood the very simple missing piece: I needed to reach out to the people I already had in my life and create connections to even more.  And that doesn’t mean that I’m needy.  It just means that I’m full of love.  Love for my family, love for my friends, love for happiness and love for life.  I like to share my life and I like to live it in many different directions at once because it makes me feel, hectic, happy and fulfilled.  I need to have adventures to look forward to, even if the adventure is one that I’ve had a million times before.

The reality is, I already had tons of people to share my life with, and I’m meeting more and creating friendships with others to share it with further… and, hopefully, I’ll find that one specific person I’m looking for soon. 🙂 ❤

 

Finished Just in Time…

Posted on by
Reply

9 miles

Well, I only set the clock back 15 minutes ONCE this morning but, I managed to get up and get my mileage in as planned.

It wasn’t my happiest run… I usually feel better and better as the miles pass but, today I got a stitch on the left side of my rib cage at mile 7.  I tried to exhale through it and keep going but I wasn’t a happy camper and it slowed me down about 30 sec per mile.

Another thing I wasn’t too crazy about during this run was that the bridge I run over had to be raised to let a boat go by on my way back. Although this gave me a well needed break, I question whether or not my average pace really counts, considering I had rest time that I wouldn’t truly have during a race.

Either way, I’m happy.  The minute I finished it began to thunder pretty loudly… As I drove home, the heavens opened up to one of our lovely Florida torrential downpours, lol.  I like running in the rain but, that thunder and lightning would have really been awful to run through.

One long run completed for the week… Next one will probably be this weekend 🙂

9 miles… or sleep in ’till 9am…?

Posted on by
Reply

dreams

So, I had all the intentions in the world to run 9 miles this morning to celebrate my official first day of complete freedom.  No more shortened summer work schedule, no more assignments due in school, just FREEDOM… But when my alarm went off at 6am, I set it back 15min.. then another 15… then another 15.  At 6:45 I decided “Who am I kidding? I need to sleep!”  So, instead of running 9 miles, I slept in until 9am. (Which I haven’t done in a long, long time.  Not even on the weekends!)

But tomorrow I’m hitting the pavement and I’m hitting it hard.  Because my dreams of running a sub-two-hour half marathon aren’t going to become a reality unless I work at it this summer.  I’m so close I can taste it.  Gonna make those 9 miles MINE!