Walking and Counting

Last month, I wrote about walking versus running.  I learned that walking is probably better for me.  I have had a quest for some time to become a runner, and though I worked hard at it, it was always a push, always a (literal) pain.

My running style?  Slow and lumbering.

So I decided to walk.  Fast.  It's been a bit over two weeks now, I can walk faster than I can run, and I can walk at that faster speed for up to three miles (I haven't tried more, three is good).  I started at 4.0 mph, but each week I've upped it a tenth, and this week I've been successful at walking three miles (a 5K) at 4.2 twice.  Interesting since I couldn't run even one mile at 4.2 just a few weeks ago. 

I did have some shin splint pain at first, but nothing like I did when I run.  I stretch a bit first, and I wear my shin sleeves and, looking pretty in purple, they have helped.

Brad is pleased.  He wasn't a fan of my running, he was always worried I was doing more harm than good.

Walking at 4.0-4.2 compared to my former walks of 3.5 mph with a book to read burns significantly more calories.(Although I can't read at this pace.  Bummer.)  I don't dread exercise any longer, and that's a bonus since in a few short days I'll be doing it at, as my friend Betsy says, "The buttcrack of dawn," or before I head off to school.

Progress?  Yes.  I wanted to be able to complete a 5K distance by summer's end, and suddenly I'm doing it with more speed.  That's a surprise, but the bigger surprise is that I'm walking to do it.  I'd like to get to a faster walk, and in time, I'm confident I will.

The counting part?  As I worried less about body image and more about being mentally healthier in regard to self-image, I ate more this summer than usual.  I'd like to blame that on three things: Al, Mike, and a Cow.  Al, my 5'10'' niece wears a size 2.  While she lived here, when we were out we'd often get a treat.  Mike, well he makes the delicious hard cranberry lemonade that called to me each evening.  The Cow?  You know that "Skinny" one whose frozen cones and bars tempt with fewer calories?  Well, not when I eat two a day!

Hey, even fewer calories add up.  On me, they added up to about seven pounds beyond where my pants fit.  So, for the first time ever, I'm working toward healthy body image through calorie counting, portion size, and nutrition. Crazy eh?

And now, a treat has to be just that, once in a while versus a couple a day.  Sad, but true.  Happy but true will be the day I fit back into every pair of pants again.

Walk Don't Run?

Brad was out working the other evening, and I was being a slug.  Actually, I was slugging through a bunch of magazines I hadn't touched except to put them on the coffee table.  I made progress, went through a number of them, and sent most to the bin (the recycling bin).

But I kept one, June's copy of MORE, for an article on walking (in my mind I'm adding "versus running").  I'm now in week 5 (again) of the Couch to 5K program.  I do it all on my treadmill because 1) it's hot, 2) there's no timer on the sidewalk, 3) no dreaded shin splints, and 4) no one, and I mean no one, needs to see me run.

Can I tell you (again)?  I hate running.  I loathe it.  I despise it.  I like to be able to say, "Oh, when I was running this morning," and the other day someone told me I have "runner's legs," when she saw a very hazy photo of me in shorts.  It's GREAT to have run, to check off the days that I do with a satisfied line through it...run, but I don't like doing it when I'm doing it--I feel like I may die with every step.  And I'm only at nine minutes of running.  So this article about walking really captured my attention.

The cache of being a runner would be removed from my life.  Okay, not many people even knew I was doing this again.  But I don't want to run any more 5K's, I just wanted to be able to run 5K.

This information is making me rethink that want:

"When you walk, muscles have to generate energy for every step. In running, you're temporarily airborne, and you fall onto your leg which acts like a spring...Even at speeds above 4 or 5 mph, walking is much easier on the joints than running is."

Did you catch that mph?  Four or 5.  Today I walked at 4-4.2, and I was able to get through it more pleasantly than the running I did at 4.4 for nine minutes the other day.  And, though my lungs and heart seemed to stay in place, my legs did feel it more.   The idea of walking 5 mph blows me away, but right now I'm happy with working on getting a good walk on at 4.4 (my running speed).

Am I ready to give up running?  I just may be.

I could aim to better my time, in time, by walking.

Here's the link to the walking plan.

So Fragged Off!

Oy.

On the way home tonight, it's Friday Fragments time but I'm writing on Thursday, I was listing the things I need to get done, and I found myself pretty certain it was time for me to take a blog break.  It's been a weird week, and I just can't seem to find the time to pay attention to this blog.  May is going to be busy, super so, and I might need some time off.

So these fragments are a look back and a look ahead, and we'll see about the break.

Birthday Fragments:
My husband turned 60 on Tuesday, but I celebrated him all month.

He received a card a day from people who love him and he loved it...

And we had a surprise party on Saturday.  He was really surprised.  But what I found out is...I didn't like keeping a secret from him.  It was too hard.  We talk about everything.  And I had to censor myself for over a month.  Not fun.

Party?  Fun!

Would you believe he wouldn't let me light his candles?  He didn't want to ruin his Portillo's chocolate cake!  Not sure what our Jeanette is doing in that picture.  And...even though I said no gifts, our friend Walt brought a box of "clay pigeons."  Yee ha!  (And other friends brought candy which I've been nibbling on tonight.  So wrong of me!)

Work Fragment:
My student teacher's time is coming to an end, today was her last teaching day, so I'm back in the saddle.  May is so fragmented due to field trips, assessments, art mom visits, read ins, mom's day gifts, assessments, a huge project (they will be shocked those kiddies will), field trips...not a normal day in the month!

Family Fragments:
My son graduates from the MLIS program at LSU in BR LA in three weeks.  Woo hoo!  Can't wait to wear a sundress in May!

My niece is still with us, and she just got a job at Gilly Hicks.  I'm not sure how I feel about her "uniform" of really short shorts and a tank.  Sorry, no photo available!

Fundraising Fragment:
Our annual annuals sale is going on at school, and I'm in charge of that.  Time to figure out what our yard needs...

Flower Fragment:  
One of my tutoring parents gave me five hydrangeas.  Five! Keeping them alive inside has been tough, they're in such little pots they just dry up.  But we're hoping they hold on until we can get them in the ground.  If you live somewhere where hydrangeas actually stay this color, you are blessed!

Fitness Fragment:
And, on top of all this, I've made a commitment to (continue to) exercise.  I purchased and swiftly received (Saturday order, Tuesday arrival) the Brazil Butt program.

The first time I've ever ordered something from an infomercial.  I like it so far, and I can tell if I stick with it (and for three payments of 19.95 plus shipping, I will) there will be changes.  (It takes up to an hour six out of seven days.  Eep!)

Health Fragment:
On NewsRadio 720 I heard a story like this one and the focus was on women who don't get enough sleep, but I couldn't find the link on-line for the exact story I heard.  Basically, I have always been selfish about sleep.  I need seven hours a night, no less.  The facts say it all. Women don't take care of themselves because they take care of others--at the expense of their health. So I do choose to sleep versus blog (as well as other things).

Do you?  Should you?

Faith Fragment:
Now onto a purer topic, my anniversary present to Brad was a copy of Jesus Calling.  On nights we're both home, we share a devotional.  We'd been using the library's copy, but you know, it's a lending library not a keeping library, and in time even with renewals, they'd want the book back so...

Friend Fragment:
My blog friend Stacy wrote about having blog ruts.  It made me think.  I always have something to write about.  Whether or not it's interesting or relevant to anyone but me is a wonder, but the time thing that's my obstacle.  With work, tutoring, commuting, devotionals, exercising and sleeping I just sometimes feel pressured to blog.  And I don't want to feel anything but enjoyment about this little web destination.

So if I'm absent a lot in May it's because life is good.  Not amazing, but just right and full--you know full of blog fodder I just don't have energy to share!

Thanks Mrs. 4444:

Go check out the other fraggers at Half Past Kissin' Time!

Keeps Me Movtivated Monday

A simple post about what gets me going...

Chocolate keeps one slender (this article was in Time, but it was all over the 'Net too.)

The most motivating exercise tool I've used.  It's pushing me.  A dollar goes in the jar for every exercise session.  (I really do avoid the term "working out" as I am such a lazy gal.)  It's like a big check mark for "Done!"  Have no idea on what or when I will spend it, but that's okay.

What's moving you?

Your Body--Q of the W

I had considered taking this whole week off from blogging.  Goodness knows I have enough other things to be doing over spring break.  I am getting them done, but an early morning facebook conversation with my accountability partner spurred me to write this post.

Funny how talking things over with someone important matters so much.

We were discussing women and how hard we are on ourselves.  Stacy said she thought there isn't a woman around who doesn't want to change something about herself.

I know that's true for the woman sitting at this keyboard.

So I've decided to ask you the hardest question I've asked.

Will you name three things you like about your body?

A "no" answer is not acceptable.

I don't mean three internal things or behaviors, I'm talking the physical.  The parts we beat ourselves up over.  I have to admit, it's going to be hard for me to come up with three.  Three without qualification.  Three without hesitating to hit the word "publish."  Three without comparing myself to others.  

My three:

1) my waist

Now, you can't see this but I'm sitting here looking down at myself and I can't think of anything else.  This is not me fishing for compliments, this is me struggling.  I'm thinking, and canceling thoughts, and hurting a bit.  Minutes are passing.

2)  my back

3)  my skin--I think I have a nice complexion

And you?

Image

My friend Andi, who is quite a bit younger than me and quite a bit more fit than me, pinned this the other day, and I stole it.  I repinned it, posted it on facebook, and I'm putting it here to remind myself, it's not the number on the scale, it's the fit in the clothes and the strength.

My goal, more tangerines!

I've written a lot about acceptance over the past number of months--years really--when it came to my weight.  Women are meant to be curvy.  Brad loves me the way I am.  I am God's masterpiece.  All those are true.   So I did work to stop beating myself up. If you've read this blog for a while, you might already know that.  After 40+ years of hurting myself, it was time to stop.

But, around January 3, 2012 when all the diet Pepsi was gone, we decided to not buy more.  We decided, Brad and I, to make healthier choices together.  He has lost weight and is feeling better.  Me?   Two months later, nine pounds lighter, and having exercised more days than not, I simply feel healthier and a little stronger.

Pursuing health feels good on the inside, but there's more.  The surface stuff matters too.   To deny that would be a lie.  A simple pleasure, more things in my closet fit.  Getting dressed no longer slows me down as I try to find pants that fasten without discomfort.  I delight in wearing jeans that I considered donating since they'd "never" fit again.  Reporting to my accountability partner has been a good little shove in a positive direction.

The curves remain, just on a slightly smaller scale!

I am thankful God loves me no matter what size I am.  I cherish that.   Brad loves me no matter what size I am.  I value that.  I had a hard time doing so, but with God's help I had finally got to that level of self-acceptance.  I recognized I was not overweight.  However,  reminders in my Bible about God's temple, make me wonder if I honored Him through my habits.  I've turned to God through this more times than I can count.  Nine pounds ago and now He holds me closer than I can measure because He dwells within me.  I must continue to honor Him.

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.  
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20.)

These verses pertain to much more than health and weight.  I know that.  I also understand I may fall back into old habits.  He will love me anyway.  But now I choose to celebrate health.  I am so thankful for the healthy food options that surround me.  For the clean water He provides for me.  For a working, functioning, cancer free body.  For good nights' sleep in a safe bed.  For calm.  At 51, I wonder how much longer good health will be a blessing.  I cannot take it for granted.

I also understand this struggle, though wrestled hard, is nothing compared to what many others face, and for that I am thankful too.

Accountability Partner

My blog friend Stacy and her main crush, Toby Keith.

     My friend Stacy blogs here.  She also blogs here.  In a recent post on the latter blog, she wrote of her plan (notice I didn't write "wish") to lose 50 pounds by July 27 when Toby comes to her town again.  

     I left a comment asking if she'd like an accountability partner.  No, I don't need to lose weight.  I am 5'6" tall and thanks to saying so long to soda pop and eating healthier (that more fruit and vegetable thing actually works, who knew?), I weigh about 126 pounds (down from 133 in December).  So weight is not a concern for me.  

     However, tone is (I can hear flab flap when I do jumping jacks).  And truly, heart health is (my parents both had heart attacks--Mom's was fatal).  So to get myself off the couch, I'm going to check in with Stacy three times a week to note when I've exercised and when I haven't.  I'm going to keep eating healthier.  (No aspartame, less sugar, thinner bread, more fruit and veggies, continuing with less red meat...)  My plan is to get moving five days out of seven. 

     I have no desire to meet Toby Keith, but perhaps on July 27th, I'll celebrate in a different way, knowing Stacy is in PA looking slimmer and smiling bigger.   If you want to join us, just post a comment or send me an email--health is something that women talk about but don't do enough about.  Looking better in our clothes is just a by-product of working toward a healthier lifestyle.

Note:  I checked with Stacy before writing this post, and she wanted me to do it.  She feels it will make her more accountable.  I admire her for that.

Llama, Llama, where's Mac's mama?

This disjointedness is brought to you by 

Mrs. 4444. 

Go on, click on over and see what's up there, 

you won't be sorry!

*****

 Christmas afternoon, I snapped this of  my brother and his dog Nutty on his aptly names sun porch. She's getting pretty old, I was struck by her powdered face and her gait, but she still adores Jeff.

When I said good-bye to her, I cried a little.  I believe I was truly saying good-bye.  

Yes, I've suffered worse losses, and so has Jeff, and so we have that perspective.  But that doesn't always remove the pain.  Does it?

*****

No, I have no "whiz-bang" gift photos to share, my husband and I don't exchange gifts.

*****

Mac did find the perfect fluer di lis earrings for me, but taking a photo of my own ear is a task I'm not up to.

 *****

On Monday night, I helped make dinner for the guests of Ronald McDonald House in Chicago.

By helping I mean I cleaned both before and after dinner.

The excellent cooking was done by my friends Jim and Helen.

*****

On Tuesday night, we went to Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo.  My friend Jenn is a dolphin trainer there.  The top picture is her at work in the water.

Then she tried to coax one of her pals out after the show.

We had a behind the scenes tour of the Seven Seas facility afterward (no photos allowed, too bad, those dolphins were up close on that side of the tank, and a photo of Jenn digging through a bucket o' fish would have been priceless.)

Afterward Jenn dried off and met us in the lit wildly but still dark zoo.

We made our way to the children's zoo where Cinnamon was waiting to pose for photos.

Jenn got us a little closer...

Mac with a llama,

niece Alice with a llama, 

but no Ellie with a llama.

Hm.

I did pet the llama, her neck felt like a rough tree trunk covered by fake fur.  Okay, I get that it was real, but it felt synthetic.

*****

I had minor "chick" surgery yesterday.  The thing I was most nervous about was the anesthesia.  I was full under, but I woke fast without getting sick.  Every staff member I encountered at Central DuPage Hospital was beyond competent.  What a good place!

Especially the nurse who wrote the name of the best pads on a post-it for Brad.

He has no qualms about buying such things, but I knew facing a wall of product would be daunting.

Heck, I have to search that aisle, but after the next couple of weeks, that should all come to an end.

*****

Did you know surgery has color coded socks?   

I teased the nurse and told her I wanted orange, but she said those were for cardiac (I think) care.

Notice the two grips on both sides of the socks, even if I walked on the top of my feet, I wouldn't wipe out.  Okay, maybe I would...

*****
Best thing about surgery?  All the Lorna Doone's I could eat afterward.  They even sent some home with me in a "bio-harzards" bag.  I plan on using that ziploc for lunch over and over.  It's an apt name for my kitchen skills.
*****

There's something deeply thought provoking and gratitude filled about driving away from a hospital with the knowledge that recovery would be swift, and, although nervous making, what I went through was nothing compared to what 99% of those people walking through those doors would experience.

So I'm ending this with not a fragmented thought but a very deeply rooted and solid one:

Thank you God for my good health and access to doctors and their staffs who help me maintain it.

Friday, Friday, FRIDAY!

Thank you God for this break.

Speaking of which, mine starts at 3:30 today.  Two weeks off.

I have a student teacher coming in January. I hope she's ready. I'm never ready.

 Source:  pinterest

I caved and joined pinterest after writing a post stating I never would.  Color me wishy-washy.

This week one of my students gave "me" three World Vision Ducks for Christmas.  I cried.

source

Rough decisions made at work this week, my heart hurts.

Joy shared at work this week, I helped the kids make these for their parents.  They were so patient and the darn things turned out cute.  Pictures were taken of ours but I'm too tired to upload and download (or is it the other way around?)

source

My Dylan told me, "You come up with the best ideas!"  I gave credit to whom it was due.

My son, who is coming home on Sunday, asked if a friend could join us on Christmas.  I'm thinking I did a fine job raising my son with an open heart.

My niece is joining me at church this weekend and wants to be a part of my life.  My heart is singing with joy!  And we'll be doing some "pinterest" baking come next week. 

Singing? My friend Amy is for the first time this weekend at church.  Can't wait!

Tonight we're going to see The Story with Steven Curtis Chapman, Max Lucado, The Newsboys and more.  Our Christmas gift to each other I guess. (I have to write "I guess," because we agreed to not exchange presents...)  It is a splurge.

 source

I have started exercising again, and I'm doing this with some amending (variety of squats and leg lifts).  I'm liking it. On alternate days I walk/run:

source: pinterest

Linking up with Mrs. 4444 who has graciously afforded me a reason to post after a tiring week.

I'm liking that the positives for this week far outweighed the negatives.
I needed to see that.

Past 59 If I Have Anything To Say About It, But I Don't...

I will be 51 on Friday.  My mom died at 59.

Each year I get closer to the age she died, I think, "What can I do to stick around to meet my grandchildren and see them grow up?"

Now I understand Mom is in THE most glorious place. But I AM one to question God's plan.  My mom died of a massive heart attack nearly 20 years ago.  She didn't take care of herself.  One of my friends has tried to make clear to me that that was clearly "her time."  But, if she had taken care of herself, would He have chosen a different time?

Yesterday, I was thinking, "She has missed out on knowing Mac.  She would have adored him past the five years they shared on Earth."

Science tells us there are things we can do to be healthy, and the Bible tells us to take care of the temples in which He dwells--our bodies.  Is that the lesson to be taken from her death?  Be healthier?

Today I tried another 5K.  Running/walking/running/walking--to that 3.1 miles finish line.  And with each step I took, whatever my pace, I though of getting past, well past, 59.

(I finished 778 out of 899 runners, but with my personal best time!  And no shin splints! Back to treadmill training...)

Shin Splints

I think I have them.  Except when I read up on them on the Net, one site I found they're not a true medical diagnosis.

Huh.

Though they may not be a real thing, I'm supposed to rest them and not do more than walk for two weeks.  How can they have a treatment plan if they aren't a real thing?  They must be real, right?

Plus, there's actually a facebook page for how to treat shin splints.  Only one person liked it, so I decided to like it too. Maybe somewhere, someone is going, "Yes, two likes!"  Perhaps if you like it, and you tell two friends to like it, and so on, we might get to ten likes by the end of the week...

Makes the pain all seem kind of worth it.

photo from said site with two likes

I Wouldn't Call Myself a Runner, Yet

    To benefit sick kids with an "orphan disease."

     Back about six years ago, I decided to train for my church's spring 5K.  Non-athletic me, I couldn't even run from one house to another in my subdivision, so I decided to start inside.  I jumped rope many mornings from November to February to build stamina, and then in February I started running outside in the dark early mornings or dark early evenings. 
     I took me a while, but I got up to three miles on pavement in the dark and cold.
     Less than a week before the April race, I got a stomach bug.  Still wiped out on race day, I ran some and walked some.  It was hot, it was daylight, and I was weak.  I found I wasn't up for running after that.
     Bounce ahead a few years to when Brad and I acquired our treadmill, and I acquired another decade.  I decided last summer, 2010, to try running.  I used the Couch to 5K program, got to 5K, and then school got the better of me.
     Disgusted with my couch potato life, I decided this summer to again do the C25K program, or at least a version of it, with the date of October 2nd in my head.  A run/walk to benefit the Histiocytosis Foundation.  One of our students has just started his fifth remission year, free of this cancer like disease.
     Here's what I learned yesterday.  Running on a treadmill watching lame, distracting TV is much easier than running on hard pavement hopping curbs, assessing tilted walkways, avoiding walkers, and being grossed out by spit bombs.  My shins hurt before I reached half a mile.  Though I used to love running in the cold, I hadn't yet run anywhere but my basement, and the 40 degree morning hurt my lungs.
     Verdict?  My body wasn't ready.  I walked much more than I ran.  I walked about as fast as I run.
     I am not a runner yet.
     Solution?  Keep working on the treadmill.  Do some real rope jumping (on cement).  Run outside on weekend mornings in the daytime until the snow falls (ours is not a safe neighborhood to run through in the dark--mostly due to traffic).  Sign up for another 5K.
     I have a healthy body. It's essential to push.

Hearty Shoes

Yesterday for Shoe Style Saturday Dani asked,

   Do you have a pair of shoes that make you feel like you can do anything?

I fleetingly thought about my red Steve Madden Mary Jane pumps, sexy, cute, and photogenic but not empowering.

I left Dani a comment telling her about my sneaks, but you know, I think I've written about those before, so I didn't join her link-up party in a timely manner. Been there, done that, right?

I had a restless sleep last night filled with lots of weird dreams.

I have to figure out my new science unit today--are there shoes that will help me with that? 

Tonight is the LLS walk in memory of Vicki, whose shoes I've written about, and I was thinking of the logistics of that.  The emotions will come later.

As I laid in bed wishing I could have fallen back to sleep, I decided, "So what if I've written about my sneaks before? I finally hit three miles yesterday!"

So sneaks it is!

I have Nikes that I bought to walk in, thinking I'd never try running again.  I ran in them when I started Couch to 5K last year, but they weren't enough support.  Last fall, right before I gave up C25K, I went to Naperville Running Company (pictured above) , and I was fitted and filmed running (thank goodness just my feet) in my current Brooks running shoes.

I stopped running shortly after that due to my schedule and my laziness.

This summer I started again.  It's been a slow go, I'm a slow go, but it IS a go.

So...

Besides the walk tonight to aid in raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,

besides the run (and walk, I'm sure) for next week to benefit Histio Heroes,

these shoes are of benefit to my heart.

My mom died at 59 of a massive heart attack.

I am almost 51.

My dad had quintuple bypass surgery in his 60s.

I take after him in more ways than my name.

So, walking with Vicki's loved ones?

Running for cure?

Fighting the disease that took my mom's life--and the obesity that runs in my family?

They aren't pretty, so no picture needed, but in them I can do MORE!

And I intend to.

Back o' the Pack Club Actively Seeking Members

Know this guy?

Of course you don't!

He has become my inspiration.  His name is Hiro Matsushita, and he used to be an Indy Car driver.  He wasn't all that good, although he DID race, so he was better at driving fast than most of us.

Anyway, he was often in last place.  And he had a group of supporters, "Hiro's Back of the Pack Club," at one road course we used to go to.  Each time he'd pass, they'd yell, "Hiro!" and, if I remember right, they'd chug.

(The race was in Wisconsin, and yes, I used to take my son to Indy Car races, and no, I never raised my shirt--don't confuse all races with the infield at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.)

Yep, Hiro was famous for often being in last place.  He was lauded by some for often being in last place.

I'm still running (see progress in the left margin), plodding along, and I hope to meet my goal of 3 miles or, you know, 5K, by October 2.  But I really think I'd be motivated if I could rally some support and maybe make Brad a T for Ellie's Back o' the Pack Club.  (Who else would come out on a Sunday morning to cheer me across the finish line?)  My pace is so slow, I anticipate looking at the backs of every runner and even some walkers.

Finishing is my only goal.

Maybe that should be on my T?

Motivation

     This is similar in that I always say I hate exercising, but I love having exercised.

Yesterday, my feet were so sore, I barely made it to two miles. 

But I made it. 

I thanked God for this healthy body.

And I received such encouragement from friends, 

I made a goals calendar.

I have to be at three miles in about five weeks.

Scary to admit, I'm pretty excited!

Now I've Gone and Done It

(Note:  In computer speak, I think they're called sidebars, but I like margin, so forgive my old fashioned jargon, okay?)

I needed to do something to hold myself accountable, so if you look on the left margin of my blog, you'll see I've started a running diary.  I've committed myself to run a 5K on October 2, but I'm just not pushing myself enough to, um, run often enough to train well.

My facebook friends have been super encouraging and have helped me through side stitches (less water right before a run, eat a banana before running, and run with arms above head--not the whole time).  They have told me it's still running even when I'm soooo slow (I have a friend who is walking a breast cancer 3 day, and she walks faster than I run.  Shoot, I think I walk faster than I run...)

Erin sent me this:

Anyway, I need to get down to an every other day running thing.  I can't yet do it every day or even many days, so every other seems like a good idea.  What do you think?

As for today, I have to eat a bit (we're out of bananas--uh oh), read a bit, and then I WILL run a bit.  Of course, it's really accountability schmacountability 'cause I can always delete this post AND the notes in the sidebar.  But I swear that thought is buried in the very, very back of my mind.

Original photo sources lost on the Net

Posh Gym

     The last time I attempted running, I lived in my condo.  It was in a golf course community, and there was a great safe three mile running route through the neighborhood.  I started training in November by jumping rope in my little condo. Come February, I went out to run.  I loved the cold then.  In April I completely a 5K.  It was hot.  I found I don't like running when it's hot.  So I stopped.
     This neighborhood has running paths that are hot in the summer (duh) and aren't shoveled in the winter. Running/walking in the street is just not safe, so we invested in a treadmill for our "home gym."
     While I ran today, I thought I'd document where this member of the Slow Runners Club exercises.  Just promise me you won't be jealous, okay?

     Our home gym has ambient lighting--electric and daylight.  Also, please make note of the exposed wood beams:

     The designer treadmill, purchased at Le Sears, also has a fresh breeze blowing on it at all times:

That's a multi-speed fan to blow on a one-speed runner

     We have a television monitor on which I watch chick TV to pass the time. I'll tell you, running is a great way to work off aggression when a snotty mother-of-the-bride is featured:

Close captioning used out of respect for our neighbors.

     Not only do we have a treadmill, but our gym is also equipped with a stationery bike. I prefer running, but it's good to know it's there:

     And just like a fine restaurant or department store, we are proud owners of a grand piano:

  
     Nothing beats the amenities of our lower level home gym, unless you consider our upper body work-out area which includes a Hoover and two staircases!

Body Truth

Always looking for things to help free me from a severe dislike of my own body:

"Why am I trying to keep this teenage body when I'm not a teenager and everybody knows it?"

                             --Beverly Johnson (model)

Aiming toward health not skin and bones any more...pointing at my "problem area."

Off My Game

Like I have game!  (How dated is that expression?)

This week brought the end of the school year, yay!

And, a pretty fierce bronchial cold.  Boo!

It also brought a panini maker (via Amazon.com and UPS) because..."I like sandwiches."

So far, my one panini attempt looked more like Wile E. Coyote after he was smooshed by an Acme truck or looked like me after I slept for about 36 hours straight (almost asked Brad take a picture, my hair was hilarious...)

sort of a source

I don't know if the 36 hour nap was due to the cold or due to my job exhausting me--and me finally giving into that exhaustion.  It's kind of a chicken or egg question.

My summer starts...NOW!

Friends coming to knit today.  I admire their talents so much, and I'll never catch up, but I still  hope to become a:

image stolen from cafe press

I'm making an orange bundt cake for them.  Because to knit, we must nosh.

Starting to look for things to make for Mac's party when he comes home mid-July.  These are on my list:

Paula Deen's cake balls

Suffice it to say we won't be making paninis...

In the past four days I've read two books, neither worth mentioning.  Meh to both.

Apparently, I definitely believe in "feeding a cold." I have eaten way too much the past four days.  Eep!  Can't wait to get back on the treadmill.

Yesterday, the cute young doctor on The Doctors said the way to lose more weight is to up one's speed, "Like on the treadmill run at 10 mph!"  Ten?  I barely can make a run at 4 mph.  Slow runners club member, I am, perhaps for life...(And this week I haven't done any running at all.  Can't wait, truly, to get back to it.)

photo source

I did not select a shirtless photo for any lustful reasons, it's the first one that I came across that was from a the show's site, not some random blogger's...

Which reminds me. It's that time of year to tell all men, "Just because it's legal for you to go shirtless, doesn't mean it's a good idea."  Thank you.

This came in the mail from Erin at Unrepeatables:  

 With a surprise...

Can I tell you how fun it was to lie in bed and snap ring pictures?  They're such fun, she makes them using nail polish. 

I'm feeling less fragmented, but I thank Mrs. 4444 for allowing me to make a list of the pieces of my week!