Something old?
I love running.
Something new?
Running with my heart rate at 180-my age=144 beats per minute.
Why?
I was over reading Miss Zippy's blog earlier this week and it made me wonder if perhaps I just needed to start over. If, perhaps, by starting over, I might be able to get to where I want to go. Perhaps, by starting over, my races can get better and better rather than worse.
Miss Zippy does a great job explaining about MAF training here, here and here...
I figure, I have the time. I have nothing on the horizon. I have a HR monitor I have never used. Why not give it a try??
So, the kids and I loaded up in the car and headed to the track. I was supposed to warm up for a mile, but, honestly, my heart rate was well over 100 as I walked to the track. Getting higher with each step. I decided to just go.
Oh my.
This is not for the impatient.
As I attempted to keep my heart rate below 144 I walked, I jogged, Cole could walk at my pace...
Mile 1: 10:35
Although slow, it only reinforced the thought that this was a good idea...
Mile 2: 12:46
A really good idea...
Mile 3: 12:54
It is not easy to keep your heart rate at 144...
Mile 4: 13:14
Could my monitor be on wrong??? No, this is good...
Truly, this was an eye opener. I laughed with Cole as I told him I wasn't even sweating. That I didn't feel like I was exerting myself in any way, shape or form. I'm not kidding when I say that a women, who appeared to be in her 70's passed me. :)
I know this is a good thing. It's reflected in my times. I can't wait to see where this will take me.
Thankful to have happened upon Miss Zippy's blog :)
Friday, June 21, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Why I Write
Life has been all sorts of crazy the last few weeks. Not bad crazy, just crazy...
Well child checks for kids...
Ortho appointments...
Pediatric urologist appointments...
Surgery scheduled for one sweet pee...
Braces going on scheduled for another...
Schedules to juggle...
End of school year festivities...
Field trips...
Work...
Colds...
Anxiety...
Life.
Through all this, one thing has been missing...
The run.
As I've gone through the days, sidelined by life, I've missed the run. I've missed the quiet, the fresh air, my special time with God. And yet, I have choices, choices to get done what needs to get done, or to ignore it and run. I've chosen to stay focused and get through the last few weeks.
Then, although the scale doesn't budge, my mind tells me I've gone soft. That I'll never get it back. Good luck on even squeaking out 2 miles. My mind? Or Satan? Yeah. As I type, pretty sure that's Satan.
What's beautiful is that I have a memory bank that will not go away. A memory bank that just now, reminded me that this is just the way it is. That I go through this every year when school gets out. That I haven't lost it. That even if I can only squeak out 2 miles that it will all come back. That these crazy days will soon give way to the wonderful, deep breath of summer...
A beautiful reminder...
That memory bank is this blog. Sometimes I think about shutting it down. What's the point? It seems there's only about 4 people who read it anyway. I've always wanted this to be a place for me to therapeutically download whatever it is that is going through my mind. I've kept my thoughts public in hopes that maybe, just maybe, God would use my story to bless someone. That perhaps, by sharing, someone won't feel alone. That someone would understand and come to know God's love for them. I've kept it public because I've felt like that was what God wanted. I've pressed publish, I've been vulnerable... all in hopes that just one person could be blessed. However, sometimes, it's hard to press publish, it's hard to be vulnerable, it's hard to know that people can read some of my deepest thoughts and I would never even know that they stopped by. Sometimes, I just want to shut it down...
Last night, I started reading old posts. Looking through the archives. Smiling. Crying. Feeling God's presence. Taken back to the painful times. Taken back to the blessings. And although my feet weren't laced into my shoes, my heart felt like God and I had just gone for a run.
So often, a thought will cross my mind and I want to write about it. But, I'm busy, I don't find the time. I don't make the time. I wish I did. These thoughts, this blog, it does bless someone. It blesses me. It reminds me of God's love, His faithfulness, His blessings. Now, I hope that maybe someone, besides myself can be blessed too :)
Well child checks for kids...
Ortho appointments...
Pediatric urologist appointments...
Surgery scheduled for one sweet pee...
Braces going on scheduled for another...
Schedules to juggle...
End of school year festivities...
Field trips...
Work...
Colds...
Anxiety...
Life.
Through all this, one thing has been missing...
The run.
As I've gone through the days, sidelined by life, I've missed the run. I've missed the quiet, the fresh air, my special time with God. And yet, I have choices, choices to get done what needs to get done, or to ignore it and run. I've chosen to stay focused and get through the last few weeks.
Then, although the scale doesn't budge, my mind tells me I've gone soft. That I'll never get it back. Good luck on even squeaking out 2 miles. My mind? Or Satan? Yeah. As I type, pretty sure that's Satan.
What's beautiful is that I have a memory bank that will not go away. A memory bank that just now, reminded me that this is just the way it is. That I go through this every year when school gets out. That I haven't lost it. That even if I can only squeak out 2 miles that it will all come back. That these crazy days will soon give way to the wonderful, deep breath of summer...
A beautiful reminder...
That memory bank is this blog. Sometimes I think about shutting it down. What's the point? It seems there's only about 4 people who read it anyway. I've always wanted this to be a place for me to therapeutically download whatever it is that is going through my mind. I've kept my thoughts public in hopes that maybe, just maybe, God would use my story to bless someone. That perhaps, by sharing, someone won't feel alone. That someone would understand and come to know God's love for them. I've kept it public because I've felt like that was what God wanted. I've pressed publish, I've been vulnerable... all in hopes that just one person could be blessed. However, sometimes, it's hard to press publish, it's hard to be vulnerable, it's hard to know that people can read some of my deepest thoughts and I would never even know that they stopped by. Sometimes, I just want to shut it down...
Last night, I started reading old posts. Looking through the archives. Smiling. Crying. Feeling God's presence. Taken back to the painful times. Taken back to the blessings. And although my feet weren't laced into my shoes, my heart felt like God and I had just gone for a run.
So often, a thought will cross my mind and I want to write about it. But, I'm busy, I don't find the time. I don't make the time. I wish I did. These thoughts, this blog, it does bless someone. It blesses me. It reminds me of God's love, His faithfulness, His blessings. Now, I hope that maybe someone, besides myself can be blessed too :)
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Adventure - A Giveaway!
A month ago I got a text from a friend asking if I would like to join he and his wife at our local running store's 1st Thursday Urban Adventure Run. My hubs was out of town and the kids were all taken care of so I thought, "sure, why not?"
It was a hot day and a beautiful evening as we heading down to P-town for a little adventure. I'm about as adventurous as... well, let's put it this way, Hood To Coast is about as adventurous as I get. I was with 2 of my favorite people so, although out of my comfort zone, I knew I was in good company and we would have fun no matter what.
Finding and running from location to location proved to be an excellent adventure. Seeing parts of P-town that I've never seen before (I don't get out much) and topped off by the fact that one street was closed for vendors with beautiful art on display and awesome music playing that left us feeling like we were running with Jason Bourne - dodging people, swerving, weaving, exhilarating...
At each location, we received a raffle ticket. At the end of the run we placed our tickets in the buckets and waited to see if we had won any prizes.
Garmins, shoes, socks, you name it... all raffled off to various winners. There were some prizes I said, "that would be amazing!!" And others that had me thinking, "no, thank you."
Next up, an entry to the Spartan Race. An adventure race of the most epic proportions. Now, remember that part where I said I'm not adventurous?? Yeah, my number was called. I quickly looked around me and locked eyes with the guy behind me as I said, "I just won, do you want it??" I quickly gave him my ticket so he could claim the prize. No, thank you.
You see, I love running. I love the bliss filled and sometimes painful miles that come with distance running. I love the peace, the quiet, the deep breath. I have 5 kids. That is enough adventure for me. However, I also understand that for some people, these adventures fill their cup like no other. That the adventure, for them, is so much better than my bliss filled, quiet runs in the country.
So, when I was contacted by the Spartan Race to host a giveaway I was beyond excited. I understand that we are all made differently and that someone's day could be made with a free entry to what the Spartan Race says is "Obstacle racing at it's toughest!"
From their website...
Sound like an awesome adventure??
Spartan Races can be found all over the country and the giveaway entry is good for any open Spartan Race in the 2013-2014 season in the continental U.S.
It was a hot day and a beautiful evening as we heading down to P-town for a little adventure. I'm about as adventurous as... well, let's put it this way, Hood To Coast is about as adventurous as I get. I was with 2 of my favorite people so, although out of my comfort zone, I knew I was in good company and we would have fun no matter what.
Finding and running from location to location proved to be an excellent adventure. Seeing parts of P-town that I've never seen before (I don't get out much) and topped off by the fact that one street was closed for vendors with beautiful art on display and awesome music playing that left us feeling like we were running with Jason Bourne - dodging people, swerving, weaving, exhilarating...
At each location, we received a raffle ticket. At the end of the run we placed our tickets in the buckets and waited to see if we had won any prizes.
Garmins, shoes, socks, you name it... all raffled off to various winners. There were some prizes I said, "that would be amazing!!" And others that had me thinking, "no, thank you."
Next up, an entry to the Spartan Race. An adventure race of the most epic proportions. Now, remember that part where I said I'm not adventurous?? Yeah, my number was called. I quickly looked around me and locked eyes with the guy behind me as I said, "I just won, do you want it??" I quickly gave him my ticket so he could claim the prize. No, thank you.
You see, I love running. I love the bliss filled and sometimes painful miles that come with distance running. I love the peace, the quiet, the deep breath. I have 5 kids. That is enough adventure for me. However, I also understand that for some people, these adventures fill their cup like no other. That the adventure, for them, is so much better than my bliss filled, quiet runs in the country.
So, when I was contacted by the Spartan Race to host a giveaway I was beyond excited. I understand that we are all made differently and that someone's day could be made with a free entry to what the Spartan Race says is "Obstacle racing at it's toughest!"
From their website...
Spartan Race is on a mission to get you active, healthy, excited about change, and return to our ancient roots where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity was part of everyday life. Our events are all about challenging today’s perception of normal.
Our events challenge the familiar, today’s perception of normal living and getting you out of your comfort zone! At Spartan Race, we do this everyday and it shapes everything we do.
Having experienced many different racing events, we wanted to make adventure racing more accessible to everyone, but do not be fooled by the word ‘accessible’, as our events have a challenge for everyone’s needs.
Spartan Race now introduces a level for everyone beginning with the entry level Spartan Sprint, intermediate level Super Spartan, the advanced Spartan Beast, and the ‘99.9% need not apply’ extreme level Death Race.
Whatever your level, Spartan Race will test your strength, stamina, and sense of humor.
Our events challenge the familiar, today’s perception of normal living and getting you out of your comfort zone! At Spartan Race, we do this everyday and it shapes everything we do.
Having experienced many different racing events, we wanted to make adventure racing more accessible to everyone, but do not be fooled by the word ‘accessible’, as our events have a challenge for everyone’s needs.
Spartan Race now introduces a level for everyone beginning with the entry level Spartan Sprint, intermediate level Super Spartan, the advanced Spartan Beast, and the ‘99.9% need not apply’ extreme level Death Race.
Whatever your level, Spartan Race will test your strength, stamina, and sense of humor.
Sound like an awesome adventure??
Spartan Races can be found all over the country and the giveaway entry is good for any open Spartan Race in the 2013-2014 season in the continental U.S.
If you want to enter, please leave a comment answering this question...
What's been your greatest running adventure?
I will announce a winner next Thursday!
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