Weekly Rundown-The Long Week
Did anyone else feel like this week was extra long, or is it only me? It wasn’t a bad week-it just felt like I was moving in slow motion. I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown. Let’s see how it went! Sunday Trail run! I decided to run a little further than I have been lately, so I went six miles. The weather was beautiful and I just wanted to enjoy myself. This run made me feel so good. And it didn’t seem to affect my foot one way or the other. Which is to say that it still hurts. But it doesn’t always hurt- sometimes it feels pretty good. And sometimes it feels horrible. Screw it! I’m done. I’m just going to start running more and see what happens. Monday The only thing I did this day was a 10 minute core class. I’m continuing to rotate through Ben Alldis’s core classes on Peloton. I’ve done almost all of them, and when that happens I’ll probably just start all over again. Tuesday 3 mile run! And another 10 minute core class. Wednesday I felt like my week got off to a light start, strength-wise, so today I tried to make up for it. I did a 20 minute lower body strength and then a 10 minute core class with Ben Alldis (obviously) and then pull-ups (assisted, with a band. Maybe in ten years or so if I keep this up I’ll be able to do one unassisted pull-up!) Later in the day I did Denis Morton’s Soul yoga flow class. Thursday Another 3 mile run and 10 minute core class. I was treated to a beautiful sunrise on this run! Weird question- does anyone else get a really sore neck while doing core classes? Whenever there’s a move where I’m on my back and lifting my head off the ground, I really feel like I’m straining my neck muscles. The muscles in my neck tire much quicker than my core. Does anyone else have this? I do have a pretty long neck- does that make it harder to hold my head up? Are my neck muscles just super weak? Why would they be that weak? What’s going on here? Friday Another 20 minute lower body strength and 10 minute core class with Ben. I meant to do pull-ups after work, but ended up taking an extra-long nap instead (oops.) My neck needed the extra rest. Just kidding. Saturday I really wanted to do another trail run this week, but I also wanted to be home with my daughter on Easter. My husband is working and my son is at school, so I wasn’t going to leave my daughter alone to go out running around on trails. I work on Saturday mornings so it’s not feasible to do a trail run- I’m not getting out there in the dark with the wild pigs! I just ran five miles on my usual route. Sunday Happy Easter! By now, you know I’m the type of person who still gives my kids Easter baskets. My son got his in the mail (well, it was an Easter BOX) but my daughter still wakes up and has to hunt for hers. It’s come to my attention that I only did yoga ONCE this week, and I also only did pull-ups once- so both of those will probably happen at some point in the day. And… I’m playing hooky from work tomorrow (kind of- I’m going in on a different day to make up the hours) so I can watch the Boston Marathon! I can’t wait! How’s your weather this week? –I remember growing up (near Chicago) we sometimes had snow on Easter! Are you going to watch the Boston Marathon?
The Thief of Joy
By now, we all know we shouldn’t compare ourselves to people we read about on social media. We know that blogs, instagram and facebook are opportunities for people to present only their best side to the world. The truth is, even when we’re being open and vulnerable, there are still things we’re leaving out. I try to be completely honest on my blog, but I’m still presenting a certain image of myself. Knowing this, why would I compare my life to the polished-up life someone is sharing on social media? But I’ve done it. I’ve wondered why I’m not reading that many books, or running that many miles, or crushing my strength training. For that matter, why am I not doing volunteer work, hiking with my family, going on fabulous trips, or running a marathon in every state? I love Jessie’s blog, The Right Fits. She’s a Minnesota runner on a quest to run a marathon in every state and on every continent. She runs 60-plus miles a week; her husband is also a runner; they have no kids, and they travel frequently for fun and, of course, to run marathons together. Obviously I wouldn’t give up my kids for anything, but in my other, fantasy life (I’m not the only one who has one of those, am I?) I’m Jessie- running lots of miles, with the freedom to travel and do pretty much whatever I want. But THEN… One day Jessie shared a post about the time she broke her leg, three weeks before she was supposed to run the Antarctica Marathon. She was on crutches, had to have surgery, and couldn’t run for seventeen weeks. It was truly terrible for her, and I appreciate her opening up about it like that. When I read it I realized, her life isn’t perfect either. We all have our challenges and struggles. For that matter, why was my other fantasy life in Minnesota, anyway? I would shrivel up and die in the Minnesota winters! No, I guess my regular life is pretty good after all. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s hard, when we’re constantly reading about and seeing pictures from other people’s lives, not to start comparing. We have to remember that the purpose of our community is to support each other and build each other up. Iron sharpens iron- we’re here to make each other stronger. When I’m tempted to start comparing myself to others, the thing that helps me the most is this quote from The Choice by Dr. Edith Eva Eger: “Only I can do what I can do the way I can do it.” This is true whether I’m running, writing a blog post, giving a massage, or raising my kids. Even though there are thousands of other people doing the same things, only I can do it my way. And only you can do it your way. We can get inspiration and ideas from other people, and then go on to live our own lives in our own way- no one else can do that. Have a unique and wonderful Friday! Do you compare yourself to others? Or are you able to resist that urge? –I think we all do it sometimes.
Quitters Never Win…
Yesterday on The Time For Change blog, NGS explained her star rating for books she’s read. She said she rarely gives books one or two stars because she would probably just DNF it instead. In the comments I shared that I rarely, rarely DNF a book, and it’s all because of Middlemarch. I read Middlemarch about twenty-five years ago. For at least the first half of the book, I hated it. This was back when I read a lot of classics and enjoyed them- but Middlemarch was so, so dull. I considered quitting it, but for some reason kept slogging on. Well… after the first half, the book got better and better. And better. Today I couldn’t tell you one thing about the plot, but I remember exactly where I was when I finished it- and at the end I was so moved, I cried. Now, that’s an extreme example of going from hating a book to loving it. But now when I’m reading a book and not really enjoying it I can’t help thinking, “What if it gets better? What if the ending is amazing? If I quit now, I’ll never know!” I know a lot of people don’t hesitate to DNF a book they don’t like, so they can move onto something they will enjoy. I can almost never bring myself to do that. A couple weeks ago I talked about my frustration with my foot. After eleven shockwave treatments, it STILL hurts. I’m sure people are wondering, “Why in the world does she continue to get this treatment if it’s not working???” Well… My doctor explained that for some people it takes four treatments. Some go on to have four more, and the truly unlucky ones (ahem) may need even more. He said that this treatment always works- sometimes it just takes a long time. I can’t give up on it- what if it gets better? What if the ending is amazing? I have to find out. That said, when is the ending, exactly? When my foot is 100% healed? When I run out of money? How do you know when to pull the plug on something that truly isn’t working? How about you- do you DNF books? Do you have trouble changing once you’ve decided on a course of action? Ever read Middlemarch?
Weekly Rundown- Hitting the Trails!
Hello and welcome! I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown. It was a good week, kicked off with a race! Let’s just see what this week was about… Sunday Race day! I ran a 5K trail race- “exciting” race recap here. I haven’t raced in a while and definitely have not been doing any speed work, so this race was perfect for me. The terrain was… varied… and it was enough just staying on my feet, never mind running fast. Monday Interestingly, my quads were sore from the race. Nothing else hurt- well, other than my foot, obviously- but my quads were extremely sore. I did a 45 minute yoga flow, which felt great. Tuesday Three mile run! My quads were still sore, but it felt good to run. I followed this run with a 10 minute core class. I’m continuing with my Ben Alldis classes (on the Peloton app.) He has a bunch of ten minute core classes, and each day I just pick a new one. Later in the day I did a slow flow yoga classes (again on the Peloton app.) It seems like Denis’s classes are getting harder- either that, or I’m getting worse at yoga. This class from 2/27/22 has some challenging balance poses. I’ve bookmarked it to take again! Wednesday I started the day with a lower body strength workout, ten minute core class, and pull-ups. Big strength day for me! Thursday Another three mile run. I thought of Kim when I saw this sunrise. Funny how all sunrises are different- this one wasn’t super colorful, but I loved the way the sun peeked out of the clouds as a perfect orb. Later in the day I did Marcia’s balance training workout. I love balance training! This is a quick ten minute class, and she incorporates ankle and hip mobility as well. Good workout- thank you, Marcia! Friday I did a 20 minute lower body strength class and 10 minute core class, both with Ben Alldis. And pull-ups- you know, my usual strength day. Saturday Following my every-other-day schedule, this would have been a running day. BUT! We have some incredible weather heading our way, down into the 50s on Sunday morning. That’s unusual for us in April- it’s been so warm lately. Actually, hot. It’s been getting up to 90 in the afternoons, so we’re happy for a brief “cold front.” No way am I missing that weather, so I rearranged my schedule to do a trail run on Sunday. Instead of running, I did a 45 minute yoga flow this morning and a ten minute core class before dinner. Sunday How was your week? Are you enjoying some nice weather? Do you have good running trails near you?