I Want the Energy of a Squirrel!

I'm sorry to the squirrels that I scare or get in the way while I'm jogging.  Obviously they see me and HAVE to move cause I'm in the way.  Again...my apologies Mr., Mrs., and single squirrels!

I haven't jogged my trail in a while because I've been going to the gym, but it was a nice cool day for it, so I went for it. I wasn't really in the mood to jog, and I somehow hurt my right leg, so I walked more than I usually do (or would have liked to).  It allowed me to see my scenic route a little better, though.  

I have a neighbor with a pool.  I have neighbors that take much better care of their lawn than others.  There are those with pets in the back yards and others who have chair swings, patio furniture, etc.  One house that caught my eye had two little kids playing together.  It was an older brother with his younger sister.  It reminded me of when my older brother and I used to play together.  He was, and is, my favorite brother because we never fought.  I was always trying to get him out of trouble and he was always trying to teach me how to get in trouble.  :-)  I still love him!!  I remember when I had seen him after several years.  It was breakfast and I had made my own hash browns and eggs sunny side up.  Perfect!  He saw it, said "I love you sis" and proceeded to take the plate.  Yeah, I let him have it.  What can I say?  That reminds me...I need to write to him.  Jail life has to get quite lonely.  Like I said, he was always in trouble. 

As I was jogging, I blew a bubble and wondered "What if a leaf or bit of dirt blew up and landed right on my bubble?"  Glad that didn't really happen.  That would be gross!

I saw a squirrel run through the ditch and appearing to be focused and on a mission, he ran right in front of me.  He proceeded towards a fence where two large dogs were and yes, they saw him too!  They ran as if they were going to catch him, but he ran up that fence, across the top, and to that tree so fast....all the energy those two dogs had for all 5 seconds was gone when he went up that tree.  It made me wish I had that squirrels energy.  (And lack of that type of fear)  At least I finished my three miles, but still...to have that energy.  Maybe I need to eat more nuts!

I don't know that these squirrels are boys or girls, so the "he" referenced is not discrimination in any way.

Finding Inspiration to keep going...

So it looks like everyone is starting with the New Years resolutions.  Of course, I only saw two people when we walked in the gym this morning.  Yes, I finally made it back to the gym.  I jogged two days ago in our condo gym, but it wasn't the same.  It was too quiet and I didn't have a fan.  Also, I accidentally set the incline to my racing speed and it tried to update every minute.  So, every minute I would have to watch for that incline and put it back to 1.  It does appear that an incline allows you to burn more calories, however, because I burned more than 400 then and today it was only about 350.  

So I've mentioned that I'd like to do a marathon (eventually) but start out with a 10K, then a half marathon.  I'm working on changing my eating habits, but I know that's going to take a lot longer than I'd like to admit.  Sometimes I feel I need inspiration from the right people and then I read stories in the news that do just that.  

First, there's the guy with choroideremia who is running blindfolded because of this condition.  After you read about this, how can you say you don't have what it takes to run?  Finding time is up to the individual.  Read for yourself. http://www.aol.com/video/youve-got-ej-scott/517237998/ EJ Scott wants to run 12 marathons in 12 US cities in 2012.  I just want to do one, so all power goes to him as he'll need it more than I will. 

Then there's the pregnant woman, Amber Miller, who gave birth 7 hours after finishing her marathon.  Read for yourself.  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/a-marathon-runner-delivers-a-baby/   I can't say whether this was the smartest or best idea, but it's still inspirational.  Many women have the type of pregnancy that doesn't allow them to do "normal" things, but if it does, go for it!  I didn't have any problems with my two pregnancies (other than extreme fatigue in my first trimesters) but I can't imagine that I would have tried this.  It sure makes for a heck of a "how you were born" type of story!  

No matter what, you have to do what it takes for yourself.  Whether I get to accomplishing my half marathon this year or not, it will be on me and I can live with that.  As long as you can live with your own choices, it doesn't matter what other people say, and you are (hopefully) doing what it takes for yourself.  

Napolean Dynamite...Positive Changes

So I last jogged 12/03/11…Wow! I last jogged 12/03/11.

I didn’t realize it had been so long.  Time really can fly.

I never blogged about that day because there wasn’t much to say that I can recall.

I do recall running into Napolean Dynamite.

Well, I didn’t run into him, but I did see him.

Really! It was the bike, the hair, the long lanky body, and the glasses.

If it wasn’t him, it was his double.

I should’ve asked him about that, but it would’ve broken my run.  ;-)

So for some reason, because I’m trying to get back into working out, I decided to do Tae-bo yesterday.

The weather has been too cold to jog outside on the trail.  By the time I can jog on the trail, it’s too dark.

Well, I haven’t done my Tae-bo DVD’s in quite some time, maybe years.

Why I thought I could all of a sudden do the boot camp one is beyond me.

I did it though, but am unable to successfully walk or do much today.

As long as I take it slow, I’m good!  :D  (Although it hurts to cough, laugh, or sneeze!)

I ran around my complex because it’s well lit.

Of course after I checked the weather when I got home,

I realized the 54 degree weather may not have been the best weather to run in.

Still…I ran my 3 miles, if not a bit more.

I didn’t know how long I was running, so I ran a little over the most time it’s taken to run 3 miles.

I stopped to walk twice, but only allowed myself to walk for one minute each time.

As I jogged around, I noticed all the Christmas decorations that were simple, yet brightened the neighborhood.

Even the houses in our old neighborhood didn’t have anything.

Sometimes having less is more for some.

I thought it was great and a festive holiday feeling.

It got me to thinking about those who don’t have much these days and still try to make the best of it.

I’ve heard the stories on the news about people who paid off others layaway just because.

I also heard about a woman in our city who didn’t have much.

She still did what she could to be sure the children in her neighborhood would have something for Christmas.

The spirit of Christmas still survives.

The New Year will bring new challenges, good and bad, for all who embrace the challenge.

I’m hoping the New Year will bring good things for me.

I’m working on making those positive changes.

I wish every luck who puts some effort into making their challenges a success! 

Thanks for my everything!

I finally jogged yesterday after…well, too long.  I moved and was able to bring our dog which was a huge plus.  I have to admit that I don’t pray as often as I should, but I do pray.  I have to thank God for the plans that he had for me before this move.  I didn’t know what was going to happen until two days before it happened.  Was I stressed about this?  Yes and no.  I knew that God had a plan.  I did pray.  I just worried that it would be one of those lessons that I’d have to learn through trial and error.  I guess I was just hoping I’d been through enough trial and error to let me “go” on this one.   Thank God for always taking care of me.  No matter what!

So my new jogging trail is pretty awesome!  It’s an actual trail versus around the block.  It’s behind our new home and it’s a full mile so I don’t have to worry about keeping track.  Well, I lied.  I’m not sure exactly where the mile is because it goes in different directions, but I think I’m on the right path.  I’ll believe I am until I see otherwise.  I’m just glad I ran (well mostly) my 3 miles and didn’t do less after not jogging for so long.  There are a lot of trees and practically a squirrel for every tree. 

So I saw this dog running like crazy.  He was cracking me up.  He was the reason I walked a bit.  My trail surrounds a little creek, shall we call it, yet there is hardly ever any water in it.  So he ran as fast as he could from one side and back and around in circles.  It’s like he was racing himself.  J  Dogs are awesome!  His owner was walking, but at his own pace.  So the dog went to a point that his owner was heading to and sat down.  As his owner walked by, he walked with him.  Then he proceeded to run up to an area, pick up his left paw and peer “around the corner” (whether it was a fence or tree) and make sure there was nothing there before bolting to do it again at the next “stop”.  It was so cool.  I envied his energy and loved the freedom he was enjoying. 

I know I’m going to enjoy my new trail.  Hopefully it will be an inspiration of nature that will spark many good things to come.  Thank God for all he’s done for me and my family.  I’m sore today as a reminder not to wait to long to jog…or say thanks!!

Moments can be...

A moment can mean anything.
Fear can be the best motivator.
The moment you cross that finish line...A winner!
Procrastination can turn to determination.
Inspiration can come from willingness.
The moment you become...Engaged!
A smile can change to fear.
The moment you lose someone...Memories.
A hug turns into a moment that makes you feel warm.
The moment your child is born...Family!

Moments can be anything you want them to be. 
When they're not, it's up to you to change it. 
Enjoy the positive moments you get.  They may not last long.
Disregard the negative moments that turn your day upside down.  They do pass. 

Keep smiling and know that you are not alone. 
Walk with your head up and you won't trip!  Well...
Laugh and make sure nothing comes out your nose.
Make someone laugh and plant a smile!
Plant a hug (in good taste) and walk away.
Tell someone they're beautiful and leave it at that!

Thoughts Tumbling Out...

First, I gotta just say...I definitely prefer the long skinny shadow in front of me instead of the "more like me" shadow stuck beside me.  I don't want to be that long.  Just that flexible!

I saw the chinese man riding by on his bicycle.  It was so dark, I could barely see him, but I couldn't miss his reflectors.  Good job chinese man!

So today I kept thinking about Girl Scouts and the budget process? program? scenario?...something or other that I'm putting together for the girls.  There is a lot that I want to do, but I think I need to keep it simple and rewarding on a regular basis. 

My mind keeps going back to the next few weeks and all that I have going on.  Money would be a great help right now.  Donations are always accepted!!  So there's the move.  There's trying to take days off from work despite a constant schedule.  There's Halloween.  There's my kiddos stuff.  There's Girl Scouts.  There's an attempt at becoming treasurer for my daughters choir booster club.  They use Quickbooks, which I'm familiar with.  Seems like a lot of people find Quickbooks user friendly.

I used to use Quickbooks at my old job.  Well, I use it in my current job, but not to the same capacity.  I started out at that (old) job as someone who was supposed to answer phones.  I left 2 years later (and with a years notice) with a lot more experience than I would have imagined or could have asked for.  Thank you Pam and Nelson!!

Sometimes I feel like Ellen.  She did a comedy bit about procrastination and jumped from topic to topic.  I guess that's just what I do when I jog, though.  I think of so many things at once and can't write them down in the moment so they come tumbling out later.

Still toying with the idea of writing a book online.  Maybe I'll start it through a blog and see where it leads...

The Strength to Keep Going...

The moon has been pretty amazing these past couple nights!  The weather has been perfect and I've loved it!  I'm still maintaining my four-mile jog.  I'm sad that Kelly had to cancel her 10k that I was working for this month, but the goal for me has not been broken.  I still want to jog to lose weight, for my health, and to get to running a 10K when she does reschedule the date. 

I realized in this frame of thought that joggers really are on their own.  It's up to each individual to push themself when no one else can or will.  Joggers have to have their own inner strength that pushes them to the next level.  When your legs are aching and want to stop, you push them to keep going.  And I know from experience that pushing through that will matter and you can do it.  When you don't want to do that extra mile, but push yourself to do it, it makes all the difference in your accomplishment.  Getting up early, staying up late or just finding a way to run when you're beyond tired takes a certain kind fof committment.  We all have our off days, but there really is a certain individual strength that joggers have that no one can take away. 

Many joggers are beyond my committment level, but that's okay, because it's what works for me.

Just like the stars in the sky shine brightly no matter what the weather, we can all stand out in our own way.  It just takes the strength to continue when you want to give up!