Day Twenty-Eight - I've Run/Walked a Marathon and It Only Took 28 Days

It is a "yellow burn" day in Sandy, Utah, but the sun called to me and I took off running our Stake's 5k route to see how far I could make it.  I was able to do 1 1/2 miles before I couldn't breath anymore.  I was told by a friend that running during a "yellow" or "red" burn day is equivallent to smoking a pack of cigarettes.  I think I need to follow my herbologist friend's advice and eat more cilantro (to clean out toxins like inversion and diesel fumes, etc.) and run inside on "yellow" and "red" burn days.

Any fellow runners have fun dog stories?  Here's mine for today.  Let it be said that I am not a dog lover.  I prefer cats.  I love that other people own and care for dogs, but my personal experience has been less than stellar.  (One seasoned lab ran away after I left the garage door open and the lab puppy I got for my 5 year old and twin 2 year olds (what possessed me?) tore apart everything it could get it's teeth into and relieved itself on anything and everything in our home.  She was adopted by a nice person from the Humane Society.  Not to mention I have been chased by packs of rabid dogs on my mission in Chile and nearly been bitten several times.  No thanks.)  So, I always dread finding dogs while I am running.  I know they can sense that I don't like them and will probably attack me just for fun. 

Today, after running 1 1/2 miles I was walking to cool down and, what do I spy? - a big black lab right in my path.  This didn't scare me because, after closer inspection, I realized it was Kaiser my friend's and neighborhood hair cutter's dog.  We'd been boating with him and my kids had played with him.  So, I decided to let him know it was me and take the friendly approach.  I called to him like it was play time and he happily complied by romping up to me and I ruffled his hair and kept walking. 

Kaiser looking longingly at Luke's hamburger

@ BBQ at Kaiser's house - August 2010

We walked together, with him always out in front, happily marking his territory and oblivious to the fact that he was gettting farther and farther away from his home.  I knew that there would be no love lost between my friend and her dog, but that feeling of responsibility wouldn't leave me alone.  I had called to him to play and he was, in his mind, just tagging along for the walk.  I kept trying to tell him to "go home", but he didn't listen and kept right on trotting up ahead of me, so, I decided to use reverse psychology.  If he was going to insist on being in front of me, I would just turn around and he would have to do the same to keep up this "game".  I tried it and he did exactly as predicted.  I would run and then he would run.  It was so fun to be in control without the other party knowning that you are in control.  Suffice it to say that Kaiser made it back home safely.
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PS.  My resolve to have my Writing/Lit Class run a 5k is steadily growing.

Day Twenty-Six - Nothing - Chalking that up to busy homeschool life
Day Twenty-Seven - 3 miles walking with hubbie - talking - MY FAVORITE WAY TO DO MY MILES!
Day Twenty-Eight - TODAY - 1 1/2 miles running outside, 1/2 mile walking outside

Day twenty-five - Pride

I did it!  I ran 2 miles without stopping.  Snow was plastered to my car when I got out of the Rec Center, but that didn't dampen my spirits one bit.  In fact, it felt nice and cool against my overheated skin.  I love achieving goals.  There is nothing like a sense of accomplishment to cause one to feel invincible.  I had to go and pick up my kids from Shakespeare in the downpoor, and even with all of the slide-offs, pile-ups and mashed front ends of cars from running into cement barriers, the "invincible high" I was on carried me through without a shred of doubt that I wouldn't make it there unharmed.  I want to encourage some of the kids in my writing and literature class to run with me either a 5k or a 1/2 mile relay in the Spring.  I'm excited that I think I will be ready.

In the words of Brittany Spears, "I'm stonger than yesterday - now it's nothing, but a mile away."  I don't agree with her morals, but those lyrics have inspired me more than once during this journey.

Day Twenty-four - 1 mile, running, treadmill @ home
Day Twenty-three - The Sabbath
Day Twenty-two - 2 miles, 1 1/2 running & 1/2 walking @ the Rec Center

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Day Twenty-One - Recovery!

It is a balmy 35 degrees and sunny out and it called to me.  I answered in reckless abandon fashion, by putting my coat on (not even changing into proper exercise clothes) and calmly walking for 2 miles - my first real outdoor experience all year. 

The beauty of the sun filled my heart with happiness and hope and gave me the things, things I can't even describe, I needed. 

Beautiful! -2e (and I more than made up for yesterdays wallowings)

Day Twenty - Discouragement

It is hard to stay 100% motivated, focused and positive all the time.  Sometimes you get sick.  Sometimes someone you loves dies.  Sometimes your children are more than a challenge.  I believe that we need trying moments to be greatful for the times when we do feel 100%.  We need a good BAD DAY once in a while to give us humility and perspective.

Today was my good BAD DAY and now that it is over and I am reflecting on my experiences in the past with discouragement.  I can say I am greatful for discouragement.  It has taught me to learn to rely on others and, specifically, my Creator.  I find that when that ache comes to my heart and I feel the guilt of not performing at my best, the conversation I have with my Creator comes more naturally and sincere.  As do the comfort and the strength I need.

My Dad came to mind.  He is a business man - buying and selling companies.  I remember when I was 13 or so and he was going through a particularly stressful time with business and finance.  I knew the details and was astounded that he would continue to get up early in the morning, greet the world with a smile and go to work to battle all the forces of pride and malice, and lose and he would still not be discouraged.  So I asked him, "How is it that you don't get discouraged."  He didn't even miss a beat.  He looked at me straight in the eye and said, "Tewie, depression and discouragement are tools of the devil." 

Thank you Dad for being my example.

My dad with advertisement for his donut shop in Spokane, WA -

Scrumdiddlyumptious Dognuts

This poem also saved me today:

The Race

"Quit, give up, you're beaten"
They shout at you and plead
"There's just too much against you
This time you can't succeed".

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failures face
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene
Or just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being

Childrens race, young boys
Young men, how I remember well
Excitement sure, but also fear
It wasn't hard to tell

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race
Or tie for first, or if not that
At least take second place

The fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he could be the one

The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire
To win and be the hero there
Was each young boys desire

And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd
Was running near the lead and thought
"My dad will be so proud"

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped

Trying hard to catch himself
With hands flew out to brace
And amid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face

But as he fell his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face
Which to the boy so clearly said
"Get up and win the race"

He quickly rose, no damage done
Behind a bit that's all
And ran with all his night and mind
To make up for the fall

So anxious to restore himself
To catch up and to win
His mind went faster than his legs
He slipped and fell again

He wised then that he had quit before
With only one disgrace
"I'm hopeless as a runner now
I shouldn't try to race"

But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his fathers face
That steady look which said again
"Get up and win the race"

So up he jumped to try again
Ten yards behind the last
If I'm going to gain those yards he though
I've got to move real fast

Exerting everything he had
He regained eight or ten
But trying hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again

Defeat, he lay there silently
A tear dropped from his eye
There's no sense running anymore
Three strikes, I'm out, why try?

The will to rise had disappeared
All hope had fled away
So far behind so error prone
A loser all the way

"I've lost, so what", he thought
I'll live with my disgrace
But then he thought about his dad
Whom soon he'd have to face

"Get up" the echo sounded low
"Get up" and take your place
You were not meant for failure here
"Get up", and win the race

With borrowed will "Get up" it said
"You haven't lost at all"
For winning is no more than this
To rise each time you fall

So up he rose to run once more
And with a new commit
He resolved, that win or lose
At least he shouldn't quit

So far behind the others now
The most he'd ever been
Still he'd give it all he had
And run as though to win

Three times he'd fallen, stumbling
Three times he'd rose again
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end

They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line first place
Head high and proud and happy
No falling, no disgrace

But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line, last place
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race

And even though he came in last
With head bent low, unproud
You would have thought he'd won the race
To listen to the crowd

And to his dad he sadly said
"I didn't do too well"
"To me you won", his father said
"You rose each time you fell"

by D. H. Groberg

Day Eighteen - 1 mile walking on the treadmill at a 3.8mph

Day Nineteen - 1 mile running on the treadmill at a 4.2mph

Today - Nothing

Tomorrow - "Get up and win the race"

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Day Seventeen - The Next Step

I think that I am nearly ready to think about changing my eating habits.  Now that I have a habit of The Daily Mile I am ready to try to curb what I eat.  I always have the munchies around 3-5pm and if I can eat one high protein snack then I may be able to wait until dinner.  I am going to try to pay attention to what I eat and eat no more than one helping. 

Inch by inch life's a sinch.  Yard by yard it's very hard.

So True - 2e

Day Fifteen - 1 mile running at the rec center with kids happily splashing in the pool with friends - so nice!
Day Sixteen - The Sabbath - my day of rest - so nice!
Today - 1 mile running on the treamill techno waking up the kids - so nice!

Day Fourteen - TGIF

Yeah - Made it through my 2nd week.  Today no gnomes, on the treadmill (I love waking up my family to techno music), I alternated between slow lunges, backwards walking and forward walking - legs are sore.

Favorite thought of the week from my Dad:

My prayer for 2011: 
"Dear Lord, please make my bank account fat and my body lean.  And, Lord, please don't mix them up like you did last year."

Giggles - 2e

Day Thirteen - Teeth

I homeschool.  To help keep a balance between my homeschool life and all the other duties that a homeowner/mother of 4 needs to handle I have put one week out of the month where we don't have any classes to teach.  It helps to stave away "burn-out" and keep me mentally, emotionally, spiritually & physically balanced. 

This week was that week.  Originally when we planned it my homeschooling buddies and I decided to take this week off for Yvette's (the closest person I have to a sister in this life) Birthday.  But, even though we celebrated that occasion today with a visit to Chile's and presents and laughs back at the house, this week was really all about the dentist and orthodontist.

Kid's cleanings on Monday
Walter's ortho on Tuesday
Parent's cleanings on Thursday
Alex's ortho on Thursday

Since our dentist and orthodontist share offices that are practically next door, and consult with each other often, by Thursday when I had seen me dentist 3X already that week, he asked me where I was going on Friday.  Because he was going to Las Vegas for his daughter's gymnastics meet and that would be complete Murphy's Law.

Another funny occurance (and the real way that I put in my Daily Mile) was that I found myself searching for gnomes.  You heard me right ... gnomes.  Not because I believe they exist - no - because we belong to an over-zealous patient care orthodontist that is taking all his clientele to see "Gnomio & Juliet" on Feb. 12th.  And, in addition to paying for the tickets for the patient's family and a friend, there is a treasure hunt.  The treasure:  a goodie at the theatre.  The hunt:  Find a gnome a week that has been put no further than a mile or two from the office.  Since it has been two weeks, I knew I was behind, so, while I was in with Alex I nonchalantly asked Dr. Vincent where the first gnome was.  He gave me the clue that they posted on Facebook:  "Think outside the bun" and I knew.  The second had just come out this week and it was a little harder:  "I am Hidden in plain view, but EYE see you."  I thought optical centers right away and started spouting off, Standard Optical, 1-800-Contacts, etc, until the Ortho Tech next to me told me where it was and I had an address.  The hunt was on and Alex and I went to find them.  Here they are:

 

 

I was assured that we didn't need to get all 6 gnomes, but the more we were able to take a photo of the better ranking we would have to be in line for a goodie at the theatre.  FUN FUN and who said the Daily Mile had to be all work and no play -- A dull boy!

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Day Twelve - Sprints

About 2 years ago I was watching "Biggest Loser" and seeing those transformations as I would munch on my potato chips and cheer them on.  I realized that I needed to "get in the game" so I asked a personal trainer at my church to see if we could put together our own "Biggest Loser" club and achieve our weight goals. 

We did it for a whole year 2 - 3 times a week we would get together and sweat it out, be sincerely sore and in pain and we gained friends and lost weight.  I loved it and it taught me so much more that weight management. 

We would do mainly wieghts, lunges and, let's not forget "burpies" (a little-known form of torture).  Once she rented a rock wall and we did circuit training with the wall, a field and some bikes.  Between classes we were expected to do our personal cardio.  For months cardio passed as an hour of walking (usually fast).  I was scared to run.  I thought I would ruin my knees.  Then one day my trainer challenged me to run sprints.  She suggested 10.  I countered with 5.  We agreed on 8. 

When the day came that I couldn't avoid it any longer, I set my sights on some landmark approximately 100 feet in front of me and ran as hard as I could.  The first 3 were full sprints - legs extending, arms pumping and regular breathing.  The next 3 were more of a paced run.  The last 3 were a jog and then for the final sprint I could hear my trainer saying, "Push yourself" in my mind, so I did.  I went twice as far and ran as hard as my body could.  I was a heap of gasping sweat when I had made one mile and walked around in the middle of the road with my hands on my head to help me breath, but I had something else.  A smile of satisfaction. 

I did it.  I was proud of myself, as I was today after doing 1 minute on 5.5 sprints and 1 minute on a 2.5  walk - off and on for 14 minutes.
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Day Eleven - The Second Week is the Hardest

Day Ten -- I finished 1/2 mile walking in 9 minutes and 1/2 mile running @ 5.0 in 6 minutes.

Today -- I ran the entire mile 13.58 minutes @ 4.3mph

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Day Nine - The Sabbath Revisited

Day Seven - Walked at a 3.0 backward for the entire mile.  Took 20 minutes.  Noticed that when I walked forward my muscles were more willing to do what I commanded them to do.  Thoughts:  I am an adrenaline junkie and need change.  It's been inversion fog all week and 20 degrees.

Day Eight - Went to Rec Center with the kids.  While they swam I ran for 1 mile on the track in UNDER 10 MINUTES!!  Very happy.  Thoughts:  I love having the Rec Center as a little oasis in the winter.  How nice it is to go run and then soak in a warm pool playing with my kids with all the inversion gunk.

Today - After doing a mile a day all week, plus all the wieghts, sit-ups, etc. I have realized that my body NEEDS REST at least one day a week.  Not being above reproach, I will make a revised commitment to walk 1 mile every day and rest on the Sabbath.  Thoughts:  I feel better about this decision.  Some things can't be explained logically - they just feel right.

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Day Six - Bad Examples Can Be Inspiring

I love "The Biggest Loser".  At our house it is a weekly ritual to watch obese people become healthy and regain their lives.  Last night we watched the 1st installment of this season (11 I believe) and I stared in disbelief as a man my exact same heighth (5'8") stepped on the scale weighing 507lbs.  The amazing thing was that before he got on the show he lost 150lbs.  He used to weigh 657lbs.  I immediatly felt sympathy pains realizing that this man weighs nearly 3 times what I weigh and we are the same heighth.  How do you get to that weight?  I just kept repeating, "I will never ever be that weight," over and over in my mind.  The image of the huge apron of fat hanging off of his body and the laborious steps he took just to walk on the treadmill and the sweat dripping off of his body doing the simplest tasks -- those were all motivation enough for me to run my mile today and even turn it up a notch from 4.2 to 4.4 and finish in 13.35 minutes.

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Day Five - Backwards?

Have you ever walked backward?  It works a whole different set of muscles.  I did 1/2 mile backwards and it took me twice as long as the 1/2 mile that I did forward.  It usually takes me 11-13 minutes running at 4.2.  When I walked forward today I was at 4.0.  That's called speed walking. 

I was listening to Yanni and it was so nice and soothing, but lacked in getting the adrenaline up. 

1 mile - walking - BACKWARDS!

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Day Four - The Uphill Climb

The hardest part about climbing up hill is not the beginning.  In the beginning you have a nice flow of adrenaline that keeps you excited and your vision clear.  The hardest part comes when you feel the pain.  The doubts come in and you start to rethink your original goal  Looking back down the mountain, as you take a breather, you think, that looks like a leisurely stroll and it takes much more determination to look up the mountain again. 

But ...

what if you "change" the pain?  What if, instead of pain, you visualize your muscles getting stronger, the beautiful view that you will have when you reach your goal or someone standing next to you telling you all of your finer qualities?  How much more valuable are the steps when the perspective has changed? or support is given?

Middle of the week is always the hardest ...

The benefits I'm seeing:  stronger muscles, easier breathing, better sleeping, clearer mind, looser pants -- and that's just in 4 days.  I wonder what 7 days will be like?

Another mile running on the treadmill.
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Day Three - Gimli

We have been watching the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" over the past 3 days.  While I was running today all my weaknesses started to loom larger than my strength.  I only ran a mile, but it was on the treadmill and I am so sore (because of my sudden resurgence into the moving world) and if I listen to my breathing it stresses me out, because I think I'm really working harder than I should and I am going to faint.  (That's why I listen to loud music so that I can't hear myself breathe.)

Despite all these negative thoughts, it was Gimli, the proud dwarf, that came to my rescue.  As I was running for 13.49 minutes (how long it took me to do a mile) I could see Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn running 3 days without sleep to rescue Merry and Pippin who had been taken by the Urikai (sp? -- evil breed of orc).  I saw Gimli, severly disadvantaged by his girth, heavy armor and stouter legs fall behind.  But the thought that kept me going was ... HE NEVER GAVE UP!  If he can run 3 days non-stop, w/o food or sleep - I can run 13.49 minutes - 1 mile, at a slow steady pace, my MP3 player pounding away, with the promise of a glass of water afterward.

Literature comes to the rescue again.  I love good examples.
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Day Two - The Sabbath

I did it.  One mile.  At first it was a struggle to get started.  The treadmill would not turn on.  I won't say it was due to the lack of use, but it started working after my son brought out his drill and helped me remove the back panel and we vacuumed it out and tightened all the things that needed tightening. 

My thoughts:  guilt.  It's the Sabbath.  Maybe I shouldn't be doing this on the Sabbath.  I should amend my commitment to rest on the Sabbath. 

There's the one of me that says:  Do you feel right with walking for a mile on the Sabbath?  You take walks all the time with your family in better weather.  Right now it is 12 degrees outside and I am doing this with my family.  My son, Walter, is currently on the treadmill  with Octopus and Liz both waiting their turns.  We are spending family time together. 

There's the other side of me that says:  You really should rest on the Sabbath and not do any work.

The one side:  But this is not work.  Walking is restful to me.

And back and forth it goes.  Why do we heap so much guilt on ourselves for doing good things?  Don't you walk to and from church or to see a neighbor, or visit the sick?  Should we not love ourselves.  So I shall and leave the guilt behind.  I do not feel evil walking a mile on the Sabbath.

Quite the opposite...

I will love myself enough to walk to a better me. 
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Day One - Beginning - New Year's Day 2011

January 1st 2011 -- The day when everyone begins their New Year's Resolutions. 

My Project:  I will commit to take the Daily Mile everyday. 

What is the Daily Mile? 
It is a journey -- a physical journey, yes, I will walk at least a mile everyday (or run), but a mental, emotional and spiritual journey too.  Yes, it's a self improvement blog, but at the same time an adventure to see where this leads me.  I promise to keep you posted at least once a week -- more likely once a day and in those posts I will reveal any thoughts or experiences I might have had on The Daily Mile.  This is for me.

Today, New Year's Day 2011, with kids all dressed in their new bathing suits (my 13 year old daughter is now in women's sizes -- yikes) and husband freashly showered in a button down shirt, we ventured to Dimple Dell Recreation Center in 20 degree weather.  After husband and kids were all settled in the pool, I pulled out my microscopic, hot pink, clip-on, MP3 player and turned up the volume as I ascended the stairs.  I didn't look anyone directly in the eyes.  I just let the pounding techno fill my head and I jogged.   I extended my legs and kept my breathing even and just ran.  I counted my laps and kept tabs on the clock.  I didn't know how many laps a mile was, but I knew that around my regular route outside I could do a mile in about 11 minutes.  So I decided to run at least that long.  When I hit lap 12 I sprinted the last 1/2 and then walked 3 more with lunges on a 50 ft. stretch. 

That was it -- I began.  After 3 weeks of being rather sedentary and holidayish -- I began. 

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