gettin' her done

I left the house at 6:59 am and arrived just before 8pm ready for a shower and dinner. How things have changed.  I don't have as much time to ponder the meaning of life... and that's a good thing.  My hand is being forced in what my priorities are.  I feel there's been a fundamental shift somewhere deep inside of me.  I can't even verbalize it.  But, it's present in my attitude towards money, singleness, people, time, and God.  Humility coupled with a deep sense of responsibility, which sounds contradictory on the surface.

I was thinking about and praying about a second job, and I got a bite on a possible ESL gig nearby.  That would be cool.

I ran five miles on the elliptical and did Body Pump after work.  Traffic was terrible so I just got off at the Y 5 exit before mine and worked out in lieu of sitting in traffic. I really felt like giving up, but the two chocolate chip cookies I chowed down on for dessert... and everything else I ate provided enough motivation to muscle through the "I don't wanna".  Plus, I thought it would help me sleep tonight.  Seriously, I sit all day: driving to work, at work, during lunch, driving home from work.  I'm a sitter.

I'm liking my job.  I really enjoy some of the people, and there is a lot to learn.

running report: week 5

Monday: 4mi
Tuesday: 7mi
Wednesday: 4mi
Thursday: rest
Friday: 7 mi
Saturday: 15 mi
Sunday: Walk (4mi) because the weather is so pretty and I'm so tired.

Total: 37 miles

Getting ready for work.  I'm a little apprehensive about how working and commuting is going to affect my training, but it's a good problem to have.  I'm going to pack running clothes and see what happens.  There's a cold front this week: highs in the 70's and 80's-- woo hoo!

I'm racing next Saturday!  I haven't done a half marathon in almost two years.  We'll see how it goes.  My uncle is going to run the 5k and we're going to go to brunch afterwards.

Right now, I'm not losing weight, but I can tell a difference in my body.  Not losing weight may have something to do with two celebratory dinners that included fillet mignon wrapped in bacon and chocolate desserts.  It's not like I'm logging 100 miles.

running report: week 4

Awesomeness!

A good week overall: 30.5 miles (should have been 36) totaled plus three hours of strength and conditioning.  All my "running" was on the elliptical due to my hip.  No flare ups.  However, my take away from elliptical is that I need to do at least a level 10, and go more by time then the mileage.  I'm not nearly as fatigued, esp. my legs, after the elliptical as I am after a run.  I try to get my heart rate in the 155-160 range for easy runs and 160-170 range for quick jaunts.  I was pleasantly surprised to find some pep in my step at the end of my long run-- got my heart rate to 172 after over 2 hours of sweating.

Monday: 4 mi
Tuesday: 7 mi
Wednesday: 4mi, 1 hr class Body Pump, 1 hr class Body Vive, whirl pool afterwards
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest (should have been 7 miles)
Saturday: 15.5 miles ( 14 were scheduled but I was feeling guilty for skipping a run.
Sunday: Body Pump, Body Flow

Notes:
I need to run harder and longer for my short runs-- do it based on time and heart rate and less on mileage.  Maybe 160 for 36-40 minutes (the four mile runs).

I need to up my weight in Body Pump.

I need to keep a journal of what I'm eating-- I'm eating like a friggin' scavenger.  Not gaining weight, but not losing it either.  It would be nice to my joints for me to lose some weight.

My gu and jelly beans got the job done with fueling during the work out!

Marathon training: week 2 (or 5)

Monday: 3 miles

Tuesday: 6 miles

Wednesday: 3 miles

Thursday: rest

Friday: 6 miles at pace

Saturday: 12 miles

Sunday: strength and yoga (projected)

My left hip is feeling a little raw, but other than that, I'm feeling great.  It's going better than I was hoping.  I think because of my hip I may do a little more miles on the elliptical, but do my long runs outside whenever possible.  I might add a speed workout.  

Friday's run was amazing.  I kept going faster and faster.  I think I may have paid for it today.  Next week is an easy week, which I found incredibly motivating: the long run is 9 miles (a total of 26-- clearly a mental state).  Then the miles really start being piled on: 36 miles.  But, I'm needing the mental toughness.

I listened to a lecture on the long run for the first time today!  It was good.  I'm not sure it helped my speed, but it passed the time!  I think I'm going to get some mp3 books for my long runs.  I also went to the Y and got into the whirlpool after the run, I think that will help with soreness.  I also drank some chocolate milk after the run-- I think twelve miles is a long enough run to deserve it without being ridiculous.

Success!!!

My first week of marathon training is done!  I'm following Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1 Program, starting at week 4. I did all the workouts... just not on the right days.  I put what I did and then what I was supposed to do in parenthesis.  Saturday I did what I was supposed to do, so there's no parenthesis.
Monday: 4 miles (3 miles)
Tuesday: 3 miles (6 miles)
Wednesday: 4 miles (3 miles)
Thursday: 6 miles at pace (rest)
Friday: rest (6 miles)
Saturday: 11 miles
Sunday: (cross training) weight lifting and yoga

That's a total of 28 miles.  The program looks like it works up to 43 miles a week.  We'll see how my body does.  I took the long run really slow.  Irritatingly slow.  But, it was hot. I was tired... and determined to finish.

I think I'm going to need to add in some more strength training and yoga during the week so that I'll have the strength and flexibility to make it happen.  My hamstrings and hips were sore after the long run.

I'm also trying to drink a lot of water and eat real food.  I'm praying I don't get injured because this is a much more strenuous exercise program than what I've been doing.  That's why I've been taking it slow.  If push comes to shove, I plan to take out a day or two of the short runs and replace them with swimming, rowing or biking for the same amount of time and intensity.

I did Body Pump (weight lifting class) and Body Flow (yoga, tai chi, pilates class) right after.  My poor little muscles were shaking with fatigue or fear by the end of the classes.  But, my hips and hamstrings feel better.  I did minimal weights because my goal was more to stretch and not be sore than to get ripped.

How's everybody's running coming along?  Are there any suggestions or pointers?

more plans...

Tomorrow, I'm headed to another state capitol to see about teaching.  They'll look at my transcripts and tell me about the Lateral Entry process... since I know nothing about it... The worst case scenario is: I get to have lunch with my little brother.  The best case scenario: I land a history position in a high school in a cool city.  There a total of three cool cities in this state.

My other plans include running.  I spoke with my cousin with whom I did a 24-hour adventure race about fighting the DPI.  He told me I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell because the guidelines are linked to state and federal funding.  I told him thanks for explaining it to me because I was going on logic rather than funding. But, while we were chatting, he told me that he wanted to do an ultra marathon.  I hem-hawed.  But, I think I'm in for phase one. I'm planning to run a marathon on November 16; it's a local one so it's no big commitment.  I won't run for time; I'll run for completion-- with a goal of 4:30 or 4:45.  Then there are several fairly local 50 k's and 50 milers in January and February.  Then there's a really nice (flat and temperate) 100 miler the first week of April we could do.

I'm so depressed and despondent about employment that I think I need a new outlet.  If I stick with this, I'll see results... unlike applying for jobs or dating.

Progress

the scarf?

My knitting project is getting longer... and inexplicably wider. I think I'm getting faster. It's nice to have a tangible product. I have my next class tomorrow night, so I will try to get at least another 5 rows done. It'd be awesome if I got 20 rows done! Bam, I'd show the preacher's wife. Ha. ha. ha.

My speed work out went splendidly. Yay :) I think 7:21 wasn't fast enough for the speed workouts; I ended doing 1.5 extra, adding incline and lowering the speed. I'm interested to see how the tempo workout goes on Thursday. Tomorrow I'm not going to do the 5-7 miles. I'd like to swim and/or row for an hour to get the cardio but save the pounding on my legs. We shall see.

I found my one-year bible while unpacking my books. I've been reading Joshua in tandem with Luke. Joshua's all busy slaughtering people and Jesus is besting Pharisees in battles of wit. It's an interesting juxtaposition and explains why Augustine and others were so keen on nonliteral interpretations of scripture. How are you supposed to read God ordained genocide? It makes sense to apply it in terms of rooting out sin: Ananaius and Sapphira style in the NT.

Progress is slow and tedious... a lot like knitting. But, every once in a while you catch a glimpse of change or improvement that makes it worthwhile.

And, finances are feeling more doable. I'm not sure how I'm going to accomplish them, but I now have concrete goals.

HM goal and plan

I've decided to run a half marathon this summer and that I want a decent finish. My goal is 1:45 or an 8:01 pace. I found a Runner's World training calculator that helped me figure out what paces I need to be running my training runs in to reach this goal. Plus, I found this 8-week HM training schedule on Tuck's website. I think I'm going to do the speed/tempo/long runs from the advanced workout and cross train (swim, row, lift, yoga, and/or do some class) on the other days. I'm starting on week 3 because I only have 6 weeks to train. We shall see. According to this plan, I will be running 4x800 tomorrow at a 7:21 pace, Thursday I'll be doing a tempo run 4x10-12 min at a 7:50 pace. Trying to run specific times means I'm going to be using a treadmill or getting a snazzier watch. But, I'm finding this motivating. I'm going to have to workout before work this week. We'll see how that goes.

strength training vs. cardio

If you're like I am, the only way you enjoy strength training is in a group setting with loud music... or a coach and some competition. I'd like to see a gender breakdown of preferences towards different types of workouts. I'd think women would own yoga and aerobic classes and guys weight lifting. I'm not sure about cardio, but I think women would have the edge.

I became a believer in weight lifting in college. It was amazing to watch my splits go down as I got stronger. And, I didn't get bigger, which is a lot of women's fear about lifting. Well, I liked my shoulders getting bigger-- I thought it made my hips and thighs look smaller. I always remember sitting with my novice coach on a spring day, watching a class change. She simply said, "Muscle is beautiful." One of my teammates asked, "Are you talking about the guys or girls?" My coach responded, "It doesn't matter."

That logic really stuck with me. I tried to get my students on the band wagon-- the healthy girls wanted to lose weight so they could look like magazine chicks.

I hate abs and arms workouts. They are miserable pain. However, they make me faster and less flabby. Classes are the best way, but a close second is mixing strength and cardio. For instance, burpees. Burpee article that you can read (and source of picture). But, I leave out the push up because I'm a wimp. I always do burpees in sets of ten in a considerably less sexy outfit (although that outfit would be incredibly less sexy if I were wearing it).

In high school, my Cross Country coach had us do frog jump/mountain climber combos. The one difference with the frog jump-- we jumped up not forward, so we remained stationary. We'd do the combo:
15 frog jumps/1 mountain climber
14 frog jumps/ 2 mountain climbers
etc. until
1 frog jump/15 mountain climbers.

We'd do these kind of workouts after an easy to medium run. To state the obvious: these kind of workouts are more fun outside with a friend.

Also, the other key take away from this blog article. Youtube is a brilliant, free resource for working out. Granted, there's a lot of crap, but you can find ideas that will spark your interest.

SportyMon: Water

My Spring Green Nalgene

I'd forgotten how good I feel when properly hydrated. Now that I'm that I'm doing the 8-week fitness challenge, I can't live in denial. When I went for my pre-challenge assessment, I scored a -.95. The director told me to go home and drink some water. And, I did.

I'm now trying to drink at least 96 ounces a day and 128 a day when I run.

How much water do I need?
I'd always read 64 ounces a day, which never made sense to me because people are so different. Then, I came across this formula that takes into account weight.
1. Your weight x .5= ounces of water you should drink a day.
Ex. A person weighing 150 lbs. should drink 75 ounces of water a day.

2. When you workout, you should drink at least 20 ounces more per hour of exercise. If possible it's good to drink 7-10 ounces 30 minutes before working out and 10 ounces afterwards. My personal trainer textbook suggests drinking a low calorie sports drink instead of straight water. I prefer just water.

3. If you drink a lot of caffeinated drinks, you'll need to add water to balance the diuretic effect of coffee and soda.

Equipment:

Water bottle.
I find the more convenient something is the more likely I am to do it. So, I bought a wide-mouthed Nalgene bottle. It cost $10, is dishwasher safe, doesn't leak, and made in the USA. However, it is plastic, but not your normal plastic.

Challenge:

1. Using the bathroom more.

This is the reason I stopped drinking water. I couldn't use the bathroom when I taught. Well, before and after school. So, take this into consideration when you plan on drinking your water. Also, when I'm properly hydrated, I get up at least once a night to use the bathroom-- I immediately fall back to sleep.

My Cross Country coaches in high school told us we should use the bathroom every class change if we were properly hydrated. Class changes were every hour.

2. Lack of flavor

Add flavor. The most natural weigh is with lemon or lime or mint leaves. But, now you can buy Crystal Light or Gatorade or generic flavor packets.

Benefits:

1. Feel better.
I seem to have more energy, less tired (is that redundant?) and feel lighter when I'm drinking water.

2. Skin looks better.
Drinking water is moisturizing from the inside. Your complexion will look clearer.

3. Appetite suppressant.
Often times when dehydrated, you'll read a thirst cue as a hunger cue. Water has fewer calories and costs less than food.

4. Increased athletic and mental performance.
You'll body will fatigue at a slower rate. The human body is about 70% water-- it just functions better with water. Apparently, water helps with mental fatigue as well (glycogen helps with this as well). As any athlete will tell you, the mental part of a workout or race is the toughest part.

day one

Day one of Fitness challenge plus Daniel Fast. So far, so good. I still need to run, but I have a lot of the food that I'll need to make a go of the nutrition side. I even bought a Nalgene to replace the ones I've lost. Water is going to be key. I miss working. I'm also going to keep track of the connection between job and fitness and spiritual/psyche health.

my newest nemesis

The Kettlebell

Prologue:
I've been trying to work out at least ten hours a week. (Working out is the best thing I can do for morale these days.) And, my sister has hired a personal trainer. Those who don't know me may fail to make the automatic connection. Here are two clues: I'm thrifty and competitive. My sister has mentioned a lot of exercises some more interesting than others, but the kettlebell remarks got my attention because I did them one time before with a friend and liked them.

Story:
I showed up at a Total Strength class as a novice last Tuesday. The teacher announced, "We're doing kettlebells tonight." And, boy, did we. I was sore through Saturday, especially my legs. Needless to say, I went to another class today because I got so sore last week, which means I need MORE. They combine the weight work with cardio and abs. It's really fun because a) all exercises are timed with a max of 90 seconds (I can do anything for 90 seconds), b) there's a lot of jumping, c) you get to use momentum with the weights-- so they swing. My legs were trembling as I left. Not to mention the teacher came over three times to help me with my form. The teacher would have embarrassed me when I was in my twenties, but all I was thinking, "This is a lot cheaper than a personal trainer!"

Conclusion:
I will be back for more of the sore! I figure I'll go to at least ten classes to figure out what I'm doing, then I can start doing it on my own. Right now I can feel my shoulders-- that's nice. I like this better than straight up weight-lifting, and I want to be svelte come May. Plus, I feel like I'm accomplishing something, which is a good (and necessary?) feeling. I'm thinking about training for a half marathon in April, but maybe I should just do the 6k and do a fantastic job.

new goal

I gave a pint of A+ blood on Wednesday afternoon at the library during a thunderstorm. It was an overall good experience-- one exception-- lady let walk-ins go before appointments. Not cool. Lesson learned-- go in the middle to late part of the period. However, I met some cool people and learned that the elevation of the place you visited in India affects whether or not you can give blood. The #1 cool person was the little lady volunteer in charge of snacks after you give. She was 78 years old and chatty. We were talking about random stuff then got onto the topic of working out. This little lady meets with a personal trainer three times a week and can do 30 "man push-ups" (direct quote). She can also bench more than I can. But, I do more cardio than she. She was envious that my gym has a pool. She said she took being in good shape seriously because some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren were obese, and she wanted to be a good role model for them. I told her that my family had more cautionary tales than role models. Seriously, when you meet old people like this, it gives one hope about getting older. She was talking about how her house is messier since retirement because she's so busy. Coolness.

Before giving blood, I rowed for the first time in years on Wednesday. I did 5x1k workout with .25 mile running recoveries. It was slow but reasonable. When I rowed in college I tried my 500 splits under 2:00 no matter what-- 12k pieces or 90 minute sessions. I needed under 1:50 to keep my position on a boat for more competitive pieces. This time I tried to keep my measly 1ks under 2:10, which I did. It felt really good. I'm going to incorporate more rowing into my workout. I was sweating within 4 minutes, and it's not just about going full-out. It's about pacing and stroke rating and form. There was a guy on the erg beside me that had clearly never rowed on the water. I managed to keep all my unsolicited advice to myself. The whole time I watched him I was thinking, "He's going to kill his back."

Job related: I applied to the chaplaincy program in the Army earlier this week. It's a pretty long process, and I'd have to go back to school to convert my Master's into an MDiv, which is kind of a nice prospect. I'd have to the candidacy program, which means I'd go into the reserves for 7 years. I was whining to my sister that I'd be over forty when I was finished with the entire process. She pointed out that I'd be over forty in 8 years no matter what I do, so that shouldn't really be a factor not to do something. My other concern is what about IF I meet a guy and want to get married and have kids-- being prego in a combat zone doesn't seem overly ideal. My sister pointed out again that my cousin's wife got pregnant while stationed in Japan (noncombat zone), and she was released from duty. This is to say, the military works with you. But, it seems like a really interesting, important job. Imagine getting to interact with people in such a critical time of life. These men and women are going to be asking crucial questions about meaning and life, etc. And, although there's pluralistic protocol, you still get to pray and care for these people.

I have my first tutoring gig in a while with a 12 year-old boy who sounds like he's a trip. I'm excited. I also figured out some places I want to start volunteering.

So, we shall see. My appeal worked somewhat: I'm going to have a hearing. I'm on my way!

Must go work on my upper body strength!

Activity

I've been a busy bee.

Morale has been low. Yesterday was extremely rough, so I decided I had to take some form of action. I joined a gym yesterday; I found one with a sliding scale that I could afford right now. The people were kind and helpful. And I met with a Personal Trainer today to go over a weight lifting program. My trainer was impressed that I gravitated towards the free weights... and I had good form. And, I filled out the sheet of exercises so she could talk and demonstrate. She said she had a really good time. I was reminded of a lot and started cobbling out a possible routine. Then I swam for 35 minutes, which I'm really feeling now. I earned the steam room but didn't have time for the sauna. I totally sketched out this woman in the steam room by coughing. I wanted to tell her I wasn't contagious, but I figured that would only make things worse. She got up and left. So, I think working out will help out my crazy mood swings. The running I did last week reminded me how much better life is when your active. Walking the dog isn't enough even if it's over 2 miles a pop. And, I think I found a trail race I want to run on January 21st: I need to decide 4, 9, or 13 miles.

I went by the church office and got things set up for the class I'm teaching on Saturday. I'm glad I went early because I need an adaptor for my Mac. But, I'm really excited about the speakers. There's a sub wolfer. The sound sounds great! I'm getting excited. It's going to be a small class, but I'm kind of excited about that. We'll fit around a table.

I went to the Army and Air Force recruiters to chat possibilities. I'm too old for OCS in the Army. As of April, you have to be no older than 29. And, the regulations on being a Chaplain are insane-- no wonder they have a hard time recruiting. On one level it's a good thing, we need excellent chaplains. On the other, seriously? Someone's going to put that much effort into being shot at when she has to be without a weapon?

And, I've researched, been to an office and made several phone calls regarding my appeal. I think I'll write it tomorrow. I need to send it by Friday.

Action is very therapeutic. I feel less a victim when there's something to do. It makes waiting feel more fruitful.

unofficial coach

Somebody really awesome called me her coach today! Woot. It went like this:
"Hi. Just wanted you (my coach) to know that I jogged again today. Think I'm a little over a mile right now (not quite 1.5 miles, but close). Felt so good to be out in the fresh air and sunshine today...."

And, I got up at 6:30 on a Saturday to watch my uncle run his first 5k. It was pretty awesome even if he came in dead last. There were only 36 runners and some of them fell out... you'd think it was a pretty tough course. Apparently my presence at a top of a hill provided motivation to keep running (so it was a less slow dead last). Yep.

So during my own running desert (two puny runs a week at bes), I'm serving as a coach for others. There's a profound metaphor sewn in this somewhere.

cell phone gone mobile: a cautionary tale

Last night I went on a ten mile run. It was after seven, so Grace asked me to take my cell phone with me in case it got too dark. ( Or, if I'd bitten off more than I could chew.) So, I tucked my blackberry into the back of my jog bra between my shoulder blades where I thought it'd be least noticeable. I was afraid that it might fall out of the bottom while crossing a busy road and I wouldn't hear or feel it. Turns out, that was the wrong fear.

About 2.5 miles into the run, I came across a toilet on the side walk that reminded me of Skeeter's stunt in The Help. Plus, it belonged more in my hometown than in front of this posh address: juxtaposition. I pulled out my phone to take a picture. My phone had little drops of sweat over it. So, when I put it back in it's slot, I put the back to my back and the phone to the material, thinking that would prevent any dampness problems.

My loop was proving to be eminently doable: it was neither hot nor hilly, and I was well rested having been slack earlier in the week. I got to around mile eight and realized it was dark. I got out my (now drenched) phone to alert Grace I was going to finish the run even though it was dark--that I was almost back. I hit the call button. Nothing happened. So, I hit the power button. Nothing. My brain sighed, "I should have seen this coming." Then, I was glad I wasn't whipping out the phone because I'd pulled a hammie. Then, I was nervous that it would. never. work. again. Eek. I don't have insurance on it.

I woke up in the middle of night, stretched my back and played with my phone. Again, nothing. Then, my alarm went off. Relief! Then, I went to hit "dismiss". I pressed the button multiple times. Nothing. Yet, the alarm kept alarming. There was no five minute snooze. I stuffed in socks in my sock drawer to let it wear itself out. Tonight it's semi-responsive. I have hope it will go back to normal.

Moral of the story: put your phone in a ziplock before you put it next to your sweaty flesh in a workout!

marathon training

When I learned I didn't get the job a couple of weeks ago, I was shocked. That night after crying, I decided, "F it. I'm training for a marathon." I figured: a) I have the time, b) it'll give me something to talk about and do besides being unemployed, c) the endorphins will be much needed, d) it'll help me sleep and e) it'll make my figure even more svelte ;).

So far, I've been doing well except for the long runs. I'm getting massively intimidated by them. 10 miles in this heat and humidity is daunting. But, I was talking about it with a girl at my church who's a legit runner. And, by legit runner, I mean she's qualified for the Boston more than once. She told me to press on during the heat and not be afraid to run slowly, and when it comes fall I'll be in much better shape than I would think. She also offered to run with me. That's motivation.

Plus, I found this cool website where I can map my runs and keep a running diary. That's fun! It's called www.walkjogrun.net. You can map out your own runs and look at other people's courses. It even gives you an elevation map. This will be fun.

This is week three of an 18 week schedule. The marathon I'm gunning for takes place December 10th. Wouldn't it be cool to run the Boston at least once?!? Then, I'll where to go from there: ultra, iron man, Boston, etc.

the 8 mile race that was actually nine miles

Last Thursday I went to pick up my race packet at the running store. I asked the lady at the counter, "May I get my race packet?" She replied, "Which race?"
I answered, "The eight mile."
She raised her eyebrow, "The nine-mile race?"
"Sure, the nine-mile race."

This misunderstanding foreshadowed the entire course of the race. Ye gods, I even got lost going to the site... and it's on my way to work! I went the wrong direction on 485. It was very cold, which was fine. We all know the weather is no one's pet monkey. However, what was not fine is that I didn't wear enough clothes. The bagels and the cookies they that were out at the end of the race were crunchy... it was that cold. But my fellow racers were chipper and encouraging, which was much needed. The best part of the race: the sweatshirt!


Despite the adverse conditions, Saturday reminded me I do like trail running-- it's a lot of fun! Even if I completely suck at it! I always in a Lord of the Rings kind of a mood. I kind of expect to happen upon a hobbit or some other woodling creature. I bought a parking pass so that I can come back and practice.

After the race I went to my cousin's basketball game which she played the last period in which she told off a player on the other team. I was proud of her because the ref wasn't calling the foul. She wasn't rude but very straight forward. She's got some spunk in her. Then my uncle and I went to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We also were complete goobers and tried all the samples at Dean & Deluca then proceeded to go out and get burgers.

Later I filled out a survey that a Regent friend sent out about singles and church. It stirred up a lot of emotion that I normally avoid. Church and Christian circles are definitely the hardest places to be single. I'm not self-conscious at work or around my high school or college friends. But, around Christians, singleness feels like affliction. She's writing several articles at her blog: The Purse. She might even use some of my experiences but she'll cloak them with a pseudonym. But I think the frankness I treated her questions took a toll on me.

This afternoon I went to lunch with four people after church. It was both lovely and awkward. Small talk isn't my strong suit. Large talk, silly talk, and self talk are my specialties. I came home exhausted and thoroughly disheartened (I can't pinpoint why). I burrowed in my bed to no avail. Finally I got up and started writing my cover letter for a teaching position I'd really enjoy. I'm getting ready to cook my sister's vegan recipe for sweet potato and barley chili, spaghetti sauce and eggs and sausage. I'm gearing up for the week. The icky emotions are dissipating with the application of the good ol' Protestant work ethic. Busy does function as anesthesia.

Recently I've been engaging in activities that are excellent lessons in self-knowledge: the running, church, bible study, teaching. I'm getting schooled in my emotional, psychological and moral weaknesses. Before Randy's sermon on Sodom and Gomorrah this morning, he said the point of the this story and sermon was to highlight the profundity and necessity of the cross-- to combat what Bonhoeffer called cheap grace and Willard renamed costly faithlessness. My practical atheism is definitely under attack.

first running club run

My brilliant intro into the world of club running! At 7am this morning, I ran for the first time ever with a running club. Yea, it wasn't inspired... at all. (I might as well have been chewing on a snack.) But I finished the 8 miles. I was the weak link of the four girls. It hurt.

The pathetic run exhilarated me the rest of the day; there's plenty of room for improvement. This running club goal will be easy to meet, I think. The ladies were super nice-- too nice.

prep for spring break

It's surreal that we've made it to Spring Break. I just printed up my grades to sign and hand in to the secretary.

Now I'm off to a 30 minute abs class. I'm not sure my abs are up for 30 minutes of anything, esp. working. We'll see. It's my friends birthday and this is what she wanted to do.

And, I signed up for two 10ks. One is next Saturday-- it's a road race. One is May 22-- it's a trail run at the National Whitewater center. I think I'm ready for 10ks but not quite there for halfs.

Found some awesome vegan recipes. Citrus Basil Lentils.

Heading up to Richmond tomorrow.