Monday, April 30, 2007
I FINALLY feel like a runner!
Saturday's run was so fun and for the very first time I actually felt like a real runner! I also felt like I could've run all day. I quickly got into my groove and I was good to go. Kayra and I started at 1:2 intervals and worked up to 1.5:1. It felt so good! And I LOVE the trail at the Rez and I hope we get to run there a lot in the future. I love the trees and I love the shade and I really love not having to worry about cars. Thanks Kayra for running with me. It is so good to have a running buddy. The time goes by sooooo much faster that way. Now granted, I was exhausted for the rest of the day Saturday and all day Sunday, but that is to be expected, right? My weekly workouts pretty much suck and I feel heavy and slow and like every step takes a huge effort, but this program is obviously working (I didn't doubt you Mark, I doubted me) and I am doing it and am really becoming a marathoner! Yeah! I had been having some problems with pain in my knees and ankles so I went to Fleet Feet and got some cushy inserts for my shoes. They are yummy and I could really tell a difference this morning. HIGHLY recommended! Have a great week you guys! This is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I'm so glad each and every one of you are a part of it!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Do you recognize these MMers?
http://www.mstrackclub.com/Results/2007/C-Ledger/Pix/018.jpg
http://www.mstrackclub.com/Results/2007/C-Ledger/Pix/029.jpg (Sorry Mandy, I had to. It's CUTE!!!!)
These pics were taken at the Run From the Sun by the Clarion Ledger and are posted on the MS Track Club Website.
http://www.mstrackclub.com/Results/2007/C-Ledger/Pix/029.jpg (Sorry Mandy, I had to. It's CUTE!!!!)
These pics were taken at the Run From the Sun by the Clarion Ledger and are posted on the MS Track Club Website.
The Rose
Many of us are struggling right now. I think this may help...
The Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..." "No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get; we make a Life by what we give. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. "Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."
The Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..." "No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get; we make a Life by what we give. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. "Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."
Monday, April 16, 2007
Incredible Run From the Sun MM Women!
Hey everybody,
Those of you who missed the Run From the Sun and the afterparty, all I can say is, bummer for you! The run was so much fun and the afterparty was even better! Mark and Robin even graced us with their presence! It was great fun! And HOORAY to you awesome girls who received medals at the race:
Ann McManus, Grand Masters
Jana Ethridge, 3rd place in age group
Cindy Windham, 1st place in age group
Deborah Blakeney, 2nd place in age group
Cheryl Jones, 3rd place in age group
(I hope I didn't miss anybody!)
Cheryl, you are awesome and I am so proud of you! See, 60 isn't so bad after all, huh? And I love your family! Jana, I am so inspired by you! You came along like an angel and lifted me on your wings and across the finish line. Check it out all: I was struggling at the end of the race. I lost my strength and was strolling along slowly when Jana came up behind me and said, "Come on, we're almost done. Let's go!" I said, "No, you go ahead." Well folks, Jana would NOT let me lag behind. She MADE me kick it up and she "carried" me through to the finish line. Jana, you are my hero. Thank you so much! I am going to be thinking of you tonight as I do my 5 miles that I missed on Saturday! You ARE a marathoner!
Those of you who missed the Run From the Sun and the afterparty, all I can say is, bummer for you! The run was so much fun and the afterparty was even better! Mark and Robin even graced us with their presence! It was great fun! And HOORAY to you awesome girls who received medals at the race:
Ann McManus, Grand Masters
Jana Ethridge, 3rd place in age group
Cindy Windham, 1st place in age group
Deborah Blakeney, 2nd place in age group
Cheryl Jones, 3rd place in age group
(I hope I didn't miss anybody!)
Cheryl, you are awesome and I am so proud of you! See, 60 isn't so bad after all, huh? And I love your family! Jana, I am so inspired by you! You came along like an angel and lifted me on your wings and across the finish line. Check it out all: I was struggling at the end of the race. I lost my strength and was strolling along slowly when Jana came up behind me and said, "Come on, we're almost done. Let's go!" I said, "No, you go ahead." Well folks, Jana would NOT let me lag behind. She MADE me kick it up and she "carried" me through to the finish line. Jana, you are my hero. Thank you so much! I am going to be thinking of you tonight as I do my 5 miles that I missed on Saturday! You ARE a marathoner!
Friday, April 13, 2007
RUN FROM THE SUN AFTERPARTY UPDATE!
I JUST CALLED LA CAZUELA AND MAKE A RESERVATION FOR 20 PEOPLE TO START SHOWING UP AT ABOUT 6:30 P.M. THE RESERVATION IS UNDER "MARATHON MAKEOVER" AND WE WILL BE SEATED OUTSIDE ON THE PATIO!
Can't wait all! It'll be FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!! See ya'll there!
Can't wait all! It'll be FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!! See ya'll there!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Interval Training!
Now that the 10 weeks is up, many of us are starting to do interval training. It seems like a lot of people aren't sure how to do this. Here's what I've been told by my multi marathon, triathlete boss. It's been working for me for the past couple weeks:
Start low with the runs, like 30 seconds, and walk for 2 minutes (.5:2). Continue those intervals for one week, then gradually add more running, maybe only 15 more seconds: .75:2. Stay there for a week, then add a little more running: 1:2. Stay there for a week, then add a little more running and start decreasing the walking: 1.5:1.5. Stay there for a week and then continue to add running while decreasing walking. Never walk for less than 1 minute. Running though can increase gradually up to 2, 3, 5 or more minutes depending on how you feel. Also, intervals should be done as steps, not as an incline. Stay at one interval for at least one week before you increase.
Mark, Robin, Matt, other experts, do you have anything to add?
Start low with the runs, like 30 seconds, and walk for 2 minutes (.5:2). Continue those intervals for one week, then gradually add more running, maybe only 15 more seconds: .75:2. Stay there for a week, then add a little more running: 1:2. Stay there for a week, then add a little more running and start decreasing the walking: 1.5:1.5. Stay there for a week and then continue to add running while decreasing walking. Never walk for less than 1 minute. Running though can increase gradually up to 2, 3, 5 or more minutes depending on how you feel. Also, intervals should be done as steps, not as an incline. Stay at one interval for at least one week before you increase.
Mark, Robin, Matt, other experts, do you have anything to add?
Monday, April 9, 2007
EXHAUSTED on Sunday!
I woke up feeling like someone had beat me all night while I slept (for 11 hours I should add) on Sunday morning. I did the whole 4 miles of intervals on Saturday then had the crazy notion to go on a 45 minute bike ride that afternoon through a hilly subdivision. What was I thinking? The beautiful weather was calling me and I thought a quick trip on the bike wouldn't matter much. WRONG!!!!! My butt hurts still and my quads are killing. But it's a good pain. I hadn't ridden in 2 1/2 years! So, as if I didn't sleep enough Saturday night, I took a 4 hour nap on Sunday and then felt dazed and confused for the rest of the day. (Needless to say I did not XT!) I thought I'd wake up this morning bouncing out of bed ready to run like a gazelle like Steph says, but my legs had lead weights in them. I did my 50 minutes of intervals though and pushed through it. Tomorrow will be better, I know.
As usual, Saturday was awesome! I'm so glad I finally got to meet Steph and Mandy. I hate that I barely got to see Kayra and hardly got to talk to Magda. Mag, I was looking for you on the run so we could do intervals together. I didn't see you at all. Chuck, Clark and Jana, you guys are awesome! I'm so glad we are buddies! Kelvin, we missed you! Brenda, you have the greatest attitude; you are so positive. Keep up the great work everybody! We are marathoners!
By the way, my back is almost 100%! YEAH!!!!
As usual, Saturday was awesome! I'm so glad I finally got to meet Steph and Mandy. I hate that I barely got to see Kayra and hardly got to talk to Magda. Mag, I was looking for you on the run so we could do intervals together. I didn't see you at all. Chuck, Clark and Jana, you guys are awesome! I'm so glad we are buddies! Kelvin, we missed you! Brenda, you have the greatest attitude; you are so positive. Keep up the great work everybody! We are marathoners!
By the way, my back is almost 100%! YEAH!!!!
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Run From The Sun AFTERPARTY!!!
Hi all,
I know that several of us are planning on doing the Run From The Sun 5K run/walk on Saturday, April 14 at 5:30 p.m. Well, as if the race won't be fun enough, Cheryl Jones (cjonesrun) and I are planning a post run get together at La Cazuela Mexican Grille at 1401 Fortification St. in Jackson. See Cheryl's post on the message board on the website. All are welcome, even if you don't do the run. For more info about the run, go to http://www.runfromthesun.com. It's $15 to pre-register and proceeds go to skin cancer prevention. It's a great cause. Wear your MM tee shirt and wristband. KRISTY JONES, YOU'RE IN, AREN'T YOU?????? Bring your hubby!!!
See ya'll Saturday!
I know that several of us are planning on doing the Run From The Sun 5K run/walk on Saturday, April 14 at 5:30 p.m. Well, as if the race won't be fun enough, Cheryl Jones (cjonesrun) and I are planning a post run get together at La Cazuela Mexican Grille at 1401 Fortification St. in Jackson. See Cheryl's post on the message board on the website. All are welcome, even if you don't do the run. For more info about the run, go to http://www.runfromthesun.com. It's $15 to pre-register and proceeds go to skin cancer prevention. It's a great cause. Wear your MM tee shirt and wristband. KRISTY JONES, YOU'RE IN, AREN'T YOU?????? Bring your hubby!!!
See ya'll Saturday!
Monday, April 2, 2007
3 girls looking for a 4th
Hi everyone!
Every Saturday is better than the one before. I just don't know how that's possible but it's just keeps on getting better! Making the decision to do this very well may have been the best decision I've ever made in my whole entire life. That is the truth! You guys are the best and this whole thing wouldn't be what it is without each and every one of you. And Mark and Robin should be getting the Nobel Peace Prize!
Okay, so Kayra (pronounced "Kida," long I) http://panama10.blogspot.com/index.html, Madga http://mag3-magsfirstrace.blogspot.com/index.html and I are teaming up to stay in a quad, but we're looking for a 4th brave soul (just kidding) to stay with us. Are there any solos MMers out there looking for a room?
Have a great week ya'll!
Every Saturday is better than the one before. I just don't know how that's possible but it's just keeps on getting better! Making the decision to do this very well may have been the best decision I've ever made in my whole entire life. That is the truth! You guys are the best and this whole thing wouldn't be what it is without each and every one of you. And Mark and Robin should be getting the Nobel Peace Prize!
Okay, so Kayra (pronounced "Kida," long I) http://panama10.blogspot.com/index.html, Madga http://mag3-magsfirstrace.blogspot.com/index.html and I are teaming up to stay in a quad, but we're looking for a 4th brave soul (just kidding) to stay with us. Are there any solos MMers out there looking for a room?
Have a great week ya'll!
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