Ben does life.

Thursday, August 09, 2012

I may be a boob, but this makes me tear up, smile, and be inspired every time I watch it.

http://bit.ly/aLZqTb

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

K-GETTING-FIT 8/10/2012 1:02PM

Awwww. That totally made me tear up. Would probably have been an all out cry if I wasn't at work:) How inspiring!!! Go Ben:):):) Report Inappropriate Comment

Weights...blargh and yay

Saturday, August 04, 2012

I've never been a huge fan of the weight room. I don't hate it but I'm always staring longingly out the window wishing for a run. Y'know how I know it's good for me though? First, I read books and blogs and Oxygen and they tell me it's good for me. Second, I start pouring sweat and reach an elevated heart rate 10 min into a weights workout when that usually takes me 30 min on the average tempo run! Here's to my legs workout today! :)

  

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OJIBWEEQUAY 8/5/2012 9:35AM

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

IACTA_ALEA_EST 8/4/2012 5:29AM

Great attitude and spririt....when I hear myself whining , I try to remember I enjoy working out... Have a beautiful day sparking! Report Inappropriate Comment

The Cringe Picture

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

C'mon you have it too. That one picture...or two...or sometimes a whole vacation's worth. The ones where you take one look and cringe. Where the original moment is pushed aside for the "God! I'm fat!" moment. What's even stranger is coming across those photos after you've begun to do something about it. I found two photos tonight. Someone I used to know well but don't anymore had taken them. It's an interesting moment. "God! I was so fat!" And I was miserable too. I'm wearing a tired cotton maternity shirt months after giving birth. It's faded and pastel and screams, "I've given up!" Thank god I didn't. I'm lighter now. 50 lbs and counting lighter. Happier too. But I still have those days...pastel, maternity shirt days where I look in the mirror and still see a fat, unhappy person. Whether she's actually looking back at me or not is irrelevant. I still carry "it" in some ways. I'm still losing "it" along with the weight. Sometimes the mental weight is the hardest of all. I'm going to keep these photos around. I'm not sure if they are positive reinforcement or negative, but I suppose it could always be worse. At least I chucked that damn pastel maternity shirt!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CASSIOEPIA 2/22/2012 10:28PM

So much of this journey is mental, right! Report Inappropriate Comment

GOSSAMERONE 2/22/2012 9:26PM

Thanks, for sharing. I have felt that way so many times. Report Inappropriate Comment

Time

Friday, January 20, 2012

I'm sitting here at the desk in my bedroom thinking about time. How much has passed, how much is yet to come, how precious and important the present is. The world lost two amazing people this week. Sarah Burke and Etta James. Both legends in their own worlds, they were strong women and pioneers. They have all the qualities that I aspire to: grit, strength, courage, tenacity, zest, lust for life.

I ran today for the first time in a month. I've been coming back from Bronchitis. It feels good. It's January again. It's been 2 years since I really started thinking seriously about my health. It will be 5 years this March that I lost my mother to cancer. Time moves forward. I want to move forward too; one day at a time, one workout after another.

I came across these amazing words in Runner's World this month about Desiree Davila, a running hero of mine.

"In six years, Desiree Davila went from the third-fastest runner on a Pac-10 team to the third fastest American female marathoner of all time. That's no miracle. It's a transformation that came about through thousands of mornings and 10,000 miles on a creek-side trail north of Detroit.

Walt Drenth, Davila's college coach has an explanation for her success. 'Are you familiar with the hedgehog theory?' he says. 'It's pretty appropriate for distance runners. The idea is you put your head down and do the same thing consistently for a long period of time. Eventually you become successful at it. For runners, the key thing is to do that and remain healthy.'

For Davila, it's a confirmation of her faith in the simple rewards of her sport. 'Running is just you, the work you put in, and the clock,' she says. 'You can't cheat yourself. If you don't put in the miles, you can't go to the starting line thinking you are going to pull a miracle out of nowhere. You get out exactly as much as you put in.'"

Ski in peace Sarah.
vimeo.com/35364829

Sing in eternity Etta. www.youtube.com/watchv=wtTMDmc6SE0&f
eature=youtu.be

Amen to that Desiree!

  

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BOADICEA89 1/26/2012 10:00PM

Wow. Very profound blog post! Good luck! Starting up again does feel good, doesn't it? Report Inappropriate Comment

How much structure is too much?

Monday, September 26, 2011

Have you noticed something about my blog? I have. I make big plans involving lots of numbered days that last for about a week or two and then fizzle out faster then a candle in hurricane. I crave structure. I like tracking my food, seeing the consistency build up over periods of time. It's comforting. I like seeing Day # whatever blogs. But it's also monotonous. The inner rebellious in me comes out to play.

"Buck the trend Kat. You can take a day off."

And then of course one day becomes two. Two becomes three and before long, a week or a month has passed and my plan has gone kaput.

I clearly need a middle ground. These endless 50, 90, 120, forever day "streaks" are not working. I like tracking. I want that structure. But I'm going to lose these endless numbered blogs and these grand plans. The grand plan is get healthy for life. I don't want to count it. I just want to live healthy and more healthy. So I'm going to blog about that instead; my feelings, my setbacks, and my successes. No more grand plans. :)

So today:

I did chest and triceps. It was good getting back into weight training. I pushed myself to exhaustion when I started a few weeks ago and I ended up resenting it. I ran 2 miles yesterday and really pushed myself through 1.5 today after the weights. I'm running above a 7.0 on the treadmill, a pretty good clip for me. I really love to run and I know if the weight training is going to be an ongoing thing, I still have to be able to run, because that's what keeps me going and sane. My goal is 10 miles for the week and I feel really good having done 3.5 so far. I would also like to track my food and stay in range for the rest of the week. I was over today, as I went out for dinner, but i'm not worried. I know the rest of the week will be delicious, clean, home cooked food. :)

  

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OFFDREA 9/26/2011 6:40PM

I can't set long term type goals for myself. it takes too long to get there and I don't want to feel like a failure if I don't make it. I try to just go week by week, maybe a month. Great job getting the workouts in!!! Are you still doing JE? Report Inappropriate Comment