The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”
Although, August is working out to be as busy as July was, it’s starting out to be a better month for fitness. I hope I can have a pretty strong month, as I can’t seem to find a race to participate in.
There is a half marathon I’d like to register for in September. Maybe Chris will register me for my birthday. If so, I’ll use August to prepare myself for it.
I’ve been excited to try my new Stinger Waffles, but I haven’t done a long enough run to warrant it. I’ll letcha know how it goes when I do.
August has been pretty crazy already. My Uncle Leon passed away and that was unexpected. So I had to shift some plans to make it out to Bakersfield to attend the funeral. He was one of the coolest. Rest well, Uncle Leon.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Southern Baptist funeral. If you have, you know that they are very formal. My mother (far right) is the last of 13 siblings. This is only a fraction of them, but all the siblings wore white with red roses. I’m just a grandchild, so a fabulous gold suit would do for me.
Another thing you would notice about Southern Baptist funerals is that while they are very somber, we believe we will see Uncle Leon again so they also tend to be very happy occasions. Here’s a fraction of my very large, happy and well dressed family. It’s over 100 degrees In Bakersfield and we are still so cool!
Then, as you may know, I am a HUGE Michael Jackson fan! So I took a day out in the month of his birth (b. August 29th, 1958) to remember The King and visit his grave. I went with my friend Sherri to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. This is me posing with his clothes, I’m *so* excited!
And here I am at his grave with my offering of sunflowers and a nice note. Many other fans were there too. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who mourns the loss of the greatest entertainer who ever lived. I love Michael!!!
Now on to the run:
August 1, 2011 – 3.05 Walk
I have been meaning to add walking to my workout so that I might learn a little patience. I am still reading “A Few Degrees From Hell: The 2003 Badwater Ultra Marathon” and I am learning the value of training passed exhaustion and to just keep moving.
Jordan got in trouble at the BGC so I told him he had to walk the 3 miles home. We talked about why he’s always in trouble and tried to come up with means and ways to help him. It was a nice walk but took way too long.
Turns out I don’t have the patience for walking or my son when he’s not behaving. It’s not that I won’t try it again, but running is just better. We all know this.
August 2, 2011 – 3.82 Mile Run
This run was very therapeutic for me. Right before this run, I’d learned that my Uncle Leon had passed away. I ran it without music which is unusual for me and just took the time to pray for my family and think about my uncle. Just listening to the rhythm of my breathing and grateful for every breath.
When I got back from the run, I called my mother…. That’s almost always frustrating. This time wasn’t any different. More prayer and grateful for the run.
August 9, 2011 – 3.03 Mile Run
The funeral is finished and the late days at the office have ceased for the moment so I can get back to my regularly scheduled program. I asked Chris to drop me off at the BGC so I could run home.
It had been a week since my last run so I was very ready for this one. I knew it was going to be short, so I felt like I could push myself a little bit. So I sprinted the city blocks and recovered at the traffic lights.
The weather was just perfect. I know the rest of the world thinks we’re fruits and nuts, but I l just love living in Southern California!
August 10th, 2011 – 3.40 Mile Run
This was just a maintenance run. I won’t be able to run tomorrow because scheduling won’t permit it so I wanted to be sure to get this run in. This was a nice easy run. When we picked Jordan up from the BGC, I asked Chris to drive an extra block up the road so I could get just a little bit more distance with this run.
It is on these runs where I am looking for the joy. I often find it. Running is the silver bullet of health and fitness and the Green Tea of exercise. The more I read and research about it, the more I think “Why doesn’t everybody do this?” It seems to fix everything and make everything better. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks and it’s something everyone can do, at least a little bit. So have a cup of green tea then strap on the Asics and hit the road.
QUERY: While I do love the running, I need a solution to this!
These specialized, long distance, moisture wicking running socks cost $13 a pair. For me, that’s a lot of money, especially considering I could get a 6-pack of socks for $10 at Target! I went to a specialized running store and bought these after a consultation with one of their “fitness experts” after telling him that I needed socks that would stand up to long distance running. He positively assured me that these were the socks of my dreams (Yeah... I dream about running socks!). They would keep my feet dry, blister free and would last for months.
If you follow my blog, you know that I am a recreational runner, intermediate at best. I get about 3 miles in at every workout and I do the occasional half marathon. These socks are practically brand new and they already have holes!!!
I don’t use my running socks for anything but running, I wash them very gently and I keep my toenails trimmed. Does anyone else have this problem? How long should quality running socks last and do you think it would be OK to darn these socks or would the extra seam cause blisters?
Suggestions for your sock issues:
ReplyDelete1. Look for cheaper stores (I've NEVER spent $13/pair, not even for Injini toe socks.)
2. Make sure you aren't pulling your socks up too far. If you feel like they're too short, go up one size or buy a longer style.
3. If your feet keep sliding forward in your shoes, your laces might be too loose toward the front of your shoes or the shoes might be a little too big.
Thanks Lloyd! I will definitely look for a cheaper option and be aware of how far I pull them up. My feet slide forward when I'm running downhill but I thought that was to be expected. I'll be losing my (right) big toenail because of a few trail runs. So not hot! I didn't think my laces were too loose but I'll tighten them up to see if that helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!!!
How about your toe nails? Are they too long? They don't look long though.
ReplyDeleteI buy cheaper socks too ... I cannot justify spending $10 on a pair of socks. Try TJ Maxx or something. Maybe you will find something.
I think August will be a strong month for you. :)
My week 1 in August was 62 miles!!! but I'm training for a 4-5 hour race. Now keep knocking off those daily 3 mile runs and try and throw in a couple of longer ones and your socks won't know what hit them!!! I would say get back into running in 5 fingers... as for socks I also go through socks (only cheap ones). Now try this wear them on your other feet!!! so the hole isn't by the big toe and I tell you your socks are good to go...
ReplyDelete@Christine - These socks really are too expensive and I won't be buying any more like them. I have about 4 pairs of these types of socks. These were the most expensive but I have others that are more than I wanna ever spend again. Especially when they don't seem to be any better than any other. My toenails? Always trimmed.
ReplyDelete@Coach Dion - You're amazing!!! How do you manage work and family running 62 miles a week? I know you're married but have you any children? Does your wife run too? That would be awesome! My husband is the best of men, but he doesn't run. I'd get more miles in if he did. There are many times that I'd run after dark but I try not to. I live in a safe neighborhood but stuff still happpens. The world is crazy. I'd feel better if he were with me. When I just *have* to get the run in after dark, I take the dog and day or night, I always have pepper spray.
ReplyDelete