Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Day 12: Oh! The Places You'll Go!

So this past weekend, we traveled back to our hometown to celebrate the Canadian Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends.  We all had a lovely time eating delicious turkey with all the fixin's.

The wonderful weekend was topped off with a somewhat spontaneous decision to run a 3k with the local running club.  Since I usually run at least that distance on a regular basis, I figured... why not?!


“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go."

- Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You'll Go!



That morning, it was early and I was tired.  Maybe it was the tryptophan in the turkey the day before, maybe it was too much caffeine in my system, or maybe it was all of the thoughts in my mind, but I hadn't slept well at all.   It was a tough decision and I was so close to going back to bed, but I knew that I could push through these preconceived limitations.  I knew that I could do it.

So off to the races we went!  It was a very small race and the people there were so friendly and welcoming.  The atmosphere was casual and laid back.  Even our dog Roxy was welcome to run with me.



Photo courtesy of Gary Gleason



The race consisted of 3 laps.  Heading into the final lap, Roxy saw the members of our cheering section...



Photo courtesy of Gary Gleason


...and decided that she'd rather be there.



Photo courtesy of Gary Gleason



So I crossed the finish line alone...


"All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul.
On you will go though your enemies prowl.
On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike.
And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are."

- Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You'll Go!






...And, although my goal was just to finish, I actually won a second place ribbon for my age group (yay, for small races)!


"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)"

- Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You'll Go!






So the next time that you're facing your limitations, it's early, you're tired, or maybe you're all alone, just remember...



"Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"
- Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You'll Go!



Thanks for stopping by.


 
This post is part of my blog series, "31 Days of Words to Live By".  For the month of October, I will be sharing my favourite quotes and sayings while incorporating them into daily life and art projects.

This series was inspired by The Inspired Room, where you'll find other "31 Days" series among many other wonderful things!




Day 12: Oh! The Places You'll Go!



I'm sharing this with...



.
4 comments
Labels:

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Day 1: The Courage to Start

As I stood among the crowd, I felt unusually calm.  After 3 months of preparation, I was ready.  My pockets were stuffed full of Kleenex, a reminder of the cold that I'd been battling all week.  Nevertheless, I wasn't about to let that stop me from participating today.

The cheerful announcer began his countdown... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
A gunshot echoed through the crisp autumn air, and we were off!

I started running, reminding myself to set an easy pace that wouldn't cause my cold symptoms to flare up too much.  The absence of the usual wagging tail beside me was a clear indication that this was indeed race day.

Slowly and steadily, I made my way through the neighbourhood streets.  Every now and then, the Kleenex in my pocket eased my sniffles.

I made it over the overpass and through the tunnel under the train tracks. Then, about halfway through, the course turned towards a steep hill.  All I could think was, "keep moving forward," and made it to the top without too much difficulty, much to my surprise.

The little flags marked the way and volunteers passed out cups of water as the course looped back under the train tunnel.

As I began to climb the overpass, a mighty gust of frigid wind hit hard, as if it were trying to prevent my ascent.  Again, I just kept moving forward and made it through, the only casualty, a few strands of hair pulled loose from my french braid, put there by the loving hands of my Mom.

Although beginning to feel tired, thoughts of my family waiting at the end kept me going.  In my mind, I pictured that tail wagging beside me and imagined the steady pace of four paws, urging me onward.

Before I knew it, I could hear the cheers of the onlookers.  Their enthusiastic shouts of encouragement made me smile.  I sped up as I rounded the final corner, letting that last little bit of extra energy carry me over the finish line.

As the volunteers congratulated me and handed me a bottle of water and my finishing prize - a pair of running gloves, I thought...

...I did it!  I just ran my first 5k race!

And although there's nothing quite like the feeling of crossing that finish line...




"The miracle isn't that I finished.  The miracle is that I had the courage to start."


Thanks for stopping by.


This post is part of my blog series, "31 Days of Words to Live By".  For the month of October, I will be sharing my favourite quotes and sayings while incorporating them into daily life and art projects.

This series was inspired by The Inspired Room, where you'll find other "31 Days" series among many other wonderful things!



Day 1: The Courage to Start
10 comments
Labels:

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bells and Whistles

I had a Blackberry once.  And even though it had way more bells and whistles than I could possibly find a use for, I still quite liked it.  Unfortunately, our dog, Roxy, liked it even more.

I suppose that I could use the classic "The dog ate my Blackberry" excuse for my infrequent blog posts of late...
{and leave out the part about how that phone's doggy demise actually happened years before Charcoal and Crayons began}
...but that would be lying.  So I'll just stick to the truth instead.


 

I've been running.

I can't pinpoint exactly why I decided to start running - especially since I've never considered myself a runner and even hated track and field in school.  I definitely don't look like the typical runner either.

I guess what attracted me the most to running would be its simplicity...


"If you run, you are a runner.
It doesn't matter how fast or how far.
It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years.
There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get.
You just run."


...no bells and whistles required.




So despite the odds, training to run over the past 3 months has been an incredible experience and actually enjoyable... with that good ol' Blackberry eating hound dog beside me every step of the way, of course.

The goal is to cross the finish line of the local 5km race coming up on October 1st.




Also starting on October 1st, I will be doing a special series of blog posts inspired by The Inspired Room, entitled...


31 Days of Words to Live By


I'll be sharing my favourite quotes and sayings while incorporating them into daily life and art projects for the month of October.

If you're interested in joining in with your own 31 Days series or would like more information, go HERE.

Oh, and if your phone has far too many bells and whistles than you know what to do with, I know someone who can take care of that for you.







 Thanks for stopping by.






I'm sharing this with...








.
8 comments
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)