Running Week In Review (and look ahead) - week of March 15, 2010

This week was not quite as good as last. And, it should have been since the kids were on spring break and I had childcare that did not end when the school day ends. Anyway, I did okay until Friday.

Monday - 8 miles inclusive of 5 .5 mile intervals

Tuesday - 8 miles easy

Wednesday - SRD

Thursday - 4 miles recovery

Friday - was scheduled to run 8 easy, but had a HORRID wind from the north between 25 and 35 mph and I quit after 4 miles

Saturday - was scheduled to run 17 long, but the wind was still present, it was 26*F, and snowing. The snow was nearly horizontal and into my face. I gave it 9 miles and quit once my shoes were soaked.

Total for the week: 33.4, short by 14.

This coming week will bring:

Monday - 7 miles with 8 strides

Tuesday - 8 miles easy

Wednesday - SRD

Thursday - 4 with 6 strides

Friday - 8 miles with 4 at tempo pace

Saturday - 16 miles long

I need to suck it up and do it, but I'm telling ya: snow coming at you horizontally kinda sucks.

Notice Name Nurture - Sunday, March 14, 2010

I went out trying to find something to name. I'd been thinking a lot about judgment and then I saw these thorns. I think unrequested judgment is like thorns: it hurts unnecessarily and separates us from getting closer one to another.

That said, I am frequently paid to judge, but I like to call it "assessment." For some reason, I've been confirmed with an assumption of expert knowledge on human behavior. Okay, I have studied it for decades and it is what I do. But, I also think that there is a big difference between judgment and assessment.

With judgment comes the explicit meaning that your judgment places you above. Also, it is generally unsolicited. If I come to you and ask you for your perception, then by all means, assess. But, if I do not, then why should you think that it is your place to do so?

Also, I generally see a huge difference between solicited assessment and unsolicited judgment: value. It frequently feels as if the judger devalues the other when they judge: my worth is more than yours because you made a choice that I judge as being flawed and because I see myself as being in a position above you, I feel as if I have the right to let you know.

That alienates others. EVEN IF THE JUDGMENT HAS MERIT. It alienates the other. How much more effective would we be at evoking positive change in others if the other always knew that their worth was not the least bit diminished.

My goal for every client who walks through my office to never feel as if I value them one ounce less for choices they make. That they know that I see their light. That they can walk in and tell me that they made the most objectively harmful decision and, while I will likely call them on it, they will be able to lay the decision on the discussion table and be receptive to growth because their worth is not one ounce less. Unconditional positive regard.

Consider then, if you will, the IMPACT of your words on others. Does it achieve the goal intended? Is the intent to hurt, to distance, to demoralize? Or is the intention to lift up? Consider the impact of solicited vs. unsolicited "advice." Consider that there is a living breathing human on the receiving end and not one of us knows what that person is going through. Are you truly showing love for your fellow human or hate? And, if you believe it to be love, how effective are your words? I would posit that growth happens more when there is warmth, sun, and nurturance, than under heavy winds.

Just something to consider.

Operation Rice Bowl, The Third Sunday of Lent

Yeah, not so much. I'm not going to recommend this recipe at all. The Ginger Vegetables. We normally have left-overs that I take to work, but very little of the extra was eaten. So, proceed with that caution.

This week at dinner, we read The Beatitudes from Matthew.

Matthew 5

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,

2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Peace.

Running Week in Review (and look ahead) - week of March 8

I had a great running week! Perfect! Awesome! I hit every run.

So, I did:

Monday - six miles including 6 strides

Tuesday - ten miles including 4 x 1 mile intervals at 5K race pace

Wednesday - SRD

Thursday - ten miles tempo (was supposed to be easy, but because of lack of time, I turned it into a tempo run)

Friday - five recovery pace after dark

Saturday - 21 miles. Yes, 21 miles.

Sunday -

It was a drizzly, misty, grey day. I did four 5.25 mile loops around my house. The best thing for me is that I seem to recall reading that your time for a 21-mile LSR is approximately what you can expect your marathon race time to be. I've been hoping that I'll finish under 4:20. I did not look at my time at all during the 21 miles, only my heart rate. I did it in 4:17.

Next week I have:

Monday - 8 miles inclusive of 5 half-mile intervals at 5K race pace

Tuesday - 8 miles

Wednesday - SRD

Thursday - 4 recovery + 6 strides

Friday - 8 miles

Saturday - 17 long

African Adobo-Rubbed Tuna Steaks, or Friday dinner during Lent

I might have mentioned here that we aren't doing pizza and movie night through Lent, but rather are having a nice seafood dinner. It's been rather nice.

Anyway, tonight's dinner was www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/African-Adobo-Rubbe...

As I was mixing the spices in the bowl, I realized that the spices I was mixing up for the AFRICAN Adobo-Rubbed Tuna looked an awful lot like the shape of Africa.

Should I sell it on Ebay? Too bad it wasn't in the shape of The Virgin Mary. Kidding. But, it was cool.

The dinner was good. I'd do it again.

Operation Rice Bowl, Third Sunday of Lent

For today's rice bowl, we went to Ethiopia and had some Shiro Wat.

No one in my family, with the exception of me, likes green peas. Eric said that it wasn't as bad as he had expected.

After reading our Operation Rice Bowl prayer. We had dinner.

During dinner, we read the bible story for the third Sunday of Lent:

Luke 17: 11-19

11. Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.

12. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance

13. and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

14. When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, they were cleansed.

15. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.

16. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan.

17. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

18. Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

19. Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Notice Name Nurture - Sunday, March 7, 2010

Today's NNN is very apt. I did this LAST Sunday (actually on March 7 and it is now actually March 14). At church on the 7th, our pastor was talking about NNN and talking about naming the negatives as well. Well, I'm naming one of mine: I am lazy.

Notice: how things just don't get done when they should.

Name: Lazy

Nurture: well, I'm assuming that I'm not going to nurture the lazy, but rather nurture the working to not be lazy.

Yes, I am lazy and I'm not saying that in a self-deprecatory manner. I am lazy. I don't want to do the mundane, boring, but necessary things. I don't feel less than for that, but I am aware of it. I need to do a much better job getting those mundane, boring things done rather than just letting them sit.

Washing the dishes is taking care of my family. It brings peace into MY life. How much nicer to have a clutter-less kitchen than one that feels chaotic. So, I will be working on this issue.

Running Week In Review (and look ahead) - week of March 1

I'm behind.

But, lookie, lookie, lookie!!! Short sleeves and NO gloves! Woot! On Saturday, I did 15 miles in a teeshirt, no gloves, no knit cap. I could have even wore shorts, but instead I wore my capris. It was perfect, even with the HUGE blister I developed 1/3rd of the way through (those particular shoes will be leaving my home soon).

For the week, I hit:

Monday - Nothing (UsRD)

Tuesday - 4 easy

Wednesday - was supposed to be 8 miles with 4x.5 mile intervals, but was actually a bit over 6 with 2x.5 mile intervals

Thursday - 4 easy+6 strides

Friday - 6 easy

Saturday - 15 long

Total = 36.64 (short by about 8.5 miles)

This coming week, I have:

Monday - 5 recovery+ 6 strides

Tuesday - 10 miles inclusive of 4x1 miles at 5K race pace

Wednesday - SRD

Thursday - 10 easy

Friday - 5 recovery

Saturday - 21 long (21 miles!!!! eeek!)

But, I've started being able to run outside, in the dark, at night and it has been peaceful and lovely.

Dealing With Mites. . . (or in the pursuit of an allergy-free life)

So, I had allergy testing this Tuesday. Turns out that I'm allergic to a whole buncha stuff including: cats, dogs, mites, ragweed, timothy grass, juniper, and some other weeds and grasses that I cannot remember.

Well, I'm not getting rid of the cat and I still hope to get a dog, so I have started the shots. I got my first shots on Wednesday and definitely noticed an immediate reaction with ear and throat itching as well as a tickley nose. I didn't have any reaction when I went back today (though I'd had Benedryl the night before). I'm on two nasal sprays as well.

But, today's task was starting to address the dust mites. There are a ton of things I'm supposed to do about the mites including: was the mattress pad, pillowcases and sheets weekly in hotter water (130 degrees or hotter), encase bed mattress and box springs in a zippered, allergen-proof cover, and place the mattress pad over the allergen-proof cover, encase pillows in allergen-proof covers, and replace pillows annually. Oh, and vacuum one to two times a week.

Eric is going to love this. For real.

But, I bought a allergen-proof cover for the box-springs ($100). Well, I only bought one today because that was all I was going to spend. I debated forever as to whether to put it on the box springs or the mattress. I decided to go for the box springs because I think I really need them on the mattress and so I'm incentivised to get one for the mattress as well. If it were the other way around, I'd not be in as much a hurry. But, I had to vacuum the bed.

Now, I've got to figure out how I am going to buy 12 pillows and pillow covers. I could buy just four for our bed, but I'd lose track. They would end up on the kids' beds. So, 12. That's a whole lot of cash and a whole lot of annual pillows to go to the landfill (though my mother told me to give them to animal shelters and I think hat's an awesome idea).

But, in the meantime, with all the dust in the air from all the bedding changing, my throat is awfully tight right now.

Joy Is. . .

When your almost eight-year-old daughter who has been terrified about riding a bicycle, takes off and can finally do it HERSELF!