Lately, I’ve been wishing life could slow down. Everything has just felt a little chaotic and it seems we’re constantly rushed as we dash from one place to the other. This weekend I was hoping to get some insight into how to lead a less stressed life as I listened to our church’s semiannual General Conference, but an answer came before the conference even started. Noel and I were out for a 6 mile trail run (made possible by mother-in-law…
The memory isn’t as crisp as I would like it, but it was back when jelly shoes were popular the first time. I was five or six and had a pair that were orange and smelled as much like strawberries as a piece of PVC plastic could. When a downpour visited us one spring or summer afternoon, I slipped them on and stepped out of our apartment. The thick rain had quickly swelled the gutters and dips in the pavement….
In the “early days” of our marriage, we always went on a trip for our anniversary. Our Spring Break wedding and our continuing student status aligned our first several anniversaries to fall within close proximity of Spring Break, so a trip was always in order. Once we graduated, there was always a baby to nurse so we had to take a two year hiatus, but now that both those babies are weaned (Don’t worry, Cooper much sooner than Ellen) we…
The other day Noel and I were talking about how we’ve arrived at that place in life where we know we aren’t cool, but it doesn’t even bother us. Not to say that we’ve let ourselves go, but we’re in a spot where we can be confidently comfortable with who we are. With that attitude comes a certain swagger, as Noel called it, that makes a person look better than they did when they were putting forth so much effort…
fart·lek noun ˈfärtˌlek A form of running in which the runner varies the pace significantly during the run. It is usually regarded as an advanced training technique, for the experienced runner who has been using interval training to develop speed and to raise the anaerobic threshold. Guide for Mother of All Fartleks Workout Decide to go for a run on your treadmill while your kid(s) are awake. Set treadmill to desired speed. Begin running. When your child(ren) tries to get into…
After Ellen was a few months, some friends from church invited me to join their running group. When they told me they met early Saturday mornings (sometimes as early as 6am) I wasn’t too thrilled, but figured I would try it at least once to be polite. Well, after my trial run I was addicted and now look forward to getting up early every Saturday. It reminds me of the Cross-Country Days, except we all have kids. Last weekend we…
Noel and I take turns running these days. He gets Monday, Wednesday, Friday and I get Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. For the most part it works out, but sometimes Noel goes bike riding with a friend on my day or I sleep in because the kids miraculously decided not to wake up before 7am. By the time Noel heads off to work my window of opportunity to go on a run by myself has closed. As I look at the things…
we don’t eat like most people. I just finished a bowl of leftover Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice topped with Blue Cheese Croutons for lunch. I’ve unintentionally turned my daughter into a social experiment. It seems like every time I take her out in public I dress her in blue or green. People get excited when they see the car seat and exclaim, “Oh, such a cute little . . . ” Their eyes flit back and forth from…
It’s that time of year when everyone is creating ambitious training plans and hitting the gym daily. Not me though, at least not this year. Becoming a mom has taught me a lot about respecting my body. Prior to Cooper my body was a lean machine that frequently had its limits pushed in various races, nights of little sleep in order to complete “important” tasks, and back to back scheduling that kept me constantly on the go. Years of training…
As someone who (sort of) formerly worked in the exercise industry, I’m always curious about new exercise programs that come out. When I was doing my student teaching many moons ago, everyone was talking about P90X and how amazing it was. I was skeptical partially because I was way more fit than any of my fellow PE colleagues who professed love for the program and partially because I don’t trust things that are sold on infomercials. I kind of forgot…