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Indigo Moods

~ You ain't been blue, 'til you've had that mood indigo.

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Tag Archives: running

The Habit of Mediocrity

03 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by Erica Welch in Confessional, Faith/God/Gospel, Goals

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

change, coasting, faith, goals, God, mediocrity, New Year, progress, repentance, running, stagnation

I recently decided to make some large changes in my life, and I find myself struggling with them a bit. One reason is because the way I used to do thing had become a habit, a bad habit. But whether good or bad, habits are hard to break.

A person like me loves to reminisce about what I used to do sometimes because what I used to do sounds so awesome. How I used to be before forming more recent habits was a lot closer to where I wanted to be, so it can be easy to try to reach back for it. I would say that there’s no progress in going back, but there is:

We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing  an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who  turns back soonest is the most progressive.

C. S. Lewis 

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/cslewis132782.html#dKyddWTzUFYCKWmc.99

Of course, we can never go back to the way that it was because we aren’t who we were, but reinstituting old habits isn’t attempting to go back in time if they are the habits of the right road. This is an illustration of repentance. Repentance is a turning away from sin and a turning back to God. Scripture says if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).

I titled this the Habit of Mediocrity for a reason. In recent memory, I think that I’ve been caught up in “good enough.” I haven’t been striving anymore, just coasting. Even one step is closer to your goal than you were before and all of that. I’ve been stuck on “getting by,” on working hard enough to have just enough to get from one day to the next, and often falling short a few days. I’ve been existing and surviving and not living and thriving. Which would be perfectly fine if life were supposed to be without progress. No one goes to war with the objective neither to advance nor to retreat; if life is a war, the point is to win battles and conquer territories.

In his last sermon of 2013, Bro. Harvey Drummer stated that if our life has grown stagnant, it’s because we are living in sin. It took me off guard at the moment, but I wrote it down to ponder. He referenced Psalms 1:1-3. Those who delight in God and meditate on his word are planted by rivers of water, growing fruit, not wilting. God is life, and growth; he produces fruit in our lives. Ergo if we aren’t producing fruit…

Jesus says that those trees or branches that aren’t producing good fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire (Matt 7:19; John 15:2,6). In John 15:3, Jesus tells us that we cannot produce fruit by ourselves, that we only produce fruit when we abide in Him. So if we aren’t producing fruit, we are not abiding in Him, which means we are in sin.

So if I’m not getting anywhere or feel stagnant, I need to check my life. I need to repent of my sins and confess them. I need to be forgiven. Most importantly, I need to abide in Christ.

One of my favorite passages of scripture used to be I Cor. 9:24-27:

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Doing just enough to get by, doing good enough, and coasting aren’t going to get you anywhere and are not Biblical principles at all. The Bible talks about giving more than eye service (Eph. 6:6) or lip service Matt 15:8-9) to the things we are supposed to do. We are to do it all as if we are doing it to/for the Lord (Col 3:23). Once we put our hand to the plow, we aren’t to get distracted, but to go forward (Luke 9:59-62). Just because we took the steps to sign up for this Christian race and trained for it doesn’t mean we’ve already won it. We have to live life, or run, in a way that we obtain the prize.

There are many scriptures that talk about running this race and achieving the prize, but this one speaks to where I am in my life. I have to stop running aimlessly and beating the air. I need to run this race with purpose. I’ve trained myself to be mediocre. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s the truth. Now it’s time to lay aside every weight and sin that has so easily beset me, especially the sin of slothfulness, and run with patience the race set before me (Heb. 12:1). I pray that you will do the same.

Lacing up my running shoes,

Erica

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It Has Begun…

19 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by Erica Welch in Goals

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bluehost, busy, domain name, running, Self-hosting, transfer domain, website

I have finally begun the process of getting everything ready to move over to a self-hosted site. Let me tell you, it’s a lot more work than I imagined it would be!

The first order of business was to buy the self-hosting. After some research, I decided to go with a site recommended by WordPress, Blue Host. After going through each and every feature with Mr. Perfect aka Tech Support, I was confident in my choice to go with them. They had all of the features I wanted to be able to develop for my site, and they gave me a dedicated web consultant to answer any questions that I have; how awesome is that?

The second thing was a little bit tougher. I had to figure out how to transfer my domain. Apparently, that will be happening on the 21st. It’s a good thing that I can read, because it took a lot of reading to find the right thread to accomplish this feat (especially after a tense exchange with Tech Support that led to me having to figure it out myself. Oops). Once I had did one thing, waited, read, did another thing, then waited some more, I got the confirmation emails and was able to move forward (I’m not recounting specific steps because I don’t remember them and wouldn’t want to lead anyone astray. You know what they say about the blind leading the blind.

Now I am on the most difficult step of the process by far, combining blogs and exporting the conglomerate so I can import it to the new site. I am going to accomplish this before the domain is transferred, so that I only have to transfer one thing. So far, the contents of this blog and What I Wanted to Say have been moved over to The Season for Getting Serious. I am moving over Copywrite1985 and 2blu2btru’s Reviews today. Once they are all added to the blog, I will export it to my laptop and upload it to the new hosting site during the construction of the website.

I think The Season for Getting Serious may be down for a couple of days after the domain transfer while I am putting the site together, but I’m hoping the down time will be minimal. Since the 21st is a Sunday, I probably won’t be able to check on things until late. Not only do I have church but I am hobbling running a 5K that morning. I will check on things after services if I can and leave an update here. Hopefully the new banner will be completed (which looks awesome, by the way) and I will be able to add it to the home page before the site goes live.

Another thing: I will be going through ALL of the blog posts to proofread, re-categorize, and delete from the website as necessary. All of the blogs will remain active on WordPress, but I will take out blogs that are boring ones about day to day occurrences and silliness from the site. But feel free to continue to enjoy the mundane frivolities of my life on these blogs. Yay!

This promises to be a busy weekend for me. I have an event tomorrow, a 5k race and church on Sunday and I need to put together the PowerPoint presentation for my seminar presentation. I am wanting to finish a couple chapters of the book that are nearing completion, but it probably won’t be anytime soon with getting the site up and running and preparing for the presentation. I was hoping to have the book ready for the seminar presentation to sell books and piggy back off of it, but it doesn’t look like that will happen. Oh, well.

Do you have your own website? What was the process of getting it up and running like? What hiccups did you have? Anyone else use Blue Host? Anything new and/or exciting going on in your lives?

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Wednesday Wisdom: Gasp for It!

11 Wednesday May 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Goals, Running

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

challenge, Endorphin, exercise, Feeling, Motivation, running, Wednesday Wisdom

Yesterday, I ran for the first time since 2003. Yes, you read that right. Keep in mind, I’ve been struggling with jogging, with working my way up to running, with feeling like I’d never run again. I didn’t know what I was missing, what part of the joy of running was escaping me, but I knew something wasn’t right. Ever since I started this journey to finding my fit passion, I knew running used to be it, but I couldn’t remember why; now I do.

I finally got to re-experience something. Not just runner’s high. I didn’t get to feel light legs. I didn’t have an “easy” run. But what I did get to experience, for a few seconds, is that moment when you feel like you’ve outpaced your skin you are moving so fast, yet in your head, there’s complete stillness. It was a moment where my form naturally fell into place. I was an economy of motion. I gradually increased my speed, like a car getting back up to speed after stopping at a red light. Holy crap; I’m running! I’m really all out running. Am I bouncing? Did I even touch the ground the last five feet? This is awesome!

Of course, all those thoughts burst the bubble, and I was literally reaching for the mile marker by the end of it. I doubled over the minute I stopped running (after I stopped the iPod; let’s not get crazy). Holding my thighs didn’t help, so I held a hip. Still no. Oh no, I’m going to hurl air!  Why did I come running right after Smokey Bones? I opened the car and lay across the back seat, feeling like maybe I’d popped a lung. My throat burned and my chest was sore. My abs were cursing me out like a fisherman’s wife, and what my legs/feet were saying isn’t printable. After a minute or two, though, that receded. The feeling of accomplishment still hasn’t, though.

I realized that I’ve been holding back all of this time, afraid to be gasping for breath, afraid to push my body, afraid to stop concentrating so hard on my form and allow my body to find its own rhythm. I didn’t think I had it in me to do what runners do naturally.

Have you been holding back, not giving something your best because you’re afraid of failure? Are you only putting a safe amount of effort into your dreams, just plugging along at a sedate pace, feeling like something is missing from doing what you love, yet not knowing what it could be? Maybe it’s time to really push it. Show yourself the wall and start climbing even before you fully form the thought. Leave it all on the course/court/page. You may be wheezing and gasping by the end, but you’ll recover. You won’t even remember that part. What you’ll remember is how great it felt to fly full tilt towards reclaiming a bit of your passion.

I’m not suggesting, I’m telling you: get that book done. Get your workout clothes on and get your butt out of the house. Press the edges of your comfort zone. If 500 words a day is comfortable, do 550, then 600, then 650. If 20 minutes on the elliptical is comfortable, do 22 (handy ten percent rule). If you can comfortably run a mile, run 1.1, or run faster. If you’re work is “finished,” send it out to be judged: run a race, send out a query, submit to a magazine, apply for grad school, test your fluency with a native speaker. The only way to improve is to challenge yourself, and the only way to measure your improvement is to test it. More important than that, even if you wind up sore and out of breath, you’ll feel better than you’ve felt in a long time.

At least, that’s my two cents. Leave yours in the comment section.

XOXO

2blu2btru

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From Miles to Minutes

03 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Random, Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Couch to 5K, hurt, injury, lessons, life, love, Mile, Minutes, pain, running

I started using the Couch to 5K Lite (aka free) app yesterday. I wanted to start doing Couch to 5K for my July 4th proposed “after” run (it’s way to late for “before”), and since I have a smartphone now that allows me to download apps like this, I figured it was a good idea to start. Carpe diem. All of that jazz.

This app SUCKED (no, this is not a review. There’s a point, I promise)! Well, at least it did for me. I was also using Pandora, which worked out better than I thought. The problem is, I couldn’t change a song in Pandora, open my phone to re-engage the screen and see my time, or breathe without resetting the darn Day 1 app. In fact, according to my app, I still haven’t completed day 1, even though I did it over 1 1/2 times! But this isn’t about that.

When I started out trying to get back into running, I was concerned with mileage. I picked my route based on the fact it’s a mile loop. I concentrated on doing a certain number of miles each time. I felt like if I didn’t reach that amount of miles, I had failed. I was moving too fast (literally) to be able to sustain that type of pace for very long. I hurt in all the wrong ways. I didn’t have the right equipment. I didn’t know what would work. I just laced up shoes and ran…and got hurt.

Has anyone’s love life, or life in general, ever been like that? You are going to embark on this new love or new job or whatever, and you’re so excited you can’t think straight, let alone properly prepare yourself. You don’t have a plan and you don’t know what you’re doing. You start out going too far too fast, and you just end up injured, bruised and sore. You weren’t prepared and were overly optimistic of what you could do, and it bit you in the butt.

The thing is, though, since my earliest experiences, I’ve learned a lot. I could have decided that I was never going to run again–it just didn’t seem to suit me; I wasn’t made for it–but instead I took a step back and did what I should have done the first time: I gathered information and made a plan. I learned about running form. I got fitted for shoes. I learned a bit about pace. I incorporated my knowledge on how to breathe. Then I found a training plan.

What I discovered yesterday is that I’m a lot stronger than I think. It’s easy to keep going with Mr. Perfect pushing prodding browbeating encouraging me to keep going. However, motivating myself to keep going is always difficult when it comes to exercise. With the couch to 5K app, I didn’t let myself talk myself into taking it easy or not pushing. When the app said run, I ran. Period. And guess what? I had more in the tank than I thought.

Just because you go in full throttle and get hurt doesn’t mean that you aren’t ever meant to accomplish something–whether it be publishing a novel, finding love, or running. Sometimes you have to pull back and take your time in the beginning. Learn from your mistakes. Gather information and come up with a plan that works for you. And stop being cheap and buy the app that lets you change songs, etc. while it runs in the background so you don’t have to keep starting over (oh, was that just for me?). That’s my two cents, anyway; feel free to leave yours in the comment section.

P.S. How do I feel about going from minutes to miles? It’s an adjustment. I can still tell on the trail how far I’ve gone by the 1/2 mile, so I can still stalk my mileage, but I have the added benefit of knowing when to run, how often to run in a workout, and how many minutes of a mile were ran, total. It also keeps me from increasing my mileage by too much too soon. Besides, the mileage is so small in the beginning, it’s not important (I’m trying to convince myself). I have to thank one of the bloggers I follow ( I think it was Heidi at Runaroundaroo) who had the inspirational quote I used the most while in my running segments yesterday (I can do anything for 1 minute. I can do anything for half an hour). It was really helpful. I’d also like to think Britney Spears for all of her help, courtesy of Pandora. 😀 Anyone know how to prevent tight calves?

Related Articles
  • Couch to 5K for iPhone Gets You Into Marathon Shape (appscout.com)
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  • I don’t even get past the second song on my playlist… (ask.metafilter.com)

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Back in Business!

27 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Goals

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

hip, optimism, options, running, Wednesday Wisdom

My hip is back in business only two days after Centra Care’s staff took me for $75 diagnosed me with enflamed lymph nodes in my groin. A little advil and antibiotic and voila! So of course I’m going to go for a quick run after work before I head to church tonight. 🙂

The word of the week thus far has been options. Due to some recent circumstances, Mr. Perfect & I have been coming back to the subject of options more and more. It’s like one of the presenters at the Educational Workshop was saying to the high schoolers: it’s always good to have options, and you always want to know what those options are. Whether they are good or bad, fit into your plans of where you see your life going or not, you always look for and examine all of your options. Sometimes, we can get so overwhelmed by the fact that things haven’t gone our way, that we miss the options that are available to us. We think we are stuck with having to do something, when there are alternatives.

Take my car, for example. After my car was totaled by a preschooler high school student, I discovered that with my loans in repayment, I no longer qualified for a car by myself. After a few phone calls, I also realized I didn’t have any potential co-signers. I had two options: continue to carpool into work and help pay for gas as long as that deal held up, or go to a buy  here/pay here lot.

Buy here/pay here lots are known for two things: they will finance anyone, and they will charge exorbitant interest. Buy here/pay here doesn’t report to a credit bureau either, from what I understand, so paying on your car means nothing, credit wise. I knew, however, I needed more than just a ride to work, so I chose the buy here/pay here route.

What happened? Since I was determined to make the best of my choice and paid my bill ahead of time each time it was due, the buy here/pay here people turned my car loan over to a company that does report to the credit bureaus. Each on time payment I make is now improving my credit so I can qualify for something in the future.

A counter example would be my student loans. I ignored them for a while because I couldn’t pay them. I had options, but I didn’t use them, when I finally got around to investigating my options and employing them, I was one step away from defaulting on my student loans, which would make the entire balance(s) due immediately, ruin my credit, and wipe out years of progress.

I consolidated those loans and chose a good payment plan, thanks to a kindly creditor who realized I had the option to do so. He got his company their money and saved my sorry credit from further abuse. That was good use of his options, as I obviously didn’t have the money.

So, my Wednesday Wisdom is to stop running from things or complaining about things. Stop feeling hopeless and sorry for yourself. Stop feeling overwhelmed. Investigate your options and evaluate them honestly. It may not be as bad as you think. Seek help if you need some assistance figuring out what your options are.

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  • Are swollen lymph nodes in one’s groin normal? (zocdoc.com)
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Go See The Doctor

25 Monday Apr 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Running

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

5K, health, Operation Give Back, pain, Physician, PR, race, running, time

I went to the doctor today for aggravating hip pain. I still haven’t found a doctor in the area, so I went to Centra Care. I’m $75 lighter (:-(), but I have a diagnoses: swollen and inflamed lymph nodes in my groin (yeah…not excited about that). The bad news: sitting upright in a chair HURTS! This is not good for the next few days of work. I want to scream when I’ve been sitting for more than a few minutes, and the pain never eases. The doctor suggested warm compresses and ibuprofen for the pain. The good news: it’s not a running injury. I’m not a hopeless wanna be after all (at least on the injury front). In fact, running/walking are among the few ways to bend my hip that don’t hurt.

I bought new shoes on Friday as planned, and they are great. Avia something or others from Kohl’s. I paid $40 for them, and they are my new best friends. I went jogging in Jay Blanchard park, then went jogging on the Seminole Wekiva Trail, both with Mr. Perfect. No foot pain and quicker recovery time. We kept a conversational pace and chatted the whole way. I felt really good about it.

In fact, I felt so good about it, I convinced Mr. P to do a 5K with me on May 14th. It’s two weeks from Saturday right down the street from him. We get a free tech t-shirt. It will be my first timed race/run. I’m very excited! It’s for Operation Give Back, and will benefit wounded soldiers. Both Mr. P. and I have family members who have served in the military, which makes this not only a fun race for us in a familiar area for me, but one benefiting a cause we can both feel good about supporting. I’ve walked the heart of campus so much I still have it memorized, which goes a long way to easing my fears of surprise hills.

We won’t be able to train much in just two weeks, but I know we can complete the distance. The only thing now is to work on my endurance so I can run more of the distance and walk less. Oh, and also not to be too competitive and start out too fast and pull something or have an asthma attack. And to buy a cute outfit that matches my new shoes. But that’s it.

Seriously, this is going to be a nice “before” race for me, to see where I am at this the beginning of my return to running journey, a good way to gauge if I like this running thing. Best of all, no matter what I run, it’s still a PR. Hooray! I’m going to try my best anyway.

After this one, if I don’t die and still want to continue, there’s a 5K on or near the fourth of July. If nothing else, I’ll be able to make room for some BBQ!

What events are you planning on racing? What fitness goals are you working on in the upcoming weeks? Am I crazy for thinking of running a race in FL in July? What are some good beginner tips/things I can do to improve quickly and not die?

P.S. Reading some of these related article links, this swollen lymph nodes thing could be WAY worse. Praise God for sparing me some of those symptoms!

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  • Are swollen lymph nodes in one’s groin normal? (zocdoc.com)

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Freestyle Friday: The “Let’s Try This Again” Edition

22 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Blogging, Freestyle Friday

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Athletic shoe, blog, Freestyle Friday, Halle Berry, link love, marriage, relationships, running, Samantha Shelton, The Marrying Kind, yoga

Today is the day for trying again. I’m rededicating myself to doing the Freestyle Friday, complete with Link Love. I’m also going to a department store and getting some new running shoes today. I think it’s time for me to get back out there and try again…and I need new shoes.

Last night, I did the Insanity Fit Test. How did I do? Well, if you want all the gory details, you can check out my post from yesterday on my personal blog, but let’s just say I’m not very fit. But all of that is going to change, of course. I’ve been working out and stretching and icing, and now I’m ready to try try again. Say a prayer for me!

I haven’t been taking care of myself as well as I should lately. I haven’t been getting enough sleep, water, or attention lately (neither has my apartment). I need to get in some time for beauty. I would love to do a little self-pedicure, facial, and protein treatment soon. My body is craving some special attention. I’ve just been less motivated on that, as focused as I’ve been on improving other things.

It was great to get off work and change into my workout gear for Insanity. It kicked my butt and made me sweat, but after I finished, I felt accomplished. I kept repeating the mantra I found on one of the running blogs I follow: I can do anything for an hour (wish I remember which blog this was!) 

Which reminds me, I will be updating the blog in the upcoming days, adding a blogroll page and updating the Marriage Kit page and other pages. I’m still looking into self hosting, and I’ll let you know what I come up with.

And Now: Link Love

It’s amazing how when you can’t do something, you become consumed with it. Since I couldn’t run or do yoga this week, I came across several great yoga/running/fitness related posts. I particularly enjoyed Clare’s recap of her first marathon in “The Marathon Experience: A Look Back.” I took a trip down memory lane with Jess over on Eat.Drink.Breathe.Sweat  with “A flashback, Ride style.” Even though I couldn’t do the exercises I wanted to do, Haute Running Mama reminded me to “Count Your Blessings.” CarlyBananas reminded me that thin doesn’t necessarily correlate to fit in her post “Boot Camp: On Being Skinny and Out of Shape.” Samantha Shelton talks about self-confidence and being proud of the work you put in on her post “Bikini Bravery.” CB also posted about a often debated topic in the running comunity: “When Can You Call Yourself a Runner?” On a less controversial, but still debated topic, DownDogDiva discusses “Is it OK to Dip Toe in Different Yoga Pools?”

Ah, love. It, like springtime, is in the air. Old loves are being dropped, new loves are being sought. Everyone is talking about love. Whose ruminations did I enjoy? Kate’s post about PDA, “To Have and To Hold” was one of my favorite romantic posts of the week. Catherine expounds on the “Crazy Stuff We Do During Breakups” on Simply Solo. Jamie explains why “Breaking up is hard to do.” Your significant other might not be the only person/thing you have to break up with. MzSporadic breaks up with toxic family and friends in “Clearing the Clutter,” and Dara does some breaking up of her own in “I Broke Up with Facebook.” Don’t ask Sarah for advice unless you can handle the truth! Find out why in “I am who I am.” Halle Berry did an interview and said she is not the marrying kind. One of my favorite bloggers, Amarieadhis, quoted my minister’s list to help you answer the question “Are You The Marrying Kind?” If you are, Kiss-N-Tell- Chantell discusses inviting the ex to your nuptials in “Inviting the Ex To Your Wedding? No Bueno!” Tired of hearing about the plight of the Black woman and her inability to marry? Wondering how Black men are faring these days? There was a reposting of Sista Toldja’s (a blogger I admire) post entitled “OMG! The Black Male Marriage Crisis” that you should read to find out.

JennDiva over at Mind of a Diva has been on fire lately with her posts. Two that really spoke to me were “Backing up Our Partners” and “Temporary Comfort.”

Time for some introspective, fun, and random posts! Zakiyamellanin really spoke to me as a woman with her post “Are you a Fragrant Flower or a Pesky Weed?” I found a restaurant soul mate in Paula from Eat:Watch:Run! She likes “Special Orders” almost as much as I do! Speaking of yummy food Sarah’s recipes for “Chicken Parmigiana & Chocolate Truffle Pie” made my mouth water. I’m definitely going to give that Chicken Parmigiana a try! Ashley discusses a comfort food favorite in “Comforting.”

There are some things you are never all caught up on and never finished with. Find out what they in “The Plain and Simple Truth” on Waking Up in… Jobo “blogs it out” on “Raging against perspective.” Grownupforreal discusses how she’d like to spend the day in “I’d Rather Be…” EMC2Wife relates some of her “Personality Pet Peeves.” The Hindsight Letters hosts a wonderful post by Kate Twitchell, “Driven By Blindness” (PS. HL, I’m going to submit something soon… :-)).

I just loved itsmeandthemoon’s post “I do not work for a suicide hotline;” it was full of emotion and it was fresh and relevant. Brava!

I keep tons of journals, both online and on paper, so how could I not like Cloudsfullofrain’s post “My handwritten life“?

Finally, in a class all by itself, Ponder Anew’s post “From Our ‘Oh, Puh-leaz!’ Department.”

Happy Friday and happy reading!

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Monday Motivation

04 Monday Apr 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Goals, Random

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

competitive, encouragement, Footwear, Motivation, perseverance, positivity, running, Sports, Submission (combat sport), tenacity

Here’s something you should know about me: I don’t give up easily. I say I will just let something go, move on to something else, quit while I’m ahead, throw in the towel, but I don’t. Not usually, anyway. What happens is I grumble and complain for a while, go over all the reasons why it’s just not possible for me to do something and how everyone will understand, then I get up and try again.

I do this almost every morning. I used to be a chronic late/absentee person. If you know me know, you may find that hard to believe. I hate being late. The thing is, I wake up most mornings and don’t want to go to work or to the gym. I don’t want to have my dreams of being a writer crushed. I am afraid of failing, of possible rejection, or making the wrong decisions. I don’t see anything wrong with this. It’s perfectly reasonable to feel afraid of letting yourself and others down; what isn’t acceptable to me is letting that stop you from trying.

Despite my rant against the machine that is running, no stupid physical activity is going to beat me back to the bus. I’m going to punch running in the face, as a tee-shirt on one of the running blogs I follow so perfectly summed it up. The fact that it’s been harder for me to get started is only going to make it feel that much better when I succeed at doing it, and doing it well.

What I didn’t tell you was when I bought that cold compress and Harlequin  comfort package, I bought a couple of Runner’s World featuring a beginner’s guide. I’ve been looking through the articles and expanding my knowledge bank of running. I’ve been learning about good running form, stride, how to land, shoes, fueling, cross training, etc. I may not have the running shoes or the completely healed feet to run now, but I’m committed to cross training and learning to stretch and warm up properly until I can get back in the running game again.

If you have experienced a little bit of failure recently, it’s OK to mourn over it, but it’s not OK to just throw in the towel because it didn’t work this time. If at all possible, pick yourself up and try again. Tell yourself how good it will feel when you finally do succeed. Learn from past mistakes and don’t make the same mistakes twice. Be tenacious. If you’re like me, tell yourself all the reasons you have for giving up, and feel doubly accomplished when you try again and succeed. Ignite your competitive spirit. Acquire more knowledge to help improve your chances of success. Put up inspirational pictures and sayings. Find someone who believes in your dream and is willing to support you. Whatever gets you to lace up your shoes and get out of the door.

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The Biggest April Fool of All

02 Saturday Apr 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Random

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Athletic shoe, exercise, injury, pain, running, Shoe

It’s official. I quit with the running thing for a while forever. It’s going to take a while I’m never going to get the hang of running learn how to run. That may sound silly, as everyone can run, i.e., move faster than a walk, but I’m talking about really running. I haven’t had a really good run without pain yet. I thought Friday would be my day; it wasn’t.

So, remember those great running shoes I blogged about? You remember, the ones I got measured for and everything? The ones that were supposed to allow me to run pain free for the first time in years so I could really access what I can do now and decide where I want to go, running wise? Well, they let me down in a big way. These weren’t the shoes for me. I am not a runner; I just have to accept that fact.

But enough self-recrimination; let’s stick with facts. I was excited to run in my new shoes pain free. I wanted nothing more than to see how much endurance I had for jogging. After days of working out inside all week, I was ready to hit the dusty trail. I changed at work after I clocked out (my new shoes and exercise clothes were in the car waiting) and headed straight to the park.

Upon getting to the park, I stretched my achilles/calves and hamstrings and did a five minute plus warm up walk. Once I’d gotten to my usual begin jogging place, I excitedly started up a slow jog.

I wasn’t halfway to the usual walking spot before I had to stop and take the shoes off for a bit. There was a weird pain in my arch/on the side of my heel. It wasn’t bad, and went away quickly. I thought maybe the shoestrings were too tight or something, so I adjusted the fit of the shoe and continued on.

By the end of the mile, I was hobbling to my car in defeat. Was it the new running socks with the arch support? The trail? What? I took off my shoe and saw a terrible sight: from the top of my arch all along my heel was severely swollen on the right foot, and moderately swollen on the left. In both feet, veins stood out prominently, along with dark spots that looked like bruises. Both ankles were beginning to swell a bit. I tried to soldier on a little longer, but it was evident the slightly ill fit I felt at the beginning of the run was the harbinger of a bad run, with injury.

I immediately drove to Wal-mart to be a cold compress and harlequins (both a necessity in such a case). I elevated the worst foot (the right) and iced it down. After Mr. P. came over and confirmed this was a real foot injury (and not a head injury ;-)), I was even more dejected. Seriously, who gets hurt going less than a half mile in shoes they were just fitted for the day before?! Me, aka a really poor runner who doesn’t have good shoe instincts.

To be fair, I was iffy about the shoes from the beginning. I didn’t run on the treadmill either, because I was scared of my ill coordination landing me on my butt in a store with three other people full of workers. I didn’t take the shoes I DID run in that felt fine and didn’t rub.

Either I don’t know how to pick running shoes, I let someone talk me into shoes that didn’t suit, I twisted something on the trail (that I go to every other day), I have poor running form, or I just had an unlucky break. Either way, I’m hanging up my running shoes for a while. In fact, I’m taking these particular running shoes back, and I’m not buying more until I no longer have hobbit feet I can figure out why I really want to go through all of this. 

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Freestyle Friday: The Throwback Edition

01 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by Erica Welch in Freestyle Friday, yoga

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

cycling, exercise, Freestyle Friday, Independent Women, jogging, movies, rain, running, sunshine, working out, yoga

This Freestyle Friday, unfortunately, will not include Link Love. 😦 Link Love with be given out tomorrow, though, for Share the Love Saturday! 🙂 So this freestyle is dedicated to my usual randomness (as if you didn’t get enough from What? Wednesday and The Real March Madness ;-)).

I got new running shoes yesterday! I went in to Fleet Feet Sports Orlando and got properly fitted for shoes for the first time ever. Although it’s weird to have a man who is not Mr. P. touching my feet (o_o), after my measurements (and being told I have “meaty feet…again o_o), I hit the treadmill for gait analysis. The verdict: except for my left foot rolling in slightly (dumb left foot), my feet are perfect. My ankle stays straight, my inner foot stuff looks good (totally don’t remember what he said he, just that it was good), and I pronate perfectly–not over or under. All of that practicing Runner’s world form guide tips paid off! I wasn’t out of breath at all either. The best part–no foot pain! 😀

So, I’ve been at work all day dying to get to the park and test out the new shoes. I can’t wait to see what I can do with no foot pain, knee pain, hip pain, or breathing problems. It’s been a LONG afternoon, let me tell you. I have a playlist that includes a few new to the iPod songs (a reward for going to the gym during the first monsoon Monday), a new outfit (also from Monday), a gym lock (finally!), and new shoes and iWick technology socks.

I can’t really say whether or not running is my fit passion, but I’ve enjoyed it a lot more the past few weeks than I ever thought I would again, even if I was wearing running shoes a size too small (o_o) with the wrong stability battling foot pain and feeling like a fatty. 😉 I must say, though, the upright bike and yoga on Monday were REALLY good. I had DOMS Wednesday and Thursday, but it was fantastic! Maybe I should do spinning again? Yes? The awesome Yoga instructor is subbing for the Saturday instructor, so I can do it all again on Saturday morning. <<<Look at me, looking forward to exercise two days in a row! What, what!

I may go and see Black Swan at the discount theater. Yes, I know it’s on DVD, but 1) it will take forever to get on Netflix or from Redbox and 2) I’d like to see it in the movie theater. Also on the list of weekend movies: Married in a Year by Patti Stanger (research, you understand, for this here blog ;-)), Eat Pray Love, and Rom Coms from Netflix watch instantly. (Why no, Mr. P. isn’t going to be hanging with me this weekend. However did you guess?)

I’ve felt decidedly “un-meish” the past few weeks, what with all of the work and stress. I couldn’t be my sunny, optimistic self. Going jogging, getting to enjoy the sunshine and my kick butt playlists really helped. I was super bummed about the rain, but going to the gym was equally as good. Getting back to writing would just bliss me out completely.

I wanted to leave you with a quote from my 7 Habits of Highly Effective People calendar that addresses so-called independence. I talked about this a lot on this blog, from Independent Woman Syndrome to Real Independent Women, as well as guest blogs about Independent Attitude and The World’s “Real” vs. God’s Real. I think this sums it all up and states everyone’s opinions nicely:

Independent thinking alone is not suited to interdependent reality. Independent people who do not have the maturity to think and act interdependently may be good individual producers, but they won’t be good leaders or team players. They’re not coming from the paradigm of interdependence necessary to succeed in marriage, family, or organizational reality.

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