A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Christmas is officially over in the Shepherd house.  We took the tree down last weekend and I packed up my nativity scene yesterday.  I'm always a little sad to take the decorations down; they just make the house look so festive and inviting. 

It seems winter has arrived for good.  It is cold, dark, and rainy right now.  We're drinking hot cider and tea a lot these days.  I have found that I am not too miserable outside until it gets into the 30s and then I'd really just rather stay inside.

My running is still improving slowly.  I'm now running 15-20 minutes at a time.  I'm almost at the end of the Couch to 5K program - 2 more weeks to go if I don't repeat anything.  I'm running indoors all the time now due to the cold, and while I am proud of how far I have come, I still do not enjoy it.  Yesterday in particular made me grumpy because I was extra tired and achy the rest of the day.  I can deal with achy muscles but this feels like my bones actually hurt.  And my productivity for the rest of the day is zapped.  At this point, I want to finish my goal of running a 5K but then I think I'm going to stop.  I keep waiting for that feeling to change and for me to magically start to enjoy running like people say I will, but so far it's not happening.

So my 2012 new year's resolution was to live intentionally, and I already have a chance to start applying it.  In our household, James pays the bills and I manage the budget, and 2011 was an expensive year for us.  Finally, 5 months after moving halfway across the country, the expenses related to that have mostly settled down, so we no longer have a good excuse to spend so much money.  So I reevaluated our budget and we jointly came up with some areas where we need to cut back so that we can start saving money again.  It feels GOOD!  Even though it meant that we couldn't go out to lunch with our friends after church on Sunday and it means that I can't go out and immediately buy the new couch pillows that I would like.  But the promise of having a nice little sum of money to put into our savings account at the end of the month is worth it!

Also, as you may have noticed, my focus on fair trade and human justice has taken a back burner since we moved.  My passion for it has not waned, just my actions.  However, I recently bought several books on the subject and I want to get back into it.  I still haven't found a way to physically help in this area through volunteer work, but purchasing fair trade items is a start.  I found that our grocery store carries Newman's Own and Green Mountain fair trade coffee and it is good!  And it's not even more expensive than the Starbucks that we usually buy, so that will be my coffee of choice from now on.  It's a very small thing, but coffee is one of the worst industries in terms of exploitation and oppression, so having a clean conscience in that area is great!

The book I am reading currently is called Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson and so far I highly recommend it.  If you are looking for a place to start getting educated about justice issues, this is a good one.  The author uses lots of scripture, practically addresses the biggest problem areas (coffee, chocolate, clothing, etc.), gives lots of extra resources for more in-depth digging, and best of all, approaches this sometimes difficult and overwhelming subject with lots of grace and understanding. 

Failed crafts, successful running, and the lack of snow

I found this quick and easy Christmas craft that I thought I would try: glittery votives.  They were supposed to look like this:

Well let's just say they do not look like that.  I think I should have used spray adhesive instead of glue to hold the glitter on because the glue dripped down the sides taking the glitter with it.  And the glitter that is left comes off very easily so they make a mess anywhere I put them.  Oh well, not every project can be successful!

In other news, today I ran for 8 minutes and then 10 minutes with only 2 minutes walking in between.  This is a big improvement for me!  By the end of next week I should be running for 20 minutes with no walking.  I won't tell you how slow I run though because it kind of makes it less exciting.  But I figure that once I get the time down, then I can work on the distance. 

And if you are wondering why it is taking me so long to get through this 9-week program, it is because I am a big baby and I keep repeating weeks because I'm too scared to move on.  That and I quit running for a couple of weeks because it was cold outside and I lost my key to get into the exercise room at the apartment complex.  I had to buy a new one.  For $60!  That shows you how dedicated I am to finish, even if it takes me a whole year.  But it better not because I am aiming to run a 5K in March.  When that actually happens, I want cake or something, because I will have completed the biggest challenge I've ever had to do.  Finishing college, easy.  Running, hard!!

And in final news, it still hasn't snowed here, and I am kind of disappointed.  But I am enjoying this 40 and 50 degree weather we've been having.  If only it didn't have to be freezing to snow...

Running, Week 5

So today I started Week 5 of my running program.  I know, technically I've been running for about 2 months now, but I'm taking the program very slow and repeating weeks when I feel I need to.  I was pretty nervous about this week because last week I slacked off and only ran once.  Also, I lost the keycard to get into the workout room here at the apartment complex (it's $60 and a waiting list to get a new one!), so I have to run outside exclusively now, which I find to be harder than on a treadmill. 

This week has a 5-minute warm-up followed by three sets of running for 5 minutes and walking for 3.  It went really well!  I completed it without feeling like I was going to die, and that is an accomplishment.

Now if the cold weather could just hold off until my keycard magically appears, I'll be set!

Thoughts on a Monday Morning

1.  We had a fun weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.  I'd never been to one before, and my favorite part was the food.  I had a loaded baked potato, half of a soft pretzel, and dark chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick.  I should have taken a picture, it was awesome!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and it was fun watching jousting and archery and visiting the shops.  There were a lot of weird costumes though, and a lot of girls seemed to think it was "dress like a slut" day.  But other than that, it was an enjoyable experience.

This picture is grainy because my camera died after 2 pictures so I had to use my iPod, but it's from the jousting.

2.  We are currently fostering a dog from a nearby shelter until he can be adopted (hopefully by us).  His name is Casper and he is a 4-year old American Eskimo.  At first he was really low key because he was sick, but as soon as we got him on antibiotics he perked right up.  He can get a little hyper, but he's really sweet and friendly and we love him.  Once we adopt him, we'll try some obedience school to help him get some manners.

Seriously, look at that face!  I don't know how anybody could have given up this cutie pie.  So far we've noticed very few behavioral problems and he seems pretty smart so a little training will probably help with those.

3.  Today I started week 3 of my running program.  Actually this is the 5th week I've been running, but I repeated week 2 because of a twisted ankle and I'm repeating week 3 because my knees were hurting too much to run last week.  I got running shoes and some cushy insoles this weekend and tried them out today.  I can tell that they are helping, but one knee still hurts, so I don't know what to do about that.  I have had a history of knee pain though since college, so it's probably not caused by running.  I think I may try to see a chiropractor about it if it keeps up.  On the plus side, I can see definite stamina improvement and that is good.

4.  My kitchen is infested with fruit flies!  Apparently they are a problem here.  I tried to set up a fruit trap for them with cellophane that they can get into but not out of, but so far it's not working.  At least they aren't cockroaches!  I'll take fruit flies over roaches any day.

5.  Is Maryland considered part of New England?  If they are, I think they may kick me out because I don't like clam chowder.  It tastes like fishy potato soup.  Eww.

Happy Columbus Day!

Running update

Today I started Week 2 of the Couch to 5K program.  I ended up taking two weeks to complete Week 1 because I twisted my ankle and couldn't finish the last day, and I'm weird and didn't want to start Week 2 in the middle of a week.  So I just ran a couple extra days on Week 1 - extra practice can never hurt!

Week 2 is 90 seconds of running alternating with 2 minutes of walking.  That is a 30 second increase in running, and I was pleasantly surprised!  As far as stamina goes, today was great.  By the last run I was starting to get kind of tired, but that extra running really wasn't that hard.  In fact, I'd say today was easier than both times that I ran last week. 

My problem seems to be that random body parts hurt when I run.  Today my knees were hurting me, but not enough for me to stop.  I'm trying to be light footed and conscious of how I'm running so that I don't injure myself again, and new running shoes should help once I get them.

So that's how the running is going.

Also,  we might be getting a dog soon!  We visited a local animal shelter on Saturday and found a dog we would love to take home!  We are just waiting on more information about him, because he was new to the shelter.  We fell in love with him so we are crossing our fingers that all goes well and we can adopt him soon!  I'll definitely post pictures if we get to keep him. 

C25K Week 1 Day 2

Woohoo!  I won't blog every time I run, I promise.  But I am excited because I finished Day 2 and it was EASIER THAN DAY 1!!  Given the fact that yesterday my back and legs were super sore, I thought surely today would be harder.  But I was less tired at the end, and my shins don't hurt today!  And so far I haven't gotten a single side stich or ichy legs (my usual side effects of running/walking fast)!  It may be a small thing, but for me it's a big accomplishment.  Here are the stats:

Distance: 1.69 miles
Calories burned: 173

Also, I have a craft that I am in the middle of making to help me store my jewelry.  I will post pictures of it when I am done.

Have a great Wednesday!

An introduction to running: Couch to 5K Week 1, Day 1

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12: 1b-2

Today I took a leap and started my journey to be a jogger.  I know, you're probably laughing right now, even I think it's ridiculous.  Because I DON'T RUN.  Like, ever.  If a wild animal was ever chasing me, my strategy would probably be to fall down and play dead.  It would have a greater chance of success than me running away.

But I did it anyway.  I'm really making it a major goal of this season of my life to get in better shape.  Not only to get a better shape (I'll admit, that's a big part of it) but also because regular exercise has many health benefits.  I have the time now to make exercise a priority, and so I am, because I'll probably never get this chance again to form the habit.

That being said, this is going to be hard. 

I've been walking a mile three times a week for the past 2 weeks in preparation, because I knew that just jumping into running without easing myself into it would be a bad idea.  And even still it was difficult.

Week 1 of the Couch to 5K program has the person alternate 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes, with a 5 minute walk for warmup and cooldown.  That doesn't sound too hard right?  I was able to complete the whole workout but I was pretty wiped by the end.  And I'm pretty sure I'm the slowest jogger on the planet.  Also, my shins hurt.  Already.  Isn't that something that seasoned, hardcore runners are supposed to get?

If this program can actually get me to run a 5K straight through in less than 5 hours, it will be a real live miracle.  I prayed before I started that I wouldn't give up, and the verse above popped into my mind.  "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus..."  I've always loved that verse, won't it be cool to apply it to actual running?  Well ok then, I guess I'm going to do this thing!