Tuesday, May 19, 2015

serenity

Well, hello there. As I alluded to in my last post, there is a LOT going on...which will likely come out in blips and blurbs...and totally stream of consciousness.

First...Mother's Day. It was kinda tough this year. Worst part was that I lost a dear friend and mother figure. Her memorial was beautiful though. And bittersweet. Seeing a lot of old friends and my last visit to my beloved Drayton Hall for the forseeable future. But also good in that we all shared memories and lessons she taught us. Most of all, she listened. And cared. Guided, but did not judge. And celebrated our successes, large and small. Rest in peace, sweet lady. I hope I make you proud.

Most of you know I often enter (and win) contests. I had a hard time with Mother's Day contests, though, because so many asked to share something my mother taught me. Some words of wisdom. It's pretty difficult to do that when I am distancing myself from my mother for the sake of self-preservation. But, in the end, something did come to me.

My mother taught me to admit my mistakes. Come clean. Take responsibility. A lot of things have happened the last few years. I have owned up to things I have done wrong. Unfortunately, my biggest failure is choosing to surround myself with people who don't do the same. And who don't mind hurting others (namely me) in the process. But, I have grown stronger. I am standing up for myself more. I have also discovered that the corollary to that is that I am responsible for me. And only me. I can no longer carry other people's burdens.

So, my takeaway from this Mother's Day is to be responsible for myself. Not only to admit my failures, but to take credit for what I do well. I need to let go of of the past -- of things and people that no longer serve me -- and accept things I cannot change. I need to forgive more. Starting with myself.


Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Hey y'all. It's been a LONG time since I've been in this space. To say I've had a lot going on is an understatement. I'll share more later, but to ease back into it, I'm taking a challenge from +Abby Land for a little runner Q & A...

1.)  Location: Trail, Road or Indoors?Road --- but there maaaaaay be some trails in my future. Stay tuned ;)
2.)  Time of day:  Morning, Noon or Evening?Morning!! I am no good to run in the evenings. I love a good social run, but it seems to keep me up for hours. I love watching the sunrise on my run.
3.)  Weather:  Sunshine, Mild or Hot?I live in Charleston. If it can be under 80 (degrees and humidity percentage) I'm good.
4.)  Fuel:  Before, After and sometimes during?This has been the toughest part of my training. I hydrate well and fuel on runs over 8 miles. 
5.)  Accessories:  Music, Watch or more?I always have music...sometimes podcasts. And a basic watch. I like my RunKeeper app, but do hope to upgrade to a GPS watch at some point.

6.)  Rewards:  Food, wine or ?????
I love wine and hot chocolate (even though I don't each much chocolate...it's soothing). After long runs, though, I often crave fries or onion rings...with a salad! I also agree with the idea of an aversion to foods based on consistency. I can't stand things that can't be easily chewed. Dried fruit, raisins, gummies coconut...just to name a few. 
7.)  Type of run: Long, tempo, intervals, hill repeats, progression, or recovery/easy?
I don't do a lot of speedwork. I tend to be a little speedier on the greenway (flat, straight), a bit slower on the bridge or on hills. Even slower if I'm chatting, but socializing worth the trade-off. Once per week long runs. 
That's all for now. Hope this inspires me to blog more often. Thanks, +Abby!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Guest Blog at Another Jennifer

I am grateful for the opportunity to guest blog over at Another Jennifer today. I would love for you to read and give her blog a follow. Thank you for reading...it means the world to me!