Galloway Update: Running Fun

We've just finished week 12 of our 28 week training program. (Holy cow - we're nearly halfway through!!!!)

So far, no one has fired us and we still feel like were having fun.

Hill training indoors because it's gotten hoooooooot:

Magic Mile testing - and speedwork - at the track (ugh):

Selfies at the lake:

Kitties begging for treats at 5:30 a.m. after our morning training runs:

Homemade treats (oooh yum) from our resident sweet-treat maker Karen:

Saying goodbye (for now) when members move away mid-season:

Learning how to recognize your group members when they're wearing clothes. Non-running clothes, that is:

Modeling club gear - and trying to remember who we've handed it out to already:

Early wake up calls (and drives) to Saturday runs:

Water jugs, sign in sheets and bug spray at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning:

Birthday brunch with our PGLs and friends:

Beautiful sunrise views over White Rock Lake:

We've Drunk the Juice

Last month, Kelly surprised me with a text message that simply said:

Have you ever considered juicing?

The truthful answer was yes - but only in theory. Yes, I like fresh-pressed juice but no, I don't want to add another time-consuming activity to my life. So I said:

Yes, but I'd only juice if I had a juicer that was fast, powerful and super-easy to clean.

Five minutes later he texted back:

Done. Our juicer will be here in a week.

So. A juicer was on the way and suddenly an infrequent thought became a subject of much interest. That evening we watched Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. Afterwards I was totally on board for juicing.

I googled a bit and found some helpful websites for new-to-juicing folks like me.

• A shopping list to keep from buying stuff that will spoil.
• Several recipes from Joe of Fat Sick and Nearly Dead
• More juice recipes
• And the best site ever - All About Juicing - that offers recipes and weekly recipe plans. 

With that information in hand, plus our new juicer, off we headed to shop.

It's pretty! Plus it met my criteria: It's powerful, fast and easy to clean.

You need to give the juice a stir to combine the ingredients - below is apply, kale, celery, cucumber and ginger.

Delicious! And best drunk within 20 minutes of pressing though we will confess to occasionally making juice the night before.

Carrot apple ginger is pretty good too...

Honestly, our favorite site is All About Juicing. I signed up for a free two week juice plan. After testing her recipes, we're probably going to pay for a subscription (less than $10/month).

To date we've juiced consistently for nearly a month and are finding it simple and quick. We only drink one juice per day, although I'd like to do a three-day juice fast after marathon season is over to cleanse my system. We rarely juice fruit because it's too high in (albeit natural) sugar.

I did have some headaches for the first few days of juicing, but those leveled off fairly quickly. Now I feel sluggish and head-achy if I don't juice.

Whether juicing is the health promised land that some claim or not, there's nothing bad about focusing on better nutrition and increasing your vegetable intake.

We're Platinum!

Not album sales...we're talking wellness program status.

That makes 3 years in a row. Whoo-to-the-hoo!

Higher level = better program rewards as well as the knowledge that we're doing all we can do to keep our health and wellness at good levels.

101 goal - check!

Cross Training

Now that Kelly's finger has healed, twice a week we're heading to the pool to swim laps.

Yes...swimming laps. I haven't swum laps since swimming lessons and I don't want to think about how many years ago that was.

Kelly's never swum laps before - in fact, he's never taken swimming lessons. I'm his instructor for the time being.

Our goal is to improve endurance, work on our breathing and to give our bodies a different type of training. We have several running friends who swim (and bike) and have found it helpful in overall fitness as well as race performance.

We're fans of both of those things.

Anyway - swimming. Who would have thought it?

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Thankfulness

It's always interesting to read Facebook during November. Many of my American friends prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday by posting a daily "thankful for" status update.

I haven't done likewise, which speaks more to my inherent resistance towards going along with the crowd than it does to my internal feelings of gratitude.

Because, in truth, I feel incredibly thankful this year. It's been a tough season for us - physically, emotionally and relationally. Yet this year we've discovered resources that astound even us.

Instead of asking "How much worse can it get?", we've proclaimed "We don't care how bad it can be, we know we don't have to accept the unacceptable."

We've discovered the truth that God is always at work. Our fears that our faith and passion for Him had been crushed by the hardships of life are unfounded. It turns out that God can breathe white-hot life into half-dead embers of faith. Maybe there's a greater purpose in dormancy than we can know right now. But what matters now is that we're learning to love and trust God (and more so His people) anew.

After 14 years of marriage, our commitment to one another and our shared goals and dreams is stronger than ever. As I watch the breakdown of marriages, both in and out of the faith, I realize this is a tremendous blessing.

So yes, I'm thankful this year. I have much more than 30 days worth of reasons to proclaim my gratitude.

Point Obsessed

The Boy and I participate in a wellness program through my office. You collect points through various health and wellness activities. These include exercising, visiting the doctor and taking health-related continuing education classes.

In return for participating, we earn points that can be redeemed for various fun things (discounted products, hotel rooms, etc) and we get a nice discount on our company-provided insurance premiums.

The new program year started over in September and we've already hit the higest status level (Platinum).

We're overachievers.

But I confess that I'm slightly obsessed about it - even though we're at the highest level, we still haven't maxed out the points that we can earn in some categories.

I'm a woman on a point-collecting mission.

Something Interesting that I Learned About Myself

I went shopping for clothes yesterday and discovered an interesting thing about myself: Even though I know I've slimmed down, I still try on my old clothes size first.

It's not as though I'm wanting to see the difference between old me and new me. Nope, I really think that I should be wearing that size.

What is that about?

I suppose that somewhere inside our heads (or at least inside mine) is a crazy person that has no idea of what we really look like. So it's a battle, every time, to recognize that it's time to accept the new me.

And, for the record, I bought my first bikini (the first since I was 7 or 8 years old) yesterday.

Helllllllllo new size.

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A Great Way to End the Week

This week was extremely busy - crazy crazy busy.

So when Friday rolled around, along with a slightly less crazy busy agenda, I was totally ready to relax. It's convenient that:

• Friday is free lunchtime restorative yoga at a local museum and
• My friend J is in the midst of a yoga challenge this month.

Lunchtime yoga was meant to be.

J and I headed to the Crow Collection, dragging some work friends along with us (YAY for T, H and L), for 45 minutes of restoration in the main gallery.

I'd write extensively about the experience, but I was too busy stretching, breathing and relaxing to store much of the experience in my mind.

And that was the point.

A Number of Note

I was surprised when I stepped on the scales earlier this week to discover that I now weigh the same as I did my freshman year in college.

Check that: I was shocked at the discovery. And pretty chuffed.

Clearly running has helped (though I've been off running for about 10 weeks now as part of the broken foot recovery saga), as well as seeking advice with a nutritionist.

But I think increasing my daily walking by primarily taking public transport has hurt. Nor has being so busy that I sometimes forget to eat lunch until 1:30 or so.

And these have become my daily love-hate relationship (by choice):

Who would have thought four flights could be such a beating?!?

The only problem with this new magic number? My new magic trousers, in the correct size for me, that I gave myself permission to buy last month are now all too big.

I knew I shouldn't have gone shopping.

Stretch It Out

As a part of my overall Get Healthy philosophy, I've also taken up yoga classes.

I'll confess - it took adding "Take a yoga class" to my 101 goal list to force me to buy a mat and trudge my inflexible (body and mind...sometimes) self to class.

I started small with basic intro classes at our local gym. Then I started attending in-depth courses with a teacher at our church. Aleda, by the way, was amazing. I learned a lot about correct form from her.

So you can imagine how super-excited I was to see that my wonderful company is offering after-work yoga classes once a week. I can't wait to shed the boot and do some downward dog and warrior poses.

And in case you're wondering - it's very possible to separate the spiritual side from the yoga practice. I use the session time to clear my mind and find some inner peacefulness. Physically I've found that yoga helps me run with a better posture and feel much more relaxed.

Yoga = a 101 challenge that's become an essential part of my fitness routine.

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Well What Do You Know?!?

Sweating to the Oldies...or getting oldies to sweat...really does work!

Here I am, at a healthy BMI. Tons of effort, tons of time, but I'm now within an "acceptable" body weight range.

Actually, I've been at a healthy BMI for a few months, but I kind of wanted to make sure it would "stick" before saying anything about it!

The ultimate secret to my success? Two things:

1. Running. I increased my cardio significantly and got serious enough about running to join a running club (a 101 goal - yay!).

2. Visiting a nutritionist (another 101 goal). Melanie Wilder of the Village Health Partners really helped me understand my motivations behind eating (other than being hungry) and helped me develop new strategies for dealing with stress instead of turning to food.

Hooray! Healthy BMI!

Was it worth it? Yes. Not for new clothes (which I have yet to buy). Not for random squeezes (which The Boy is happy to give).

It was worth it to feel stronger and healthier, as well as more in control of how I interact with food.

Now to have a foot that's not in a boot and I might be able to maintain this lifestyle.

Devastation

This is devastating:

This is my right foot in a boot, where it shall remain for the next six weeks. I have a stress fracture in my second metatarsal.

No running...at least no more than a few miles at a time. Probably no marathon in October.

There have, however, been a lot of tears (from me) and hugs (from The Boy).

Painful But Effective

My body is complaining about recent log runs and speed training.

In fact, my IT band was complaining so much that I was a little worried that I might have the start of an injury.

But as any hard-core runner knows, before you drag yourself off to the sports therapist, you drag a cursed piece of training equipment out of the closet: The foam roller.

I hate rolling out my legs.

Everyone I know hates rolling out their legs.

You use your body weight to apply targeted pressure against the IT band.

"Rolling out your leg" means that you roll your body over the foam roller, massaging the length of the IT band.

It is incredibly painful. So incredibly painful that at first, you can only do it for 10 seconds or so. And you may say a few bad words in the process.

It also requires that you stretch well and drink copious amounts of water afterwards. Muscles release waste materials through the massage process; water helps flush these toxins out of your system.

And sure enough - as it nearly always does - the evil foam roller removed the excruciating pain from my hip, glute and quad.

Team Hope

Some long-time blog readers (and family and friends) may remember that The Boy headed off on a trip to an unnamed (in the blog anyway) country to share Hope and Good News the week after we bought The Hayley House.

I got to stay behind and sort the details of paint colors and contractor punch lists. Fun stuff. (Really...it was fun!)

Anyway, going with The Boy to X Country has been one of my desires - long before I ever put it on my 101 List.

But, as before, we're dealing with the reality that this isn't going to be a cheap trip. Those in power in X Country take a portion of the cost of the trip, plus direct travel is impossible and in-country transportation is aging and expensive. So here we are, back on the blog, asking if you might consider helping us raise money to travel to X Country this coming spring.

Here's our plan: We've formed Team Hope to run the San Antonio Marathon.

A marathon is 26.2 miles. What if people contributed money (rounded up a touch) towards the cause of sharing Hope? This is what it would take to get both Hayleys to X Country:

• 200 people to donate $1.14/mile - a $30 donation
• 100 people to donate $2.29/mile - a $60 donation
• 50 people to donate $3.44/mile - a $90 donation
• Want to make it really interesting? Agree to double your donation if The Boy can run his marathon in under 3:45 (3 hours and 45 minutes) and/or if I can run my marathon under 5:15 (5 hours and 15 minutes)...over 45 minutes faster than I ran the Big D Marathon.

We can do it...with your help!! {Please don't make this poor woman have to run the Cowtown Marathon to continue raising money. Ack!}

Any extra money that we raise will allow us to purchase simple medical supplies (think BandAids and aspirin) to carry in that are much needed by local families. We'll soon have our donation page set up - all gifts are tax deductible.

Are you interested in being a part of Team Hope? Let us know in the comments and we'll be in touch to share full details!

So I Can't Keep a Secret

I am the worst at keeping secrets from The Boy. I guess that's a good thing, right? Husbands and wives aren't supposed to keep secrets from each other.

Unless it's a gift. Then I'm pretty sure you're supposed to keep that a secret until the gift is opened.

But like I said - I'm the worst at keeping secrets from The Boy.

So I know that The Boy - my Marathon Man - really really wants a Garmin 405 to help him better gauge his performance during races. And I really really want him to have a Garmin 405.

But a Garmin 405 isn't cheap. And since The Boy is the manager of the Hayley Accounts, I would have to either flat-out tell him that I need a huge amount budgeted for his birthday gift (not much of a surprise there) or lie to him for months, asking for a little extra for crafts or groceries (and I've already said I'm no good at lying).
So I the other day I told him that I was getting him a Garmin 405 for his birthday. (Happy 40th birthday a month+5 days in advance, Love!) I've been teaching on the side and I wanted to spend some of that money on him.

You know what? He's not disappointed to learn about his present over a month early. He's actually really excited! He told me it's his favorite birthday present ever. E.V.E.R.

I'm so happy!!

Then he asked what I wanted for my birthday. Much tougher question there - I can't really ask him to pay off our house so I can have extra money each month for clothing. That's a bit steep.

So I told him that I'd be perfectly happy heading to Abacus for some dinner, especially if we had some lobster shooters. YUM!!

But now that I've had a chance to think some more, I really want a bike. Not just any bike, mind you. I want a big girl version of the bike I had as a kid. I want a basket for taking it on quick rides to the store. I want a comfy cushy banana seat. I want to brake with the foot pedals.

And I want tassels on the handlebars.

The Boy says that I may or may not get a bike for my birthday. But tassels are definitely NOT going to happen.

Hello, Old Friend!

It's Saturday morning and the sun is shining brightly. What a glorious day!!

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the sun (on the weekend, in particular), until I threw open the blinds and laid on the floor in a sunny spot - furbaby on each side of me, of course.

Earlier this week, the Niece did a mighty tasty adaptation of Muddy Buddies using Rice Krispies instead of Chex cereal. The Boy and I heartily approved of the final results. But alas, there are no more Krispie Muddy Buddies to be had at the Hayley Household until I could purchase more cereal.

So taking advantage of sunny skies, I headed off on a leisurely walk to our closest grocery store (a mere mile away). As I walked I marveled at how relaxed I felt. It was almost as though the sun on my face had some magical restorative power.

Judging by the perkiness of the trees, early spring flowers and budding grass, I think most of the Hayley Neighborhood plant life would agree.

So on behalf of us all: Welcome back, Mr. Sunshine!! Feel free to stick around for a bit.


Have a lovely weekend, all - and make sure you get out of the house a bit and get moving! It's good for the body and the soul.

I Feel The Love

Who says that Rainy Days and Mondays always have to get a girl down?

It rained all day in Dallas. And it was a Monday in every sense of the word - literally and metaphorically. And while at the orthopedic surgeon's office, I learned that my Bum Leg is officially Medial Tibia Stress Syndrome.

Definitely not one of my better days.

But I'm not feeling down. You see,

• While sitting in the doctor's office, I emailed my plight to my family and was overwhelmed with encouraging emails back. (I'll admit it - I'm addicted to my Blackberry!)
• As I hobbled to the car, The Boy called. He'd stepped out of an all-day meeting to check on me. How sweet is that?
• When I got home, I found a packet full of newspaper clippings from my mom. Yay!
• Also sitting on the counter was a mysterious box from my Good Friend Mel. When I opened it, the smell of peppermint wafted through the kitchen. How could she have known I had just eaten the very last piece of her amazing peppermint bark?!? Yumm-y!
  
  
  

This wasn't a bad Monday at all!

Muttering Ugly Words

It's not been a happy weekend. In the midst of a long cardio workout early Saturday morning, I realized that a little nagging pain I'd had in my lower leg had blossomed into full-blown-kill-me-now pain.

Not fun.

Even less fun was realizing that I was nearly at the halfway point of a 9-mile loop around a lake, meaning I'd have to walk/hobble over 4 miles to get back to the car.

So hobble I did, muttering very ugly words under my breath, trying not to cry and contemplating whether it would hurt worse to amputate at the kneecap or continue my trek to the car.

Wisdom prevailed, despite the pain, and I made it back to the car with both legs intact.

Since then, I've been limping about, dealing with muscle spasms and swelling, and continuing to mutter the ugly word or two when I move my leg Just So.

I'm making a valiant effort to NOT move my leg Just So, but it happens sometimes, you know.

The Boy has been a real trooper through the whole experience - bringing me food, serving as a handsome cane and operating as the family chauffeur. He's even telling me jokes that, if I've haven't moved my leg Just So, I find funny.

So, I'm feeling old and decrepit today. Make that VERY decrepit. And I'm wondering how much food I'm going to have to cut out of my daily meals to keep from gaining any weight while I lay off cardio exercise.

It's a sad day to be me, indeed.

Because You Never Know

We're fortunate enough to live within walking distance of our gym. Wednesdays are yoga night. The class starts later in the evening, so as long as the weather and our schedules cooperate, we like to extend the exercise by walking to class.

We learned several weeks ago out our community end-of-summer party that our yoga instructor lives in our neighborhood (small world, eh?). We also ran into several members of our church and familiar strangers from the grocery store.

As we were walking to class this week, a car slowed down, stopped and the window rolled down. We paused, expecting it to be someone needing directions.

Nope - it was Heather, our yoga instructor.

Am I going to see you in class tonight? she asked.

Fair question. We've been super-busy in October and have missed the past three classes.

Yes! I said. We're on the way there now.

She waved goodbye and headed off. The Boy paused, looked at me and said:

You know, we are carrying our yoga mats. I kind of felt like saying:

Nope, I carry my yoga mat under my arm wherever I go.

You never know when life will get overwhelming and I'll

need to stop, drop and do child's pose.

What Do You Want to Be?

From an email recently sent to me. I did not run it through Snopes. Frankly, I don't care if it really happened. There's plenty of truth to be found even if this is a modern-day parable.

***

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin, tanned woman appeared in the window of a gym:

THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins, stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don’t exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention, how could they have sex?? Therefore they do not have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store??

The choice is perfectly clear to me; I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice-cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who loves me, and a coffee with my friends. With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think:

Good gosh, look how smart I am.

Note from Shannah: Here's three cheers to being healthy, happy and well-adjusted!