for what it's worth

Two step forwards, one step back. This seems to be the theme of  my running this week. Yesterday, I couldn't have run if I'd even wanted to, and I didn't want to. I didn't even want to see my running shoes. Every part of my body hurt, ached like the flu. I had no choice but to sit yesterday out and rest. I was so lazy and it was wonderful. This morning however, was tough. The run started really good. I had a good pace and made it through the first 6 minutes with out any problems. I walked for 1 minute then back to running. This did not go as smoothly. I was running my usual stride but then started struggling around minute 3. My breath was coming hard and my speed was slowing down. I just went with it, determined not to stop running and kept moving even at a slower rate. Finally, the ding for the 1 minute walk sounded. Gasping for air, I kept moving forward. *DING* Time to run again for another 6 minutes. I didn't make the whole 6 this time. I ran as long as I coul...

This is me. The new me. The me with the ileostomy. Several people have asked what it looks like and so, here it is. Please note that I do not wear bikinis and have not in many, many years. I apologize for the blinding glare of my white, white skin. Surprisingly, I was very hesitant to post this. After all, no one wants to see all their "glory" on display (especially on the www!) but, I feel like it's important. It's important for others to know they are not alone.  I have been so encouraged by others who have posted their photos that I knew I needed to do the same. It's really quite liberating now that I see it.  Yes, I am imperfect. I have some extra padding that came with fighting disease for 7+ years. Lots of scars from various surgeries. A few wrinkles and gray hairs in the mix too. I am not as young and pretty as I once was. I am, however, ALIVE! And ALIVE trumps all the other stuff. So, this is me, in the flesh. You know what? I am feeling mo...

~~~ WARNING ~~~Material may be inappropriate for some viewers. Wanna see the kinds of things my friends send me? I must warn you, they can be a bit crude and some have a little "French" in them. Read at your own risk...

This morning, I downloaded some new tunage specifically for running. I read an article in Runner's World  magazine about pacing your run and how music set to certain a BPM (Beats Per Minute) can help. This isn't exactly breaking news; however, I needed some extra umph this morning and this was it. Nothing, and I mean, NOTHING gets me moving better than some great butt busting music. Wow! I flew through my run this morning. The music is continuous so the songs go from one into the next allowing your pace to stay constant. I didn't realize how beneficial this could be. My momentum never wavered at all! I'm hoping this is not a fluke deal but more of how I will continue to run. The hubs and I are trying out a new protein shake by Herbalife. I really like these products. The ones I'm most excited about, other than the nutritional shakes, are the Aloe juice which aids in digestion and a re-hydrating powder that mixes with water to help with dehydration issues. Peop...

I am woman hear me roar!! Yes, it's Monday and, it's 9:30 and, I've been for a run and, I've got the laundry going and, I set out meat for dinner! I'm on a roll! Whoop whoop! Today's run was my usual 30+ minutes but this time I added a little elevation change. Holy crap!! I'm not sure if this is a good sign or not but, at some point my legs went numb. I think my mind just flipped a switch so I could make it through the workout. When I got up this morning, at what felt like the crack of dawn, I thought there was no possible way I could get myself into my runners and out the door. I took it slow, had some coffee and breakfast and stared into space for a while. Eventually, I did it though. I pushed through the haze of wanting to crawl back in bed and put my athletic bra on instead. I am convinced athletic wear, bras in particular, are made by Satan. For more motivation, I changed into my "Super Girl" ostomy wear. These are smaller, closed ende...

Yeah, right. This is a talent not given to me when God was artfully knitting me together in my mother's womb. My sister seemed to get all of that; therefor, I struggle considerably when it comes to cleaning and cooking. Shannon and I agreed, many moons ago, to hire a person to clean for us. I was willing to go with out necessities like eating or toilet paper in order to afford someone once a month. We managed to continue eating and I did cut expenses else where but we have never regretted it. I think it saved our marriage! We now have an amazing woman who cleans for us once a week. She should probably come every day since we are such slobs but that's just a little over the top... i can dream though... Cooking. This is a bad, bad word in my vocabulary. I think I'm intimidated by it basically. I don't enjoy it unless I am sipping a glass of wine and let's face it--sipping wine at 7AM is probably not a good idea. Thank God for Pinterest! This little website has s...

Sometimes a good run equals a good cry. Today, I ran for over an hour. Well actually I walked some too but I ran farther and longer than I have in many, many years. There was a lot of static in my head today. I was having a tough time staying focused on what needed to be done today. Maybe it's a girl thing, but my emotions seemed to be all over the place and with no real reason. My solution to this was to lace up the running shoes and head out to pound the pavement. I knew the fresh air would do me good and I hoped the exertion would help me clear out the static. I usually only run for about 30 minutes; it's all my endurance seems to handle right now. I'm also a little conservative when running outside because of the whole heat exhaustion thing. Today was different though. The weather was cooler and there was a light breeze to help me stay cool. I made it through my usual 30 minutes in no time and realized I still wanted more. Needed more. So, I kept going. With out any t...