2018 Reflection - Stronger

Today, I thought I'd do a quick yearly reflection.  My word last year was "stronger."  I had set some lofty goals for myself, and even though I may not have reached them all, I feel like I am stronger in the areas I wanted to improve.

Physically: 

My goal this year was to run a half marathon and reach 1,000 miles. 

In 2018 I completed:

6 - 5K  road races

1 - 5K trail race

1 - 4 mile race

1 - half marathon

I didn't reach the 1,000 mile goal. I got sciatica bad in the spring and took 2 weeks off of running. I ran out of "gas" in December, very low miles.  I was completely drained, and I got sick twice. As I type this, I'm dealing with an injured foot and no voice for 3 days now.  I'm still proud to say that I ran 893 miles! This will be my goal again next year!

Even though it is still challenging, I have maintained my weight goal.  I still enjoy my sweets, just not as much.  I haven't cut anything out of my eating habits completely, which is why WW works for me.  (If you ever have any questions about it or interested in WW, let me know.) 

Spiritually:

I read 5 books this year.  I was hoping to read 5 books from the UMW list, but it didn't happen.  I will set this goal again for next year. I also participated in Dressember again this year.  It really changes my focus on the end of the year and what is really important. 

Mentally and Emotionally: 

I completed the grad class that I had in my plans for the year.  Emotionally it was a tough year for me.  This fall I dealt with some strong anxiety.  Due to seeking help from therapy, I was able to get myself back on track with a good mindset.  It still is something I deal with, but for now I'm handling it well.  I also ended the year doing a 90 day challenge.  I wrote down 10 specific things I was grateful for each day in a journal.  This really helped me before I went to sleep with positive thoughts.  This will be a habit I will continue.  

2018 was a roller coaster year, but I wouldn't change it.  It has pushed me in many ways and made me a stronger person.  Toast to a new year!

I'm ready to take on 2019 with a new word...how about you?  

First Half Marathon Reflections

My journey of 15 months has been an adventure - from doing no activity to running a half marathon.  I never would have dreamed of it, when I started my running journey again. I started my half marathon training around February. I had two weeks off  due to back problems, but I was able to pull through it and move along.

As the race week approached, I was dealing with a lot of outside stress, and I wasn't sure how rested I would be for the race. My training worked, and  I completed my first half marathon.  It was a bumpy start that day.  A bad thunderstorm rolled in, and I thought for sure we would be delayed a lot or reschedule.  We were bused to the start, and they allowed us to stay on the buses until the weather let up.  The race was only delayed by 15 minutes, and we were off.  It was such a powerful experience.

I thought I would post a list of 10 thoughts about training and the half marathon race.

1.  Thanks to my brother for mentioning to me the last time we went to visit, "Have you every thought of doing a half marathon?"  I had the thought of it before, but no one really confirmed for me that they thought I could do it.

2. Training takes a lot of time!  A shout out to my husband for holding down the fort, when I went for my runs.  :-)  He never complained once about me going for a run, and he always was the one to push me out the door when I was dragging my feet. 

3. Running is a stress relief.  I find that it is just as beneficial for physical health, as it is for mental/emotional health.  I did a lot of self-talk in my head on my runs.

4.  I learned how to run without headphones.  At first I found it super challenging.  Now I never run with them.  It allows me to clear my mind. 13 miles gives a lot of time for thoughts. 😊

5.  Thanks goes out to all my running friends!  They were motivators!  On those days that I didn't want to get out of bed or those late nights, their encouraging words got me through those workouts. 

6.  Trust your training!  I only ran 3 days during the week, and one long run on the weekends.  I did some weights (but not a lot due to my back issues) and some cross training.  I think hill work helped as well. 

7. Running with a lot of people is a huge motivator.  It kept me going as I focused on the runners in front of me.

8.  Thank you, thank you to the water/drink stops along the way.   They were all along the course cheering you on and offering fluid.  I was so thankful every time I arrived at one. The signs were a lot of fun to read.  One of my favorites at 1.5 miles in, "If you pass out, I will pause your Garmin!" 

9.  The last 2.5 miles for me was rough!  I imagine it was due to my first race and figuring it all out.  I set a goal for myself to break two hours (I knew I shouldn't have done that for my first race), but it pushed me.  My 10th mile I felt like a turtle moving.

10.  The last mile felt robotic.  It is super hard to explain.  In my head I kept thinking, "Are my legs really rotating like I'm running?"  When I crossed the line, all I could say was: thank goodness that is over. This may have been one and done for me. ha!  Now, I am considering running it again next year.


I've taken some rest this week.  My plan is to improve on my 5k time this summer and possibly do a 10k.  I want to go run just for fun for a bit!  Now off to sign up for some 5ks. :D

Earth Day

I much prefer running in the country, than I do in town due to a lot of factors: road slope, dogs, cars, dogs, just houses, did I mention dogs. (haha!) So I have this route that I take out of town around the cemetery to get more miles in outside of town. It has a nice hill incline to it as well, to get some hill work done. I thought the first couple of weeks of running it, I wasn't going to make it, but it has become my friend now.  Along the way, I have noticed in the ditches trash, I mean a lot of trash! In fact, on Saturday morning there was a half drank bottle of Pepsi in the road.  Every time, I run it and think to myself, "I need to come clean this up!"  Yet, the next time I run it, it is still there.  

Saturday, I thought tomorrow, Earth Day, will be the perfect day to get some garbage cleaned up with the kids. So we went with garbage bags and gloves in toe.  At first there wasn't a lot, but as we went along the kids began to find a lot of trash, in particular, a lot of alcohol bottles.  They just couldn't understand why so many people felt the need to throw the trash out the window of their vehicle when they are so close to town and a garbage can.  

We were about halfway through, when I think the part that made the most impact of the journey happened.  Each of us had a bag: two bags for recycling and one bag for garage.  My son was wandering ahead of us as he was just trying to find the bottles, making a little game out of it, but realizing he had a lot to do.  He sat down along the ditch near the field.  I asked him, "Why are you sitting down?  Are you tired?" He responded, "This makes me really sad!" I said, "This makes me sad, too."

We only got one part of the road up to the cemetery done and filled up three bags.  The kids were worn out, and I was ready to head home.  Josh came and picked us up, so we could get the bags home. Our daughter was concerned about the rest of the road that I run along.  I told her when we get another nice weekend free, we can finish up that part of the road, too. 

I'm curious to see when I go for my next run out that way, how much trash has accumulated since we picked it up.  It just bothers me so much, when we can easily take our to-go containers, cups, bottles, food wrappers, etc to the nearest garbage.  Every gas station I've been to has garbage cans right at the pump. 

How do we change people's behaviors?  I don't know that I have the answer.  I am going to make sure that our two know how to care for God's earth and what we can do to make positive changes.  Today is a minor action, but I think it was deeper than 3 bags of trash.  It was filled with reflection, family time, enjoying the outdoors, and we realized how 1 hour can make a small difference.  

Update on 2018 goals

I thought I would check in as we are a quarter of the way through the year, and I need accountability on my goals I set for 2018. 

Physically:

I was doing really well training for the half marathon.  I was up to 8 miles a couple of weeks ago.  I had a slight set back the last couple of weeks with sciatica pain.  Just over the last couple of days, I have started to jog slowly again.  I think I need to adjust my training some and get more cross training of yoga and biking in on alternate days. Anyone want to help keep me accountable to doing yoga more?  May 12th will be here soon! Maintaining my weight is harder than losing the weight.  I knew it would be a challenge.  I'm still eating a balanced diet, but it can be really hard.  It will be a lifetime of focus.

Spiritually:

This is one area I need to work on yet.  I am reading a book currently titled, Girl Wash Your Face: Stop Believing in the Lies About Who You Area so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis. I am really enjoying it so far, and it is calling me out on somethings that I could work on personally.  I'm looking forward to sharing about the book, when I'm done.

Mentally and Emotionally:

This one can be rocky and up and down for me.  I need some sunshine and warmer weather!  I registered for a grad class focused on vocabulary in the classroom.  This is an area that I could work on in my teaching.  I'm looking forward to learning new strategies and ideas.

The towel on the floor...

See there always seems to be a towel left on the bathroom floor.  There is a hook on the wall about two feet away, but the towel just can't seem to make it all the way there. ;-)  Even with encouraging words and reminders, it just seems to find its own place on the floor.  I've let it bother me lately.  I may trip over it, and I say a few words. In the mornings I'm grumbling as I make my way to my blow dryer and straightener to try to make something out of the mop on my head. After the kids go to bed I look at it as I pass down the hallway saying, "Why can't they just hang up that towel!"

Then it hit me last night... It's just a towel!  Really that's all it is. I picked it up off the floor and hung it up on the hook, and as my hand let go of the towel a flood of emotions came over me.  Instead of being angry that the towel has been left on the floor, my heart turned to the blessings that this towel reminds me of in our lives.  Our house 5 years ago was graced with our first youth in our home, and it has been filled with ups and downs since.  This towel, reminds me of the laughter and giggles we have when we have tickle battles.  This towel, reminds me of our simple, but yet fun day trips we take together to create lasting memories.  This towel, reminds me of the conversations we have with each other as we sit at the table each night to have supper and ask each other, "How was your day?" This towel, reminds me of the simplicity of being a kids. This towel, reminds me of the blessings we have for our health and lives.  This towel, reminds me I need to not stress so much over the small things and live in the moments we have.  Because one day, I won't be picking up this towel, and I will miss it! 

Word of the Year

I've never been a fan of New Years Resolutions for myself.  I usually can't follow through with them, and then I feel like I failed.  

One of the Weight Watchers Ambassadors that I follow: Beautifully Broken Journey likes to choose a word to focus on for the year.  I have another friend that does the same, so I thought I would do it as well.  My word this year is......

 STRONGER

Physically 

Now that I am at a weight that I'm comfortable with, I want to work on getting stronger. I signed up for a half marathon. I feel like mentally I am there, I just need to work on the physical part.  I don't want to look super muscular. My focus will be on toning and defining.  I need to strengthen my legs to train for the half marathon.  Also, the hard part of weight loss is maintenance.  It was take will-power and strength to keep it off. 

Spiritually

This year my focus is to be strong in the Lord.  I want to spend more time in the Word, prayer, and daily reflection.  I'm hoping I can do more of that when I go on my runs.  It is a time for me to get away from distractions and spend time with God.  United Methodist Women have a reading list and a goal of reading 5 books in a year.  I did it two years ago, and I slacked off this past year.  It is time to get back on track.   

Mentally & Emotionally

This summer, I plan to take another online grad class for education.  It isn't towards a masters degree, but I do enjoy studying and sharpening my brain.

From my experience through Dressember, I also plan to research and study more about human trafficking and fair labor across the globe.  

I want to work on perspective thinking this year, too. When in a negative situation, I look at some positives - not let one or two bad things ruin my whole day.  When I am negatively impacted by another person, I want to look through their eyes and see why they said/behaved the way they did. 

I know some of these are lofty, and I may not be able to reach each one of these goals, but I hope by December 31st, 2018.   I can say I'm a little 

STRONGER!

Reflections on Dressember

Today I woke up with the thoughts of putting on a pair of pants. (I may be wearing dresses more often now, as I realized the great feeling of not having my waist line restricted. ;-) )  I wanted to take some time to share with you about my experience in participating in Dressember.

Last year, I had a friend post about participating in Dressember. I followed her posts and read them with intent, but I didn't participate. I followed the Facebook page, and when they posted about the start of the movement again, I knew in my heart I should participate. It was so much more than a dress. I felt all of these: humbled, sadness, happiness, empowered, anger, enlightened, strength, determined, prayerful, and most of all-changed.

Some Things I've learned since participating in Dressember.

Statistics

1. More than 30 million people are enslaved worldwide.

2. Human trafficking generates about 150 billion a year.

3. About 2 million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade.

4. The most recent study from the International Labor Organization in September 2017 found that women account for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry and 58% in other forms of slavery.

5. Every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, a child is trafficked.


How to Recognize the Signs of Human Trafficking

https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/recognize-signs


Areas Dressember Supports

1. Rescuing Victims
Our partners work closely with law enforcement to identify, protect, and free people who have been forced into the commercial sex trade.They also work to train law enforcement, hospital staff, and transportation authorities to identify conspicuous signs of slavery.

2. SERVING JUSTICE
We facilitate collaborative work with legal authorities to build strong cases against traffickers, pimps, and criminals, and ensure that all victims are well represented in court.

3. RESTORING LIVES
We know that every survivor deserves unique, individual treatment. Survivors are provided with access to housing, medical treatment, as well as individualized trauma counseling, vocational opportunities, and education.


Ways to Educate Ourselves

a blogpost on some good podcasts to listen to: http://www.dressember.org/blog/podcasts

an app to use to check out companies: Good on You https://goodonyou.eco/app/

http://www.dressember.org/blog/childlabor


Ethical Shopping Choices
http://www.dressember.org/blog/mensethicalguide

http://www.dressember.org/blog/holidaygiftguide


http://www.dressember.org/blog/stockingstufferguide


http://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing


This is not an exhaustive list for sure, as I didn't want to overwhelm you with too much information. My goal is just inform you a little more, and how we can stand up for human rights. This doesn't end for me, as I will continue to learn more of what I can do.