"it's not the miles, it's how you live them"

The week I realized I had ran twenty miles over the course of seven days was milestone to me.  Just a few months ago my favorite sport was freeze dancing with my students at the end of class, but now, its running.  To date, I have ran three 5k's and a one mile walk/run.  I feel like now I can call myself a runner.

Running was never fun until this year.  While growing up, I always dreaded the end of ball practice sprints, or the punishment kill-a-drills, also known as suicides.  I mean, seriously, why not call them something a little more encouraging?  Running was punishment...period...and for the kid who didn't like to get in trouble, I didn't like punishment!

But now, things are different.  Running is about accomplishing something.  Doing something.  Being something.

Running is also about sharing something.  I have found that since I have started running, it seems to bring people together. 

I was a counselor at three camps this summer.  One of those camps, Camp WOW, I knew I needed to make sure I kept up my running schedule.  I would get back from this camp and have a week before our first 5k.  I was worried about getting out of the running routine, so I mentioned to Kayla, one of the other couselors with our "13 ladies" that I wanted to get up early and go running Sunday morning.  Turns out, she enjoyed running too!  Actually, a couple of the girls that was there early went that next morning with us.  It also turned out that alot of people liked to run.  Our third counselor, Hannah, is a runner too, so we rotated who went running, and I recall someone saying we were the "running cabin."  This just thrilled me because I loved my new running addiction and didn't get behind on my schedule and was pumped for my first 5k!!!

And what a 5K it was!  I could not have asked for a more positive experience for our first official run.  It was The Color Run, and by the end of the morning, we were absolutely stained with powdery goodness from head to toe!  Finish time was about 46 minutes, which I felt was a great accomplishment!  Our awesome shirts got lots of compliments too! The backs read "Please let there be someone back there reading this."  Thankfully my running buddy has a great sense of humor too and agreed that would be a great quote for our shirts!

 

 

 

5K number two was a blast also.  Over the course of the summer, my running buddy Larissa and I talked a few of our friends into running with us, and one of them, Jessica, was almost finished with the C25K program so she ran our second 5k with us!  We did great, and Lari and I shaved about 4 minutes off of our first time!  Woot Woot!!!!  This was the Run4Don in Gainsboro.

 

 



Then we got really adventurous.  There was a 1 mile breast cancer walk two saturdays from our Run4Don.  We talked all the girls that had been running/walking with us all summer into doing this one together...and even had an extra one join us!  I joked about it was going to be the fastest mile ever, but actually was about 3 minutes slower than what we had been running.

 

 

Which leads me to my most recent 5k experience!  A few months ago, I found there was going to be a Color Me RAD 5k in Knoxville.  I thought this would be a great opportunity to run with some of my camp buddies again so we planned it and even made t-shirts!  This was also the weekend starting my fall break, so the suspense leading up to Friday afternoon was almost unbearable.  Not only would I be leaving school to have a break from teaching, but I would be heading to Knoxville to be reunited with a few of my favorite fellow counselors from Camp WOW!!!!  Words really cannot describe how much I bonded over the week at camp with some of these people!  I was sooooo excited to see them!  And to be running together???  I knew it would be an awesome memory making weekend!  Hannah, Bridgette, and Stephanie were all going to be running the RAD 5k with me, along with Hannah's cousin-in-law Emily.  Steph ended up not coming, but the other three and I had an absolute blast!  This color run had more color zones along the course, so we were more colorful when it finished, and we stayed for much of the after-party, which made us even more painted!  In actuality, when you're surrounded by awesome people, you always have an awesome time, and that is what we did!  The only negative thing is having to say goodbye to your friends when you live what feels like a million miles away from them!  I love these girls bunches and wish we could hang out all the time!

 

 

All in all, after doing three 5k's and a 1 miler, I am definitely adicted to this new running sport.  New to me, but definitely not new to mankind.  I've thought possibly the reason I feel so good after I run is because I'm tapping into something my ancestors did for survival.  Long ago, they ran to catch prey, and ran to escape predators.  After I run, I feel refreshed, I feel rejuvinated, I feel like a better me.  I feel like I can do anything after I run.  The sense of accomplishment, the increased heart rate, the "runner's high" from endorphines creates an energy that is pure happiness.  Running with friends makes it even better.  We always high-five after we run, and its a tradition I love!

Truely, "it's not the miles, it's how you live them!"

I'm making myself EPIC...

Its been a while since I last blogged...actually its been many whiles!  Blogging doesn't rank high on the list of priorities when you are living a highly adventurous lifestyle...but I've started something new that i want to document.

Running.

Yes, I've started running.  The kid that always hated doing any kind of sprint or distance jog...any kind of running at all...I hated it, but something inside me has changed, and I think its for the better!

A couple of months ago I played softball with some friends in a tournament in town.  I was pumped about this because I haven't gotten to play softball for a few years since college.  Well, being pumped switched to being dissappointed!  We played three games, and the short version is I didn't perform as I remembered I could do years before.  I didn't get any good hits, and lets just say I think a snail could have went around the bases as fast as I did.  So what do you do when you think you're washed up and can't do anything anymore?  Give up?  Eat cake and watch tv?  I didn't...I started running.

The tournament was on Sunday, and I had rehearsal Monday night, so Tuesday I started running.  I had downloaded a podcast for the Couch to 5K program, and I wanted to just do something to be doing something again.  That's how you get it back, right?  You just jump in there and do it!  Well day one wasn't that bad, so even though it said to have a day of rest between runs, I thought "why not...you've got muscle somewhere hidden under all of this fat!"  Day two went pretty good, and I said to myself "Yeah, I can do this!"

Then the next day I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck...what happened to my amazingness???  Surely my body wouldn't be aching all over and chilling from two evenings of running!  Turns out I had the Flu.  I called in work the next three days and lost 7 pounds simply from not eating anything for about a week.  Maybe I should just stop eating to lose weight...no...bad idea. 

A few weeks went by while I recovered from the flu and I hadn't went running again.  Running twice made me get the flu...or so I was telling myself. 

Then something happened.  One of my former students, who has turned out to be a pretty great friend, was home from college for the summer.  She, my neighbor, and I had went walking a couple of times when she said something about counting calories to lose weight.  Out of nowhere I said "Lets start running."  I told her about the C25K program I had found online, and said I wanted a running buddy.  Walking doesn't really make me feel like I am exercising.  I mean, if I'm not drenched with sweat and look like I'm about to die, I don't feel like I've done anything!  So the next day, I was prepared with two mp3 players with the track downloaded, and told my new running buddy "hey, we're running today" when we met to walk again.  She was not dressed for running, but she did it with me.  After we did Day 1 of Week 1 we were both hot and sweaty, and I finally felt like I was doing something again. 

I had saw a quote that said "If not now, when?" This made me think I need to stop putting things off and start making a change.

Well, we are now on week six of this C25K program, and let me just say "I love running!"  I absolutely do!  I feel great after I run, and we actually ran 20 minutes the other day when we finished week 5!!!  Its amazing how much of this is a mental game with yourself!  I feel like I've grown so much over the month and a half that we have been doing this, and I know I wouldn't have been able to do this and keep going if it wasn't for having my running buddy!  Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for her sticking with me and running with me everystep of the way!  Someday we will look back at that life changing day we started running and be thankful.  Actually, I already have and am!

I wish I had blogged and captured this journey the whole entirety of it thus far, but better late than never!  It just feels great to be doing something again!  We're signed up to run our first 5K at the end of July, and I can't wait!  I know it will be hard, but we have come so far along this journey!  All I want to do is finish!  I know we won't run the whole thing, because I want to stop and take pictures along the way because it is a COLOR RUN!!!  Definitely need some epic pictures of this, so running the whole way is not the goal...just making it will be enough.  I feel like we will be able to run a big majority of it, and the colorfulness will be epic!  I plan on trying to blog more with this new adventure, and who knows...a new me may appear before its over...because I'm making myself EPIC...

then the rain came, then the rain came

"I've never had so much fun on a go-cart!" That's what we all kept saying. It must be true if everyone in your group keeps repeating the same thing over and over. How fast were they? 40 mph. I'm not sure if the go-carts I've driven/ridden in the past went this fast, but 40 mph is the speed that was advertised at this specific race track. So is the speed what made it so much fun? Not even close.

It had been raining earlier that day, and we didn't think to look at the size of the track before we bought our tickets to race. When we rounded the corner, the adrenaline running through my veins began to diminish. I am a competitive person. Being the middle child of five, there was always something to win. "Race you there." "Last one to finish has to do the dishes." "I bet you can't do this." Its amazing as much as we competed that none of us became professional competitors. Of course I was taught that its ok to lose every once and a while, but I don't like it. The way I look at it, there's only one first place, all the rest are behind, and if you give it your best, you'll be in that first place. As we grew up, the challenges became harder. When we moved my brother to Utah, it was like the ultimate race. We had a few planned stops along the way, and the first one there would reap the bragging rights. We also figured out that as we drove across the state of Wyoming, we could literally road test the vehicles to see how fast they really could go. Pedal to the metal, needle on the dash past the last number, we maxed out all three of our rides in that state, and even tried to go faster than their max as we descended down a few hills, closely watching the GPS speedometer. Talk about a rush. Drive a SUV at about 120 mph while watching for cops. Shew, my first speeding ticket ever I was caught going 95 mph...needless to say, I like to go fast.

So, back to the races. My adrenaline definitely slowed down when I saw that track. Part of the track was covered and part was open air track. It looked like it would be fun, IF the outside part was open. Since it had rained earlier that day, the outside part of the track was closed off, leaving a small loop track that was covered. As we watched the other racers, the claimed 40 mph looked slower than I could ride my bike. Just going around in a loop wouldn't require much strategy...get in front and stay in front. One of my closest friends was with me this day, and we began discussing "tag team" efforts to make sure we could win our challenge of the day. As we are plotting, one of the employees at this track armed himself with what looked like a backpack leaf blower and went to the outside track. Oh what excitement began to emerge in the awaiting racers. We could only hope the track conditions could improve enough so that we could race outside...and they did.

There was one more group that needed to race before we would buckle into the first ever go-carts I've driven that had spoiler tails above their rear engines. As we watched this group perform, I began analyzing each car/driver to pick the one I wanted to race. The outdoor track was still wet enough to cause some steering problems for the racers. Some drivers would spin out as they tried to go around a turn. There was one woman who kept ending up coming into the pit area sideways...that was the one I selected. Apparently I've gotten a reputation as being an adventurous person the last few years. Anyways...our turn was coming up...and adrenaline was pumping. I've been asked not to come back to a few go-cart tracks before but I have never been able to drive as reckless as the ones we had just watched. They were literally out of control. Before I knew it, I was going through the gate toward my rental ride.

The car I wanted to drive was the fourth from the front, but that didn't worry me. I'm good at bumping and clipping other cars to allow room to pass, so there was no need to fret. The employee who opened the gate told us to get in the six cars from the back...bingo...this made my car the front car of our group. We harnessed in securely as the man told us that we would really need to learn to use our brakes in the turns. Brakes? Yes, I knew most go-carts had brakes, but i had never used them. "Pssshhhht" I thought to myself. Who needs breaks? It will be more fun without them!

We peeled out of the pit as soon as we were given the signal. As we drove from the covered area to the outdoor area the throttle kicked in and we were going about as fast as usual for go-carts, or so it seemed. I slid a little in the first turn and thought the drivers before us just had no clue how to drive. I didn't wipe out in that turn...what was their problem.

“Then, the rain came. Then, the rain came.”

It started sprinkling steadily at that moment and I only hoped they wouldn’t stop us from racing. As we progressed around the track, I glanced over my shoulder to see where my competitors were. The next racer was a little ways back so I felt at ease that this race was definitely won. The loop was almost over and I was coming upon a sharper curve ahead. It was almost a 180 degree turn on an incline as you approach the turn. There was a downhill slope to the track after the turn, which I thought would be great to build up a little speed. As I turned the wheel through the curve, I suddenly realized why the safety instructor had emphasized the use of brakes. I slid almost backwards into the side railing as I tried to steer and regain control. Luckily I stopped in a wide spot of the track with enough room to right my way. I checked the situation. I had went from first place to fifth. I began working my way through the ranks to regain my composure. At one point I pulled into the covered area with all of the other cars in a pile up. Luckily I arrived just as a few were able to pull through the wreckage. I had moved from fifth to third, and was moving up fast. The next moves were almost priceless. As I started to slide through another curve, I was just close enough to the person in second place to give him a little bump to let him know I was there. When I bumped him, the car infront of him must have bumped him also because he started to turn and lose control. I believe that moment I helped him learn the fun of riding sideways. As the driver infront of me and I pulled into the track we were motioned to park, and we pulled in behind some of the other drivers. Apparently last pile up was the end of the line for them and we were allowed to finish the last lap. In conclusion...I went from first, to fifth, to second on the best go-cart adventure I've ever driven.

Moral of the story: Never give up when you think you are losing a race, because you might just make your way back to the front.

anywhere...anytime...

I promised myself I would get something accomplished today...I wouldn't give in to the urge.  Beautiful skies, sun shining, and rumors from weather-people that the high today would reach 70 degrees.  Perfect day to take the doors off the jeep and go for a drive.  That is what I kept saying to myself.  No.  That's what you always do when you have free time on a pretty day.  I kept going back and forth on what to do, what not to do, what I wanted to do, and what I needed to do.  Laundry.  Clean house.  Grade papers.  Take Christmas lights down from the house.  Yes, that would get me outside and be something productive...success was just through the door. 

The sunshine felt glorious.  There was a strong breeze that smelled of spring.  As I unhooked the light clips from the gutter I kept looking at the sky.  The day before today I went ziplining and got to fly.  Granted, I was attached to a metal cable by a harness.  Its the closest thing to flying I have right now, besides speeding down the highway.  Stop.  I don't need to go driving...there's so much to do around here.

I have always felt a kindred spirit to birds.  You probably think that's wierd, but I've always wanted to know what it would feel like to fly.  When I see a flock of geese above, I think they're more free than I am.  Freedom.  That's what birds have.  Pure freedom.  Even when I see buzzards circling above a field, I still pause and something inside longs to switch places with those birds.  When I was a child I would daydream about being a bird.  Being able to float on a breeze and soar.  I want to feel that someday.  Ziplining is close, but you have to stop at the end of the line...birds have no lines, except those on which they choose to rest.

The Lord rested on the 7th day, but I'm not sure if I understand that.  Rest?  What is that?  Is that what "normal" people do on the days they don't work.  Is that the opposite of work?  Is rest only when you're asleep, or do people rest when they are awake too?  When I'm awake I like to be doing something.  On days I'm supposed to rest...I need adventure.  I need to feel alive.  A few years ago I made one of the best decisions in my life.  I bought a jeep.  This has been the main source of my adventures ever since.  I go anywhere...anytime...and so far have only had to be rescued once.  The best part about driving a jeep, other than being able to go on and off the road, is the freedom I feel when the top is down and the doors are off.  A friend once asked me "Who wants a vehicle you take apart?"  My response: "Who doesn't?"  I get almost giddy when I put the top down.  Its the first step toward feeling free again.  Its the first step toward how I rest...I go.  Its been said before that "go" must be my favorite word because I go all the time.  So on this pretty afternoon, that's what I wanted to do.

I thought about a nap, but those seem to be more and more just a waste of time.  A waste of daylight.  So, after doing dishes, cleaning house a little, and taking down the Christmas lights from the house, I felt like I had been productive so I gave in to the urge.  I took the doors off, and, since my hardtop is on because of winter, lifted the back window.  I love being able to jump in and out of my jeep with the doors off.  I love being able to stick my left foot out the door and rest it on the side step while feeling the wind between my toes.  I love the wind on my face.  I love stretching my arm fully out the side of the jeep without a window sill to rest it on...its like flying.  My jeep is my way of flying.  About an hour on my favorite drive, which includes a road that goes straight through a creek, and I was happy again.  I needed to feel the wind between my toes.  Winter has been great with several adventures, but nothing compares to feeling the wind between my toes.  I love it, and am thankful for this pretty day in February when I could feel free again.

"When once you have tasted flight..."

Exhileration doesn't even begin to describe the feeling.  Nothing does...or perhaps I just don't have a large enough vocabulary.  Perhaps there is a word out there to describe what I want to say.  I'm sure "normal" people wouldn't understand.  They don't have the need to feel that.  They know they're alive, no need to check...but as for me...I need to make sure.  I need to feel this...this...feeling. 

Flying.  That's part of it.

I'm not talking about buying a ticket from an airline and going from one place to the next.  No.  That's not this.  This is so much more. Actually feeling the wind on your face as you are moving above the Earth.  Its an amazing feeling.

So far I've flown by means of using a harness and a zip line.  If you haven't tried this, you should.  Hopefully before I die I'll be able to fly by means of other things, like parachutes, hang-gliders, etc.  Someday I'll blog about those adventures...but for now...ziplining creates a feeling inside undefinable...

mud on the tires

You know that feeling you get when someone is waiting for you?  You've made arrangements to meet at a certain time or place, but you think they are already there wishing you would hurry up?  That's how the morning started...

This winter has been marvelous.  Snow, snow, and more snow.  We keep getting accumulating snow storms that make our days full of sledding instead of schooling.  From what many of the locals are saying, I think I'm one of the few "grown-ups" around here that still get that magical feeling when bits of white fall from the sky.  As an adolecent, I dreamed of living in a place where there would be snow on the ground from the first day of winter to the last.  I absolutely love it.  I loved building snowmen, snow forts, and having war with my siblings growing up everytime it snowed.  Unfortunately, we rarely saw the magical white fluff, but when we did, it was special.  I can remember my mother waking us up hours before the sun would rise to enjoy the newly frosted ground.  We would go out and play, then come back inside to sleep the rest of the night away, and when we woke in the morn, she would have homemade hot chocolate ready for us.  The best of childhood memories include days like this.  Perhaps this is why I'm almost giddy on snow days.

As I said before, this winter has been marvelous.  There was a week last month when I went sledding almost everyday.  I tried to ski and snowboard.  My Jeep has conquered territory the local sherriff's department couldn't conquer.  I feel almost invincible when it snows...superhero invincible.  I drive a Jeep Wrangler.  A vehicle that was made to be used as a tool, not just a mere transportation device.  Meant to go anywhere and everywhere.  No obstacle has stopped me yet.  Its my baby.  It adds to my invincibility, but just like superman, kryptonite can spoil my powers.  My kryptonite is speed.  I know roads can be icy when it has snowed, but I drive a jeep...invincible. 

When I went to my friend's house this morning to start our day of planned adventures, I was ready.  A day with the girls.  It snowed a few days ago, but the roads were almost back to normal.  No need for 4WD, or so I thought.  The road she lives on is a secondary road, and with the shortage of salt for the road department, these tend to be overlooked.  I guess I too overlooked the snow and ice on this road.  There were icy patches, but I was ready for adventure.  We had decided to meet at her house so I could help load the kids up...I just knew they were waiting on me.  Despite my amazing driving abilities, the ice won.  I tried to round a curve, but slid off tangent into the woods.  Holding on and trying to steer out I failed.  I saw i was headed straight for a few trees so I held my breath and hoped for the best.  Stopped.  I stopped. 

I glance around and assess the situation.  A tree was beside my driver side wheel but missed by about two inches.  A tree was also in front of me, but I stopped about a foot away before hitting it.  My jeep was sitting diagonally on an downward hill and had missed the big trees.  There were a few smaller trees that I had slid right beside but did not hit them.  The mirror on the driver's side door was turned inward flush with the window from the smaller trees going by, but I missed the big trees.  Thank you Lord!  Now...just back out and we'll be fine.  With adrenaline filling my bloodstream I began to try to wiggle my way back to the asphalt.  Without thinking I dug a rut under my wheels because I was still not using 4WD and just spinning with every attempt at reverse.  I kept thinking "My friend is waiting on me...lets go!"  When I finally realized and shifted to 4WD, it was too late.  Either the incline was too much, or the rut was too deep.  Perhaps I had landed in such a way amongst the trees that would require a tow.  I believe it was a combination of all three that defined the situation I was now in.  I couldn't drive forward because of trees.  I tried going backwards and failed.  As my mind scurried to problem solve, and person drove up and offered to help.  Feeling obligated to my friend waiting on me, I was delivered by this good samaritan to my first destination of the day.  As she opened the door, I greeted her with the news of my unexpected adventure.  Knowing her husband would be able to right my wrong with a tow chain when he got off work, we decided to leave my jeep stranded while we continued with our scheduled day. 

The rescue mission was as expected.  A log chain attached to both vehicles was able to remove my jeep from the wooded incline, especially after a few smaller trees were cut down to save my mirror from being twisted in the opposite direction.  My friend's husband had also rescued another friend's jeep last summer.  Being the witty man he is, "Nissan-2, Jeep-0" is how he summarized the rescue...and I am grateful for this, even though I can no longer say I have gotten myself out of every situation I have driven into.  Muddy tires, tracks beside the road, a front license plate bent, and a slightly scratched hard top and side mirror are the only evidence that remains of this adventure, but I'm sure the memories of my first towing will last a lifetime.

the world is out there

Sometimes I sit and contemplate the past.  All of the minutes and hours I have lived.  The days...weeks...months...years of time that has passed by without my permission.  This time just keeps going and sometimes I ponder on the thought of time stopping.  There have been several moments in life when I thought to myself "If only I could freeze time right now."  You know, when you feel like life couldn't get any better, and you couldn't be any happier...I want to freeze life.  Savour the moment, the experience, the life.  Unfortunately, I can't freeze time.  I am not in control.  I am not the one making time tick.

There have been other times when "So this is how it is to be alive" flashes into my brain.  Adrenaline, excitement, life, living...its great.  I like to say I live life to the fullest everyday, but I can't help being pessimistic and wondering if I'm even living yet.  Could there be more?  Are others in the world living more?  I keep finding new 'adventures' to go on, and each one leaves me feeling adrenaline rushed and excited for the next one, but am I just experiencing life in mediocrity?

Drive through safaris, zip lining, kayaking, off-roading in my jeep...I still want more. I think I just like to be able to say "yeah, I've done that."  Flown an airplane-yeah, I've done that.  Ridden a camel and elephant-yeah, I've done that.  Chased a cow on the open range-yeah, I've done that.  Jumped off the top of a house boat into the lake-yeah, I've done that.  Performed the thriller dance in public-yeah, I've done that.  Been bitten by an emu-yeah, I've done that.  Its kindof like a mental bucket list in reverse order.  I don't plan these adventures out, but keep track of them after they are conquered.  Still, I do the things that I would want to do before I die...but usually they make me feel more alive instead of closer to death.

But still I want more...the world is out there...and we are simply-adventurers.