Just a taste of Crossfit couldn't hurt...

I would consider myself a fairly athletic person.  I’ve played soccer most of my life and have been a runner off and on.  But I stuck with what was familiar and safe.  I did not leave my comfort zone.  Running a half marathon was an exception.  And it was the first time I realize that maybe I could actually learn to love exercise.  I used to see those people who ran or exercised daily as the enemy.  How can they have the energy?  How can they find the time?  I could never have arms like Michelle Obama.  I’m just not built for that stuff. 

And then the word Crossfit kept popping up.  A couple friends were doing it.  Bob Harper was doing it.  There were really hot men on the TV doing it. 

So I looked it up, saw the price tag, gasped, and tried not to look at it ever again.

But then a new Crossfit gym opened up right near my house.  And they were offering a month’s worth of beginner classes for half the price.  So I took the plunge.  And I believe I may be addicted.

My First Half Marathon

It’s been so long since I’ve written a blog that I almost forgot what my address was!  But I wanted to share this experience with people—even if only one person reads it and is encouraged by it. 

At some point I decided I wanted to run a half marathon before I turned 30.  And since I turned 29 in the beginning of 2012, it was now or never.  For some, a half marathon is nothing—some people run 50 halfs in one year.  Some people run 50 miles in one day.  But for me, a half marathon was a pretty hefty goal.  When I ran cross country in high school, I hated it.  It was boring.  And I sucked at it.  Or at least that’s what I thought.  I didn’t run 7 minute miles.  I could barely break a 30 minute 5K.  But I started running again in Aug. 2011 and ran a 5K in 34 minutes.  Not a great time, but I didn’t hate it.  I stopped running when it got cold—but with the original goal in the back of my mind, it was time for a new challenge.

I realized that there were many times in my life where I had said “I can never do _____. (fill in the blank)”.  Or “I’ll never be good at _____.”  For me, one was, I’ll never be a long distance runner.  And I usually have “proof” of these things, like how I hated running in high school.  But NEVER is a very long time.  And more positive thinking people in my life would tell me that you can do whatever you put your mind to.  I didn’t really believe them.  Or did I?

So I made a list.  A list of things I always catch myself saying that I suck at, or can’t do, or will never be.  And I’ve slowly been proving myself wrong.  Running was just one of the things on the list—whether or not I did it before I was 30 wasn’t really important.  But it gave me an extra push.

Other things that gave me a push were telling others I was going to do it.  And asking them to financially support my run by donating to a good cause.  And I had a few friends who were running half marathons in other states.  Amazingly enough, I found pure determination because running was actually fun at times—and it certainly made me feel better overall.  It was a good way to reduce stress. I found motivation by reading a lot of information online about training, nutrition, and how to avoid injuries.  I created a challenging but attainable personal goal—13.1 miles on Dec. 1.  And I tried my best to stick to a running schedule. 

It wasn’t easy.  I had a few frustrating injuries.  And it was time consuming.  It certainly helped that my employers were supportive and didn’t mind me running for an hour in the middle of the day so I didn’t have to run in the dark.  And when the last week before the race came, I thought about bailing.  I had only been able to run 8 miles (and not 10) for my long run because of a foot injury.  I had visions of myself hobbling across the finish line—if I could make it at all.  I was scared.

But I went through with it.  At mile 6 I realized that I hadn’t stopped running yet (unusual for me).  And at mile 8 my foot started to hurt.  At mile 9, everything started to hurt. I tried to walk a little but that make it worse.  So I kept running.  The runners around me kept me focused and the spectators were cheering.  So I kept going.  10, 11, 12 miles.  And then across the finish line in 2:20.  My goal was less than 2:30.  I ran 5 miles more that I had ever run in my life.  Thank you adrenaline!

I think the most important lesson that I learned (other than give yourself extra time for injuries!) was that I was stronger than I thought I was.  And the only person that was telling me I was weak—was me!  When you are running long distances alone, even if you have loud music playing in your headphones, your mind wanders.  You could say to yourself, this sucks, and I can’t do this.  Or you can say, just keep going.  A little further!  This happens I my head all the time.  But running made it very obvious that I HAD A CHOICE.  And I chose to keep going—day after day in training and then during the race.  And I’m very happy I did.  I can no longer tell myself that I’ll never be able to run long distances.  Sometimes it’s great to be proven wrong!

Maybe you CAN do whatever you put your mind to.

What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn’t fail?  

Smartphone, dumb people?

There seems to be an intense debate going on in the technology world today. Does having the internet literally at our fingertips 24/7 make us smarter or dumber? I have mixed feelings about this topic and thought I’d put my two cents out there.

Seems like people who don’t own a Smartphone (or similar device) are likely to say it makes us dumber. Is that because they haven’t used one before…or because they refuse to use one in fear that they will become stupid? Will there even be an option 5 years from now to own a phone that’s not smart?

I’m a fan of computers, of technology, gadgets, and my new iPhone. And I want an iPad. And it actually frustrates me that people might say that it could make me dumber or lazier. I will say though, that information addiction is not a good thing. We crave that instant gratification. Instant information. And we can get that from technology—not so much from real live people. So my argument is not that it will make us dumber—but it can certainly make us impatient and rude.

I hated it when my Smartphone-less self tried to have a conversation with people in the room when all those people wanted to do was check email and surf the net. But at the same time, it’s kind of cool when some topic is raised and questions are asked and the answers are immediately found online. Does that make us dumb? Does that mean we cannot think for ourselves anymore? Or does it make us more knowledgeable and informed? I think it could go either way, and it depends on the user (just like anything else…).

Do you use your Smartphone for good or for evil? Do you ignore your friends, family, and the people on the metro because you have a Smartphone? Do you walk across the street with your eyes glued to the tiny screen and get hit by a car? Do you text and drive at the same time? Or do you use your phone to learn new skills and share them with friends to have a meaningful conversation? How about use your iPad during your child’s soccer practice so you don’t get bored or have to talk to other parents? Or do you use it to spend time with and teach your children? Do you use it for productivity or boredom? Has it made you become a couch potato or has it been your fitness coach and helped you run a half marathon? Do you play mindless games to block out real life or catch up on the world news?

So I’ll let you decide if you think my Smartphone use is making me dumber and lazier.

The top 5 things I use my Smartphone for:

1. Keeping in touch. Phone calls, Skype, texts, social media keep me connected to loved ones. Nothing is as good as being in the same room as someone but when 1,000 miles inevitably gets in the way of that, I still want to be able to connect with them. Share photos and memories with them. Share knowledge and opinions and life views with them. Various things on the internet are often good conversation starters. I have so many friends across the country--without technology we wouldn't still be friends because it'd just be impossible.

2. Location location location. Maps. Directions. Google Earth. Finding good healthy restaurants and grocery stores. Finding trails to hike. Gas stations when you are on empty. Where’s the metro station? With so many options and millions of people on the roads I don’t need to waste time driving in circles getting lost or settling for McDonalds because it’s the first place I see. Don’t rely so much on that GPS that you’d drive into a lake because it tells you to keep right.

3. Productivity. To-do lists. Reminders. Online banking. Budgets. Important documents. Travel plans. I can scan receipts and keep track of spending. Taking notes in meetings. Find jobs. Networking for jobs. Find apartments to rent. One of my favorites is Mindjet for visualizing brainstorming ideas. I’ll throw weather, radar, sunrise/set, tides, and moonrise info in here too because I use it for work.

4. Entertainment. Music is most important to me here. It motivates me and calms me and energizes me. Audiobooks and podcasts come in second—especially when I’m stuck in a car for hours by myself. Sometimes I watch TV online—I’ve watched more educational oddball documentaries on Netflix than anything else. Flipboard is like having 20 magazines at my fingertips. TED for great inspirational talks by amazing people. Constant learning isn’t a bad thing and certainly doesn't make one dumb. Yes, I have games too. But playing scrabble with friends can be good for the brain too. It requires thinking. I think fitness falls in here too—I have a SmartCoach running trainer at my fingertips that helps me plan and track my runs. I can see videos of yoga moves or how to lift weights properly. I can even view full workouts thanks to a Nike app. (No, I can’t afford a real trainer even though that would be better).

5. Education. Most of what I called “entertainment” could fall here. But basically if there is anything I don’t know – I can look it up. Medical info. New healthy recipes. How to tie knots. How to change a tire when I’m stuck on the side of the road with no man it sight. What’s the biggest lake in the world? What does the human brain look like? It’s endless.

Don’t forget to interact with real live people once in a while. Leave work at work when you go home. Get outside in the sunshine and be active. Travel and see new places. Be patient and be aware of information addiction. Turn off the technology for a while when it gets too overwhelming. Be safe. Don't be rude.

Use your Smartphone/iPad wisely and I don’t think you’ll become dumber or lazier.   

Water lily Pond

I visited Longwood Gardens in the fall but never got a chance to post a blog about it.  My favorite part if this visit was the water lily pond.  I think I could have stayed there for an hour or so.  And don't tell anyone, but I couldn't resist touching a few of them!  (I also had an urge to stand on them, but I refrained from trying that.)

There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The display at Longwood has more than 100 types of day and night-blooming tropical waterlilies, hardy waterlilies, lotuses, giant water-platters and other aquatic and bog plants.

Water lilies improve the quality of lakes and ponds in a few ways. They provide shade, shelter and cooler water temperatures for fish and invertebrates living in the water. And they are able to filter and detoxify the water by removing metals. They are also nutrient rich and can attract local wildlife such as deer, beaver, ducks, porcupines and muskrat to the pond. They feed on the seeds, roots, leaves and flowers of the water lily.