Dear Day One of Couch to 5k,
I kicked your butt!
Love,
Amy
I did it. Okay, well...the first day of the couch to 5k. But they say the first step is the hardest. I have my red pen ready...and day one is CHECKED OFF! 9 weeks to go!
Monday, April 20, 2009
I DID IT! Well, kind of...
I did it. Okay, well...the first day of the couch to 5k. But they say the first step is the hardest. I have my red pen ready...and day one is CHECKED OFF! 9 weeks to go!
Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop...
Today has been one for the books.
Like it wasn’t bad enough that it was a Monday. OR that I couldn’t sleep at all last night because of that dang BBQ I decided to eat at 8:30 last night. OR the fact that I overslept by nearly an hour. OR that I really have many clean clothes options to choose from. OR that the coffee at work tastes like dirt and I didn’t have time to make my own. OR that stopping to get coffee wasn't even an option because of how late I really was.
But to make matters worse, once I finally got to work…uncaffeinated, tired, and cold. My day continued to bring disappointment.
10 minutes after arriving, I was finally able to get my stupid computer to cooperate. After logging in, frustrated and rushed, I clicked through emails that were waiting from me. One from the boss, one from a co-worker, one corporate announcement, one from one of our accreditation agencies. Wait a minute. There was no reason we should be hearing from them right now. WHAT?! THEY WANT TO COME AND DO AN AUDIT?! Well, actually, an “onsite review.” But it means the same thing. I sat staring at the screen, then I threw up a little in my mouth. Need. Coffee. Now. I walked to my boss’ office. Nowhere to be found. Um…I needed someone. Anyone. I wanted to burst into tears. It took every muscle in my body to hold the tears back. For the next 10 hours, it seemed like everything that could possibly go wrong did.
How many shoes are there left to drop? I mean, I only have two feet.
Like it wasn’t bad enough that it was a Monday. OR that I couldn’t sleep at all last night because of that dang BBQ I decided to eat at 8:30 last night. OR the fact that I overslept by nearly an hour. OR that I really have many clean clothes options to choose from. OR that the coffee at work tastes like dirt and I didn’t have time to make my own. OR that stopping to get coffee wasn't even an option because of how late I really was.
But to make matters worse, once I finally got to work…uncaffeinated, tired, and cold. My day continued to bring disappointment.
10 minutes after arriving, I was finally able to get my stupid computer to cooperate. After logging in, frustrated and rushed, I clicked through emails that were waiting from me. One from the boss, one from a co-worker, one corporate announcement, one from one of our accreditation agencies. Wait a minute. There was no reason we should be hearing from them right now. WHAT?! THEY WANT TO COME AND DO AN AUDIT?! Well, actually, an “onsite review.” But it means the same thing. I sat staring at the screen, then I threw up a little in my mouth. Need. Coffee. Now. I walked to my boss’ office. Nowhere to be found. Um…I needed someone. Anyone. I wanted to burst into tears. It took every muscle in my body to hold the tears back. For the next 10 hours, it seemed like everything that could possibly go wrong did.
How many shoes are there left to drop? I mean, I only have two feet.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
We Will See How This Goes...
I started a journey over the past week. One I wasn't really excited about starting, but I knew it was something I needed to do. I'm not quite sure where I'll end up...or how long it will take me to get there.
It had been four months since I'd been to the gym. That's a long dang time. And I was able to pull myself out of bed on Saturday morning to start my journey. But surprisingly, it wasn't painful. I met a friend, hopped on an elliptical and went to town. Of course, I'm sure it helped that Rookie of the Year was on tv and it's one I could probably quote most of the movie from watching it every day as a kid. But I felt good afterwards. I felt like it was 11 am on a Saturday and I'd already accomplished more than was on my to do list.
Sunday afternoon, I found myself back at the gym on the same elliptical watching The Goonies with my friend on the machine next to me. And Monday, I was back. At this point, I felt like a regular!
By Tuesday after work, I was actually looking forward to getting to the Y. Now, I'll admit that I was pretty excited when I walked into the cardio theater to find one of the best movies of all time playing...TOP GUN! Now if I hadn't had plans, I might have walked 21 miles by the end of the movie, but I settled for the 30 mins I did get to enjoy.
There's a lot of people encouraging me to try the couch to 5k program. I've never been much of a runner at all. But I'm contemplating giving it a try. I'm hoping to continue a few more workouts, then maybe I'll be ready to jump into it. I've even heard there's a podcast that you can download so you know when to run or walk...so I'm thinking maybe I'll check it out. We'll see what happens!
Any runners who can offer advice? What would go on your workout playlist?
It had been four months since I'd been to the gym. That's a long dang time. And I was able to pull myself out of bed on Saturday morning to start my journey. But surprisingly, it wasn't painful. I met a friend, hopped on an elliptical and went to town. Of course, I'm sure it helped that Rookie of the Year was on tv and it's one I could probably quote most of the movie from watching it every day as a kid. But I felt good afterwards. I felt like it was 11 am on a Saturday and I'd already accomplished more than was on my to do list.
Sunday afternoon, I found myself back at the gym on the same elliptical watching The Goonies with my friend on the machine next to me. And Monday, I was back. At this point, I felt like a regular!
By Tuesday after work, I was actually looking forward to getting to the Y. Now, I'll admit that I was pretty excited when I walked into the cardio theater to find one of the best movies of all time playing...TOP GUN! Now if I hadn't had plans, I might have walked 21 miles by the end of the movie, but I settled for the 30 mins I did get to enjoy.
There's a lot of people encouraging me to try the couch to 5k program. I've never been much of a runner at all. But I'm contemplating giving it a try. I'm hoping to continue a few more workouts, then maybe I'll be ready to jump into it. I've even heard there's a podcast that you can download so you know when to run or walk...so I'm thinking maybe I'll check it out. We'll see what happens!
Any runners who can offer advice? What would go on your workout playlist?
Friday, April 03, 2009
Hanging Out With the Homeless
Monday night I had the opportunity to participate in a homeless outreach event. A friend from work was leading it that particular night and invited me. Some of his friends started it by just wanting to provide meals to some of the homeless community in downtown Nashville. Because of its success, it has sense become a weekly event. They get together on Monday nights to pull their money together to make meals and take them downtown.
It was kind of cold on Sunday night and I found myself kind of dreading it. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks…I realized that I was complaining about it being cold outside, but they’re the ones living outside, trying to find warmth. I have the ability to put on extra layers of clothing, and wrap up in my scarf and gloves. I felt like a complete jerk! So, I changed my attitude and by Monday afternoon, I was actually looking forward to going to hang out with the homeless.
I left work a little early and met my friend at the store. We picked up 40 hot dogs, buns, chips, and water. Then we headed over to one of his friend’s house to cook and pack everything up into little brown bag dinners. Each bag had a hot dog wrapped in aluminum foil to keep it warm, a bag of chips, a bottle of water or soda, a banana or an orange, and some type of dessert. We also made a large cooler of tea, and a large container of clothes to pass out.
Then we headed downtown to set up shop. It was my first time participating, but most of the others are regulars. As soon as we walked up, the homeless men and women started flocking. The coolest thing was witnessing the relationships that had already been established. Some of the homeless men were asking where some of the regulars where. Some of the regulars were asking about things that would have happened in their lives over the past week. It was neat to see that just by passing out a meal, true community was actually happening. I had several incredibly interesting conversations. To listen to these men tell me stories about old jobs, their sons and daughters, broken relationships, old jobs, growing up in East Nashville. I realized that they just wanted someone to talk to…someone to invest in them. Probably even more than that hot meal.
I haven’t stopped thinking or praying for the people I encountered Monday night. I’m hoping to be able to go back when I’m able. I heard someone say recently that when we volunteer, most of the time we are benefited just as much, if not more. I truly agree that my heart definitely needed a reminder this week.
It was kind of cold on Sunday night and I found myself kind of dreading it. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks…I realized that I was complaining about it being cold outside, but they’re the ones living outside, trying to find warmth. I have the ability to put on extra layers of clothing, and wrap up in my scarf and gloves. I felt like a complete jerk! So, I changed my attitude and by Monday afternoon, I was actually looking forward to going to hang out with the homeless.
I left work a little early and met my friend at the store. We picked up 40 hot dogs, buns, chips, and water. Then we headed over to one of his friend’s house to cook and pack everything up into little brown bag dinners. Each bag had a hot dog wrapped in aluminum foil to keep it warm, a bag of chips, a bottle of water or soda, a banana or an orange, and some type of dessert. We also made a large cooler of tea, and a large container of clothes to pass out.
Then we headed downtown to set up shop. It was my first time participating, but most of the others are regulars. As soon as we walked up, the homeless men and women started flocking. The coolest thing was witnessing the relationships that had already been established. Some of the homeless men were asking where some of the regulars where. Some of the regulars were asking about things that would have happened in their lives over the past week. It was neat to see that just by passing out a meal, true community was actually happening. I had several incredibly interesting conversations. To listen to these men tell me stories about old jobs, their sons and daughters, broken relationships, old jobs, growing up in East Nashville. I realized that they just wanted someone to talk to…someone to invest in them. Probably even more than that hot meal.
I haven’t stopped thinking or praying for the people I encountered Monday night. I’m hoping to be able to go back when I’m able. I heard someone say recently that when we volunteer, most of the time we are benefited just as much, if not more. I truly agree that my heart definitely needed a reminder this week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)