Coffee with Kel

Building relationships, encouraging hope

kelly

WHO Wednesday

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I decided to start something fun on Wednesdays. I decided to call it WHO – What’s Hot Online. This will be a collect of various things – great blogs, articles of interest, recipes, news stories, etc. I’m always open to suggestion as well.

For my very first WHO, I decided to highlight my friend Cheryl’s blog called Live Fit Daily. I have a link for this blog in my sidebar, but it’s more than just a link – it’s a wholehearted referral. I have known Cheryl for a number of years and I have always known her to be very active and fit.  I take her Zumba class when I can and I am still amazed at her boundless energy and the way she can smile at the end of an hour workout.  She has also been a cheerleader for me with running. She is one of the ones that told me to stick with it even when I didn’t like it because it would get better. She was right. No surprise there. This lady knows her stuff when it comes to exercise and so much more.  So, when I recommend her blog it’s not random – it’s completely on purpose because I trust her knowledge and advice.

At Live Fit Daily, Cheryl posts all sorts of great information about how to live a healthy lifestyle every day. She posts exercise tips, recipes, home ideas and more. It is a great blog to add to your reader and keep up with regularly. You can also “like” her Facebook page, by clicking here.

Thanks, Cheryl, for sharing your enthusiasm for better living! You are a great inspiration!

Blessings,

Kelly

My journey into running…

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I have recently taking up running. I should say right off the bat that prior to late February of this year, I have never really been a runner.  I made feeble attempts at Couch to 5K in the past, but I never stayed with it then. I had literally never run a mile straight.  Actually, I can’t recall a time when I ever ran any distance at all. Running just wasn’t my thing. I used to tease and say “I’m not running if nothing is chasing me.” I meant it. I had no interest in running.  Oh, I knew it was fantastic exercise, but I was just sure it wasn’t for me. After all, my lungs didn’t like to cooperate with running and I could always work out in other ways, right? The excuses were plentiful and mostly legit.

I can’t say exactly what inspired me because, frankly, I don’t know WHY, but I told Mickey in late February that if he found a 5k for me in April that I would train and run it. He took me at my word and found a local 5k for me. The date? April 2nd. When I first told him I’d run an April race, I was thinking late April, naturally. But, no…he found one the very first Saturday of the month.  I knew I had to make good on my word, so I got to work.

I knew I wanted to go use the “Couch to 5k” training program, but I wanted it to be more interactive. So, I purchased the Interval Run app for my iPhone. This app has a few training programs,  C25K being one of them. Mickey has an arm band for iPhone, so I was able to wear my iPhone and play the app at the same time.  This is an excellent app, in my opinion. I could play my own music playlist in the background and run the app over it. The app would break in and tell me when to walk/run at each interval. That way I didn’t have to keep up with time on a watch – I could just focus on running. The app also keeps a record of runs.  I highly recommend it!

When I first started training, it was HARD. As in, running for one minute straight was extremely difficult. I dreaded when I would have to run two minutes straight and then MORE. I didn’t look forward to the early training runs at all, but I kept plugging away at them.  My friend Curi ran with me for my second training run and I know she had to think that I was a total wimp, but, to her credit,  she pushed me and didn’t let me stop. Due to crazy schedules, I wasn’t able to run with her again for a couple of weeks and in that time she could definitely see marked improvement with my running. By that point, I was up to five minutes in a row. FIVE minutes. Woah. Okay, that seems silly now, but back then it seemed pretty incredible. When I was able to break five minutes, I somehow knew I could go all the way with the training.

At this point, I’m due for a confessional. I dropped the C25k program about mid-way through. It’s a great program and I was doing well on it. However, I just felt ready to push for more.  I got on the treadmill at the Y one day and ran a nice easy mile and a half. It wasn’t fast nor strenuous, but I did it! I was so proud! I knew then that I could start pushing for more distance. So, I did. Curi and I went out to the Chattahoochee River one Friday for me to attempt two miles. This was a first for me because I had only run the mile and a half on the treadmill earlier in the week and I surely had not run any distance outside. But, we went and I was determined. Guess what?! I did it!! Curi was so encouraging along the way and I made it!! This was just over three weeks before my first 5k, so it really bolstered my confidence that I’d be able to tackle the whole 5k prior to race day. WOO HOO!! (Note: It’s not advisable to rush training.  This blog is the abridged version of my training story. I took it easy and made sure I could do this without stress. C25K is an excellent program and I can’t recommend it highly enough. This is my own opinion, not paid for it.)

I won’t candy-coat anything, I still didn’t enjoy running while in the process, but I was all about the “runner’s high”/energy burst afterward. For that matter, I’m still mostly that way. I don’t exactly love pounding the pavement, but I am all about the accomplishment and energy. I can definitely tell that my fitness level has increased a great deal already. I am just amazed.

Back to my training story. Mickey and I went back out to the river two Fridays before the race. I wanted to push for three miles. Well, more accurately, he thought I could push for three and I decided to go for it. It was not at all easy, admittedly, but I made it! I did three miles for the very first time on Friday, March 18th!! It wasn’t quite the 3.1 mile 5k distance, but I was darn close and I was SUPER happy with my progress!! I was also completely amazed at how far I had come in a few short weeks.  Running a minute straight had been a challenge when I started and with training I was able to finally put three miles under my shoes. Amazing!! Mickey and I decided to run the race course the week prior to my first 5k. So, on Friday, March 25th, we set out to run the course. We had driven it and I knew it was hilly, so I was a little bit intimidated. I am all about pacing myself and Mickey is gracious enough to pace with me, so we set out on the course on Friday morning and I ran the whole thing! My time just over 42 minutes. Not speedy, but I wasn’t going for speed – I was going for completion. SUCCESS!!!

I have heard people talk about having “bad runs” and I felt very fortunate in my early training that I hadn’t had a really bad run yet. Hard ones, sure, but no BAD ones. That changed the Wednesday just before race. I set out to run a 2.5 mile loop near our house and I just bombed. I wound up walking quite a bit of it. It was just bad. I couldn’t get into the run physically nor mentally. Ugh. So, my first bad run was officially under me at that point.

Saturday, April 2nd was race day. Mickey and I were running it together and my friend Melody had signed up too. My first race. Several friends had told me that the adrenaline on race day is pretty amazing and that it would carry me. All I can say is — YES, they were correct. Lining up at the start line was pretty exciting. I knew I had to reign myself in and not just take off based on surging adrenaline, so that’s what I did. Mickey stayed with me and we ran a nice smooth pace the whole race. Melody was ahead of us, but we could see her the whole time.  My official time was just over 39 minutes. I had shaved off THREE minutes from my time the week prior. WOW!!! I knew then that I was hooked. I had accomplished my two race goals – run the whole time and don’t finish last. I had literally gone from the couch to a 5k in a few short weeks. Amazing!!

Mickey and I have a goal now to run one 5k per month. We have been scouring Run Georgia‘s website to find races in our general area. There are great ones happening all over Georgia, and especially the metro area, so it’s easy to find ones to run together. We weren’t planning to run another 5k in April, but some of our Sunday School friends invited us to join them at a race last weekend and we did that one too. The course was nice and flat, beside the river, and I turned in a time of 36:53 officially. My time was better than my previous best. Sweet!! Now we are looking for other races to run each month. Exciting!

Mickey entered us into the lottery to try to get Peachtree Road Race numbers and WE GOT IN! Both of us!! So, now I am officially training for a 10k. The Peachtree is a famous Atlanta 10k that takes place every July 4th. I used to say people were crazy to get out and run in that Georgia heat, but it looks like I’m joining their ranks now. No one ever said I wasn’t crazy, did they?! 🙂 I’m looking forward to that huge race. I know already that I won’t be racing for time, but more for the experience.

My journey into running has been a success story. I’m not exaggerating when I say I never thought I’d be a runner. I never really had any interest in it, honestly. Mickey has been a runner for years and years,  but I never thought I would be too.  I’m still not at the point where I “love” it, but I’m enjoying it more all the time. I’m also incredibly proud of my accomplishments. I am just in awe at how God created this body to respond in strength. When things get tough during a run, I remember Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” AND Hebrews 12:1 – “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” These really inspire me and push me to keep going. It also helps to have great music in my ear.

If you’ve ever thought about running, but didn’t think you could do it, I encourage you to try. The first few weeks are tough, I’ll admit that, but it’s worth it.  Don’t give up. Give the Couch to 5k program a shot. Try the Interval Run app if you want something a little more interactive. If I can do this, anyone can. I’m convinced.

Blessings,

Kelly

Waking Up My Blog…

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It’s time to wake up this sleepy blog of mine. It’s been WAY too long since I posted here, hasn’t it? I’m going to try my best to do better about keeping it updated. I won’t make any promises at this point, but I’ll definitely try to do better.

I won’t even attempt to cover all the ground I’ve missed since the last blog update. That would take way too long. What I will do is recount the last 21 days because that has been how long it’s been since I was on Facebook or Twitter. Our pastor called our church into a 21-day fast, so my fast was social media (FB and Twitter) and also Target. Yes, Target. What can I say — I like that place entirely too much. The fast ended today with communion, so I figured that getting my blog back on track was a good way to reenter into social media.

Here’s just a bit of what went on over the last 21-days — in no particular order:

  • I saw the beautiful execution of “Celebration of the Arts” day at Macey’s school come to fruition. Since we didn’t have a chair for this event, I took it on and had some amazing help from our wonderful principal and also some fantastic volunteers. The big day was Friday, April 1st and it could not have gone any better.  It was a full day of artistic immersion for our students and I am thrilled that it went so well.
  • I ran my first 5k! I told Mickey back in February that if he’d find a 5k for me in April, I’d train and run it. Now, here’s a confession – prior to this, I was not a runner. As in, when I started the “Couch to 5k” training, it was all I could do to run one minute straight. Seriously. But, I did it. I stuck with the training and I ran my very first 5k on Saturday, April 2nd. I had two goals – run the whole thing and don’t finish last.  I accomplished both!! Eight days prior to the race, I ran the course in 42 minutes and change. On race day, I ran it in 39 minutes and change. A good three minutes better than the week before. WOO HOO! I have to say, that accomplishment felt great! (Look for a post soon on how I got into running. I think that’s a story worth posting.)
  • Prior to Celebration and the race, our family (with the lucky exception of Mickey) dealt with a wretched stomach virus. Mariana first, then me and then Macey. It was bad and I’ll spare details. Macey got it the worst and actually wound up needing IV fluids and anti-nausea meds at the ER. Fortunately, we all made a good rebound and Mickey never caught it. Thank you, God, for healing!
  • We spent a wonderful week at the beach for spring break. Okay, I’ll admit — I wish it had been a touch warmer, but it was still a beautiful week. Any time at the beach is good time.
  • I continued to plug away at my two online college classes. I’m working on my degree in Early Childhood Education – after all these years. I’m only taking online courses and not many at a time, but I’ll get there. This semester hasn’t been great. I have one class I really like and one I really don’t.  I’m also crazy busy these days, so it’s been more of a struggle to focus on school. Let’s just say that I’ll be glad when this semester is done and I just want to get out of the one class and stay out.
  • We are dog-sitting for Misty, the cutest dog EVER. She belongs to a dear friend who had to travel unexpectedly and has been a most gracious house guest. I think Misty has even managed to convince Mickey that having a dog isn’t such a bad thing. Hmmmmm. We’ll see how that pans out, I guess.
  • I ran my second 5k this past weekend. I didn’t think I’d do one again so soon, but some of our Sunday School friends mentioned a race they were doing and encouraged us to join them. So, we did. It was a cool morning, but not cold.  Great running conditions.  I turned in a time of 36:53 officially (36:43 by Mickey’s watch since we were 10 seconds off the starting line) which is better than my previous best.  It helps that the course was flat. 🙂 When we got to the 3mile marker and I could see the clock at the finish line, I broke into a sprint to get in under 37 minutes. It worked.
  • Mickey and I went to the “Emotional Traffic” tour concert last night with our friends Ali and Chase. It was awesome! We saw The Band Perry, Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw. Luke Bryan is from my hometown and was in the same grade with my brother in school, so it is great to see him chasing his dream and being so successful. Tim, as always, put on a great show!! We are now looking forward to the Kenny Chesney “Goin’ Coastal” tour on May 20th.

I guess that’s a pretty good recap. More has gone on, of course, but I don’t want to get too long-winded or boring.

I’ll post again soon. Hold me to it. Call me out if I don’t. Better yet, make me run an extra half mile for every day I miss. Wait. No, let’s not be extreme.  😉

Blessings,

Kelly

 

A Praise Report

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Macey started getting sick with a stomach virus on Sunday evening. She felt puny, but overall okay on Monday, but still had to miss school due to the virus and fever. On Tuesday, she felt considerably worse. She slept almost all day which is not like Macey at all. Her fever broke on Tuesday afternoon and she started to feel a bit better. Her appetite and energy levels were still way down, but she was at least feeling somewhat better. Wednesday was a much better day. Macey still couldn’t return to school because she had not been fever free for 24 hours AND she was still not feeling 100% yet. She ate a little bit better yesterday and even had more energy to play which was a beautiful thing to see. This morning, she ate a good breakfast and felt like going back to school. We are so happy that she is feeling better. In the grand scheme of things, that nasty stomach “bug” was short-lived, but it was a rough one during the time she had it. We are so grateful that she is well now! Praise God! Here’s to hoping that Macey has a wonderful day back at school. She was so excited to return and was even looking forward to jumping rope in PE today. 😉

No More Mini-Van Mama…

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It’s a new era in our house. Well, maybe it’s more accurate to say that it’s a revived old era. Either way, I am no longer a “mini van mama.”  We traded in our 2003 Ford Windstar mini van yesterday and came home with a “sangria red” Ford Explorer. This is not the greatest photo, but is one I snapped with my phone just this morning:

Isn’t she pretty? I have never had a red vehicle prior to this one. I should admit that when we were initially starting to look, I didn’t think I wanted a red one. Figures that it’s the one I wound up with, right? But, actually, I’m loving it. It’s a nice red. It’s not blaring, but is nice and fun. And, hey, you can definitely pick it out in a parking lot. 😉

Our poor old van was getting on up in years and miles and since we do a lot of traveling, we knew it was time to take the plunge and trade it in. I have to admit, it was somewhat bittersweet. We got our van a couple of months before Mariana was born. Prior to that, I had been driving what was my dream vehicle at the time – a taupe colored Jeep Grand Cherokee. Man, I loved that Jeep. I had always wanted one and we found a honey of a deal on a used one when we moved back from Alabama. But, with an almost three year old and a baby on the way, a mini van made more sense at that time. So, when the Jeep started to have issue after issue, we knew it was time to trade.  We found our van at CarMax and made the trade. I  will say with all honesty that going from the Jeep to the Windstar was a great move for us. The ease of getting the girls in and out of the van was incredible. Having two auto sliding doors? LOVED it! Everything about the van fit just right for having two little ones. And, for right at four years I was a mini van mama even though I never imagined that I would be one.

Of late, the van had started to show signs of her age. We knew that we were approaching the “now or almost never” stage for trading because we wanted to make sure that at least some value was preserved in the van. So, we’ve been watching rebates/cash incentives and finally contacted our favorite “Ford guy” late last week. He called yesterday to say that he had an Explorer for us, so we took our sweet old van in for a trade. Like I said, it was bittersweet. That was our first family-of-four vehicle. We brought Mariana home in that van. It was time for it to go, but the memories were sweet.  We went and picked up our new truck yesterday and we all love it. The girls think it’s great. It’s so nice to drive also. I love that it’s roomy, but it doesn’t feel like I’m driving a tank. I’m so happy and feel so blessed to have this new vehicle and can’t wait to make many fun memories along the miles.

~Kelly