My hiatus from Blogging has ended.
OK so it has been a while since I have done a blog. Mostly, with the advent of Marathon Training, I haven’t had too much on my mind that hasn’t been pounded in the pavement with each step. That is probably the nicest side effect (yes even over the weight loss) of Marathon Training/Running on a regular basis. I usually listen to music during my runs during the week. But Saturdays are my endurance runs, and I don’t have any music, I just try and find my “compass north” mentally and focus on the world around me. Running at the crack of dawn, when there are few people, makes the world almost seem like it belongs to you, to conquer. Plus there is the less cars means less of a chance of me getting hit I also enjoy the instant camaraderie of bicyclist and other runners out at that early time. Everyone waves, says Hi, in between breaths, and smiles. It’s like joining an instant Club, that seems to be exclusive, but all it takes is an alarm clock and some determination to join.
This past week was a little unsettling for me. It marked the one year anniversary of my Gram’s passing. I think worse than that feeling of reliving the last day on earth she was here, and how I got to spend it with her, was the STILL uneasy fact that NO ONE in my family remembered. No, I didn’t call anyone to tell them, because that doesn’t seem very genuine. I handled the pain on my own, in my own head. Just like I did a year ago when she passed.
Our oldest Super Princess starts kindergarten this August (or as our family likes to say, “Big Girl School”)! She is so excited, and so is our youngest Super Princess! She is so excited for her big sister to start her Big Girl School. Damary and I are equally excited and scared for the both of them. Because they are so close in age, this will be the first time they are not together. We have spent the better part of a year preparing each of them for this, and it seems we have done well. Turns out, maybe we should have been preparing each other!
Speaking of the Super Princesses, a couple of months ago, I took a silent look at myself as a parent….and wasn’t too happy. I realized I wasn’t doing something, that I am a firm believer EVERY child MUST hear from their parents, frequently. I wasn’t flat-out telling them, individually and collectively, how proud of them I am. I think most of us as parents tend to assume they know. Maybe because we’re not correcting them, we assume they must know. Or maybe we don’t think it is as important for our children to hear, right away, as corrective behavior…and then time passes and we don’t think about it.
But here is the thing: I have plenty of adult friends, who have said to me, at one time or another, how they never heard their parents, flat out, unconditionally tell them that they are proud of them for something they did.
Since then, I make sure, when the Super Princesses do something well, they know how I feel about it. Turns out, I noticed almost an immediate difference in the girls. They don’t seem as scared to take a chance and possibly make a mistake. Turns out, I see less acting out, because they are realizing that acting out is no longer the only way to get my undivided attention. They also get it when they do something well. Plus it also gives them a sense of pride. And don’t all our children deserve that??
So Marathon Training/Running has helped me in more than just the physical. I find I have
greater patience in general, and even though I thought it would be this HUGE time commitment to start, it turns out it wasn’t at all. The pictures are of me in my two pairs of Running Shoes:
For anyone that is curious, my race schedule (pending) is as follows: July 17th The Meltdown (Three 5K Races, back to back to back); August 21st (Moonlight Mile and 8K (I will be doing the 8K); September 25th 7th Annual Put-In-Bay 5K at the Bay (if all things work out, this will be the first race Damary and I run together!!); October 16th (day before my birthday) Indianapolis Half-Marathon & Marathon (I will do the half…my first!); December 4th Memphis Half Marathon and Marathon (I will be doing my first full marathon, in the city our oldest Super Princess was born)! I am excited to try this new change in my life!
-Until The Wheels Fall Off
-Corey
This past week was a little unsettling for me. It marked the one year anniversary of my Gram’s passing. I think worse than that feeling of reliving the last day on earth she was here, and how I got to spend it with her, was the STILL uneasy fact that NO ONE in my family remembered. No, I didn’t call anyone to tell them, because that doesn’t seem very genuine. I handled the pain on my own, in my own head. Just like I did a year ago when she passed.
Our oldest Super Princess starts kindergarten this August (or as our family likes to say, “Big Girl School”)! She is so excited, and so is our youngest Super Princess! She is so excited for her big sister to start her Big Girl School. Damary and I are equally excited and scared for the both of them. Because they are so close in age, this will be the first time they are not together. We have spent the better part of a year preparing each of them for this, and it seems we have done well. Turns out, maybe we should have been preparing each other!
Speaking of the Super Princesses, a couple of months ago, I took a silent look at myself as a parent….and wasn’t too happy. I realized I wasn’t doing something, that I am a firm believer EVERY child MUST hear from their parents, frequently. I wasn’t flat-out telling them, individually and collectively, how proud of them I am. I think most of us as parents tend to assume they know. Maybe because we’re not correcting them, we assume they must know. Or maybe we don’t think it is as important for our children to hear, right away, as corrective behavior…and then time passes and we don’t think about it.
But here is the thing: I have plenty of adult friends, who have said to me, at one time or another, how they never heard their parents, flat out, unconditionally tell them that they are proud of them for something they did.
Since then, I make sure, when the Super Princesses do something well, they know how I feel about it. Turns out, I noticed almost an immediate difference in the girls. They don’t seem as scared to take a chance and possibly make a mistake. Turns out, I see less acting out, because they are realizing that acting out is no longer the only way to get my undivided attention. They also get it when they do something well. Plus it also gives them a sense of pride. And don’t all our children deserve that??
So Marathon Training/Running has helped me in more than just the physical. I find I have
greater patience in general, and even though I thought it would be this HUGE time commitment to start, it turns out it wasn’t at all. The pictures are of me in my two pairs of Running Shoes:
For anyone that is curious, my race schedule (pending) is as follows: July 17th The Meltdown (Three 5K Races, back to back to back); August 21st (Moonlight Mile and 8K (I will be doing the 8K); September 25th 7th Annual Put-In-Bay 5K at the Bay (if all things work out, this will be the first race Damary and I run together!!); October 16th (day before my birthday) Indianapolis Half-Marathon & Marathon (I will do the half…my first!); December 4th Memphis Half Marathon and Marathon (I will be doing my first full marathon, in the city our oldest Super Princess was born)! I am excited to try this new change in my life!
-Until The Wheels Fall Off
-Corey
Im a Saucony man myself , but nice sneaks none the less ! Im proud of you brother! Keep it going, my training is starting to take a tick up in the hard direction myself, so i will be joining in the fray on the streets !
ReplyDeleteI'm an asics girl but it depends on what works for you!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes...running like that is like a club. I love how we all have such an instant connection just for lacing up a pair of trainers and hitting the pavement. Welcome to the club!!