Mish Mash of Progress

Fitness and Nutrition is off to a better start this week.  The allergy season has wreaked havoc on me and my family.  It's not pleasant when the nicest time of the year with regards to weather is also the most dreadful time of year due to the pollen.

I have been trying out my new shoes, the Ghost 3, and am pretty pleased thus far.  I have been running in a motion-control shoe since I first started running four years ago.  I have always run in the Cascadia Trail shoe, however, which is a neutral shoe.  I could not figure out why the neutral shoe was great on the trail, but not on the road.  After having more pain in my legs than I would leg this past year, I decided to try the neutral shoe and see what happens.  

I don't notice a fluffy cloud when I place my foot into the shoe.  I am glad for this as I want to really feel what my body is doing while it is in motion.  I feel how I am moving my legs and the work involved in lifting the knee and the foot from the ground.  

I have been having some burning in my calves, especially when I run hills, but this usually goes away if I am running longer than 5 miles. 

I have also been attending Yoga classes at the Y.  I've enjoyed the stretching and the feeling of relaxation once the class is finished.  It is not easy by any means.  I find I am sweating quite a bit to maintain the poses.  I don't know all of the names yet, but that really isn't of great importance to me right now.  Perhaps some day.  

Our garden is doing well.  It's been 10 days since we planted everything and we have already begun to witness some changes.  

Boo's 1st Strawberry!

Trying to learn not only a method of gardening, but also everything about gardening all at once is quite a daunting task.  I'm trying to not become compulsive about this, rather, just let nature take it's course and teach me along the way.

The kids and I planted some seeds indoors as well.  We are hoping these sprout soon so that we can add them to our garden.

Check back in 2 weeks to see if they've sprouted

 My Lenten sacrifices are going well.  I have only checked FB once or twice and that was on a Sunday.  I do get some of the messages from FB on my phone, so if it is of an urgent nature I will respond.  I am not checking into FB, so it's not really cheating, right?  Truthfully, giving up FB wasn't as hard as I anticipated.  I stopped thinking in "status update" mode about 10 days into Lent.  I guess I didn't realize how caught up I was in it.  I do miss it a tad when I am trying to distract myself from other things, but really, I don't even know if I want to pick that sacrifice back up again.


My other sacrifice was to give up everything except tap water to drink.  The first thing that came to mind was COFFEE!  I love my coffee.  I didn't think I could give it up.  I gave it up several years ago and I was miserable during the detox process.  I had the headache from you-know-where, and I was quite unpleasant to live with for about a week.

This clean, clear, fresh water is a blessing.

This time was different.  I did not experience a headache at all.  It was easy to give up.  The first week I hardly noticed it being gone.  I was drinking plenty of water and that felt good.  Now, though, I find I am really craving it.  I miss it so much.  This is truly a sacrifice for me.  And when the cravings hit, I offer them up to God.  It is seems like such a silly, small thing to offer as a penance.  It is a sacrifice made in love, and hopefully that is pleasing to Him.  I would not be truthful if I didn't say, I do look forward to that cup of java on Easter morning!