Searching for the beauty in all things

This bunch of irises helps to remind me to find the beauty of all things. And that includes the beauty within. Not to judge myself based on how far, how fast or even the consistency of my run. The beauty to me is the fact that I do it!

This reminds me to find the beauty in my daughter - her laughter, her smile, the fact that she still wants to do the 'kissing hand' before we part in the morning - at age 7! It reminds me to find the beauty in my marriage - my husband and his kindness, patience and never-ending flexibility with schedules, child-rearing and 'work' that a marriage takes to be successful. And what does success look like anyway? The beauty of that is we make that choice - and it's what we model for our daughter.

When I went to change the channel the other day during a kissing scene on television. She said, "Mommy, why are you changing the channel?" I responded, "Because you don't need to see all that kissing!" "But Mommy,' she chimed in, 'you and Daddy kiss all the time!"

Although it may not feel that way to me, she sees an affectionate marriage and friendship between the two people who still have a great deal of influence on her! That made me proud to know that she notices that we still love each other so much!

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"If You Run Slow, Who Cares"

hoto: www.shutterstock.com "If You Run Slow, Who Cares? By Jeff Gaudette Published (Link to Competitor Article )Apr. 16, 2013 If you think you are a slow runner, push that thought out of your mind. It's detrimental to your progress. Being a “slow” runner is merely a state of mind. Don’t let that affect your running. When I first started working with age group and recreational runners in 2006, one of the biggest surprises to me was the amount of negative thinking and lack of self-confidence many runners exhibited. Almost every runner that joined the group introduced themselves to me by stating “I’m probably the slowest person you’ve ever coached” or “you probably don’t work with runners as slow as I am.” It didn’t matter what their personal bests actually were, almost all conversations started in a similar manner. Unfortunately, I’ve found that not much has changed in the last seven years. Many runners, both new and experienced, hesitate to join local ru...

Good week!

Sometimes I find I need to pick back up .. and not necessarily where I left off ... in order to move forward. This has been a terrific week of running a total of 14 miles, eating healthy, quality family time, date night with my husband, enjoying new friendships and overcoming work challenges! I find I'm 5 lb. down for the year, short of my goal of 25 by now. I am working away on another exam for accreditation at work and I'm prepared to what may soon be more responsibility at work. These are all good things! And I celebrate them! I'm moving, I'm happy and I'm enjoying my days.... and that's what matters to me! The times when I was stuck, injured, sad or just plain lazy - are behind me and the current path feels so much better. There are no guarantees I might not end up there again - but I know I'll come out the other side feeling stronger and ready to re-commit to the bright side!

What type of runner are you?

The idea for this post came from: Courage to Run blog I just cannot resist a quiz .. to assess me in some form or fashion. To be honest it doesn't matter to me what 'kind' of runner I am, it just matters to me that I RUN!! Here's the link to the quiz: What Kind of Runner Are You? Here's my answers (multiple choice) and results! Do you often vary your routes? d) No. I stick to a few routes because I find that the time seems to pass more quickly when I'm on familiar ground. How important are the health benefits of running to you? b) I'm glad there are long-term benefits, but I'm more focused on how good running makes me feel today. You're a minute slower for a 5K than you were last year. What do you do about it? b) Don't care too much as long as the experience feels the same. You usually run after work, but your new boss asks if you want to go out for a drink. Do you go? d) Yes. I'll rearrange my schedule and mak...

Run, Laugh, Eat, Repeat

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