I Survived My First 5K!

Thank you to those who donated to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure in Phoenix Oct. 11, 2009 (hope I didn't bug too much)! That's me and my hubby, who was very supportive even as I dragged him into this. My own experience training for this race taught me a couple of things: 1. Running is hard! 2. Training on a treadmill has little resemblance to real running.

We live in brutally hot Phoenix, so running outside to train was not an option. My first foray outside my front door in running shoes was last week. I was pretty demoralized by the time I got back home, and after running a second day with severe side flank pain as if my liver were about to explode (for some reason duck liver pate kept coming to mind) I was positive I'd made a mistake. Looking on the bright side, I'd raised a lot more money than I could've ever given on my own and heightened awareness to breast cancer so all was not lost. I resigned myself to a run/walk on the big day. Race time neared and I started hemming and hawing. My husband, who was walking the 5K walk event, looked me squarely in the eyes and reminded me I'd trained for this and to go run it. As I started jogging, ASU cheerleaders, marching bands and just regular folks along the route cheered us on. That's what was missing from my street running! Marching bands and cheerleaders to keep me motivated! Before I knew it, I was dodging and passing other runners. At one point, my lungs started to constrict and considered walking a few minutes. Until my thoughts drifted to all the breast cancer survivors who COULDN'T run today, just walk, if they were lucky enough to be alive. I kept running and forgot about myself.

Even though the race is not timed, those of you who know me will not be surprised that I brought a stopwatch (there's that type A seeping out). 35 minutes, not record-breaking but not too shabby for my first 5K. And yes, I will be running another one.

The Key to Less Stress

A fellow yoga teacher commented that every door she encounters is shut and then utters something about Mercury being in retrograde. I have no idea what that means, but I gather 'tis not good. The closed doors did peak my interest, however. Mulling the idea over, everything does seem harder than usual. When times were good, doors would open before me like magic. Now, I knock on the door and there's nobody home. I produce my master key ring set, and proceed to insert each key to no avail. Maybe I'm at the wrong doorway. Instead of forcing our way through a situation that we believe should be, perhaps we ARE at the wrong house. What if we just followed the natural flow of life and moved on to the next threshold? Or returned to that same portal at another time? Would the results be different? Would a separate point in the continuum of space produce an altered reality? After all, no two moments are the same. The very root of Taoism is going with the flow of life, not forcing anything. Westernized thinking muddies up clarity of thought with too much action or movement. Possibly, just possibly, the key to open pathways is allowing them to open before us when we are meant to pass through them. And wait for Mercury to stop being in retrograde.

Are the Flying Monkeys Chasing You?

There are weeks I feel the Wicked Witch of the West is relentlessly chasing me around with those flying monkeys of hers. I swat them away but they continue to be on my back. Surrendering to the green-faced evil one is no option in my book, but there are times I am tired of running! What if Dorothy hadn't run away? She would have been safely tucked in the storm cellar and had no adventures at all. How boring. Many of us took calculated risks to boost our retirement savings or advance our financial nest eggs and got caught in this economic down spiraling tornado. Hindsight is 20/20 and perhaps we would rethink some of our choices, but the only regrets you have in life are the risks you didn't take. Yes, didn't take. I personally don't believe in regret, so I do wander outside of the farm every once in a while to check out Kansas (the world).

Would I change some of my past choices? Absolutely, but I made the decisions at the time with all the information I had, and not knowing any wizards, could not read the future. So I will keep trekking to Oz and dreaming of multi-color changing horses. Just watch out for the flying monkeys!

In the Event of a Water Landing...

you mean if we crash into the ocean?? Love that joke from George Carlin. If you aren't familiar with it, he has a whole bit on airlines (uncut & unedited) that was way before Southwest hired comedic attendants.

Everything we say or don't say, how our speech delivery is, our choice of vocabulary, can drastically change what the intention of our words is. There is subtlety (as in water landing) and bluntness (crashing) that beg for balance when we are attempting to convey something verbally. Too vague and polite and most people miss the point entirely. Too brusque and those of a delicate nature become easily offended. So how to keep from upending someones apple cart and yet get their attention? Fact is there is no fast rule here. Most people today are riding an emotional roller coaster 24/7, so depending on where you catch them on their ride will decide how they take your words. I like to think I am somewhere in the middle of subtle and rude. Politely direct usually conveys my intentions, especially if I throw humor in the mix. Doesn't always work either. Then, I have to drive home the point like a hammer or I've already insulted someone. We cannot control the actions or reactions of others, but we can control our own. Become an observer and watch the riders on the roller coaster screaming with delight and fear, as you remain calm and detached. Don't take things too personally in this amusement park called life, it's usually not about you.