Blessed are the Peacemakers Day 3

I have helped prevent little fires between all members of the family the past couple days. It really takes a lot of diplomacy and trying to point out the good things and ignore some of the bad. It also has taken a real effort to not raise my voice when I get frustrated and not take offense to some of the off-handed comments my husband might say. I am also trying to not assume what he said was meant to hurt my feelings, so I am not "over-reacting". I must admit though, I do feel a little bit like Carol Brady or Mrs. Cleaver from "Leave it to Beaver". Only, I will not vaccum the house in high heels and a dress.
I wonder if at the end of the month anyone else in my little family will notice a difference in the home? It feels like I only notice all the avoided conflicts because I am the acting peace maker and I am helping steer everyone clear from potential disasters. It is definitely an effort, and there are moments when I catch myself on the verge of saying something that would make me a "contention maker" but so far, I haven't slipped to much, and hope to keep up the "peace" in the home.

Blessed are the Peacemakers....

Yesterday, my Bishop challenged me and the rest of the Young Women and the leaders to be peacemakers in our families and homes for the next month. We are not to let anyone in our families know that we are doing this, as this might ruin the experiment. I am taking this seriously, and am trying really hard to put out the "fires" of contention that arise.
I started to notice yesterday afternoon how much our words and the way we say things to our loved ones can cause hurt feelings or contention.
One disagreement occurred between Colata and Jada, and it was about "how" to do something. No one was wrong, and each opinion had value, though, they were arguing about who had the better idea. They turned to me asking me to pick a side, and I diplomatically pointed out the value of both of their ideas. I also made a conscious effort to not become impatient and to use kind and respectful words when I needed or wanted something. In return, I got the same responses back.
Today, I don't think there was any contention in the home at all. No arguments to dispel or tempers flaring. Though Gabe needs to learn how to have nicer hands after he is told "no". But he also said "please" when he wanted something and "your welcome" after he received it (he gets "thank you" and "your welcome" backwards) I hope this journey will continue, and I hope that I will become a better person by being more conscientious of my influence of peace in the home.

My 2nd 5k race...

Ran my 2nd race yesterday. I was a little bit more nervous this time around. Funny, huh? I think it was because I had something to live up too... my previous time. What if I did worse than before? What if I tripped, or it rained or something crazy like that? Well, the nervousness was for nothing, though it did start to sprinkle before I finished the race, but it was a blessing because I was getting warm with my scarf on. I finished at a personal best time of 35:00mins exactly, and I didn't think I would do so well. I was hoping for at best 36:00 or 37:00mins. I was running with my iPod on, so when I passed the first mile marker, and I thought I saw the race volunteer mouth something that looked like (10mins) meaning I had just run a 10 min mile, I thought I must have read his lips wrong, because I have never run a 10 min mile brefore.
Anyway, I think last time I posted about my previous 5k, I had stated that my goal was to run the whole race without walking. I didn't make that goal. I admit, I had to walk a few times, but those recovery walks for me were short and few. So though my time was definitely improved, I think I will keep my goal of trying to run the whole race. That gives me a month to build up my endurance. I think trying to push through those walls that come up and tell me it's time to take a rest will be a better test for me than trying to get an improved time. Though, if that happens, that would be great too.
On a related note, I do most of my training on the treadmill. Though my actual race time is way better than anything I have done on the treadmill so far (my race time beat my treadmill time by a whole minute) mentally, I find it easier to run on a treadmill because I am perfectly aware of how fast I am running, how far I still need to go, and how long I have been running. When I am in the race, I can't tell how fast I am running, and I am never exactly quite sure how far I have come (though there are the occasional markers that will tell you 1mile, 2mile, etc) though, I can check on my watch how long I have been running. I am too busy concetrating on my breathing to try to do the math to calculate my pace. The positive thing about running in the race is that because of the other participants and the lack of knowing pace/distance/time, I set my sights on keeping up with those around me. When I fall behind or pass someone, it helps to push me to do better and to work harder, than when it's just between me and the treadmill.
So I think I mentioned already that my race time was 35mins, and my previous race time was 38:35 or something like that, so that was a full 03:35 min improvement. I will eventually shoot for running the 5k in 30mins, but that just maybe an unattainable goal, but one I will try to get as close as possible too.
Here's to next month's race in March. I hope I am able to run the whole race this time!

running woes.

So as a first time runner, I have come across some hard times these last few weeks. It has limited my ability to actually train for my next 5k. I am not quite sure exactly what happened, because I was feeling great, then got the flu (aches, pains, stomach bug) and was flat out for a couple of days, and then, when I went to get back into my routine, I felt better, except when I ran, I felt like I still had the flu in my lower legs. I tried pushing through the pain, and did it for a week thinking that it would eventually work it's way out, but it didn't. So I did some internet research and thought maybe I had shin splints or runner's knee, and both prescribe me to not run until the inflamation has gone down. So instead I have been cross-training, doing swimming and the eliptical, suprisingly, all this week, no pain in my legs. So My next 5k is in a week and a half, and I am going to start slowly jogging again tomorrow. If there is no pain, I will continue to slowly get back to my running. If not, I think I will have to go see a doctor and see if there is anything else I can do to help me out of this tragedy.
Any runner's out there with any advice for this novice?

Finished my first 5k.

Wow. It was hard. But I feel really good for accomplishing this goal. I ran my first 5k in 38mins and 35 sec. When I say "ran" I mean jogged/walked. I did it in intervals, just trying to keep myself going the whole time. It was cold and foggy around Lake Washington, but as I started on my second lap, the fog began to lift, and you could see the beautiful lake. I am all set to sign myself up for next month's 5k, and hope to be able to improve my time. Maybe by then I will be able to run (jog) the whole thing without stopping. So that's my next goal. Not necessarily to have a better time (though, that would be nice) but to keep my feet going at the same pace the whole time. The next event is February 13th. That's about 4 weeks away.
I also know that now, I need to implement some incline changes into my treadmill routine so that it resembles more closely a real race trail. Thanks to the Skyline Running Club for setting up the event at Magnuson Park in Seattle, Wa. There was something for everyone (kids, animal lovers, runner's with strollers etc) and it was well organized and friendly. Here is the link for anyone out there looking for a friendly and fun event for all levels of runners http://www.magnusonseries.org/
Can't wait for next months run.

My first 5k this Saturday.

So in keeping up with my goals for the year, I entered into a 5k race to help me stick to my daily exercise. I am a little nervous because I don't think I have competed/ran/ thought about/ a race since I was 8 years old. To prepare for this momentous occasion in my life I looked up some running websites that help someone like me train for a 5k. In fact, I think the one I have been following is called "the couch to 5k" or something similiar. I modify it a bit so it works for me, but so far, it has. I have already improved my time alot just in the past week and a half of doing it, and I am feeling pretty good. I am not going to push myself too hard on Saturday, as I know running on a treadmill is completely different than running on real turf with differnt kinds of inclines/declines and smooth/rough terrain.
I really hope it's not pouring out. I want the sun to be on my face, I think it will help my experience be great if the sun is out, well, it will at least make my mood better to begin with.
Wish me luck!

A New Year, a new family goal

Every new year, our family has the tradition of setting some family and personal goals (NOT resolutions). We talk about what we know will happen during the year (such as Colata graduating from school) and things we need to work on (ie Jada being obedient the first time she is asked to do something and not the fifth) and then we try to come up with a theme that will help us achieve our goals.

So, the family theme is one taken from Spencer W. Kimball "Do it. Do it right. Do it right now." It is very fitting for us as a family and for me personally. We are trying not to focus too much on things that are out of our control, but more on the things that are within it.

So that's about it for now. I have lots of things I am personally working on, that will always be a work in progress, such as eating right and exercise. This time, I have a friend who is coming along for the journey, and it is really great to have someone to talk to and confide in who is going through the same things I am. We are also going to do a 5k run next Saturday. I know, I know, we haven't even trained properly for it, but this way, we will get our "base" rate, and hopefully improve from there. The organization that is running the 5k has events every month at the same park, so we plan on doing one every month. On Earth day, they have an half-marathon. I don't know if I'll be ready for it, but it will be a good goal to set to get there (I think that Earth day is in April) I am hoping that since I have something to work towards in the exercise department, I will be more consistent because I won't want to go slack and hurt myself trying to do it when I am not ready or prepared.
I am also doing Weight Watchers. I really like the program, because you don't have to sacrifice any of the foods you love, you just learn how to eat it without overdoing it. The key to being successful with WW is writing everything you eat down and going to meetings every week. If you get lazy with your writing, you stop losing the LBS. Another thing that I am doing to help me stay on track, is that I have a "food" notebook that I plane my weekly meals in. Then I go shopping according to that list. Also, it really helps me during the day. When I wake up, I check what's for dinner and pull out items out of the freezer if necessary and dinner is much quicker. I learned that if I don't know what I am making for dinner before lunch, I am more likely to make something processed and junk and i snack and nibble a lot more because I am so hungry and dinner isn't ready yet. The other change I have made that I am hoping will help me is that I won't have any sweets in the house. If anyone in the family is wanting ice cream or cupcakes etc, we will just go to the store and buy a single serve. It can seem a little pricey, but it is a lot better for me because if a whole box of oreos is in the house i can't keep my hands off them. So those are the things I am "doing, and (hopefully) doing right, and I am doing right now." If anyone out there has any more suggestions, I will be glad to hear it!
I hope everyone out there in cyberspace has a great new year!