Once again, I read over 100 books last year… (I promise I’m TRYING to find a better balance of my life activities but reading is just SO good and SO comforting!) Some years, I read a lot but find myself in a bit of a slump for enjoying what I’m reading. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case in 2022- I read a lot of great books last year. These are my top 10 books that brought me joy… (not necessarily my highest rated or objectively the best books, though there is definitely some cross over) Continue reading
running
The Shame of the Backslide…
Today I am writing about something that may seem only tangentially related to my themes for the year, but it actually ties into several of them. I want to talk a little bit about battling with feelings of shame when you backslide in one area or another, especially living in a culture that is obsessed with productivity and progress. It can feel so discouraging to experience a regression of any sort, and no one really wants to talk about that stuff, which is why I feel like it is really important to talk about my own struggles with the backslides I have had this year. Continue reading
Three Questions I ask Myself Daily
OK, so this post is full of some real talk… I have been on the struggle bus for a while. I KNOW this is a seasonal challenge- August and early September are truly just the time of year when Phoenicians are constantly wondering if they should pack it all up and move… and this year has been extra hard with all the humid heat instead of our typical dry heat. Plus, while I have been outside training, I am doing all of it trying to avoid the sunlight as much as possible- running super early, taking the shadiest paths possible, etc. And my mental health is just SO much better when I can actually go out and ENJOY the sunshine. So while I am in a season of struggle, one of my go-to practices is to “do in the dark what you know how to do in the light” and that means things like continuing to move my body, practicing gratitude, hydrating, praying, and asking myself the following 3 questions when I start to get really overhwelmed and critical of myself…which can pop up a lot during this training cycle, especially as my miles for the week keep getting more intense… Continue reading
“I’ve never run this far before…”
Last weekend I ran 15 miles for my long run. This was a HUGE shift in my marathon training as up until this point I have run a half marathon distance or less for my long runs- a distance that I have run before. While that distance started getting hard with no “course support” or cheering fans that I am used to having if going above ten miles, it was not nearly as intimidating as suddenly being back in the place where I have to think to myself “I have never run this far before.” Continue reading
You Can’t Harmonize Alone…
If you read my intro posts for the year, you know that one of my themes is Instrument and that refers not only to our familial undertaking of becoming a more musical household, but also to the prayer that inspired me to have instrument as my word of the year– Lord, Make me an Instrument of your Peace. Continue reading
How I Started Trail Running and Tips If You Want to As Well!
It is finally cooling off again! One of the most exciting things about that for me is that I can return to trail running- something I still consider myself to be a bit of a beginner at, but that I have done for about a year now. SO I thought I’d share a bit about how I started trail running and what I would say to someone who might be interested in doing the same! Continue reading
Runners High: OR, How Starting is the Hardest Part
When I first started running I was convinced that a runner’s high was a cruel, inhumane lie that runners told other people to trick them into joining in on the misery. So I thought I’d write a post about how I started my running journey and while I will be focusing on running, I think some of the lessons from it apply to starting anything new and difficult. I also have been just really missing running because it is INSANELY hot here in Phoenix already, but I know that summer is prime running time for my readers in other parts of the country so it seemed like as good a time as any to share this! And even if you are not a runner and never become a runner, I believe there are some parallels that will apply to you anyway… Continue reading
Sometimes a Did Not Finish is the Best Choice…
When I was training for my half marathon back in late 2018/early 2019 I had one possibility that pulled me out of bed to train even on the mornings where I was least interested in doing so and on the evenings when I had insanely long days with the kids… Continue reading
Spotted While Running…
I am TIRED of the heat. Like insanely tired of it. I miss running and for most of the time the last few months it’s too hot to even comfortably get out for a low-key walk. I’ve written before about how one of the things I love about running is the different perspective you get exploring on your own two feet and how there are strange sights that you are just more likely to miss when whizzing by in a car. So I wanted to share some of the additional very strange sights I saw late spring and earlier this summer while running. A collection of the good, the bad, and the very strange… Continue reading
Prenatal Anxiety Part 2: Fighting for Fun in a Hormone Induced Hurricane
I wrote this post very shortly after coming home from the hospital last month- before the COVID-19 pandemic had really escalated. In light of that I debated taking a break from posting, but then I wondered if maybe my anxiety coping mechanisms could help people out as we all go through this anxious time… I certainly find myself needing to use them again as I struggle to get through the fear of how long this will last, how bad it will be, and how uncertain everything feels- no clue what is next. So I’m publishing it today and hoping it doesn’t sound too tone deaf given how quickly our world seems to have changed…
In my last post, I wrote about how in all three of my pregnancies I struggled with prenatal anxiety, but the way I dealt with that anxiety changed as I learned more about what prenatal anxiety was, what it meant for me, and how I might deal with it given my choice to have more children. This post talks about some of the ways I “dealt with it” during this last pregnancy…
*Just like in my last post, I do list some specific fears and anxieties in this post so it could be triggering for others suffering from anxiety or those who have been through miscarriage or infant loss* Continue reading
Alphabet Resolutions 