Shelby's Road Ahead

Oh, the places you'll go...

2011-11-03T09:40:00.002-05:00

Thanks Beth for sharing this...

So, I don't know if it's kosher to read a Dr. Seuss book to yourself, but I read this little section to myself earlier today:
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ≤ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Things I've heard lately

2011-08-24T08:23:00.003-05:00

"Listen to music that soothes your soul."

So I did.

I really like this song, Times by Tenth Avenue North.

Here's the verses that fill in all the gaps of my heart:
"I hear you say...
My love is over, it's underneath, it's inside, it's in between
In times you doubt Me, when you can't feel
In times that you question, is this for real?
The times you're broken, the times that you mend
The times you hate Me, and the times you bend

My love is over, it's underneath, it's inside, it's in between
The times you're healing, when your heart breaks
The times when you feel like you've fallen from grace,
The times you're hurting, the times that you heal
The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal
In times of confusion and chaos and pain
I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame
I'm there through your heartache, I'm there in the storm
My love, I will keep you, by My power alone
I don't care where you've fallen or where you have been
I'll never forsake you, my love never ends
It never ends."

I can't make sense of it, and I also can't stop listening to it.

Takin the Long Way

2011-07-11T18:46:00.002-05:00

I think I've grown more accepting of myself taking a long time to do things. When I was growing up, I knew I wasn't the fastest kid on the soccer field, and I heard, "hustle this...and hustle that.." so ya know, I wasn't quick! But in general, if you mix stubbornness and a common case of "1st born-ness" you get banged up knees from falling over your own mistakes again and again.

Hence,

Takin' the Long Way by Dixie Chicks... check out this youtube video.

or read these lyrics...
My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel

I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow

By taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn't kiss all the asses that they told me to

No I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

It's been two long years now
Since the top of the world came crashing down
And I'm getting' it back on the road now

But I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
The long
The long way around

Well, I fought with a stranger and I met myself
I opened my mouth and I heard myself
It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself
Guess I could have made it easier on myself

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found

Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

Strength to Strength

2011-06-25T09:31:00.002-05:00

Just a glimpse really...but the head vs. heart battle...I don't understand it. I don't want to get too heavy on the blog, but honestly, what else is like this?

These guys knew: Winter Winds
And if your strife strikes at your sleep
Remember spring swaps snow for leaves
You'll be happy and wholesome again
When the city clears and sun ascends

And my head told my heart
"Let love grow"
But my heart told my head
"This time no"

And my head told my heart
"Let love grow"
But my heart told my head
"This time no
This time no"

With an excellent trumpet solo blaring in the background...thank you Mumford & Sons.

This exists in the shoulds. You know, like I should do this, or I shouldn't go here, or shoulda done this. The shoulds. They make us feel we should want something different than we really do. Our head knows what's good, what is best, but the heart...oh the heart, it's a fickle thing.

In this place, I wonder if we bargain? You know, when we ask God for something in exchange for something else? I'll be good...I'll be better...just, please?

Hope this isn't too much for the blog on a Saturday morning.
Shelb

Sad

2011-06-24T15:33:00.003-05:00

I just finished this. I get sad when I finish really good books. I get sad when a really good movie is over. There's a piece of me that connects with the story, the characters, the adventure, their hearts, and then it's just over. It's a little bit of a loss. My soul kinda searches out questions like, "What now? What's going to happen next ? What about this? What next?" Maybe that just means the Author is good at what he/she does, right? I mean I was moved by a piece of work, a creation that someone else labored over, that's probably a goal they have. I guess, simply, I was moved by this story and I connected with the characters. If you've got time, I recommend it.

Shelb

Forever HillS

2011-06-07T09:33:00.002-05:00

Good morning,

The morning after a long run/race is a bit questionable, you never quite know what to expect, how your body will be responding to the strain from the day's previous efforts. Well, this morning is no exception, I am surprised! Dare I say that my upper body is more sore than my lower after running a hilly 1/2 marathon? It's weird, I know, but I think it goes to show that going up and down hills is a total body effort.
Let me begin with Friday (the night before the race). We caught a Mumford & Sons Concert at City Market with some friends Amy and Maris & Co. Cake opened for them, and then my phone battery died, so no pics.
But Cake was pretty good, at this time we were more dodging the people of the crowd trying to get closer to the stage and see the stage better for Mumford of course. Mumford & Sons played and were really good. They played some new stuff which was really good and exciting for what's to come! I couldn't fight the urge to think about how much longer I until my alarm would go off to get ready for the race though...6 hrs...5 hrs...ouch!

So yes, the alarm went off at 5:30AM, a good 5 hours after going to bed from previous night--thankfully slept well! Chugged a whole bunch of water before bed, not to stave off a hangover, but to reinforce the hydration levels before a grueling race the next day.
Which brings me to the race...I was pretty nervous. I may look all smiley picking up my packet, but that countdown clock was rattling my nerves. There just seemed to be so many things out of my control...the heat, the course, the sweating-excessiveness, the meeting up with Brad for electrolyte chews, arrival time, meeting up with friends/parents at the end...that's a lot! AND, run 13.1 of the hilliest miles I've ever ran in my life!

Let me just say that running with Jenna is probably the best thing about my last semester of life. It just works so easily for us to run together, pace well, and cheer each other on...we can laugh together, give high-fives, struggle together, and bear each other's grimaces and anguished cries...not a bad pairing, if you ask me! Hence, on race day when one of us struggled, the other one was strong, not necessarily outspoken, but we relied on each other through the course. I think we decided that about 75% of the course was uphill and the heat/humidity was beyond oppressive. I can typically handle warm temps, I mean, I sweat, but it doesn't stifle me--race day was stifling. I think the greatest battle that was waging was between my body and the heat! We couldn't get enough water, we couldn't sweat fast enough, and I couldn't hold on to those ice-cubes passed out by precious people along the course long enough. It was hard.

BUT...
WE DID IT! Yes, if you look closely "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" did throw up on our medals and race-bibs..circa 1995, thanks for that Hospital Hill! We don't look terrible here, which I appreciate, I think it had been about 20 minutes after crossing the finish line. Oh man, I could barely stand up at the end, I could barely talk at the end... We were able to "sprint" to the finish and I was trying desperately to keep up with Jenna, all the while my mind racing with "AGGGHHHHONNNYYYY!!" You'll have to pardon my dramatics, but that's really how it felt!

Luckily ALL of those little details of seeing/meeting up with people without cell-phones in hand worked out! We pushed each other, Jenna REALLY helped me at the end and we made it.

I couldn't really connect in celebration so much that day. I more focused on walking slowly and hydrating.
I like this fountain picture, because this is where the race-participants "cooled-off." The Crown Center fountains were some of the best cooling mechanisms that day. I didn't play, because I was already soaking wet from sweat/sprinkler combos from the race course, but I liked that other people did! I managed to cash in on the Michelob ULTRA post-race...a wee little cup, probably not the best idea...but just wanted to be a part of the fun. Got a fantastic lunch in with Maris and the Muha's and could barely keep my eyes open the rest of the afternoon. I was mentally, and physically exhausted. I had head-rolling side to side action in the car on the way back to Manhattan, luckily Maris said she couldn't hear my snore-snorts that woke me up and startled me...she's nice! :)
Jambo tried to sleep too..
Sitting in Kate's carseat...head resting on driver's seat..she's sweet.

Well, I think that's all I've got for now...it's summer, and I'm taking a graduate course, which means I have homework that needs tending too! Eeck, homework in the summer, wish me luck! ;)

Shelb

Some of summa...

2011-06-02T10:23:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

This commemorates the first week of summer for me. It's 10:25 AM, I woke up at 9:45 AM, and I'm sipping coffee and watching LIVE with Regis and Kelly. That's summer folks. I had a pretty fun adventure yesterday with my buddy Kate.
I think she's saying, "I'm ready for the Paaaaaark!" here. We left when the sun was out, but shortly after arriving at the park the clouds rolled in and we played for about 45 min, before coming home. It was pretty fun to push Kate in the stroller and walk by people that would smile, and look at her then look at me...assumption that she was mine? I kinda liked it. I don't think Maris would mind, right?! :) We had a great time playing...Kate had a great time hiding from me during nap time. It was so cute, I had to try REALLY hard not to laugh when she poked her head out of the hamper than she was silently hiding in. I looked for a good 5 minutes before the hamper lid creaked open...and she just let me call her name and search pretty intently for her. That little stinker!
I'm pretty excited for the first Ultimate Frisbee Game tonight, another "official summer kick-off event!"

Enjoy,
Shelb

The End of Year 5

2011-05-24T08:24:00.002-05:00

Well friends, it's here. The last day of school. I am a runner, so finding parallels with running and life is in my heart (see above picture).
Through the years I've experienced the full spectrum of various emotions, sadness, excited, eager, and then this year: meh...
I know, I know, I'm weird and off, and I should feel SOMETHING--but the overriding truth of my heart/mind is "let's just be done with this year." I'm not regretful of the past year by any means, there were some excellent strides made in my classroom by me and my students. We all learned, we all grew, we were challenged, we had hiccups along the way, we bumped into each other, some of us fell down and stayed down for a while. But generally, we moved forward. I look at the Fall semester and am proud of what I accomplished in my Master's class work. I wrote the longest, probably best, paper of my life (30 pgs, 15+ references, BAM!) and really was intellectually stimulated. This spring, I mentored and experienced some significant growing pains with 2 student teachers and students in my classroom. It was challenging, and maybe the compilation of all events has lead me to be feeling a bit...tired.

You know when you were a kid and you had played really hard all day outside and you came in for dinner and you felt tired and should have stayed inside, taken a bath, and gone to bed--but you looked out your window and saw the neighborhood kids just starting a roller-hockey game on your street, and you looked on longing to be a part of the game, and convinced your parents that you weren't tired, and then bolted to play when you should have rested? (How's that run-on sentence my English-teaching friends?!) Yeah, that's kinda how I feel after the roller-hockey game...overly tired. Like, when you know that a mere nap simply won't suffice, your fatigue reaches deep and pulls at your neurons and dendrites and challenges your synaptic connections in your brain, sentences don't come out right...can't think clearly...desperately in need of rest.

That's me. AND, I believe it's the student's this time of year, and every other teacher crossing the finish line right about now. So, this week, I'm going to begin to attempt to unwind and try to figure out how to do that. Maybe raise my glass and sip a cold one...that'll be a good start.

If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears;) Happy Finishing!

Shelb

Face Lift

2011-05-23T13:41:00.002-05:00

I've changed things up on my blog. Colors, design, etc, what do you think?

These "end of school days" as I'm referring to them are interesting. I find myself in limbo, having things to do...but can't do them at school, or students have work to complete, so I'm waiting to grade, essentially just hanging out.

This might sound weird, but I have mixed emotions about school being out. The normal feeling of elation escapes me slightly, instead it's a feeling of wondering. What's the next season have in store? What will the summer look like? How will I define rest this summer? What will occupy my time/energy/resources? Maybe I'm late on the uptake and these questions should have been thought-through or defined earlier, but it takes me longer at some things. So, that's where my mind has currently been as the school year wraps up.

Shelby

Going Once, Going Twice...SOLD!

2011-05-13T12:09:00.005-05:00

Calling all Auction-lovers!

I know for you local-folks, there are lots of festivities around the Little Apple, all having to do with Food, BUT this festivity takes you out of Manhattan and to a different, smaller metropolis.

Check out that loot!!
Some sweet stuff--come out and support Riley County FCCLA
@Nelson's Landing in Leonardville from 5-7PM, then back at RCHS from 7-Spring Concert Intermission

Top Bids announced at Intermission! Chair will not make an appearance @Nelson's, but will be at RCHS!

See you tonight! ;)

to Meme

2011-05-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

Didn't this used to be called a "chain letter?" oh, well Maris liked it, and did it, sent it to me, so here's my shot:

meme/mēm/Noun

1. An element of a culture or behavior that may be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation.

2. An image, video, etc. that is passed from one Internet user to another.

If you can go back and relive one moment, what would it be?

I would re-live several little scenes and moments. For example, when I worked at Kanakuk Kamps in college, and I was petrified to jump from the faith pole, I’d go back and leap with abandon!

Or, I’d go back to Hawaii with my family and savor all of the small moments again.

Last one, I’d go back to the stage of the Last Laugh Comedy Contest in 2008 and revamp some material and hold back less jokes and just let ‘er rip. It was pretty cool as it were though.

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

I guess I sort of answered this prematurely in my previous explanation, but more specifically, I’d go back in time and take theatre classes in college. I wish I would have done more improv training and I wish my hair was longer as a little girl. If I had let my hair grow, and not insisted with such determination to get it out of my face/eyes so I could go back to playing outside and wearing baseball hats, I would have learned how to braid and do other fun things with the long hair that I have now.

What movie or TV character do you most resemble in personality?

Face/Hair: Jennifer Aniston (wannabe)

Body: Cameron Diaz (can’t you see it?)

Personality: Tina Fey Amy Poehler mash-up

What TV/movie character would you most like to be?

Maris’: Jodi Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway in Contact. (Throwback!) Brilliant connection—I see it; fantastic movie!

Future film: Hunger Games; character: Katniss Everdeen. Let me say this too—Katniss Everdeen from the book. You know what I admire about her? Her ability to walk through and embrace significant pain both physically and emotionally. Katniss committed herself to leading people (the resistance) and sacrificed her talent/time/energy toward maintaining and fulfilling the ultimate commitment of preserving life.

Name one habit you would like to change about yourself.

Hmm, just one? Let’s see, I bite my nails when stressed/feel nervous. Oh, also, I feel the need to eat dessert after EVERY dinner. In fact, something sweet, usually small after lunch and dinner. HABIT.

Describe yourself in one word.
Evolving.

Describe the person who named you in this meme in one word.

Compassionate.

Why do you blog (answer in one sentence)?

I blog to offer world/daily encounters through my eyes with a sardonic tone and witty undercurrent that hopefully makes me smile, laugh and think.

Name at least 3 people to send this meme to, and then inform them.
@jennabrack
@maristhree
@cordycrawford3

delayed

2011-04-28T14:57:00.006-05:00

i've decided to write in all lowercase for this post...i think it'll look more dramatic.

i've been delayed at KCI (dangit, caps!) for about...2.5 hours now. i've moved my sitting location from cafe, isolated chair-area, baggage claim carpeted floor and now find myself residing in chair against the wall in between family---women's restrooms.

I read for a while:
and alas find myself a "displaced traveler."
i'm pretty sure i can guess the other souls on board my flight as there are quite a bunch of us migrating to-and-fro in this little stretch of terminal. i remember my parents always said, "smokers love KCI, they can get right off the plane and get outside fast for a smoke." i haven't seen anyone smoking outside.
can't do lowercase any longer...goes against my education! Ahh, phew...ran into a Jersey-native. I knew he was a native because I could see Mike Muha all over him. He was a bit abrasive with strangers (i.e. Continental front-desk employees), a bit east-coasterly, a bit 'overly-friendly-talkative-complainy' Very Jersey.
Ha, unfortunately, his flight was canceled--not sure why I get to make it off the island and he is held up in the Marriott for another 24 hours..but I'm glad! We wished each other "luck" as I continue to check back to my neighborhood "departures" screen. The departure time has changed from 2:20PM to 7:47PM to 6:20PM to 5:52Pm Well by my calculations that appears to be moving up and closer to the actual time!
Let's see...what else...oh, I posted/took some pictures to Twitter, I am getting good with my new phone. Bought some sweet headphones because I left mine at home...thankful for and their free wifi that is enabling me to come to you LIVE! Oh, and Netflix Instant Watch, thankful for that too:)

Also, so far, celebrity sitings: zero. Fingers crossed though because Newark, New Jersey you know is a hub for who's who. I hear celebs are flying through Newark on their way to the Royal Wedding...or I just made that up.
Speaking of Royal Wedding, can we all save some of this hype for when I marry Prince Charming...not sure what the big deal is really...will she or won't she wear the crown?! I hear you can book these guys hourly and fly them to the States!

I've been spending too much time with my girl Tina..starting to sound like her. Well, cheers to you Air-travel industry...here's hoping you've got your act together...:)

Let this be a reminder to me to pack my carry on in something that has wheels too...shoulder shrug!

Recent adventures with teenagers

2011-04-07T09:24:00.002-05:00

Recently, I had to small fortune of traveling with 7 students to a State Leadership Conference in Wichita, KS. My personal anticipation for this event was greatly overshadowed by the large personal cloud of responsibility. I was driving a school suburban with 6 precious passengers that belong and are dependents to other people. These 6 passengers became my precious cargo that I was entrusted with. The thing about driving with teenagers ranging in age from 15-17 is that they are learning and practicing drivers themselves. They ALL assumed the role "all-time-back-seat-driver."
At first I could tune it out, but man, as they carefully observed every maneuver or adjustment this large white suburban took on the country highway my stress level began to rise. The wind in Kansas can be fierce, and this just happened to be one of those days.
So, we leave on a Sunday evening with excitement under our wings, energy and sugar coursing through our veins with only our voices and the radio static to keep us entertained. Students shared personal stories, we laughed and listened to one another. They make comments like, "Whoa, geez Muha, swerve much?!" To which I reply, ever so calmly, "why thank you for noticing the wind and it's effect on a large SUV."
This continues for about 2.5 hours with intermittent, "I have to pee!" proclamations, surprisingly NOT from me;) It's amazing how observant these lovely Teens are...allow me to continue.
We arrive Sunday evening, have a good time "bonding" and helping a fellow student prepare for a competition the next day. We all retire to bed and try to sleep and store rest for the next 2 days. We have some down time Monday and I continue to be observed by my roomies. I shacked up with two teens, they share a bed, I fly solo. We have to share all the necessities that go along with sharing a hotel room such as lights, air-conditioner, noises in the night...You can imagine the things they take notice of as I am without make up/bed-head/pjs/post-shower clothes...
Finally Monday night as I was attempting to introduce students to the wonder of Gelato at a place no longer around called CHILL, I reached the boiling point. Comment, after comment, after comment about my driving or navigational abilities (or lackthereof) and everyone else on the road driving, I said, "Oh my goodness! Why are you all up in my BIDNESS?! You guys are like documenting every little thing I do! Why?!?!"

There was a pause for a moment.

Then, a brave, outspoken one said, "it's because we look up to you." That was followed by, "yeahs" and head nods by the remaining passengers.

I looked in the rear-view mirror at their youthful faces and smiled and said, "Oh...okay, then. Well...thanks."

I exhaled a much needed CO2 release and felt lighter.
"Oh... it's a good thing that they're watching and documenting everything I do." I thought to myself. And, "Oh yeah... this IS a privilege to be here right now with these young, eager to grow and learn adolescents; one I might not get again," I reflected back to myself.

Oh yeah...it's good to be reminded of that gift when I'm getting lost in Wichita and my brain never reconciled with the directions. It was as if I never got my bearings, but they kept on watching and paying attention to my reactions, my responses, my comments, all of it. I think back to myself and am grateful and have clarity as to why I was so tired when I got home after it all.

Oh yeah...this is why I'm a Teacher. Thanks kids.

Dare I post more lyrics?

2011-04-04T13:27:00.003-05:00

Hi, well as much as I like to think that music simply adds a backdrop to my life, I think I actually take in the words/meanings/messages more than I thought. I mean, sure I hum the tune, and listen. But, I'm starting to see that more than it, the words have been sticking with me more than I originally thought they would. I'm glad. It seems that these words are helping me come to grips with the war that wages. I also think these are the words I would use...

Yet again, Mumford & Sons: The Cave

It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Oh, I really hope so.

Some Songs

2011-03-29T07:04:00.002-05:00

Good morning, I'll make this quick as the time is fleeting...I've really enjoyed the vocal styling of both Mumford & Sons and Missy Higgins lately. Particularly one song from Mumford & Sons, "Rolling Away Your Stone" check out the lyrics below:

Roll away your stone, I’ll roll away mine
Together we can see what we can find
Don’t leave me alone at this time,
For I am afraid of what I will discover inside

'Cause you told me that I would find a hole,
Within the fragile substance of my soul
And I have filled this void with things unreal,
And all the while my character it steals

Darkness is a harsh term don’t you think
And yet it dominates the things I see

It seems that all my bridges have been burnt
But you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works
It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart,
But the welcome I receive with the restart

Darkness is a harsh term don’t you think
And yet it dominates the things I see

Stars hide your fires
These here are my desires
And I will give them up to you this time around
And so, I’ll be found
With my stake stuck in this ground
Marking the territory of this newly empassioned soul

But you, you’ve gone too far this time
You have neither reason nor rhyme
With which to take this soul that is so rightfully mine

That's all for now, have a great Tuesday:)
Shelb

Oh Glee...

2011-03-08T20:17:00.004-06:00

Dear Glee,

I can't decide if I want it to be public that I watch you or not. I mean sometimes you provide such fun and happy-singing times, that I just can't help but dancing around! Other times, you try to "teach" these culturally loaded messages through over-dramatized scenarios and I want to puke. I mean, last week, "can we REALLY expect adolescents not to drink alcohol?" This week, "you're going to have sex, but ya know, ...make sure it's means something and that you're ready." Honestly, do teenagers know when they're ready? I think maybe it's a discovery made after-the-fact that sends them spiraling into various directions. Those directions often being fear, regret, shame, doubt, confusion, uncertainty...questions...

I go back and forth with you, I really do.

Oh, and I can't help but wondering if you've taken the responsibility upon yourself to personally educate teenagers on theirs and all others sexuality? Just wondering. It's interesting because sometimes on Wednesday mornings (the morning after), I want to dance around and rock out to your classic tunes. Other times, I just want to shake my head and try to move past the pseudo-glorified look at really challenging things for teens.

Thanks for letting me share that with you Glee. I'm just trying to give you that real, inside-an-actual-high-school perspective. I'll give you one thing, you're not short on Divas, and you still managed to get Gwyneth back on for a sweet little dance number!

Think about it.

Shelby

Step, Step, Step on over...

2011-03-05T11:24:00.003-06:00

Hello blog readers!

This Saturday morning, I decided that my best endeavor would be to rise early and check one objective off my list for the day bright and early. It has been over a year since I attempted any group fitness class other than cycling, but this morning, I thought I'd give STEP another shot. Honestly, I probably only went because Karla is the BEST teacher out there! I mean, as a professional Teacher, I have a strong affinity for those who can communicate and instruct well. There's something very comforting about being the one who's being taught instead of doing the teaching nowadays! It's right up there with being the passenger in the car and having someone else drive--top 5 favorite things right now, because I'm ALWAYS driving! So Karla took my happy feet all over the gym floor things morning on these lovely Reebok steps. Holy dead-weight Batman, my legs/feet and quite tired now! I like STEP because it's similar to dancing to me, except more strenuous and more sweat.

See...the third one in with total muscle definition--that's me! haha, jk! More like: if there was a puddle of sweat, that'd be mine, except not so much for STEP!

Favorite part: the lady in the back said, "703 Ladies! That's how many calories we burned!" Now, that my friends, is GOOD news! Always good for the calorie/bank account to know what we're working with today...especially after last night's ice cream/Maris' homemade delicious muffins with delectable orange sugar, butter infused glaze all melty on top. MMmmm, so good!

So, Saturday, here we go, going to attempt a mall-stop later today, it's been a while! :)

Hope ya'll have a great weekend!!
Shelb

oh Twitter

2011-02-04T15:09:00.004-06:00

Seriously, I was NOT a fan, for awhile. But lately, it's been kinda fun. I have a few el studante's that follow me and they come in and they're like: saw you tweet, that's funny, and we banter back and forth a bit. I enjoy. Also, I get to live out some fake celebrity friendships via Tweets! They tweet, I read it, feel like we're buds, kinda like it.

Oh, another reason it's cool:
That's right! They were tweeting while in surgery last night...I don't know, I thought it was cool how they used it. I'm definitely not close to that degree of intensity of tweeting, but still thought it was cool:)
Well, it's Friday at 3:18PM, the kids are getting antsy, I'm beyond antsy! Must be time to go home! Follow me on Twitter:)

3rd storm in 4 weeks...

2011-01-31T10:33:00.004-06:00

Well friends,

Once again, I'm still in my PJs (the purple ones!) at 10:30 AM on a Monday. That can, and should, only mean one thing: SNOW DAY! That's right, it's another round of winter weather sweeping the central plains, and I for one, just don't get tired of it. I don't know why... Perhaps, someday I will grow tired of freezing cold slush and tons of snow, but when it means I don't have to go to work, and an excuse to stay indoors under a blanket, I can't help but rejoice! I know there are others of you out there that get tired of the winter weather, and I completely understand...but the anticipation of waiting for my school district to show up along the bottom of the screen just does NOT get old. Think of all those moments you had as a kid waiting for school to be called off, it was like this door of limitless possibility just opened and you had the whole day OFF! I even had my lunch made for today, which means I don't have to make it for tomorrow, IF we even have school tomorrow! Ahh..., kind of awesome.
So now, I have the day before me...thinking about doing some yoga, thinking about watching a movie, thinking about reading and resting, who knows?! The point is, the day is OPEN! :)
I was even surprised to see KSU was closed today, that's a bit unheard of--at least when I was an undergrad.

I hope you have enjoyed my ode-to-a-snow-day, perhaps, you too will find a unique fondness to see an entire city laminated with an icy glaze, and then wait eagerly for the snow to begin falling, forcing us all to pause amidst our busy schedules and just look around. Kind of like stopping to smell the roses; winter style!

Muha--OUT! :)

PS--that's not me..just to clarify:)

It's been too long

2011-01-05T09:31:00.002-06:00

Hi blog world,
Where has the time gone? I have missed discussing the major events in my life with you. I've missed the sweet documentation of happenings large and small, funny or kind of lame. So, let's see...I've given in to Twitter. I tweet. Sort of. I mainly follow some funny celebs in a "subtle" attempt perhaps "run into them" whenever I happen to be in the same "major city" that they "are in." Over use of "? Probably...just like my pal Joey Tribianni, probably not using them right. Oh well.
So, it's the start of Spring Semester 2011 and let me tell you the talk at the teacher table: SNOW DAYS! When are we going to have them, how to not get disappointed by possibility of this blessed event and re-living past awesome ice-storms (for those who had power the whole time...) and staying in the same pair of sweat pants for 3 days straight. In fact, said pants, earned the title of snow day pants! And I remember our time together fondly when I slip them on.
Also new talk from the halls of high school: this year's PROM theme! Want to hear my ideas? Well, I was on a roll:
Saving Private Ryan: everyone comes dressed at WWII soldiers!
The Great Depression: Everyone comes as pan-handlers looking haggard and with dirt on their faces! CHEAP decorations, just old metal trash cans with smoldering newspaper fires and holes with finger holes and we're good!
TRON: Everyone comes dressed in black with glow-stick taped to them dancing in techno craziness inspired by Wii Just Dance 2!
Full House/Saved by the Bell: Rockin' 80's. Nuff said, I'll come as DJ Tanner!
Roaring 20's: actually liked this one..flapper dresses, pin-stripe suits, swing dancing..
Vampires Suck: fangs are the sexy according to the newest Bachelor Brad Womack...everyone comes with pale, sparkly faces or as a werewolf and fight it out of over angst brunette's, who wouldn't enjoy that?
What sounds good to you?
Hmm, let's see, that might be it for now, but I'll keep you up to date with any new ideas that are proposed today!

Thank you Pandora for my 90's station!

:)

More recent adventure in the Windy City!

2010-07-16T09:42:00.009-05:00

Guess where I'm at.....

Well, if you've been following my blog with any semblance of consistency, you might be able to gather that I love me some Chi-town! I bonded early with the city of Chicago because the weekend I turned 13 my Mom wisked me away and we conquered all that Chicago had to offer in a weekend's time! We stayed in an older hotel downtown, shopped at Bloomingdales, Macy's, the Magnificient Mile, etc..I got my makeup done, we saw Cabaret at the Shubert, went on a river tour and walked everywhere! It was awesome, and made quite an impression on the young Shelby.

Well, my love affair just continued with the city as we visited cousin's and saw the brutal windy, cold version on my perfect city. And finally, October 11, 2009 sealed the deal. I ran the streets for 26.2 miles in the Chicago Marathon. If I could live anywhere, I'd love to live in an apartment/loft downtown and have TONS of money to spend...:) Having prefaced with all that, allow me to share my most recent tour de Chicago...

Our first night, just walking around....love that river!

I took 2 students and 1 parent to the Windy City to attend FCCLA's (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) National Leadership Conference. We spend 5 nights at the Hyatt Regency with about 6,000 other youth from around the country which translates to: impossibly packed elevators, ridiculous lines and mass hysteria (at times..).

View from the top of the Hancock building, beautiful, clear morning!
Gold Coast...could be my favorite part ;)
The girls listening to the Audio Tour atop the Hancock. David Schwimmer gave the guidance and entertainment of the tour.
Looking back from the beach, you can see The Drake! I didn't know my phone camera was set on black and white, but I kinda like it.
All these pictures were taken from my new phone: MyTouch 3G Slide from T-mobile.

Pretty sweet little guy, GREAT Camera! 5 megapixels, 1.4x zoom.
I'M ON A BOAT! with a helicopter on the back..this was just one of the many wonders of Navy Pier on 4th of July night as FCCLA owned the Pier and had our own private party off the back of it! There were entertainers, a huge dance, yummy food, lots of popcorn and cotton candy, and ofcourse, fireworks!
This pic barely reveals the MASSIVE amounts of people cramming into McCormick Place for the main sessions!
We HAD to eat at Gino's East! soo great!

Did a little tour of the Field Museum..saw some mummies...got a little bored...

I was in charge of all places to eat, not a huge surprise to anyone, but Carnivale was a MUST because.....
TA DA!!! Delicious, and don't worry, I shared;)

The final night was the Gala, where we celebrated FCCLA's 65th Anniversary and danced the night away:)
We had to pose like the Blues Brother's...
This was a life-sized cut out of a mobster that I really liked. I took a picture of this and sent this quote to friends, "I believe ya, but my Tommy-gun don't!" name that movie?! _____________

That ends the adventure...I hope you could enjoy Chicago, my way;)

What an adventure...

2010-06-28T10:43:00.004-05:00

Hello friends!

I'm sorry I'm such a spastic blogger, but I'm back--and have quite a story for you!

The Characters:

Meet Jenny...
Looks outdoorsy, adventurous, capable of holding her own in a tough situation...

Meet me (more recent pic:)
Smiley, goofy, brings humor to any situation:) Or makes light of sticky situations..

Together, we look like we know a little bit of what we're doing in the Great Outdoors:

Well friends, looks can be deceiving....

Our story begins on Saturday around 11AM. We had discussed earlier, but decided to reschedule, renting canoes from KSU Rec. Services and going from Manhattan to St. George on the Big Blue. Jenny and I asked a group of friends to come and celebrate my birthday (on Wednesday, June 30) early on the muddy waters of the riva! Well, it was a busy weekend, and we decided to go it alone. After swapping cars with a one B. Smoller we raced to the Rec and said, "hey, those red (the color of the DEVIL!) kayaks look fun, and we can each have our own, let's do that!" The strapping young lads at the rec hoisted them on to Beth's car, strapped them in, and we were off. After a bit of car juggling, we put in at the Big Blue. Now, we had seen people put their canoes/boats in this river, but I had never seen which direction they went after that initial put-in. Brace yourself because this next part if going to sound utter ridiculous: we went the wrong way!! I know, I know, RIDICULOUS! But, to our defense, there wasn't a current, so we just happened to end up going UPSTREAM! But again, to our defense, we were going with the wind, so we just put the 2 together (wind +water=stream...) and paddled our happy selves all over that nasty river. Let me say this too, the Big Blue is a lazy guy! It doesn't really flow and in fact felt very swampy, marshlandy at times with cotton floaties, and sticks, debris of all kinds just kinda sitting around on the surface. Ok, so it's been 2 hours and 45 minutes and we start to get into really shallow water and see some dudes hanging out on this river bed area near a bridge. So...as we approach, we are addressed by the first human we've seen in quite some time, "Hey, you girls know you're going upstream?" Jenny responds, "Uh, yeah, hey, is this St. George?"
Dude, "St. George is 9 hours that way (pointing in the direction we had just COME FROM!)"
Us, "What?! and then LOTS of laughter followed...." and then......

Me, "AHhhhhhhh, OH MY GOSH! UGH! DOUBLE UGH! AHAHAHAHAHAHA"
And then, something amazing happened: we actually felt the current, pushing us the OTHER way. Stupid River. Time check: 5:15PM
Important side note: My Birthday Party was scheduled to start at 7PM at my house. And there wasn't any food bought/prepared for the event....yet.

So, we turn around, and are struggling! We both are incredibly tired, and feel incredibly discouraged! Jenny, the IronWoman that she is, did P90X Back, triceps and chest DVD, Mowed the lawn and was now kayaking. I entered our adventure with a really sore back from a weed-pulling related injury..:)
Needless to say, speed wasn't really an option. Oh, I should also mention that the "tail wind" that we thought was awesome on the way to our destination, it was a MOTHER B on the way back to where started! If we paused to take a drink of water or rest, the wind would push us back. Which just led to lots of screaming and moaning/wailing from me and calling for help from the river.
Another important side: we don't have any form of technology with us. No compass, no cell phone, nuthin! We didn't want them to get wet and ruined, and we both have SMART phones...just maybe not SMART operators all the time..

The plan--paddle back to Big Blue put-in. Get out of water with DEVIL kayaks. Stupid things. I stay with them while Jenny runs along Linear to our house, get her car, call male-friends for help with a pick up because there wasn't any way we'd be able to lift those bloody kayaks, come back and get me!

And we're off, DOWNstream, (which is just a word, it was still work) all the while trying to figure out how much longer, and what time it was-I did have my watch, when we had a stroke of genius! We thought we were close enough for Jenny to get on Linear closer to our house, hook her kayak to mine, I paddle to boat ramp, she gets a running head start, I stay with the devil boats. We pull over, use the life jacket for it's intended purpose-NOT SAFE! and hook it to my boat, she scales a dirt cliff whilst trying not to fall, and I'm trying not to laugh and get's to the top and I hear: "uh oh."
I call up to her: "what do you see?" Jenny: "a big field"
Me: what kind of crop?
Her: "a green one."
me: "How big is it?"
Her: "Up to here" (holds her hand to her chest)
me: "That's corn!"
Her: "I can't run through that...I have NO idea where we are..."
Me: "Welp, let's just keep going"
She comes down without falling, me again, trying not to laugh. TIME CHECK: 6:30PM We start to wonder who's worried yet...

We continue DOWNSTREAM..hooked together. I'm going to spare you the details, but let's just saw an "odd couple" type dispute took place as we spat back and forth at each other to "UNDO it, no you undo it, just reach behind you, no you come forward and do it. AH Jenny! pull over..."
It went like that.
TIME CHECK: 6:40PM
Silence.
Moaning, panting, ugh!

We start to throw around ideas for a plan: maybe we'll hitch-hike home, it's just Manhattan, it's not that far...maybe we can borrow someone's cell phone at the parking lot. Who we gonna call? (Ghostbusters!) Well, the only number Jenny knew was the Bistro...and I knew nothing. Worthless.
It's just around the bend.
Another bend.
Can you see the bridge? Almost there....
Ahhh we paddle with POWER now, I can see it! Time check: 7:15PM (party started), get out of the water, Jenny goes off on foot running (Don't leave me here!) in Teva's, swimsuit and wet with muddy river water. I pull those blasted boats out of the water, wrestle the crap out of them, kick 'em a bit, and go up to wait in the parking lot. I wanted to be visible on the off-chance the birthday party was now renamed to Search-Party...20-ish minutes later...I'm standing there and see a red car pull in and low and behold it IS a Search Party!! Camala runs over to me, "are you okay! What are you doing! Give me a hug!" Me: "ahh, ah, (tears) I'm gross from the river, oh you came for me!"
Camala, Ryan and Nate were leading the search party while Jo, Katie and Rachel manned home base.
Ryan and Nate in unison: "Where is your phone? Where is your car? Where is your PHONE?! Where is your car?!" Me: I'm sorry!
Camala: Where's Jenny?
Me: She's on foot, on the trail!
Nate: I'll go get her!
Me: She's running, she's far now.
Nate: Well crap!
Camala: Get in, let's go get her! Guys stay with kayaks. I'll come back with truck for you!

We hunt for Jenny, who has made it remarkably close to home, drenched in sweat, feet bleeding and raw from running in Teva's almost starts crying when she sees us waving out the windows. We get her in the car and are met outside my home-base crew with smiles and, "I'm so glad you're okay."
We hug, and then...FOOD!
Rachel: Ok, we were thinking sandwiches, what do you guys want?
Me: pizza! and beer! and cake! and ice cream! yummmm!
Rachel and Jo: ok, we'll take care of it, you guys SHOWER;)

Eventually boys came back with boats and beer. Pizza was delivered. Rachel made a beautiful cake

Chocolate Banana cake surrounded by chocolate covered strawberries paired with Vanilla Ice cream...perfect post-6 hour kayaking expedition:)
After a couple of brews, lots of recapping of the experience from every perspective it was a PERFECT Birthday party! I loved laughing about it afterwards and I felt so so so loved by my dear friends that came for me and rescued me:)
Joslyn was a great post-trauma hugger too:)

I just want you guys to know that I had trouble falling asleep that night because I couldn't stop smiling because I loved how things ended! I was sorry to worry you guys, but thanks for caring so much:)

ahh, it's even great to relive via blogging;) I hope you enjoyed the tale! :)

That's all for now!

Pictures of Middle School track days...

2010-05-13T08:50:00.004-05:00

End of season coaches pic...
Me and Kelsey: wait! what are we doing with our hands? crossing arms? in front of us? leaning?
Travis, Mari, Kelsey, Me, Shane. OR: head coach, relay/jumps coach, discus coach, shot-put coach, and distance coach.
Last meet, Kelsey and Special K--rocks the throws:) and me.
Me: KICK LINE! everyone else: "wait! What? How do we? what err..., etc..."
Me laughing at Shane's miraculous ability to know how to do the kick line...
Just bigger versions of the middle-school children..obviously...
RUN FASTER 4x400 relays! :) had to show our support on BOTH straight-away's...

:)

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2010-05-12T09:49:00.003-05:00

Time to make a change, ch-ch-ch-changes: not a fan. I know, I know, that makes me sound like an old scrooge, but what can I do? Shifts in my circumstances are not welcome. I have never been in an earthquake, but I imagine that the ground starts a slow steady vibration with some spikes of intensity and then the surface starts to shake and bounce. Then, before you know it, the vibration has turned into full shifting and actual quaking, and soon your legs are moving around with the ground. Also, I should mention that in my imagination, I picture this to be really unpleasant and free from thrills or excitement.
Okay, so now I should bring this back to me. SOMETIMES changes in my life feel like that. They scare me. They make me want to run and hide out until it's over and passes by. I don't know what it is that makes me literally want to run for the hills, but the creeping up of it as it moves over me is not my favorite.
I know this all sounds really dramatic, and that's how it feels sometimes. So the things that are different or are changing now: done coaching middle school as of last night. I'm sad about it. Yes, it was super time consuming, and yes, it was overwhelming and at times really frustrating, but it was also so fun! Those little puppy-dog goobers were a breath of fresh air after dealing with angst-ridden-full-blown-TEENAGERS! They would bound up to me after getting off the bus at the high school and just stand there waiting for me to smile or acknowledge them. Then after a simple, "hello," the barrage of stories from the day's adventures would come pouring out of their mouth. Before I could even begin to wrap my mind around one tall-tale, another young-pup would begin his/her onslaught of adventures! Then, I would slowly close my eyes, take a deep breath, throw my head back and just smile and chuckle for these play-things that were enraptured by me! It's quite humbling to think that quite often middle-schoolers just want to walk with you. They just want to boast about how awesome they are and what new thing they learned about or discovered at school that day. To complete the puppy-ensemble would be my favorite: their bodies growing out of proportion with themselves. Often times, big feet reach me before a springy adolescent can stand upright. One day a pup might be at eye-level, and within a blink of an eye, they're looking down on me.
As their coach, these encounters made me laugh. I loved watching them grow and get better at stuff through the season. Last night was our last meet. I watched a girl throw the shot put with correct technique 12 feet further than she did in the beginning of the season! I mean, that, my friends, is an accomplishment. Also at our meet last night I happen to glance over just in time to see a 7th grade girl with the spirit of a 6-year-old bound up to me to tell me her latest accomplishment prefaced with, "COACH MUHA!!! (pause for me to put my pointer-finger over my lips to quiet her down, just a bit..) I just threw 29 FEET!" This exclamation was followed by jumping up and down and me smiling and saying, good job, now go for 30! That and MANY other excitements and accomplishments followed the rest of the night. As we left the track last night with 2 first place finishes, 1 2nd place and another one that I didn't quite catch all of us coaches were bonded. We stood awkwardly for a picture, not sure what to do with our hands, but we were smiling! We had laughed at the familiar jokes from the kids, screamed until our voices cracked and by-golly we had bonded!
I am sad track season is now over. I'm not sure how to get back into my former-life. What am I going to do now after school? I had thought of this time as short, intense and glad when it'll be over. Now, I'm going to miss the little guys:) They definitely leaped and bounded and puppy-licked with their stinky breathe in my heart. (figuratively, of course!)
So, changes, I see you there. I see you just coming right along, Seniors will be gone in 2 more days and then what? I will be sad again. Summer I'm glad you're coming and when kids are hard and mean and rude, and everything else, I'm glad you're nearby...but....

Until next time....
Go Falcons!

Try to make me go to rehab...

2010-05-01T11:19:00.005-05:00

But I said no, no, no...

I FINALLY know what Amy Winehouse was singing about...err, wait a second...my rehab isn't for substance abuse--whew! For the last 6-7 weeks I've been visiting my favorite lo-cal for physical activity AND physical therapy--none other than Maximum Performance. I already was a frequent visitor of XP, as it's known to the locals, for my 5:45AM cycling class on Tuesday and Friday mornings, but for awhile now I've added something else. Let me back track a bit...end of September-ish 2009 I'm at the peak of intensity for marathon training and logging upwards of 30+ miles a week. That doesn't sound like that much, but for the novice runner it's A LOT! I started to get pain on the outside of my knee that was really limited my knee-swing mobility while running. It was pretty intense while running and just hurt all the way up the outside of my leg post-run. I was concerned, but figured it was like other aches and pains, something that must be pushed through. Well, IT-band pain is described below:

The iliotibial (IT) band is a tough group of fibers that run along the outside of the thigh. The gluteal muscles and the tensor fascia lata muscle attach to the top, and the lower part attaches to the tibia, just below the knee. It functions primarily as a stabilizer during running and can become irritated from overuse. Runners will usually describe pain on the outside part of the knee or lower thigh, often worsened by going up or down stairs, or getting out of a car.

Allow me to refer to my diagram above: the circle was the site of immediate pain--felt mostly RIGHT after my 18 mile long run one Saturday morning. That run was awesome, no pain, steady pace, great ride a-long friend, (read: Beth!) in a word: perfect! After that run during my mile-logging of Monday-Friday the pain on the outside of my knee was killing me. I tried to change my foot-strike, pick up my pace, run on gravel, nothing helped. It intensified and was almost unbearable during my following week 20 mile run. Being the novice that I was, I didn't know any better and pushed through. In my mind I needed to run the 20 miler to feel confident that I could even finish the 26.2 miles come race day. Well, it was brutal and thanks a N. Parker we pushed through that, got done, and was quite wobbly-hobbly for the rest of the day. I was confined to the couch and just rested for the majority of the day. So, tapering helped but my pain was intensifying. Fast forward: race weekend, Chicago October 9-11, 2009. Intense pain, muscle joint, weariness, not feeling great at all! Trying to stay positive, because after all, I was in Chicago and by golly I WILL finish this dang-thing!
Race day: BRUTAL. COLD. PAINFUL. FINISHED!
Post race: time-off until Nov. 1, 2009. Began running again, low mileage to maintain fitness. Started to train again for a 1/2 marathon in April. Began to feel sharp hip pain after the runs. It was at times hard to stand up straight, hard to bend to the side. Really intense.
Decision: Time to get physical therapy...or at least investigate what that would look like.
Spring Break: try out a free session at XP and see what's up and what I need to do.

Turns out, this guy in the middle: MEB, aka: elite runner, Olympic Silver Medal winner in Athens, yeah, we have the same injury! Issues/weakness in our tensor fascia lata, which lies in the front/side of my right hip.
You see the connection between the IT-band and TFL...really closely connected and in my case: weak! The area is about the size of the adult thumb on me and it's just small enough, but when overworked can cause such pain. It was clear to see how weak this area of my hip was, I could barely hold my right leg up in the air when hardly pushed on.
When I started rehab I was feeling emotionally and physically defeated. I thought my running days were over and that I royally jacked myself up my running that Marathon until completion! Therapy has been hard because it's a slow road back when the TFL can get inflamed and overworked (by me) really easily. At times it feels touch and go, and I'm learning as I go.

Through physical therapy I've learned how important lateral movements are while training and total body strengthening is vital! I've learned some new movements, improved my balance and gotten to know the people that perform soft tissue, ice and ultra-sound on my very personal hip area twice a week! Insecurity has been checked at the door and I've had to put all my body-issues aside and really focus on strengthening my TFL and upper gluteal muscles in front of watching/supporting eyes! I know it's silly, and I'm no pro-by ANY means, but I really feel supported by this team of 3-4 people at Maximum Performance that are trying to get me back on the road, carefully, slowly and injury/pain free! I thought my running days were over--but I think its possible to come back better, and smarter...it just takes time and patience and vision for the future.
The greatest challenge of PT has been patience and grace for my body. I really want to push myself at times and just GET BETTER! but, it's not that easy. I've seen myself gain a few pounds because of a lack of calorie-burn from those miles every week and ya know what: that's just a part of it. I think that in my current place in life right now I don't have the mental capacity to abuse myself for gaining weight. Because that's really what happens inside of me. So, gained a few. I'm leaving it at that. There has also been those times where just LIFE interferes with my rehab. I don't have the time to get in, or I make the time to get in to XP and other things suffer: late for work! insufficient planning time, or just a general sense of the LONGEST days ever and scrabbling until around noon-ish... I had this realization as to why there are so many elderly people in physical therapy, because it's finally when they are old(er) and retired that they have TIME to get rehab work done! Ok, I know I'm exaggerating, but kinda feels like that sometimes...

I realized that this is a really long post now (if you're still with me: you rock!), so it's time to wrap up. I ran .5 mile twice last week with little pain, not none, but better! It wasn't easy to get back on the road, but it's a start. Tomorrow I'm going to try 1 mile and see how I feel after.

If you find yourself in the rehabilitation wheel--just keep spinning along, because every run (exercise/weight lifted/balance found/sit-up/push-up, the list goes on..) is a victory!

:)

-Love, Shelb

Staycation, St. Pat's and so much more!

2010-03-17T13:25:00.003-05:00

Hi all!

It's been so long blogging world, yet I hope all is well! You are finding me hump-dayed of my Spring Break 2010 holed up in Manhattan! This Spring Break is going quite well and has been a good mix of hang-out time with good friends, time and space for me, and getting stuff done, and relaxing--and we're only 1/2 way! :)
Spring break recap (read: staycation)
Saturday's 32 Annual St. Pat's 10k-
Why don't you rotate for me picture? anywho: Beth and I gathered at Acme gift in Aggieville to store our winter woolie-warm clothes so they wouldn't hold back our speed! It was quite chilly that day, maybe 40-ish with a mighty north wind! The first 2.5 miles were uphill and into the north wind pretty steadily. Beth and I ran together and just chugged right along. It was a nice casual pace and felt pretty good, nice a relaxed for me. I was coming off a low-back strain that happened sometime the week prior, so going slow was good for it. We finished just over an hour- 1:01. I always love flying by people at the end, keeping enough kick to really excelerate right by them-best part!
After the race we enjoyed some AJ's pizza--could be my 2nd favorite pizza establishment in Manhattan. Second only to Bluestem Bistro ;) (free plug)
Sunday night ate some yummy sushi and hung with my other half-separated from birth (Jenny-funny girl!) We laughed, lounged, sipped red wine and watched Julie & Julia-so cute!
Monday--ahh, sleeping in! errands, eating yummy food-at home! watched movie with Parkers! We watched Hurt Locker--which was good, another war movie around Iraq, different twist, but really nothing amazing-was kinda disappointed because it won Best Picture this year.
Tuesday--5:45AM cycle baby! Ain't no wussies up in 'har! Then, eventually went on a little retreat with Mars, and Jenny G.
We gathered at this Inn, outside of Manhattan and sat and talked for a couple of hours, shared some stuff, then had some time reading. It was really nice to get outside city limits and look into the woods, enjoy someone else's establishment, and have focused time. I'm not very good at focused time at all--carving it out is a challenge and honoring that time is even more of a challenge.
I had decided that a retreat would be nice to focus on priorities and thinking about what I value. If you ask anyone who knows me they would agree that exercise, nutrition and fitness are pretty important to me personally, and running has taken priority the past year.
Which leads us to today....

Today, Wednesday, was my first appt. with a physical therapist to look at and diagnose my right hip. My right and left IT bands are really tight and since the marathon my right hip has not been able to recover fully. It's marketedbly weaker than my left hip and when I run it kind of collapses and so my stride compensates and creates pain. Even as I write this right now, I realize I'm writing it for me as a way to process. But I feel encouraged because I have a clear path of treatment: no running for a little while, get in to the PT, work on getting inflamation down, learning strenghtening exercises, and get my hip up to par so I can handle to stress of running distances again! It also means that I can say a def. yes, or no in this case to upcoming races. So, Abilene 1/2 marathon on April 10th, have to say no to you for now. But, I will be patient, and we might meet again next year. I do plan on going out there and riding alongside friends and being their portable PIT-CREW! :)

So, here we are: Wednesday afternoon, ready to attack some Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred--bring it girl! ;) I hope you are enjoying your week, no matter what it looks like!
Oh, and BTDubya--have you seen the forecast for Saturday? high of 35 and 2-4inches of SNOW?!?! what the hey??!

Have a grrrreat day friends! So long for now!

Shelb

AWKWARD!

2010-02-02T18:43:00.002-06:00

Ok, KSU game is on soon, but until then I'm watching a DVR'd Bachelor...holy moly--so awkward! AND, Jake himself has said it this time, several times....geesh! They are in San Francisco, and the city looks amazing. It really makes me long for clear blue skies, brightly colored plants, deep green trees--ahhh, where is Spring? My mind is dreaming of Spring break--and how fun it would be to travel--warm beaches, sun!

And, now they could be kissing on this boat, and it's so uncomfortable--I hear the crab from the Little Mermaid echoing, "kiss 'da GIRL!" come on Jake!

Sorry if this isn't fun for all you non-Bachelor watchers!

Ok, gotta get ready for some Wildcat action against Nebraska--come on boys!:)

Time to chat!

2010-01-25T19:50:00.004-06:00

Hi friends,

I'm SOO sorry it's been so long! Geesh--posting after so long has so much anticipation is adding some pressure. But, then I'm watching the Bachelor (on the wings of love...) and Jenny and I just add some essential commentary.
Let's see....recently Maris, Jenny and I threw a baby shower for the lovely Katie Parker! She's gonna have a bay-bay here reeeaaaalll soon! (like 4 weeks!?)

We throw quite a party:) We (Maris, Jenny and I) were REALLY excited about the food, but more excited about our sweet combo gift...The AWESOME diaper cake that Maris made by hand from scratch:) It looked awesome and I think that she should sell them!
Really love this onsie...good for Natron and the reading and such...
Katie's friend Emily and baby were so cute/fun/awesome/funny! Loved meeting her and hanging out!
Oh, another update: training has commenced for a 1/2 marathon that will be on April 10, 2010 in Abilene...let's go for a run Mr. Eisenhower! :)

Ok, the comment I make the most watching this show (the Bachelor) is, "OH gosh....sooo awkward!" and then we laugh!

Well, more to come soon! LOVE me some MARS:)

Running in a winter wonderland!

2009-12-09T09:09:00.003-06:00

Brrrr, it was cold on Sunday! And, remains cold today (Wednesday, the 2nd snow day in a row) temperature holding strong at 7 degrees! Don't even get me started on the wind chill...

Beth LOVED it! :)

After, I took off my outer layer pants, I was ready to rave it up with my super bright gloves!

Pre-run in the drizzle-sleet slickness, she's lookin' dry and warm (ish)

After the run, soooo cold! My clothes had misty water-droplets that had gathered on the outside of them that was the precipitation that looked like fuzz on my clothes. It was a pretty good race, despite the cold/stuff falling from the sky! I ran with a student, Karly, and I told her, at any time that she is free to go on ahead and leave me to fend for myself! But, we stayed together, she pushed me up those hills and through those hurried recovery sessions! We both are pretty competitive and passed two other chicas going into the home stretch! I felt good about it, they weren't all that pleased, but man, we booked it in there to make the grand tag to our teammate that would run the remaining 3.1 miles. Karly and I ran 3.1 in 27:30! A PR for me and I'm sure a nice little jog for her! ;)
I told Beth that I would just keep going with her for the remaining 3.1, but as I passed that finish line, I had to stop and gasp some air. I took some recovery time and then met up with her and ran the remaining 2+ miles with her! It was a good time!
We hurried home after the race and I couldn't wait to take off my wet clothes and warm up in the shower! It took a while, but eventually my lips returned to their normal color.

I'm currently writing this from the comfort of my couch on my 2nd consecutive snow day!! The wind is looking quite fierce and blowing the snow around....maybe I'll stay in today? hmm...

Until next time,
Shelby:)

Thanksgiving Day 5k

2009-11-30T13:37:00.003-06:00

Hello all,

Hopefully your long weekend was refreshing gave you some momentum to forge into the holiday season! I know that it was MUCH needed personally, but it has been difficult to get my head out of the break-time fog!

While in KC, I managed to rest up, eat some DELICIOUS sushi at RA in OP, eat yummy thanksgiving-time food, (when else does one eat stuffing?), go shopping, create/finalize my Christmas list, and run a little 5K with mi familia!

My bro came down from Des Moines, IA and I was psyched to have some healthy sibling rivalry. Secretly, I thought I would smoke Sam-bo....but we talked about it ahead of time and decided to stay together and finish together...we were both going at about a 8:45/mile pace. BUT, little Sambo, who's not so little anymore, decided to really pick it up the last 1.5. I debated if I could keep up with him, but then thought, "wait a second, I should atleast try to stay with him!" So, I did (kinda) and ran my fastest mile EVER 7:55! He still finished 6 seconds before me, but I definitely blame the race and crowded roadways. I resign that there were too many people for too small of a roadway. I spent most of my time dodging people instead of finding any semblance of a stride. It was a fun way to start the holiday of eating, and good family bonding time! The only bummer was that I couldn't find Ben or Maris to chat with at the finish! Too many peeps!

Let's see...what's next on the race calendar? :)

It's been too long!

2009-11-19T09:54:00.005-06:00

Hello Old Friend!

It has been too long since my last post and I've missed blogging dearly! I feel disconnected from an old friend, and many old friends thanks to my millions of fans and devoted readers..ha..ha:)

Anyway, for me this blog feels right when it's about running in some sense of the word. So allow me to recap life since the marathon!

I took about 3 weeks (the remainder of October, post-race) off completely from running. I did other forms of physical activity, but really took a break from lacing up my running kicks. I needed a break physically, mentally, emotionally, and physically! My body was at it's peak of injury-pain when it was time to run in Chicago. Looking back, "bad-timing" doesn't even come close to summarizing the coincidence. My IT band needed some rest, and I backed off, and invested in a foam roller, and have been rolling my way to a "hurts-so-good" recovery. The foam roller puts allows you to use your body weight as a force so the muscle and tendon really get some firm pressure to work out lactic acid, and tightness. At times, it's killer and I make really silly faces while breathing in short gasps. Jack thinks it's play time when I'm on the floor, and my sound effects don't help, but I know what that time is for!

Taken back to running 2-3 times a week. Saturday's just don't feel right if I'm not on the trail for a little bit. I think I've realized that I truly am a runner because last Saturday I slept in (till 8, ha!) and got up, quickly hurried some coffee a' brewin' then made some breakfast. I was thinking, "do I want to eat now, or run?" Well, the agenda was pretty open for the day, so I decided on some yummy cereal and then revisit the running option. The stresses of last week were feeling pretty heavy, and I wondered if the trail would suffice the intensity....it did! I felt right on the trail. I felt like the wide open view was soothing to my soul. Space created peace and it was addicting! I had intended to do 4 miles (farthest distance since the marathon) and felt so good, I went 4.5! My knee (IT band) was hurting the last mile, so I slowed the pace and paused to stretch. It felt right. The pressures from people, places, broken things= dryer :( were a distant memory for a while. Ahh, fresh air, delightful; cleansing.

Yep, I'm a runner. Life, and the demands and pressures of it all, make more sense on the trail. I also just completed this book:
So inspiring, it could be considered, "performance enhancing." You should check it out!

Next read:
So, I'm baaaaaack! Enjoy your Thursday, I hear it's going to be great running weather this afternoon in the Manhattan area:)

Shelb

Pictures of the Finish!

2009-10-22T11:28:00.003-05:00

Hi all,

I just realized that even though I created a facebook photo album with pictures from the finish, I have yet to publish pictures on my blog of me post-race! So, here ya go!

Tired doesn't even come close to describing it...
All the expo, pre-race, getting all geared-up! :) I was a sucker for ANYTHING that said Chicago Marathon 2009 on it;)
Some peeps running, but cool street scenes of what it really looked like!

Cold, but the medal feels great!!
To get a better feel of what it felt like you can watch these 2 vidoes: one OR this one

I like youtube:)

Shelby

One Week Ago Today!

2009-10-18T18:50:00.002-05:00

Hello All,
Life post-marathon for me look really interesting. I wore my medal most of the week, and then again today to church so people who haven't seen me yet could see it. I impressed small children by telling them I came in 2nd (because it's silver) and felt pretty cool. My body feels pretty normal again, I know that it's not normal, but ya, know, for the most part, I'm pretty mobile.
I had a pretty good, laid back weekend. I got a lot done, feel ready for the week, but I miss my trail. I miss leaving my foot prints for miles and miles, I miss the sweat and intensity at wanting my house to be just a little bit closer...It's weird this post-race-thing.
Since the race I haven't wanted to become a really good fan for the people in my life. I also learned during the race that I'm made to do huge life things with people. I desperately needed people to turn to during the race at mile 3, 5, 10, 13.1, 17, 18, 22, 24, 26, and 26.2! I needed someone who knew me, who could encourage me, who I could encourage too, ya know? The fans, have I told ya'll about the fans in Chicago on race day? Oh man, they were incredible! They really MADE the race for me! I didn't feel like I was alone on the course because I wrote my name on my shirt and people cheered for me like we had known each other for years! They challenged me to stay strong, keep a strong pace, keep my head up, shoulders back, and just keep pushing. So I did. Without people who could cheer my name I would have felt so alone I might not have finished. It really caught me off-guard how intensely I would feel my emotions of lonliness and pain, and at the same time elation, and appreciation. Holding those 2 things in balance and with passionate feeling behind them is really challenging. It makes answering the, "How was the marathon?" question really difficult! It was so painful, I wasn't expecting to feel like I was merely surviving for 23.2 miles!

Currently, I'm recovering and stretching and resting my body so that I'll be able to still consider myself a runner and at the end of October, try out a run or two...

I hope this makes sense, thanks for reading:)

Have a great week!
Shelb

Last Saturday in Chicago

2009-10-16T14:54:00.005-05:00

Happy almost weekend all,

Here are some more pics from last weekend in Chicago. Coincidentally, Taylor Swift and her bf from New Moon (Jacob--can't remember his real name!) were in Chicago shopping on Michigan Ave AT the same time I was!! I....didn't happen to bump into her though :(
These sweet fountains had random Chicagoans' faces appear and sometimes water would spit out of their mouth!
Photo Op! It was cooooold!
THE BEAN!
The Bean upclose and personal!
Cool outdoor amphitheater!
The street attractions were a sight to behold! This was entertaining us for a little while: Puppet Theater!
We found the Little Corner Bakery and ate for yummy lunch! Me and Mama!
Me and Amsicle [the new HIT musical] at dinner at Big Bowl the night before the Marathon!
Back at the hotel room the night before the race, getting mentally and physically prepped! :) I wrote my name on my jersey so people could cheer for me as I ran! It really helped those long miles go by faster:)

Stay tuned for more later:)

1st Day in Chicago-Marathon Recap

2009-10-15T18:34:00.005-05:00

Hi All,

I know this post is long overdue, but my schedule has been crazy-packed and I finally have a free evening! Pictures speak better than words....see below:

Walking into the Health & Fitness Expo. It was HUGE and full of sweet marketing stuff that I was a total sucker for:)Pulling my bib out of the informational envelope! It gave me chills, so nuts!

The blonde chick with the red shirt is Deena Kastor, she's an Olympian and was making her marathon comeback post stress-fracture in the Beijing Olympics 2008! I was a little starstruck!Mr. Hal Higdon himself signing copies of his novel! Another marathon icon!
I found a handy foam-roller at the expo and spent some time workin on that IT band....ouch!
Sweet closeup of the trophy...the only real closeup I knew I'd see of the grand prize!:)
My Mom found her inspiration to be the best cheer-er she could be!! It was cute;)
Sweet bag full of swag! Some stuff I bought, some stuff was a freebie! It was a sweet day!
The day was polished off with a pretty cool Team World Vision dinner at the University of Illinois Forum. We got to hear some inspirational stories, met some peeps and ate a pretty good meal. We were introduced to Tom who started running on Sunday (day of Marathon) at 1:30AM and ran to Charity Village for a total of 23.8 miles and then lined up with the rest of us to run the Marathon so that when he crossed the finish line he ran 50 miles total!! He is 50 years old, raised $50,000 and ran 50 miles! Amazing!!
It was a jam-packed day of travel, rain, coldness, and marathon swag! Whew, recapping it all even makes me a bit tired:) Here's a post for now!

More to come, I promise;)

Shelby

Alive and well!

2009-10-12T10:41:00.004-05:00

The medal feels great!! I'm doing well, my heart is still beating and my lungs still taking in oxygen; I made it through 26.2 miles! I will post more about the marathon VERY soon, but for now, I just wanted to give you a glimpse of me wearing my medal this morning as I lounge around at my parent's house in KC!
I'm very sore and instead of feeling like I got hit by a truck, I feel like I just ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon! whoop whoop!! :)

I'm sticking around KC a little longer than planned today because I was given the information of this sports rehab massage therapist that is going to do some work on not 1, but BOTH of my IT bands on the outside of my right and left legs! So, I'll be home sweet home after that:)

Look for more to come later with LOTS of fun pics of the weekend festivities in Chicago!:)
Shelb

Dinner Send-Off!

2009-10-08T21:34:00.004-05:00

Hi friends,

This is going to be real quick! I'm trying to get everything squared away so I don't overpack and miss out on cool swag storage to come home with:) Last night some good friends gathered and showered me with sweet cards and really nice gifties to send me on my way to Chicago!
Then..today I arrived at work to have my sweet students shower me with signs, posters, flowers, protein bar, and a delicious spaghetti lunch! :) Start the carb loading now!!

It was a really special day and I felt very encouraged and supported and am ready to high the skyways north to Chi-town! I'll be out of the blogosphere for awhile, but don't worry I will post quite the post-marathon recap! I'm very excited and so thankful for all of your prayers, encouragement and well wishes:) Here I go: rockin' this like a frickin' hurricane baby!:)

The Stew Crew was there as well, but I didn't pull my camera out until they were gone because I totally forgot, ugh, to take pictures! :( BUT, they were very fun, very energetic, and very entertaining;)

Love you all, Catch ya on the flip side:)
Shelby

Runner Tracking

2009-10-07T08:44:00.003-05:00

Good COLD morning all!

It's quite chilly here in Manhattan, KS and will be just be getting colder after today in Manhattan AND Chicago!

I'm writing this to provide some info about the upcoming 26.2 mile race! The race begins at 7:30AM and you can receive text updates on how I'm doing and where I'm at on the course throughout the journey!
Simply go to this link: http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=37

and enter in your email address and create a password and then you can sign up to receive Text or email updates! All you have to know: Shelby Muha from Manhattan! :) You'll get a confirmation text and just reply or enter confirmation code and you're good to go! ;)

Thanks again for all the support, here's to praying and hoping it doesn't RAIN! and that somehow I'm able to stay warm:)
Shelby

Goodie Bag!

2009-10-05T20:04:00.004-05:00

It's Marathon Week!

I went to Manhattan Running Co today and got some injury help! I knew I needed to get a long-sleeve moisture wick-ing shirt and some chews for race day. I went in and talked to Trey who was SUPER helpful! I got some arch-support insoles that will help the ankle issue AND an IT-band thing that I can wear above my knee to take some pressure off of my knee! I'm excited for this, but am kinda kicking myself that I didn't go in sooner to have more time to experiment with the in-soles and IT-band. I'm hopeful though!

Check it out:

Sweet thigh shot:)
All together now! Lookin' good! I was really looking for a white or blue long-sleeve, but I took what I could get, and know it's a good shirt!

I think my dressing plans for the day tomorrow have been changed so I can wear my running shoes with new insoles to help break them in! I need all the time in them I can get!

Good night!

1 Week from Today!

2009-10-04T21:00:00.003-05:00

Good evening friends,

I just finished watching this movie: called Spirit of the Marathon that my 2nd cousin Sue recommended I watch about the training and events of the Chicago Marathon! I canNOT wait! I mean, this movie moved me to tears, made me nervous with the camera fast-forwarded course view...made my heart beat faster and made me so stinkin' excited! The anticipation of the city and the crowd and all of the things that go into it will be incredible! You should check out that movie and then it'd be like youwere there with me the whole time:)

Yesterday Beth and I completed the last long run before the race!
The sun was RIGHT in me eyeballs!

I bet you didn't realize that AFTER the marathon I will be auditioning for my role as Heisman trophy-poser. That's the person that stops and poses for a quick pic and then the trophy is sculpted based on them....you never heard of that?? :)
Beth lookin' snazzy on the red SCHWINN!

Yesterday and today have been very nostaligic for me. Tonight I was surprised to hear our doorbell ring while I was chatting with my mom on the phone and my friend Camala brought me a marathon kit! :) It had a mini-first aid kit, travel size Tylenol (extra-strength!), gloves, hand sanitizer, chap stick, a card and a bracelet that I am going to wear that will help remind me that there are people at home that are praying for me and cheering me on, eventhough they couldn't be in Chicago! I'm getting a little misty just mentioning it to you! Such a special gift!
I've been a compulsive weather watcher lately, and will be so even more as the race approaches! Chicago baby is supposed to be about 55 degrees, and you KNOW it'll be windy! Clothing prep is in the works!

So, onto some news about this injury. I think, but am not 100% sure that I'm having IT band issues! From all the reading I've done and research I've done, and people I've talked to, the pain that is on the outside of my knee that kind of radiates down from the hip is an IT band thing. I've been adding an extra rest day, and really felt the pain on Saturday around mile 7. I prayed and slowed down a bit, and felt better as the pain eased a bit. I'm thinking that if I feel pain or twinge in my hip area during the day that I'll be on the elipitcal after school getting my miles in that way. And maybe do it again on Tuesday/Thursday! I am praying and believing God for recovery and no permanent damage to my tendons or joints! Please pray with me for guidance and wisdom as I seek to take really good care of myself this week!

I can't tell you how thankful I am for all of your hugs, questions, emails, pats on the back, and the list goes on! Thanks for cheering for me!
Love,
Shelby

Twinkies!!

2009-10-01T14:41:00.004-05:00

What can I say?! It's FLAVA and FLAVE! :) We're big pimpin spendin the cheese..... It's Homecoming week this week, as the big game and dance are tomorrow night! So, everyday at school has been a different theme day and today Mrs. Bro and I are twinsies:)

What's YOUR favorite part of our outfit? :)

Love, Flava

Part of a team!

2009-09-30T08:58:00.005-05:00

(trying to wear this as much as possible!) :)
Hi all!

Less than 2 weeks and I will be running with around 40,000 other people through downtown Chicago for a total of 26.2 miles! Wowza! Lately, I have been very excited to be a part of the World Vision team! I got an email yesterday that my dinner is paid for at the "team dinner" on Friday night. I was on the fence about attending this, but after that I signed up my Mom and I to be there! I'm hoping to meet some cool folks and maybe a buddy or two to run the race with:) It'd really be great to be linked up with some other like minded peeps to run this last leg of the journey with! So, if you're the praying type, add that one for me please:)

This clip has really inspired me as part of the team as well: Less than 2 weeks! Check it out!

So, this picture is my desktop background right now and I really feel like it sums up how I feel sometimes about this race
You can see the road curving, but what lies beyond the last curve? You can't see it!! You know the road continues, you know the colors of fall will continue to be beautiful, but ultimately--you can't know until you get there! Even as I type that my hands get a little sweaty and my heart is beating a little faster. I've been really fortunate to be encouraged by everyone I talk to about this upcoming race from my Chiropractor to my favorite local running store owners! People tell me, "You could run the race today," or, "You're there, you're ready, now just relax and enjoy the ride," and, "even if you did nothing but the eliptical from now until the race, you'd be just fine." This are precious gems of hope that I've tucked away in my heart for the moments of sheer panic as I realize the magnitude of what I'm embarking on!

Yesterday I came home from a 6 mile run, and I was icing my knee and ankle and just felt kinda mopey as I was frustrated that my legs/joints are hurting. JG asked me if I was okay, and I told her that I'm just frustrated that I don't feel really strong going into the race. She said, "You know you're probably going to feel different every day before the race as it gets closer." I'll have to remember to thank her x 1,000 for the boosts that she gives me when I need it!

I hope this doesn't read like I'm a huge drama-queen, because really, I'm only like a minor-drama-queen, and have a SLIGHTLY altered view of reality:)

On, a completely unrelated note, I'm becoming alarmingly good at the banana-slam-car-game! If you're unfamiliar with fun car games, or it's been awhile since you've hung out with adolescents, allow me to present the rules: you get to punch, or little tap, nudge whoever is in the passenger/driver seat whenever you see a YELLOW car! Now, depending on who you're playing with the rules may be altered slightly to include yellow houses, lawnmowers, dump trucks, fire hydrants, restuarants, etc...However, the excuse, "Come on, how many times do you see a yellow lawn-mower?!" can only be used once!! No cheatsies! :)

So pick up the game, start slamming the people you're in the car with, and maybe the rate of road rage will go down in our great metropolis of Manhattan, who knows?! :) But, please remember, I am not liable for bruises incurred or inflicted upon you or your loved ones!! And, if you hear this threat, "Shelby, do you really want to play this game with me? I mean you need to really think about this because I will hurt you! If you keep playing this with me I cannot be held responsonsible for how hard I hit you--I used to be a boxer!" Ahem, please JG, BRING IT! :)

Happy Hump Day! ;)

It's all related

2009-09-26T09:59:00.002-05:00

This isn't the post I envisioned while I was running. I didn't get far enough to have time to let my mind wander to a place of even being able to plan my post. This post might come out of a different place than my previous posts--caution!

So, this training stuff is hard. Working so hard for a goal that is now, 2 weeks away, continues to force my gaze and focus UP, and OUT. So emotional stuff that goes on at the same time as training, let's call that stuff life, is never easy either! I love people deeply. Sometimes, I hurt them unintentionally. Sometimes, I do more harm than good, and sometimes what I thought was this great thing, isn't so great.
It's like training. I thought that today I'd be ready to run a nice easy 12 miles. I had taken Wednesday completely off from running. Thursday was an active rest day where I rode my bike 6 miles and then lifted a bit. Friday was indoor cycling and I was free of ankle/knee pain. Yesterday I was at school from 8AM until 9:45PM...that's a loooooong time! I spent a good majority of that time on my feet on concrete working in the concession stand, and by the end of that my ankle had started to feel tired and sore. I also got a text from Beth that B-man was sick and she couldn't ride with me in the morning. Well, I sent out a lot of text-pleas and got nothing in return. So, I spent the drive home in the rain planning my run and mentally preparing. I envisioned the trail, where the the water was and what it would be like for me to be out there alone.
This morning I was planning on sleeping in (till 7AM) and then getting up and ready. But, like I've already mentioned, it's all related, so I was feeling overwhelmed and uneasy. About .15 of the run, I felt a tinge in my ankle. I felt the tightness and stiffness and then it hit my knee. I knew I should stop, but I kept going because stopping is really hard. It's like admitting defeat or that I'm not going to be able to do it. I kept going and the pain would go away, then I would feel it again. And it's not muscular, it's joint-stuff -how scientific...So on the trail the debate is going back in forth in my head do I keep going, or do I stop? Do I forge through, or is that unwise? Will it hurt me more later to keep going now? Do I keep the END in mind and take care of myself now, or just go because I wanted to be able to run today? Are you beginning to see the greater picture and how all this STUFF is related???

At 1.68, I turned around. I ran 3.11 and walked the rest .50 mile home. It's soooooooo hard for me not to feel like an absolute failure! I wanted to be on the trail, I want to be healthy, and more than that, I want to be able to give myself grace in this moment. I want to be able to believe it, ya know?

I hope this isn't just downer ramblings to you today!

It's beautiful outside, I'm hoping for some JG time and maybe a nice leisurely bike ride:)

Happy Birthday Sam!!
Happy Saturday!

That's alotta Muha's!

2009-09-23T19:08:00.003-05:00

Pick-up-your-pictures-at-school-day!!! That's right, I didn't cut them up and write on the back and give it to all besties...so, if you want one, just lemme know because I've got 4 years worth of teacher HOTT school pics! :)

I feel like it's been awhile since I've chatted with ya'll! The last connection was via a landmark 20-miler-and well, oh blah de-oh blah dah, life goes on:) This week I have been feeling quite OLD! My physiological age could have been near 40+ if you judged this based on my walking capability or sound effects when sitting (aka plopping) down or getting up. Needless to say, I was SORE! My joints hurt, my bones hurt, and I was tiiiiired! Sunday was a slow mover for me, I took a brief nap and hoped my right ankle/knee got to feeling better soon. Monday, well let's just say I tried to run.....and I basically would start out running and then stop when I felt pain in my ankle/knee. Then, it went away, I would start out again, then stop, then start, etc. I only did this for 2 miles.
Well, yesterday I thought the ankle was feeling better and so I hit the road again for an 8 miler. I know, my training/pain avoidance wasn't on allstar-level at this point. I shouldn't have ran 8 miles, but I wanted to hit the road and the weather was beautiful, and I couldn't resist. So I ran in and out of pain for the whole time and went pretty quick. The first 2 miles were around 8:50 min/mile pace and then I slowed where every mile after that was under 9:30ish min/mile pace. I got done, readily applied some ice to my ankle and after a chat with the G-man decided to rest. G-man coaches and has coached Cross Country/Track and Field at the school were I work for 30+ years and knows his stuff! The man is an excellent coach, and he told me very confidently that I needed to take 2-3 days off to rest my ankle completely before the race so I'm able to finish and finish strong! I heeded his advice and NO running, NO cross training, NOTHING on this fine Wednesday. The weather was awesome, so NP and I enjoyed a Sprite (him) Vitamin Water (me) on my driveway in camping chairs after work. Ahh, the life of a teacher....:)

Guess what came in the mail today........................

That's right! My official race-day apparel that I ordered on Monday! Super excited to try it out on a long run and see how it feels! I hope all is well because I'd love to wear it and feel good on race day in that!

Back to So You Think You Can Dance and early to bed tonight!! :)

Guh' night all:)

Konza, Second City AND 20 miles!

2009-09-19T17:39:00.008-05:00

Whoa-nelly! I've got LOTS to report--hold on to your hats!

KONZA
First off, the BEST class field trip ever! I hoped to impart my love for the outdoors with physical activity and took 2 of my classes to Konza Prairie Reserve to hike the 4 mile loop. We had originally hoped to hike 6 mile route, but the timing and our pace as a class wasn't allowing this to happen and be back at school by 2! So, alas, we still had a great time and enjoyed the great outdoors thanks to some really adventurous Sophomore boys and geckos/grasshoppers/bugs/anything living that they found and thrust in the face of any female within the vicinity of them. Ahh....boys will be boys?! Needless to say, I moved from RIGHT behind them to towards the middle/back of the pack. Check out some fun pics below:

Started off my day of activity after spinning this morning with a Passion-fruit flavored Coconut water as an effort to stay ahead of dehydration! It is a task for someone like me that sweats--well, A LOT is an understatment at times;)
Great view with a super fun student Shug/Doodie or Kam-Bam:) Depends on what you'd like to call her! So cute!
Lunch break, we all brought lunch and popped-a-squat! The boys claimed not to be hungry and wanted to play in the nature...as I heard one of them mention later, "I've got nature all over my legs..."
Back on the trail, cute hats/sunglasses or maybe it was their "official hiking gear."

I loved the color contrast of greens/tans/yellow colors against and blue sky with big white fluffy clouds

One of my roads/trails ahead.

No one else wanted me to take their picture, so K-dawg was all about it...I was all about photog-ing our random finds--like this well that is only used under supervision and permission and stuff..

Check out what came in the mail for me yesterday!!
My official confirmation ticket to the CHICAGO MARATHON! whoop whoop!! I read it immediately and will probably 7 more times before heading to Chicago:)

SECOND CITY
That's right, in typical Chicago fashion, I went to SECOND CITY last night! My friend John asked me to go with him, and it was AWESOME! :)

Jenny and I had to pose for a quick pic in our matching shirts before I headed out the door:) That's right, I DID wear the shirt to the show, I had to represent the Chi-town experience! One of the cast members was from Chicago, so just like the red-head in the latest Sonic commercials (I'm like your little tator-tot) I look at these people and feel like their my friends from Chicago!
Sweet hook-up:
So John is a Friend of McCain and he got an invite on his seats for a little smoozing action in the Director's Lounge! I was extremely excited to meet some folks and enjoy FREE refreshments which was a bottle of water for me and John and a little Pepperidge Farm cookie;) Super funny! Good times had by all!

Onto this morning's JAUNT!
As I looked down at these feet, I was trying to give them a little pep-talk. Like, "here we go fellas, got 20 miles ahead of us, you got this? slow and steady, don't quit on me, ok?! You can do it!"
This is my friend for these long runs, unfortunately I did not apply enough today do the immediate upper area of under arm, and wow, let's just say: PAIN and screaming out bloody murder in the shower!
Not exactly sure what was happening here. Looks like I was still dancing to Miley's latest hit: Party in the USA when NP was at my house ready to hit the road, and JG took a pic!
Brrr this morning! Wowza, it was 48 degrees according to my computer when we started out. Def could see my breath! That long sleeved was awesome to wear at the start, light weight and warm, had to be shed though around mile 7.
So the journey this morning found my legs, body, and mind fatigued from a really intense week! This was the climax of the training week, so as of today I've logged 40 miles THIS WEEK! That's a lot, and when the alarm went off this morning, my body was not super excited for the trek! I have had some issues this week with my right knee and ankle and I got them re-aligned from my favorite Chiro here in town on Friday, but this morning I was hurting around mile 6 and then again really intensely around mile 13! I considered stopping because I felt like I was just slinging my right knee thru ankle/foot along for the ride. I felt very gimpy and NOT good! I was getting discouraged and just announced to NP that I was going to pray. So, I did. And I asked God for grace to finish the run. I asked God to take away the pain and allow me to finish this moring. I kept asking for other things and lifted up people and it was a really great opportunity to connect with Him this morning. The pain went away. It wasn't even a dull ache, it was gone and I was moving forward and feeling good. The motto today was: slow and steady. My pace stayed right around 10 min/mile. I was in the 9:4o's ish and the 10:11's sometimes. My goal was to finish under 3:20 and made it: 3:19!
Can still put my arms up! We got done in the middle of the trail with still about 1.5 left before we got to my house.
There's more miles to log, but from here on out, it's TAPER time! I say now that I'm ready to take it easy, but we'll see how I do when I really do run less and less. It'll be different that's for sure--don't worry, I'll keep you posted;)

This afternoon I slept for awhile and will do MORE of it very soon!

Happy weekend!
Love-Shelb

Every Run is a Victory!

2009-09-17T20:22:00.002-05:00

So, I know it sounds kinda lame, but today I was telling myself that every run is a victory because today I wanted to quit! I played sports (ultimate football and soccer) with students at school during physical activity day and this morning I was hurting! My legs are soooooooore!

The 5 miles were pretty good, I wanted to help play/scrimmage volleyball with the elite VARSITY team...but alas, the road was calling my name, and honestly I'm not good enough to play with the upper class! They would have taken me in..but pity-plays aren't my fav!
I was glad when the journey was over today and when I was stretching my knee was NOT feeling very good. Luckily after a more intense stretching time the knee was feeling better but I made an appt to see my favorite Chiro tomorrow bright and early at 8AM! Bring on some alignment relief:)
Good night all!
Spinning bright and early at 5:45AM!

26 days until 26 miles

2009-09-15T21:32:00.004-05:00

Wow!

The miles are adding up and the days are running out! eek! I can't quite believe how rapidly the race is approaching! I just ran 10 miles this evening and am tired! It was a real trial of endurance mentally and physically! At the start of the run, I was not really feeling the journey ahead! I was tired from a long day at work and I had compensating for my stress by nibbling on little candies that are resting on my desk for my students! It wasn't a good solution--as it didn't relieve my stress and now my tum hurts post-run! The 10-miler I just completed is the longest mid-week run in the entire training program! This Saturday: 20 miles!!

Well, I'm anxiously listening to hear who will win this season's Big Brother...come on Jordan! My lower eye-lid is still a twitch-twitch twitchin' so to bed I head;)

G' night!

This is the climax of the training

2009-09-14T20:21:00.002-05:00

Hi friends,

This week marks the climax of this training program! Since May 15 my body, mind, and soul have been working up to this part of the training--20 miles on the schedule for this Saturday's run! wowza! So the mileage total for this week will be 40, which is substantial for me FOR SURE! :) I ran 5 today with my hippie friend NP--he rocked! Way to still be an enthusiastic story-teller while running! That's impressive! We ran 5 and just for good measure I kicked it up a notch the last 2.5 miles! I did mile 4 in 9:05 and mile 5 in 8:32! It felt good to be able to push my legs to go that fast! Fun times;)
Well, I'm going to head to rest my twitching eye--does that ever happen to you? Part of your eyelid just decides to spasmodically bounce all over the place while you're just chillin' watching Dreamgirls on the couch? I think its the signal to me that it's time to get a good solid night's sleep!! :)
Night all--tomorrow is 10 miles! :)

I care. And so I run.

2009-09-12T20:30:00.006-05:00

Hello there-
Let me update ya a bit! Wowza, I've been busy! First of all, thanks for World Vision for the sweet bracelet and little push! I'm usually not one for the thicker-rubber-plasticy-athletic bracelets, but this one...I saw and said, "ya know what, I'm wearing that until the race, I'm in all right now!" So yeah, it's been on my wrist, ever since:)

So since the bracelet and I have become friends, I've also gone on to KSU Volleyball game at Ahearn Feildhouse with a Pack-a-Parkers...:)
I guess Natron got hungry and decided to chomp on Katie's head....hmm

Beth and Brady are in this picture somewhere...see if you can find them....:)

But this little guy was a wee bit sleepy! So, I decided to hold him a bit, and he fell fast asleep!! zzzzz's It was SUPER hot in Ahearn so I could only hold my little sauna friend for a little while before giving him back to mama! Gotta love some cute cuddly baby love!!

On to running news:
This morning, when I walked out of my room at 7:15AM I saw my little friends lazin' around on the couch..
lucky....I was ready to hit the road with shoes laced up and all this made me want to do was crawl back in to bed....but alas--
A one NP decided to join me on the 14 mile journey on Linear Trail! But first he had to add some air to his bike via my little hamster/gerbel air compressor
it hopped around on the ground when you turn it on to pump air...kinda cute;)

And when the bike was ready Natron-the-Incredible decided to swing his bike overhead, which was the universal signal that it was time to begin the journey!!

I got a little nervous when he turned into Natron-the-Incredible...eek! BUT..

The Road Ahead was calling myname:) We hit the trail and went 7 out and turned around and came back! Did 14 without stopping once! Lots of muddy/splashing puddles, and lots of sweatiness! I do have the say that at this point the running is getting a bit tedeous...BUT with the help of my new bracelet I could focus on the goal ahead! The race is coming and it's going to be great, keeping the end in mind!

Well friends, time to go! :) Happy weekend!!

Love-Shelb

The misty 9 and a new SPOT on the lake!

2009-09-09T19:18:00.005-05:00

Hello all,

I'm currently writing from the comfort of my own couch watching the Presidential Address. I was planning on watching So You Think You Can Dance AND GLEE Season Premiere! But no, sadly all I get is some words from Obama, followed by standing, yelling and clapping...it's kind of wearing me out already!
Yesterday I went on a 9 mile run!
No, I didn't do this--THIS picture is from Saturday's run! I was at the 12 mile mark and saw a camera pointed at me, I couldn't help myself;)
But the nine yesterday were pretty good. I ran between 8:48-9:36 minute splits. I told myself to slow down and keep it between 9:20-9:40 because the run was supposed to be nice and easy! It was cloudy and I was worried it might thunderstorm on me, but alas all I got was a gentle misting. The misting cooled me off a little bit, but left me very wet! Eek! I was pleased with the run and my ability to do it lone-star style! Me and my fuel belt, we're BFF's:)
Tonight after school I did 26 minutes on the eliptical machine and lifted arms and legs. I got a flu shot today and HIGHLY recommend it to others--except for the fact that my arm is still sore! I mean seriously, shots HURT :( or...i'm a weenie...

On to my spot....

Love this spot because you can walk around the bend and explore, throw rocks in, skip rocks, just walk, it's nice!So this spot is where the fish live and dogs play, I don't swim here, but look at the pretty surroundings!Ahh, the waves! From this view it looks like the water isn't THAT disgusting out at Tuttle Puddle...I still think there's a hidden fungus or disease lurking in the waters that you'll get if you swim in it for too long! The theory has yet to be proven....
Well, I'm off to watch more the clapping, standing, cheering, and President addressing the nation about healthcare. So, already I'm wondering if it's okay to act/behave/think that because we're American citizens if we can be entitled to not get sick? Because it kinda sounds like that just a little bit...I hope I'm not ostracized by this opinion, just a wondering really...And, I've been blogging during the address, so my attention hasn't been entirely fixated on one thing at a time:)

Tomorrow morning, I think there is a run ahead of me...in the dark of the dark...

See ya!

The beauty of a day off!

2009-09-07T11:06:00.002-05:00

If only I could run in the 7AM hour everyday! The sun was brilliant this morning and sometimes I wish my eyes were a camera lens and I could just take incredible pictures as I see them and share them all with you! I am the inspired blogger this morning after seeing Julie and Julia on Saturday night with some friends! So great, KP and I laughed the whole way through and couldn't wait for the movie to get over so we could start imitating our Julia Child accent! We thought it was quite funny!!:)

I was a tired puppy this morning and stayed in bed until 7:18AM and then decided it was time to get up and lace up the shoes and hit the pavement. Normally running around 7:45AM would be traffic central by my house but today the cars were sparse and the weather was glorious! I enjoyed having a lit path with splashes of color in the sky from the clouds/fog and rising sun. Sunflowers were catching my attention everytime I passed them! Did you know that sunflowers turn throughout the day to face the sun? I think this is a beautiful metaphor for God! I mean, the fact that he created this flower to turn and face the source of it's life as it passes through the sky--hello! if only my attention stayed on Jesus like that!! I am always amazed when I see them!

This morning's run reminded my legs that I ran 18 miles on Saturday and sometimes running hurts just a little bit! But around mile 2 I found my stride and wasn't feeling any pain the rest of the run. I did 5 miles quite comfortably and then came home and did strengthening and core work! I'm timid to lift too much with my legs because they get sore and tired and I use them A LOT, but it felt good today and if I keep my protein and water/potassium up, I'm hopeful I'll feel alright.

Saturday's Long Run:
So, I wanted to write my splits from the 18 miler: (feel free to skip over if bored!)
mile 1: 10: 18
2: 9:56
3: 9:51
4: 9:54
5: 9:57
6: 10:00
7: 10:26
8: 10:05
9: 10:09
10: 9:47
11: 9:42
12: 9:54
13: 10:05
14: 9:57
15: 9:44
16: 10:36
17: 10:36
18: 9:50
Wow, I just wanted to see that for me. Normally I could upload this information wirelessly directly from my Garmin Forerunner 405, but they don't have the software developed yet for MAC users..which is what I am;) So, that I do it manually or just scroll back through to compare splits and that's it. I could tell that around miles 16, 17 my legs just felt in a dead rhythm, like painful and slow and I couldn't make them go any faster. Well, obviously when Beth told me at mile 17 no more looking at your watch, just go strong 'till you hear it chirp at you....I did go strong and think about finishing this HUGE accomplishment!!

To Do on Labor Day!
Let's see...
-toe nail clean up (remove polish, reapply)
-possible nap
-possible Bistro excursion
-possible put laundry away
-finish my book: The Wednesday Sisters
-go to new favorite spot on the lake
-possible Eagle Eye watching before returning via netflix
-Return State of Play to Dillon's Redbox--love instant gratification of Redbox BTW:)!

Have a great Labor day!
Much Love, Shelb

I did it!

2009-09-05T11:51:00.005-05:00

18 miles feels GREAT! I know it sounds CRAZY and it could be the running buzz (high) and the fact that this accomplishment feels awesome! I can't believe I did it, it's a huge accomplishment!! Here's some pics to recap the journey!
Before I got ready to leave my house I got on my knees. I woke up last night at 2:32AM and was nervous about this run and the length of it! So I knew I needed help and before I even laced up my shoes, I read some encouragement from Paul in Philippians about running to good race:) I laid down my anxiety and asked God to strengthen my legs, mind and keep me strong. I am really thankful because God answered those prayers!!

Yep, I sleep with earplugs and I thought I'd show you how cool my 1986 alarm clock and what time I was getting ready to leave my house to meet BETH! Oh Beth, how I love thee!!
especially when you are wearing your helmet:) We met at the Linear trail head at Casement and she rode my studly bike and wore a mini backpack with water/cameras/ kleenexes and 1/2 a powerbar. She was awesome! Such an encourager and coach and pushed me when I needed it! I told her at mile 2.5 that I wanted and needed her to push me and not let me stop as we kept going! She said, "uh yeah, I won't let you stop, NO stopping, especially after mile 15!" At that point, I knew it was going to be tough but I could do it! I need to be pushed every once and awhile and it felt grrrreat!
Before heading out--yep, that's what we look like:) So on the way we passed a few runners at various times along the trail. I love the commraderie among runners! I mean, that is close to being my FAVORITE part and what gets me really excited about the marathon!! We passed people and they asked, "good job! how far are you going?" to which I replied, "18" Immediately the next question is, "what are you training for?" Which I proudly boast, "Chicago Marathon!!" it felt great, other questions ensued like how far you going, what are you training for, etc...I loved it! The encouragment was such a booster for me!
Half-way point--wetness picture! Beth is entertained by my sweating cability and I do like to entertain!
which is why she likes to find the dry spot and take a picture of that--just to point out the color variation!
All done! Felt good and I was REALLY glad to be done! There were some really fun action shots taken around mile 12 and more scenic pics taken on Beth's camera...I'll share those when I get them:)
I don't know why this isn't rotated, but look how hardcore she is: muddy bike, pants and pack, she's aggressive with those puddles, gets after that mud!
At the end, just a little bit wetter:)
So, here's to Chicago! I'm coming for you soon! So look out world, because I'm running in that marathon and I'm gonna kick some butt!! :) Look for me jumping for joy on ESPN Oct. 11, 2009!

Have a great Saturday all! Go Cats:)

Shelb

The Dusty Road Ahead

2009-09-04T08:55:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday all!

I have to make this kinda quick because duty calls! However, yesterday I had a dusty run out in the country around school! It was 2.5 out and back, got 5 in JUST before it started sprinkling! It felt pretty good--smelled terrible, thank you beef market! eeeuweeeewww!
I always like the space of running out in the country by the school. That is a cemetery on the right side of the gravel road and it's so peaceful there on the ridge.

Nothing but the Kansas skyscrapers....:) Love looking at the different colors in the field. I think it's really cool to see the gradual change from green to gold on the various crops right now. Fall is slowly revealing itself!!

Just a pretty one. Admittedly, I (*) Did take these pictures this morning as I couldn't find my camera after my run yesterday and it started to rain! But my shoes this morning during cycle still had dust all over them! Proof of the journey:)

Well, got some planning to do! 18 miles tomorrow--eek!! I can't believe that really! I'll let you know how it goes!! Oh, AND 3-day weekend, HUGE perk!

Have a great day!

Shelb

There's music in the air!

2009-09-02T08:25:00.004-05:00

Goooooood morning!

I've got a lot of musical tunes floating through the air around me! I LOVE my Pandora station: Wicked (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Also, I helped cast the Seussical here at school on Monday!
I've had to re-vamp my training this week a little bit. I decided last week that running at 5:40ish AM wasn't working for me anymore. While I really enjoy getting my workout done early in the morning, it was just way too dark for me to enjoy running and feel completely safe! Also, my mileage is rapidly increasing and there's just not enough time to get in longer runs. So I ran 4 on Monday out here in the country by the high school. I enjoyed the scenery and the clapping/cheering cross country bus as they drove by me! I need that little extra "umph" to finish feeling good;) Yesterday evening I confused my body once again by going 9 miles at dusk-ish. I was worried about going that far after having worked all day, but it actually felt pretty good and I had a good story teller riding his bike next to me. A one N. Parker can tell good stories and I was listening and it took my mind off the trail and that, my friends, is great! I really appreciated his company on the way.

Admittedly these pictures are not fabulous, but they were taken while I was driving home from dropping N.P. off at his house! So, that is a glimpse of the trail and sidewalk that I ran along.More sidewalk post run.

I was high on endorphins after y run and singing some Seussical on my way back to my house and trying to drive/and take this picture:)
Well, fun times ahead friends and lots of planning to do;) I'm cross-training today after school which will consist of some time on the eliptical and lifting arms and legs and some sit-ups! Nothing too strenuous as I will log 39 miles this week!

Happy Hump Day! :)

There's a chill in the air!

2009-08-29T12:31:00.006-05:00

Hello there friends,

I'm coming to you live from the comfort of my home on my nice soft couch while my latest Netflix is playing in the background! LOVE Julia Roberts, so when I saw Duplicity hit the DVD list, I was ALL about it! JG and I are currently relaxing after a rather busy morning! I met the lovely Maris at 7AM at her house and headed out on our 12 mile journey from there!
Maris has a sweet bike that I REALLY like! Love the paint color and and she looks like quite the outdoors-er while peddling away on it;) Jambo was sad in the background that she wasn't able to join us for the journey. :( We hopped on Linear on 13th St. and went west until it ended and then went to Anneburg and did a semi-loop before turning around and heading back to Linear. The sky went from sunny and slight clouds to more clouds and less sun! I got chilled a bit while running but was still sweating so it was all temperature confusion for this body! I went quite a bit slower than I normally do trying not to push too hard but still log the miles. I had to stop about 4 times to blow my nose (where does the snot keep coming from?? seriously?! A little snot factory in my head or what?!) Also, needed lots of water while running and the Clif Shot Bloks were also a great necessity!
Chose to walk at about 11.25 until .50 and then was able to finish the last half mile well. Had a quarter mile cool-down and SO glad Maris was with me the whole way! We had a great chance to catch up and it was refreshing to be able to pray together around 8 miles for strength and for other happenings in our lives! Loved being able to pray while in motion, it's almost like I can picture and really believe the things I'm asking God for with more assurance. It was cool and I'm thankful for it!

After the 12, I took a quick shower and Maris' house and then headed to one of my favorite locally-owned establishments: Bluestem Bistro! Look who came too:

Beth and Brady! They are making a double appearance on 2 blogs today possibly;) We enjoyed a lovely breakfast and had fun times playing with Brady! Excited to get to recap and share the journey with Beth all along the way! She's great at letting me verbally process through the run and all other life happenings;)

Well, the movie is calling my name and I think I might lay down for a bit;)

Happy Saturday all!

ps: these homemade granola bars....not healthy:)

where's the sun?

2009-08-27T10:10:00.002-05:00

Ok, wow--the sun doesn't come up for a long time....I mean we're talking like 6:30ish!
I was heavily relying on my handy dandy headlamp for the capability to see! I ran out 3 and stopped to walk a little bit, ran another mile, walked a tad, and did that until I got home--ran 6. I'm trying to listen to my body really well because I still have lots of phlegm and not push it too hard!

Well, got kids to teach:)

Back at it!

2009-08-26T20:39:00.004-05:00

Well friends the sickness has been the forefront of my mind, but not any longer! I ran today on the treadmill down in the workout/blue dungeon room at the high school! woohoo!
That looks like my reading material in the right cup holder-but I'm pretty sure it's the instruction manual on how to use that bad boy...needless to say, but I did NOT read it;) I ran slower than my normal pace but did 3 miles with a .30 cooldown afterwards. It felt pretty good, I was definitely more winded during/afterwards as there is still junk in my sinues, etc, but I was pleased! I started to think while I was running that my mindset about my body has changed just a little bit during this training process. I can remember working out in the evenings as a way to "work off" some junk that I ate during the day, almost like a form of punishment for myself. I used to do heavy resistence and high speed, or heavy weight and high repitition in the name of "pushing myself," when in actuality it was a way for me to beat down my body--like it or I had been bad. I was kind of aware of this when it was happening, but notice a shift now in my thinking. When I was running, I was really wanting to treat my body well and be kind to it so hopefully it will continue to hold up and do what I'm asking it to do week after week. I began to see running as a means to treating my body well and with respect not something that must be broken-down day after day.

Not-so-ironically-I spent some time reading this verse earlier in the week:
Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. 1 Thes. 4: 4,5

It was refreshing to think about! Just like these flowers :)

Well, the G-ma in me is ready for bed! I wasn't allowed to take and post a pic of my workout buddy in the dungeon this evening--but it was fun gettin' work done wit ya! Not everyone can say that they work out with the--oh sshhh, I'm not saying, that's right;)

Goooodnight moon!

waaaaamp waaahhhhh

2009-08-23T11:05:00.002-05:00

That's the debbie-downer sound effect, just imagine it :) Unfortunately friends, I did not complete the 16-miler to write to you about. My body was not having any of it. Last I wrote, Friday morning woke up with scratchy throat...well faster than anything I've ever experienced, I went from scratchy throat, to pounding headache that would NOT go away despite all the meds I took to throwing up and feeling like DEATH! Friday was such a range that by 6:30 PM I crawled into bed without even changing clothes and lay there trying to survive!

Luckily, 1 puking experience later (sorry for the week tummies out there...) and lots of sleep I woke up on Saturday with just a sore throat and lots of phlegm. So yesterday was spent laying on the couch watching NEWSIES!!! yipeee for nostalgic childhood memories and drinking Sprite--thank you mr. J for the get-well package;) Although, I do have to say that Newsies is mabe not the movie for the adult who never watched it as a child, because, well it is a Disney musical--and just not as cool if you're, oh, say 29 as opposed to 8-12:)

Currently, on this Sunday morning, I find myself still not 100%, more like 60% with lots of junk in the throat/nose area and wishing I was closer to atleast 80% !! I am glad that this illness is coming now in August as opposed to late September or early October when the marathon is very close. I know that I have enough training time ahead of me to keep logging miles and trust the program and my body that I'm not going to lose everything I've worked for. I have to keep telling myself that because it's very tempting to want to make up for lost mileage and do more than I should. So, while yes, I'm bummed that it's beautiful outside and I can't be out there, and yes, I'm bummed that I'm sick and that I missed the long run, I'm thankful for the rest and down time. Pray for a speedy recovery and super-star immune system that fights off the bad-guys inside my body! :)

I hope that you all are having a great weekend and enjoying the great outdoors for me! Breathe deep that beautiful clear air and pause just for a moment, because that's what I would do--hopefully without coughing or sneezing:)

Love,
Shelb

I'm a nerd!

2009-08-21T08:34:00.004-05:00

Hello!

I am offering up some self-awareness (freshmen vocab word!) and just letting you know now that I am aware of my nerdness/goofiness! Yesterday at school my order of new textbooks arrived! I have not ordered books in my years here yet and this was a huge landmark for me! I got to select the Nutrition/Wellness books and they arrived and I am very excited! They are 2010 editions and have current information for the kiddies to learn from! The workbooks were backordered, but I'm glad the books are here! A little perk for my Friday AM organizing them!

So this week has been a little different for my training. I told ya'll about my knee tweak, well after that I was reading this book, "Marathoning for Mortals" and I got to the chapter about injuries and I think I got paranoid and began to see the part of the struggle of training for a marathon is making it to the starting line injury-free! I decided that Thursday instead of my usual 4 mile run I would take a rest day and did Sunrise Yoga instead and then in the evening rode my bike around a little bit and worked in my garden area! Weeds--I tell ya what--they keep coming BACK! Thanks J for your help with the super star clippers and rose TLC, haha! :)
This lovely Friday morn I woke up with a scratchy throat a little extra drainage--so pray that I am not catching a bug from the children back at school! I spinned my little heart out this morning at 5:45AM and am SOOO glad it's FRIDAY! Ya know when you just really need a weekend?? Yeah, well that's me--need some down time in the sun AFTER I run 16 miles tomorrow! Yep, you read that correctly, 16 miles tomorrow with my homegurl Bethy. She's awesome, let me just say that! She's going to ride a long with me and we're still deciding on the route today...wish US luck! :)

Happy Friday all!

Much love, Shelb

ghetto knee taping

2009-08-18T19:05:00.003-05:00

Haha, this was making me laugh as I was taping myself up at school today!
Ofcourse I grabbed the only bag with a hole in the corner and didn't realize it until I got back to my room. So I put it in a ziploc bag and forgot to secure the ziploc....so water was steadily dripping down my leg. So, in the spirit of wrapping things around my leg I wrapped a towel underneath the ice to catch excess liquid...which then became saturated and slowly dripped out onto the floor. Meanwhile, I'm trying to plan/work and not loose my toes on my right foot because of extreme coldness!
After some mopping and tape removal all was well agian. The ice helped, but the knee just feels tight still and doesn't appear swollen so that's good. I am anti-injury!! :)

Turning a corner

2009-08-18T08:34:00.002-05:00

This morning I hit the streets in the dark dark of the am. I was pushed for time, but I decided to do 7 miles anyway. I ran out north and it was dark dark, I mean dark, couldn't see the big rock that I rolled my ankle on. It wasn't a bad roll, didn't feel tweaked that bad, but it stretched out my knee and IT band a bit with the hyper-extension. I could feel that it might be sore later but kept right along. I was going north for about 3 miles and then decided to go west so when I would turn around the rising sun would be all that I could see when I turned the corner.
Man, when I turned around that sky was beyond brilliant! I was looking at these streaks of pink and purple and I knew that the colors were so vibrant just for that .5 of a mile when I was running right into it. All I could think of was how grateful I was that God created that sunrise of beautiful colors for me. It was a special moment and I couldn't help but smile for the half mile running into the sunrise. Then, the most amazing thing happened, my pace began to quicken. My stride lengthened and it felt good! I was gliding right along in the middle of corn fields and countryside and just clicking right along. I mean for 3 miles I was just going, and my legs could keep up and it was uplifting.

As soon as I stopped running my knee really began to hurt. I stretched the best I could and planned to ice it at school!

Like I said, pushed for time means getting ready for work in 30 minutes--not easy for me and rushing to school!
Now, I'm planning away for me day with a big 'ol bag of ice on my knee all athletically taped on real nice! Thanks Katie for the hook-up...best head VB coach around if you ask me!

I wish you beautiful sunrises friends and moments of intimate connection with your Creator!

much love, Shelby:)

That's a long way!

2009-08-15T11:38:00.004-05:00

15 miles--yeah buddy! Here's some pics to recap:

Before heading out, I had to wake-up Jack! He's been a little lonely without JG here to take him out on long walks....but he likes me, so it's okay! He does NOT like 5:30AM though:)
Katie was AWESOME and offered to ride along while I ran and we had originally planned to start at the Big Blue let in, but we had some technical difficulties with the bike in back of Katie's car...
The sky looked pretty for us though:)
So, after some rearranging, we went back to my house and Katie rode my bike...not too bad of a revamp:)
After a little ways....say, about 6 miles, it was time for water:)
Katie took some action shots! So, most of the run was pretty good. I split it up into 5-mile increments and that helped me mentally stay focused. We had quite the math word problem trying to figure out how far to go before turning around to end at my car...I won't go into it again...too complicated! :) It felt pretty good and I managed to stay pretty constant with my pace until about mile 12 and then I started to slow a bit. Things, got pretty hard the last 2 miles. I was really hurting and had to walk at about 14.08-14.20 and then ran home! Man, it felt so good to be done!! I was excited to STOP and walk and rest! It's like a weight is lifted and I could relax a while!
Post-run smoothie set-up....got some spinach, tofu, almond milk, strawberries, frozen bananas, and almond butter! mmmm, good! Green-goodness! Delicious!! :)
I hope ya'll have a great weekend and get some rest! :)

Running into daybreak

2009-08-13T13:29:00.002-05:00

I thought of title as I was leaving my dark house, to get on a dark street and run until it was light. The sky in the west was beautiful and just breaking light purple, then light pink, then orangey--beautiful;)
The run was sooooooo good! I have been really praying for a good run, and this was it! Even though it was dark outside for the first half, no cars came close because of my trusty headlamp, I felt good and quick! It felt like a burden had been lifted and somehow I felt lighter. I had negative splits and the last one was 8:50! I'm not sure the burden, but there was a refreshing ease to the run. I'm so thankful--I needed an encouraging run before the 15 jaunt on Saturday! I think my friend Katie is going to bike alongside me and I think it'll be really good! We'll be safe--I promise!

It's been really fun to see the squirmy new freshmen get orientated to the big kid school! I always love when they're all awkward and fidgety! It brings joy to my heart to see how they always start off high school and then when they finish, it's never like that :)

Tomorrow is Friday! yipeee!

Ready to get started!!

2009-08-12T14:41:00.008-05:00

Bring on the kiddos!! Too much down time...ahem, I mean "planning" time and I get bored:
I think it's for you...

Check out the new Camelbak bottle--love it! Feel a bit like it's a bottle of some sort because I have to suck on the straw...but still like it!

see--ready! :)
Okay, so I got a sweet computer that has a camera on it and I LOVE it...photobooth rocks! I could entertain myself with that for hours literally! Well after meeting upon meeting I've been working away and got a lot done. I went spinning this morning, so I've been up since 5:09AM. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get in 4 before 6:45AM Hopefully that works out well because this week it is too hot to be doing it in the 4-5-6 o'clock hours after work! I'm getting my hair cut today and I'm pretty psyched about that--little Miss Judy always makes me feel very pampered!
Happy Hump Day!

Weed jungle

2009-08-10T20:20:00.003-05:00

Here's some before pics of Jenny and I attacking the backyard...we filled 2 trash cans with BIG 'ol weeds and and had a big pile of branches and stuff on top. The trash men at Howie's were very generous to us and picked all but 1 big branch up for us!

My arms are super sore today from holding the massive NOT light weedeater! And, let me just say, between you and me, I didn't really know what I was doing with that thing! I mean I held it and hovered and sometimes I pushed really hard on that trigger thing, and other times not very hard and it was all trial and error! My legs looked really hard core afterwards and I was splattered with grass/weed flecks from head to toe--literally! ;) Well, I'm going to try to run in the early in the am--we'll see how 7 before 7 goes!

Comment update

2009-08-10T05:44:00.001-05:00

Hey guys!

I know some of you have told me that you tried to leave a comment before and it wouldn't let you....well after some heated words with blogspot..haha-jk! I changed the settings, so feel free to comment away!! :)

It's eaaaaaaaaaaarly! Happy Monday!

Shelby

Hold on to your hats!

2009-08-09T09:23:00.005-05:00

This is going to be a long one! The past 48 hours have been non-stop activity in Shelby's world! I've been going....going....going....and then last night: SLEEPING! :)
To start off, I took some FUN students to a leadership training at Living Water Ranch, and we had a great time! Here are some pics of the day from our eyes:

Really cool--waterslide dug out from the "mountain"--it went surprisingly fast and furious! The chicas chose not to bring their swimsuits so we watched others flail about and then decided on a hike at my prompting! :)

Which led us to THIS! TA DA! We climbed to the top of this MONSTERous hill and bonded the whole way:) It was really fun! We created it to be quite the adventure and it was worth it the whole way up. We stood around the top and enjoyed the view for a while before coming down and then we felt quite proud of ourselves:) I cooled off afterwards by cannon-balling into THIS pool....now you might be asking yourself...is it Jesus? Is it a dove? Well, friends, I contest that it could be both--but I think we concurred on: DOVE.
Later that night...

Wedding time! I went to a colleague's wedding at St. Isadore's Church and took some pics of great peeps I work with! I sincerely apologize for not taking more pics at the event, I was distracted by intense hunger! It was a 7PM wedding and I didn't eat before and they did unveil the finger-foods until 9ish...so carrots and celery didn't quite satisfy!

Aren't they cute? The Sig's are a great family! I really enjoy being around them!Macy is 1 already!! So beautiful and so fun! So I had to jet outta the wedding sooner than I would have liked (10PM) to get home and catch some zzzz's before the big race! Inagural Brew to Shoe 10K! Had to be at Manhattan Running Company at 6:30 to pick up my race packet...which means I got out of bed at 5:40 to give myself a chance to wake up/eat and get ready.. to look like this:
But feeling like this........haha, I'm a nerd, I know:)

The race was pretty good for me. I was a little disappointed by my time, but the elements were not my usual conditions: extreme HEAT and WIND! The race started at 8:10ish and I was hungry because I only ate a banana at 5:50 and 2 chunks of watermelon, so I had some gatorade before the run. Well, that wasn't the best idea because during the intense heat because I started to not feel so hot around mile 2.5. I kinda wondered if I was going to lose my cookies along the race but I told myself: do NOT throw up, keep it down! So around water stop 3 I threw water on my face and forged on. The shade felt really good along part of the course, but then it was gut check time up one HUGE hill! I felt good to maintain running the entire time and then coast down. I finished in 58:05 which was slower than I wanted, but I honestly feel like I ran a smart race and listened to my body the entire time. I always pride myself on passing people and never getting passed:) I don't have any post-race pics because I was enjoying the festivities too much! :)
Happy-Restful-Sunday all! :) I think JG are going to attack the weed jungle aka: backyard this afternoon!

Shelb

It's over

2009-08-06T12:48:00.002-05:00

Well, I think as I was getting ready to come out to work in my room today I realized that this is my last day without time constraints and restrictions! Eek! That means that summer is officially over :(
I ran 4 this morning at a nice easy pace because I've got a big race this Saturday! I've got a whirlwind of activity the next 2 days and really enjoyed a slower easy run. My body is pretty tired and I'm trying to listen to it when it tells me to ease up or stretch longer, etc..
Some exciting news: After the Inaugural Brew 2 Shoe 10K I am getting trained on how to teach indoor-cycling (spinning) classes from 12-4! That means I get to be as cool as all the other people I like that teach Cycle AND get to be drill-sargent-esk-while-being-inspiring-and-pushing-people :) yipeee!
So, as I'm working in my room today while playing the RENT-LIVE, filmed on Broadway on the projector and every once and awhile I break out a dance number or belt out a GREAT tune;) So...don't come by without calling first! haha!
Happy almost FRIDAY:)

Big Pimpin'

2009-08-04T14:09:00.007-05:00

Professional Shelby

So, this conference is mediocre, but the experience I've had in Wichita has been pretty good:) Upon arrival, I learned that our room was no longer available for us, the Hyatt made a mistake, and to make up for it, they gave me and my colleague at hospitality SWEET, errr, suite!

view over the river

DOUBLE doors, how fancy:)

So this morning, I met Cara at 6:30 to run/ride along the river. She volunteered to ride alongside me as I did 7 miles. I was REALLY blessed that she a. volunteered to go with me and b. to have to company and distraction as I logged the miles! She was awesome and great to have as we went under bridges and through wooded areas where homeless people were sleeping and had been. There were some definite shady characters that I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing alone and was glad she had her KEYS ready to KEY someone if needed;) haha! But, have no fear faithful followers, we were safe and smart! A note about the Hyatt--I walked in the hotel lobby looking WET and tired and before I could even navigate to the elevators a women that worked at the front door handed me a bottle of water and smiled! I was touched, it was great because I ofcourse, was thristy! Oh, and last night I got 2 free wifi cards so I can blog to you now LIVE! :)

Conference food: this is a total first for me at these types of conferences! QUALITY food, with excellent flavor and great ingredients! dark greens on a salad! it was good, no ranch alternative for dressing, so naked, but still good!

Vegetarian option was grilled veggies in a pesto sauce with melted/fried cheese on top..not sure about the cheese part, but the veggies were awesome!
What was left, ate it all sans cheese glob on top of plate:)
A little apple fruit tart, nibbled on some of this, but was pretty dry. Well, off to more learning endeavors and shopping/dinner out and big brother later! whoop whoop!

:)

Did that just happen?!

2009-08-03T09:26:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday all,

Well, I told the boater's that all the pics yesterday were for the blog and here they are, plus a REALLY interesting story! Thank you Tuttle Creek Lake for your muddy water, interesting/different people and BIG waves:)
It was official White-wife-beater-day, so yes we did coordinate that:) Which, BTW--I HATE that term for a shirt, "wife-beater" I mean seriously?! So I will refrain from using from now on! Anyway, we were "thugging" it like true homes yesterday!

Lainey Kat likes to watch me make faces/dance around with a non-expressive response most of the time, which just encourages me to try harder at dancing or being ridiculous to elicit a response:)I know this picture might look lame, but it was the quickest I could get my camera to take a picture of the crazy-boat as they went away from us! The 2 folks in this boat circled around our lone boat in a cove and challenged us to an "unofficial" dance off. Only, I wasn't quite game because the lady was speaking CRAZY! She told me over and over again that I was lookin' good and that she loved my body--while I, and everyone else, just kinda awkward laughed and waited for them to LEAVE! So, while she was feeling the freedom of the lake she stripped his shirt off and twisted it above her head like a helicopter! Let's just say we all looked at each other and mid-laughted go, "did that just happen?!?!" Ahh, only at Tuttle...

NICE life jacket Gar! Ready to rock! :) (ps--is this pic okay??)

Me LOVING those huge waves:) Thanks Katie and Gar for capturing the action shots!

So just pretend that I'm in the air 'bout 5ft or so flying~ that's what it felt like:) My hands were stuck in their kung fu death grip from holding onto the handlebars to tightly for a while after I got off!

I like to think I'm having a positive influence on Miss Lainey--she's lovin' those veggies:)

Fun day on the water!

I ran 3 + .8 cooldown this morning. It was hard to get up and I could feel the fatigue in my legs and body from the past 2 weeks of 24-26 miles each! I'm hopeful this week is refreshing physically and mentally! I'm off to Wichita for a conference until Wednesday evening! Hope to get some tid bits of good info!

Adios :)

Basically a 1/2 Marathon!

2009-08-01T12:03:00.005-05:00

Helloooo blog world! :)

I am writing to you fresh from finishing a 13 mile jaunt that took me all over the great city of Manhattan! If you saw me, I hope I didn't look like I was dying:) Here's some pre and post pics for your viewing pleasure! I feel the pictures create a great recap of the experience..
This face was not going with me:) But she did laugh at my "outfit" and took this pre-pic
Got some sweet gear happening here, new Mizuno top and shorts. Fuel Belt was SUPER necessary for long runs, iPod shuffle, Garmin watch, sweet UnderArmor visor! J laughs at me, but this stuff is super necessary for sweat wicking and hydration!
Ok, so the run was good, slept in a bit until 7 because weather.com said it was still going to be stormy at 6AM so I waited it out! Was a bit concered the night before about my route and if anyone was going to be able to join me and where I would get water. But, after some planning, I felt pretty good about my city route today! I wanted a change of pace, so I ran all through Manhattan down Anderson to Hudson (KILLER hills) to Kimball to N. Manhattan Ave, back to Anderson to Tuttle Creek/Walmart area to McCall to Hayes and DONE! Whew! It was a lot! Glad to be near gas stations where I could hop in and look sweaty (not too difficult) and they'd let me feel up my water! I liked going DOWN hills a lot--it felt great to accelerate and really stride out--the up part felt like I was wading through a swamp--not super encouraging!
I had a friendly visitor at 9 miles that gave me some ICE cold water and much needed mental boost--I unfortunately pushed STOP on my Timer and forgot to start it until I had already done maybe .35--.50 of a mile! Eeek! That can mess with your mental toughness because knowing how much is left is CRUCIAL for me:) So, I just tried to focus on my route and GET DONE! Finished just over 2 hours, like maybe 2:05-ish:) Here's some post pics--note the dirty shoes from wading through some swampy sidewalks and general wetness!

Love the Mizuno Wave's--they are really great, I have 2 pairs that I alternate with!
LOVE chews--so much better than nasty-GU! I told you Ben S...I'm off the GU for life:)
Post-run Nutrition: Green monster and some coffee to feed my caffeine addiction!
Going, going...
GONE!
And skunk-brain/face is back in the house! His smell is tolerable from about 2 feet away:) He likes to sit and wait for me to get done blogging so we can play--or he can play with J! LOVE SmartWater!
That's all for now, time for the pool and relaxation!!
Have a great weekend all! :)

Chilly?!

2009-07-30T09:38:00.003-05:00

The road from my eyes this morning...

Love these country shots! Oh, and I need to apologize to the various motorists that passed me while running this morning. I got over as far as I could without rolling an ankle, and I appreciate you scooting over so as not to hit me! I'm sorry that the road is narrow and there isn't a shoulder. Ah, I feel better now, having said that:) This morning I felt very rested because I took a hearty nap yesterday afternoon and slept really well during the nighttime. The alarm sounded, and I wanted to wait until the sky was lightening before heading out on the road because I don't want anyone to get me!! So the cars were a welcome observance of my run this morning!
The miles felt pretty good! I did 4 pretty quick and then it was time for work because I have 3 lovely students that are coming out to my classroom to help me move some stuff and organize the chaos! I stopped on my way to work and took pics of my route and then I looked down at my watch and realized: I'm LATE! Geeeeesh!! Happy thursday!! :)

Li'l help!

2009-07-28T10:42:00.002-05:00

Good morning all,

I woke up thinking: I could use a little help here! Training is difficult and fatigue is setting in! I would love a li'l help along this journey! So, if you feel so inclined, leave me a shout out, please:)

I ran 6 miles this morning, right before it started DOWN POURING! It is crazy raining today and it just makes me feel very sleepy! :)

Gotta get to work now!

Talk to you all later:)

Jack got sprayed by a SKUNK!!!

2009-07-27T09:35:00.006-05:00

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww!
Holy majoly that little pup sure stinks now! Jack has this curious and playful spirit that isn't quite sure of boundaries yet! He likes to chase and play with things/people/his tail/inanimate objects--and this skunk wasn't having of of that! JG let's him run free as an expression of his true self along Linear and well, he gets into stuff! Anytime Jenny knocks on my door and says, "we've got a problem!" It's no small thing!! Needless to say, JG took him to the Vet to get cleaned x 3,000 times so he doesn't stank up our house! Until then, he was banished to the outdoor patio:

So I told ya'll about this Bliss Fest for the Vegans and Raw-foodist--it was interesting to say the least! Lots of hippies, lots of seeds and lots of alternative-everything! There were some cool jewelry stands, yummy italian ice--not sure if that was made from some alternative sugar/coloring source, but it was good and a food tent that was selling samples of raw pizza, smoothies, and chili. I'll let the pics do the talking:

This part felt like a rally of some sorts...I lots of passionate (preaching?) of the advantages of being a raw foodie...oh and how we can change the world!

LOVE Whole Foods! Cute pic of the Mama!
Yoga in the lawn anyone?

The wooden spoons felt very Renaissance Festival to me...I'm not sure why?!

Some crazy voo-doo vibration healing thing! I watched and gawked like a casual tourist while snapping a few pics!

Really liked how charming downtown Parkville was...very quant:)

Back from KC--had a fast run this morning as I am back to work (kinda) cleaning/organizing/planning stuff in my classroom! I did 3 miles in exactly 26:00 and then a cooldown. Pretty excited to watch the Season FINALE of the Bachelorette tonight!! The drama and suspense is killing me!! :)

happy Monday all!

Shower discovery

2009-07-25T11:07:00.008-05:00

I know what you're thinking--get your mind outta the gutter! I've realized that after THE LONG RUNS that getting in the shower is where the feet hit the pavement. I mean you have this run you have mixed feelings about it and then when you get in the shower and the hot water is slowly relaxing your muscles, that's when you know: did I or did I not chafe during this activity??
The answer for me: YES YOU DID! dangit, those cries of agony from the shower post long run are just deafening! I mean I look at this little red line or area and I think you should be gushing blood for how bad you hurt right now! And then the rest of the day, I'm limping around not because my logs are killing me, but because of a little chafe action from my soaking wet shorts!

So, yes, I did do the long run today in KC with my lovely friend Beth! We started out at Tomahawk Creek trail headed all over Lea-HOOD (haha, ya right, ain't no hood 'bout it--except for me apparently) and we snaked our way all over the place! Cool scenery, paved trail, passed LOTS of other athletes on bikes and running and had ample water supply. Beth did NOT wipe out on the bike, and she was a great companion the whole way. We did get a little trail-confused around miles 5-7ish but managed to squeeze in an extra loop and it was all good. In my head I divided the 12 miles into 4 parts and kept thinking about 3 mile increments. That helped me think about it in sections as opposed to a never-ending run. We were chatty and I was able to talk because I was going slower than usual for me. I really wanted to have negative splits and did manage that most of the last 6 miles. I wanted to get DONE so I told B I was picking it up at the 8.5 mark and that helped my legs actually feel better-believe it or not. Making my stride longer helps my knees so I need to pay a little more attention to that. I will be honest, the last mile and half were REALLY difficult! I wanted so badly to be done so I tried to go faster, but that wasn't happening very easily so it was tough. B, again was a rockstar, and provided some distraction questions and I think all I wanted to do was be done so my "what would your dream house look like?" was a pretty shabby response! We walked for .63 afterwards and I definitely feel stiff and tired. I really wanted to finish under 2 hours and did!! 1:57!! (that's HOURS)

Here's some pre/post pics of the journey!
The trail ahead, it was open at parts and other times it felt like running through an enchanted forest where all your dreams could come true..
At the park, ready to disembark, nope, it's not dark....I'm done.
And whodda thunk little Avalon could haul a bike? I did, but I didn't expect for the weird thumping sensation that I hear and feel now that I'm in KC... :(
Look at that loyal friend! She's ready to ROCK that bike with her cycling shoes and safety-first helmet! :)

Post-run wetness.

Gu pack trash. No, I will not litter along the trail! A word about the GU--NOT a fan! I mean, I spit a lot when I'm running and the stuff I spit out, it was like what was in those GU packs. It was like trying to swallow snot-rockets! I know that's sick, but honestly, I was like phantom chewing and trying to swallow GU! Not my favorite thing--like chews much better, I know it's weird.

Well friends, that's quite a recap:) I'm off to a Vegan/Raw food festival today with the 'rents; it's bound to be entertaining! I'll take pics for posting later!

Have a great weekend!!

One of my favorite places in Manhattan

2009-07-24T09:16:00.005-05:00

Hello friends,

Today I am going to briefly introduce you to one of my favorite places in Manhattan. I love coming to this place for the view, tranquility and fun times all rolled into one location. Because this is not my house I never quite know what the experience will be like, but I always leave glad I came out. This is Katie and Gar's house. Gar built it when he was a bachelor (hence, the fish tank/aquarium in the wall) and it has the best view of the lake I've ever seen! Simply gorgeous panoramic spread of creation! The other night I was sitting on this rock on the edge and the sun had gone down but the sky still shown brilliant pinks and oranges reflecting off the water. It was so peaceful and it does something really special to my soul. Kinda like balm, slowly rubbed in, soothing.

Cool fire pit that doubles as a trash receptacle. :)

Yesterday Katie and I hung out with Miss Lainey Kat and she was super giggly and entertaining! We laid out by the kiddie pool that we tried to keep Lainey in and entertained by.

Okay, I have to mention last night's "So you think you can dance"--personally a little too much hype for me. I mean it was cool to see Katie Holmes singing/dancing, but I really wish her singing would have been live not "previously recorded" that was a bit of a let down! Sad to see Janette go :(

Tomorrow is a 12 miler. This will yet another first for me and I definitely have some pre-run jitters! I'm going to KC later today and have a pretty good, familiar route that I am hoping will be good! Wish me luck!! :)

Happy Friday!

Girls Night Out!

2009-07-23T12:50:00.003-05:00

What a hot group of teachers! Summer is so good for us:)

Oh yes it's ladies night! We had a great time enjoying some yummy eats at Coco Bolo's in honor of Janie's upcoming Wedding! $5 Sangria carafe was also a terrific bonus! (I think our table enjoyed about 4 of these...)

Below is Megan's plate, but mine looked really similar, and ofcourse I don't take a picture until AFTER the food is gone! Deep breath: they put CHICKEN in my wrap!! I asked for the chick/shrimp wrap sans chicken, but she thought I said no cheese..so the little shards of cluck cluck went down the hatch. My tum felt funny later and it was super crowded otherwise I would have had her get me another one...I still enjoyed it because I was super hungry!

Lainey Kat, Mama Katie and Anna, aren't they cute! :)

Megan, Janie and Megan--super fun bunch with GRRRREAT stories :) Happy Wedding Janie!

Anna was being really good at entertaining Lainey Kat, and Lainey was very interactive and fun!
On to the latest run...
So this morning I slept in a bit, and was chugging a lot of water last night and today...had a great time out with the girls, but wasn't too sure how it was going to make me feel this morning. I ran 3 at a pretty quick tempo and then did 4.25 in cool down mixed with some speed work. After that I decided that it was too gorgeous out to be inside just yet so I hopped on my bike and did 9 miles on some country roads just taking it all in:) THEN, yes THEN....the garden went under some more grooming! This time the mailbox area and more in front of J's room at the house! I think I get confused sometimes between gigantic weeds and possible pretty plant and don't want to hurt the pretty's. So..let's just hope I did the grooming correctly! I'm headed out the door to hang out with Katie and layout at her beautiful house!:)

Happy Thursday!
PS-So You Think You Can Dance-100th episode tonight! Can't wait!!

It's getting tough

2009-07-21T12:32:00.008-05:00

Hello all,

As the week is beginning I'm definitely starting to feel the weight of 10 weeks of training. I've been thinking and the phrase that keeps repeating in my mind is: okay, this isn't easy anymore. It's such a surprise to realize that marathon training
isn't just a physical trail, but it's also mental and emotional. It's getting hard to stay mentally-fit
and determined to complete the training AND marathon. It's getting hard to stay motivated when my alarm goes off in the morning and I'm tired. It's getting hard to lace up my shoes and hit the trail.

Nope, you're not seeing things, those are my 2 different colored pairs of the same shoe! You see, pounding the pavement (gravel/trail) day after day takes a toll on everything, including my pair of Mizuno's. So yep, 2 pairs, identical, except for the color. The fit the same and will share the load of my training by being rotated everyday so as not to wear out too quickly! I was attempting a little artistic flare on my blog with pics today!

So, while it's getting hard, I feel like talking about it has helped me process it a bit. I've been encouraged to take the risk and continuing to train. I wasn't going to quit, but as I think about it I realize that this task is scary and BIG and it would be much easier to just settle on this, "yep, I can run 10 miles." But, no, I'm going to pursue the greatest challenge this mortal has yet to attempt: 26.2 miles!! This morning I ran 6 + .75 cooldown. So take THAT big scary marathon!!

On to my FREE lunch! (and who said there's no such thing?!)

Blogger in action!

One of my favorite local Chefs, J.G. at Bluestem Bistro whipped up this Mediterranean special of spinach, red onion, long grain rice, red bell peppper, cuc, feta all tossed together in a lovely bowl! JG is sooo good to me;) Now she's peering over my shoulder saying, "I would have made it pretty if I'd known you were going to post it!" I think it looks great!

A little bird told me they might be serving up some Guiness Gelato here later on and let's just say...that bird hasn't let me down yet!

Wish me luck, I'm getting my knees a little shock action from a local Chiro--hope to relieve the stiffness in my joints. If this doesn't work, then somebody better find me an oil can or me and the Tin Man might be living together in Oz real soon...:)

Have a great afternoon!

Cha-cha-changes, time to make a change

2009-07-20T15:15:00.002-05:00

Welp, it's the last official week of summer vaca for this bum of a teacher! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and become quite the accomplished napper, home-care-taker, outdoor enthusiast, and movie-watcher! I know you're jealous, and let's face it, the gift of time is priceless--just like those mastercard commercials!
Let's see today and I have been quite the Becky-homecky, cleaning the house, mopping the floors, polishing the kitchen from top to bottom, and making my room more personalized and playing with Jack Stack. (the dog-not the BBQ joint) This morning I decided a little extra sleep would do my body good, and then I woke up and headed out for a quick 3 miles in 26:00 flat! Then Jack and out went out on my bike before returning home. I wish I had a big 'ol basket for him to ride in, but instead he trots along side me and tries not to get run over..he's GOT to pay attention!

On to the changes: I've decided the best way for me to up my mileage at this point in the training is to 2 days of a lower mileage from 3-4 miles depending on the day and then Tuesday's do a longer run which will be half of the distance I will be running on Saturday. So this week it's 6 tomorrow and 12 on Saturday. This change is primarily based on a one Hal Higdon and also various other training programs I've looked up online.

Stay tuned for more updates from Becky-homecky!! I'm off to the grocery store, can hardly wait!! :)

and I wonder.....who's loving you?

2009-07-19T09:22:00.003-05:00

Sang by Michael Jackson...ahh, something catchy about that one!

I don't really have a post that hinges on that line, it's just been going through my head this morning. I slept in today! Sunday is a perfect day to do that! Yesterday was the long run day. It's a cut back week, so I ran 7 miles on a gravel, hilly, cut-ney road! The scenery was beautiful, and believe this or not, but my skin was COLD! It was 7 AM and there wasn't any humidity, the sun peaking up and the air was crisp! I had to keep reminding myself that it was July! B-diddy rode my bike alongside me while I ran. It was a good combo and we were able to talk during the run. It was a first for me to be able to voice that my legs felt stiff and tired at the beginning and just weren't moving very quickly the first half of the run. I had times where striding out felt good down a hill, but for the most part, I felt kinda sluggish the first half. Then, turned around at 3.5 and my pace quickend and I was feeling really good the whole way. The last mile I was really able to pick it up and run 1 minute faster (8:50) than the previous miles. I liked finishing strong! Beth finished strong as well...and has the gravel-scars to prove it :) (B-I HAD to mention it...now, the telling of the story, that's entirely up to you! see: www.smollerfamily.blogspot.com) haha!

Anyway, since it was so nice out yesterday I decided it was a perfect day to hop on the bike and do a nice leisurely ride around Manhattan! I got on Linear Trail and rode the entire length over to the west side of town! It was 9 miles one way-and then 9 miles back! Quite the ride, and my bum and logs were pooped when I was done!

Happy Sunday all, I hope it's refreshing! :)

These logs and nice looking running man!

2009-07-16T09:59:00.004-05:00

Good morning all!

I am thinking about my logs (spoken in a scottish/british tongue) and how these are the only logs I'm going to get. I took the picture sitting down looking at my legs after this morning's work out. Since these are the only ones I'm going to get I want to treat them well and listen to them when they're hurting or sore, or stiff and thank them for being able to do what I want them to do!

I'm not sure if I turned my alarm off in my slumber or if I forgot to turn it on last night, but I woke up at 6:44 and was like: oh man...that's an hour later than I wanted to wake up. And then I thought to myself: do I have to be anywhere? nope. Got a major schedule today? hmm, nope. And I felt ok about my oversleep after that. I knew I was doing 5 miles today and I was trying to get my mind right--ya know? like pumped up for the run! As I started out with my handy-dandy fuel belt (yes, my roommates DO make fun of me) ipod, and Garmin all set to rock my logs felt like dead weight! I was like: oh great here we go...dead weight is NOT fun and I had just started.
Luckily I stayed with it and hopped on the trail outside of the park. I was startled a bit when a really nice looking running man passed me. I looked it his stride and somehow, subconciously my stride started to pick up. He ran a bit and then his 2 other very nice looking running-man friends passed me too. Again with the picking up of the stride. Then the stop and stretch it out or do whatever...watching me as I approach. So I pass them, turn around and pass them again. So that's 3 passes in literally 5 minute time-span. Well, everytime I passed the first nice looking running man there was some serious eye contact and smiles to be had. Needless to say, I sucked in my gut, didn't pull on my shorts straightened out my torso and ran like the inner-Olympian I know myself to be. Actually, I just hoped I didn't look like I was struggling too much;)
As my run continued with various other loops and concluding back at the park, whom do I notice but very nice looking running man again?! I would be lying if I said I wasn't scanning my terrain for another connection throughout the run:) We pass eachother AGAIN, this time without much connection because of the angle and before I knew it I was cooling down. So friends that's 5 miles at a 9:15 pace wrapped up quite nicely.

But the story of the nice looking man isn't over yet!! It ends like this: I get home chug some gatorade and hop on my bike and flush my logs out a bit and I decide I'll just head back up to the trail. I try to tell myself it's because I want to ride on gravel, but as I got closer it was more like I wanted to see how the nice lookers were doing:) We pass eachother AGAIN, this time I can see him coming and as he gets closer I say: "that's a lot of running." He says, "what?!" [PERFECT! a one chance encounter and I say something dumb and he couldn't understand me!! awesome.] I repeat my comment, " that's a lot of running..he ....he.. smile." he says," yeah, that's a lot of exercise.smile." I say, "it's good." and we're done. Could that have been more anti-climatic? Sorry if I jacked up your blood pressure for nothin! Ohhhhhhh man, gotta love awkward encounters where you're walking away thinking: shoulda said this, wish I could have had a few beats longer to redeem my last comment..etc
That concludes today's adventures on Shelby's road, tune in next time where I will make up jokes while I run so I'm always prepared to win over strangers! :)

Weeds

2009-07-14T10:15:00.005-05:00

I have a lot of them. Literally, the front, side and basic perimeter of our house is being swarmed by weeds. Now, as a renter I realize that since I'm not the homeowner it's not necessarily my responsibility to pull them. BUT, as I live here, I have this continued feeling of slowly, but surely being OVERRUN by the weeds, big ones, small ones, really nasty bug-infested ones, all kinds! So I'm working on this slowly. I've tried to make a grand spiritual analogy out of this, but all I keep coming back to is the crap in our souls--it's gotta come out, and thankfully God has really strong, sturdy gardening-gloved hands.

On to the runs...outside, not in the toilet. Although, one of my favorite roommates likes to think that I always have some sort of digestive something because in her mind I go through a roll of toilet paper a day. I do NOT go through a roll-a-day friends, and if you hear otherwise, deny the rumors!! :)
I ran yesterday feeling pretty tight and sore still from the 10-miler, so I went slower and did 4.5 miles. Then, I hopped on my new tricked out bike, complements a one N. Parker, and rode for another 30 minutes or so. I love going fast on my bike and covering lots of terrain. Seeing as I don't ride very often I needed to get my "bike-legs" back under me so I don't just fall off at an intersection. It could happen. I also got an email from World Vision charity with some inspiration as I continue training. The subject line read: don't feel like running today? So I thought it was going to be some grace-filled message like: it's okay, take a day off, do some cross-training, enjoy the day blah blah. Nope. The first line read: Too bad. Do it anyway! So I stuck out my lower lip, cinched my eye-brows and read it like the sour-puss I like to be sometimes! This morning when my alarm went off at 5:41AM, I thought, I am UNABLE to get out of bed. Heck, I am unable to really open my eyes. So I laid there and pondered what my next move would be. After much debate, an 1 hr. of more sleep, I decided to bike to the gym, do my speed-interval workout on the treadmill for 3 miles, then so some weights/core work and bike home. I thought it was a good decision and now here I sit.

I really enjoy our kitchen and I'm sipping coffee looking at, yep you guessed, the weeds. I'm going to pull more today and think about this:
God's love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse;
slips through the cracks.
Psalm 36:5-6 (the message)

I guess that means, that all those weeds, big ones, small ones, He's seeing ALL that go in the trash! And He sees me.

Love to you friends!
S.M. :)

P.S. Rach-thanks for yummy coffee this morning!

My first double-digit run!

2009-07-12T22:14:00.002-05:00

I still can't wrap my brain around how far I actually ran on Saturday morning. I know there are lots of people that run far, and further than I ran yesterday, but for me, the novice distance-runner, it was a huge milestone! I feel like a new frontier has been crossed and embarked upon--there's no turning back now!

Let's get to it--started the morning by looking out my kitchen window to see dense fog/haze/humidity. NOT my favorite morning conditions by far! I decided to putz around a bit meaning, eating a powerbar, some watermelon, drinking water, trying to wake up by brushing my teeth, and finally heading out the door. My run took place from Beth's neighborhood along the "Nike commercial" road in between St. George and Wamego. This road is less frequently traveled by cars, and that friends, made all the difference for me! It was quiet, peaceful, and nice and steady. I tried to remind myself not to get discouraged by a slower pace that what is considered "normal/average" for me and just keep putting one foot infront of the other. The humidity was a wet blanket I couldnt' shake the entire time I was running. New obstacles were discovered during the trek. For example: wringing my shorts out and getting RID OF SWEAT, hearing my shoes get squishy as they too got soaking wet, using a "fuel belt" with water bottles, and pocket for some handy-dandy electrolytes! All new things!

It was exciting to experiment with new things. It was exciting to be along on this road, crossing such sweet terrain on foot. It was exciting to look at my Garmin and know that I have done 10 miles at one time! I know this is one small step for marathon training, but one giant leap in Shelby's-runner heart!

Thanks for reading this and being interested. P.S. Major shout to a one Nathan P-diddy out there who tricked out my ghetto-sad-neglected-garage-sale bike and made it brand new. It no longer was the outcast, now my new BFF! :) can't wait to play with you and take you on all kinds of adventures:)

Back to the daily mileage log tomorrow morning: 5 miles, bright and early!

Good night!

The beauty of 5AM..ish

2009-07-10T08:29:00.003-05:00

So, I used to think that waking up in the 5-o'clock hour was the closest thing to torture I have ever experienced. I think it was the screaming alarm or the fact that it was dark/cold/hot/humid/DARK...etc! But, today, believe it or not, I enjoyed getting up so early and was kinda excited for a killer spin class. Spinning, aka: indoor cycling, was quite the burn today! Spinning is one of those unique activities that is not only a killer cardio/muscular workout for the lower body, but it's also one of those gut-check activites. It's like when you're peddling and cranking up the resistance and you think you're going as hard or as fast as you possibly can, somehow, by the grace of God, you manage to scrunch up your face let out a audible (slight) snarl, grit your teeth and push HARDER! I don't know why or how really, but the "max" tends to be a line that keeps creeping farther and farther away from me as I gut it out...in a good way:)

I spinned it out this morning at 5:45--did some lovely AB ATTACK, courtesy of Jami that instructor with washboard abs, and some arm reps. Gotta keep them arms strong to keep up with the legs!

Tomorrow morning bright and early I am running my first double-digit run! Eek! kinda nervous, kinda excited, hope its a good one! Tune in tomorrow for a recap:)
Have a grrrreat Friday!