MY SHOES!
OK, lesson learned. Those NIKE shoes I talked about earlier--definately not for runners. On a good note I was able to return them for a full refund at KOHL's...and I was honest about having tried them out on an indoor track. The clerk was so kind--and laughed as he replied "Yeah, those shoes are just not what you need if you are a serious runner". Really! I wish someone would tell NIKE that. I mean--they advertise these as running shoes right? NOT!  So I asked some runner friends of mine, and ended up with a pair of Brooks, along with an extra insole, purchased separately, but worth it. Last Monday and today, I ran 3 continous miles. Never ran 3 miles at one time in my life. I have a few families who are still working out at our indoor track--but most have either decided to stay outdoors, or they have other obligations with their children--such as soccer, baseball, flag football, and who knows what else, haha. It's all good. I'm doing my best to stay committed and active. I'm learning the meaning of perserverence in a very real way and also continuing to focus on two other aspects of my physical wholeness: 1)healthy food, and 2) spiritural growth & reflection. I'm reading "NOT A FAN"...and realize more and more that followers of Jesus are called to follow Him...not just sit on the sidelines. I want to be a follower in every aspect of my life, even if it's difficult. As for food, I made the best turkey chili tonight. I was starving, lol, after my run, and unfortunately had two bowls of my healthy chili topped off with some greek yogurt. Black cherry greek yogurt spells DESSERT for me! My chili recipe has four different kinds of beans: black, white, dark red kidney's, and red beans. Dang. I forgot my BEANO before. I'm thankful I won't be leading a group tomorrow, lol. Signing off, in His steps, in MY shoes...my new Brooks!

Making Strides...

Hey readers! Strange, but I posted about our 1st week of March--and I realize I used a different email last week by mistake, who knows where it was sent? Oh well! I'll begin again, and see if I can find a copy of my other post in between. Verse for the week: Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

I'm not sure what this verse may mean to you--but as i was running this week, I imagined myself on the last mile of a marathon--and envisioning myself crossing the finish line. I am working towards a goal--and although I am far from being a long distance runner, I am a lot closer than I was six weeks ago as I jogged 60 seconds, walked 60 seconds. Faith is a gift from God--it is believing in what we can NOT see, but living out our lives as if it is reality.
This week of workouts: Monday March 5th: Noticible decline in attendance. The faithful were there--those of us who are training for our 5k race. I ran two miles (consecutive laps), first time to ever accomplish such a FEET (pun-intended) lol. Honestly I was quite emotional as I finished that last lap, and as some of my parents and kids cheered me on (Thanks Wolfe Family)...I can't tell you how much that helped--and how AMAZING it felt! 

Wednesday May 7th:  We had more show up to work out together, and we not only walk/ran on the track, but also did our Dance X video tother. I repeated two consecutive miles of jogging on Wednesday, plus walked another mile--then joined in the video for another 30 minutes of exercise--and my feet were feeling it (ok--my entire body was feeling it)...

Lesson learned: I paid $54 for those Nike shoes a couple of weeks ago. If anything, they are worse than the shoes I already had when it comes to support and cushioning.  I asked a friend who is now an avid runner and she explained to me that there are some good brands of running shoes to be found--more expensinve (figured that) but much better for the human feet. I plan sometime next week to go to a local busines "FLEET FEET" and run on a treadmill so they can see my "gait" and reccomend shoes that will work best for me. I know this is a MUST DO...and I continue to learn more as I continue on my journey. I also weighed today, and dropped 4 pounds this week. That alone encourages me to keep running--and keep exercising! 

I had posted last week about my first Zumba experience. LOVED IT...Loved it so much I went to Mrs. Leigh Sextion's Saturday class, and loved it some more! AWESOME FUN--I sweat profusely, but it doesn't really seem like exercise, just dance, praise and fun! The gym was full, so I am assuming this is new news only to me.  So lesson for this week:

1. Don't buy cheap Nike shoes from kohl's if you are serious about running--bad move
2.  Have fun with exercise.
3. Keep going--in His steps, in MY shoes!

Love and More Later...Kathy