The Boot & Dukes Photo

The Boots & Duke photo game my running buddies and I had last week has ruffled some feathers. I guess my photo was a little too provocative for some people's taste, especially my younger sister.

The purpose of the photo was to celebrate some of my running buddies being able to wear Daisy Dukes shorts if they wanted too. My way of celebrating their successes...you can still be sexy in your 50s and wear dukes if you want too.

My legs were suppose to be the focus of the photo. I didn't realize nor did I expect everyone to focus on my crotch area. But they did, especially women. Now, all my running buddies focused on my legs and the fact at age 51, I'm still holding my own. In my eyes, my legs were the most and only uncover part in the photo. I didn't notice my crotch until I started getting text messsges.

My guy rolled my shorts so more of my legs could be exposed. He took the photo and approved it for posting. I had to brace my legs on the bumper to prevent me from falling on the ground, since I kept slipping off the car. Hence, the propped up leg. In his words, I'm really proud of you and your running friends for taking these photos, more women should embrace their health like you ladies.

Do I regret taking the photo, not one bit. What I do regret is how some people tried to take a fun moment and turn it into something other than what is was, a celebration of hard work of toning my legs. The text messages my sister sent really hurt my daughter's feelings and angered my guy. It made me feel like she really doesn't like me. Not a good feeling, since I always brag about her abilities, achievements and/or accomplishments. Like her being able to be among a group of black women that can run a race in a sports bra.

So to prevent any further hurt to my daughter and anger to my guy, I blocked the photo from view. Because the fact of the matter, I love me and my body. I have worked hard to tone it and be physically fit to participate in my running events. So anyone that really knows me or cares about me or loves me would know that "slut" should never be used in any description of me. Sexy, yes, but never slut or any other derogatory name.

What Happened Was....

What happened was, I went to San Antonio as a Halfathoner, came home a Marathoner. How did this change occur? Let me explain. I signed up at the last moment, before the fee increase, for the San Antonio Rock N Roll Half Marathon. It was late night on October 13, after some serious studying, so I could get the discount of $13. I reserved the room at the Marriott through Groupon, another great discount 70% off the room.

It was my birthday weekend and I chose to participate in a running event as a way to bring in another year of life. Everything would be dated November 17, 2013, my 51^st year of life. Me and my running buddy Brenda left the Dallas area sometime after 6:30 pm. The traffic in Dallas was horrible, so it took us awhile to maneuver around it. My daughter NeNe kept calling because she wanted us to stop in San Marcos to have dinner with her. I didn’t want to stop because I was already tired from a long week of work. We made it to the hotel after 11 pm. After watching Scandal, I was fast asleep. Brenda had fallen asleep as soon as she laid down.

The next morning we got up to head to the RNR Expo at the Alamodome. The place was surrounded by stairs. We had to walk up the stairs to get the building and down the stairs to get to the Expo. I forgot to print out my bib info, so I had to search the board for my bib number. To my surprise my bib number was 1162, my month and year of birth. This had to mean something special. While taking photos of my bib number, I noticed my bib was blue and Brenda’s was red. We figured it was because I registered before her. Then Brenda saw it, I had registered for the marathon, not the half marathon. She burst out laughing. I immediately headed to the change race table. I was told all I had to do was stand in the corral of the time I thought I would finish the half.  To be funny, I posted the photo with me and my bib number on Facebook to notice who would realize I had signed up for the full. Of course my running buddy Keisha “Run It Dirty” noticed it immediately. Soon everyone else noticed it and started encouraging me to go ahead and run the full. Not happening I told myself, I’ll wait until December 8, the Dallas Marathon, like I had planned. Throughout the day, the idea of running the full kept going through my head. How cool would it be for me to complete my first marathon on my 51^st birthday?

 

Sunday, November 17, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! We headed to the Alamodome. Brenda and I walked around taking pictures before the race began. When daylight hit, we headed to Corral 24. My other running buddies showed up and more comments were made about me completing the marathon. No one knew I had been debating in my head, since I woke up, whether or not to complete the full or half. While standing waiting for the start, I began talking to this older woman about my plans to run a marathon in December and the farthest distance I had trained, 23 miles. She said honey go ahead and do the full, you’ve trained, you can do it.

The race started, the “I can do it voice” got louder and louder. By mile 3, I told Brenda I was going to go ahead and do the full. It was really humid to me, but I wasn’t too hot. Brenda was hot and sweating a lot. Between mile 5 and 6, Brenda had me slow down to reserve my energy to be able to complete the full. We were running 3:1 intervals, 12-12:30 minute miles. After mile 10, Brenda and I parted ways because she had to take a potty break. As I came around this curve, there it was, the half and full split. If I went left, I would finish the half. If I went right, I would begin my journey to become a marathon finisher. I grabbed a cool sponge and started debating in my head, do I or don’t I. I kept going right. I told myself, there’s no turning back now. There were not that many runners making that right turn when I did. There were plenty coming back to finish.

Mile 15, I was still feeling good, I can do this, easy breezy. Mile 16, there was no shade and I was getting hot. Mile 17, I thought to myself, did I make the right decision. I did something I never do, I started drinking the water and Gatorade at the water stations, at every station. Mile 18, I said this is some b&llsh@t, what the f%ck was I thinking.

Mile 19 (more unholy language), my body was beginning to ache, legs muscles were cramping. I could only walk, no more running for me. I had run out of my own water, which made it seem like the water stations were further apart.

Mile 20 and 21 (more unholy language), some lady started asking me questions, I was too irritated to respond politely, but I made every effort.

Mile 22 (more unholy language), I was in a lot of pain, from my shoulders to the soles of my feet. I was hurting so bad, I couldn’t answer my phone or read the text messages I was receiving, my fingers and hands hurt.

Mile 23, the tears began to flow and I was balling like a big baby…a walking sweaty baby. Then this guy dressed in military fatigues, came up to me and said you just have 3 miles to go, I know you are tired, but you are almost there, don’t give up. More tears and snotting. Then I started asking God what did I do to deserve this much pain, this is worse than child birth. I asked Him if there was anything left in me that was unpleasant and He wanted removed. More tears and snotting.

Mile 24, I ripped my water belt off because it was causing me too much pain. It felt like it was stabbing me. This lady stopped to check on me and gave me some Peanut Butter Gu, a Cliff Bar and some of her water. Then some Hispanic guy, who was waiting on someone, stopped me and said here take this water and he offered me some energy supplements.

Mile 25, some guy ran passed me and said come on sexy, we almost there, you’ve been doing good this far so don’t give up. I made an effort to answer my phone because I needed some help, motivation to finish. It was NeNe and she was fussing, why haven’t you answered you phone, where are you. I hang up, I didn’t need the negative vibe. I looked through my missed call log to find Brenda’s number, the call went straight to voice mail which meant her battery was dead. I looked through the call log again, a missed call from Cindy. She informed me that Brenda had passed out and was rushed to the hospital. I was still crying and giving her my symptoms, she said go to the first medic station, something is wrong. But I didn’t, I was too close to the finish line. Then Brenda called me and said stop and go to the first aid station you see, you don’t have to finish this race, it was totally unplanned.

Almost to mile 26, someone else ran passed me and said come on sexy. I thought to myself, if one more person calls me sexy, I will punch them in their mouth. Next, this motorcycle cop came by and said, see the stop light ahead, that’s the finish line, don’t quit. That was the longest 1.2 miles. Then it happened, this lady came up behind me and said come on sexy, you’re almost there, you are the true example of sexiness, the epitome of what sexiness is. I balled my fist up but she was too far out of reach and my body hurt too much for me to chase her down. I only had .2 miles to go, I was in extreme pain, something was definitely wrong. I did it, I crossed the finish line 5:45:24 later, I was a marathon finisher. I put my medal on and walked over to the medic tent. I told the nurse something is wrong, I’m in too much pain, my back really hurts. She said okay, let’s go inside. I stepped to the left and collapsed. I didn’t blackout completely, I was aware of my surrounding and could answer all their questions, I just didn’t have any energy. The medic said I was suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration. On November 17, 1962, I entered this world. On November 17, 2013, I entered the world of a marathon finisher.

My stats:

Overall: 1967 out of 2680

50-54 Age Division: 46 out of 71

Female: 796 out of 1178

5 km – 39:05

10 km – 1:20:07

10 mile – 2:09:27

Half – 2:49:16

20 mi – 3:41:33

It Was The Dog

I posted a photo of a dog on Facebook, which caught his attention. He commented, I replied. He commented again, which caused me to contact him off Facebook. He sent me his phone number to call and we ended up talking for almost 4 hours. He said let's see if we can make this work. I said okay. It was that simple, on December 4, 2013. I said okay and we began. He said God sent that dog to bring us together. If you hadn't posted the picture, I wouldn't have thought about contacting you because I thought you had gotten married. Funny thing, the dog was gone the next day.

6th Semester of My Pregnancy: Weeks 26-30

Week 26 (Nov 4 - 10): I went back to the gym this week, it felt good. I added the extra day of leg weight training and squats. When I say my legs were hurting, they hurt, but I kept it moving. I skipped my Saturday morning run. This marathon training is killing my desire to run. Therefore, I know I will not run another marathon distance. I love how my body is toning, but the run distance is very unappealing.

Week 27 (Nov 11 - 17): Because of school I had to switch my gym visits to the evenings after classes. Not my idea but staying up to the wee hours of the night to study and then trying to function on just 2 or 3 hours of sleep wasn't cutting it. Plus my appetite has been increasing in the mornings and I want more time to eat. Working out in the evening gives me more time to complete my entire planned workout and eliminates me having to rush through it, skip something and driving like a mad woman to get to work on time. Friday evening me and my running buddy Brenda headed to San Antonio for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I decided that this is how I wanted to spend my birthday this year. Saturday we were able to get a little pre-race workout by going to the race expo at the Alamodome. If you know any thing about that place, it's surrounded by stairs, steep stairs on all sides. Add the walking around the expo, we had a good workout. My bib number happened to be my month and year of birth. I was so impressed with it until I realized I signed up for the wrong distance. I had registered for marathon, not the half. Oh hecks no. I headed to the change race table immediately. That's when the first labor pains hit. I posted my bib number on my Facebook page to see how many would catch I had registered for the wrong distance and to show off my bib number. That's when posts began about I should go ahead and run the distance. More labor pains. Sunday morning, more labor pains. Is this really meant to be. While standing in the corral area, I started talking to this older woman about running the full. That's when I decided to go ahead and attempt to complete the 26.2 miles. My first marathon on my birthday. Happy Birthday to Me. Read my post about my marathon.

Week 28 (Nov 18 - 24):

Week 29 (Nov 25 - Dec 1):

Week 30 (Dec 2 - 8):

5th Semester of My Pregnancy: Weeks 21-25

Week 21 (September 30 - October 6): So I started this week with a bad attitude. I was still upset about the time it took to complete the 20 miles. I was trying to decide if I really wanted to run a marathon. I still went to the gym, but I was constantly thinking if I should really complete this marathon. Several people commented that I had did the training and I needed to get my reward, the gold medal. On Saturday, I didn't make my run because of a work event.

Week 22 (October 7 - 13): I missed the gym this week. School work won my time. I decided I needed to add more lower body weight training, two days a week instead of one. On Saturday, I did 10 miles in an effort to help some of my running buddies complete their mileage, I only needed to do 6 miles. It felt good to do a short run.

Week 23 (October 14 - 20): The week I was a little edgy because I was dreading running 23 miles on Saturday. As the week began to wind down, my attitude slowly began to change. Saturday morning, I didn't get up at 4 am as schedule, why...because of my neighbor's tendency to play his music until 3 am. So I delayed and delayed until I finally made it out the door. I did not want to run those miles. I looked at my watch, it was 10 am, a late start. I grab my race watch, turn it on and realize I forgot to charge it, it was at 40%. Doggonit!! I would have to rely on Runkeeper, which would be testing the longevity of my phone battery. I start my warm-up walk, then I start to run. I'm .68 miles into my run when I realize I wasn't hearing the interval changes. I stop running and check out my watch, it is set for swimming, UUUUGGGHHHH!!!! I readjust, set the watch correctly and started to run again. I run on the back road of Lancaster Rec, down Wintergreen to Dallas Avenue, back up Wintergreen to Cedar Valley College. Around Cedar Valley College, back up Wintergreen, then back down Wintergreen. I turned onto Dallas Avenue and ran around Lancaster Rec, 7 miles done. I headed on Dallas Avenue to Pleasant Run towards DeSoto. While running, I was honked at by several passing cars. I made it up Pleasant Run to DeSoto and turned onto Hampton Road towards Beltline. I turned on Beltline. I was so tired of running, but no body aches. Then my watch said 15 miles, dang it, only 15 miles. I had decided that I would make it to my cousin's house and whatever the mileage, I would be done. As soon as I finished that affirmation, I was passing a church and this guy walked up to me and said hang in there, the training will be so worth it. I thought how did he know I was training for a marathon. Well, I know how. I thanked him and kept moving. When I reached Cockrell Hill, I realized I would have to run to Cedar Hill, not my plan. Mile 18, I was out of water, not good. I told myself I would make it to Joe Wilson and turn around. It seemed that Joe Wilson was getting further and further away. I was beginning to get emotional and started fighting back the tears. That's when the Holy Spirit started talking with revelation about somethings that I had experienced recently. I told myself when I get to Mile 20, I'm quitting. I soon realized, I had to make it back to my car, my eyes welled up with tears. I said God please help me get to my cousin's house. At Mile 21, I had no more energy or desire to run, so I walked, and walked. I finally made it to my cousin's house 23.42 miles and 5:45:20 later. I was super funky and sweaty. I was able to sit down and reflect on the run. And made a promise to myself that I would never, ever run a marathon again. I will be forever a member of the One and Done Club. Forget about the huge medal from Little Rock, they can keep it.

Week 24 (October 21 - 27): This week will be a rest week because I need to allow my body to recover fully from the 23 miles. But I will be participating in the Allstate 13.1 on Saturday. Surprisingly, my body doesn't hurt. I'm a little stiff, but no pain.

Week 24 (October 28 - November 3): I took another rest week since I participated in the Allstate 13.1. I have really lost a lot of weight and inches. I'll have to do some more clothes shopping.

4th Semester of My Pregnancy: Weeks 16-20

Week 16 (August 26 - Septmeber 1): I made it to the gym once this week. School started back this week. I have to figure out my schedule. Sleep, training, work, school, homework and a social life. I made a trip to Omaha for Labor Day weekend, I didn't get a chance to run, but I got plenty of sleep.

Week 17 (September 2 - 8): I made it to the gym once. I attended the BGR National Conference in Charlotte, NC. I should have tracked my walking miles because I'm positive we walked an ultra the entire weekend. I participated in the 10K event on Sunday.  Charlotte is very hilly, but even with the missed gym times, my body still remembered my hill training. I didn't get tired until the last hill, which led to the finish line.

Week 18 (September 9 - 15): I made it to the gym, just once but I made it. Saturday I had 17 miles to complete. My running buddy Ve ran the first 6.5 miles with me, then she turned around to head back. I was doing okay until I reached mile 15, then my mind slipped. I started questioning myself as to why I set a goal that I didn't have the commonsense to give up on. By the time I finished, I had a new appreciation for my ancestors and their fight for freedom.

Week 19 (September 16 - 22): My routine is getting back on track. I just need to learn how to juggle everything. Full-time work, full-time school and full-time marathon training. I noticed that I'm losing weight. My legs are not toning as fast as the rest of my body. I made it to the gym as scheduled on Monday. Did my weight training and then I tried to ride the bike, that's where I messed up. I had 8 minutes until finish, when I began to feel dizzy. I stopped pedaling and tried to make it to the sanitation area, when my legs became really weak. So to prevent me from hitting the floor really hard, I laid it down. My vision became very blurry. I finally made it to the locker room and laid down on the bench. It took several minutes for me to recovery, so I headed to the shower. Wrong move, I should have went home. After showering, I became very dizzy. I prayed God please do not let me pass out in this shower naked. I made it to the bench again and slowly got dressed. Sunday, I ran the Love the Half Marathon. My goal was to keep my pace under 12 minutes. I was almost successful, I only went over 12 minutes twice. One was my rest and snack break. I finished with a time of 2:33.52. Pretty good!

Week 20 (September 23 - 29): I made it to the gym two days this week. I was in recovery from the half and rest before my 20 miles run on Saturday. On Saturday, my running buddy Brenda ran the first 9 miles with me. The next 11 were on my own. Again, at mile 15 I started questioning why would I do this to myself. Then the bad attitude crept in, this mess was taking too long to complete. Some older guy on a bike kept riding pass me shouting "go my friend, don't give up". After I forgot how many times he passed me, I thought about knocking him off the bike. Finally, I was finished and extremely angry, 5:09:15 later. I had to ask the members of NBMA as to why they do it. Sunday morning, I still had a nasty attitude.

3rd Semester of My Pregnancy: Weeks 11-15

Week 11 (July 22 - 28): This week was another week of missed workouts. The A/C is out at my house, it takes longer for me to fall asleep, which makes me drowsy in the morning. Plus, I still have my cold and congestion and the medicine I've been taking makes me even more tired. Saturday morning, me and the running buddies changed our run to be more of a fun run. Even though I don't like waking up early mornings on Saturday, I woke up to met 5:1 triplets at Katy Trail for a 5:30 am run. They had 12 miles, I only need 10.5 miles. What made the run so much fun, we stop to take photos in front of the Dallas B_G. Then we met up with the other ladies that were starting up at 6:45 am. Sometimes large groups take more time to organize. Along the trail, we posed for more photos with the Dallas B_G.

Week 12 (July 29 - August 4): I'm on vacation and decided to still stick to my workouts. On Monday, I added the cycling to my training on my non-run days. Since I arrived in Omaha late in the evening, I didn't go to the gym Tuesday morning. Wednesday, I headed to the local YMCA and ran my 3 miles on the treadmill. It took me a moment to figure out how to adjust it. I finally just settled for manual and it worked better for me. Thursday morning at the YMCA, my intentions were to run 30 minutes of slow pace run on the treadmill and the weights. Instead, I got trick into attending a boot camp called MOVE. And move is what we did. I don't know how many times we ran back and forth on the basketball court, I lost count. Then we had to do bear crawls and one backwards bear crawl. This was a difficult task for me because I kept losing my balance when I stood up. One time I slipped and hit my head against the brick wall, OUCH! After the floor fun, we did bench pressing, the stream and sauna rooms. I felt pretty detoxed after sitting in those rooms.

Week 13 (August 5 - 11): I blew this week off, no gym time. I'll use the sharing of my car with NeNe as my excuse. Saturday's BGR Group Run turned into a walk because of the pink running shoes that were meant for short distance miles, not long distance miles. The pink shoes didn't belong to me. Then there was the armadillo that I thought was chasing us, which caused us to sprint.

Week 14 (August 12 - 18): I blew this week of too, no gym time again. But I did some exercising at home, just some. I will be missing my Saturday run because of college orientation. I will commit to going back to the gym next week, yoga too.

Week 15 (August 19 - 25): No gym again this week, but I did pull out my running clothes. Saturday, did my first mileage passed a half marathon, 14 miles. We took our time, a little over 3 hours. I broke the clip on my Moractv and drank all my water, plus two gatorades. And once again my running buddies, Brenda and Ve, got me through. I played in the swimming pool that night which made my legs and back feel better. Sunday, I volunteered to be a cheerleader at The Hottest Half Marathon and 10K. I had the brilliant idea to walk from the finish line to the mile 10 marker, the give up spot. As I walked, I decided to use it as my recovery walk. By the time I made it to mile marker 11, I realized I made a bad decision and should have drove to mile marker 10. It was too hot to be strolling through White Rock Lake. I made it to 10 just in time for some runners and to observe the "Speed Granny". This lady walks circles around us, and I do mean walk. Speed Granny walks between a 9:30-10 minute mile, she's in her 90s. My goal is to beat her one day, just one race and I will be happy.

I Miss Him

I have been doing really well with September 17 and 18. But this year that old hurt and pain resurfaced. I still walk around happy and joyful, like I don't have an urgent care in the world. But this pain is consuming me this year. Even though he passed away 9 years ago, I still can remember the phone call from my sister and hear her voice...Nora they found Daddy in his house dead. My thought was of both hurt and praise that night. I said it out loud Thank You God my Daddy's suffering is over. I'll make it pass this moment, I always do. But at this moment I really need a good cry. But I can't because I'm sitting at my desk and it might just draw too much attention. Then as fair as my skin is, I'll have the red face which no makeup can hide.

Today, August 20, 2013

Today I received another reminder from God that He was serious when He said I will open up the windows of Heaven pour out a blessing that you will not have room enough to hold. Well, the pouring on me was so large that I had to leave my office building because I was crying so hard from the blessing He poured on me. My last cry out pray to Him was to not let go of me and allow me a way out of something I had gotten myself into. When I say He answered above and beyond...trust, believe and know He answered. But the only condition, I can't tell what He did. How do I this, because during the midst of my crying from this abundance of happiness, only three people answered their phones. Those are the three He wanted to know if He will do it for me, He will do it for them.

Your Soul Wants the Freedom to Sing, Dance, Love

Today, Lenora, we believe God wants you to know that ...your soul wants the freedom to sing, dance, love. As your body needs nourishment - food, drink, sleep, so does your soul need nourishment - sing, dance, love. Life is not all work, work is not all hard toil. Nourish your soul with the food that is right for it, for it is the altar of your own inner temple.

And today I will be attending the Native Omahan Weekend Gospel Celebration today. I started not to attend because I don’t like overcrowded, no air circulating places, but after this message, God is telling me to go and enjoy.

2nd Semester of My Pregnancy: Weeks 6-10

Week 6 (June 17 - 23): This week I only missed one workout, my Thursday morning slow pace run. I had an extra bonus of playing at Dave & Buster's, basketball, football and air hockey. My competitive nature popped out. I missed my Saturday morning group run due to Eve's sin...the cramps. I made up for it Sunday morning but I was unable to complete the full 6 miles. The heat and sun was a bit much and I forgot to bring my water. After I made it to the 5 mile mark, I started walking. I just wanted to make it back to the car before I pass out. 

Week 7 (June 24 - 30): This week was pretty smooth. I hung out Wednesday night, so I missed my Thursday morning workout. I went to the gym in the evening to make up for it, but the gym was overly crowded. I walked in, got dressed, walked around, couldn't find a treadmill, waited a few moments, then just said forget it. My Saturday run was a little strenuous, I have to get used to running in the heat. I made the mistake of starting my run after 8 am. I had 7.5 miles to run. I started off pretty well but by mile 4, I was over heated and out of water. I ended up walking the majority of the way back to my car. Once I made it to my car, I headed straight for the 7-Eleven for some Gatorade. My body stayed hot the entire day.

Week 8 (July 1 - 7): After a scolding from my cousin, the personal trainer, I changed my weight training to 12 reps, 3 sets. I started with 12 reps, 1 set, then moved up to 12 reps, 2 sets. I also promised her I would increase my sets to 4 in August. She made me feel so guilty about my weight training and eating habits, I had nightmares. I felt the difference through the various muscles that ached. I ran in the Irving Marathon Summer Series Half on Saturday. It was extremely hot for me and the trees triggered my allergies. Two and half miles of the course was a trail. I don't like trails because of the potential of injuries. I tried to run my 3:1 but when I slipped, I decided it was just best to walk in a fast pace. Unfortunately, the entire trail was in the blazing sun. When I reached the mile 13 marker, I just walked until I made it close to the finish line, then I ran the short distance. I still finished under 3 hours. Today will just be a recovery 3 mile walk.

Week 9 (July 8 - 14): I only missed 2 workouts this week. My butt is lazy on Wednesday mornings. I had planned to make up the workouts missed on Friday, but a date to a concert changed that, oh well. I did my 3 miles on Saturday morning and I actually made it to hot yoga. It felt so good to be able to stretch, really stretch. I'm beginning to catch a cold. I have a bad summer cold, real bad. I was suppose to be the finish line cheerleader for the Too Hot to Handle, needless to say I didn't make it. I really wanted to be there to support my running buddies Chris and Desi.

Week 10 (July 15 - 21): I am sick, I didn't make it to the gym Monday morning. Tuesday, I barely finished my 3 miles on the treadmill. The treadmill I was on was directly under a high blowing fan, I was so congested. Hopefully, I will feel better by Saturday morning. Saturday morning I was able to get in my 4 miles around Lancaster Rec Center. I was hot outside but I was able to finish within a good time. I didn't burn out this time. Sunday I went to Hot Yoga by Candlelight. The temp and humidity was much high than Restorative Hot Yoga. My younger daughter attended with me and I was a little jealous of her flexibility, but as young as she is, she should be flexible. It felt really good to be able to stretch my muscles. I might actually buy a membership.

THE AC OUT AND THE HEAT IS ON

I've been living in my home for 10 years. In those 10 years, I have never had an issue with my air conditioning unit, that is until the professional came to service it. Now the compressor is shot and the motor is barely pulling. My temper is hot and so is my home. The only positive, I grew up in the era before AC units were a part of the standard home equipment; I know how to bare the heat...fans. The unfortunate thing, I have become ill from sleeping under the fan. I haven't slept well because my windows are open. Tiger has been pacing the house because he has been standing guard. I've started pricing replacement units and became depressed. Looks like I will be eliminating some things as I save to pay cash for a new unit.

The Full House

Last night I received a call a little after midnight, maw, can you come get me. Now the motherly instinct in me kicked in, I thought I was going to have to make a hospital run. The call wasn't from my daughters, it was from someone else's son. A young man that was convinced if he moved here, the person making the claim would assist him on getting on his feet. I believe that was the original plan until the thought of saving money and not having to pay daycare anymore and having someone doing all the housework, overruled the right thing.

Now this young man sits at my house, homeless and clothesless. His clothes were disposed of by the people he was staying with. The big question everyone is asking is why? Why treat someone so badly, that you convinced to move in with you. Karma is the word that comes to mind. Anyway, my emptynest attitude doesn't want the additional body in the house, but the motherly heart of mine wouldn't allow this young man to sleep on the street. So I opened the door for him. I had him write his game plan for the next five years.

I contacted some people I know and they are working on obtaining him some clothing and other personal items. He is very grateful because he said I didn't have to help him. Then he asked me about playing rent and what house chores I would like him to do. My true desire is for him to get enrolled in college, obtain his degree and become the child psychologist he dreams of, if his basketball career doesn't pan out. I think he will, if he can get pass all the negative in his life.

Miscommunication

There was a bit of miscommunication between me and my Muse which lead to a somewhat heated phone conversation today. He wouldn’t allow me to say a word until he had his say. I have to admit assumptions on my part have led to this entire blow up.

How two people that have always had open communication suddenly don’t, is the responsibility of both parties. He kept asking me what was wrong and I kept saying nothing. I had some personal things going on in my life and went into quiet mode. This broke an agreement we had, we don’t have to say what’s wrong, just ask the other to pray.

By the end of our conversation, he had regained his position as my Muse. I realized I have a great friend in him, he just wants me to be happy, even at the risk of his feelings being hurt. And since I hurt his feelings by something I wrote, the published and the one that shall remain unpublished, it’s up to me to make amends. He said there’s no need to make amends, but if I were on the receiving end, I would want him to make amends. So if I want it, he deserves it.

My Writer Friend

I have a friend that writes. I can't define her writing in a box because she has the talented ability to cover all areas. To understand you would have to spend time on her blog. There are several books within her waiting to jump out. As gifted as she is, the books will always be on time no matter when she publishes them. We have never met face-to-face, nor spoken on the phone, but yet I call her my sister/friend. She is the reason my blog was developed. She has always provided advice and discipline, what any true friend would do. I'm amazed at her ability to take a single word, thought or situation and turn it into a work of art. Whenever I need something, I go to her blog and without doubt I will find what I need at the moment, and more. My bonuses are the private emails she sends me. I thank my friend for taking the time and interest in what I have to say through my blog. So when you have the time, check out her blog http://serensojo71.blogspot.com. Grab your laptop, your favorite beverage, your favorite throw cover, find a comfortable position and explore the world through A Serendipitous Sojourn...where you're guaranteed to find that which you didn't realize you were seeking.

That is A Pregnancy: Weeks 1-5

That's what one of my coworkers said when she saw my marathon training schedule. Thirty weeks of training and two weeks of recovery, like a pregnancy, but not the full 40 weeks and 6-8 weeks of recovery. You have to get the proper rest, the right amount of exercise and the correct diet. In the end, I will be giving birth to a marathon, 26.2 miles, 26 miles and 385 feet.

Weeks 1-4 (May 13 - June 9) were completed during my training for the Omaha Marathon. I have since miscarried that idea and conceived the Dallas Marathon to be held in December. I'll have more people to training with and a better support system. When you have your first child, it's important to have a strong, supportive group of family and friends. No pregnancy can survive without the added support of family and friends. I realized that after the Wounded Warrior 10K on June 9.

Week 5 (June 10 - 16), I'm about to head to the gym when I log off. I'm determined not to waste my FWA Mondays laying in the bed, finding excuses not to go to the gym. Not anymore, I'm determined, today that is, to do the right thing, get my butt out of the bed. Training will also affect my social life, I can't hangout late on Fridays when I have to get up and run at 6:30 am on Saturdays.

This week ended with the Nappiology, Inc. Frofest 5K. It was a fun event. Lots of natural hair women walking and running for fun and health, sprinkled with a couple of men and some kids. I was making good time until I decided to stop and start walking with one of my BGR sisters. She looked like she needed the company and I really wanted the company. I had intended to run the additional 3 miles to makeup for the 6 miles I was required to run, but didn't. I'll just swap my weeks around and run 6 miles next Saturday.

My Muse is Gone

The thing about text messages vs verbal conversations, things get jumbled in translation. Which is what has happened between me and my Muse. His preferred method of communication, is not mine. He may have meant something different from what he texted, it came across to me another way. One text lead to another, and another, and so on. Before the night was over, we were both angry and no longer texting each other. He blames me, I blame him. 

So if someone has placed you in a position to break a promise you made to them, are you still obligated to keep that promise?

My Journey Away from God and Back

I had no intentions of walking away from God, but I did. When I really sit back and think about it, I actually began my journey away with the end of my marriage. The nightmare marriage affected my prayer life, I spent so much time crying at night, I stopped praying before going to bed. Then I was upset because I was still hurting in the morning, I stopped praying when I woke up. My big journey away started with the death of my Dad. I was so angry and hurt, but thankful my Dad's pain and suffering was over. I had all kinds of emotions going on. I refused any counseling because I knew I was pissed off, didn't need anyone telling me something I already knew.

First, I started being late for my ministry duties. Then I was late or skipping our meetings. When I did attend, I impatiently waited for them to end. Finally, I decided to step down. Our ministry leader, Mrs. Opera Brown said honey go get healed and come back, take all the time you need. With those words, I left Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.

So from 2004 to present, I jumped around visiting different churches trying to find my missing part. I joined two different churches during this time, Friendship West and the Potter's House. I never felt like I belong to either church, I couldn't get myself to commit to a ministry or regular attendance. Whatever was missing in me, I wasn't finding it in those churches. I even tried the club scene, I still didn't belong. The drinking heavy scene didn't work for me either. I soon realized that no matter how far I strayed from God, His grip on me never loosened, no matter what I tried.

In August 2011, God orchestrated me getting introduced to running. I fell in love with running, it gave me true peace. During my first half marathon, April 2012, I ran right back into the arms of the Lord. The more I ran, the more I connected with Him.

My mother, my spiritual mom and my best friend Jo, never judged me or condemned me during this journey. They loved me unconditionally. Shared their wisdom and slipped in advice every now and then. I'm not sure what made Jo start opening our Sunday conversations with "did you go see Jesus today", but I'm truly thankful. I got so tired of her say it, I made a commit to myself that I would start back attending church regularly with OCBF during their Solemn Assembly. Solemn Assembly is a time of fasting and praying the first full week of the new year. My fasting goal was to find something I would really miss, so I picked Facebook. I also committed to reading a daily devotion in the morning and studying my Bible as much as possible. I also asked God to give me peace at church again.

I attended the Solemn Assembly services and I kept coming back every Sunday. I felt at home, like I never left. The only time I have missed church have been to attend church with my daughter, running events, vacation or illness. Only once I've missed because I wanted to, and I felt like I missed a whole day of life.

One Sunday, the message came out of Psalm 23. The verses spoke to me, He spoke to me:
I AM your Shepherd; you shall not want. I WILL maketh you to lie down in green pastures: I WILL leadeth you beside the still waters. I WILL restoreth your soul: I WILL leadeth you in the paths of righteousness for MY name's sake. Yea, though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil: for I AM with you; MY rod and MY staff they comfort you. I WILL preparest a table before you in the presence of your enemies: I WILL anointest your head with oil; your cup will runneth over. Surely I WILL cause goodness and mercy to follow you all the days of your life: and you will dwell in the MY house for ever.

I'm back at OCBF, where I belong. I haven't renewed my membership, but I plan on it. I even attended church one Sunday after a running event. I arrived just in time for the sermon. I will always love my mother, Delsine Hearst, for introducing me to God. My Aunt Christine Harrison, for never failing to show the Jesus in her. My spiritual mom, Betty Evans, for sharing her wisdom and giving me discipline. My best friend, Jo Jay, for making sure I got up every Sunday morning to attend church. And my coworker, Evangelist Louise Turner, for her subtle, but direct guidance. Through these ladies, I remain His no matter what. I may at times get it wrong, but I'm still His.

Change of Plans: Marathon Goal

I changed my marathon goal race to the Dallas MetroPCS Marathon to be held December 8, 2013. Why, because of the stronger support system I have in Dallas, my BGR sisters, my adopted family here and my supportive coworkers. I know for sure when I'm struggling along the 26.2 miles, someone will be there to cheer me on. I can't guarantee the same support system in Omaha.

Last week my coworker, that is also an experienced runner, strongly suggested I complete my first marathon in Dallas because most of my training and running history is in Dallas, which means a stronger support system. After participating in the Wounded Warrior 10K on June 9th, I understood what he meant. The BGR Dallas women are my running sisters, we push and pull each other to the end. Then we wait at the finish line to make sure everyone makes it across safely and vertical. As much as I love my family and friends in Omaha, I cannot guarantee I will receive the same much needed support as I know would with my Dallas family and friends, my BGR sisters and my supportive coworkers. I'll participate in the Omaha Marathon as half runner, one of these years, maybe.

So I'm starting my training all over again, plus I'm trying to move up a planet or two with the Half Fanatics. I stayed up late last night planning my training schedule until race day. Let countdown to delivery begin.

26.2 Miles Equals A Roadtrip by Foot - Part 4

Week 11 (May 13-19): I'm so off track with my training it's ridiculous. I got in two training days this week, almost 3 miles on Saturday and the Disco 10K at Fair Park on Sunday. The almost 3 miles occurred because my stomach had the bubble guts. It was amazing I made it that far. As for the Disco 10K, my running buddies Brenda and Cheryl pulled me through the entire race. I couldn't have finished with 1:10 without them. And they saved me on Saturday too. Brenda was showing off her new skills of endurance she has gained from her personal trainer. She had me strongly considering getting a trainer.

Week 12 (May 20-26): This week I was able to do some extra activities at home and I made it to the gym two days. The gym staff missed me and so did some of the early morning regulars. They all gave me that where have you been look. I missed my Saturday long run because I attended a graduation. My plan was to run my miles Sunday morning before church, but my cycle started a week early, I was in severe cramps by Saturday night. I went out Sunday night, had a glass of wine and decided to make it my last glass of wine or any liquor until after my marathon in September.

Week 13 (May 27 - June 2): I made adjustments to my training schedule to accommodate my change in my work and school schedules. I have to limit my time in the gym to one hour. I need to be walking out of the gym by 6:30 a.m. every other week. Which means I have to shower and dress fast. I'll practice on Tuesday because today, Monday, I'm still cramping and I refuse to take anymore Aleve. I've also decided to really work on my diet. I've decided to go back on the South Beach Diet because it teaches you how to eat for life. I still incorporate some of the eating habits I learned the first time I tried it.

I made to our BGR Saturday neighborhood run, in time to take the group photo. I was scheduled to run 4 miles, I didn't want Bobbie running by herself so I extended my distance to 6 miles. Bobbie has untapped talent that's unknown to her. After my run, I headed to the gym. If I stopped too long, I would be done for the day. One of the training articles I read recommended weight training after long runs to build strength. Well, I had too much strength and energy, I missed my Saturday nap.

Week 15 (June 3-9): Yes, a week has been skipped because I realized, while reviewing my training schedule, the weeks were off. Which has caused me to do some poor planning on my part. For instance, I have to run 14 miles this weekend and I'm scheduled to run the Wounded Warrior 10K on Sunday. I can say this, if I can complete both with a descent speed, then I will be able to attempt a double day half marathon. I've stayed on track with my training. If I missed my morning workout, I went in the evening. I didn't stick with the South Beach Diet, but I did eliminate using sugar, pasta and bread. I did slip on the soda usage. No slips on the wine or liquor. I attended a function and I only drank cranberry juice and decaf coffee. My body is sore from increasing my reps on the weights, it hurts to sit down, my butt that is. I need to add yoga every evening because stretching on my own just ain't doing it.

This week's training ended with the Wounded Warrior 10k. When I left my house the sky was clear. By the time I made it to Irving, it was storming, heavy rain, thunder and lightning. The race would either be canceled or delayed. The race director gave us an hour delay to make sure the lightning was gone. Unfortunately, the run path had some flooding and we had to take several muddy detours. I paced with several BGR members that were faster than me, it helped with my time. I finished 6.2 miles in 1:06, I shaved off 4 minutes from my last 10K. The first part of the course, I walked through the water/aid stations. After mile 4, I started my 3:1 intervals. I wasn't exhausted or overworked. But I did make the decision to move my marathon to one that is local because I have a stronger running support system here in Dallas verses Omaha. You have to be a runner to understand how it feels to see several people you know either passing you or you passing them. The comradeship we have after finishing, to know at least one person that will wait at the finish line until you cross it.

So my training has been changed and I will begin another journey to add the completion of a full marathon to my bucket list. 30 weeks is like a pregnancy, here I go again.

My Bucket List Cruise of 2013 - Day 7

Today is our last day at sea and I am depressed. I have had such a wonderful time. I've created visual and non-visual memories. I am still sick from last night, so I'll be skipping the breakfast line. Instead, we went to the dining room for the brunch comedy show. Since we arrived so late, we missed the first 2 comedians. The food is much better in here than the breakfast grill.

There wasn't much to do today. We hung out on the deck. The cruise staff held a Challenge The Cruise Staff contest and I entered with 4 other people. We each had a task to complete, I had to do more pushups than Katie. Katie was only able to do 2. When it was my turn, the announcer turned his head to avoid counting mine. What he didn't realize, I do pushups almost every day. I ended up doing 12 in total. I guess he finally realized this lady can keep doing them. Our team won and we all got a trophy.

The temperature was dropping so we went back inside and people watched the rest of the night. The line to dispute charges to the Sail & Sign account was very long. I had settled my account with my last unplanned purchase. I had overspent my planned budget, therefore my leisure and entertainment budget will be suspended for a couple of months.

All in all, I have had the best vacation as an adult in the last 28 years. Emptynest is looking and feeling even better. Also, I decided to post only a couple photos on Facebook. If anyone wants to see everything, they will have to come over and view my scrapbook.

 

My Bucket List Cruise of 2013 - Day 6

Today's destination, Cozumel, Mexico and our excursion for today, Playa Del Carmen Beach & Shopping. The only problem...I woke up this morning (4 am) to menstrual cramps. My cycle isn't scheduled until Sunday. I think the rock climbing, all the walking and constant up and down of the stairs was a bit strenuous on my body. I'm going to enjoy my day anyway, I just pray I don't start vomiting.

I tried to lay back down, but the pain was starting to increase, thank You Holy Spirit for reminding me to put the Aleve in my purse. To keep my sister from hearing me moan, I went out on the deck. And since the sun would soon be rising, I decided to catch it. I went up to the 12th deck, it was so windy, but felt so good. I tried to walk to the back of the ship but the wind was extremely strong. So strong I thought I was going to get blown off the deck. One of the ship's patrolers saw me trying to hang on and strongly advised me to go back the other direction.

The sun took its time coming up but it was so worth it. The different shades of yellow, red and orange. The Carnival ship the Conquest was behind us so I was able to get a picture of it in the sunrise. Now it was time to start my excursion day.

We docked in Cozumel and got off the boat as quickly as possible, we had to collect our free gifts before our excursion boat left us. My sister can zoom through some stores. The store staff was unhappy we only came for the free gifts.

Next we headed to another dock to board our excursion boat. We were headed to Playa del Carmen for shopping and beach escape. I wasn't too impressed with the selection of stores, but I was impressed with the history. I'm not a big souvenirs collector, I love jewelry. Walking through the streets was pretty entertaining, the store owners were calling us brown sugar sisters.

We headed to the beach after shopping. Along the way we made friends with a newlywed couple. Some chick flashed her breasts at us. I kindly let her know I only do men. The resort we hung out was called Kool. We had lunch and took the couple of steps to the white, sandy beach. The beach was filthy which was an immediate turn off for me. I was ready to go. Unfortunately, the other members of the excursion were enjoying the beach.

Four o'clock couldn't have arrived sooner, we headed back to the excursion boat. We had a slight delay because two people were missing. We needed to be back aboard by 5:15 pm, it was 5:40 pm. The custom agents were furious, they rushed us to our cruise ship. A storm was moving in and they needed our ship to leave ASAP.

The ship has been rocky every since we left the dock. I went outside on the deck and the wind shocked me, I jumped and screamed. This lady burst out laughing. I tried to stay outside to watch the movie, but when I saw lightning, I jumped up and came inside. No Latin Beach party for me tonight.

  

 

 

 

 

 

My Bucket List Cruise of 2013 - Day 5

Today's destination Grand Cayman Islands. We were awoke again to see the boats drop anchor offshore. The coral reef was so high, the boats weren't able to come to the shore. I met some guy from Houston and we stood on the 12th deck waiting for the signal to disembark.

My sister and I were doing separate excursions today. My sister did the tour of the Cayman Islands and I did the Cayman Parasail & Beach Escape. Well, I had eaten so much, my bikini didn't fit as it did before I left Dallas, but I wore it anyway. Even though it was snug, I was still getting compliments.

My excursion didn't depart until 10 am, so I got off the boat at 7 am to do my free souvenir and jewelry shopping. Yes, I said free. We attended a seminar on diamonds and other precious stones. At the seminar we received gift cards for free jewelry. As we passed through the customs gate, we received some more gift cards for free jewelry. I also bought a necklace, sunglasses and rum cakes, all at a discount. After my shopping, I headed to the pickup point for my excursion.

There were 10 people for our excursion. There were 3 blacks on this excursion, this guy and his daughter from Illinois and me. This caused some stares because US American people of color do not try dangerous activities like parasailing. We hopped on a small tandem boat to the parasail speed boat. Once we boarded the boat, we were given safety instructions. In the two years they have been in business, they have never had any incidents, we were not to the first.

The guy and his daughter and I went up first. We laughed so hard and I yelled, God is the Truth. We were 400 feet in the air, above the ocean, viewing the multiple colors of blue and green. We were only suppose to be in the air for 6-8 minutes, but because of the wind, he had to keep us up longer....AWESOME, GOD IS THE TRUTH!!! 

I was on such an adrenaline high, I was the must pumped person on the boat. My high carried over onto the beach, I walked from one end of the beach, to the next and back. By the time was done thanking God for today and enjoying the waves splashing onto the shore, I was exhausted. The boat was suppose to come back and get me, but I was too tired to wait the additional times for him to come back around, so I started to walk. Then I realized how hot I was getting and didn't want to risk passing out, so I caught a taxi back.

I was suppose to meet my sister at the Port of Authority after my excursion, but since her phone was dead, I wasn't able to contact her. So I decided to board the tandem boat back to the ship. As soon as I step on board, there sat my sister and the fussing began. She thought something had happened to me during my excursion. Why people think it's okay to frighten people with the worse possible, is beyond me. Someone told my sister that since the wind was so strong, we were probably stuck out on the boat.

Back on the ship, I just wanted to shower, eat and sleep. I smelled like sea water...fish. I had the best hot shower, nice lunch and an even better nap. I woke up just in time to see Scandal. Since I had napped longer than I had planned, I decided to get a glass of wine, my Hot Tamales and head out on the deck to watch whatever movie was playing at the Dive-In Theater. Tonight's movies were "The Natural" and "Field of Dreams". By the time Field of Dreams started to get good, I was sleepy again. Another great day of life.

    

  

My Bucket List Cruise of 2013 - Day 4

We woke up in time to see our ship and another Carnival ship pulling into the shore of Montego Bay, Jamaica. Absolutely beautiful, God is the Truth. I was running around the boat taking pictures of everything. As soon as we exited the boat, we entered a market place. I couldn't get my credit card to work with my Ship & Sail card and the ATM was out of money. It must have meant I didn't need to spend any money. Good thing my sister had extra money. I was able get a 2 bracelets, a necklace and earrings.

We had to hurry to catch our van to our excursion in Ocho Rios. I was kind of leery of this excursion, Bobsled Jamaica & Dunn's River Falls, because I really didn't think I would enjoy it. Boy was I so wrong. The first stop was Dunn's River Falls. The tour guide was this very nice, young lady. She gave a very interesting and detailed description of everything along the route to our excursion and a good history lesson. She sang several songs to us as well.

We had to take these huge steps down to the beach, cool right. The beach was beautiful, the various shades of blue and green water. Then the guide asked everyone to hold hands as he lead us to the bottom of the waterfall. The sight was amazing. The hand holding didn't work to well, so we each assisted the person behind us, my sister was after me, I was after this very muscular teenaged boy. There was a couple behind my sister. Our group had a total of 9 people. I immediately started laughing and saying this is AWESOME!!! My sister on the other hand didn't like the climb, which would be 600 feet of rocks and cascading water. She cussed most of the way up the rocks. She even tried to get off the rocks early, only to be detoured back to the rocks. The couple behind her wasn't going to allow her to get off the rocks anyway. I slipped a couple of times, I'm so glad I had already pulled off my big toenail because it would have ripped off. One lady lost her balance and slid down a ways. Another lady slipped through some rocks and cut her leg. Finally we made it to the top, everyone was cheering. We did it, we climbed Dunn's River Falls.

Our next stop was Mystic Mountain to ride the Sky Explorer chairlift, which would carry us 700 feet through the topical forest. Our tour guide rule was "whatever falls in the forest stays in the forest". Odd thing to do for two women that are afraid of heights. I was just a snapping pictures and enjoying the view of Jamaica. Once at the top, we were directed to the Bobsled ride which was 3280 feet of downhill, twist and turns, then back up to the top of Mystic Mountain. With all the yelling and screaming we did, I know we woke up the dead. But it was a great ride and I would probably do it again.

After a lunch of jerk chicken, beans and rice and fried dumplings, we headed back down the mountain in the chairlift. We were exhausted, but had enjoyed every moment we spent in Jamaica  We had experienced the top 3 attractions on Ocho Rios. Tonight would be an early night, next destination Grand Cayman Islands.