Greenway, Gratitude, Goals

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While I don't like to ride then run, sometimes it is really good to go out and do something different to mix up my training, routes, mind, and daily routine. This morning I drove down to Knoxville to meet up with a guy I met through high school racing/coaching, Sho Gray, who is the coach at Johnson University and coached one of my good friends now running at UT, Niamh. 

 

We met at Ijams Nature Center at Mead's Quarry. I have been there once on a school trip, but I've never run there. We went out and back two ways on the greenway. It was great to have someone to talk to and learn from and some new places to go! Sho is a great runner himself, record holder for Tennessee in the 100 miles, and he is going to race Leadville in Colorado next month. We had a fun, but I also learned some things that can really help my life and running. Small things, but those are the things that matter. "If you can't take care of yourself at the foundational level, then you can't get better beyond that." After the main part of our run, we ran/explored some cool stuff around the quarry!

  

When I go places, I want to make the most of it, and I actually ended up having a lot more fun on this trip than I even expected! I had an email from Panera for a free soup for all of the rewards members this week, but I sadly am never near one. However I got lucky with this run trip this week! On my way home, I planned to go by Panera and pick up my soup to take home for later, but along a road on the river, there were several cute/cool shops that caught my eye. Finally at the fourth one, I turned into a parking lot, almost instinctively, like I didn't even really mean to until after I did it. I went in a couple coffee shops and looked in a sporting goods store (but didn't look much because I would be too tempted to buy something), and made my last stop in Honey Bee Coffee! This part of town is definitely a place geared for college students: coffee shops with wifi and places to hang out. This one was on the corner of Jones Street, so it was meant to be for me to go. I didn't have to have something fancy, and even though I love my fresh and local coffee, I decided to get a biscotti! It was pistachio, almond, and cranberry. A young girl was working the counter, and it reminded me a lot of me at Gelato Brothers, so I told her about my job! It's good to connect with people even if you don't know them nor may ever see them again. You can always make a difference in someone's day.

Well, after my busy and fun morning around Knoxville, I had to come home, regroup my belongings, and do some planks and stretch. By this time, it was time for me to take Chloe out to go to the bathroom and get some exercise herself. I have sadly not been able to take naps lately, and with getting to bed later and my training schedule increasing, I need them! But Chloe and I had a good walk. It has been so humid lately, but walking at least gets some air flow. After our walk, I fixed a new lunch that I kind of started last week, and I am very excited about it! It's got all kinds of nutritious things in it, and it tastes like the perfect summer treat!

Frozen fruit (today I used strawberries and mango)

Kefir (my newest purchase, pomegranate from Aldi)

dried coconut

cheetah chomps cereal

oats microwaved first with some egg

Mom got her cast off at her appointment today, so while I sat in the sun on the deck, she got to finally lay on her float in the water! She is so happy to be able to freely move a bit more. Still lots of healing to go, but we have progress!

For today's section of the Focus chapter of Daniel Plan, it was about gratitude and attitude. Being thankful makes a huge difference in how your brain works (proven in scans) and how you perceive situations, and therefore how you act in them. Things happen that we cannot control, but how we react is what really matters. The Bible often connects prayer, thankfulness, and a life of peace in God's will in the same scripture passages (Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). One of the things that stood out to me most in this section was "I will see the outside based on how I am on the inside." Then I also have to start with myself. How do I see myself? It will be most helpful to begin to see myself as God sees me: I am useful for good and worthy of love, health, and a full life of joy! In my attitude, I have to have the right attitude towards setbacks and failures. With the right view on them, they can be more helpful than if I had gone on without making the mistake. We can't only learn what works, but we have to also know what doesn't work. Again, the reaction matters. Something else that connected deep with me is that we often don't change "when we see the light but when we feel the heat." God knows the best ways to get our attention. Finally, goals and purpose. If you are just living life with no real driving force, you won't be moving forward! (Kind of cool, Sho and I even talked about setting specific goals and steps to reach them this morning.) So for each of the five essential parts of the book, faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends, I wrote out 3 goals.

I wish I had known about this earlier, but I got an email this week about "Free Card Fridays" at Hallmark. They've been doing this since April, so I don't know why I am just now finding out. It goes through August, so every Friday, Gold Crown Rewards Members can get a free card from the Hallmark store! They are doing this to promote giving encouragement to others. ****This is already one of my favorite things! I've made several cards this summer and put another one in the mail today. While I may not be able to go to Hallmark very often, I'll do it if I can, and I will always send my own cards! It's the little things that make a big difference to people.

This is another sad, but funny and true comic. Magazines: they're usually filled with fake, unattainable, crazy stuff. I read them for entertainment unless it's something that is information-focused. People or Vogue? Lol.