Today was a Fairytale...

I don't know if it was my time to experience the fairytale I always gushed about while watching Disney movies- I don't know if what happened will last- I don't know a lot of things- but what I do know is that fairytales DO exist and even if they are just for a moment, day, week, or year....they are worth experiencing and worth waiting for.

I was late, SUPER late to work because it had just dumped a bunch of snow on the ground. As I hustled up to the light rail, I noticed that the line was longer than usual. "What is going on?" I asked. Apparently, some runner had run out in front of the last train and the train hit the person so the trains were not picking anyone up. The person was fine thank goodness but we were ALL LATE! I was panicking because I had my end of the year review with my boss and I knew I was going to miss it.

Suddenly, prince charming stepped out from the crowd and said, " I am driving, I can't be late and have 3 seats- who wants to come?" Now normally I would never take a ride with strangers but for some reason my hand shot up in the air like an idiot and without my mind's permission. So me, and this other guy followed Prince Charming to his car.

On the way to his car, Prince Charming and I just hit it OFF! Talking to him was so easy and fun. I felt free and uninhibited talking and laughing with this complete stranger.  The other person in the back seat did not even have a chance to join the conversation because we were just talking talking talking. By the time we got to my work, I had forgotten about every worry and stress that I was carrying and was smiling like a huge dope haha. As he dropped me off I reached into my wallet to pay him for gas but he didn't take it and instead replied with, "I would hate for you to have to wait in the cold again...do you want me to pick you up from work?"

Of course my initial reaction was to jump up and down and squeal like a little girl but I kept my cool for once and replied yes. So, he did pick me up from work that day and we ended up in horrible traffic but its okay because it gave us time to talk and find out that we have similar values, morals, and dreams but are different enough to make a good conversation.

As we neared my car at the light rail station I decided to be brave, "Since you would not let me pay for gas can I at least buy you dinner?" He smiled and said with his big brown eyes, "I will take you up on dinner but I am paying." So we went to dinner and talked for another two hours...

As the night drew to an end, I was about to get in my car and he said one last thing I won't forget, "Hey, I don't know about you but I don't connect with people like this...Ever. I really want to see you again. Can I call you?"

So there is the fairytale- he did call me and we went on a date two nights later and are contemplating on possibly going ice skating in a mountain town this weekend....Like I said, I have no idea where this is going or how long it will last but I got to experience a piece of a fairy tale. Every girl will get her fairy tale- even if it is for a brief second.

Enjoy them as they come and don't expect too much out of them- and don't expect them to come on your time because they won't. Fairy tales have a mind of their own...Let them come.

Let Yourself Be Loved

Have you ever thought that you were not good enough? It could be in any aspect of your life: that you weren't good enough to make the A team, that your work is not good enough for your boss and your co-worker that stays later than you is better than you, that no one will ever fall in love with you, that no matter how hard you try it seems like no one notices your efforts?

I know that I have caught myself thinking that I was not good enough in several of these areas. But I realized that it was a horrible place to trap myself in- yes that's right, its a hidden, subtle, trap that every human being is capable of entrapping THEMSELVES in. Although it may feel like others are making us feel this way, it is really OURSELVES that allow it.

To be honest, I think that, in these moments, where we allow ourselves to feel unworthy, is a time of weakness- and I hate weakness. I think its a cop out- I think that it disenigrates the soul and allows for the death of giving and receiving love. So, I have been working on catching myself when these feelings occur and using them as opportunities to find confidence and build self awareness. In other words, I try to see why I DO deserve to be loved someday, why I WILL get results someday, and why sometimes things DON'T work out but it is OKAY because it was not meant to be. Changing the mindset frees me of turning my back on the world and instead, opening my arms up to it.

Like I said, I hate being weak. What will your choice be today? Will you be weak and let yourself feel unworthy? Or will you fight to see why you are worthy- to love and to be loved?

Its all in the back and hips!

Hello All! You ever get those nagging lower leg pains? Hip pains? lower back pains? I know that I do. After rubbing out my calves and rolling them out for what seemed like hours I finally realized that it was not working...So I went searching as to why. After some research and talking with a professional sports massage therapist, I found that most of all athlete's pain derives from weak and tight hips and lower back!

So, what I thought was calf pain was really tightness and weakness in both my hips and back. I have been extensively rolling out my back and hips while adding in some important exercises and have seen a significant difference. It is important to stretch as well- many people do not believe in stretching but from my own experience I believe that stretching is crucial if it is done in the right way. Before activity it should always be dynamic: high knees, butt kicks, etc but afterwards you should do static stretching (holding a stretch for 45-60 seconds). This keeps your muscles elastic rather than tight.

Here are some exercises to look up and do if you cannot shake a certain injury:

Foam roll all body parts

clam shells

donkey whips

theraband monster walks

Heel and Toe Walking- forwards and backwards

Thoratic Back Twist

Bird Dogs and Bird Dog holds

Superman Holds

Reverse Pull Ups

Body weight squats on BOSU balls

Tennis ball pin point pressure on piriformis, hips, and lower back

A Place to Always Win

Triathlon in season training is just around the corner for me- I am so excited and am so ready to compete. I have been really working hard on developing my weaknesses which are swimming and biking. Due to these two sports being my weaknesses, I have been experiencing pain and injuries that I have never experienced before in running...its a whole new beast.

Derailments such as pain and injuries can be super frustrating- they can make you want to give up, they can turn you into a negative person, or they can brain wash you to keep pushing through even though your body is saying no. Right now I am experiencing really tight calves and lower back pain from biking and shin pain from swimming! I would have never thought swimming could cause something like that. As you can imagine these injuries do not sit well with running either so I have really had to cut back as to avoid aggravating it more.

I was really mad about this because I want to make the A team for my Triathlon club- but I can't do that when I can't train. I started to ask God, "Why did you make me good at something just to take it away? Why do I always get injured?" My answer came in church yesterday....

My pastor told me that God makes us good at things so we can represent Him in an area that He needs us. To be there for other people and to serve them in times of need and praise them in times of success. He said that in sports, its not always about going hard and winning but rather the journey and how you react to each and every situation. How you react whether its a win, a failure, or an injury impacts those around you.

I thought this was interesting because it made me realize that if I think in this way, it takes out the selfishness and self pity and replaces it with a team and God oriented mindset. Check out this website for similar views.

http://tasteheavennow.net/Heart_Training_tools_for_change/h-t_in_sports.htm