Rebekah Speaks

Day 79 – March 19, 2012 A 3.5 mile warmup with the team was the extent of my running before putting the clock on the kids as they ran the real workout on the track. But, not a bad thing considering the two recent long runs of 17 and 18 miles. Total – 3.5 road miles Day 80 – March 20, 2012 Good thing I ran some trails to measure the course I wanted the team to take. Booming thunder and severe lightening cut the team run short as we fled back to shelter from the mountains. I suppose we should get credit for speed work. Total- 6.5 trail miles Day 81 – March 21, 2012 Wow. I ended up with all the distance and middle distance kids today. With many novice runners, the plan quickly changed. A slow run to the intramural fields, a couple 4-corner 5 minute drills, relay games, and the run back. The distance kids and I chose to take a nice trail back to base. Total – 4.5 road and trail miles Day 82 – March 22, 2012 Does running on a treadmill getting a stress echo

Ah, to feel the breeze. To see the landscape rush by up close and personal. To smell the scents of early spring blossoms. These are but a few of the joys of motorscooter riding. That, and the 67 mpg in these days of $4.75/gallon gasoline. We've had motorcycles before. Plenty of them. I had become adept at making all four appendages shift, brake, and accelerate on cue and enjoyed the open road. But after a hiatus from motorcycle ownership, Gary decided we needed a step-through motorscooter. More storage. easy to ride. Automatic. Low enough for my feet to touch the ground. And great gas mileage. Found it. Bought it. Now we ride it. I've always been entertained how motorcycle riders seem to have their own greeting. Normally, as bikers pass in opposite directions, the left arm is extended obliquely downward, hand extended. It says, "Hey, I'm cool and so are you." I wondered if my little red scooter (which can still do a brisk 85 mph, so I'm told) would be wo

Day 72 – March 12, 2012 An early morning trip to the airport and three flights took its toll on my day. I ended up in Wisconsin and on a treadmill in the exercise center. I enjoyed watching some Fox News on the attached TV monitor but was still amazed at how had it was to run relatively slow paces with no incline. Total – 5 treadmill miles Day 73 – March 13, 2012 Today required an early morning workout before I headed off to do my thing at the hospital. While the workout last night was hard, this morning sent me for a loop- and that’s not a good thing. I struggled to get in but four miles. Total – 4 miles Day 74 – March 14 It was hard to get out of bed four hours after I went to sleep. Not sure what the problem was but my mind refused to settle. All too soon the hotel wake-up call roused me. Groggy and bleary-eyed, I headed down the hallway, into the elevator, and out the front door. It was unseasonably warm (so I’m told) and a nice welcome to the run’s star

A little color for the front entry Stairwell dandelion Freehand painted lower hallway rug Upper hallway painted run (Sorry. Pic won't stay vertical) Stenciled stair risers Freehand cherry blossom branches and birds $2.00 auction dresser gets a paint makeover Color-blocked upstairs bathroom wall

The view below was mesmerizing. Looking out from my window seat, the landscape rushed by as my plane closed in on the airstrip. Though it was nighttime, I could see the impressive structures of downtown Charlotte jutting up into the dark sky. The headlights of cars made the roadways appear as moving streams of light, worthy to be an ever-transforming piece of art. I could imagine the aggressive, sweat-producing play of those contesting a soccer game on brightly lit fields below. Massive parking lots sat empty awaiting the morning rush, the security lights and their predictable shadows the sole occupants. And then I saw it, a large area of twinkling lights in an area of otherwise darkness. Whoa. Did someone forget to take down their Christmas lights? It was a beautiful but curious sight. None of the other night lights in the distance were doing the twinkle-toe tango. Suddenly, an explanation occurred to me. It must have been a residential neighborhood nestled among tall stands of

Day 65 – March 5, 2012 We had a little snow last night and the superintendent at LCA made good on his promise. He cancelled school at the sign of the first flake. It wasn’t long until one of my runners called to see if we could run in the big mountains. YES! There were five of us and though there was little to no snow down low, we got into some knee deep stuff up high. So glad to have adventurous high-schoolers! Go team. Total- 9.5 trail miles Day 66 – March 6, 2012 Knowing it was the first day to have middle-schoolers join track, it was prudent to run a little beforehand since I would have the youngsters to deal with during practice. I hit some local trails and gave the new kids a little test run during practice. All I can say is that middle schoolers must come from Mars. Total – 6 trail, track, and road miles Day 67 – March 7, 2012 It was a warm and windy day, sun shining: a day where the woods calls out to you. I texted a friend and we met so that I could

 A few weeks ago my twin brothers had a birthday. Being a good big sis, I dutifully extended my greetings via Facebook. Doesn't everyone do that nowadays? Then I learned that one of them was disappointed that his phone didn't ring with more frequency on such a special day. I immediately felt guilty. I had actually thought about calling him but pushed the idea aside when Gary and I got involved in watching a good movie. Pretty lame, I know. But the whole incident is causing me to reconsider the power of a simple spoken word. The smallest compliment given to one of my on-line students produces miles of smiles (or at least that's what I envision when they write back to thank me). An acknowledgement of a race well run seems to give my runners an added boost of confidence in the next practice. Thanking the preacher, acknowledging the musicians visibly produce signs of encouragement. Even making a grumpy Wal-Mart cashier smile seems like the right thing to do. All these thi

Day 58 - February 27, 2012 I had a lot to think about when I ran my miles during team practice. A visit to the doctor revealed a few things of concern, some of which explain why my running has felt increasingly hard. More tests to come. But the good news is that I am, at least, moving. For that I can be thankful. Total – 5 road and gravel miles Day 59 – February 28, 2012 It was a beautiful day for a birthday. 55 years on the planet. Hard to believe. But I had to take advantage of the day and head to the hills, running a new trail before practice and then repeating it as a group. Total – 11 trail miles Day 60 – February 29, 2012 Leap year! My dad was a Leap Year baby. I thought it was the coolest thing to turn 12 and have him be stuck at 11. The run today was light and fun, incorporating strength, balance, hills, and tons of stadium steps. Total – 3 miles Day 61 – March 1, 2012 March. In like a lion. . .The winds blew strong but with temps around