Oktoberfest 2013

   We attended the tenth annual Oktoberfest party hosted by Ron's boyhood friend.  Most of the eighty people who attended grew up in the same neighborhood, and have known each other for more than fifty years.  It always comes at the end of the summer, and so it tends to be a bittersweet event.
    It's always a lot of fun to hear the stories of getting into trouble as teenagers, then college, jobs and families.  Now we are all looking forward to retirement, and grandchildren.
    The weather was spectacular, with temps in the seventies.  Youngsters were swimming in the heated pool, and the rest of us were enjoying the sunshine, and the conversations about first cars, and first houses.  It is true that we have all come a long way, even though a lot of us have had bumpy rides along the way.
     The dinner was catered, and it was scrumptious.  Bar-b-que  ribs and boneless beef, chicken and pork, as well as side dishes, and salads.  The rest of us brought either a dessert or an appetizer, and the day turned into a delicious food fest.  Good food, good friends, and good weather made the day picture perfect.
     There were coolers filled with water, soda, wine, and home brewed beer.  One of the husbands commented that it was unbelievable that the wives were drinking some frozen alcoholic concoction, and the guys were drinking water because they would be driving home.  Life is easy when everyone acts responsibly.
      Tomorrow the pool company will close our pool for the season, and so we must embrace fall.  Today, I made chili, and prepared a roast for next week's dinners.  Football is on TV, with the Patriots playing tonight.  They have won their first three games, but still have a lot of room for improvement.
     The Red Sox played their final regular season game today, and finished with the best record in baseball.  It is a dramatic turn-around, going from worst to first within one year.  We will enjoy the post season, and hope for good things to come.....and the beat goes on....the beat goes on.........
     
     

Gearing Up For My 5 K Walk-Run Event

    I've gotten a lot of advice as I train for my very first 5 K walk-run, and I've done my best to follow all the tips.  I was advised to talk about it with others, so I would not be tempted to give up on my goal. I was told to sign up for a race, so I could keep my eyes on my goal.   As I talked with people, almost everyone had a suggestion or two.  The most recent was to make sure I had warm running clothes, as the weather will turn colder.  I now have eight layer running pants, and spandex crops that will keep moisture away.  I have new running shirts with both short and long sleeves, as well as a wind resistant shirt.  Matt gave me a gift certificate and I will use it to get some rain gear.  It really is all about the clothes, and how comfortable I can be while I walk and run.
    There is a local 5 K race called the crop walk, which will raise money for the soup kitchens and local food banks.  The event will be held the end of October, and so I now have my last five weeks to train.  I'm confident that I will easily finish, even if I walk the last mile.  I will raise some money for a good cause, and I can be proud of my accomplishment.  This means that I will be able to scratch another item off my bucket list.  It seemed a lot more daunting before I started this journey, and now it is clearly within reach.  I have yet to run for an entire mile, but I continue to make progress.   I feel so much better than I did in June when I began to walk my neighborhood with my dog.  My clothes fit better, and I've lost ten pounds.  Of course, I thought the weight would melt off me, but I will choose to focus on all the positive benefits.
  One of my cousins will run the New York Marathon in November, and I have a lot of respect for her commitment.  I know how hard she works, and I give her a lot of credit, because I cannot imagine running for twenty-six miles....and the beat goes on....the beat goes on.....

Small Steps Become Big Strides

    I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day Weekend!  Severe storms in New Hampshire knocked out my internet.  It certainly wasn't cookout weather, but we made the most of it.  I wound up doing two of my favorite things on rainy weekends,  "little and nothing".  It has been a hectic summer with lots of company and pool parties.  It's time to close our pool for the winter, even though temperatures hit ninety degrees last week.

   Last weekend, my folks were visiting again from Florida, and I was not home much at all.  There were long days with the entire family, and it is always great to see them.  I hope I'm that spunky when I hit my eighties.  They got to see all six of their children,  all eleven great-grandchildren, and seven of their thirteen grandchildren.  It's always controlled chaos, but it is a lot of fun.  We try and drive them, as traffic in the northeast can be extremely challenging even with a G-P-S system in the car.  This gives us more time to visit.

    I'm pleased with my couch to 5-K progress.  The cooler weather has enabled me to jog for longer distances, and my dog keeps the pace easily.  My next step is to sign up for a local 5-K walk run, and then attempt to run for twenty minutes.  Today, I can run for about five minutes, then we walk until I can breathe normally, and jog again for a total of twenty minutes.  My neighborhood route is more than one mile, and I can continue to add distance. I know now that I will be able to complete a 5-K, even though I've had my doubts when the heat and humidity was so oppressive this summer.  I've lost more than ten pounds, but I really expected the weight to melt off.  I'm also sleeping better, and seem to have more energy.  All things considered, it has been a positive experience.   I am already planning to run another 5-K in the spring, so I will have to continue to work during the winter.  I will keep my focus on progress, not perfection.  I will not set unreachable goals, as that will allow me an excuse to give up.  Small steps will become bigger strides....and the beat goes on....the beat goes on.......

    

    

      

     

    

     

Jogging the neighborhood

   I'm enjoying my walk-run program, and I'm learning a lot about my neighborhood.  Some of my neighbors actually have cars that match the color of their houses.  Some like to hang decorative flags, and change them for different holidays, and seasons.  Many have beautiful flowers around their property,  and most keep their lawns neatly manicured.

   As usual, I'm finding some benefits that I was not expecting.  This week I spotted a bumper sticker that I loved.  It had the outline of a dog, with the words "more wag and less bark" printed inside.  I smiled when I saw it, and thought about it for my entire walk.  I'm a sayings person, and I think this one gives great advice.  I decide to try and implement those words this week, and see what happens.  I'll have to dial back the sarcasm,  and be conscious of my reactions.  I'll also share the saying with people I see this week.  I think it will immediately give a boost of positive energy, which is always a good thing.

   I can describe my jogging progress with another saying  "slow and steady, wins the race".  I confident that I will be able to complete my 5-K this fall.  I notice that I have a much easier time jogging on less humid days.  I'll be sad saying good-bye to summer, but I'll focus on the upside.  Fall is really my favorite season, even though it means that winter is around the next corner.  I plan to take each day as it comes, and find the positives.  It feels a lot like less bark and more wag......and the beat goes on......the beat goes on.......

My Couch to 5-K Journey Continues

    Whew!  Preparing for a 5-K run is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  It all sounded reasonable, and do-able.  I would walk for five minutes, then jog for one minute, and walk for ninety seconds.  I would then repeat this format for fifteen to twenty minutes.  Of course, I can easily walk with my dog for twenty minutes, so I thought this would be a "piece of cake".  The truth is, I jog for sixty seconds, then walk until I can breathe normally again, before I jog again!   By the time we get home, the pup and I need a few big gulps of water, and I hurry to take a cool shower.  I'm telling myself that my face gets beet red because it's been extremely hot and humid this summer, and so I'm anxious to see how I do on a cool day.
     I've also been eating a lot more junk food.  I guess I thought that I could get away with it, but I weigh more now that before I started my summer program.  Someone said that muscle weighs more, so I'll cling to that idea for a few more days.  The saying that comes to mind is "reality bites", and I am surprised at the number of food references that help me describe my progress.
      Today begins week three of my twelve week program.  I decide to do a food journal, and go back to more healthy choices.  I notice that when I do not have protein for breakfast, I snack too much at night.  I'm determined to do better, and expect to have a much better week...I have a lot of tools in my toolbox,  I just have to dust them off and use them.......and the beat goes on.....the beat goes on.......
     

Family Time

     This will be short and sweet....Matt is visiting for a couple of days, before he heads to a conference on Monday.  It is always hectic, as we try and cram as much into a four day weekend as possible.  Friday wash a wash out due to torrential rains in New England, so golf was cancelled, and replaced with lunch out, and a movie.  We had a family cookout on Saturday, with twelve of our closest relatives. 

    We were able to have a little more quiet time today.  I always call our last family meal together the "last supper, and it means that the visit will end soon.  I'm gonna run and enjoy every minute...and the beat goes on......the beat goes on......

Couch to 5-K Program

   The couch to 5-K program is a nine week training schedule for beginners who want to run their first race.  I set a goal that I would participate in a five kilometer or 3.1 mile, walk-run  before I turn 60 in December.  I start my official training tomorrow, and I hope to sign up and run by Thanksgiving weekend.  The literature suggests a slow and steady pace, and even recommends repeating a week several times before advancing to another step.
   I'm going to allow twelve weeks to train, and I will concentrate on walking and jogging.  Each session should take 20 or 30 minutes, and I will do three each week, with a break in between to rest and recover.  It all seems manageable, as I am begin by walking  for five minutes, then jog for sixty seconds, then walk for ninety seconds. I repeat this scenario for twenty minutes, and then I'm done.  I've decided on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with a make-up day over the weekend in case of bad weather.  
    I've actually been trying to walk my dog three days a week since May.  We jogged and ran quite a bit in June, because of the torrential downpours that we were caught in that month.  In July, I jogged in the pool, and did laps when it was too hot to walk.  We had record heat waves this summer, and the dog refused to walk on the hot pavement.  I also walked while watching TV with the air conditioning blasting.  No one has ever called my timing impeccable, but life is definitely what happens when we are making other plans.  I plan to keep my eye on the prize and continue to work.  There is a saying that slow and steady wins the race, and I know that this is something that I can accomplish.
    I'll update my progress each week, and report when I've signed up for my 5-K walk run event....and the beat goes on.....the beat goes on.....
P.S. Sorry about last week.  My computer froze, and we had to send it out for repair.  I got it back today....