WHY RUN? (Goal #11)

Last week we started the “Couch to 5K” running plan.  It feels good to run again.  You know what I like best about running – besides the runners high that I mentioned in a previous blog, which I am NOT getting yet – it’s that you get finished with your exercise sooner if you run!  Yea, I feel like I have too many other things that I want to do besides exercise, so I would like to shorten the time as much as possible.  Ha ha.  That means I need to run, and run fast!  It will be awhile before that happens, but anyway, that’s my goal.

So – why should a retirement age woman want to run?  Though running may not cure everything, it's been linked to all sorts of health benefits, emotional perks, and even disease prevention. (http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/start-running)

1. Running is easy: Well, I don’t mean “easy” really, but it requires no equipment, and is not limited to location, you can run anywhere.  No new skills to master, no equipment to buy, no gym to join.  All you need is a good pair of running shoes and a good sports bra.  Then just get out there and run!
2. Running is good for your heart: Running gives your ticker a world-class workout. When your legs hit their stride they squeeze blood toward your heart, which in turn forces it to pump the blood right back. The faster you run, the harder your heart works and the stronger it gets.
3. Running reduces osteoporosis:  The biggest osteoarthritis risk factor besides age? Body weight.  Your knees will thank you.  Runners are much more likely to be at a normal weight than members of the sedentary population, significantly decreasing their risk of osteoarthritis. Besides the benefits of weighing less, running bolsters your cartilage by increasing oxygen flow and flushing out toxins, and by strengthening the ligaments around your joints. Hitting the trail also gives your bones a boost, helping to prevent osteoporosis.
4. Running reduces stress:  The University of Georgia Department of Exercise induced anxiety on subjects and then tested their physiological and mood symptoms after either resting for an hour or exercising for that hour. The exercise (in this case, on a stationary bike), was three times more effective at reducing anxiety. Running is even used by mental health experts to help treat clinical depression and other psychological disorders such as drug and alcohol addiction.
5. Running prevents disease: One recent study in the British Journal of Cancer calculated that the "most active" (e.g. walked briskly 5-6 hours/week) people were 24 percent less likely to develop colon cancer than the "least active" people (e.g. 30 minutes of walking/week). In a study by the National Cancer Institute, women of a normal weight who reported the highest levels of "vigorous activity" (running, tennis, aerobics) had about a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer when compared with women who did no vigorous activity. Becoming a regular runner may help you cancer-proof your life. Joggers also have a leg up against heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and running has been shown to lower blood pressure, raise good cholesterol, and boost immunity to colds and other viruses.
6. Running helps you live longer: In perhaps the most surprising study done on the health benefits of running, a team at the Stanford University School of Medicine studied 538 runners and 423 healthy non-runners from 1984 until 2005. All of the subjects were over 50 and were asked to take a disability questionnaire each year measuring simple tasks like cutting meat, shampooing hair, and opening a milk carton. Every year, the disability levels were significantly lower in the group of runners than in the non-runners, and they became more different as both groups aged. At the end of the study, 85% of the runners were still alive, while only 66% of the non-runners were.

Sounds good to me – let’s go run!

Goal Number 11

I'm adding another goal to my previous list of 10 --

Number 11 - Exercise more!

Check.
Today I walked about 3 miles.  It's a start.  Actually better than the start I had back in 1982 when I first had the wild idea that I wanted to run.  Unathletic me who had two small children set out to run for exercise for the first time and to build up until I could participate in some road races.  It was a long, slow process.

The first race I went to I was going to participate in the fun run only  (1 mile).  Well, due to some mix up on the starting time, I got there just in time to run the 10K, which I did!  Mind you, the longest distance I had run at home so far was maybe 2 miles, and here I was trying to run 6.2 miles.  Yes, I did it!  I ran all the way!  In under 60 minutes too!  That was the first of many races for me.  A couple of weekends after that one, I ran a 5K (3.1 miles) and placed in my age group!  Wow, was I ever surprised and pleased! As I came to learn though, it all depended on how many people of your age and gender run that determines how you place; you stand a much better chance in the smaller races.  But I did earn quite a few medals over the years from racing.  I still have them on my bedroom wall (Is that too prideful?).  Maybe I need to remodel my bedroom. 

In 1986, I ran the Blue Angel Marathon (26.2 miles) in 4 hours, 8 minutes and 15 seconds.  Ran all the way!  When I first started training for it, I said "I'm going to do this even if I have to crawl part of it."  Then I began to think "Oh, I might have to walk a little bit, but I can do 26.2 miles if it takes me all day."  I "hit the wall" at about 18 miles and thought I was going to die!  But I kept putting one foot in front of the other and at the finish line I couldn't believe that I had actually run the entire race.  Whew, what a high! 

There's nothing like the runner's high.  What a glorious feeling!  Man, I want to do that again! 

So today I am starting the process to eventually be able to run races again.  Will my old body let me do that at retirement age?  We shall see.  I'll keep you posted. 

Retirement Goals Progress

It’s hard to believe that six months has gone by since I retired.  There is so much that I planned to have done by now!  Things have not gone like I thought they would, but I have made a LITTLE progress on SOME of my retirement goals.

1. Learn to draw/paint.

• One of the first things I did was order a book from an artist that I like very much, Kelly Rae Roberts.  Her book was very inspiring and had step-by-step instructions for completing her projects.  I have started purchasing some supplies to try some of them.  (Art supplies can be expensive, I found out!)

• I attended a class on bas-relief and finished my first bas-relief project of a sunflower.
  
  2.  Learn to speak Spanish.
• On 11-3-10, Gralyn and I started attending a Spanish class once a week taught by our good friends, Arellys and Cheyenne.  What better teacher could you have?  She’s from Nicaragua! We are making progress!
  
  3.  Learn calligraphy.
• I have been practicing SOME from a book that I have and also from some small instruction that I received from a friend of mine.  Lot’s more practice is needed.  I plan to attend meetings of the Calligraphy Guild soon.
  
  4.  Learn to play the piano better.
• Ummm – no progress here.
  
  5.  Publish another book.
• In October, Gralyn and I attended a writers conference at Auburn University and learned some things.
• I have done a little work on a cookbook called “Homecoming” which will feature all the good ole southern cooking that we all like so much at dinners on the ground.  Or at least, I like it….
  
  6.  Establish a speaking/teaching ministry.
• In November, I taught a 3-session workshop on “What Every Church Member Should Know About Poverty.”  I enjoyed it very much, hope everyone else did and learned something from it about how to minister to those in poverty. 
  
  7.  Declutter my house.
• I have sold several books on Amazon.com,
• finished putting together 3 photo albums
• and took several car loads of clothes to the consignment shop.  That cleared out some of the clutter and I made a little money in the process!
  
  8.  Add to my website design business. 
• I have added one website to my repertoire – that makes five!
  
  9.  Seek ministry opportunities with the spiritually and physically needy, at home and abroad.
• I have attended some meetings of the homeless coalition and volunteered to help with their Point-In-Time survey. 
• I participated in a Poverty Simulation which was very enlightening to see how folks in poverty live. 

• I have finished a mat for the homeless crocheted from plastic shopping bag strips. 
  
  10. Travel
• On June 15, we left Milton Florida to travel across country with Ashley and Amber as they moved from Altus, OK to Spokane, WA.  We saw most of the major attractions between here and there.  When we left Washington State, Gralyn and I went through the northern states all the way over to Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and down to Florida.  We traveled through 25 states in 28 days.  That was a LOT of driving!  This almost completed our quest to visit all 50 states with the exceptions of Hawaii and Oregon – yes, Oregon!  Why didn’t we see Oregon when we were that close to it?  Well, we plan visit Ashley and Amber and take an extended vacation in Oregon with them at a later date.  They will be there for three years.