So hard to do stretching with this girl

but I try.........

“Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness.” ― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

     I just finished reading "The Rise of the Ultra Runners, a journey to the Edge of Human Endurance" by Adharanand Finn (author of Running with the Kenyans, and The Way of the Runner). Finn is a British journalist who happens to run.  This is his journey into discovering ultra-running as he covers the history of the sport and the elites of today.  He completed his journey by running the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.  It is a single 106 mile race with 33,000 feet total elevation gain through the mountains of France, Italy, and Switzerland, and is considered to be one of the most difficult foot races in the world.  It is an interesting insight into the minds of ultra runners and the craziness that is this up and coming sport.
     (and it is a great diversion from the disturbing politics and news of the day)
     Speaking of the need for mental diversions, the books "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles, and "Second Sleep" by Robert Harris are both fictions that will grab your attention.  I enjoyed them.

Tupac

     I didn't know of Tupac or his music, but I really like his quote. 

letting go.....

Some of our Run/walk group from Saturday

     I'm still plugging away.  My improvements are negligible so far this year, though, which is disappointing but I'm doing better than everyone at home on the couch....LOL.

I'm off to ?librocubicularate????

librocubicularist

Noun

(plural librocubicularists)

1. (rare) A person who reads in bed.

“Maybe crazy is what they call anybody who's got magic in them after they're no longer a child.” ― Robert R. McCammon, Boy's Life

“See, this is my opinion: we all start out knowing magic. We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls. We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out. We get put on the straight and narrow and told to be responsible. Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God's sake. And you know why we were told that? Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic we knew made them ashamed and sad of what they'd allowed to wither in themselves.”
― Robert R. McCammon, Boy's Life

I firmly agree with this!

Can't wait for springtime....only 2 more months.

“What is not good for the hive is no good for the bee” ― Marcus Aurelius

     Did you read trump's embarrassing remarks at Davos yesterday?  We must not have an ally left in the world, and who can blame them. It would be nice if he had even the most minimal understanding of science or could read the alerts.

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-ocean-is-warming-at-a-rate-of-5-atom-bombs-per-second-says-study/amp?__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR29JKAfwGtbpgkshg2ow6_C7pzzsSRbeTqkzh-e0zuY7_i3BDsQ4kXw2H4

I had to reshare this when I saw it again today. It is so important.

Martin Luther King Jr. “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Polar Bear 5k today

     This was race 2 of a 5 race winter series.  There was a chilly start but no ice or snow, so a great improvement. 

I will tell you how the sun rose...a ribbon at a time.----Emily Dickinson

I'm still working at seeing more sunrises.  (But it is so cold)

Worth resharing

My why...

     I am trying to increase my exercise this year and actually run 2020 in 2020.  It is leaving me feeling really tired and ravenous.  Someone else shared this meme today and it reminded me of my why.

Namaste

     I saw an awesome tee shirt advertised today....it said, "The Badass woman in me honors the badass woman in you."  Pretty cool. Namaste.

                                               Snivel.  It's cold outside.  Dreadmill it will be.
   

“A strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink.” – Gina Carey.

     I saw this quote today and liked it. It is one to add to the collection. It can be the motivation for the weekend. 

I love it!

Rush University Study Shows People Who Ate Most Greens Had 11 More Years Of Healthy Brain Function

     I watch YouTube videos while doing some daily stretching.  Here is a short 5 min. video I found really informative this morning.  (Actually my daily stretching is actually procrastination in getting out the door with my dog until temps warm up...LOL)

                                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9T1QrV7AAk


FYI....me trying to stretch with my dog "helping"

Groan.....

 
     It's a groaner, I know. However this is a good lead in.  One week down of my eating better resolution of cutting out inflammatory foods and adding more anti-inflammatory foods. I am happy to report my neck pain is better!  It has bothered me for 3 mo. now, but is better. I realize that this is an N of 1 trial, but I'll take it.  All of life is an N of 1 trial anyway, right?

                               And I love this video, which summarizes it so well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj0XInqZMHY

                                     

Make a happier world....

In the United States alone, almost 60 million people participated in running, jogging and trail running in 2017. Walking for fitness drew more than 110 million participants in the U.S. in 2017. 

     Why run?  Here is today's vlog from Seth James DeMoor, a runner I follow on YouTube.  I find it inspirational.  I especially love the clips of the 100 year old racers. I want to be them someday.

                                         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkrA4uR5SmA

     He's correct. It is affordable.  It is accessible. No gym is required. When you get outside and run, you let the stress go, if even for a short time (which especially helps in this political clime).  And it gives a daily drive, a daily purpose to life. 

     I hope you find it motivational like I do. 

(PS the days are getting noticeably longer....YAY)

Pity the nation

(Note, Ferlinghetti's version above, was published in 2006.  It was based on Gibran's poem, below, which was published in 1933)

“Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave
and eats a bread it does not harvest.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,
yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral,
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
whose philosopher is a juggler,
and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years
and whose strongmen are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation.”

― Kahlil Gibran, The Garden of The Prophet

For the love of a tree

For the love of a tree..
She went out on a limb.
For the love of the sea..
She rocked the boat.
For the love of the earth..
She dug deeper.
For the love of community..
She mended fences.
For the love of the stars..
She let her light shine.
For the love of spirit..
She nurtured her soul.
For the love of a good time..
She sowed seeds of happiness.
For the love of the Goddess..
She drew down the moon.
For the love of nature..
She made compost.
For the love of a good meal..
She gave thanks.
For the love of family..
She reconciled differences.
For the love of creativity..
She entertained new possibilities.
For the love of her enemies..
She suspended judgment.
For the love of herself..
She acknowledged her worth.
And the world was richer for her.

Author: Charlotte Tall Mountain
‘For the Love of the World’

Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen Checklist

    I'm trying my best to eat more healthily for the new year, have more anti-inflammatory foods and less inflammatory ones.  I will defeat this arthritic literal pain-in-my-neck that has been plaguing me. The human body has an amazing capacity to heal if you just get out of its way.
     Here are Dr. Michael Greger's dietary guidelines, (Nutritionfacts.org).

Interesting! Museum goers and concert goers live longer.

http://sportsgeezer.com/2020/museum-goers-live-longer/

I've never been a museum goer so should try this.  I do love the occasional concert, however. 

Every day is a second chance

     I did, and I will.

The Oatmeal

Shared from FB from

The Oatmeal

                 

A little quote about today….Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. Oprah Winfrey

     I started the new year with a 5k.  It was pretty icy but runnable.  What a great way to start 2020.That's me in the shadow in black.
     Not much sleep last night as my poor dog is absolutely terrified of fireworks.

LOL