I'm rúúúnning, with tears in my eyes!

Charming Lamb commented she spent many runs with tears streaming down her face, hoping passersby would think it was sweat. It made me think of this depressing song about the end of the world: 'I'm dancing with tears in my eyes,' only then it would be: 'I'm rúnning with tears in my eyes.'

I must admit I've never run crying, but maybe I should! You know, just to try something new once in a while. I'm just worried that people will see I'm not sweating but crying, because I'm not a pretty crier.

Not for me the gentle pouring down of tears. My face crumples up, gets all red and my mouth draws in this gaping rectangle. Then again, I'm not a pretty runner either. My face crumples up from exertion, gets all red and my mouth draws in this gaping rectangle. So who would know the difference?

Besides: why do I care so much that people see me crying? I suppose I don't want them to know I'm vulnerable; I prefer to keep up a good front. Then again, a good cry relieves a lot of tension, just like running. So maybe when I do them both at the same time I'll become all mellow yellow.

So maybe I wíll run crying sometime, just to see what it feels like.

Now if only I can find someone to make me cry...
Hmm, I know! I'll just start a conversation with one of Jans teachers at school!

Running emotions

I've been having some troubles at school. Mostly with the teachers finding fault with my children, and then implying I'm being 'difficult' when I don't see the problem. To be clear: I always see problems everywhere! Show me a molehill and I'll make a mountain. But sometimes I honestly do not see the problem, so I can't do anything about it. As dr.Phil always says: 'You have to own the problem!' Well I don't.

Today I made the mistake of asking one of the teachers an innocent question and she released some pent up frustrations, telling me I was being 'difficult' and wasn't acknowledging the problem with my son Jan. We parted on seemingly good terms, but when I left the building I could feel tears burning.

It was Thursday, so I had my running clothes on. I put on my mp3-player and was treated to Josh Groban's melancholy song 'You're still you'. This proved to be too much, and the tears started to run down my face, blurring my vision. Although running usually helps me find my equilibrium, when you can't see anything that's a bit hard!

So I did the sensible thing and ran home, where I called my husband, my sister and mother to tell them of my woes.

And I let my emotions run, until they were al spent.

After that, I felt much better.

Whether it's my body doing the running or my emotions: running always helps.

Mom in the fast lane

The weeks fly by so fast.
I wish I could run that fast!

Can you feel the speed?!
That's not me running.

But that is me living my life as a mom.



For more Wordless Wednesday go here

Running Smart

Running succesfully doesnt' have to be about speed, which is good news to me, because I'm quite 'speed-challenged'! As we learn from the story of the hare and the turtle: running succesfully can also be about smarts!

And if that story doesn't convince you, just read this one:

Two Nuns

There were two nuns..

One of them was known as Sister Mathematical (SM),

and the other one was known as Sister Logical (SL)

It is getting dark and they are still far away from the convent.

SM: Have you noticed that a man has been following us for the past thirty-eight and a half minutes? I wonder what he wants.

SL:It's logical. He wants to rape us.

SM: Oh, No! At this rate he will reach us in 15 minutes at the most! What can we do?

SL: The only logical thing to do of course is to walk faster.

SM: It's not working.

SL: Of course it's not working. The man did the only logical thing. He started to walk faster, too.

SM: So, what shall we do? At this rate he will reach us in one minute.

SL:The only logical thing we can do is split. You go that way and I'll go this way. He cannot follow us both.

So the man decided to follow Sister Logical.

Sister Mathematical arrives at the convent and is worried about what has happened to Sister Logical.

Then Sister Logical arrives.

SM:Sister Logical! Thank God you are here! Tell me what happened!

SL: The only logical thing happened. The man couldn't follow us both, so he followed me

SM: Yes, yes! But what happened then?

SL: The only logical thing happened. I started to run as fast as I could and he started to run as fast as he could.

SM: And?

SL: The only logical thing happened. He reached me.

SM: Oh, dear! What did you do?

SL: The only logical thing to do. I lifted my dress up.

SM: Oh, Sister! What did the man do?

SL: The only logical thing to do. He pulled down his pants.

SM: Oh, no! What happened then?

SL : Isn't it logical, Sister? A nun with her dress up can run faster than a man with his pants down.

Thank God for running

When life hands me lemons, and I really hate lemonade,
Thank God for running.

When the kids are fighting about who's looking 'funny' at who,
Thank God for running.

When I see dear hubby's eyes glaze over when I reveal my innermost thoughts,
Thank God for running.

When I've just cleaned the floor, and the kids walk in with muddy shoes,
Thank God for running.

When I've cooked yet another delicious meal, and the kids cry without even tasting: 'Yuck, I don't like it.'
Thank God for running.

When people tell me: 'What a waste of your education, staying home with your kids all day. What on earth do you do all day? Watch Oprah and As The World Turns?'
Thank God for running.

When I meet an old friend, and he asks me: 'How are you doing?' and I have absolutely no idea,
Thank God for running.

When the sun is shining and it's beautiful outside and I really want to enjoy the day,
Thank God for running

Thank God for running,
for keeping me sane and offering me peace of mind and happiness.

Take it and run thursday

Wordless Wednesday

Some days, you feel as if you'ld be better off staying in bed... Or going for a run.























For more Wordless Wednesday go here

And the winner is....

...NICOLE!!!

Oh, how I've always longed to hear those words! But now, finally I have won something!

Even though I may not win any prizes with my running efforts, I have won a prize blogging from Liz! I feel all excited and like I should have a trophy case or something.

So this Tuesday I'm tooting my own horn because even though my running is prizeless, my blogging isn't! Toot!













I'ld like to pass this prize along to Jen Singer, author of 'You're a good mom,' whose blog has gotten me through some trying times.

They knów me!

I was doing my Granny run and making good time, so when I got there I was more than ready for my cup of coffee. I went in, inhaling the delightful smell of apple pie, and found a nice table.

I saw the waitress seeing me, but she didn't come to take my order. I waited, and I waited some more, and I began to get quite annoyed! I don't like being ignored. If I want that feeling I can go and talk to my husband!

Just when I was about to speak up, and make my presence known the waitress arrived with a hot cup of coffee and a friendly smile.

'Here you go!' she said sweetly. 'You always have a cup of coffee, don't you!'

I stammered a thank you, and was very pleased: they know me at Granny's!

The wonders and rewards of running never cease to amaze me!

Next time I'm going to run to MacDonalds, so théy can get to know me too! Can you imagine just walking in there, sitting down, and then, like magic, being presented with a Big Mac?!

Wordless Wednesday: The Journey

As a mom I sometimes feel like Sisyphus, who as a punishment from the Gods, had to push a big boulder up a steep hill. Every time he thought he'd succeeded it rolled back down again.

Doing laundry, the dishes, cleaning the house, they are my boulder.

But as a runner I've learned it's not about finishing: it's about the process. About the road you run.

Like Sisyphus, a mom and a runner are never finished.
And if you can enjoy your journey, that's actually quite great!

For more Wordless Wednesday go here

Choose your injury

Now these shoes may look a lot alike, but do not be taken in by there similar looks! They cause very different injuries.

The shoe on the left is part of my oldest pair. I bought them in a big sports store, and for a while they were just fine. But then, through no fault of my own, I started to increase my distance and speed, and suddenly I came home limping.

So I did some research and read that the right pair of shoes can make all the difference between a happy runner and a limping runner. So I went to a small sports shop that specializes in running.

Just like I'ld read in my running books I had to run on a treadmill while the shoeguy made a movie of me running. There I ran, in my floral dress teamed up with my big, ugly running shoes. I must say, I've got quite lovely legs!

My running movie proved to be very educational. It taught me that I overpronate and she shop clerk had just the right shoes to fix the problem. You can't put a price on the joy of running so I forked over a hundred dollars.

The new shoes cured my limping but now the insides of my legs hurt after a run. So now I alternate my old and new shoes when I go for a run.

It's all a matter of choosing my injury.

Transitions

Life is full of transitions and changes. And life as a mom sometimes overflows with it!

If nothing else, there are the many transitions your child goes through, from newborn baby to fully grown adult.

And these transitions of your child mean yóú have to move on too! Even if you are perfectly happy, just where you are. You have to come along, even if you feel like kicking and screaming: 'I'm not ready yet!'

Sometimes you didn't see the transtion coming and you have to run to catch up. Those are the times when you find yourself shouting: 'Wait for me! I'm coming!' Like when my nine year old had a little bump on her chest and I took her to the doctor to check it out, and he told me 'her breasts were waking up!' I mean: Huh?! When did that happen? Last time I looked she was just a little baby!

Through all these wonderful, sometimes painful transitions, luckily there is one constant in life, and that's running.

Running is always there. When I'm all flustered because I just put the little baby crib away for the very last time, going out for a run helps me make one more transition: from inner turmoil to inner calm!

Wanna know what kind of transitions other runners write about? Go to the Runners Lounge.

Wordless Wednesday: Dare to be different

For me, daring to be different is daring to be a slow runner. To not be embarassed when little toddlers on bikes pass me by.

And for me daring to be different is daring to be a stay at home mom. To not mind when people ask me: 'Don't you think it's a shame of your education? You know, sitting around at home all day.'

Daring to be different is daring to be me.

For more Wordless Wednesday go here

I run therefore I am a runner

I was doing my Tuesday Granny's run (8 kilometers to a Granny's and a cup of coffee) when I spotted a fellow runner in the distance. He was skipping along, going sideways, straight ahead and even backwards.

Then he started swinging his arms around in circles looking very much like a human windmill. As I watched him, a though ran through my head. I managed to catch it just before it ran around the corner: 'Now thát's a réál runner.'

Excuse me?! Where did that come from? After seven years of running along, I obviously still don't think of myself as a real runner.

So today I'm tooting my own horn, because obviously, someone has to!

So here goes: I run therefore I am a runner!
I am runner, hear me roar!

Toot!