Raige Creations

As has been the common popular birthday present for me, this year again I got new running shoes. Yes, I have gone on about new running shoes before.... here .....and here ....to share just a couple.... I am doing more walking instead of running these days, as my legs keep hurting when I tried to run lately, probably from my worn out shoes. So, that is the reason this year I was absolutely thrilled with these new shoes. They hug my heels so nicely and offer some great support for my overpronation and thus will help my sketchy knees and achy legs. My awesome new shoes My double excitement that we could find these shoes on island, where I could try them on and see that they fit nicely. I won't mention the price I had to pay for this convenience, as it was my birthday and I reasoned it was okay to overpay for such wonderful convenience and totally enjoy the instant gratification of getting these shoes. No more waiting for a 'mule' to bring them down to me after ordering...

This is a song that has been playing in the background of my mind ever since hubby got me on this Collective Soul kick. A beautifully written song, musically and lyrically. The meaning, the general consensus writes, is about the shallowness of life. After doing everything, buying everything, life has no meaning. Do I have a long way to run - to find the meaning of life. Read more interpretations here. I guess we are continually searching for meaning, for satisfaction, for happiness. Society would like us to be continually consuming to find these things. However, is that where we will find it? I think not. Admittedly it has taken a long time to come to this conclusion. I guess I have been running' for years. I am not saying I have solved this by any means, but certainly I am not 'running' like I used to. I am more content nowadays with what I have, and try to enjoy each moment and the little things. I am now sauntering along quite happy. Maybe too heavy for a ...

It had been over 2 weeks since I did any real exercising. And a particularly tedious week at work. On Friday morning I was sitting on the back porch enjoying a cup of coffee looking forward to getting off work early (we get done a half hour earlier on Fridays) and coming home to relax, put the week behind me and get in to enjoying our house. Then I remembered. I had signed up for the 26th annual  St Patricks Day 5k Irish Jog. It was after work. Not enough time for me to come home to change, had to bring my gear in and change at work and go. I was bummed! The thought of having to stay in town, and then go 3.14 miles, after such a week, and when I was looking forward to just hanging out, chillin'. BUMMER. But I had committed to it. I wasn't so bummed that I would blow it off. So I packed my bag. Workout pants, shirt, socks, shoes, ponytail holder, hat, tom tom runner, headphones and hand-me-down ipod. As I was packing, the bummer feeling lifted and I realized t...

After a very active morning (a few weeks ago now...) - a 3 mile mostly walk with little jogs mixed in, 15 minute morning yoga routine, and a 30 minute yoga workshop (to help me step through Down Dog , which I can't do very well) - I sat there on my yoga mat deeply thinking. Thinking, " I am calm, it is a beautiful day really, and oh - a donut hole would be good!" and then I shared my desire for doughnut holes after all that good-for-me activity. I was struck first that I wanted to share such a thing. With whom, exactly, do I want to share these accomplishments mixed with signs of weakness? Facebook?? Really??? No, not really. I realized. I have purged my Facebook friends to mostly real friends and famlily (even if it is distant cousins I haven't seen since I was a kid and friends of whom some I haven't seen since High School, and creative friends that I have not met in person but feel a closeness with via venues like Facebook {which initself is quite stra...

I got to sleep in a little today, a nice Sunday, perfect for staying in bed a little long, just because. I got up a little after 7am, but I was feeling very guilty about not getting up earlier to go for a run/walk, or Wog (walk/jog) as I now like to call it. I was a little groggy, but got on my running gear, decided that coffee after the run would be better than before the run, got my Tom Tom Runner searching for a satellite, and turned the ipod on and headed out.  Photo By Charlesjsharp - Own work, from Sharp Photography, sharpphotography, CC BY-SA 4.0,   The ' Go! ' beep went off on the Tom Tom  , so I started walking. Got on the road and I heard this banging on metal. Strange, but then I saw the culprit. A woodpecker , probably the one I saw in the Almond tree yesterday, was searching for food in the gutters. Cool. I decided to start to run, and after a little trouble getting going with all the thoughts going on in my head - the questioning o...

from Pinterest via http://paleoaholic.com/ My mind was the one that had the bright idea to try the early morning Cross Fit class. I knew I had to do it, get back to seriously exercising, but I was afraid. I had not been to Cross Fit since the end of May. Two WHOLE MONTHS. Plus, I did very little in the way of any other exercise. I stopped getting up early for run/walks. I hardly walked on the beach. Swim? Nope. Kayak? Once. Eat? Hell yeah! I ate. I ate pizza, fried fish with French fries (yumm), and more pizza, had cookies, pies, ice cream. I even broke down and had a Wendy's burger with French fries (yummm). (I LOVE French fries) Ugh. By yesterday, after polishing off half a pie in 2 days, I was downright feeling fat, disgusted with myself. Now, I DID enjoy everything I ate. I made sure to. I knew all along it would catch up with me. And yesterday it did. I felt like I was rolling down the hallways at work, sloshing around the house. When I sat I felt like Jabb...

This song is included on one of my playlists for my run/walks - or Wogging (a term I just heard this past weekend at a 5k that I signed up to run, but ended up doing the walk with a jog in the middle mile. I love that term!) My oldest son made me a playlist just for Wogging , in his smart-assy way included songs with the words walk or run in them, but this one actually has a great beat for walking. The song also reminds me that taking a walk, run, or exercising in any way, really does wonders. It makes you exert energy, which lowers stress. It takes your mind off all those stressful things that have been bothering you - or else it helps you work through issues that you have been struggling with.  If you are oustide exercising, it helps to remind you how awesome nature is - either the views, the rain, the hot, the cold, the earth and plants - awesome in positive and negative ways, all keeping you humble to its power.  After you are done with your walk, run, Wogging, ...

We thought it was Spring. But no. Even though the calendar says Spring, Mother Nature has other plans. I heard this song on one of my walk/runs (got 3 in last week, this week so far, a big fat none...but the week is still young....) and it was a good pace to walk to, a little slow for running for me. Still, kept me going. And yes, I was wearing a sweater (well, sweatshirt) And Yes, the forecast has SNOW in it this evening! Dangit. But, hopefully, it won't be long until we can put our sweaters away.  And for me, maybe put away for good! I will be dreaming of no more cold winters......and a Spring that really is Spring when the calendar says so......and walking and running in shorts and a tee! Can't wait. Video and photo by The  Neighbourhood .

Into the wild.... I heard this song while on a walk/run. It is such an inspirational song to me, I love the whistling, and the strength of her voice, and the lyrics........ Somebody left the gate open You know we got lost on the way Come save us a runaway train Gone insane How do we how do we not fade How do we how do we how do we not fade away How do we how do we oooh Into the wild How are we living living living Into the wild How are we living living living Are we lost on the way? I say only if the gate is closed. With the gate open, we are living. source The gate is opening for us...and I myself am quite looking forward to be on a runaway train, gone insane! {also metaphorically} Am I more scared than not....not this time! It is about time we got up, out of this rut, ask that important question - how are we living - and take off down that path we need to go.... Into the wild.... Wooohoooh!  Woohooahoo Heeeyyy Heeey Is...

As you may have guessed if you are a follower, I have not been keeping up with my workout schedule. You may have noticed I stopped writing about running and walking, stopped posting my workouts, stopped talking about it altogether! Well, you are right. I have slacked. Big time. I did manage 2 workouts last week, but I barely remember them. They were at the beginning of the week, then I didn't go at all the rest of the week. This week, I am NOT off to a good start. Haven't been at all.  I know, you are saying 'well it's early in the week yet'. Yes, but tomorrow is supposed to be COLD! Chance of snow. Yuck. Plus, I have SO much to do, I just haven't had the time to spare.  Yes, this is an excuse. I know.  But I successfully have talked myself out of getting out there several days now. I reasoned that the time it takes to walk (or run) plus the necessary shower afterwards was just too much! I could accomplish so much on my list in that time. Lame...

source My alarm just went off, (for the first time...I am a snooze button addict)   and I was glad that I could snuggle back in bed for 10 more minutes until it went off again. Just as I crawled back under the covers, the phone rang. Usually, a phone ringing at this time of morning (6:14 am) means only one thing - SCHOOL DELAY OR NO SCHOOL! I ran to the phone, somewhat irritated but somewhat happy with the thought of getting more sleep. Too late, missed the call.  Sitting anxiously on the couch in my PJ's, (which was just a tank top...brrrrr!!!) I waited for the voicemail to finish recording the recorded message and dialed excitedly to hear the good news. I hear this: Good morning. Although there are patches of lingering snow and ice throughout the county this morning, for the most part roads are okay. The worst conditions are in the Enka and Erwin District, so ONLY ENKA AND ERWIN schools will be on a 2-hour delay today, Thursday January 16, with no buses on ...

Which do you tend to do? Me? Well, if you read this blog at all, you will be able to guess. I would say I tend to do BOTH, but I do tend to procrastinate in getting things crossed off the list.  If you aren't sure what I am talking about, you may want to click here for how I am always running late , click  here for the times I am losing track of the days , and click  here for what to do if you waste an entire morning (I have done that a few times you see.....). Specifically, procrastination is something that plagues me regularly. I do tend to complain about it, too. If you need proof, click here for one complaint in October , and I actually did two posts in November, here for blaming writer's block , and here for vowing to give up this talent of procrastination I seem to possess.  It's not that I don't try! I DO have lists , plans, I have good intentions!  In fact, just this week, I made a list, and planned what day I would...

Long overdue, but finally: The Jingle Bell Run 2013 . AND What Running Has Taught Me ~ Finding Success in Every Effort The Jingle Bell Run 2013. Ho-Ho-Ho People have fun dressing up for this race. photo courtesy of  Thoughts of Raige I trained and planned for this race, with huge expectations. Huge for me that is. I wanted to better my time from last year, and not walk at all if I could help it. Mainly, I didn't want to throw up when I was done. I had high hopes for the race - see my big smile? I am in the baseball hat in the middle. photo courtesy of  Thoughts of Raige I succeeded in that last thing, I didn't want to throw up and fall over when I was done. That was it. But at least I felt good at the end. Perhaps not the best race, I was slower than last year. I did have to walk, but really just a little, and yes, it was on those confounded hills. I still couldn't drink the water at the water station, just couldn't catch my breath. (The...