RUN for the Lord!!

thanks guys!!
vmstevens1, thanks for the pointers, I'm in a running group with a bunch of other kids and our "teacher" coached us on that kind of thing when I started last year, but I forgot some of them
Really, you think concentrating helps? I talk to distract from the pain
Yep I like feeling a little sore, but running doesn't usually do too much to me anymore. When I tried the Insanity workout with my sister though, that's another story... I couldn't walk right for a few days haha.

Woohoo! looking forward to that marathon!!!

Jojo, congratulations! That is great. I have found that running in a setting that is pleasing to the eye (and ears) makes it easier to run longer distances. I didn't check where you live, but if you can run next to the ocean, on a trail in the woods, on a golf course (really, really early in the a.m. Before the first golfers arrive), in the desert after it rains, along a canal.... You get the idea. The miles will glide by. It is a great time to pray. Take your rosary. Try running without talking and focus on your breathing --steady and relaxed. Then you will find the sheer joy in the run.

Next "challenge:" focus only your stride during a run. Do you strike your heels hard? Try to feel like you are light as a cloud. Don't take really long strides. Shorten the stride and get a cadence in your head. Try to maintain that cadence. Pump your arms lightly but leave your hands open, not clenched. Drop your shoulders. Relax your jaw. This really helps.

I have had a few running coaches. I'm not fast. I'm steady.

There is nothing like running a race. It is fun, inspiring -- especially when you are running for a cause. You will be passed by people twice your age and 1/3 your age. You will cross that finish line and feel sooooooo good.

Then the absolute best part: muscle pain. Seriously. What a great reward for your hard work. Take Epsom salt baths while you are training. (CVS has this great lavender stuff). Drink lots of water before and after your run.

After your 5k, you will be reporting back that you signed up for your first 10k. Then your first half marathon, and so on.

Then we will all get together and train and meet up and run TOGETHER!!!

Congrats on running Jojo - a bad run is better than no run

Well I guess I might not really be toast, but its a heck of a lot easier on a track (ran my first two miles on one last week!). Not a very good run today, only got a mile and 1/4 or so : / Gotta keep working on it. Running and talking with someone else really helps though

Ronald E- wow, impressive :O
hey so THATS why I've been feeling so smart!!

I am going for a Rosary Run this morning. Happy Mothers' Day to all of you women out there. You are all God's Gift of Love to this world.

wow Ron - I didn't know running did all that! i have more reasons to run now!

I like the look of this group. I am 65 and began running in 1978 after smoking for 12 years. One and a half years later I ran the San Francisco Marathon in 3:33. My best 10k was 36:50 in '79. My last marathon was with my wife and our daughter in October of 2009, the Marine Corps Marathon. It was the first for my wife and daughter and I stayed with them. When I cramped up at mile 25 they left me to shuffle my way home It was perfect. My running had been getting worse for about 2 years before that and I was coughing throughout my runs for months prior to that marathon and afterwards. I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in March of 2010. After 6 weeks of chemo and radiation and then an esophagectomy I had to start walking first. I am now able to run for 50 minutes one day a week and the other 3 days I run for 35 to 40 min. It is at a much slower pace but I am getting stronger and I thank God for everything including the cancer which has brought miracles into the lives of people I love.
I returned to our faith at Easter of 2005 after a 40 year absence due to God's miracles. I began praying the Rosary during my runs when alone and it has been so overwhelming what God gives me for reflection. One day in 2007 God gave me the idea that if enough Catholic runners would do a continuous Rosary Run across the U.S. for single mothers and their chldren that it would change hearts and abortion would be drastically reduced if not stopped. It sounded crazy to me but I presented this idea to just about every Catholic host on EWTN.
I have gone on too long. One more thing, running triggers the brain to produce Nerve Growth Factor which in essence causes the brain to grow new connections between different areas of the brain. It also triggers the brain to produce more Dopamine which is responsible for motivation, a sense of reward, improved concentration, moving short-term memory into long-term memory and decreasing the chemistry associated with stress. Running has also been shown to increase IQ by 10 points in 3 months. It is also associated with the production of endorphines which help with decreasing pain.
I guess that was more than one point.

Im going to run today! I always love this bible quote when im running!

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

im a runner from 5ks to Marathons ive done it all

Why are you toast? You can do 3.1 miles!!! Just remember that if you run/walk at least three times a week from now until June, you will be MORE than ready.

Those who hope in the Lord with have their faith renewed.
They will soar on wings like eagles.
They will RUN and not grow tired.
They will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31