Baby its COLD outside!

I've been slacking on blogging, but things have been super crazy around my house. Thanksgiving, my hubby's birthday, and a thousand other things have kept me from writing. However, I'm going to catch you up to speed on my running adventures starting now.

I don't know where you are in the world, but here in the bluegrass its FrEeZiNg! I'm talking it is 34 degrees here today. Brrrr! So I'm sure you can identify with me when I say its been very hard to get out and run, but I'm proud to say I have been running.

Today was by far the hardest day to run due to the low temperature. But I made myself get dressed in a couple layers and do it. I ran my longest distances of 1.28 miles and finished in 15 minutes. I managed to only slow down to a walk 2 times other than warming up and cooling down. (I credit not slowing down much to trying to stay warm.) My goal for this week is to run at least 4 times. I have completed 2 of those runs thus far this week, so I'm feeling good about hitting my goal.

I'm sorry to report that I haven't tried any new running products, but I have a feeling that I will be investing in some Under Armor very soon. (I'm going to need it this winter to stay warm while I'm out.)
Though I don't have any new products to report, I did stumble upon some really helpful information for shin splints!

For those of you who haven't heard of shin splints, here's the low down on the nasty little things. Shin splints are very painful and sometimes damaging sore muscles in the front of your legs. These muscles run from your knee to your ankle and if irritated regularly, they can cause stress breaks to the bones in the lower part of you leg. Most doctors recommend that you rest and not irritate the issue. However, if your like me, resting and staying off of your minor injury is impossible.

Of course I suffer from shin splints and it blows. After my very first run, my shin splints were so bad it hurt to walk. I even contacted a local doctor for advice on at home treatment. As I stated earlier, I was given the ol' "stay off of it and rest" speech. This did not satisfy me in the least. I started researching ways to prevent shin splints. After reading a lot of repetitive information, I found a YouTube video of a guy illustrating two types of stretches that help prevent shin splints. (I will post the link at the bottom of this blog) To my surprise, they actually worked! Not only that, but the stretches helped eliminate the current soreness I had in my legs. Its a MIRACLE!! (If you've ever had shin splints, you have literally felt my pain and understand my happiness.)

Here's the link to the video. I hope it helps you as much as it has me. (Oh and one more thing.... the guy in the video is a little depressing, so be prepared.)

http://youtu.be/E26G1aGbg7s

Happy Running!!
-Kara

On your mark? Get ready! Set.... GO!!!

Today was my starting day for running! This day was a monumental not only because I ACTUALLY started running, but I ran in nasty weather (rainy and slick pavement). If you know anything about me, you know I HATE nasty weather. Of course I didn't run 5 miles on my first day. To be honest... I didn't even run a mile and I am ok with only running .75 of a mile. (Hello! Its my first day running!) And of course I walked some. I found a slow pace and pushed myself. When I needed to slow down, I walked at a pretty fast pace. Though it took me thirty minutes to complete, I am proud of myself! I just have to keep pushing myself and remembering that I'm not going to be a marathon runner overnight. As for tomorrow, my goal is to complete a mile run/walk.

I have found something that I would recommend to all those out there that are trying to become a runner or just trying to get fit. It's called Nike+.

You can buy Nike+ at Target, Walmart, etc. or you can download the app to your iphone. The program tracks your mileage, time, plays your music randomly and much more! It defiantly makes keeping track of your workout much easier.

Good luck to those of you who are starting to run! You can do it!!

-Kara

Follow up to RAK

My RAK have been going so well! If you've never made it your goal to do a RAK for someone, you should defiantly try it sometime. The surprised look on that persons face is such a blessing!  For example, I bought two pound cakes from Kroger and a Thank You card, that I delivered to a Fire Station in my community. I was greeted at the door by a young fireman who was curious as to what I needed. Little did he know, I didn't need anything. I handed him the cakes with the card and told him that I just wanted to say thank you to all the firemen/women that serve our community. He was very happy and appreciative of  the cakes and quickly returned inside to share the goodies with his fellow fire fighters.
My other RAK have included hand written cards for two ladies that work with me. They too were surprised by my gesture and thanked me for being kind. My most recent RAK was yesterday in which I took part in my church's annual Thanksgiving Outreach. It was so moving to witness how many families are in need of food for Thanksgiving and how truly thankful they were for the groceries they received at no cost. I found myself wishing I could do more to help those in need, even if its just a hug and a kind word.

The lesson I have discovered with the RAK, is that they are contagious! Once you completed one random act of kindness, you are ready to do another. Not only are you excited to make someones day, others see what you are doing and they too want to participate! Just think of the possibilities if everyone did just one RAK everyday. The world would be full of love and compassion for others and that would amazing to witness.

If you're looking for Random Acts of Kindness here are some ideas. Get creative and make someone's day!

-hand out flowers to the elderly at a nursing home.

-leave a box of cookies with a note in your mailbox for you postman/woman.

-volunteer to read to children at the library.

-write a thank you note to a co-worker or friend. 

-push all the stray carts in the super market parking lot to the return cart area.

-pay for the persons food in line behind you at the drive-thru.

-put some change in the Salvation Army's buckets.

-make hand-made cards for the elderly at nursing homes.

-hide dollar bills in the toy section of a dollar store.

-help someone put their groceries in there car.

-make sweet treats for the police department or fire station.

-take school supplies to a local school.

-leave a generous tip for your waiter with a thank you note.

-write a sweet message on your friends Facebook wall.

-volunteer at a children's hospital.

-send a care package to a solider.

- open the door for someone.

-volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

-donate unwanted clothing to a local church or shelter.

Good luck and have fun!

-Kara

Thought for the day..... Random acts of kindness.

Yesterday, while cruising around on Pinterest, I found a blog post about 45 random acts of kindness a lady and her kids did on her birthday. Some of these acts included leaving a thank you note and Girl Scout cookies in their mailbox for their postman. They also left a couple dollars in the toy section of a dollar store, took flowers to a hospital floor and handed them out, and took cookies to their local fire station!

This really inspired me to do random acts of kindness everyday! So today starts "Kara's RAK Campaign". My first RAK will be to hand write a thank you card to my work area secretary. This lady (I will call her Sue...clearly not her real name) works very hard to send out group e-mails, book meetings, order our department supplies, and general put up with all crazy people in my department including me. (Fun fact about myself... I LOVE surprising people, so this will be a lot of fun for me!) Of course I'm not limiting myself to just one act a day. I would really like to do a RAK a minimum of twice a day. With that said, I think my second RAK for the day will be take some sort of food to a local fire department this afternoon.

When I think of RAK, I can't help but think of how Jesus feels about showing love towards others.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

—John 13:34-35 

This verse reminds me that to be more like Christ, I need to show my love for all more openly. After all, Jesus loved us so much he died for our sins.

I will keep you posted on how my RAK go and hopefully this will inspire you to share the love with others!

-Kara

Getting started......with Research!

Welcome to my blog!

I'm starting my blog adventure out with new goal in life.... to become a runner! Let me start out by saying, I'm not a runner or even a jogger. I'm more of the girl you see walking around the neighborhood at a good pace on a pretty day. (First fact about me... I HATE cold weather and you will not catch me out if its below 60 degrees.)

Though I'm not completely inactive, I'm by no means a fit and fabulous 25 year old. I am a certified Zumba instructor and up until my husband and I moved, I taught 2 classes almost 5 days a week. Dancing is a passion of mine and I totally believe in Zumba! I watched the pounds fall off after teaching for only 2 months. The issue I have now with Zumba is, since moving I can't find a place to teach classes.  Needless to say, after a month of not teaching (or doing regular cardio) I've packed on the pounds. So after watching a dear friend morph into this running queen and seeing all the weight she lost,  I have decided to become a runner. However, this is not a decision that I'm going to take lightly. I have major knee issues and I get shin splints really easily. Not to mention, I've gotten into the habit of laying on the couch as soon as I get home from work and not moving till its dinner time.

I figured the best way to get started without injuries and to insure my success, would be to research. So today I've done my homework. I've found a training plan that I'm going to use (Couch to 5K), enlisted a partner (my best friend in Texas),  found a blog to inspire me (www.skinnyrunner.com) and chose a date to complete my training (January 15, 2012). With my basic homework complete, I'm doing an extra credit assignment to find the right gadgets I need to be a runner. (Shoes, watches, clothing, etc.) After I've finished my extra credit, I plan on starting my new adventure next Monday!

I hope that from this blog, I can inspire and help other women out there that are like me.... not runners, but want to be a runner. Keep following my blog to find out how I'm doing and tips/tricks I discover along my running journey.

-Kara

****Picture above is my husband and myself****