Books, Running, Life.....

I finished David Copperfield a couple of days ago.  I really liked that book.  I have decided that I really like Charles Dickens, and so I plan to read some more of his books.  I think my next one will be Oliver Twist.  So far I have read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

But the reality is that I have so many books on my must read now list, with the Bible in 90 Days (I am 1/3 of the way through) and The Red Badge of Courage (for my English class) being top priority.  Oh, and my Running Book Club selection, Better Than Before.  However our running club has not met in a few weeks because it has been too cold to run outside.  I refuse to run outside if the temperature is below freezing, and we have had many, many below freezing mornings lately.

Which brings me to my next topic:  running.  Oh, the love/hate relationship I have with regular running.  I love actually running--well I don't love it on the treadmill which is where I have been doing most of my running, when I run, lately....but I really, really enjoy running outside--either with friends (therapy session) or alone (prayer and sorting out my thoughts sessions), but the logistics of fitting regular running into my daily routine is challenging, and that's an understatement.  (Wow!  That was a long sentence!)  So for me, the stress of running is the planning and talking myself into doing it, not the actual running itself.  Yes.  This is still my challenge after 9 years of regular, consistent running.

My running goals for 2016 include logging 1000 miles for the year and training and running a marathon (my 6th).  I haven't selected the marathon yet, but it will probably be St. Jude in December in Memphis.  I am failing so far amassing the miles.....I need to average 20 miles a week to get to 1000 for the year, and I have run 20 miles per week only once this year.  Most weeks I have 18 or less. But there is still time!  Progress, not perfection, right?

And because I like to stretch myself even further, I have added two new exercise things to my plate.  I attended a piyo (pilates/yoga) for the first time last week with a friend of mine, and I plan to go to this class twice a week.  Also, a group of ladies from my church have formed a CrossFit class, and I hope to attend that 2 times a week beginning next week.  We will see if I can CrossFit, Yoga, and run......or if I am just asking for trouble!  :)

Life.....
I am in new season of motherhood.....my oldest two growing up and spreading their wings, my middle one preparing to leave home for college in the next year and a half, and my youngest two, thankfully still at home with me for several years to come!  Most days I think parenting lots of little children with diapers, pacifiers,  and sippy cups to be much easier than where I am today.  But with God's help, lots of prayer and Bible reading, and hopefully a friend or two who can guide me along the way I will figure it all out.

Happy Friday!