We have found ourselves in another deployment. We are one month in which means we are 7-8 months away from the end. The time is going slow as I am still job searching but communication with my husband has been easy and that is the biggest blessing at this point.
May 2014 will hopefully be one that I remember for a long time. It was this month that I decided to take my Yoga seriously and enroll in a Handstand challenge via Instagram. I follow Kerri Verna on Instagram who created this challenge at just the moment that I started practicing handstands to better my Yoga practice. All month long we were given a daily pose or stand to do. We had to take a picture or video, post it and tag Kerri. I made it through the entire month doing my daily steps and I am so proud I made it - my handstands have seriously improved 180 degrees! At the end of April I took many "before" videos with the thought that I knew something about how to handstand and maybe this challenge would help me better my balance but it was way more than that! We were taught step by step how to place weight on our fingers, rotate our biceps, protract the shoulders. engage the legs, suck in the belly and above all find balance. Different steps each day using a doorway or a wall caused me to really understand how to handstand.
Here is a small collage of pictures I took of myself throughout the challenge. All of the videos I took are on my Instragram. My record is a 16 second handstand which I never thought I'd ever do. If you don't think that is very long you try and handstand that long without any assistance. I challenge you.
Also in May I became serious about running and for all those who know me know that I HATE running with a burning passion. In April I signed up for my second Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Race for the Cure. Susan G Komen has always been a cause close to my heart. I have never had a family member who has had breast cancer but I have felt drawn to it still. I few years ago I walked my first ever Breast Cancer 5k with a friend. That day I was so excited when we left the house that I left my shoes behind. Yes I did not realize it until we arrived at the race and long story short I walked the race in my friends sandals. I had blisters for days and a new understanding of what pain is and I vowed to never forget my shoes again. The Susan G Komen Association does such an amazing job on race day. You feel the love and support even if you do not have cancer. I was hooked and could not wait to go back - but I had it on my bucket list that I wanted to RUN a 5K at some point in my life. Now with my husband deployed I felt this was the perfect time in my life to train for the 5K and check that box off on my bucket list. Along the way I would also check off the "Run one mile straight" box but I had no idea how long it would be until I got there. Little did I know that day would be today, June 1, 2014.
I ran one mile straight.
My training thus far has been spotty and discouraging and agonizing. I've had shin splints and pain that made it so easy to stop. I've run on a treadmill, a track, a sidewalk, a side street and a paved trail. I felt like I would never be able to run the 5K because giving up came so easy to me and because...I hate running. But after getting some simple yet life-changing advice from a friend "run a distance rather than a time" my eyes have been opened anew. I got that advice on Friday and conquered my goal and then some. I took a break yesterday. And today, let me repeat, I ran one mile. Straight. So now I am motivated and encouraged to keep trudging on with my 5K training. I'm empowered to keep going even when my legs are killing me but I am also learning that if I do need to stop for a minute and rest that it is OK. I do not think I will ever enjoy running but I do enjoy the accomplishments it's entitled me to. It's given me a new feeling of pride and a new reason to be happy.
Support Breast Cancer. Support those who have it and those who fight against it.
