Scenic Sunday: May 19

I know, it's Monday.  I still wanted to do a little blog about all of the things I experienced this weekend in Memphis.  Of course, I got a good 2 miles in on Sunday morning, in 80 degree weather, 65% humidity (this town is awful).  But what's more important are the awesome things I got to do.  I made a new friend, who invited me to come with her to the Memphis in May Barbeque Cooking Contest, and I must say, it is not at all what I expected.  Clearly, some people are there just for the party.  I had a great time and won't forget it!


This is the only picture I got and it doesn't nearly do the scale of the event justice.

The other half of my weekend was spent with these amazing people:


It was one of the most amazing musical experiences of my life.  I had the opportunity to perform with some of the most talent musicians in Memphis, and then had the chance to socialize with them all weekend.  It was awesome and has opened up some pretty awesome doors for me as a musician.

So far, despite the terribly difficult teaching job and missing my family and friends, Memphis is pretty awesome.

Late Tuned Tuesday 5/8/13

I missed Tuned Tuesday yesterday.  Oops.  Time got away from me.  That, and I was pretty uninspired yesterday.  So I'm just going to pick a song that is inspirational to me today.

Dog Days are Over

Florence + the Machine

Why is it inspirational to me?  The title says it all for me.  The dog days are over, things are changing and getting better.  The other part that gets me going is this part:

Run fast for your mother and fast for your father.
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers.
Leave all your love and your longing behind you.
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive.

 To me, that says leave your past behind and run for the things that you truly love.  Things that will always be there, like your parents and siblings.  Leave everything behind that is holding you back and just run.

Plus, I just love Florence + the Machine.

Tuned Tuesday 4/30

New weekly ritual: Tuned Tuesday.  I'm going to post a song that inspires me and tell you why it inspires me.

Inaugural Tuned Tuesday tune:

Africa

by Toto

Why does this inspire me?  I mean, come on!  Every time I hear this song, I get up and sing and dance.  Makes me want to go for a run every time I hear it.  Motivation.  Pure goodness. 

Today was a scheduled off day, but this song has me dancing. 

Race Week Start

Today's run was amazing. 3.1 miles, about 68 degrees, low humidity, on the verge of raining all day, 38:34. That's a whole minute faster than the race last month! It looks like this weekend will be a PR!

During the run on of my favorite songs came on my iPod, and it was so relevant to my life (how many times does that happen, like one million). Still I felt I should share some of the lyrics.
"Well summer came along and it then was gone and so was she,
Not from him because he followed her just to let her know:
A dream's a dream.
And all this livings so much harder than it seems,
But girl don't let your dreams be dreams.
You know this living's not so hard as it seems.
Don't let your dreams be dreams,
Your dreams your dreams be dreams"

This song is the anthem of my life. When life seems hard we all need that reminder that life isn't as hard as it seems. And my favorite, don't let your dreams be dreams. Make your dreams reality.

Week 3, Round 2

It was a little bit harder today. At about 14 minutes into the workout I felt like I wanted to die, but I pushed through. I even ran 3 minutes extra before my cool down (but I owe that to 'Fantasia on the Dargason).

It is good to see that I have inspired my older neighbors. I saw an older man walking about halfway through my loop, then at the end of my loop, he was back to his house. He was amazed that I had run the whole 2 mile loop in the time it took him to go .25 miles. Hopefully I've inspired him to do something positive for his health.

Oh, and note to self: no more loose shorts for running. They just get in the way.

C25K, Week 3, Day 1

There is nothing more uplifting than finishing a workout on a downhill sprint. I guess it's one of the perks of living in a valley. And you know you're doing something right when the neighbors start to recognize you and start conversations while you're jogging by. The lady at the top of the hill asked, "Isn't it a little hot out for that?" I just smiled and said, "Yeah!" between gasping breaths.

I'm really surprised at how easy this whole running thing is becoming. It's super encouraging to be able to see huge progress in my endurance and stamina after starting a program. I just hope it stays this way! I have to admit too, though I am a little ashamed, I got a little emotional during my jog today. Between thinking about finishing my first 5K along side one of my closest friends and the power of Moses Hogan coursing through my headphones, I couldn't help but get a little teary eyed. I know, corny. But give me a break... This is a life changing experience I'm going through.

PS: It is also good to know that I have a substitute teaching spot open for me if nothing else pulls through. Makes me miss my ex-coops a little.