Sarah Jo

What better time than Easter to resurrect a blog, eh? 

Poorly conceived puns aside, I’ve been toying around with re-launching the blog lately and I figured this would be a good time. I’d like to share a journey through Holy Week you can take with me through some music I love. Come along, if you’d like.

This song by John Mark McMillan was on repeat in my head all day yesterday. The crowds welcoming Jesus in Jerusalem were caught up in the excitement, but all the same I imagine them muttering under their breath: “Who is this, the King of Glory?” I love how the music swells as I imagine the people realizing through the events of Holy Week who exactly Jesus is…and they “open up [their] gates before Him.”

Palm Sunday.  

(Source: Spotify)

Sunday. (Taken with Instagram)

This song shoots an arrow right to the spot in my soul that has become quite unfeeling.

(Source: Spotify)

I seem to be listening to love songs and waxing poetic on a pretty regular basis of late. Hmmm…wonder why? =) Here’s my lovey-dovey playlist for your sigh-inducing enjoyment.

(Source: Spotify)

Inner workings… (Taken with Instagram)

So, to catch everyone up, I completed ONE WHOLE WEEK of training! 4 on Monday, 4 on Tuesday, 30 minute hill program on the elliptical on Wednesday, off day Thursday, 4 on Friday, and 6 on Saturday! I was pleased with my 6 mile run, since it’s the first long run I’ve attempted in a year or so. I completed it in 1:03:12, which is way better than I thought I would do. It was a relatively flat 6…I averaged a 10:30 min/mi pace and kept that pretty consistently. 

BUT…this week has not gone well so far. I could have taken a run yesterday, but decided to wait until later in the evening so it wouldn’t be so hot…and then, of course, dinner took longer than expected and I didn’t run. Tonight I had to go to Atlanta to pick up Ridge and I didn’t get him in bed until late so, again, I didn’t run. I’m trying not to let that discourage me, because the training program I’m using has two off days built in…so that means I’m going to have to run every day for the rest of the week, Sunday included. Hold me to that, y’all. 

I’m discouraged and I don’t want to be. It’s only the second week…I haven’t even started to see results or improvement yet…and I just feel tired from work and being a mom…and I feel crazy for thinking that I can do these two races. But, I did them last year, so I should be able to do them again this year. Deep breaths.

Gettin’ up in the morning to do 4. If you happen to have my number, text me around 6:30am and tell me to get my *&# out of bed.

So, of course, on day 1 of my journey life decides to strike with a vengeance. Work was intense, I had errands to run, and my son needed to be rocked to sleep. 

It’s almost a good thing that this happened on the first day. I’m a single mom, I work full time, but I am not Super Woman. I have limits. 

Therefore, day one turned into a 2.43 mile run instead of the intended 4. I didn’t get to start my run until 10:30, and I didn’t want to do 4 that late at night. Here’s the link to my workout on MapMyRun: Distance 2.43 mi, Duration 23:35, Pace 9:43, Speed 6.2 mi/h- #MapMyRUN: 07/30/2012.

Another reason why I wanted a shorter run was for a confidence booster…I can book it a bit on short runs so it’s great for morale! 

On this run I listened to Britney Spears’ “Femme Fatale” album…totally a guilty pleasure, but it’s really good to run to! Keeps the tempo up the whole time. 

Oh, by the way, I got new shoes for this go-round of training. I went to Fast Break on the North Shore in Chattanooga and they were fantastic. They looked at my old shoes, watched me walk, and determined what kind of new shoe I needed. Then I tried on about 5 different brands and settled on a pair of Brooks. I’ve never had Brooks shoes, but I am loving them so far! I can tell they’re going to make a huge difference. If you’re starting a new training program, especially for running, GO GET FITTED FOR SHOES. It’s totally worth it. 

Like I said to Le Boyfriend earlier, “At least 2 is better than 0.” I ran, day one is done, it felt really good and helped me decompress, and tomorrow I’ll do 4.

Well hi! It’s about time to clear the cobwebs from the ol’ blog. 

It seems like my whole life has been lived in an “all talk, no action” mode. I will tell you all day that I’m going to write more songs, play more guitar, get in shape, make more art, pick up my camera on a more consistant basis, etc…but, chances are, I won’t follow through with any of that. My life severely lacks follow-through. Thankfully I am in a relationship with a wonderful guy who happens to be good at follow-through, so I have found a new appreciation for you goal-setting-and-achieving types. I ran the Dalton Red Carpet Half-Marathon last year, and I was very proud to set- and actually work to achieve- that goal. I never in a million years thought I would be physically able to run 13.1 miles, but I did it…and I think I caught the bug. I’ve signed up for this year’s Red Carpet half marathon, and also for the Tennessee Ragnar- a beast of a non-stop relay race from Chattanooga to Nashville. I’ll be running on a 12 person team, taking 3 legs of the race for a total mileage of 14. After these two races, the next logical step will be to tackle a full marathon. 

Aforementioned guy has offered to help me train, because one aspect of athleticism that I have always overlooked is strength and weight training. When you stop and think about it, it only makes sense that if you’re physically stronger you will be able to perform better in whatever sport you’re attempting.

All of this to say: I’m taking this opportunity to resurrect my blog to keep track of my progress training for these races. Hopefully I’ll have time to blog about some other stuff as well, but expect to see posts about my runs, my workouts, my progress, what I’m listening to while I’m training, my diet, and stuff like that. Shameless plug alert: I’ll also be using this as a platform to promote the Advocare products that I take. It’s a line of vitamins, supplements, and energy products that my mom sells. At first I was taking them to be a guinea pig for her, but they are actually very high quality products that have helped my energy levels, my focus, and my endurance.

So, if you’d rather not keep track of my progress, just unfollow. I’m doing this for myself, for better follow-through, and for accountability. Here goes! Day 1 is tomorrow. 

So, you’re riding in a car with the windows down on a beautiful day…you know that feeling when you stretch, breathe in, and smile? That light show that happens from the shafts of sunlight playing hide-and-seek with you through the passing branches, especially when you close your eyes?

That’s what M. Ward’s new album sounds like. Go listen to it.

M. Ward – A Wasteland Companion