Peaceful Thought

For today's Peaceful Thought I want to share a poem I wrote in 2008, after my first experience competing in the Goat Mountain Gallop.

(Giveaway winners are listed below the poem!)

Goat Mountain Gallop

It comes down to
the way teasels clutch
fistfuls of spring snow.
The red Farmall tractor,
that robin rocketing above the meadow,
four black cows standing knee-deep in green,
a white wicker loveseat on a porch.

Under a watery April sun
barbed-wired fences lined the silence,

Into this great bowl of stillness,
the runners came, and came, and came,

and suddenly, in the far pasture,
there were horses:
thirty or more,
hooves drumming, and thrumming,
wheeling, cutting, charging the fence
with split-second precision,
showing the men how,

while great flocks of geese wove a semaphore
through the sky, ancient signs,
circling, separating, coalescing, always
crying North! North!

No sounds existed beyond the rushing of wings and hooves,
so we ran.

=========================================================================

Giveaway Results

First of all, thank you to everyone who so generously donated money to the Clean Water project. I was humbled by your thoughtfulness. I was even more humbled to realize that even walking 13 miles is less than many women have to walk every day to get water--and it's not even clean--for their families. It is heartbreaking to contrast their struggles with the ease of our lives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I did not ask that you share your donation amounts with me, but many of you did, and I know that we raised at least $250.00 for the Clean Water project. All of the money was donated online - directly to the charity, which uses 100% of the funds for digging wells and placing pumps where they are needed.

And now...the giveaway winners! (Who were scientifically selected using a clever Random Generator on my trusty laptop...)

Winning 2 bars of Carol's handmade Eau Joy soap:

• Jill (a wonderful friend from high school--lives in California)
• Ginger (another wonderful friend from high school--lives in New York)
• Patricia (Katie's mother-in-law--lives in Virginia)

Winning 1 bar of the smells-so-good soap:

• Sarah (my granddaughter who lives here with me!)

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone, and thank you again.

Kathy Week 16: The Goat Mountain Gallop: UPDATE

I galloped Goat Mountain! What a great event for my fitness and the Clean Water project. I'm still on some kind of high from the endorphins. Dear Skinny readers, I have to tell you that I love feeling strong and fit! It was so worth it to go through my training, and to be able to accomplish this goal.

Here are a few highlights of the race.

The view of Goat Mountain from Molalla, where we registered by 7:15 am, and where we finished. The forecast said there was a 30% chance of precipitation. What to wear? Raincoat or shell...long pants or knee-length...I went with the knee-length pants and left the raincoat in the car at the last minute. Good choice - the rain held off, and it was pleasantly overcast the whole way.

At the registration table at Molalla HS. See #278 off to the right? She'll show up again later.

At the start line in Colton, waiting for the race to begin. As you can see, we're in rural country. It was a beautiful walk the whole way. Cows, horses, roosters, llamas, and barking dogs--oh yes, and there were a few goats, too--kept us company. Very little traffic on the roads - yay! And every so often, people on their front porches or in driveways were standing by to cheer us on.

Here we are at the start line, listening for last-minute instructions from the starter-gun guy. He was joking with us, trying to help everybody loosen up.

We're OFF! I was actually #2 in the race for about 3 minutes. Then the gals in the yellow jackets passed me. I held onto a position among the first 10 walkers for several miles. By the time we finished, I think I was about #20. Pretty good, compared to 2008, when I was next-to-last!

There were 8 county sheriff cars that kept track of us along the way. They were stationed at the road junctions, and they kept patrolling along to make sure everyone was ok, that the other drivers were going slowly, that we weren't taking up too much room in the road, etc. At this point, I'm still up near the front. You can see the gals in the yellow jackets. You can also see #278 in the white shirt and white hat in the middle of the photo.

That's the last of the photos from the start of the race. For the first 3 miles, I covered a mile every 12 minutes. After that I was walking a 14-minutes-per-mile pace almost until the end. I slowed down near the end, and averaged 14.5 minutes per mile for the race overall. (In 2008, I averaged 17 minutes per mile, so I shaved nearly 1/2 hour off my time! Wow!)

There are a number of good hills on this course. I did a very fast walk going down the the hills--almost a jog. And then I just powered up the hills. Oh, the training on the Oregon City hills really paid off!

About mile 4, #278 and I started taking turns passing each other. I would pass her going uphill, and she would pass me going down. She introduced herself--hello to Jennifer from Salem! She works in the schools there as a physical therapist. I pulled ahead of her on the steep hill just past mile 5, but by mile 7 were walking together, and we stayed together for the rest of the race.

It was great to have a fast walking partner, who was keeping the same pace I was. I think we both walked faster because we had the other one there, powering along. Did I mention how good it felt to be able to keep that pace?

By mile 8, the runners were passing us pretty consistently. They started out an hour after us, at 9:00 am. Everyone was covering a lot of territory!

The race organizers had water and Gatorade for us at mile 2.5, mile 6, and mile 9. That was sure welcome! (There was also a portapotty at mile 6, but I didn't need it.) I had tried out some little packets of "Hammer Gel" for energy on my long training walk two weeks ago, and I liked it. The packets are 100 calories each, and they gave me a good burst of energy every hour. I also slipped down 3 ibuprofins at mile 5, and I had also taken some at home before the race.

Here we come, heading for the finish line! Josh, Sarah, and Kat (3 of my grandkids) joined Jennifer and me a little way before the finish line.

Great time! It's really 3 hours 9 minutes 51 seconds - the timer is set for the runners, who started an hour after the walkers.

A few more statistics: I walked 13.1 miles, at a pace of 14.5 minutes per mile.
According to my pedometer, I walked 28,777 steps.

Ooh, my knees were pretty shaky for a few minutes. I needed to hang onto something for a bit!

Thanks to my partner, Jennifer, for helping me with my gallop around Goat Mountain! What a day.

Oh, and like Katie mentioned in a recent post, "It's all about getting the cool number and the tee-shirt." So here I am back at home, post shower, with my clean new tee-shirt. I have to say, I had a great day! I hope you did, too.

Remember: It's not too late to enter for the Bubble and Splash giveaway. The giveaway ends at midnight tonight.

Click HERE to donate money for Clean Water projects around the world. The project helps families that don't have access to clean water. You can read more about my project on last week's post.

These women walk farther than my half-marathon every day to fetch water for their families. In a world with so much, it just takes a little to help families have access to clean water. I'd love to have you sponsor me. Together, we can make a real difference!

Then post a comment to tell me you donated, and I'll enter you in the drawing for the fabulous homemade soaps. So simple!

Thanks everyone, for your support with the Clean Water project! So far the donations are right around $200.00! Every little bit helps...

Kathy Week 15: The Bubble and Splash Giveaway!

Yes, you heard right...The Skinny is hosting a giveaway this week! 

I know, I know, I'm supposed to post weight-loss numbers and photos...and while losing weight in healthy ways is important, there are some things even more urgent...like this giveaway, and what it can accomplish! (But if you really want to see the numbers and a photo, they're at the bottom of this post.)

Announcing...(drum roll, please...) 

The Bubble and Splash Giveaway!!

What is the "Bubble and Splash" giveaway, you ask?

The "Bubble" part of the giveaway is a chance for you to receive two  beautiful, handmade soaps, made by my artist friend Carol, here in Oregon. There will be four winners of these high-quality soaps! I love them. I've started using Carol's soap as my facial cleanser, because her handmade formula moisturizes while it cleans, and she uses only pure, natural ingredients and essential oils for aroma. Mmmmm...so frothy and soft! Keep reading for information on how you can win two bars of Eau Joy soap.
(Two bars of Eau Joy soap = $10.00 value! Check out Carol's art website here. If you want more information about Carol's ingredients and her beautiful soaps, just mention that in your comment or an email and I'll forward her fact sheet to you...if you give me your email address...)

The "Splash" part of the giveaway is the sound of water coming from deep beneath the ground, into a woman's water container. She might live in Africa. Or Southeast Asia. Or any one of the thousands of communities across the globe without easy access to clean water.

Did you know that...

• More than 1 billion people lack access to clean water,
• Dirty water and lack of hygiene kill 3.3 million people around the world annually, most of them children under age 5,
• In most countries where water must be carried by hand, it is the job of women to carry the water,
• In some villages, women spend up to 6 hours every day carrying water--as much as 50 pounds at a time, 3 times a day--to supply water for basic needs and livestock, and
• The women's skeletons can become compressed from the weight, leaving them in constant pain.

(This photo and the next one came from 
http://www.wowmission.com/Page/View/Chibanga)

And yet, when these communities are supplied with clean water, they are transformed. According to the most recent issue of National Geographic...

• All the hours previously spent hauling water can be used to grow more food, raise more animals, or even start income-producing businesses,
• Families spend less time sick or caring for loved ones stricken with waterborne diseases, and
• Since the need to fetch water, or to care for siblings while their mothers fetch water, is a primary cause for female illiteracy in many African communities, that means that,
• The freedom from water slavery allows girls to go to school and choose a better life.
• This video says it all.

Splish Splash! 

Helping communities have access to clean water can Change the World!

So here's the deal: I've decided to turn my upcoming Goat Mountain Gallop half marathon into a fundraising event, to help provide wells for villages without access to clean water. 

I'll be walking 13 miles up hill and down on Saturday, April 17. Will you sponsor me? 

I've found a great project, through the humanitarian services agency of my church, that drills wells in 26 different countries! 100% of your donations will go to the well projects, because the church uses other funds to cover administrative and fund-raising expenses, and volunteer water specialists help to design and implement the water systems.

It's a no-brainer:

• I walk the 13 miles
• You click here to donate some money to sponsor me
• Donations of any amount are welcome. Every donation, no matter how big or small, helps families have access to water.
• You leave a comment or send me an email telling me that you donated, and
• I enter you in the drawing for the soaps!
• For an extra chance to enter the drawing, help spread the word! Make a link to this post in your own blog or facebook or twitter. Then post a second comment telling me about that, so I will know to put your name in twice!
• You can donate $$ to this very worthy project any time, but the deadline for the soaps drawing is next Saturday, April 17, at midnight, when I will put all the names in a large water pitcher...and then...
• The first three names I draw out of the pitcher will win two bars of "Eau Joy" soap, and the fourth name will win one bar. International bloggers are welcome to sponsor me and enter the drawing!

Click here to sponsor me in the half marathon and join the Bubble and Splash giveaway! 

Don't forget to leave a comment or email me: haynieoregon@gmail.com.

Week 15 Stats:
Today's Weight: 140!
Last Week's Weight: 141
Starting Weight: 151
Total Weight Loss: 11 pounds
And I feel strong and fit - ready to tackle Goat Mountain next Saturday!

Ha ha - the only photo of me today is this one...I'm heading out the door for a six-mile training hike for the Goat Mountain Gallop. Yikes! Only one more week of training left...have a great week, everyone.


P.S. - Like my new training outfit? I won the shirt at my Curves Gym this week for (finally) completing 100 workouts. (Lame...I have been a member for over a year, so I have obviously not always been good about working out 3x a week.) And the shorts are some great REI hiking shorts that I found at Goodwill! I loved them so much that I bought them six months ago...Ha ha! That was long before I could fit into them...but now they do fit! Hooray!

And the WINNER is...

Congratulations SARAH!!!

Sarah has won the CD full of great workout tunes! I hope you use it well!

Now, on to my tip for today...another leg workout! So maybe you didn't try to Paso Legs workout...you don't have Paso music or you don't think you can do lunges and squats...but here is one you can definitely do! All you need is a set of stairs.

Begin at the bottom of the stairs and run up them as quickly as you can. Then come down.

Begin at the bottom of the stairs and run up them as quickly as you can, skipping a step each time. So this time you are only stepping on every other step. Then come down.

Begin at the bottom of the stairs and run up them as quickly as you can, skipping two steps each time. So this time you are only stepping on every third step. Then come down.

Begin at the bottom of the stairs and repeat the process (every step, every other step, every third step) but keeping your feet together...so you will be jumping.

Begin at the bottom of the stairs and repeat the process (every step, every other step, every third step) using only one leg at a time...so you will be hopping.

At the end of this series you will have gone up and down the stairs 12 times. If you can, go ahead and do it again!

Now here are a few tips- if you can't run, jump, or hop skipping more than one stair at a time, it is okay. Do two sets of skipping just one step instead of the skipping two stairs set and pretty soon you will build up enough strength to skip two steps...and will feel like the picture above! Also, don't worry about coming down the stairs any specific way...just walk normally. Don't take too long between each trip up the stairs and you will ensure that this is an aerobic workout as well as a strength training one! It is not necessary, but sometimes I find it helps if I am listening to Eye of the Tiger or the theme from Rocky :) And make sure you stretch once you are all done, especially your hamstrings, quads, calves, and ankles, so you will be able to do this workout again!

My Comfort Activity

It is hard to turn over a new leaf.  Changing so many things about your routine, diet, and activities can be really hard mentally.  Sure the whirlwind of it all kind of puts an element of excitement in it to begin with, but after that dies off you are just left with all of these foods, exercise, etc. that you aren't sure are really you.  And while you don't wish to go back to being heavier or unhealthier, there are times you wish for things that are in your past life.  It is at this point that people either persevere and make the changes for life or give up and go back to what they know best.  Here is my trick for ensuring you won't revert to your bad ways...because while the first time this slump or rut hits is the hardest, it is definitely not the only slump or rut you will feel- after all, how long did you live like your old self?

The trick is to pick one activity that you really enjoy- a little something that you can indulge in once and awhile- to ease your transition.  I call it my "comfort activity" instead of my "comfort food".  It can be reading, cooking, writing, watching tv...pretty much anything you want.  Then dedicate an hour to your activity every once and awhile (no, not necessarily every week) and don't feel guilty about it! 

Try to add a new spin on it to make it fit into your new lifestyle, but don't completely abandon or feel guilty about doing things that make you happy!  If you love to read, do a set of pushups every chapter, 5 pgs, time a character appears, etc.  If cooking makes you feel like you, try a healthy recipe or make those yummy goodies and take ALL of them to a friend.  If writing is your thing, do it sitting on a fitness ball or try to hold your feet off the ground.  The tv is calling your name- drink a glass of water each commercial break or do 10 sit-ups each time a certain word is said.  You get the idea.

My comfort activity is taking a bath.  I like super hot baths- where you can tell where the water level was because your body is different colors in the water and out of the water.  I love to just soak and let my thoughts wander...or sometimes I read...or sometimes I listen to music.  But it is my time and I feel most like myself in the bath; it just makes me happy.  And when I am happy I am more motivated!  My spin I put on it is that for every 10 minutes I am in the bath I drink one glass, 8 oz., of water...I can get four or five of my daily glasses in one sitting!  

After taking a bath I not only feel physically relaxed, but mentally rejuvenated as well.  This means I am ready to face the calorie counting and the hard workouts and all of the other things that sometimes seem like just too much. 

It is your brain that is controlling your body, not the other way around.  It is a mental battle each day to make choices that are good for the body...it is a mental battle to lose weight, thus we need to give our minds a break as well as our bodies if we intend to keep pushing.  Your mind will be what gives up, what decides this whole business is too difficult.  Make sure you nurture your mind...give your mind a break and your body will be just fine :) 

So here is my question...what is your comfort activity?  If you would like to be entered in this week's giveaway, leave a comment telling us what your comfort activity is and what spin you are going to put on it to make it fit in your new, healthy life.  (Examples are above in green)  

I will randomly draw a winner on Thursday, February 25th and post the winner on my regular post that evening.  Please make sure that you have left your comment by Wednesday, February 24th.

The winner will be given a CD full of great workout tunes...music that will get you up and going whether you are cleaning the house or running a race!  Make sure you leave a comment telling us both what your comfort activity is and what you are doing to revamp it by Wednesday to be entered!

Giveaway Winners!

Well, I finally held the drawing to determine the two winners!  A special thanks goes to my husband Bryan for choosing the names out of a hat.

But first, I must pause for a moment and brag about my cool friend Nancy.  Nancy has done some design work for me in the past and I love, love, love it, so when I took a look at The Skinny and felt that it was in need of a serious face lift, I knew exactly who to ask.  Basically I just told her I wanted it to look great and have three columns and now here we all are, basking in the beauty of all the wonderful header and buttons and all around coordinated beauty.  Nancy- it is beautiful!  I really cannot thank you enough.  I hope all of you lovely readers will take a moment to poke around Nancy's design website Nancy Jones Design.  It is so pretty over there.  And please feel free to leave a comment letting here letting Nancy know how much you dig our fancy new...well... digs.


Now, on to the giveaway winners!  Are you ready?

The winner for the Macey's sandwich bag is....


















... Belivas!
Who wrote: good luck with your healthy diet!keep up the good work with crafting!swsw,follower from greece!

Wow! All the way from Greece! How cool is that? Συγχαρητήρια!

 Now, the winner of the BYU snack bag (just one) is....




















...Ladyfishfelt!
Who wrote: I am a new follower.


Thanks everybody for entering!  We hope to bring you more fun giveaways here in the future.  Have a great night!

GIVEAWAY!

(If you're looking for my Week 6 post, it's below this one.)

I've been promising you all a giveaway and now it's finally here!

Reusable snack bags!  

Made by yours truly from recycled grocery bags, these reusable snack and sandwich bags are durable, lightweight, compact, and easy to clean.

We'll be giving away two this time and (if you're good and eat your veggies) we'll be giving away more in the future.

Celery, anyone?

More matters.  Eat your fruits and veggies.

(The little green apple and "veggies" are hand embroidered.)

See?

These snack bags are eco-friendly.  "The Green Sandwich Bag" was made from a produce bag like the one you see here.  A perfect reminder to eat healthy goodies, I think.

They also hold boring sandwiches, if you prefer.

(This is not just two pieces of bread.  This was Bryan's peanut butter and honey sandwich that I borrowed for a minute.)

 

 

 

 

Did I mention these are easy to clean?

 

Just rinse...

...and air dry!

Enough pictures!  On with the giveaway!

The bags up for grabs this time are:

1.) "The Macey's Sandwich Bag"

 

 

 This bag is big enough to fit one regular size sandwich.  And it could be yours.

2.) ONE of "The BYU Bookstore Snack Bag Twins"

 

These bags will hold about one medium apple cut into slices.  Or some fresh cherry tomatoes.  Or some snap peas.

So... want to win?

Just become a follower (if you already are that counts too) and leave a comment saying that you're a follower of The Skinny.  Please also include your e-mail address so I can contact you for your mailing info if you win.

For a second chance to win, add "the Skinny" button to your blog and leave a comment (with your e-mail!) saying you did.  (I'll be checking out your blogs, so no Pinocchio business.)

(If you make a mistake and leave more than one comment for each of your entries please make sure and delete your extra posts.)

That's it!  

*This giveaway is open to our international readers also.*

The giveaway will close midnight (Mountain Time) on 

Tuesday, February 9, 2010.  

I will then put all of the entries into a hat or bucket or cool reusable snack bag or something and pick two winners.  The first one will win the Macey's sandwich bag and the second one will win the BYU Bookstore snack bag.

Good luck everybody!

*Note: I have done some research online to try and find out if this material is food-safe and I have not yet been able to find any information on it.  If you find anything on the subject please send me an e-mail at kathleenann08(at)gmail(dot)com.  In the mean time, Bryan and I have been using our snack and sandwich bags made of this material for a few weeks now and we have not yet died or suffered any ailments due to our usage of the bags.

**Note: I also just wanted to add a big THANKS! to Dana of the wonderful MADE who shared her awesome tutorial for reusable grocery bags made of this material, which in part inspired this version of these bags.  Thanks also to Jerilyn of French Sleep Deprivation Study for sharing her templates.  And if you're not feeling super lucky and just want to make your own, you can visit my regular blog HERE for some basic instructions.