Jul 16, 2010
Posted in Friday Feature | View Comments
Let me start by saying two things: 1) I have only had this Garmin for a week, and I love it; and 2) for the casual runner, this Garmin is probably too much (price, detail, etc). Having said that, I have crossed that threshold back in to serious semi-serious training. I have even joined a half-marathon training program. When I crossed that threshold, I decided that I needed a better and more accurate way to track my distance, work level (heart rate), and pace. There are other watches out there, but this is the one I own and like, so take it for what it’s worth…my opinion!
The Garmin Forerunner 405CX (hereafter referred to as “CX”) is quite light weight, and really feels like a watch when I am running. I have friends with the 305, but when I tried theirs, it seemed bulky on my small wrists.
The CX comes with a heart rate monitor to track ones work level, which has already been especially nice in the heat of Oklahoma. It took me about five minutes to get used to the monitor on my chest, and the elastic is definitely helpful, as I don’t need to tighten it too much to keep it in place.
One difference between the regular 405 and the CX is that the CX calculates the calories burned based on your heart rate. This is especially helpful in keeping me from overeating and indulging. I am pretty good about what I eat anyway, and I have found that running suppresses my hunger to a point, but knowing that my four mile run burned a whopping 347 calories keeps me from thinking that I can eat an entire pizza on date night.
Another nice feature– knowing my pace on runs– keeps me from pushing too hard too many days in a row. It really does help to slow me down when I need to be having a long slow training run.
The CX tracks elevation, distance,pace, and a whole host of additional options, which I then upload to my computer for use with their software (offline) or to their online sharing program. The CX comes with a USB device called ANT+, which allows my computer and watch to communicate when in proximity of one another for auto downloading of my workouts.
I’m a bit of a data hound, but if you are thinking about training for any distance and want a Garmin (or similar style of device), I definitely like my CX and recommend it. And no, Garmin did not pay me to say that…nor did anyone else. 
VN:F [1.9.4_1102]
Jul 13, 2010
Posted in Goals | View Comments
Wow! It’s hard to believe that it is already July! Not only July, but nearly half of July has already gone missing! That means one thing…time to review my 2010 goals publicly. Again. There is nothing like putting oneself out there for the world to see– success and failures all in one place! Unlike the March review, I am copying the goal this time. It’s mid-year…a BIG deal. ha ha!
While I was reminding myself to do this post, I couldn’t help but think– wouldn’t it be better to set goals on my birthday? For now though…I’ll stick with calendar year.
Here they are…2010 goals with mid-year review!
Spiritual and Personal Growth. I will spend time each day in prayer and reflecting on my life, taking note of areas that need improvement and those where improvements have been made. Specifically this year, I will focus on compassion. In March I expanded the goal to include: I have expanded this goal, as of this morning officially, by signing up for a Bible reading plan that will guide me in reading the Old Testament once and New Testament twice over the course of a year. Yes, my iphone is involved thanks to the youversion Bible app (also available online).
Progress: I am still working on compassion, but I have a feeling this will be a life-long work for me, especially as it relates to rule following. I am a cross the road in a cross-walk, use a turn-signal kind of girl. On the other hand, I see vast improvements in how I treat others, though at time I think I still come across as being much more blunt than loving and compassionate. When I realize this, I hurt deeply though, so I know it is [at least] something of which I am becoming more aware.
I am also very much on schedule for the reading guide. I tend to get a day or three ahead and then miss a day while spending 13 hours driving. I still think it is making a difference in my life having a structured plan for reading the Bible, as I tend to read it much more regularly this way, and as a result I think and reflect more.
Financial. After doing a Crown Financial Ministry one day seminar, I have been working to ensure our financial decisions reflect what is important to us. Our goal this year is to find a balance between frugality, necessity, and giving that reflects our priorities.
Progress: I am so far off track on keeping track of our expenditures and budgets it is not even funny. I don’t think we are spending ourselves in to the next century, but I know we could be doing better. I was just thinking today about how we could do this better– trying to decide if the cash envelopes should be welcomed back or if I should buy a receipt scanner and program and then do it that way. If anyone had any ideas, my mind is open. As of right now, the scanner and software are winning out, but I don’t like to rush purchases.
On the positive side, we are still ahead in our giving, and we are able to really support things that are important to us, so I am counting that as a plus.
Personal Fitness. Dang it. I WILL WORK OUT!!! Regularly. I love working out, but I hate that I feel like I must do it at lunch or not at all. There isn’t enough time after work for me to get a workout in and care for The Boy, so I am going to find a schedule that works and stick to it!
Progress: well…I stopped going to group classes when we started traveling and such. On the other hand, I have become much more disciplined about my lunch workouts when I am in town, and I have been working out while out of town. To add fuel to this fire, I ran a 5K after just a couple of weeks of running after some time off, and I have committed to a friend that I will run a half marathon this fall. We are going to a meeting at
Fleet Feet where we can join a training group to help us along the way– especially with the long weekend runs. The more I run, the better I feel, including my twice-surgically-repaired knee, so that’s good, but I am still watching that I don’t over-train.
Because of the required training, I am actually considering that I need to change this goal a bit. I am concerned, based on my history, that I might actually lose too much weight. Don’t laugh or feel badly for me, but realize that this is a real problem.
Family. I will work to ensure we have adequate family time. In looking back at 2009, between work and friends, we did not have a lot of “just us” time, and I would like for that to change. This is not to say that we won’t or don’t want to spend time with friends, but rather, we need to be more diligent in doing things as a family.
Progress: Things have sped up for us and slowed down at the same time. The slow is that fewer folks are vying for Kevin’s time. The speed is that we have had a lot of family travel time during the month of June! For the most part, Kevin and I have kept our weekly date night when we are in town too, which has been great.
Books. I read 17 books in the last half or third of 2009, so I think it is realistic to hit 40 books in 2010. I have the advantage of two book clubs, which accounts for 24 books alone, and a distinct lack of mandatory academic reading!
Progress: Dare I say it? Goodreads says I have read 31 books already! I think my goal of 40 will need to be adjusted, but I want to reach the goal first. I am chicken! Secretly (not so much any more though), I am shooting for 48.
Academic. I will spend some serious time, thought and prayer deciding what to do next. PhD? Second Master’s Degree? Research position at IWR? Who knows, but I need to really spend some time there reviewing options.
Progress: Well, i still don’t really know, but I did sign up for the next level of LDP, which is a challenge, because I want to put for the effort. As a result, I have started reading books on leadership again, and this time, I get to pick the books, so that’s nice.
The Environment. Oddly, this is the hardest one for me, not because I have it all done, but because I am not sure which of the million things I want to do next. After a lot of thinking, I am going to work on my support of fair-trade by reducing the amount of unfair items I purchase and increasing fair-trade purchases. (James 5:1-4) I also have a goal to replace our teflon cookware with stainless steel and cast iron.
Progress: I am really working hard at this one, though it is hardest to define my progress. It is very challenging to find fair trade clothing that is suitable for a business setting, especially in Tulsa, so I have only made minimal progress there. However, I am doing much better on fair-trade grocery store items, and better yet, we are continuing and expanding our support of local family farmers, which is a HUGE step in the right direction! The teflon is gone except for in a couple of bakeware items. We have replaced most of our plastic storage with glass, and I am now making my own cleaning products!
Goals. I will review my goals monthly and revise as necessary. Thankfully, Erin pointed me to a program called Things, which allows me to sent a nice reminder/to do!
Progress: I look at the goals regularly, though I must admit, I don’t always look monthly.
How are you doing on your 2010 goals?
VN:F [1.9.4_1102]
