 |
| View from the family room of the house we stayed in for retreat. Amazing! So grateful! |
I just got back from an amazing 2 days at our Pastoral Staff Retreat. A very generous family that’s part of our church gave us their house for a couple days of rest, prayer and rejuvenation and it was just what I needed after the craziness of the end of the school year. The older I get, the more I find myself needing these spiritual getaways and I find God speaks to me on retreat in a way that just seems impossible in the midst of jobs, kids, bills and . . well, life.
I’m determined to get more quiet into my day and although it may seem unrelated, one way I’ve always found “quiet” in the midst of chaos is through running and, more recently, through swimming and biking. I always loved both of these activities as a kid, but thanks to my amazing husband who bought me a great bike, and our local pool which has daily outdoor designated lap lanes, I’m back at it!! Both are, for me, exercise as PLAY and although running CAN be that at times, my almost non-stop training can make that feel more like work.
 |
| So blessed to have an amazing local pool! |
So I’m back in the pool and back on the streets in our neighborhood (with my nifty helmet, safety first). I’m only able to swim about 500 meters right now, but am going to try to make that a full mile by the end of the summer (found this article today if you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of swimming for runners). And on the bike I’m finding about 5 miles to be a good distance but I’m hoping to improve on that as well.
 |
| Don’t worry, I always wear my helmet. This was the day I got it and I was only riding around our driveway:) |
But I’m not really focusing on improvement. I’m determined to keep it fun and light-hearted and every once in awhile, I might not even log the activity on Run Keeper (I know, right?). Because by staying very close to the girl in me that loves to move and play, I bring an energy to my workouts that reminds me that God meant this body to move and for me to enjoy the process.
How about you? What’s your favorite way to cross-train and play?? Tell me about it!
Good luck with the cross training! I haven’t found the fun activity just yet- though lifting weights does make me happy!
I know, Patty, ME NEITHER! That’s why I like the swimming. The time goes really fast. And I think it’s helping me with my “bat wing” arms;)
Sadly in the summer, no exercise feels like play to me! Florida is just too darn hot! But I do love to ride my bike outside when it’s cooler out. And hiking in nature is so restorative to me. Thanks so much for linking up with us for our first Tuesdays on the Run!
April thanks for doing it! Such a great idea! And I’m with you on the hot – in fact, I’m going to have to be up at 6am tomorrow (even though my kids are out of school and I don’t have to be at work until 9!) to avoid melting! May we all survive to see fall, LOL!