Sensory Strides podcast

Quote “The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the colour that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again.”  Ram Charan Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. Episode 75!  Wow!  What a great trip it has been. I've been reflecting on a closeout episode for this season of Sensory Strides and I have been struggling with what that should be.  I have come to realize that Sensory Strides where it is now is not where it started. Growth in different ways than expected. I had been considering sunsetting this podcast.  I listened to episode 260 of the Bib Rave podcast and they announced that they are going to be ending their podcast after five years. BibRave This seemed to be a sign to confirm that my thoughts on sunsetting Sensory Strides and allowing myself to focus on some of my other projects. Especially those that are Girl Scout related like my Hearts of Gold podcast and the work I'm doing with Badgerland council to improve and encourage more girls to earn their Highest Awards is likely the better place for me. I'm recognizing that my mental health is just as important as my physical health, and I have been spreading myself thin. I need to focus on that which improves my mental health and that which gives me the strength and energy to be encouraged to pursue new interests.  Working with these amazing young women in Girl Scouts feeds my soul in that way. The new house is amazing and watching both the sunrises and sunsets each day have helped to allow me to relax in a different way than I have these last few years.  I look forward to the summer and sitting outside watching those amazing sunsets. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “If the plan doesn't work, change the plan, but never the goal.”  Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. I can't believe it has been six weeks since I recorded an episode!  I have had a lot going on, but all just normal busyness, nothing special. I was well into my training plan and things were going really good.  Then last week I had a very sore back.  I went to the chiropractor and I am feeling much better I think it was the worst my back has ever felt.  I had to interrupt my training because I could barely move for a couple of days.  What I realized is that my whole body was aching.  I had noticed it before, but I just attributed it to the training plan and my focus on doing well.  I think it is more than that.  I haven't run for almost two weeks now and my caves are still tight and sore.  My glutes have finally loosened up a bit.  I think I'm going to skip my race I had planned for the end of October.  I'm sad because I love trail runs, but I need to listen to my body. I am going to be super busy the next couple of weeks anyway.  We finally got possession of our new home this past weekend after waiting seven months without a firm date in sight.  I have been packing and moving what I can and we will move the big stuff after I come back from my vacation in a couple of weeks. It is time for Craft Camp, something my mom and sister have been going to for years and I started going to about ten years ago.  We are going to be making baskets this weekend.  I am so excited! Then I am home for one day and I get on a plane to head to Arizona for She Podcasts Live!  I am even more excited about that!  Jessica has planned it so that it is a combination retreat and conference.  It is at a resort with multiple pools.  I am so looking forward to it! Illinois Homemakers Camp LIVE • She Podcasts When I come back I think I am going to go back to my video workouts – I'll have a great new space to workout in and perhaps I can focus more on the strength training and build my frame back up. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Sometimes I try to be normal but it gets boring so I go back to being me.” Mediaweapps.com Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. I started training for the end of October 10k this week!  It feels great to be following a training plan again, although I really miss sitting on the couch doing nothing.  I've pushed myself to actually run doing the workouts.  While I can't run for a full mile yet, I look forward to continuing to push myself.  I was inspired by a recent Another Mother Runner discussing racing mindset to push a bit harder than I have historically.  For me, it has always been about finishing.  I think I may use this fall's race to push myself and challenge myself to not be the last one in. AMR Trains #38 How to Get Into a Racing Mindset (anothermotherrunner.com) It was a busy Girl Scout week.  Tuesday, I had a meeting with council, then I got in my car and had a troop meeting while I drove to a Gold Award project ribbon cutting.  After the ribbon cutting on the way home I had a highest awards sub committee meeting.  Then Thursday it was our council's annual meeting.  Council just moved into a new building, and we were able to tour the building before the annual meeting.  It is going to be a great programming space.  End of August is also a busy time for Girl Scouts as girls are submitting their final reports prior to school starting.  We've had an influx of proposals too.  Looking forward to growing our Gold Award class for next spring! We also went to the La Crosse Area Parade of Homes.  Very excited to find a house that was painted a grey we liked.  We also found a cabinet color we like and decide white trim will be the way to go. I am getting so excited to move into the new space. La Crosse Area Builders Association - Parade Of Homes (labaonline.com) Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “You are not messy, everyone just organizes differently.” Cassandra Aarssen Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. Excited to be back to feeling mentally well.  So much so that I have decided to sign up for a trail 10k at the end of October.  I've found a training plan I can work with on the internet and will begin training next week.  Now, to get my eating habits back under control.  I need to reduce some inches so my clothes start fitting better. My mastermind group tried something new and spent a session sharing different media we've been enjoying.  We had been doing book club each month, with each of us reading a different book and sharing our takeaways.  We often talk about podcasts we listen to and thought a media sharing day would be good.  It was so much fun – although my podcast list has now grown again.  Moving forward we will do book club one month and media on the opposite month.  I love keeping things fresh! Media I shared included Hot Mess House on HGTV.  I have begun packing my current house for moving this fall and the timing on finding this show couldn't be better.  I have gotten rid of almost as much as I've packed so far.  I'm going to be reading one of Cas's books for book club in August.  She has a podcast, youtube videos, and an amazing Pinterest page.  The biggest thing I learned so far is my issue with thinking everything has value is my biggest hurdle towards managing clutter.  I have been using her $30 rule (if it isn't worth $30, it isn't worth your time and effort to try to sell it) and it has really changed my outlook. https://www.hgtv.com/shows/hot-mess-house https://clutterbug.me/books https://www.youtube.com/user/OrganizedClutterbug https://www.pinterest.com/Clutterbug_me Podcast | Clutterbug My biggest challenge with the value rule comes with anything related to Girl Scouts though.  Girl Scouts leaders save everything!  I have a bin of Girl Scout stuff that I am going to get rid of, but I AM going to use the $30 rule – I will just create bundles to sell.  If it doesn't sell, then it will go away.  Luckily there are a couple of really good Facebook groups for this activity. Another media I shared was Anne Bogel's podcast ‘What Should I Read Next'.  I love this podcast!  I almost always hear about one book to add to my reading list every episode.  I like that we learn about the guests as that actually helps me know if I will enjoy a book as well as they did, depending on our similar or differing outlooks. What Should I Read Next? Podcast – Modern Mrs Darcy What media do you get inspiration from? Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” Denis Waitley Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. I have felt most like myself in the past week or so than I have in a long time.  I had two great conversations with Gold Award Girl Scouts for my other show.  (Ep 64) One had such high energy and everything related to her project involved bright colors.  It was just so fun!  (Ep 65) The other was with a young women I have been following for a couple of years.  Her focus is STEM diversity and she is always involved in some activity related to STEM.  Her Instagram makes me tired just looking at it. https://pod.link/1406353288 https://www.youtube.com/c/sherylmrobinson I even had a last minute project that I successfully completed.  Girl Scouts has implemented a scholarship program for Gold Award Girl Scouts and a couple of days before it kicked off I received the details on which girls were eligible and we had four (out of our fourteen) that needed work in order to make sure they were eligible.  Two were easy because the system dates just needed to be corrected, but the other two required the girls to submit both their proposal and final report via the Go Gold electronic system.  Getting this report through the electronic system involved four different people and 8 steps.  Luckily we were all able to work together and get the Girl Scouts successfully set up.  The timing also worked well because the application process opened last week with the applications due this week and we have a already scheduled Highest Awards Q&A session scheduled.  We are pivoting and making that session a scholarship FAQ session for the girls. Then, I also received an email that a conference I have been very excited about attending has selected me to be a speaker on a panel.  I was already expecting this conference to be a highlight of my year and now that I will be involved even more my excitement has skyrocketed.  I can't share much about this yet, but I will be soon because it is a group I am already passionate about. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”  Albert Schweitzer Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. The past two weeks included lots of celebration. I am honored to have received the Girl Scout Thanks Badge II.  The Thanks Badge is the highest recognition an adult volunteer can earn.  The Thanks II is given to a volunteer already awarded the Thanks Badge.  In addition to work within my council, they awarded me the Thanks II for the work on my other show – Hearts of Gold and the speaking work I have done to promote the Girl Scout Gold Award. https://pod.link/1406353288 https://www.youtube.com/c/sherylmrobinson             Hear more about all of the Girl Scout Adult Awards on episode 63 of Heart of Gold. I also celebrated my 20th anniversary at the community health center I work for.  I started there as a part time Staff Accountant and am now CFO.  I love working there as we really focus on our communities and creating healthier environments, in addition to the health care we provide.  The integrated services we provide to care for the entire person - medical, dental, behavioral health, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, and pharmacy – allow our patients to see multiple providers the same day. The sliding fee scale we offer allows patients to receive the services at reduced rates. I've loved watching our health center grow over the years. Find a Health Center (hrsa.gov) I feel I have pulled passed the depressive state I was in this spring.  However, I find I am still having trouble setting personal goals and continuing to manage those things needed in order to keep things, like my podcasts, going.  My fitness has suffered this year because of it.  As discussed on prior episodes, I am a big fan of training plans, following the plan, and checking off each day as the workout is successfully completed.  I have lost my motivation.  This past quarter I tried stepping back into it by choosing some 30 day plans, one was a squat challenge and the other a pushup / crunch/ squat / lunge challenge.  Nothing difficult or time consuming, but I found not completing those plans increased my anxiety.  My waist has grown and I recognize I need to do something to stop the negative affects my body is facing.  In discussing this with my mastermind group, they suggested that I just take one day at a time and set a daily goal the night before or that morning as to what fitness and food goals I want to have for that day.  That felt more reasonable to me as I could take into account my schedule, the weather, and other factors as I plan the goal for the next day. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.” John F. Kennedy Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. My husband and I had planned our weeklong summer vacation to Colorado for the past week. However, multiple things occurred that caused us to delay the vacation a month or so.  However, I definitely needed a break, and it was the weekend of our fifth wedding anniversary, so we ended up taking a four-day weekend. We were going to head to Duluth / Superior since neither of us had been there before, but there were very few motel rooms to be had and the ones available were way out of the price range I was willing to spend. Instead, we headed to Iowa to bike ride all weekend.  Without even having a plan when we left on Friday morning, we couldn't have ended up with a better weekend.  I had heard about the High Trestle Trail for many years, mostly because I still listen to Ragbrai and Iowa Bike Coalition's podcast “Just Go Bike”.  I had seen pictures and was intrigued.  We got to the area early enough on Friday to ride a portion of the trail and still check into our motel room, eat dinner, and head back to see the bridge lit up at night.  The trail is amazing.  Super smooth and very wide, so even though there was plenty of bike traffic, there weren't any passing issues with a narrow path. JustGoBike (pod.link) High Trestle Trail | What We Do | INHF Saturday, we headed south of Des Moines and rode part of the Great Western Trail, which took us past the Des Moines airport.  We got to see a couple of jets landing and a few taking off.  We then hopped in the car and headed towards downtown and rode along the river and up to the capital building.  We also rode by Principal Park where I snapped a few pictures for my daughter who is a Cubs fan.  The Cub's minor league team plays in Des Moines. Great Western Trail - Polk County Iowa Principal Park | Cubs (milb.com) While in Des Moines, we realized the 70.3 Ironman was happening Sunday.  Since I am usually a participant and not a spectator and an Ironman race is known to be so well run, we decided to spectate.  However, thunderstorms rolled through overnight and early morning, and no one was sure if the race would even happen.  So, we didn't bother setting an alarm and decided to play by ear.  While it did take us longer to get to parking than we planned, we still were able to sleep in a bit and get to the race while the swim was in high gear.  They didn't end up starting until 9:45 and they had to cut the bike distance in half to reduce the time impact. (10) IRONMAN 70.3 Des Moines | Facebook WOW!  That was a lot of people and a lot of logistics!  I'm not sure I would have done my 70.3 if I had spectated a race of that distance beforehand.  It was exhausting just watching the participants. Overall, it was a great, relaxing weekend with lots of fresh air.  Just what I needed. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “A best friend is the only one that walks into your life when the world has walked out.” Shannon  Alder Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. The last two weeks have not been my best.  I thought I was coming out of my depression along with the weather getting warmer.  Then, I had an interaction with someone that shut me down.  I felt belittled and dismissed.  I shut down so much that I couldn't even talk with my husband.  I needed to shut myself in my room alone for a few hours.  It took me a couple of days before I was able to bring down the walls I had built up and interact with others on a more normal basis. Then, a series of smaller interactions kept me from climbing all the way out of the hole I was in.  I relied on my different support systems and managed to feel strong enough to have a face-to-face conversation with the person that was most central in the different tensions.  We had a great conversation and I feel much more positive going into this next week. It is important to have those crucial conversations when something isn't going the way you would expect, and you aren't sure why.  You don't know what is going on in the other person's life that could be affecting them.  Just like I am experiencing depression and know I am being more sensitive due to that condition, other people may have similar conditions that you aren't aware of.  By talking to them on a personal, non-confrontational way in order to learn how to improve you open the opportunity for those more personal conversations and may learn more of the why from their perspective. It is also important to have support systems with different perspectives. Of course, I have my husband.   I also have a very good friend that I rely on who is very analytical and process driven. Additionally I am part of an accountability mastermind group that I meet with every week.  While the group mainly helps me with my fitness and activities external to my work environment – like my podcasts and speaking engagements – there is a large trust factor we have built with each other that allows us to share us successes and troubles candidly and know we will receive honest feedback. I am not sure where I would be right now if it weren't for these different people.  I hope each of you have similar people that support you. On a positive, the weather has been very warm, my husband has been out working in the fields, and I've made it to the county park to hit the trails twice in the last week.  Trails are so much more interesting than walking the same route through town.  However, I would rather walk with my husband in town than alone on the trails. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “One of the main benefits of spending time in nature is stress reduction.” – Richard Louv Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. The last few months I have not been as active as I normally am.  I had slipped into a depression and was struggling to come out of it. While I recognized my poor mental health status, one of the tactics I used was to eliminate the non-essential items on my list.  I am a list maker and there is always something to do on that list.  What I was realizing was my brain and body needed a break from some of those items.  So I took a step back from many of the external activities I am involved in and reduced my contributions.  While doing this, I also reduced my activity.  Even my activity was a list – either a training schedule or a weekly goal of so many minutes of movement. While stepping back helped me return to a stronger state of mind, the lack of physical activities may have slowed the progress.  My husband and I went for a walk last week and I realized how much those walks improve my mental state.  That time outdoors, even if my husband and I are talking or I am listening to a podcast or a book, allows my brain to take a break.  The fresh air invigorates me and refreshes my soul. I’m still struggling with keeping a good mental balance, recognizing those things I can control and those things I can’t control.  Of course, the things I can’t control are some of the pieces that are weighing heavily on me right now.  I need to recognize there is only so much I can do and I need to let go of those things that I can’t do.  This is a difficult balance.  I have a great support system, but I am my hardest critic and I need to give myself grace. I hope you give yourself grace for those items you can’t manage and remember to keep the activities that keep you fulfilled in the forefront, even as you may need to let go of other things. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote "In a word, let me say: if we might keep in necessary things Unity, in unnecessary things Freedom, and in both Charity, our affairs would certainly be in the best condition."  Peter Meiderlin  Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. We used to start conversations talking about the weather or an activity that was happening in our community.  Now a days the question is “have you gotten your vaccine?”.  I encourage everyone to be more sensitive with this question.  Receiving the vaccine can be a very personal decision and could cause others to share personal medical information they may not want to share.  Unlike talking about the weather or a public event, the vaccine is a personal health decision. I am pro vaccine and believe that receiving vaccinations protects not only ourselves, but others as well.  Most vaccines have been around for a long time and have a history that makes people more comfortable with them.  As people may know, there are questions regarding some vaccines by some people that disagree with vaccines.  I encourage everyone to research any vaccine questions you may have by using well defied medical websites and scientific articles.  One key is often making sure that the website ends in org (reflecting a nonprofit) or a solid .com website. I encourage vaccinating but recognize there are some people that are unable to be vaccinated for health reasons.  For those able to be vaccinated, we are protecting ourselves, our families, and our communities. The only person that can make the decision on your health choices is you. While I was eligible in the very first round of vaccines due to my job, I did not choose to get vaccinated immediately.  My concern was not related to the shortened testing timeframes, I was confident no testing pieces were skipped, just the in between testing step waiting periods. I was concerned about long term side effects.  I have since reviewed vaccinations and when long term side effects generally appear and my concerns have been alleviated based on what I have learned thorough research. However, there were many people, my parents included, where any concerns were offset by the potential negative impact from contracting covid based on their age or other health issues.  I never undermined any efforts for those that choose to vaccinate.  Everyone’s situation is different, and all health choices need to be made based on an individual’s situation. I urge everyone to be conscious of what other people’s situation may be and not everyone can get the vaccine or choose to get the vaccine.  For those that choose not to vaccinate, they should be responsible for their own health and may choose to continue masking and social distancing to maintain their health. Remember, you cannot know what someone’s personal history and experience is that supports their decisions.  While Covid is a public health emergency, everyone has their own story and has to make the decision best for them. Please support each other and don’t judge each other based on physical observations and respect each other’s decisions. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Our elevation must be the result of self-efforts and work of our own hands. No other human power can accomplish it. If we but determine it shall be so, it will be so.” Martin Delany Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. Welcome to season 5! During our break I became a Grandma!  I’ve had the opportunity to spend time babysitting while my daughter was finally able to finish her clinical rotation for her RN degree.  I love spending time with my granddaughter and have even gotten her out on some walks with me. Most of this winter, I hibernated.  My husband and I were pretty good about getting some good long walks in, but once the cold really hit those walks went away.  I have been working to get back into the habit of walking, but my schedule has not been cooperative. While looking forward to goals for this year, I realized I need to do different exercises as it is likely my goals will include some vertical hiking.  I have been doing a 30 day lunge challenge in April. This past weekend I did some geocaching with a local student.  We are working together to create some geocaching tips and tricks to support a geocaching challenge the county park group has put together.  We visited some of the caches to identify and take pictures for tips that could help new cachers be successful.  While climbing some of the trails I could really feel the muscle fatigue from that lunge series which reinforced the need to focus on uphill hiking. That gets back to the possible goals for this year.  My husband and I are headed to Colorado in June.  There are two things I am considering.  The hike up Pikes Peak and the Manitou Incline.  Both are super challenging on their own, but add in the elevation and they are even more difficult.  I am confident my husband and I could do a 13 mile hill climb over an entire day in Wisconsin, but add in the extra elevation and no bail out options and I’m not sure it is the best decision for us.  The Incline is much more difficult, but shorter and there is a bail out option halfway up.  As someone who has to be very conscious to hydrate and pay attention to my body as I am susceptible to altitude sickness, this adds an extra element. Have you done an interesting Colorado hike?  Please share and give me ideas. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “A new year can begin only because the old year ends.” Madeleine L'Engle Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. As we wrap up 2020 my thoughts turn to the new year and what goal to set.  When I simplified my goals for 2020 to take a rest year, I had no idea that I would still struggle to meet them.  While I covered a lot of miles this year, 382 at this point with 265 of those since September, I did not complete 52 hikes – many of my miles covered the same stretches of pavement.  I also did not complete the geocache challenge I planned to do with my mom – although we did have a couple of great caching days and she worked on the goal without me many days. https://www.geocaching.com/ Looking towards 2021, I’m not confident how well live races will occur, so I’ve looked towards other activities to engage my soul and keep me moving.  I want to do the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim challenge, but I’ve learned you really need to start planning for that 2 years in advance.  Since shuttle service between the North and South rim is still spotty, it adds additional logistical challenges that I am not willing to take on. Rim To Rim - The Grand Canyon Experience | The Grand Canyon Experience While researching the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, I found a second challenge that would take me somewhere I’ve wanted to visit.  When my daughter was in high school, we visited Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, but didn’t make it to the other parks in Utah. There is a Zion Rim to Rim challenge also.  This fits much more cleanly into my challenging yet realistic criteria. A bonus is my husband is willing to do this one with me. Rim to Rim® - Zion | Rim To Rim - The Grand Canyon Experience I’m looking forward to visiting the other parks I haven’t been to as we visit Utah, not just Zion. The Mighty 5 | Visit Utah If the Missoula Marathon happens this year, I would love to participate in memory and celebration of Tony Banovich the Race Director who passed away this summer and meet Dimity and Sarah from Another Mother Runner in person. - Missoula MarathonMissoula Marathon Here’s looking forward to resuming travel and racing in 2021. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Cities are not microwave popcorn. Unless you are talking, as we are, about Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is microwave popcorn.” Sam Anderson Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73  #52hikechallenge2020 I recently read Boomtown by Sam Anderson.  This book gives both the originating – land rush and more recent histories of Oklahoma City.  There were a lot of things I never knew. https://www.amazon.com/Boom-Town-Fantastical-Basketball-World-class/dp/0804137315 Some interesting facts: In the 60’s, Oklahoma City was the largest city in the WORLD by land.  This was intentional by the original city planners. In 1964 they flew multiple sonic flights over OKC to test how it would impact the population.  As a result of those tests, commercial sonic flights over US land is prohibited. The land rush occurred in 1889.  That means OKC is only 131 years old. A big focus of the book is the passion the city had to bring a professional sports team to OKC.  The arena was built without a team to use it.  The city was looking towards an NHL team, but that never came to fruition. When Katrina caused the New Orleans Hornets to play for two seasons from Oklahoma City, the fan support raised interest from the NBA to possibly help find a team.  The stadium was sold out for a team that wasn’t even truly housed there.  When a team couldn’t be found to permanently locate in OKC, OKC went shopping. Seattle agreed to let the OKC businessmen buy the team as long as they didn’t move them team.  There was a condition in the contract that a new stadium would be built and that stadium didn’t come to be and the team was moved to OKC.  The book doesn’t go into all the legal details that happened with that move, but I wonder what Seattle was thinking selling their team to a group that they knew were looking to have a team in their city. There is a great discussion over the impact Gary England and Oklahoma’s weather has on weather forecasting for the world today.  I never realized how far that science has come and how much of it was generated by a single man. There are short chapters devoted to the big events in OKC, including the bombing, but this book really focuses on the experiences that rolled over years and decades. From the land rush to the oil boom to building and tearing down the city through today’s current events.  OKC has had an interesting history, designed with specific goals in mind.  I think everyone will learn something new from this book. I’ve visited OKC a few times and had great experiences.  I’ve now learned more and have some new things to explore for my next visit. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Someone struggled for your right to vote.  Use it.” Susan B. Anthony Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73  #52hikechallenge2020 While we weren’t in person, 1200 plus Girl Scouts came together this weekend for our once every three years National Council Session.  Usually this is scheduled in conjunction with the National Convention, which is a giant party.  Our girls are integral to planning the event and often take center stage. The National Council Session is the business meeting portion.  This year there were six proposals up for discussion and vote.  We follow Roberts Rules or Order.  The council session immerses everyone in parliamentary procedure and is a great learning experience for everyone. Friday started at 5 and was schedule to go until 7:30.  I finally made it to bed about 11.  Saturday started at 11.  We were supposed to have two sessions, but it stretched into one long session with a shorter break.  We went until nearly 10.  Sunday we started at 10 and went until about 9, with a short mid afternoon break.  About 26 hours total. Running the voting virtually added new challenges to the process.  Tech issues were a part of the issue, but I think the bigger impact came from not being able to see what was happening on stage or having opportunities for short entertainment (like singing) during waiting times.  Some of my fellow delegates and I actually got to chat more than we would have in person using Discord, a platform I hadn’t used before. The votes themselves were interesting.  Sunday afternoon, after our break, started off with a bang.  After more than 20 hours into the process we ended up with two votes in a row split right down the middle.  One had only one vote difference and the other had two vote separation.  We kept at it and were successful getting all of the work done! Next week is an important election for our country.  Please make sure to get out by Tuesday and vote.  My ballot went in last week! Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “If we do not find anything very pleasant, at least we shall find something new.” Voltaire Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73  #52hikechallenge2020 I took a few mental health days off work recently and one of the days my mom and I went geocaching. If you are not familiar with geocaching it’s basically hide and seek using a GPS. I love geocaching because it takes you to unique places that you would never visit otherwise.   Find out more about Geocaching: https://www.geocaching.com/play The first Geocache my mom and I tried searching for that day we couldn’t find right away. We started walking and getting close to the cache, but we were in the middle of a bridge. When we looked over the bridge, we realized there was an entire parking lot about 100 feet below us.  We looked around and couldn’t figure out how to get to the parking lot. We wandered back a couple of tenths of a mile and there was this narrow driveway between these houses that were on top of each other that led down the hill and to the parking lot. We wandered down and were very surprised and basically finding a garage carved into the side of the hill. Well, that of course is where the geocache was. Find out more about this geocache: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC34G5D Later that day we went to try and find another cache.  We were in a very busy area with lots of fast food and gas stations. The area did not really match the description of the cache. We wandered around and we happen to find a very old broken down bridge that went over a creek.  We climbed over the bridge and continued wandering. We ended up in this really cool place. Its used to a park called Fort Dells.  There was an old railroad cart base and an old safe, There were some tunnels. Just a really cool place.  We looked around and didn’t find the cache. However when we got home and loaded the pictures to social media to share we found that cash was right in the center on one of my pictures. I’m not sure how we missed it while we were there. Find out more about this geocache: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC7E8PA Pictures on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CGJAa6oJbgq/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CGJAQeUJs3D/ Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “The enemy will never attack you where you are strongest. … He will attack where you are weakest. If you do not know your weakest point, be certain, your enemy will,’ Charlie said.” Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73  #52hikechallenge2020 I recently finished One Second After by William R. Forstchen.  I heard about this book on Mac and Katherine Barron’s podcast, Catholic in a Small Town, during their entertainment section.  I’ve been on the waitlist for this book for nearly a year.  I expect I read this book much directly after our pandemic than I would have prior to the pandemic. The book describes the events that happen after an EMP event which takes out all the electronics in the United States.  An EMP or Electromagnetic pulse is a potentially real threat that could happen, this isn’t just science fiction. Reading this during the pandemic brings the issues we are facing into perspective.  The pandemic has changed the way we live, but it could be so much worse.  We still have internet and can communicate with others, plenty of food to fill our stomachs- think about how many people have taken up baking, medicine and healthcare are still readily available, and we can generally still travel wherever we want without fear. Another interesting perspective I took from the book is access to food.  As a Midwesterner, a variety of fresh food is accessible, many people have home gardens, and I drive by fields of crops every day.  The insight the book gave me is because of fewer opportunities for growing crops and higher population, the central US truly feeds those on the coasts.  I hadn’t really thought about the work that goes into processing and shipping food across the country, even though my husband is a farmer and drives a semi. There are very dark points of this book, which just reflect the true reality of what could happen.  I encourage you to read this book and consider how you would respond to the situation the book’s characters are presented with.  This book is a trilogy, but it seems like the next two books get more into the politics of what happens afterwards and I’m not sure I’m up for reading that at this point. What books have you read that have made you think differently about your first world problems? https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765327252 https://www.macandkatherine.com/ Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote "And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.”— Genesis 7:12 Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 I was listening to the Bible Study Podcast with Chris Christensen episode 651.  In this episode, Chris discusses the flood from Genesis.  I was struck as I listened to Chris how much the pandemic is currently mimicking the flood.  At first we needed to be “safer at home” for a few weeks, but in realty it is going to last much longer than that.  Similar to Noah’s forty days of rain, but staying in the ark for a year. https://thebiblestudypodcast.com/ I am not one of those always looking for signs in current times showing THE END is coming.  After all, Matthew 24:36 says no one but the Father knows the day or hour.  Why spend time worrying or hoping that this is the end – instead we should spend the time loving our neighbor and caring for each other. I can’t even watch the news anymore.  I have enough internal stress that I put upon myself, I don’t need to see how poorly we are treating each other.  The negative talk on television is so depressing. I hope you are finding sunshine as we enter into the fall.  Enjoy the last of summer’s sun and warmth before it becomes times for hot cocoa and fires in the fireplace. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Twitter @sherylmrobinson Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths." — Proverbs 3:5-6 Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 My daughter had her gender reveal party for my future grandbaby.  It’s a GIRL!!!!  That means a future Girl Scout!  I am so excited! During my last regular show, I mentioned that my husband and I were going back to church.  Well, things have changed once again.  We got a new Priest at our Church and he will be working with both us and a Parish the next town over.  Since both churches had similar Mass times, we knew this would mean a change somewhere.  When the new times were announced, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do and was in shock.  I have been attending early morning Sunday Mass, then going with my husband to his church about 40 minutes away.  We also go back to that church on Sunday evening for Bible study.  With the new Mass schedule there is no way we can keep our same schedule. Since I am a creature of habit and schedule, it took nearly a week before I accepted the reality of what decision was necessary.  There was a lot of talking to God to make sure I was listening to Him during the process. So, moving forward, my husband and I will do some Bible reading together Sunday morning and then we will go our separate ways to our separate worships.  We will then come back together and spend the afternoon together.  Sunday nights – once they are scheduled again – we will then go to Bible study together. We will see how this works. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. You HAVE to LISTEN to this one!!!!!! Thanks to Mac and Katherine Barron for allowing me to use excerpts from their show to share my story.  This ‘conversation’ happened during June of 2020. God always has a plan. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Mac and Katherine’s website: https://www.macandkatherine.com/ Make sure to check out their podcast – Catholic in a Small Town.  Episodes available on the website or through your favorite podcatcher app. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote "When it rains, look for rainbows; when it's dark, look for stars." — Oscar Wilde Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 I got a new to me car earlier this year.  I had tried selling my car, but didn’t get a buyer.  I intended to wait a month or so and then post it for sale again, but life and the pandemic changed those plans.  We went to pull the car out of the garage and the battery was dead.  Did you know in newer cars you can’t put the car in neutral if the battery is dead?  After some internet searches we found out that the shifter it also an electronic component and that is why you can’t shift it to neutral.  You have to get into the gearshift compartment and pull a release lever in order to be able to change gears with a dead battery. We are lucky that we have a great teacher sharing interesting things happening in the night sky with us. Comet NEOWISE has been in the sky the last few weeks. My husband and I got up early one morning and headed up to our local small airport to check it out.  We were able to see the comet and had ISS fly over.  Double win.  It was so early we came back home and went back to sleep. https://www.facebook.com/DriftlessStargazing/ I went back to church this weekend.  I have been debating if I was ready to take that step.  I got a call asking me to fill in leading the Rosary and the readings.  I also was asked to fill in for the PowerPoint manager for my husband’s church.  It looks like we will be getting back into our regular Sunday routine.  Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." — Maya Angelou Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 One of my friends created a challenge group to do 100 miles this quarter.  We are all off to a great start.  Friday, I headed out early in the day to try a new trail.  It is at a multiuse trail where there is a hiking trail, a fat bike trail, and a disc gold course. I had looked at the map and thought the trail was four miles long.  I ended up on the real golf course, but thought that the trail went out, down the paved path a bit, and then back into the woods.  Well I ended up WAY in the wrong place.  I could see a busier road and figured I would walk out to it and then back to where my car was using the road.  When I realized where I was, I knew that was not really an option – I was about 2.5 miles from my car via the road.  So, I turned around and backtracked.  Even with the wrong turn and back tracking, I still only got 3 miles in.  Obviously, I need to try that trail again to figure out where the four miles of trail is. Saturday, my husband went for a walk with me.  Our local small airport has been working on one of the runways for the last month and they finished this last week.  My husband and I decided to check it out.  We walked through the hangar area overlooking the grass runway and then headed to the new blacktop.  We walked the length of the runway and back.  With the walk to the airport, that made 4.5 miles. It was definitely an interesting 4th of July weekend, especially since the 4th was actually on the weekend.  Everything was quiet.  There was one local parade which my mom and I headed out to.  I was a bit worried about social distancing, but we had nothing to worry about.  We were able to set up right on the main drag and had at least six feet on either side of us.  We even had candy shared with us even though we didn’t have any kids with us. I read what started out as a very enjoyable book and then about 2/3rds in, it took a left turn and just got weird.  The book is Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty.  I’d love if someone would comment on their thoughts if they’ve read it. https://smile.amazon.com/Nine-Perfect-Strangers-Liane-Moriarty/dp/1250069823/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= I also read 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin   I enjoyed this book but found out after I read it there is also a parent version and a women’s version.  If I had realized that I would likely have read the women’s version.  I like the way Amy organized the chapters, including many bullets and associated stories. https://www.amazon.com/Things-Mentally-Strong-People-Dont/dp/0062358308 For some fantasy I read Nora Roberts’ Guardians Trilogy It was an interesting compilation based in fantasy but focusing on the relationships rather than the special qualities of the characters. https://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Trilogy-Collection-Fortune-Island/dp/9123797436/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10AKHOO8JU7LF&dchild=1&keywords=the+guardians+trilogy+nora+roberts&qid=1593981570&s=books&sprefix=the+guardians+tri%2Cstripbooks%2C164&sr=1-1 Looking forward to the new quarter and getting back on my goals.  March through June didn’t go so well, but we are going to focus on positive movement this quarter. Make sure to listen to my next episode – I have some exciting news to share. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” NIV Romans 12:21 Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 We traveled to Oklahoma this week.  My husband’s pastor moved last month, and they couldn’t get everything on the moving truck, so we took a trailer load with the rest of their stuff.  We loaded up and left at 4 am to head out.  I had checked out the status of covid cases along our route before we left, so I knew the areas we should not stop in.  Most of the route had falling numbers, so except for a couple of urban areas, that wasn’t really a concern. We headed to a small town in northwestern Oklahoma and arrived about 6 that evening.  We checked in to an old school motel, one that still used keys. https://www.watongalodging.com/ The next morning, we went to the local state park for breakfast.  We were able to get a hike in before we ate.  Luckily, the restaurant wasn’t busy (it was a weekday and mid-morning), so social distancing wasn’t an issue.  Then we went to the new church and parsonage to unload the trailer.  We then spent the rest of the chatting. https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/6460 https://www.facebook.com/etnawesleyan/ The next morning, we got up and headed to Oklahoma City.  Although I really wanted to go to the Oklahoma Memorial Museum, this was my decision I questioned the most. I was concerned about being in an urban downtown area and a tourist destination.  However, I had visited the museum before and knew what an impact it had on me and I knew my husband would really appreciate the experience.  We got to the museum right when it opened and were alone for at least the first 45 minutes or so.  Then a group came through, but then were going through must faster than us and passed right by us.  The way the museum is set up, there are lots of small sections with different pieces of the history.  We stayed in one of those and the group just skipped right past it.  We spent three hours at the museum and then headed outside to walk through the park. After the museum, we weren’t sure what to do.  My husband is a sports and weather geek, so he suggested we head to Norman to visit Oklahoma University.  In case you aren’t aware – which is likely most of you – the Women’s College World Series would normally be going on right now.  We found the softball field, all wrapped up without anybody there when there would normally be about 2000 fans there to watch the game.  We drove by all the sports facilities and then went to the National Weather Museum and Science Center, even though we knew they weren’t open. http://www.ou.edu/ https://www.ncaa.com/championships/softball/d1 https://nationalweathermuseum.com/ Since we still had some time before needing to find food, we then headed to the Will Rogers Airport.  We found a great observation point and were able to see about ten planes take off or land in the hour or so we were there. https://flyokc.com/ We found a hole in the wall pizza place, Falcone’s, for dinner and had the most amazing pizza.  We were able to sit in a corner out of the way but let me tell you this place was busy!  There were constant people coming in and out.  They had a Tiramisu dessert that I so wanted to try, but I knew I didn’t have enough room to do it justice. https://www.bestpizzaokc.com/ After our two-day break, we headed back home.  While in the car, I was able to finish five books, so I got some great reading time in too. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes, several attack me all at once.” -Ashleigh Brilliant Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us! There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 Last week I was in the depression bubble again and really struggled to come out of it. I was not feeling successful at work, but I knew it was more than that and couldn’t pull myself into a more positive mindset. So instead, I gave into it and ate more food than normal, didn’t give full attention to my other podcast, and sat in front of the tv. By Friday night I had enough tv and choose instead to indulge in reading. I finished 4 books over the weekend. By last night I was beginning to feel slightly better and when I woke up today, I felt ready to face others again. I am still struggling with balancing what is acceptable to me in going out in public and what others are doing. Prior to the pandemic, Sunday was truly a day devoted to God. I would go to Mass, then we would go to my husbands church where he would teach Sunday school, then have church there, come home, have lunch, and then head back out in the evening for Bible study. My church opened last weekend and I am not even considering going yet and am instead continuing to watch livestream Masses. My husband’s church opened yesterday. He went, but I stayed home. Even in church, I am not ready to trust other people’s willingness to keep everyone healthy quite yet. On Saturday, I decided I was ready to attempt a small step back into the world. I recently purchased a standing desk converter. However, the table I was using it on didn’t really work. I decided to go to some local furniture thrift stores to see if I could find something that would work. I figured that either there would be way too many people and I just wouldn’t go in or there wouldn’t be anyone I would need to worry about and be able to keep my safe space. On my way to the next town over and the first potential stop, there was a small subdivision with a series of garage sales. I drove through and one of the houses had a desk in the middle of the driveway that looked just about like what I wanted. I stopped and the desk was fairly wobbly, but I could tell it would be easier to reinforce with some brackets underneath to stabilize. I got the desk for $7. I brought it home and my husband and I were able to easily take it apart into its pieces – legs, sides, and top separate. We glued it back together and cinched it with a strap overnight. The next day the desk didn’t wobble at all and is perfect for the desk converter. I think this project also helped my mental state. Thanks for joining me. Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and … don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “Most dystopian, classic and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society - a future world that could plausibly happen.” Lauren DeStefano Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us! There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 Today is my Covid isolation freedom day. Last week I received the news that I had tested positive for Covid. Not only was I surprised, but everyone that knows me has also been surprised, including the County Health Department Nurse. I’ve since had ne test come back negative and am waiting for results from a second test. I was – and still am – having absolutely no symptoms. I have been mostly working from home, and staying home, since the end of March. When I went out, I have been wearing a mask and staying six feet from others. I’ve gone to Walmart a couple of times, but not only wore my mask, but gloves went in, got what I needed, and left. When I got back to the car, I removed my gloves and used hand sanitizer. Other than that I haven’t gone into public places. That’s why it is so important people take this infectious disease seriously. No matter what our government at whatever level says is ok or not ok, we as individuals need to take care of ourselves and our families. Awareness is important and know that no matter what you do, you are susceptible. I hope everyone takes care and we are able to interact soon. I have three conferences I am still planning to attend in October and am hoping everyday that we continue moving forward and can clarify ways to keep everyone safe. An interesting thing I have noticed is the last two books I’ve read had themes of a virus that can wipe out much of humanity. The first was Steve Berry’s The Venetian Betrayal was about finding Alexander the Great’s grave, but a sub plot within the book is the ‘bad guy’ had developed an infectious disease from monkeys. The other book is, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, a dystopian YA book where the world had been mostly wiped out by an infectious blood disease. Steve Berry’s The Venetian Betrayal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VHI8GI/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 The Dog Stars by Peter Heller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00807213O/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 It was coincidental that I read these two books affect receiving a positive test result. I expect that I had a different reflection on these books than if I had read them before March, but that is how things will be moving forward. Thanks for joining me. Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and … don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “There wouldn’t be a sky full of stars if we were all meant to wish on the same one.”– Frances Clark Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us! There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 For book club last month, I read Factfulness by Hans Rosling. As most people, I failed the quiz terribly. The piece of information that I will remember from the book is that we often see things in black and white, either or, rather than as a range. The examples throughout the book group many things into four categories, the main one being income. Rather than rich or poor, the levels are 1 where people make less than $2 per day; level 2 where they make between $2 and $8 per day, level 3 $8 to $32 per day, and level 4 where they make more than $32 per day. When you look at the world in these divisions, the opportunities for change and improvement are much more evident. I’ve always known you can make numbers say whatever you want them to say depending on your presentation. This book helped me think about how I listen to the news, look at statistics, and find the real story in numbers. Quiz: http://forms.gapminder.org/s3/test-2018 https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586713628&sr=1-1 The other night I was asleep and my husband came in and got me out of bed to go outside and look at the sky. By the time I got out there, what he wanted to show me was gone. He had seen a string of ‘lights’ in the sky. We often watch for satellites or the International Space Station, but hadn’t seen a string of lights like he described. I remember when I first moved to Wisconsin from a suburb of Chicago, laying out on the lawn ‘spotting’ satellites. It was a favorite pastime. Nowadays you can look up online what is heading over and when. I googled string of lights and immediately figured out what my husband had seen – Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. Since then we’ve seen another series of the satellites, but he says they weren’t as bright as the ones he had seen. So we will be monitoring the Starlink tracker and watch for the newer set of satellites (which are lower and thus brighter) so I can see them as the ‘string of pearls’ that some have described. https://findstarlink.com/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/04/23/is-spacex-fixing-bright-starlink-satellites-elon-musk-says-yes-as-europe-sees-string-of-pearls/#39ea7f84721b Thanks for joining me. Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and … don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.”– C. JoyBell Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us! There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 This was a difficult week for me. Every other month or so I will often have a day where I feel I am not accomplishing anything. On those days, I close myself off from others because I am not a nice person. I recognize those days and realize they are self induced from stressing myself out because I am not meeting my own high expectations. However, this past week I had a series of six days in a row of a feeling along these lines, but about day four, realized it was more than just a bad day and that I was in a depressive state. After recognizing it, I began focusing on self awareness and identified the likely source of the depression. The source was not in my control, but my reaction to it was in my control. I set aside my issues not meeting deadlines because of the situation and instead turned to achieve results for other projects that I would be able to meet. On day six, when I was still not feeling any improvement in the depression, I was planning to reach out to a counselor in order to get some outside support. On that day six, I had successful outcomes and was able to take the next day to not do anything and let my brain rest. I am now feeling much better. I know that I have always been my worst critic and I know what things trigger these episodes so I have set limits for myself to try to minimize the issues that cause these bad days. With everything going on in the world, I allowed myself to ignore some of those self imposed limits and I was paying the price. I am working to continue to support those I work with, which happens to be in healthcare, while making sure I am practicing good habits for myself and not ignoring those limits I know I need to work within. I encourage anyone that is struggling right now to recognize your own needs and put yourself first. Just like they say on airplanes, put your mask on before helping others. If you aren’t healthy, you can’t support those that need you. In this current health care situation, we are more easily able to connect with health care providers from our home. Please use those resources if you need them. This is a stressful time and we need to take care of our mental health in addition to our physical health. Thanks for joining me. Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and … don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote  “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Matthew 28:5-6 Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us! There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 This is our 50th episode. Thanks to all of you who have listened and given feedback to keep us creating consistent content. Easter was very unusual this year. However, we still managed to visit with both my husband and my families. We even got to visit with my cousins that are on other sides of the state. A positive outcome of the health crisis is more users connecting through video conferencing software. Although I often use Zoom and have recorded all my Hearts of Gold interviews on that platform, we used Webex. I currently use the free version of Zoom, which doesn’t allow for longer meetings with multiple people. Webex offered non profits free access at the beginning of the health crisis and I was able to get an account through my work. This allowed all of us to long in without any worry about timeframes. I have been even more consistent in my reading time during this stay at home time. I often read young adult books, often dystopia related. I’ve tried expanding into fantasy. I read Three Dark Crowns and Sophia, Princess Among Beasts. What I’ve realized is that I perhaps should not read these books. Most of my reading time is the hour before bed and I’ve had weird dreams as I’ve read these books. I think I need to stick with books that have less imagery. https://www.amazon.com/Three-Dark-Crowns-Kendare-Blake/dp/0062385437 https://www.amazon.com/Sophia-Princess-Among-Beasts-Patterson/dp/0316417475 I also finally got The Husband’s Secret off hold at the library after waiting since last summer. There was a lot of buzz around this book last year and I can now understand why. Although I picked up on some of the pieces of the puzzle throughout the book, I would never have guessed the ending. https://www.amazon.com/Husbands-Secret-Liane-Moriarty/dp/0451490045 My biggest struggle is reading non fiction on my ebook. I often use sticky tabs as I read a non fiction to identify pieces that I want to remember and discuss with my book club. With the libraries closed, I currently have three fiction books on my e reader. I need to decide which one to read before the end of the month for my book club discussion. We each read our own book and then share so we can all read something meaningful for us and learn from each other. It’s like reading four books each month rather than one. Has anyone read any of these books and be able to give me some feedback on which one I should choose? My choices are: Factfulness by Hans Rosling, The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall, or Find the Good by Heather Lende. https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586713628&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Seventh-Most-Important-Thing-ebook/dp/B00PEPR6J4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UKZJYKVKJSIE&dchild=1&keywords=the+seventh+most+important+thing+by+shelley+pearsall&qid=1586713679&s=books&sprefix=the+seventh+most%2Cstripbooks%2C174&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Find-Good-Unexpected-Small-Town-Obituary/dp/1616201673 Thanks for joining me. Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and … don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Cor 4:18 Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us! There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 As we all work to remain safe at home I want to encourage us not to put our faith aside. It is times like this where we need to more fully encourage faith in ourselves and others. I have seen creative ways to continue practicing each of our faiths outside of our homes in conjunction with others. Grace Community Church in Fl created a Drive In Church. https://www.facebook.com/GraceBRSarasota/videos/1000607270383614/ My Pastor begin livestreaming his daily Mass. He has been doing this for two weeks now. When he started, his mirroring wasn’t right and as he did the readings, I felt like I might be in Synagogue rather than Mass because it looked like he was turning the pages from right to left. He has also become more comfortable in front of the camera and his enthusiastic Homilies include his pure energy that we are used to seeing in church. https://www.facebook.com/StMarysViroqua/ Greg and Jennifer Willits of Adventures in Imperfect Living and other podcasts and founders of Rosary Army have been streaming a live rosary every evening at 8PM eastern. There are often over 100 people and more praying together. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkCU2uJke_BF5DCNbGPN4Ig/videos If you’ve ever seen a knotted rosary it is likely somewhere in history someone learned how to make that from Rosary Army and has passed that knowledge on. What are you doing to strengthen your faith during this time? Thanks for joining me. Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and … don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything. And you have certainly not lost America, for we will stand with you for as many tomorrows as it takes. If ever we needed evidence of that, I could only recall the words of Governor and Mrs. Keating: If anybody thinks that Americans are mostly mean and selfish, they ought to come to Oklahoma. If anybody thinks Americans have lost the capacity for love and caring and courage, they ought to come to Oklahoma.” President Bill Clinton at the Oklahoma Bombing Prayer Service Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 A few years ago, when my daughter was a junior in High School I took her and three of her friends on an extended weekend trip to Kansas City.  The reason for the trip is a goal my daughter and I had set for her to visit the 48 continental states before she graduated from high school.  This trip was going to allow us to check off Kansas and Oklahoma. We spent a day in Oklahoma City shopping and stopped on the way back at Pops 66 Soda Ranch. http://www.pops66.com/ While in Oklahoma City, we visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.  While we were visiting, based on the amazement from the kids, I realized they weren’t even aware of this pivotal moment in our history.  I realized as we were touring they would have only been about a year or so old, but I was still surprised they has never heard about this event.  I was very happy that we visited the museum and they learned about this event.  They really took time during the museum tour and took in the displays and all the artifacts.  My husband and I are planning on driving through Oklahoma City later this spring.  When I realized we were going there, my first thought was about going back to the museum.  I know my husband will be completely awed by what they have put together.  He is a history buff and I know the museum will haunt him after he visits. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “It is hard to imagine the things you have never seen.” ― Steven J. Carroll, from All the Worlds of Men Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 Geocaching  www.geocaching.com Woke up with a text from my mom last week reminding me I needed to go get a geocache that day.  It took me about a half hour before I realized it was leap day.  Geocachers play all sorts of games with their caches, one of which is Fill the Calendar.  The goal is to find a cache on every day of the year – not necessarily all in the same year, but each date you would have found a cache.  Well – leap year only happens once every four years so if you miss it, you can’t complete the challenge for another four years (although I am pretty sure my mom and I found a cache together last leap year).  I’m not big on the stats games, but I did make sure to head out and find a cache on leap day anyway! I’ve gotten into young adult fantasy the last few weeks.  It started because those are usually easily available on the Libby app through the library for ebooks. Some of the books have been very strange and others I couldn’t put down.  Many of the books I choose were series so if I liked them I would have additional books to read.  I also tried to make sure they were books where the series was fully released.  Nothing like reading a series and then having to wait years for the sequel – I never remember what the original book was about. I will be reading the next in the series for Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake.  I’m not sure how I actually feel about the story, but I know I couldn’t put it down and I want to see what happens in book 2. I also read Opalescence by Ron Rayborne.  Although this one is not a series, I would definitely not have read the next if it was.  I expect there are a lot of people out there that would appreciate the descriptions Mr Rayborne shares of his prehistoric Earth, but I am not a biologist and there was too many in depth descriptions of plants and animals for me.  If you like colorful descriptions that allow your imagination to picture something you haven’t seen, this could be the book for you.  I loved the concept of the book, but the reality wasn’t for me. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.” ― Stephen R. Covey Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 Geocaching  www.geocaching.com Had lots of car time this week.  This allowed me to do some reading in paper form and catch up on some podcasts.  Although I read nearly every day, it is usually before bed and I read my e-book.  I know – we aren’t supposed to use electronics before bed.  However, I love turning off all the lights, snuggling under the blankets, and reading.  I can’t do that when I have a paper book. I am in a mastermind group and each month we each read a nonfiction book and then we discuss them at the end of the month.  We’ve learned we get more out of the books this way because we can each read something that relates to our life at that moment and we get to hear about other books we haven’t read and learn from them too. This month I am reading People Fuel by John Townsend.  When I picked the book up from the library – not evening having remember ordering it, I thought this was going to be about how best to fuel your body through food.  When I started reading it, I realized immediately that this book has nothing to do with food.  It is all about relationships and what gives us energy and what can drain us. https://www.amazon.com/People-Fuel-Fill-Your-Leadership-ebook/dp/B07KDZZ7L9 I love John’s writing style and he has kept me interested and given me tips that are easily integrated to my current conversation style. What was even more interesting to me is at the same time I started reading People Fuel, I began reading Sensible Shoes by Sharon Garlough Brown.  This is a nonfiction Christian book about four women that meet at a spiritual retreat and how they build a relationship and support each other.  The descriptions from John’s book and examples gave me a different viewpoint on this nonfiction book as I was seeing John’s examples play out in the interactions of the characters in Sensible Shoes.   https://www.amazon.com/Sensible-Shoes-Story-Spiritual-Journey/dp/0830843051/ref=sr_1_2?crid=T5VYF144N2I4&keywords=sensible+shoes+by+sharon+garlough+brown&qid=1581789323&sprefix=sensible+shoes%2Caps%2C382&sr=8-2 Have you ever read two books that ended up complementing each other as you read them?  I hadn’t experienced this to the degree I did here.  God’s work. Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

Quote “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Saint Augustine   Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us!  There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 Geocaching  www.geocaching.com Just got back from a one-week cruise.  I love cruising because it allows us to see new places we may not have visited before. Our first stop was Puerto Rico.  I’ve been there before but was at a resort way outside of San Juan.  This time we had the time to wander through the cobblestone streets.  The port is beautiful as you pull into the harbor with the multicolored buildings clinging to the hillsides. Our next stop was St Thomas.  We spent most of our time there at Megan’s Beach.  It was gorgeous, even with the random rain showers we experienced. At the Dominican Republic we never even set foot on the mainland.  We went whale watching as we were there during the month-long breeding season for humpback whales.  There isn’t a port for cruise ships, so we anchored offshore and the excursion boat picked us up from the ship to take us to view the whales. Our final stop was Nassau in the Bahamas.  We checked out the Queen’s staircase – which happens to be an earth cache, then took a tour around the island, and finished the day with shopping. The food on the ship was amazing – as to be expected.  I often had an English muffin with orange marmalade, caramelized bananas, and a coffee with chocolate sauce and whipped cream for breakfast.  Lunch was usually quesadillas and guacamole with the ice cream flavor of the day.  Dinner was always amazing and so much food! While I did not follow my intermittent fasting plan while on vacation, I was excited because my last weigh in before we left, I had a new second number.  For my first weigh in after we returned two weeks later since I only weigh in once or twice a week, I had only gained a half a pound.  I call that a success when you consider how much we ate while we were gone.   Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

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Quote "If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes."   - Andrew Carnegie Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. 52 Hike Challenge – Join us! There are free challenges and lots of swag you can buy. https://www.52hikechallenge.com/?rfsn=3543491.754f73&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3543491.754f73 #52hikechallenge2020 Geocaching www.geocaching.com https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2019/04/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-favorite-points/ Thanks for joining me. Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and … don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides Instagram @sherylmrobinson

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."   - Robert Frost Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. Saturday was race day!  The day started clear and cool.  As the day went on, the sun came out.  It was a great day to be on the trails.  I felt God’s love shining done. Those trails were muddy though!  There were places where when you stepped in the mud your foot just sunk, but most of the mud was the kind where you step, and your foot just slides sideways.  That kind of mud really tests your balance.  I was very glad I had been training with hiking poles and had them with me.  I’m not sure how some of the others made it up the hills especially without poles.  Those hills are steep enough without mud – with the mud it takes your whole body to climb.  All the slip and sliding really added a whole new element.  It hadn’t been that muddy all summer while I had been training. Talking about climbing – there was 8,871 feet of climb. Since we start and end at the same place, that means we had that much downhill too.  However, there was one section where we dropped about 900 ft in just over a tenth of a mile.  It was towards the later part of the race and my feet were not happy holding the rest of my body back at that point. I was so appreciative to have an amazing crew following me.  My daughter, husband, mom, and dad followed me all day long.  They allowed me to drop my poles on the road segments and meant that I only had to carry my water bladder on the longer trail segments.  Not having to worry about having that backpack the whole time allowed me to relax my shoulders and back, use my arms to gain some speed on the road sections, and just created a much more enjoyable experience.  Plus, I didn’t have to carry food or refill my water myself.  Yeah team! My A goal was 9 hours – the time the race director stated was the cutoff, my B goal was to finish.  Before the race, the director said that because of the mud the cutoff time would be extended.  In some ways I wish I hadn’t known that so that I would have pushed myself harder. When I was about 4 miles in, a racer came up behind me, super-fast.  He was a marathon runner that had started a half hour after me.  Soon enough the rest of the marathoners passed me.  When I was about 8 miles in, he passed me again on his way back.  THAT made me feel really slow!  I didn’t see any of the other runners on their way back in.  However, about mile 18 another runner came up behind me.  He was doing the 50k but had taken a wrong turn and added about 4 ½ miles to his course.  At about mile 23, where there was a fuel station, I saw him sitting there.  He decided not to finish.  I encouraged him to continue, but he was out of his fuel and was going to take the SAG wagon back to the finish. My family ended up taking him back instead and had a really nice conversation with him. The first 2/3rd’s of the race I was just about perfect with the times – just behind the 6-hour mark.  However, the mud in the last quarter of the race kicked my butt and the steep downhills sealed the deal.  During the last two miles I just kept talking to myself to get myself through it.  I climbed what I thought was the final hill (where I could see the finish line).  However, there were three more down and up and more mud.  By the last mile or so I decided to throw the time goals away and just focus on finishing.  My toes were done.  Every step that had the slightest downhill was so painful.  My legs and the rest of my body felt fine, but you really need your toes for balance.  My entire being was focused on the finish.  The property we were on was beautiful.  I was gingerly trekking along and realized the trail had just ended at a rock outcropping.  It was gorgeous with a slight trickle waterfall, but I was very confused – had I missed a turn.  I stopped and looked around and couldn’t figure out how I missed the flags directing me along the trail.  They were right there about two feet from me. I continued up and down the hills on the lovely trail wondering where the finish line was.  Finally, I came down a hill and could see the mowed trail on the other side of the creek headed back to the finish line.  I continued walking along the bank of the creek when the trail completely stopped.  I froze.  This creek was about ten feet across and two and a half feet deep.  I didn’t see anyway around it.  Was I going to come this far and not make it to the end?  My feet hurt so bad I couldn’t even consider taking my shoes off because there was no way I would get them back on.  I had been there about thirty seconds, trying to figure out what to do and if I was really supposed to wade across the creek when a young girl came down the trail on the other side.  I asked her if I was really supposed to cross the creek here.  She happily and with lots of energy said yep! I sat down on a log and slowly pulled off my shoes and socks.  I then hobbled over to the edge of the creek and realized there wasn’t any way I could cross the creek with my shoes in my hands and holding on to my hiking poles.  I knew I needed the poles to get across the creek because there was no way I could balance that well on my sore feet.  I looked at the girl and asked her if she would mind carrying my shoes across the creek for me.  She gladly plunged right into the water and came over and got my shoes for me.  I got across the creek and realized I really wasn’t going to get my shoes back on and asked her if she would mind carrying them for me.  At this point, I knew the finish was less than a quarter mile away.  She happily said sure and ran ahead announcing to everyone – that is my family, the race director, and a few of the other people that had put on the race – that a runner was coming. I continued down the mowed path until I was about 500 feet from the finish.  At that point, I dropped the poles and ran the rest of the way to the finish.  In bare feet with my pants rolled up to my knees. I had done it.  9 hours and 55 minutes, but I finished and except for the blisters on my feet, felt really good, not sore at all. Two days later as I record this, I have gone for a four-mile walk, probably the last nice day we will have this year.  Everything feels good except for my baby toe on my right foot.  Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. 50k Race website: https://www.cheyennecreekcamp.net/ Park where race is held: http://kickapoovalley.wi.gov/Home Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

"A walk in nature walks the soul back home."       - Andy Rooney Final long run (well kind of) before tapering. 22 miles on the trails.  Instead of using the same trails I’ve been on all summer, I decided to hit some of the trails at the park which I haven’t been on before.  Last weekend my family went to the park to find some geocaches we hadn’t found yet.  It was a good activity to keep the younger group busy and allow the older group to get out in nature and do an activity we enjoy – while getting some additional caches. While at Kickapoo Valley Reserve http://kvr.state.wi.us/Home I found out that there is an annual challenge which encourages people to hike all the trails and canoe the river through the park.  After looking at the list of the trails and how they had broken them into segments for the challenge, I realized I had already done over half of them this summer.  Knowing I had 22 miles this week I was able to finish another third of them.  I have just a few shorter segments to finish the hiking portion.  Then – I’ll just have to figure out how to get in a day of canoeing or kayaking on the river to finish the challenge.  I’m not worried about the river but figuring out when to fit it in given how late we are in the season is going to be the challenge. http://kickapoovalley.wi.gov/Documents/Recreation/KVR%20Trail%20Challenge%20Form.pdf I had a whole new experience this week on the trails.  I am so glad that I found this challenge.  I found some new trails that were completely different than the trails I have been training on.  Many of the trails were nice wide, grass paths.  One of them had a boardwalk along a marsh.  I didn’t even know that KVR had a boardwalk anywhere.  Most of the trails at the reserve are single track and narrow. I have a few segments yet to finish.  I plan on including them for my 12-mile trail workout this week.  Yep, taper time and I still must do nearly a half marathon.  It sure doesn’t feel like a taper. This summer I have started listening to audio books while hiking.  I am enjoying listening to a book better than multiple hours of podcasts.  I still love my podcasts, but while out on the trails, listening to a book is more complementary to the environment than self help or business podcasts.  However, when I am doing my road workouts on the bike trail along the highway, those podcasts feel more appropriate than an audio book.  I’ve been using Libby which is the app libraries use for eBooks and audio books.  I’ve been using it for eBooks to read through the kindle app for a couple of years and I am absolutely loving using it for audio now. https://meet.libbyapp.com/ Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

“What makes your heart sing?”  Carmine Gallo I recently read the book Talk Like Ted.  One of my passions is working with high school Girl Scouts.  The highest award a high school Girl Scout can earn is the Gold Award.  I am honored to be on our Girl Scout Council’s Gold Award Committee and assist Girl Scouts through the process.  The first two chapters reinforced much of what I tell others about choosing a good Gold Award project.  The book is a guide for those making presentations.  It describes why the TED Talk format works so well.  The book is structured so those that aren’t giving a TED Talk can still find valuable tips.  I picked up the book as I have applied to give a TEDx talk next spring and have been thinking about the presentation.  After reading the book I have more confidence and am eager to create a presentation. The first chapter talks about passion.  We often talk about identifying your passion when working to choose a Gold Award project.  The book takes this a step further.  I love the question the book presents “What makes your heart sing?” (page 55).  This is about more than passion.  I think of this as “What gets you fired up?”. This is what gets your heart racing.  A subject that when it is brought up in conversation you just cannot keep quiet.  The subject that if your best friend, a stranger, and you were in a conversation and the stranger brought it up, your best friend would just roll her eyes, knowing what is coming.  The train has left the station and there are no brakes. The second chapter talks about storytelling.  As I read this chapter, I thought about the interviews related to the Gold Award process.  Often as we go through the Gold Award process, we answer questions as written or follow a checklist.  If instead we used each question as an opportunity to tell a story, project connections would be clearer. The ‘why’ of a project would come across more easily.  Instead of checking requirements off a list, a fuller explanation would be available. By sharing the story, the project becomes more personal.  Not only to the review committee, but to others as you ask them to support your project.  The donor, your project advisor, your volunteers.  All of them will better understand your goals when you share your story. There are a lot of other interesting pieces regarding presentation in the book.  One I found most interesting was regarding how fast you should speak.  As someone who speaks fast and listens to podcasts at 1.9 speed, the material presented caused me to pay more attention to my speaking speed.  I learned a lot about listening too. The presentation tips are valuable for all.  I know it drives me crazy when a presenter reads every word on the slide.  Why do we need a presenter? I could have read the slides myself.  Using the slides to enhance the presentation is a tip many people could learn. https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Like-TED-Public-Speaking-Secrets/dp/1250061539/ref=asc_df_1250061539/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=266023323049&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4175388889410257643&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019296&hvtargid=pla-489309437727&psc=1 Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

“You are an Ironman!”  Mike Reilly I started reading Mike Reilly’s book Finding My Voice.  I was in the car and I think I was crying by the third paragraph.  The stories Mike shares in the book are so emotional.  I think they really inspire me since I want to hear Mike call me an Iron Man someday. One of my friends raced Lake Placid Iron Man this summer.  She posted pictures on Facebook with her signed copy of Mike’s book. I had heard about the book earlier this year, but it wasn’t in our library yet.  I had forgotten about it until I saw Jenny’s picture.  I looked online and not only did no libraries in our regional system have it, no libraries in the entire state had it.  Well, I knew I had to fix that.  I emailed the librarian (also a good friend) and asked if she would order the book.  She did and now not only do I get to read it, but hopefully it will inspire others in the area. There is a story for everyone in here.  Family stories, stories of survival, fighting back from medical issues, military, everything.  I highly recommend everyone ready the book.  I guarantee you will have a new appreciation for Iron Man after doing so.  Who knows, perhaps you’ll decide you want Mike to call you an Iron Man too. https://www.amazon.com/MIKE-REILLY-Finding-Voice-Endurance/dp/1733747850/ref=asc_df_1733747850/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=353263677590&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11749654833387843159&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019296&hvtargid=pla-677715789588&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=69532441125&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=353263677590&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11749654833387843159&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019296&hvtargid=pla-677715789588 Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

“Just put one foot in front of the other.”  Austin Peck Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. How do you get 18 miles in? I had an 18-mile workout to do. I can easily get in 14 to 15 without thinking about where I’m going to go. We have a really nice bike path that goes between two towns that’s about 5 miles long and it is about a mile and a half from our house. However that only got me 2/3 of my miles. On the way back I took a detour around the old highway road, which is fairly residential now. Then I took another detour out of town and headed out to see the new dog park our city put in the summer before heading back into the opposite tide of town from where I live. I then came back into town and walked through the industrial park heading back to the bike trail from where I’d work on my last mile and a half. The thing that kept me going while I was out was knowing what I was going to have for supper when I got home before I left my husband promised me his French toast he makes the best French toast puts vanilla in it sweetens it oh it’s just so yummy and breakfast for supper is always a treat anyway The next day I had a 14-mile trail workout.  I decided to hit the part of the trail that will be on the 50k route next month which I hadn’t completed yet.  I had seen a post from the park that they had just finished cleaning up the trail so I knew it would be good to go.  One worry I have on some of the trails at the park is the Wild Parsnip.  Some of the trails are just horse paths, so they aren’t very wide, and the wild parsnip can grow very close to the trail. I’m still not sure if I am glad to have done the trail or not.  I like to know what I am getting into, but this trail was STEEP.  Even going down it was difficult since it is so steep.  I am really glad I decided to purchase trail poles.  Not only did it help on the steep slopes, but there are quite a few places on this portion of the trail with water and they helped balance as I tip toed across the creeks on whatever rocks I could find. Less than a month to go.  That means it’s almost taper time!  I’ll be so glad when I am not out on my feet for hours at a time anymore. I’ve already decided I need to switch it up for next year.  No more long distances.  We are going to have to find something else to work towards. Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

Quote “Pain is your motivation to learn healthy alignment, better technique, and more efficient movement patterns.”  Kino MacGregor Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. So, I’ve gotten an injury.  Luckily, although painful, the injury won’t keep me off my feet.  I still don’t quite understand how the injury occurred.  A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went away for a couple of days for our anniversary.  As listeners of the podcast may know, I am an avid reader.  So, while we were in the car I read.  When we got home my shoulder was bothering me, but I didn’t really think about it.  I put the TENS machine on the shoulder to try and loosen it up.  After a couple of days, it was better.  However, then we went on a couple hour drive for an event we were attending.  Again, I read in the car.  The next day I couldn’t even move my shoulder.  On the way home, while reading, I felt it tightening up and kept changing positions, but apparently not enough.  Yep – believe it or not – I hurt my shoulder reading!  Ugh! I am wondering if this related back to the swimming issue I had a year ago January which I went to physical therapy for and thought was resolved.  I will be doing my PT exercises again during this training cycle.  At least it isn’t keeping me from getting out on my feet. We have had so much rain in the area lately although it has been spotty.  There have been times when one spot will get a couple of inches and another spot just a few miles away will not have any rain.  It is so strange.  It has also made it difficult to get out on the trails.  Between not knowing if it is going to storm and the trails being very wet from the rain, it limits trail activity.  Luckily the training plan only requires one trail workout a week.  It’s usually a long one – at least 3 hours and usually longer for me, so fitting in it to the schedule and watching the weather is an ongoing project each week. Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

Quote “God is great all the time.  All the time God is great.” Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. Sometimes you see God’s hand in multiple ways in a short time period.  This week has been one of those times. Normally when I am on my long workouts I listen to podcasts about podcasting, fitness, or other self-improvement topics.  One podcast I have listened to is Just Go Bike which is hosted by RAGBRAI and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.  Last summer, they interviewed End of the Earth Cycling, who also has a podcast called Cycling for More.  I was interested in the Cycling for More podcast and subscribed after hearing them on Just Go Bike.  However, I was so backlogged on my podcast listening that I didn’t get around to listening to the episodes until a few weeks ago. I had kept all the episodes in the playlist and downloaded all the new ones since, so I had quite a few to listen to.  Cycling for More featured Patty Birchard of Revelation Wellness.  That episode led me to the founder of Revelation Wellness’s podcast Reving the Word which has workout episodes with encouragement and reflection based on a reading from the bible. Exactly the balance needed on some of my workouts and the best balance I have found for this niche. http://justgobike.net/ https://ragbrai.com/ https://iowabicyclecoalition.org/ https://www.endscycling.com/podcast https://www.revelationwellness.org/category/podcast/ My workout this weekend was a 12-mile trail hike.  The map for the park I am using for my long workouts doesn’t have trail distances on it, so I estimated what a good route would be for my 12 mile hike that was scheduled.  I knew I may have to do some backtracking in order to make the goal, but I didn’t want to overestimate and be out there longer than planned either.  I did do a couple of rounds on one of the trails, before hiking the last mile plus portion back to the car.  I ended with 12.17 miles – I probably wouldn’t have gotten that close even if the trail mileage had been on the map and I planned it.  And my Garmin’s battery died about 10 seconds after I hit stop when I got back to the car. I also want to wish Savannah Horstman good luck as she prepares to travel to Orlando to compete at Miss America’s Outstanding Teen.  This young lady has competed with my daughter in pageants over the last five years.  She has had the opportunity to compete at state twice before winning this year.  Savi is a poised, talented, young lady with a heart of gold.  She has tweaked and focused her platform over the last few years and you can tell she knows what she stands for and how she wants to support others.  God has plan for this young lady, and I look forward to watching her continue to grow and see the amazing things she is going to accomplish.  Good luck Savannah! Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

Quote “Back in the saddle again.” – Gene Autry Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. I did it!  It has been nearly 11 months, but I got back on my bike again. My husband switched out my pedals for me yesterday, taking off the clipless pedals I used for my 70.3 last year and putting my safer, regular pedals back on.  I’ve never understood why pedals that connect your feet to the pedal are called clipless.  I’m glad I didn’t have them on though.  As it was I almost fell over at the first stop sign.  It would have been a complete wipeout if I had the racing pedals on. I got back on as my 50k training plan calls for cross training.  So, the bike is back in the rotation. Although I wasn’t trying to ride fast, I was really slow.  I had an hour training session and didn’t even get to 10 miles. My butt is a bit sore, but not as much as I would have expected.  I think my legs are going to be talking to me tomorrow though. Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

Quote “It’s supposed to be hard.  If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it…The hard is what makes it great.” – Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. I have been struggling for quite a few months with my weight / body shape over the past few months.  I don’t necessarily focus on my weight in general, but I do pay attention to how my clothes fit and use them getting tighter or heading into summer as identifiers for when I need to focus on my eating and get things back to what is normal for me. I have been trying since last November to pay more attention to what I am eating and limits sweets and less healthy options.  I wasn’t seeing any movement so after the first of the year, I started recording my intake on my phone to not only monitor my calories, but also my carb/protein/fat mix and some macronutrients I know I sometimes get low with.  I stayed within the goals I had for over a month and wasn’t seeing any progress. This has never been a problem for me before.  Losing weight isn’t easy, but I can be very focused and have always been able to keep my self in my limits when I work at it. I took a couple of weeks off when I went on vacation, but then tried again for another month when we returned. At this point, I am very close to my highest weight ever rather than anywhere near losing weight. I can feel it in my clothes since none of them fit well and in my body in general.  Even my calves are much bigger than they have ever been before. It is so frustrating, but I’m not willing to give up the fight yet.  I just have to find a new tact to take. Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

“You can keep going and your legs might hurt for a week, or you can quit and your mind will hurt for a lifetime” Mark Allen Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else. I want to give a shout out to Lindsay Hiken of the age groupie podcast.  She completed Iron Man Santa Rosa in May this year with a half hour to spare!  I appreciate her summary of her race as it really gave me ideas for the future, made me feel ‘normal’ since I race with a standard road bike, and balanced reality and encouragement. http://agegroupie.libsyn.com/ep-26-ironman-santa-rosa-race-report I loved how she shared her why for racing IronMan and how that came full circle during her IronMan race. I am so on board with the worry about the GI issues.  That is always my first priority the last few days before the race. While listening to Lindsay, I thought back on my first tri.  Perhaps one of the issues I had was riding the bike I had bought in high school, thirty years before. I was also excited to know that see is a run /walk person when need be.  I’ve decided that my 50k is going to be run /walk – I just can’t force my body to train that hard for that long.  Especially since my run pace and walk pace are fairly close.  I will get all the miles in, just with less impact on the joints. The part about being alone on the course after dark was scary.  I’m not sure how I would feel about that.  Especially in the environment she described. I laughed out loud when she talked about not wanting to every get on her bike again after the race.  I still have touched mine since August. Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

“Some sessions are stars and some sessions are stones, but in the end they are all rocks and we build upon them.” – Chrissie Wellington I thought I would talk about my racing history and how I came to the place I am now. I am very goal driven and need a big race to work towards in order to stay motivated to work out regularly. In 2011, I came across the Power90 DVD series.  This is a knockoff of the P90X series by Beachbody, but shorter work outs.  I expect it isn’t quite as intense either, but I haven’t done P90X, so I can’t be sure about that.  I completed the entire 90 program along with a very focused diet.  Not only did a lose quite a bit of weight, but I was lean and strong.  I was in the best shape of my life. In spring of 2012, I decided I needed a new challenge and set my sights on tough mudder.  I continued doing Power 90 workouts and used the playground for some of the obstacle training and began running.  I completed Tough Mudder in September of 2012.  I wasn’t able to complete all of the obstacles, especially the upper body ones, but I did make it up the quarter pipe and through both electrical obstacles.  I also managed the Artic Enema, a water obstacle with ice which requires you to submerge and go under a wall.  I made it through, but if it hadn’t ben for the person behind me that wanted out, and basically tossed me over the edge at the end, I’m not sure I would have figured out how to climb out.  Since that time I am also deathly afraid of electrical obstacles in races.  I didn’t realize this until I was doing the Foam Fest obstacle and there was an obstacle that looked like Tough Mudder’s electric eel – a mud pit where you have to belly crawl under wires that are electrified.  When one person touches, everyone in the pit gets a shock because we are in the water together.  We were at this easy, fun obstacle race (no electricity) and apparently by the time I got out of their mud pit belly crawl I was white as a sheet and my sisters couldn’t figure out was what wrong. https://toughmudder.com/obstacles Over the winter of 2012-2013, I focused on running and put my sights on the Grandad Bluff half Marathon.  I ran outside almost all winter.  I remember one day I came home, and my skin was beat red.  At first, I didn’t know what the problem was, but then I turned the tv on and found out I had been running in 10-degree weather with a 10 below windchill.  OOPS!  Race day I was able to get my daughter and future son in low to run with me – even though neither had trained, but they were only 18 and 19.  We all finished, but those two didn’t walk well for a week.  I didn’t walk well either, but it was because I had a slight fracture in my foot.  Based on how I felt during the race, I think I injured myself about 2 or 3 miles from the end.  I finished in 2:53. https://www.grandadhalfmarathon.com/half-marathon After the foot experience, I decided to try a triathlon instead for 2014.  I of course couldn’t start with a sprint, but I was lucky enough to have an Olympic distance tri right near where I live.  Lots of early mornings in the pool that was a half hour away.  Race day did not go so well.  I had gut issues and was just feeling well.  I hadn’t trained on my bike enough for the major hills we had to ride.  Luckily, my entire family came out to support me and, since I was all alone on the course, were able to drive along side me as I finished my bike and the ran my 10k.  y daughter ran a bunch of the 10k with me.  I finished the race 45 minutes behind the person in front of me in 4:05.  I was surprised a week or so later when I received a package in the mail with my medal – which said 1st place!  Apparently, I was the only person in my age group! I had fun with the tri and knew I could do better.  There was another local tri that I had wanted to do for a couple of years.  Instead of a swim, bike, run though we kayaked for 7 miles, biked for 15, and then ran on a trail for 3.  I finished that in 4:11 – not much less time than my Olympic disaster, but a whole lot more fun. http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Annual-Events/DamChallenge/ That tri wasn’t a big enough goal race for me though, so my big goal for 2015 was the Norwalk Rails to Trails Marathon.  I managed to complete it and felt great afterwards with a time of just over 6 hours. https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Norwalk/RailsToTrailsRun In 2016, I switched things up and joined a team race, Ragnar Great River. Our team of twelve in two vans ran from Winona to St Paul Mn. over 200 Miles. My three legs added up to about 16 miles.  This race had an interesting start too as two days before the race the area got a major storm and a couple of the roads we were supposed to run along got washed away so there were some detours and a part of the course was actually closed. My favorite part of this race – besides my first taste of peanut butter energy balls was my last leg which was a trail run through state park outside of St Paul.  I had gotten a taste of trail running during the Kickapoo tri, but this solidified my love of trail running. https://www.runragnar.com/event-detail/relay/minnesota#overview In 2017, I was newly married and my husband, who had been a dairy farmer and thus had not had many vacations before, showed an interest in bicycle riding.  I had heard of this little event called Ragbrai and signed us up.  411 miles over 7 days.  It was amazing and even better because we got to do it together.  Well, kind of together.  We left together in the morning and he had the tent sent up by the time I arrived at the campsite. For more on Ragbrai – listen to season 1 as I talk about my training each week to prepare.  Episode 7 that season is the summary of the ride. https://ragbrai.com/ In 2018 I was ready for a bigger challenge and looking ahead to 2019 and my dream goal for my 50th birthday.  A half iron in 2018 and full iron in 2019.  Season 2 covers that training and episode 29 is the race summary.  Finished in 8:32. https://www.dutrirun.com/page/show/845808-chisago-lakes-triathlon-july-28-2019 Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

Find us on social media! Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

“You can quit if you want, and no one will care.  But you will know the rest of your life” John Collins Last year I completed a half iron with plan to do a full iron this year for my 50th birthday. After finishing the half and recovering I realized a full iron was not in the cards for me this year as I can’t appropriately give the training necessary to finish within the cutoffs. During this morning’s run I listened to the bib rave podcast ep #137 with Mike Reilly - the voice of iron man. I nearly cried multiple times during the episode with the emotions I felt hearing his stories and thinking about my lost dream. I’ve added mikes new book, Find My Voice, to my reading list. https://blog.bibrave.com/2019/03/22/the-bibrave-podcast-episode-137-behind-the-ironvoice-with-mike-reilly/ https://mikereilly.net/findingmyvoice/ http://eu.ironman.com/#axzz5psT5ZZ30 Then I thought about a book I just read; Smart women finish rich by David Bach. My biggest takeaway from this book was the chapter on finding your dreams. The example in the book is of a woman who dreamed of taking her family on a cruise to Alaska but struggled with the cost.  The woman was financially able to afford it and when someone broke down the cost of the trip into a smaller variables that seemed more attainable – even though the total was the same, she was convinced to have this trip of a lifetime and the memories are still strong today.  I have many things that I don’t do because of the cost and the book encouraged me to move forward and not give up on dreams by worrying about the pennies. https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Women-Finish-Expanded-Updated/dp/0525573046 As I’m running and listening to Mike and thinking about dreams, I realized my iron man dream doesn’t had to be done. I can continue with training towards a big goal each year to remain fit and my first year of retirement can be my iron man year. Sometimes dreams take longer to reach, but they can always remain in front of you. Without dreams we have nothing to reach for. Thanks for joining me this week.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Find us on Social Media Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides

Half Iron outcome and looking towards next year.

“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it” Russell Baker  Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.  Whew! It is hot out there! I love summer because I am usually cold until it gets to be about 80 degrees. Working out in the heat is a different story. Friday morning for my 13 mile run wasn’t so bad, but Saturday’s 55 mile bike was hot and humid. I took off early in the morning as Friday we received a heat advisory warning beginning at 1 Saturday afternoon. The first hour of the ride was lovely, but then it started getting hot. When I was just a couple of miles from home, I recognized heat exhaustion symptoms. I have had heat exhaustion before and it is not fun. I got to a shady place and made sure to drink the rest of my water before working on the last two miles. Those last two miles were a slog and I was worried I waited too long before stopping to drinking my water. About a half mile from the house I finally started feeling better and after cleaning up, getting food in my stomach, and changing clothes, I was feeling normal again.  This weekend is my second wedding anniversary. One of my husbands and my favorite hymns is “How Great Thou Art”. We had it sung for prelude at our wedding. We do not sing it very often at my church, but it just so happened that we sang it this weekend. This song just fills my heart with joy and praise.  Tianna Vanderhei is Miss Wisconsin Video of crowning – look how excited everyone in the background is for her. She has worked for 6 years for this opportunity. https://www.facebook.com/MissSparta/videos/10156621560885799/UzpfSTgyMjYwODM3MTI1MDI3ODo5NTIyNDMxMjE2MjAxMzU/  Thanks for joining me this week. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses.  Find us on social media! Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides  We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

“Trust in your training and make it happen” Peter Vidmar  Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.  I don’t normally look ahead in the training schedule more than a week. I figure there isn’t anything I can do about it and too many things can change if planning more than a week ahead. However, this week I had a 12 mile run and a 50 mile bike ride. I was exhausted at the end of the week. Since these distances are close to race distance, I was curious if they were the longest training distances. I thought they might not be because the race is still fairly far out to have the longest training segments. In looking at the plan, I was right. This week my long run is 13 miles and my bike is 55 miles and next week the run is 14 miles and the bike is 60 miles. After that is starts going back down again.  I listen to lots of podcasts to get tips and tricks for training and planning for the race. A couple of weeks ago, Endurance Hour was looking for questions regarding the bike portion. I emailed and asked my question about increasing speed. They actually responded to my question during the show. Her suggestions mimic my training plan, but reinforced I am doing the right things and need to really focus on the nuances during training as they are important. I sent a thank you and let her know her reply gave me the boost I needed to double down and keep going with what I am doing. They read my response on the next show. As Mac Barron would say “double name endorphins”!  Thanks for joining me this week. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses.  Find us on social media! Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides Twitter @sensorystrides  We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

f You Lack Optimism, It's Game Over – Gary Vee  Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast. Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.  I’ve mentioned my struggle with my bike speed before. This week I had a breakthrough. On one of my weekday rides, although the overall speed wasn’t at 14 mph, a five mile segment was at an average of 14.3! Now to just get the entire ride to meet the goal.  Then Saturday and my long ride came. 45 miles. I split it into two segments so I could attend the local dairy breakfast with my family. I rode to my mom’s house, which just happens to be 22.5 miles from mine, went to breakfast, and then rode back. The weather had changed overnight and gone from nice warms 70-80 temps to low 50’s and felt much colder. Plus, I had a headwind the entire ride, yes both ways, although it wasn’t quite as bad riding back as it was riding to my mom’s. When I got to my mom’s I was so cold. By the time we got to the dairy breakfast, I was still shaking. In fact I was shaking so much I couldn’t hold my plate still as I went through the breakfast line. I drank lots of coffee during breakfast, but even that didn’t do a great deal to warm me up.  Thanks for joining me this week. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses.  Find us on social media!  Facebook fb.me/sensorystrides  Twitter @sensorystrides  We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.