Ash Wednesday

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Coco

I love the liturgy of the Ash Wednesday service in the Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer. While you might think an Ash Wednesday service would be a depressing focus on sin, I find it to be very powerful and even uplifting.

(source)

The opening prayer gets me right away:

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have created and forgive the sins of all who are penitent.

I think being reminded of God’s forgiveness before we confess our sins reinforces God’s unconditional love for us.

On of the readings usually is Psalm 103, which includes these verses:

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and full of great kindness.

He will not always accuse us,
nor will he keep his anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.

This Psalm brings to mind a “children’s sermon”that I heard years ago. The pastor talked about how children always want to be treated fairly, and how siblings especially don’t want their brother(s) or sister(s) getting more than they deserve. But he explained that we are lucky that God doesn’t treat us fairly–He gives us more than our “fair share” and doesn’t hold every wrong against us.  To me, this Psalm is a reminder that God sees us apart from our shortcomings and wrong-doings.

After the Bible readings, the service continues with an invitation to observe a holy Lent, which begins:

Dear People of God . . .

Seriously, I just love that phrase, maybe because it connotes a sense of belonging to God.

Of course, it is a solemn service. With the imposition of ashes the priest reminds us:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

and the Litany of Penitence has nearly two full pages of ways in which we have fallen short of God’s will for us, from failing to love our neighbors as ourselves, to being self-indulgent and envious, to being negligent in prayer and worship. I am guilty in all these ways, but still I leave the service reassured of God’s love.

I still haven’t decide how I am going to observe a holy Lent–what practices of “self-examination and repentance,” “prayer, fasting and self-denial,” and “reading and meditating on God’s holy word” I will focus on for the next 40 days, but at least I have started Lent with a sincere and contrite heart.

(source)

Are you giving up anything or committing to do anything for Lent?

If you got ashes today, has anyone told you that you have a smudge on your forehead?

Posted in My Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mardi Gras At Fogo De Chao

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Coco

Last night we celebrated my son’s 17th birthday with what has become an annual tradition: a family dinner at Fogo de Chao. It’s a teenage boy’s dream with waiters (“gaucho chefs”) slicing freshly roasted meat right onto your plate–top sirloin, bottom sirloin, filet mignon, pork ribs, sausage . . . the list goes on. They also have an awesome salad bar with green salad items, marinated vegetables, pasta salads, crisp-steamed broccoli, roasted beets, and more. It’s an all-you-can-eat place, but the food is very high quality.

They give everyone a card that cues the waiters:

Bring it on!

I’ve had enough (at least for now)!

I started at the salad bar, and didn’t stuff myself with too much sirloin and file mignon before I flipped my card to the red side, but my restraint was partially fueled by the dessert menu.

Sadly, when I perused the options, I saw that they no longer have the tres leches cake that I really like. I wasn’t in the mood for the other desserts (molten chocolate lava cake, cheesecake, flan, creme brulee), so I was going to skip dessert.

My mom had arranged for the waiter to serve my son a piece of their chocolate mousse cake with a birthday candle. After we duly embarrassed him with an out of tune and out of synch rendition of “Happy Birthday,” he told me that he really wanted a different dessert. He likes their mango and strawberry creams, which basically are vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit blended in.  So, I did what any good mom would do and told him that I would have his cake so he could order what he wanted.  The cake had layers of white chocolate mousse and chocolate mousse between the cake layers, and a thick coating of chocolate ganache. Somehow the mousse made the cake seem really “light” and so easy to eat one forkful after another.  Where was that red card when I needed it?  I finally came to my senses and gave the few remaining bites to my mom.

Amazingly, I woke up slightly hungry this morning–hungry enough to want my chocolate protein shake before my workout. Still, I will not be celebrating Mardis Gras with another big meal tonight!

(paper hand towel from ladies’ room)

Do you find that blogging has you looking for cute “souvenirs” that you can take pictures of for your blog? 🙂

Are you celebrating Mardi Gras today?

Are you having pancakes for dinner tonight?

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Training Log – GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler – Week 1

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Coco

Now that I’ve signed up for the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon on June 5th, I feel like I’ve upped the ante on myself for training. I’ve done one half before, early in my life as a runner. I really like the 10 mile distance, but have a friend who’s relatively new to distance running who wants to do a half, so . . .

For now, I am still going to focus on getting ready for the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler on April 10, and my goal is still to train without getting injured and be able to cross the finish line with a smile like I did last year.

I am going to use this page as a training log for my workouts.

Let me know if you have any tips or comments!

February 27
6 mile neighborhood run, including 3 laps on track
Garmin: 6.15 miles, avg. pace = 9:52 min/mile

February 28
30 min elliptical
free weights routine
dead lifts/overhead press/push-ups
plie squats/tricep dips
squats/lateral arm raises
lunges/bicep curls
side-lying leg lifts/crunches

March 1
TM: 45 min hill program (level 5), 5.7-6.0 mph

March 2 (hotel gym–full description here)
30 min elliptical
free weights
single-leg dead lifts/overhead press
plie squats/tricep dips
squats/lateral arm raises
lunges/bicep curls
push-ups
chest flies/crunches

March 3
TM: 45 min random program (level 3), 5.7-6.0 mph
stretching, rolling

March 4
30 min elliptical
free weights:
single leg deadlifts/military presses/push-ups
side steps (w/exercise band)/bicep curls
3-directional bent-knee leg raises/lateral arm raises
side-lying leg lifts/crunches
hamstring presses/skull crushers

March 5
9 mile run on the bike path
I was planning on 8 miles, but felt good enough at the end to tack on another mile.
Garmin: 9.02 miles, 1:25:31, avg pace 9:29 min/mile
split times: mile 1 = 10:00, miles 2-3 = 9:40, miles 4-9 = 9:20

March 6
20 min program of my Bob Harper Bure Burn Super Strength DVD
Forward Bends program of my Rodney Yee AM Yoga For Your Week DVD

Posted in Training Log | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Confidence-Boosting Run

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Coco

Today was my first long run of my very personalized training plan for the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler (April 10). I was planning on a 8 mile run on the bike path, but as I got closer to the park, I started thinking about doing 9 . . . .

Runner

Remembering my main goal (don’t get injured!), I decided to start off for an 8 mile route, but I found myself debating that 9th mile throughout my run.

Cons
Risk of injury–I only ran 6 miles last week, and 7 the week before. 9 is a big jump that violates the “10%”rule.”

Pros
I felt good, I had plenty of time today, and I wasn’t sure what our family schedule looks like for next weekend.

My first mile felt a bit sluggish, but it was right on target for my normal outdoor warm-up pace of 10:00 min.  For the next two miles, I kept a steady 9:40 pace that felt easy.  Then, a woman who looked to be about my age and size passed me.

 

I found myself unconsciously running faster to sort of keep up with her. My split time for that mile was 9:20 minutes. Even though we parted ways after that, I kept up the 9:20 pace without feeling like I was pushing myself.  As I got closer to my 8 mile finish mark, I still felt good and comfortable, so I decided to tack on a 0.5 mi out-and-back segment to hit 9 miles.

My Garmin data: 9.02 miles, 1:25:31, avg pace 9:29 min/mile
Split times: mile 1 = 10:00, miles 2-3 = 9:40, miles 4-9 = 9:20

So, this definitely was a confidence boosting run. It showed me that I am ready now for my 10 miler in April–I just have to avoid injuries as I continue my training and set a goal for my happy finish time.

Do you find that you push yourself to keep up with other runners, even when you aren’t racing?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Three Things Thursday (The Grandmommy Edition)

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Coco

This weekend I spent a total of 7 hours in the car with my mom.
Here are three things I learned about her.

1.  My mom does not usually wear a seat-belt.

 

Ack! We talked about this. Or, I at least made my disapproval clear. I know she was an adult (and a parent) before seatbelt use was common, let alone required, but why would any intelligent person not wear a seatbelt? She tried to make me feel better by telling me that she does wear her seatbelt when she drives down to Richmond. Well, that’s good, but doesn’t she think that traffic on the Beltway is dangerous enough?

2.  My mom can strike up a conversation with anyone.I think this is the attorney in her. Unlike me, she practiced law in a courtroom, where she had to elicit testimony from her clients and cross-examine witnesses. While I tend to avoid confrontation and steer clear of touchy issues, she goes right in for the kill. This is one reason why, when we really want to know what is going on in our teenagers’ lives, we suggest that they go out to dinner with grandmommy. 😉

3.  She is the best grandmother in the world.

I knew this already, but there is no room for doubt after this weekend. She took a day off from work on Friday and joined me on a road trip to watch my son wrestle in a “national” level tournament. Seven hours in the car to watch my son wrestle for a grand total of 10 minutes (in two matches). There was never a question that she wanted to stay at the arena to watch my son’s other teammate compete, and when he was eliminated, she agreed to stay even longer, since the coach wanted the boys to see the quarter finals. By the time that was done, we had spent ten hours at the arena. She managed to have a good time and would do it again in a heartbeat.

I love my mom as my mom, but I appreciate her even more as a grandmother. Her unflagging support and genuine interest in everything my kids do leave them no room to doubt that they are deeply loved by someone who will always be on their side.

Have you gotten to know your mom in a different way now that you are an adult?

Does she have qualities that you wish you had (even if they drive you crazy sometimes)?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments