Ashes To Ashes, God To God

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Coco

Today is the first Sunday in Lent, and I am still figuring out how I am going to observe a holy Lent this year.

Ash Wednesday

(source)

The the Ash Wednesday liturgy in the Book Of Common Prayer highlights these options:

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God’s holy Word.

So far I’ve been focusing on prayer and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word, although my decision to give up gossiping for Lent might count as self-denial, since I’ve already had to bite my tongue a few times!

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

I Should Be Training For The Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Coco

Now that it’s March 7 (Happy 20th Birthday to my son!), the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler is less than one month away.  Today I have a post on the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run blog about “How I’m Training For The Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.” (Please click through and check it out!) The problem is, I haven’t been training for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler as much as I want to.

While I was pleased to be able to run in Copenhagen two weeks ago, those were relatively easy runs, not hardcore training runs. Last week I got in a few good runs, but this week I hit some roadblocks.

You see, even though it’s March, this is what my neighborhood streets look like.

Training For Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

 And, after 13 years of reliable service, this is what my treadmill looks like. Continue reading →

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Three Things Thursday (The Foreign Travel Edition)

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Coco

When I travel to a different country, I enjoy noticing the little things that reflect cultural differences. This Three Things Thursday post highlights three things I noticed on my recent trip to Europe.

1. Different Names On Familiar Products. One thing that always catches my attention is seeing familiar products with different names. I was particularly amused to see “American Ginger Ale” and “Indian Tonic Water” at a grocery store in Germany.

Three Things Thursday

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Posted in Life | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Observing Lent — Ash Wednesday

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Coco

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent, a 40-day period of repentance and reflection that many Christians observe before Easter.

Ash Wednesday

(source)

This video is a great “highlights reel” that explains Lent in about 2 minutes:

Continue reading →

Posted in My Faith | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Getting Serious About Sports Training

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Coco

Whenever I watch the Olympics, I am inspired by the dedication and hard work of Olympic athletes, and awed by their training programs. I’m also a bit jealous of the professional support they have to help them perform their best–from trainers, to massage therapists, to registered dietitians. I was interested to learn about a local company that offers similar services to any athlete who is serious about sports training.

Endurance Athlete Center

As explained on their website, the Endurance Athlete Center in Falls Church, Virginia offers physical therapy, massage, personal training, podiatry and nutritional services to triathletes, runners, cyclists, swimmers, and adventure racers. In February, EAC had an open house for the local Moms Run This Town groups, and we got to see their facilities, workout with their trainers, and hear presentations from their professionals.  Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments