jawjaw, I wish we lived closer. I'd give anything to walk with the queen. I walked 4.4 miles this morning. I finally drove the route a couple weeks ago and learned we were doing quite a hike.

Visit Nacheska's site:
Nacheska Gentry-Combs has extensive experience as an actress and dancer. Her outgoing personality and creative genius have helped Odyssey Theatrical become a premier provider of entertainment services for 30 years. Click here to learn more about her talent and experience in the entertainment industry.

Nacheska, I loved skipping around your site. Your children ar beautiful. You look like you have so much fun as a family.

If you lived in town, I might have to step out and try some belly dancing.

I hope you'll jump in the other forums and let us get to know you.

Greetings All,

Here I am an admitted dinosaur. This is the first time I have joined a forum of any kind. But this Website motivated me! I want to encourage anyone who is of the "I could never do that" mindset. Please for your health and well-being, stop!

At 40 I started running, ran 1/4 mile and thought I was going to drop dead and all the 12 year-olds were going to kick me to the side of the track. As it turned out, I had to honk past most of them, "Granny passing on the left!"

After a few months I got up to 3 miles a day and would have slapped myself on the back, but was afraid I would keel over dead. That was 17 years ago and I continued to run 3 miles a day,5 days a week, certain I was at the limit of my ability.

Then, in 2005, a friend begged me to run a 1/2 marathon with her. After running through a litany of excuses, all of which she would not accept, I conceded, we trained together, and in September, ran our hearts out. Certain it was a once-and-done event, I thought of dipping my number, shoes, stats, and T-shirt in bronze and return to my new 4 mile a day habit. Certain that was the most this body could endure.

Not so. That nagging friend is back. Now wanting to do the full 26.2 miles. Mercy me. I realized that I was only at a 5 mile long run and if I was going to train I had to run 9 miles last Saturday. So after lots of prayer, and a hidden assurance that if I keeled over dead I would not have to listen to my friends incessant nagging any more, I hit the road. Well, my friends, I ran that 9 miles and 10 yesterday. It helped to repeat over and over, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

When we say, "I can't", no matter what the challenge, we are doubting the amazing power of the human body that was created by God. Sometimes we only relate Phil. 4:13 to our spiritual side. But if our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, shouldn't that body be healthy and powerful? How will the Holy Spirit work through a weak and unhealthy body? We should be giving our health serious attention if we are going to run the race and not grow weary. If God calls me to go out and serve Him, but I can't get off the couch there is a problem.

I'm not saying that you have to run a marathon, but whatever type of exercise you choose, give it everything you have, and you will realize a potential you never imagined. Aging is a state of mind!

(Opps this turned into a book, sorry!)

Linda if your post doesn't inspire us all to get going, nothing will. How wonderful to have you here among the rest of us dinosaurs. WELCOME!

I see you are in St. Louis. My uncle owns several bicycle shops there.

I hope you love it here and will post whenever you see something that interest you...Have fun, and keep us on our toes...LITERALLY!

JJ

JJ,

Thanks! I could get used to this!

My REAL challenge is going to come in the fall because I am going back to school full time AND it will be a hours drive each way. That will mean I will have to work hard to fit in. So, talk to me around October, that will be about the time my brain, who is going back to college under protest, and my body that doesn't like to function on no sleep, will probably start a coup!
But, it's all good!

Where are your Uncle's shops?

Cheers,
Linda

I have no idea WHERE they are, just that he has three there. His name is Ray Humphries. Does that help any? I think the bicycles are manufactured there in ST. Louis. I know he travels to Ireland a lot and sends them over there. Obviously this isn't a close relative! ha! But he is a sweet, sweet man!

JJ

Sorry...I was wrong...his name is Donald Humphries. Ray is his brother. Here is a tad about him and his shops:

Donald N. Humphries president of The Touring Cyclist, an eight-store chain that is St. Louis' largest independent bike dealer. He has three bike rental outlets on the trail in St. Charles, Defiance and Augusta. And he organized 30 bike tours over the summer.

Linda,Welcome and good for you on your running. My daughter works for the New York Road Runners ( they do the big N.Y. marathon.) Maybe someday you will run in the New York Marathon and I can say "hey I know her." I also in my early forties took on some challenges which took a whole lot of physical endurance ( which I don't have much of because of some health issues) and I realized the spititual endurance part of me was stronger than the physical. Now in my late forties, I am not doing much of anything physical and having some health struggles. I am needing to get back into shape to regain my physical strength but more so my spititual strength/endurance. For myself my spiritual endurance gets flabby if I do not discipline myself to challenge myself and "train" regularly. Physical strength is a good by product of spiritual strength.

Heavenbound, running wow, how faqbulous to be able to do that. Walking fast makes me breathe hard so I do it in the pool, more resistance with less stress on the joints. If the devil were chasinhg me I doubt I could run away. Bravo to you for your accomplishments and welcome!!!

Have you noticed how I've stayed away from this thread? Very telling.

Yeah, me too. Exercise for me comes and goes in spurts. Right now I'm on a swimming spurt. We have a little pond in our town that I can swim in, and that's easy on my crummy knees. But the water is spring fed so it's REALLY cold. How many calories do you think I'll burn just by shivering?

I've gone swimming two days in a row now - aren't you all proud of me?? I'm proud of me for just getting into that chilly water!