Ask Yourself, "How Do People Experience Me?"

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I'm reading the Wall Street Journal yesterday and almost the entire MarketPlace section is devoted to an article on "The XX Factor: What's Holding Women Back?" 
It's an interesting read, broken into numerous subsections. One of the subsections offers a Tool Kit for society and individuals on how to encourage more/better participation by women in the economy. Under the header Personal Strategies: Tools for the Individual, one of the recommendations is that women do Self-Assessments.
"Regularly consider, 'How do people experience me? Am I a game changer and value creator who builds trusting relationships?'"
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Merle Norman To The Rescue: A Sole Sister Makeover?

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A scene from the winning cheer: We Be Cruisin' In The 'Boro!" This past Sunday I teamed up with 7 of the Sole Sisters to run the ALS Amazing Race sponsored through The Club of Greensboro. We divided into two teams of four and--along with 11 other teams--used clues to race around Greensboro and complete tasks. 

My friend Christie summed the day up best in her FB post:

We have dove in pools, rode tricycles, pushed wheelchairs blindfolded playing hockey, answered 10 hard travel questions, we were blindfolded and had to guess flavors of gelato, recited "proper names" of English desserts, surveyed a boutique for red belts, struck a pose at photo studio, ran on treadmills and jumped rope, bowled underhanded backwards for a strike, and fished around in a pool of noodles, oatmeal and sardines -we chanted a cheer that led us to victory (thanks to Cindy Barbour). For what?? To WIN the Amazing Race and raise awareness for ALS-one of the most memorable days we've ever had. We did it girls !

Although the day was filled with laughter--maybe even mocking while Christie and I cursed the tricycles--one moment stands out. 

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Who's The Real Runner?

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There's a disturbance of the FORCE within the Harris household. While it's taken for granted that I am the "runner" in the family, anyone paying attention these days would have to question whether my spot as "all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips" is being usurped by one laid-back CPA-type named Blair Harris. 

Blair started running last year as a way to maintain his weight loss and stay healthy. He doesn't get the same joy out of running I do--which makes me sad--but he sticks with it. He's been running 3 days a week consistently for months and has recently increased his mileage and (though he refuses to admit to it) his speed. 

What's embarrassing to face is that while I'm a faster runner than Blair, he's actually a better runner than me.

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No Exercise For 1 Week: Place Your Bets

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So. It seems my body is falling apart, piece by piece. It started two weeks ago with a sprained lower back muscle, moved into bicipital tendonitis in my right shoulder, progressed to a rolled left ankle with accompanying shin pain, and has morphed into a bruised muscle on the opposite side of my back, side stitch, and muscle spasm in my left arm. 

To say the least, something isn't right. Today's 10-mile run cemented that fact when I was practically unable to bend over to pick up Gatorade at the water stop, had to keep my body in straight alignment with zero twisting so as not to cause back spasms, and still had such a strong sensation of a bruised rib that I almost quit the run halfway through. 

I may be thick, but I can take the hint.

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