Well since I hadn’t seen Vickie for over a year, we got to reminiscing about some of our adventures on the bike trail where I used to do my long runs when I was training for my first marathon in 2007.

I told several stories about our training runs/bike rides in my book “Running Blind,” but this one particular adventure took place the summer after my first marathon.

I had called Vickie up and asked her if she wanted to ride her bike alongside me while I ran. She readily agreed since we had so much fun the year before.

The day started out cool, but by the time we were nearing the end of a 16 mile run/ride, we were both hot and my legs were sore!

Vickie suggested that we take this little trail off the main bike path in order to get to the creek that ran alongside it.

Well that sounded pretty darn refreshing to me, so I followed as Vickie led us farther and deeper into the thickly covered trail.

All of a sudden Vickie yells, “Oh My! Mosquitoes!!!”

Here I must digress for a moment.

I hate, I mean really, really, really, hate mosquitoes! When I could see, about the only thing that could get me to run in fear was the sight of mosquitoes.

But since I can’t really see them anymore, I have lost some of that primal fear. Don’t get me wrong, I still really, really, really hate them, as I get huge, monstrous welts when I get bitten.

And they itch like crazy, but I don’t seem to get quite as freaked out about them as I used to.

So back to the very hot and dense trail, that was apparently a breeding ground for the little blood sucking creeps!

Vickie is one of the most conscientious people I know when it comes to attending to me as a visually impaired friend. So even though she was freaking out at the bazillions of microscopic vampires buzzing around us, and she was running like the Wicked Witch from a bucket of water in order to get out of mosquito heaven, because she was still attending to my lack of sight, without breaking stride she yelled back at me, “Hold on to the bike seat!  I’m getting us the heck out of here!”

And with that she took off at a dead run wailing and screaming, flapping and swinging her arms all over the place while trying to steer the bike and keep it upright, hoping against hope that I had grabbed hold so she wouldn’t have to venture back into the thicket to drag my welted carcass out of there.

Me in the mean time, I’m holding on to the bike for dear life, knowing that Vickie, even though she loves me, will probably not come back for me if I let go!

So after what seemed like hours of trauma, but was in reality only a few minutes, we emerged from the trail out onto the bike path, Vickie still running, and not stopping until we got to her truck a quarter of a mile away.

Relieved and laughing I said, “That was awful!”

Vickie was busy getting something out of her backpack in the truck. Before I knew what she was doing, still shaking, she put some kind of oil behind my ear.

I said, “What is this?”

Vickie said in a rattled voice, “It’s peppermint oil.”

Hmmm I thought, I never heard of peppermint oil as a mosquito repellent. So I asked her, “Is this to keep the mosquitoes away?”

“NO!” She said, still panic-stricken and breathless, “It’s to Calm us down!”

In all my years, I have never met another person who was more afraid of mosquitoes then I was. Yup, Vickie wins the award for most freaked out!

Needless to say we never did get to the creek that day to cool off.

How ‘bout it?

- Vision Runner

So, how goes the winter running now that our big snow storm of 2012  is a distant memory….NOT!  

With over 16 inches of snow in the main event, not a distant memory at all.

Here it is over two weeks later, and there are still quite a few tricky winter obstacles for me to be on the alert for whilst on my winter runs. One very obvious obstacle is ice in all its forms – from black ice to sleet falling from the sky to ice puddles and everything in between.

The morning temps have been in the mid 20’s F, so I know there is going to be ice when I run to work.

And by the time the afternoon rolls around, the temperatures have jumped up a bit into the high 30’s F to sometimes even low 40’s F. So we do have a significant amount of melting of the enormous amounts of snow we received.  Which means winter running is defined as slushy and sloppy in the afternoons, and treacherous and slick in the a.m.

Snow berms created by the plows are another potential tripping hazard. For me it is sometimes hard to see how big, and wide they are when trying to cross over them to get to the street crossing. But I use my white cane to poke and prod at them until I feel I can step on and over them safely.

Of course, the constant freezing and thawing and rain and freezing and thawing and snow always keeps the footing a question mark. Now that I am able to run in the mornings again, I have been wearing my cleats to help keep me upright.

With all of the obstacles thrown at me recently, it kind of reminds me of that ABC show “Wipeout” where they throw obstacle after hazard after spine-jarring spill at the contestants who actually volunteer for that kind of abuse.  (I imagine chiropractors can’t even watch that show for the horror of the trauma voluntarily imposed upon their bodies.)

There is one obstacle that threw me for a loop a few mornings ago.  As I was running down the very clear and easy-to-navigate bike path across town, I noticed that there was some snow in the middle of the path.

Well since I don’t have much 3D vision left, it is always best that I go around things in the path, but for some reason, I don’t know what it is about seeing something, and feeling I have to step on it?

But can you say, “Snow Boulder?”

Yep, a huge chunk of snow had broken off from the large snow bank along the side of the path and rolled right into the middle of the trail.

But I didn’t see it that way. I just saw a white patch on the black asphalt – and of course, I was thinking it was just snow on the trail – not a monstrous ball of snow standing sentry in the middle of the path.

Luckily for me it was so big, I just kind of fell on top of it. Yes, I know you can visualize it, kind of belly flat across it, arms flailing, very startled and amazed that this thing could just kind of sneak up and do me that way.

So I casually-self-consciously stood up, wondering whether anyone got to see such a fabulous display of grace and style, nothing battered but my fantasy of myself as a graceful gazelle, bounding beautifully across the open plains.

But it’s the small snow/ice chunks that are more dangerous to my life and limb, as those ones will send me flying in a more impactful way!

Anyway, I used my Herculean strength and rolled the icy snow boulder off the path, so no one else would fall victim to its hypnotic beckoning to run straight into it.

Yes, I admit – it was larger than life.

But that’s me; I like to run into big things. Just see my blog post entitled “Don’t Worry, The Bridge Is Still Standing” and you’ll see what I mean.

How ‘bout it?

- Vision Runner

Since the start of the New Year, in order to more fully absorb our gratitude, in the evenings T and I have been asking each other what  was your Happy High Five for the day.

What is a Happy High Five? It is anything that makes you happy. It is a fun thing to do with your partner, friend, or family member.

You will be surprised at what makes them happy.

For example, I told T my new red puffy calendar book made me oh so very happy.

And the little bitlets that fall off my bagel make me happy when I eat them off my plate.

T then said that one of her Happy High Fives was that the puffy book and the bitlets made me happy! It just makes me smile to think about it.

So as you can see, it can be anything that makes your heart swell and your lips turn up in a smile.

It’s a good way to end the day and drift off to sleep thinking about what made you happy that day. It’s all about underscoring the gratitude we feel.

Give it a try, I bet you end up with more than 5!

How ‘bout it?

Vision Runner

I’m committed to getting the word out and spreading the message that you can do anything you believe you can, and I’d like to ask for your help in making “Running Blind” even more successful. Here’s how you can help make that happen.

1. If you haven’t read it, and you think it would be useful and engaging, please go to this link “Running Blind” and purchase a copy or two for yourself and/or as gifts for people you feel would benefit from a motivational and inspiring book about lifting yourself up to do seemingly impossible things!

2. If you have read it, please leave your comments and feedback about the book here on the blog.

3. If you have great things to say about it, you could even help me out by posting a comment or update on your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter feeds and recommending it to all your friends, family, acquaintances, hairdresser and strangers on the street as well  

4. You could go to Amazon.com  and leave a book review on the Running Blind page.

5. You could inquire at your local bookstore to see if they have a copy or two in stock.

6. If you have video capabilities, you could create a video recommendation and post it to the “Running Blind” book  page on Amazon.com – that would be really cool!

7. You could call your local newspaper and any contacts you have at blogs, magazines, bookstores, running stores, talk shows, etc., and suggest that they do an article, story, segment or promotion featuring me, Rhonda Copeland, aka “Vision Runner” author of “Running Blind – The Journey of a Blind Runner Training for her First Marathon.”

8. If you have any other great ideas…definitely include them in the comments below – we’d love to hear them!!

Thanks again for helping me to spread my message!

How ’bout it?

- Vision Runner

I was reading in a book…err… listening to a book, and the author was explaining how when her partner tells her a story about an experience or a story about his life before he knew her, the story – simply by the telling of it – became hers, too.

That thought really resonated with me.  Not only did I get what she meant because T and I relive each other’s childhood stories, but even more profoundly, with my vision deteriorating to the point where I can walk within a foot and a half of someone I’m looking for and not see them, I actually live every day through other people’s eyes.

For example, one morning while we were out for a walk, T stopped in the alley and told me there was a squirrel up ahead trying to move something.  As we got closer, she told me the squirrel was hunched over something, and seemed very anxious and wary.  We started walking again, and as we passed the squirrel, he did not run away but seemed to spread his body secretively over the object under him. 

T laughed when she recognized that the reason he didn’t scamper off as we encroached on his space was because he had one of those 6” seed bells that people hang from a tree or post to feed the birds.  That little guy was protecting his “Mother Lode” with his life!  Not even the close proximity of “HUMANS” could deter the greedy little fellow!

Okay mind you, I saw none of this.  But from the detailed description T gave me of the event, it is so clear in my mind’s eye that when I tell the story to others I say “We saw a squirrel….”  It is totally “my” story. 

T kids me and says she could tell me that there is a Great Blue Heron, a Canada Goose, and a fox drinking tea with lemon out of mason jars, and I’d believe her.  I told her “Don’t be silly; I would not… However, if you’d have said a Loon instead of a fox…”     

Anyway, you get the point. I rely a lot on T’s willingness to describe our surroundings and what’s happening out there in the arena of her vision…not just to tell me there is a curb and to “step up” or to duck under the low hanging branch…although I greatly appreciate that, too!

Even the insignificant things that a person with their eyesight may take for granted, like a single leaf dangling from a limb, slightly twirling in a light breeze, T will point out to me.

So when you see a “Willy Worm” crossing your path, or a bird preening its feathers, be sure to send up a thought of gratitude. I know I do for my “Sight Donor”.

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner

It was an early March day, and we were returning from a nice long walk in one of our favorite parks.  To get to this park on foot requires that we walk along a busy street on the bike and pedestrian path. In fact it’s the same path I run on all the time.  But it is along a very busy street, with lots of cars and trucks traversing the blacktop.  

All of a sudden, T stopped in the middle of the path.  I stopped as well, as I was holding her elbow while she guided me.  She seemed to be lost, and pondering where to go.  I was really confused, as I’m the one who always gets lost in the middle of places I know! 

So I asked her “What’s the matter? Are you lost?”  

She didn’t answer me right away.  She kept looking to her left, then to her right.  I prodded again, saying “What is it?  What are you looking at?”  

She then said, with a bit of reluctance, “There’s a chickadee just outside the white line on the road.” 

I immediately wanted to go get the poor little bird, and said so.  But seeing the obvious insanity of sending a blind woman to the edge of a busy street heaving with rushing traffic to try and locate a tiny cloud of feathers, she would have none of that.  

She asked me if I was done with my coffee.  I said yes and gave her my empty Starbucks cup.  She then made her way to the edge of the road and scooped up the little bird into the paper cup.

She put the cup with the chickadee peering out, onto the grass near a bush.  I naturally wanted to see it.  So T brought me over to see our nearly road kill.  

Once I saw the tiny ball of fluffy feathers, I wanted to hold it.  With a sigh T said, “Okay, but we are not taking it home!”   

I said, “I’ll take it to my mom’s.”

T could see I was not going to leave the chickadee there in the grass.

The little bird was wobbly, leaning to one side, and its wing kind of drooped and splayed out on that side. According to our best guess, it looked like it had probably flown into a car.  If it had gotten hit by a car, it would probably have been more dead or disfigured. But since he was still awake and alert, and not too startled, we figured he was probably dazed.

I wasn’t sure if it would even live very long, but I really didn’t want it to die alone or be lunch for a local cat or something. I know, circle of life and all that, but I really have a soft spot in my heart for birds. I raised a sparrow when I was a kid, and I couldn’t leave the cutest little fluff ball here to become an interesting diversion for a playful or hungry predator. 

 “He shouldn’t die alone,” I said in the saddest, most pathetic voice I could muster. Unable to refuse my puppy dog eyes and plaintive request, T relented and let me carry him to my mom’s.

I held the chickadee close to my body as we walked the few blocks to my mom’s place. 

Once there, my mom and I cooed and awed over the bird, encouraging him to try to drink some water and eat some oatmeal. I don’t think he did, but we certainly tried to be persuasive with the menu of presumably attractive (to a bird) items that we had available. 

After a bit, T said she had to get back home, but reminded me in her most fervent “tough guy” voice, that under no circumstances was I to bring the bird home.  

I agreed, saying I would try to call my friend Vickie and ask if she could care for the bird.  But of course (you can see the foreshadowing from a mile away ) when I called Vickie she was not home.  

My mind was racing, what should I do? How could I make sure that my little “Phoebe” would be well cared for? You know, I have such a warm glowing feeling for birds in general, and this one in distress made my heart expand, kind of like the Grinch’s heart where it “… grew three sizes that day.”  So I asked my mom if she had an old tissue box I could have.  

I was going to make my little charge a soft, cozy nest.  So with the make-shift nest ready, I put the chickadee in it and set off for home.  

My plan was to leave the bird under a spruce tree near our home, where I always heard lots of little birds.  When I got to the tree, I took the injured bird out and tried to put it under the tree.  But the fuzzy little thing refused to get off my hand. 

As I knelt there in the grass next to the tree wondering now what I was going to do, my cell phone rang.  It was T calling me.  “Hello,” I answered the phone. 

“Where are you?”  T said, concerned. 

“I’m trying to put the chickadee under this tree by Shopko, but he won’t get off my hand,” I said in a somewhat desperate voice.   There was silence on the other end of the phone.

“Okay, bring the bird home. We can put him in the bushes over by our house,” T said with some hesitation. 

“I love you. See you in a minute.”  I flipped my phone shut fast as I could so she couldn’t change her mind. 

Now let me point out to you that it’s not that T doesn’t love animals. It’s just that she knew that with my vision issues, the job of caretaking this downy delight that I was determined to take on, would eventually fall to her in one fashion or another. And she didn’t really need one more responsibility on her plate.

Back in the Kleenex-box nest the bird went, and I slowly walked the block to home. T was waiting for me on the steps.

So I took Phoebe – that’s what we started to call our chickadee ’cause that’s the song they sing “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee, Phoe-bee” – out of the box, and T brought us over to a bush in the alley near the fence.  

As I was going to release Phoebe, a big, barking, black dog approached menacingly towards us.  Okay, not a good plan. 

I said, “How ’bout under the porch?”  T agreed, so once again I tried to get the bird to hop out of my hand.  But Phoebe was having none of it.  

Again I turned sad eyes on T and said, “I don’t know what to do, I think he just needs a little time to get his strength back.” 

T just looked at me for a long moment, then said, “Alright, bring him into the office.”  This little fuzz ball had easily wrapped itself around my heart, and was starting to attach himself to T’s too.

Once inside the warm office, I dug out my heating pad and put it on low under the  box.  I covered the opening in the Kleenex box with a tissue to keep the heat in.  

T and I worked on our computers, checking on our little Phoebe every few minutes.  He – or she, we don’t really know which – was sleeping.  After an hour or so, we heard Phoebe trying to get out of the box.  I took the tissue off and Phoebe hopped out.  

His wing didn’t seem to be drooping as much, and the fact that he was hopping seemed like a good sign.  I went to see what I could find in the kitchen for him to eat.  I really had no idea what chickadees ate.  I assumed little insects and seeds.  Hmmm, fresh out of both.  So I had some corn and bread that I mashed up.  I brought in some water too.  Once again Phoebe refused to eat, but I did get him to take a little water.

By now, his strength was building and Phoebe was hopping all over the room, but he did tire easily.  He would go exploring under the desk, then have to take a little nap. His eyes would close for a few minutes.  With all the hopping and flapping and his wing back in its normal position, I thought perhaps Phoebe was ready to be set free.  So I scooped up my little bird-brained friend, and we headed outside. 

Phoebe had been so active, I was sure he wanted to go, but when I opened my hands to allow him to jump off, he just sat there, looked at me for a moment, then turned his attention to his wing and proceeded to preen his feathers.  He seemed to be saying, “La, la, la. What?  I’m not going anywhere.”  So T and I looked at each other and laughed.  What a personality this little guy had.  So we agreed, Phoebe had decided that he needed more time to recover. 

I put Phoebe back in his box, but he just didn’t want to stay in it.  I was trying to come up with something I could rig up for him, so he wouldn’t have to be confined to the box, but not hopping all over the office. I was having a hard time keeping track of him, and did not want to squash him. 

Pheoebe had hopped up T’s leg, and was resting there.  She looked at me and said, “Do you want to maybe get him a cheap bird cage?” I could tell he was working his own little bird magic and casting a spell on her so that she was beginning to fall in love with him. 

So T looked up the phone numbers to a few of the local pet stores, and found a bird cage for under $15.  She went to the mall a few blocks away, while I was in charge of watching Phoebe.  Easier said than done!  After T left, Phoebe jumped out of my hand, and I lost track of him. 

Then I heard flapping and scratching coming from the space heater in the room.  Thank goodness it wasn’t on.  Phoebe had managed to hop/fly/I’m not sure how?  through the metal grate protecting the heating pan.  By the time I bent a few rungs and coaxed him out of his little jail cell, poor little Phoebe was totally exhausted, and I could feel his tiny heart was beating so fast.  He fell asleep right in my hands. The trauma of the whole day was taking its toll; he spent a lot of time napping that day. 

T came home a few minutes later with a small bird cage in hand.  She also got some millet seed and was told that most birds would eat this.  T put the swing and perches along with a food and water cup into the cage.  Then we put Phoebe in his new home for the time being.  

We had decided that if he was strong enough in the morning we would let him go outside.  I was still concerned about Phoebe getting enough to eat.  I wanted to go to the pet store just around the block to get some wild bird seed.  Not seeing the need, since she had just brought home millet from the mall, but noting that I was not going to let it go, she finally gave in and drove me to the store. 

The place was just about to close, and the owner was helping some other customers.  So we set out on our own to look for the seed. That’s when I heard it, an old crackly sounding, “Heloooow.”  I moved towards the greeting, thinking it was a clerk to help us, when T grabbed my arm and directed me away from the mystery greeter.  I asked what was wrong.  Why was she so freaked out?

She then brought me over to a very bald parrot!  Okay not exactly bald, but his entire body had no feathers on it – his wings had a few feathers and his head looked mostly normal, but the gruesome sight of the oddly proportioned “naked” bird still haunts T to this day.  I must admit it was not a pretty sight, but I felt bad for the bird.

Eventually we got some seed and left that little shop of horrors.

When we got back home, I filled Phoebe’s seed cup and watched as he went from the swing to the food, choosing to sit in it, rather than eat it. 

I kept asking T to look and see if he was eating, as I could not see well enough to make it out.  She watched, and to our surprise the chickadee ate a few seeds!  I was very happy and optimistic that maybe Phoebe would be okay.  

T found an old towel, and we draped it over the back half of the cage, and shut off the lights, as Phoebe had perched on the swing and put his little head behind his wing. Nighty-night.

Now you might think this story had a happy ending, and I suppose, in a way, it does. But the next morning when we went to check on Phoebe, T couldn’t find him. Then she spotted the bird lying on the bottom of the cage…dead…yes our poor little Phoebe had died. Probably the shock to his system, along with the internal injuries were too extensive. He had been doing so much better the night before. We were both surprised and sad that our little distraction from the everyday routine was gone. 

But I was also able to look on it as a gift.  With my eyesight the way it is now, I am not able to see birds the way I used to.  So to be able to hold and look at this little chickadee up close was truly a gift from God. 

Even though the time we had with our little Phoebe was limited, he melted our hearts, and we still to this day reminisce about the day a bird no bigger than a chicken’s egg turned our Saturday into instant parenthood. 

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner

The best part of my winter runs is when I’m going over a bridge that’s about 3 miles into my 8 mile run.  I just love the way the winter sun hits the river.  The angle of the sun is lower in the sky, casting a more diffuse light across the water at a different angle than during the rest of the year.  It looks like the cascading of diamonds across the surface, sparkling, glimmering and fading, over and over again, millions of times each instant. Awesome.

Sometimes I’ll just pause and take in all that this winter scene has to offer, free of charge, just for the price of a minute’s stopping and savoring: peace, tranquility, and a calming of my soul.  And even though I can’t see the river the way I used to be able to, the cool thing is that my eyes allow me to view the rushing water in a way I have never before experienced it.  Abstract trees line the banks, as an artists’ brush paints a serene,  indistinct, yet beautiful landscape for my eyes only.  

Nothing makes me feel more alive than when I’m running in the cool winter air, and I find myself grinning like a fool just for the pure pleasure of running. And that’s the way I like it!

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner

I’m excited…my New Moon Abundance Checks story is in the new book by Patricia Sheehy “Dancing Under the Full Moon – 101 Ways to ATTRACT MONEY into YOUR LIFE.

She sent me an autographed copy. We started reading the book, and it’s great! We decided that each week we’re going to try one of the strategies talked about in the book. That should take us out about two years.

This week we’re working on de-cluttering.  That’s a great one as we live in a small two bedroom place, and things have a  tendency to accumulate and pile up…especially at our desks!

Anyway, you’ll want to check out the book. You can order it here: http://budurl.com/2jc9

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

We took a little hiatus, but we’re back!! And it’s just past our one year anniversary of the Runner Insight blog! Happy birthday to my blog!

So before we get to the rest of the marathon story, just wanted to remind you about my fundraising run. I’ve been chugging away, and I’ve done over 950 miles of my 1,222 mile run now. Everyone who has donated by the end of September (www.FirstGiving.com/VisionRunner) and shoots me a tweet on twitter (@RunnerInsight) or an email (t at RunnerInsight.com) with a message stating that they have an iPhone, will be in the running for a free download of the Runkeeper Pro. It’s a fitness activity tracking app for the iPhone 3G/3GS.

We’re probably going to have at least one other fabulous prize this month as we have some merchandise donations from a handful of businesses. So get your donation in, and be prepared for the fabulous prize wagon to pull up to your door!!

Next post: the continuation of my marathon story.

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

^Click Arrow To Listen

Last winter (or maybe the winter before) while shopping at Costco we passed some very big pillows, long like a body pillow.   I reached out to touch the pillow, and it was the softest pillow I had ever felt.  The soft, velvety fuzzy fabric was so captivating, I couldn’t stop petting it.  T then reached over and started petting it, too. 

Soon we found ourselves transfixed by this big soft body pillow.  Knowing there was no way we were leaving the store without one…even though we really had no place at home to put it, we picked out a color and put it in our cart. 

As we continued to shop, we noticed that strangers would reach out and pet our pillow.  And when we got to the check out counter, the gal boxing up our stuff was just standing there petting the pillow in a euphoric trance.  T joked, “Hey!  Stop petting our pillow!”  Laughing of course, it broke the clerk out of her velvety-soft-fuzzy-fabric-induced trance.  A bit embarrassed, she did admit she would have to buy one of her own, she couldn’t just keep stealing comforting strokes on other people’s pillows as they came through the check-out stand.

While the pillow itself is nice, it’s the fabric that it’s covered in that sucks people into its vortex with no shame, a perfectly innocent looking pillow lying there with a secret sneaky mission in life, when within arm’s length of humans it is begging to be petted.

Vision Runner and her Stop Petting My Pillow Pillow

 

In fact the label calls it a “Butter Soft Body Pillow.” Now I don’t know about you, and maybe it’s one of those silent addictions that people don’t talk about in mixed company, but I don’t know very many people who are into petting butter. I’ve never read an article in Cosmopolitan or Good Housekeeping or even the Enquirer about the shameful back room secrets of the butter-petting crowd.   I’ll admit that I could be wrong about it, though. In that case, though I say ignorance is bliss.

T figured that they should name it the “Stop Petting My Pillow, Pillow” cause it literally is one of the softest pillows ever, and people can’t stop themselves from being drawn into a velvety soft petting trance. It’s almost addictive! Which is probably part of its dastardly plan to take over the world, someday, anyway. 

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

P.S. If you’re getting value out of this blog, you can do me a favor by linking to us and mentioning my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising project to friends and co-workers. Here’s the link information for this particular article:
Title: Stop Petting My Pillow Pillow
URL:http://runnerinsight.com/2009/07/03/stop-petting-my-pillow-pillow/

You can also social bookmark us at Digg or StumbleUpon using the links below.

P.S.S. You’ll want to check out my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising run. We only need 30,000 people to donate $1 each. When you get your donation in and get your private access to the donor’s only daily updates, you’ll want to go check out the video blog and leave a comment, cause there’s only a couple of days left…every donor that leaves a comment on the video blog site through July 4th will be in the drawing for the $70 value “Spy Coin” that includes a micro SD chip!!

^ Click Arrow To Listen

New Moon Abundance Checks

This little trick does seem to work to draw more money, but I’m not sure why. I figure it has to do with setting an intention and letting the universe take over.  It doesn’t take much time, and once it’s done, you just forget about it, and let the money happen.

So are you curious?

Within 24 hours of the new moon each month, you’ll want to write a check to yourself. 

Okay here’s what you do:

Leave the date blank.  (That’s the universe’s business.)

Where the little box with $ is, write PAID IN FULL.

On the line that says Pay to the Order of, write your own name (or the name of your business if you want to draw money to your business).  

On the line where you would normally write out the amount, you again write PAID IN FULL.

Then sign the check: The Law of Abundance. 

Tuck the check away somewhere out of sight.  I put mine in a bank bag. (Subtle, huh?)

Since we have been doing this the past five months, we have gotten paid cash for two of our mobile homes that we generally sell on contract with a small down payment and monthly payments. So we’ve gotten $5,000 chunks twice, and lesser amounts have shown up any number of times. The money in my bank bag  just seems to keep growing, without any effort on my part…

The next new moons are June 22, 2009, July 22, 2009 and August 20, 2009. So give it a try, you have nothing to lose, and the whole universe to gain. 

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

P.S. If you’re getting value out of this blog, you can do me a favor by linking to us and mentioning my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising project to friends and co-workers.  Here’s the link information for this article:
Title: New Moon Abundance Checks
URL: http://runnerinsight.com/2009/06/19/new-moon-abundance-checks/ 

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

P.S. Have you donated your $1 to my fundraising effort yet? Might as well do it right now…here’s a link ->www.FirstGiving.com/VisionRunner

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Hic-ups…one of those pointless, annoying spasms that we all get to suffer from at some point in time…usually when it’s most inappropriate and embarrassing, like at a funeral or when your boss is raking your whole team over the coals in the main conference room. And don’t you hate it when you can tell the folks sitting next to you are annoyed and wish you would stop, while at the same time they’re kind-of relieved that it’s you and not them drawing unwanted attention to themselves.

Over the years I have used several different tricks to get rid of the hic-ups.  When I worked at the airport and would get the hic-ups, I would simply walk over to the lounge and ask the bartender for a shot of bitters and lime.  Boy that stuff tasted awful, but it sure did the trick.  But what was I supposed to do when I wasn’t near a bar? 

Well a friend told me about this technique.  Get a glass of water.  Put it on the floor in front of you.  Then bend over and with your head between your knees take a sip of water.  Repeat several times.  A warning though: you must do this before your hic-ups go on too long.  I don’t know why, but if you can catch it right away, this usually works.

The simplest and most amazing remedy I have ever used was taught to me by T, who learned it in junior high school from her science teacher.  Are you ready?

When you have the hic-ups, close your eyes then have someone else (preferably someone you trust) place their pointer finger gently on one eyelid in the center, and their immediately adjacent long finger on the other eyelid, like they’re holding the “peace” sign on your eyelids, but not touching any other part of their hand to your face.  The gentle pressure should be steady and consistent, but not hard.  Hold like that for 30 seconds, or a bit longer. I’ve never been able to make it work by doing it on myself, but with a partner doing it, this amazing technique works about 90% of the time for me. I’m not sure exactly why it works, but I suspect that there is some nerve or something behind your eyeball, and the gentle pressure placed on your eyelid must… I don’t know…maybe calm or relax the nerve somehow?

 Whatever makes it work, you’ll want to give it a try next time you are plagued with the dreaded hic-ups! It’s simple, it’s quick and very effective. Can’t you just picture it? Asking your boss to pause for a moment during his tirade while you have your co-worker place their fingers on your eyelids to alleviate your hic-ups for you? 

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner   

P.S. Just a reminder: As a part of my 1,222.25 mile Run Over To Ellen’s Fundraising Project, everyone who has donated $1 or more by Sunday May 24th will be in a donors drawing for a special, limited edition Vision Runner “Dare To Envision A New Reality” retractable ballpoint pen. Less than 10 in existence! Sure to be a collector’s item…We only need 30,000 people to donate $1 each for Guide Dogs for the Blind…so get your donations in today. You can make miracles!! $1 at a time! Click here: Run Over To Ellen’s Fundraising Project

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If you’ve been with me since the inception of this blog, you know my Starbucks history and how much I love my Grande Americano from the Starbucks menu . But what I love even more is being able to save 30% on every cup of coffee I order! 

And let me tell you how I do that…

Here’s how:

Costco had Starbucks gift cards:  Buy $100 worth of Starbucks gift cards for only $80!  A savings of 20%. (I haven’t checked to see if they still have them or not, but it’d be worth checking out if you love Starbucks the way I love Starbucks.)

I had just gotten my new Starbucks Gold Card, and the Starbucks Gold Card gives me a 10% discount on all my purchases. So I loaded up my Starbucks Gold Card with the Starbucks gift cards I had gotten at Costco, giving me a total saving of nearly 30% or .62 cents on every $2.20 cup of coffee!   And since I’m not going to be giving up my beloved cup of Starbucks coffee anytime soon, I loaded up my Starbucks Gold card so that I have 6 months worth of drinks on it! Ultimately saving me over $100 in six months.

Gotta love that!

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner

P.S. How ’bout donating $1.00 today to Guide Dogs for the Blind? There’s a FirstGiving Donation Box/link in the right hand side bar. You can see the summary of my 1,222.25 mile Run Over To Ellens Fundraising Project at RunOverToEllens.com

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Without being excessively rigid about any of it, over the past few years we have been working at practicing everyday healthier habits.  Our latest endeavor was sparked by my chiropractor.  He was discussing the health benefits of drinking water and he recommended that every day we drink half our body weight in ounces of water. He said 1/3 of your body weight in ounces was a good place to start, but working up to ½ was better for you. I had heard this before regarding the health benefits of drinking water, but hadn’t really internalized it. But this time, since I was recovering from lower right back pain which turned out to be sciatica, I was in a place in my life where I was more willing to take on the challenge. 

While I was mentally prepared and ready to do it, my problem became finding a safe and convenient drinking container.  I had a couple of stainless steel water bottles, but they made the water taste metallic.  We had been buying a case of water every week in the disposable plastic water bottles, but if we were going to increase our consumption that much, using that many throw away plastic water bottles was a really bad idea, environmentally speaking.

So, we found a BPA free plastic water bottle with built in straw that holds 32 ounces, and bought four of them.  We then dug out our Brita water filter pitchers.  By having two Brita water filter pitchers of cold water, and 4 BPA free plastic water bottles, we always have fresh cold water on hand, making drinking it easy.

So that’s nice, but how does drinking water save us over $1,000 a year? Well, let’s calculate…

We had been consuming (conservatively speaking) two 12 packs of Diet Coke at an average of $3.50 each for a total of $7.00 per week.

We were drinking a little over a case a week of Talking Rain juicy flavored beverages at $10.00 a case. (And yes, it had the artificial sweetener in it: not very good for us.)

And we had been buying a case of bottled water a week at $6.00 a case.

That’s $23.00 a week on cold beverages! Cutting them out saved us $1,196.00 per year. When I added it up, it astonished me how much we were saving by switching to water. And that’s with just two of us in the household. How much more could you save if you have more than two people in the household making the change? Even if you can’t get your kids to completely eliminate the sugar and artificial sweetener-filled fruit flavored beverages and sodas and Red Bulls, if you could instill in them the health benefits of drinking water and get them to cut their consumption of those other calorie-laden and sweetener-filled beverages in half and replace it with water, think how much healthier they will be.  

At our house, we have always taken baby steps when making these healthy changes, and we did the same with drinking more water.  We still buy milk and orange juice of course, but other than that, we weaned ourselves off of all of our other cold beverages, simply by buying four BPA-free water bottles at $4.00 each. And it took less than a month to make the change-over. 

Doing something healthy for your family and saving over $1000 bucks a year…what’s not to love? And why don’t you take one of those dollars and donate it in that little green-bordered FirstGiving box in the right-hand sidebar? We will thank you with lots of special secret surprises and private access to our Donors Only page at www.RunOverToEllens.com…

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner

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Clearance Racks? Honestly, I never paid much attention to ‘em.  If I wanted something, I’d just go buy it.

T on the other hand, has a built-in radar for them.  The bright yellow or red signs blazing like a beacon call to her and draw her in.

Having grown up in a middle class family in Illinois where stretching dollars was a necessity, it was a valuable tool in the tool belt of an incredibly skilled and thrifty shopper, and she was taught by the very best…her mother.

And why not? Who wouldn’t want to have brand new merchandise at a significantly discounted price? Especially in this economy!

So T’s skills were put to the test this past winter when I wanted a new winter coat.  I was very specific about what I wanted, and knew she didn’t have a snowball’s chance of finding it…at least not on the clearance racks.

I should probably know better after this many years, but being skeptical and practical, I didn’t “waste time” at the clearance racks. I kept looking at all the full price racks of coats, while she was off in search of the brightly colored signs indicating bountiful treasures to be had. 

I could not find a single red mid-length winter coat to save my life. I scoured the racks and racks of coats. Still probing the racks, I heard a squeal. Nope it wasn’t an unlucky innocent non-red, non-mid-length, non-winter coat experiencing the wrath and frustration of Vision Runner. 

Moments later I was being summoned over to the clearance rack of coats.  There in hand, she was holding what looked to be the perfect coat! 

Heavy enough for winter use? Yep

Red? Yep. (Easier for me to see with my low vision.)

Mid-length to cover my butt when I’m walking in the winter? Yep

Shell made out of some sort of water-resistant fabric? Yep.

Exactly fitting my list of requirements, the only question was, would it fit?

I tried it on, and, yup you guessed it: a perfect fit for about one third of the original cost! 

Vision Runner in Red Coat

 

 

Now whenever we go in seach of, well…anything, the first place we check is the great and powerful clearance rack.  Did you notice the “we”?  I’ve been converted!

And don’t worry, the skill is still being handed down through the generations…our teenage nieces Hillary and Megan are also well-trained and highly skilled deal-finders!

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

Here’s the announcement you’ve been patiently waiting for….

Ready or Not….

Here it comes…

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

When You Donate $1.00 or more, you get special VIP privileges at our Run Over To Ellen’s website…and we made it easy for you, just click on the donation widget below or in the sidebar, and you’ll receive special access to our VIP area at my Run Over To Ellen’s website where there are daily videos posted with updates and access to other great stuff as well!

P.S. If you have a website, you can go to www.firstgiving.com/visionrunner and grab the fundraising widget (that green box in the side bar and at the bottom of this post) so you can help us promote our fundraising goal!! You can also grab the widget right from the widget on our page. Just click on the purple Menu button and select “Share this widget” The code will be there, and you can just cut and paste it into your site that way!

Thanks!!

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Go Mary! Go Mary!  Goooooo Team McManus!

Hey I just wanted to wish my friend Mary McManus and her family the best of luck running their first marathon…And the Boston Marathon, no less!

Mary is such an inspiration.  From her battle with polio as a 5 year old child to becoming a “super mom” and career woman, then coming face to face with the deterioration of her body from post polio syndrome as an adult in 2007 (only two years ago). To come back from that and then making the decision to run the 2009 Boston Marathon with her family to raise money for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital!  (Here’s the video link to her story on YouTube.) Awesome! Her determination and faith in herself to overcome obstacles is amazing, and I applaud her spirit.

Mary, I know your marathon experience will be a great one no matter the outcome.  You will be changed forever by the entire process from start to finish and well beyond.

Thank you for all your positive comments and loving encouragement. They truly mean a lot to me.

Team Vision Runner is cheering for you!  In fact here’s a video I made for you! Enjoy…  

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner 

We wanted to let you know that we just set up an interactive site where you can give us the lowdown, the good, the bad and the ugly about running shoes.

Tell us your opinion…You’ve been waiting for someone to ask…and now here is your opportunity!

http://running-shoes-reviews.pbwiki.com/

The site is designed to be interactive so that you can include comments on other people’s shoe reviews, and start a new page with your own input…

And it doesn’t have to be limited strictly to your most favorite or least favorite Running Shoes Reviews. Maybe you just saw some great clearance sale on running shoes that you want to share, or you have a great article on running shoes.

Whatever…if it’s related to running shoes and/or running shoes reviews…bring it on.

http://running-shoes-reviews.pbwiki.com/

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

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I just love this time of the year, as I’m sure most of you do.  The past few weeks have been feeling more and more like spring every day. There is a lot to be said for emerging from a long winter’s nap and sprouting into the revitalizing new life that spring brings. Makes me even more eager to get out for a run.

Spring, especially this year, has become more meaningful for me.  Coming off of a long and painful back injury that has taken most of the winter to recover from, I am ready, actually more then ready, for longer, warmer days.

Just the other day we were talking about how we haven’t seen our first robin of spring, yet.  I immediately put T and my mom on robin patrol. Obviously with my eyesight issues, it’s hard for me to see the robins, but I can definitely pick out their “Cheer up, Cheereo” song.

But even with all the running I have been doing the past couple of weeks, it was not until we were driving out to the beautiful custom house west of town we have for sale that T spotted the harbinger of spring. First robin – then another and another, and a whole bunch more.  We must have seen (and I use the words “we” and “seen” loosely – as she actually saw and I merely accepted) 15 or more robins along the road and in the fields. Very cool indeed.  A convention of robins!

Yup, spring has sprung here in Montana…How do I know?  Just a week and a half ago it was 20 degrees and snowing: a mini blizzard. Now: 55 to 60 degrees and sunny. Hey it’s Montana. If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes.

And nothing says “spring in Montana” like what we saw today: a cowboy on a motorcycle, complete with denim shirt, vest and cowboy hat.

Makes you wanna get out and move, doesn’t it? If you’re looking for a half marathon or marathon training program, here’s a link to my review of The Marathon Method. Check it out.

If you’re feeling a little lethargic, and need some “get up and go” sprinkled on your corn flakes, here’s my review of the book by Paul Reese, the 73 year old who ran the equivalent of a marathon a day for 124 days. Ten Million Steps. If he can do it at 73, I’m betting you can probably do something a little less physically grueling, time-consuming and intimidating, don’t you think?

I know you all have great spring stories to share, so leave me a comment at the bottom about your favorite thing about spring or your fondest spring memory, etc.

How ‘bout it?

Vision Runner

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