Outtakes, episode 6 / Park Run

Once again solo because mini decided to have 2nd/3rd/4th Christmas with family. Who can blame her.

First, a win. My short disciples asked if I could be with them every weekend. I declined.

Then, a huge fail. During the craft section of our lesson, a seemingly simple 3 minute video resulted in tears and frustration. Apparently, origami is not for the faint of heart. Or fingers. The instructions were simple: transform a 5×5 paper into a shield. I wanted a sword. My adult helper not only understood the instructions but deftly moved her hands across the paper until a shield was born from the ashes. Tada! Me? Well, I got about halfway then repeatedly asked for a replay of the sequence 3x until they gave up on me. No shield for me. My littlest charge’s eyes began to leak. I silently pleaded with the adult helper to make another shield as quickly as possible, which she produced with little fanfare, stopping the tears in their tracks. But not before we requested tissue to dry them.

The morning ended with treasure box and skittles. Crisis averted. No more origami. Ever.

As for running –

Some time ago, Brooks created this awesome idea called park run. Cities adopted it, finding locations to host a Saturday morning 5k. It became a thing. There are challenges, such as running a park run in every state, running the same course with the exact same time 2x, etc. Some of the challenges are silly, others are difficult. Lucky for me, my community adopted it. I registered immediately, then proceeded to never attend for more than a year. PhD life.

Finally, right before the end of 2025, I attended the final run of the year. Hooked! Great course, no frills, no water stops, less than 75 people, minimal hills. It was awesome!

New Year’s Day 2026, I ran the first park run of the year. Another amazing run! And faster than my previous run.

I’m incredibly grateful I stay in 5k shape year-round. Although I love hearing how others are beginning couch to 5k plans or getting restarted with a running routine, the last few years have not been great for my 365 day conditioning. From knee to feet to hip, it has been tough to stay healthy for more than a few months. In 2025, I was out for the first 3 months. Same in 2024. 2026? If the first run was any indication, this is my year.

No plans on the horizon. I think my half marathon ship has sailed. I ran 10! I once thought I wanted to run a marathon, but heavy mileage breaks down my body so quickly. Right now, I’m happy with my 2-a-day workouts (run+strength). I have been focusing on 1-rep max workouts which is fun! We’ll see what happens…

Stay tuned!

_____________________

I ask you –

Have you tried a park run?

(The post Outtakes, episode 6 / Park Run first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Outtakes, episode 5

Mini joined me for a rousing room of 3 other participants, complete with a broken thermostat and much running.

An attempt to tame my curls came in the form of these little dinglehoppers, otherwise known as French horns. Ahem, French pins. And a partridge in a pear tree. Or the garbage can, which is where one went after I broke it. It lasted only a few hours in my hair. RIP, French horn. Also, the tutorial exploited its ease of use. It was not.

I was honored to be selected as a judge for lodging’s gingerbread house competition! When I asked for a taste test, I almost lost my judging rights. Next time.

Another week of leave is on the horizon. Ahem, now. There will be no gingerbread house creation. Instead, upwards of 75 degrees is forecasted. I have no doubt the winter weather will come soon though. Merry Christmas Eve!

_____________________

I ask you –

Have you ever eaten a gingerbread house post-decoration?

(The post Outtakes, episode 5 first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Outtakes, episode 2

The latest iteration of my newest endeavor –

I think I’m getting better at this! Mini only told me once to stop being weird. Progress!

This time, we had 5 girls and it had been raining (with the works) for several hours. Mini isn’t a fan of storms and it appeared most of the other girls weren’t either. So we made a fort with a blanket thrown over a table and let the girls sit under it while I gave the lesson from a rather uncomfortable spot on the floor. Despite a few loud interruptions, we were right on time!

Maybe I’m starting to figure this stuff out. Until next time.

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I ask you –

When was the last time you built a blanket fort?

(The post Outtakes, episode 2 first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Outtakes

This is episode one of a new series I’m beginning on RoF. As I’m now a great aunt, I have been accepted into the kingdom where all great aunts reside – basically next to sainthood. My beautiful, great Aunt Mary Catherine is the one woman I look up to, adore, and attempt to mirror my life around, lest her impact be felt any deeper than could be possible. Now that I have stepped into this new kingdom, I am honored to serve as a children’s church leader. Pump the brakes, Kel. Honored, yes. Serving, yes. Qualified to lead…children?! Never.

Monthly, and probably twice monthly, I will serve in this capacity for a group of young people between 5-12 years old. Surely I can be a wonderful role model. As long as buckets of grace are given.

Fortunately for everyone, I will not be alone. Safety purposes, for sure. ….mine. I am provided a helper, someone with more brain cells than I possess, more patience than Job, and an uncanny ability to keep me on track. This is funny if you consider I have always been the helper, never the leader. I was under qualified for that role, too.

It’s less than 90 minutes. What could go wrong. Statement, not question.

To start, things did go wrong. I was scheduled to conduct 3 scientific experiments: use an orange to pop a balloon, stick a pencil through a bag filled with water without leaking, and demonstrate gravity by dropping an apple. A trusty helper held the balloon while I tried every way to get that stupid balloon to pop. Nada. The pencil in the bag of water was successful until the pencil shifted and water poured out everywhere. Partial success. By the time we got to the apple, I knew I was in danger of losing a toe so I skipped that one and verbally shared how gravity works. Close call. I believe the youth were amused at my calamity of errors, but it was a rough lesson today. Nonetheless, I did my best to demonstrate how miracles may seem impossible.

Maybe next time I’ll read the lesson plan prior to start time.

_____________________

I ask you –

What did I do wrong with the orange peel? We tried the juice, the peel, the orange itself. It didn’t work.

(The post Outtakes first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)