Me Too...

There are as many different reasons to run as there are runners; and there are seemingly just as many reasons not to run - until you do.  Often times people hear about my running (or sometimes even ask) but instantly counter with "I hate running" - well, me too; or "I have bad knees" - me too; "I'm too busy" - me too....the list goes on.  You've got to want to get out the door for one reason or the other - and that reason is different for everyone - but once you give it a shot you'll discover so many more reasons to run than there are not to run. 

"I hate running."  I've completed 46 half marathons in 34 states since March 2010 and to this day I still have trouble dragging my butt out the door for that first step of a run.  I can lay my clothes, iPod, and Garmin out, pack a gym bag, set my alarm, and go to bed with ALL the motivation and good intentions in the world to run early in the morning - and 9 out of 10 times I wake up in the middle of the night, think "oh, that ain't happening!" and reset that alarm for my normal time.  Running in general is hard work and in this day and age where we seek to make things easier/more comfortable most people "hate" things that require work.  You will get sweaty, you will find it difficult, you will get sore...you will work.  It's easy to hate working.  But you'll also discover an endorphin rush, increased cardio fitness, a host of health benefits, and likely a firmer lower body to boot - all of which are equally easy to love!  As with everything else in life you have to take the good to get the bad...you may hate disciplining your kids, but you love that they are well behaved (most of the time); you may hate your morning commute, but you love being able to pay the bills; - so, hate running...just do it anyway. 

"I have bad knees."  At 19 years old I was told the only way I'd ever get relief from my knee pain was an experimental surgery with a 10% success rate.  I declined.  I knew "this" pain and could live with it.  When I first started running I didn't need a Garmin...I knew INSTANTLY if I did over 3 miles...my right knee told me and then reminded me for days not to do it again.  I'm not a doctor and I'm by NO means advising anyone to do something that causes them pain; but often times, the most comment knee pains don't come from the knees.  Take the time to find out why your knees (or whatever else) are hurting and you'll likely be able to run without the pain.  It took me YEARS to discover that a combination of tight IT bands and a weak right glute were actually what caused my knee pain and guess what - no surgery required and my knees no longer hurt!  A foam roller ($15) and a little added attention to the right side in the gym and I have to check the Garmin to know how far I've gone.  So, your knees hurt...start with having a running store fit you for shoes (HUGE difference when you run in the right shoes...I could do an entire post about that alone), do some stretching and foam rolling, see a chiropractor, or ask your doctor for his input into possible causes - likely the knee pain is a symptom of an underlying problem, not the problem itself.  Bottomline, don't just shrug and say it hurts so I won't do it, find out why it hurts.

"I'm too busy."  Sorry, but cry me a river...aren't we all too busy now-a-days?  I work full time.  I have four kids.  I cook, clean, shuttle kids to practices, show up to cheer them on for games, attend awards banquets, schedule and run meetings, attend social events with friends/co-workers, ANDDDDDD.....I surf, quilt, scrapbook, workout, and run!  Bottomline, you make time for the things that are important to you.  If you want something bad enough you'll find a way to make it happen - so be busy...just go for a run anyway. 

Running is about so much more than pounding the pavement and offers so much more in return than the race medals.  You may start out of curiosity or to lose weight, maybe just to clear your head; but chances are you'll find new friends, improved health, and a host of other benefits that keep you coming back - me too.   

The Hardest Part of Training

What is the hardest part of training? 

When I first decided to sign up for a half marathon, even with all of my motivation and enthusiasm, the hardest part was often getting out the door.  The training plan I chose dictated 5 days of running each week with Mondays and Fridays as rest days.  The first Tuesday was no problem.  Wednesday I was not overly excited, but headed out.  By Thursday my shins were sore and the tiny muscles in my feet were tight, but I headed out knowing I got a break the next day.  Saturday came all too quickly and I forced myself out the door for "an easy three miler" knowing I'd almost completed a full week of training without missing a workout.  Sunday I got out easier, simply looking forward to mentally checking the box on the week.  As the weeks piled up it got harder and harder to make myself hit the road.  I used every trick in the book, but it required extreme motivation and constantly reminding myself of my end goal to keep going.  I'm one to be motivated by progress so I maintained an elaborate spreadsheet of my training runs with as much data as I could think of - date, distance, pace, time of day, temperature, type of course, average heart rate, etc.  Seeing my pace go down, distance go up, and heart rate go down was sometimes what fueled me.  I was always glad I did, I eventually began to enjoy my runs, but even then just getting out the door was the hardest part of my early training.

After I completed my first event I knew I wanted to run more so my training needed to continue.  I even signed up for future events so I had the goal in sight.  I soon found the hardest part of training was maintaining motivation and consistency.  Thoroughout the next two years I cycled through periods where I would buckle down and train for a specific race or goal, only to be inflated by the end result to a point that I found it easy to slip into complacency.  By the fall of 2012, even with 32 half marathons complete, the hardest part of training was still just getting out the door. 

I then set new goals and a new training plan.  I still struggled at times to get out the door, but not nearly as much as previously.  As the next few months rolled along and I plowed through 14 additional half marathons I found the hardest part of training to be finding the time for everything else in life.  I'd finally gotten to a point in my running where training was a priority and did not seem as much of a burden!  And then injury set in...

Now, the hardest part of my training is that I can't.  Sidelined by injury, it has been nearly five weeks since my last race and nearly ten weeks since my last training run.  I've put in three weight lifting workouts in the last nine weeks as well - again, sidelined by injury.  As I recently complained via social media about my inability to train a comment by a fellow runner really hit home.  He encouraged me to view this as part of my training - the mental part - reminding me that putting in the time to rest now would result in improved health and abilities over time vs. ignoring the doctor and plowing through workouts which will inevitably cause further damage down the road.  So now, the hardest part of my training is no longer getting out the door...it's not being able to get out the door.  As my friends wind up their 2012 race calendars and post their exploits at various races I have a twinge of jealous, as I reflect on my times from the fall and know that with each passing week they are slipping further away I have a bit of pain, and as the stress of daily life piles on with the holiday I have an overwhelming desire to leave it all on the road/track; but in the long run this is all a part of my training - right now the hardest part - and I have to respect that. 

Whatever you find to be the hardest part of training at the moment, do what it takes to push past it...even if just today...it may still be hard but you'll be glad you pushed through. 

Buyer/Runner Beware

Prior to signing up for any USRA event, please take a moment to Google the man in charge, Dean Reinke.   After reading a bit of what you find, make your own decision as to whether to run the race or not.  I am currently dealing with the man with regards to a past event and suffice it to say I know what my decision for future events will be. 

I'm not out to 'bash' anyone; I just wish someone had given me this advice before the event and I would be remiss if I did not share. 

Perhaps a Little Over Zealous...

I quit hitting the gym in late October and focused on healing the foot/ankle while knocking out my remaining 2012 races.  I stopped running with the exception of my races at the same time.  After Miami, I took some time off entirely to heal.  I'd intended on going back to lifting for upper body and doing some swimming and elliptical to maintain cardio while the foot healed.  The fall/injured wrist squashed that.  So, last week I realized I felt horrid and NEEDED to work out, but didn't want to further injure the foot.  I decided to get my lifting sessions in and just be careful that leg day did not do anything to injure the foot.  Well, the week got crazy and before I knew it Thursday rolled around and I hadn't hit the gym at all.  Thursday evening I headed for my gym and knocked out a killer back, bi, and shoulder session followed by a double abs session.  It felt great to be back and I was surprised at how well the wrist held up.  I'd lifted lighter than I previously would but still heavier than I thought the wrist would allow and I was ok.  I intended on getting in my leg session on Friday...that didn't happen.  So, Saturday, determined to make sure I hit all of my workouts for the week, I headed down to the gym and tackled a killer leg workouts.  As with Thursday, I lifted lighter than I usually would, but it'd been so long I knew I would feel it.  My abs were still hurting from Thursday, but I knocked out what would have been Friday's ab session anyway.  Nearly spent but determined to get in my chest and tri session, I headed upstairs and sucked down a GU, then went back to power through the rest of my workout.  I finished feeling great and headed upstairs to shower.  I knew I was in trouble when my arms wouldn't lift high enough to wash my hair without a great deal of effort.  I'm typically a person that DMOS doesn't set in until Day 2 after a workout...this was minutes after the workout!  Sunday morning everything was tight...today...well, let's just say I shouldn't sit still for long, I will be stretching a lot this evening, and I'm not so sure how I'm going to get in tonight's back, bi, shoulders, and ab session - but I will do it!  Perhaps I won't be quite so over zealous with this workout though....not that I'm complaining!

Pipe Dream?

Two days ago the opportunity to travel to Japan for two weeks at the end of Jan came up.  True to form, the absolute first thing I did was search for races!  I found two 1/2s and 3 fulls that could be possible during the timeframe (of course none would be easy logistically as far as travel, but when has that ever stopped me?).  While I'm not really cozy with the idea of doing a full I know I could, but I'd prefer a half.  Partially because it's what I'm trained for at the moment, but also because it would count towards my Sun status for the Half Fanatics! 

There is much to be worked out before the trip even occurs and there is much I'd like to do while there if it does happen; however a race is second only to seeing Nagoya (my grandfather was stationed there in 1946 and it held a lot of meaning for him - and therefore for me as well).  At this point a race may be a pipe dream...there are a lot of obstacles, travel being the least of them:  all of the websites are only in Japanese, what little I'm getting through translating software indicates registration closed in October for many, etc; but I'm not willing to throw in the towel just yet. 

Stay tuned to find out if my first race of 2013 will be in Japan!  (and wish me luck!!! Say a little prayer!!!  or refer me to any Japanese speaking friends for assistance!!!!  I'll take whatever help I can get!)

Are You Living or Taking Up Space?

My son frequently tells me if you aren't living on the edge you're taking up too much space.  As a mother, that tears my nerves up.  But, admittedly, I get hurt more frequently than him!  And this year it seems as though I've been especially accident/injury prone.  So, you'll likely find it no surprise that I'm again all jacked up. 

While helping my sister move over Thanksgiving weekend, our kids started packing the U-Haul...they apparently aren't great Tetris players because there was PLENTY of wasted space.  So, throughout the day I found myself in the back of the truck climbing on top of things, rearranging, shoving things into every little space I could find.  I'd spent a good deal of time walking on a bookshelf and moving things around, stepping over to the pinball machine and back.  So, at the end of the day with just a few things remaining, I held one end of a futon while my sister held the other.  I was standing on the bookshelf again and stepped backwards (without looking) to the pinball machine....only I'd moved about 3' to the left and there was nothing there.  For the record, air walking in a UHaul while holding a futon is not the best idea. 

When I could get up we finished packing the truck.  I had been standing where the rocker is here and ended up on my back on the box of picture frames and mirrors where the weird patio table frame is in this picture.  Somehow not a single picture or mirror broken.  I got lucky in that my injuries were soft tissue so they'll heal fairly quickly.  In the meantime I'm out of the gym because of the arm and I'm still recovering from the foot injuries so no running.  Needless to say I'm not a happy camper and am worried about losing progress.  I'm hoping to be back in the gym and pool next week.

In the meantime, while friends comment on how accident prone or clumsy I am, I've taken stock...No, I'm not accident prone, and I'm not particular clumsy (I was actually awarded "Most Graceful" in my ballet classes as a child).  I simply live life to the fullest.  I don't stop and think things through or worry about what might happen, I live.  I go full throttle through life, enjoying every minute of it, and when I hit the wall, I hit it hard.  Then I take the time to recover and go again.  I may not live on the edge, but I'm definitely not just taking up space either.  Go put in a few miles for me!!

Does Pain Equal Suffering?

I headed to Miami set on completing my 23rd Half Marathon in 2012 and my 10th Rock N Roll event in 2012 to achieve Mercury status in the Half Fanatics and Rock Idol status for RNR.  Despite the foot injuries and the pain that running had become due to them, there was no doubt that I would cross the finish line....I'm too hard headed to give up...and just in case I caved, George had promised not only to run with me but to carry me across the line if he had too.  My journey through running has changed so much since I started training in the fall of 2009....even since my races throughout 2010 & early 2011.  While my early running was focused on my goals, performance, and achievements, along the way as I met more runners it somehow morphed.  I still have my personal goals, but Richard O'Brien captured the essence of the experience when he said, "Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too."  Whether it is my friends worrying about my injuries and their impact on my run/goals or me cheering on another friend as they work towards their goals, we all genuinely care about why each of us is on this journey and helping each other reach their goals.  When one of us is having a bad day, someone is there to carry us along; when we are having a good day, we'll do the same for another.  I went to Miami knowing this was it for 2012 for me...I wouldn't see these folks again for some time.  My next registered race is not until March 30th 2013.  I hope to add races before then, but I'd committed to taking the time to heal before making any further plans.  I was also intend on just finishing the race and having fun doing so.  And I was excited about running with George!  Despite being one of my best friends and having met through running, we had never actually run a race together!  The startline was beautiful on race morning.

Seeing my friends made it even more special!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed to the start line and got into our corral.  David had run a HILLY 50K the day before so I was worried about him as much as he was worried about my foot. 

In no time we were off.

The first mile wasn't too terrible.  We joked and ran.  Beth briefly joined us and passed us just as quickly.

The pain begin to set in and I began to consider walking, despite how early it was.  I was in pain and saw no point in suffering through it.  I knew David would encourage me to walk - worried that I'd do more damage.  I knew George would let me walk if I said I needed to.  And just as I was about to, Jim joined us.  Jim would NEVER fault anyone for needing to walk, but I couldn't let myself walk with him being there.  How could I, when Beth was so far ahead of us despite here battle with drop foot?  If you are unfamiliar with drop foot or Beth's efforts, please check out her blog at: http://getbackuptoday.blogspot.com/

I kept going.  The pain was only really bad when the road angled...so I stayed in the center to avoid the crowing and muttered when there were hills or exit ramps, that way I wasn't suffering.  George and Jim carried me through the first 6 miles with George entertaining us and Jim's presence keeping me honest.  As I've stated 100 times over, the first 5 miles are always my hardest and today was no different.  One of my favorite running quotes is by James Dyson: "What I've learned from running is that the time ot push hard is when you're hurting like crazy and you want to give up.  Success is often just around the corner."  If I could just remember this every run from miles 3-5 I'd be fine!  As we turned off the Julia Tuttle Parkway my foot was no longer painful and I was settling into a good rhythm and enjoying the race.  I know I wouldn't have made it there on this particular day without George and Jim though; and I can't thank them enough for getting me through.

The 'middle miles' of the course were rather uneventful.  Jim dropped off during this time.  George socialized and met new folks.  I plugged along, thankful the pain was gone and enjoying George's antics. 

Overall the course was nice.  The views were great and other than a few bridges it was fairly flat.  There were ample water stops.  There were stretches without crowd support but there were also stretches with great crowd support.  If you NEED constant crowd support/energy, perhaps this isn't the race for you, but if you can get yourself the occassional mile or two without cheering then give this one a shot!

By the time we climbed the exit ramp to head back to Miami Beach, George and I had hit our silliness threshold.  The fun was just beginning.  For the first half mile on the return we just laughed and ran, enjoying each other's company.

Somewhere around mile 9 - 10, we got goofy. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the remaining miles and crossed the finish line together in 2:11:01, smiling.  After finishing we met a new friend, Cat, who had enjoyed our antics over the miles.

 I received my Rock Idol and we met up with friends to celebrate and discuss our accomplishments and upcoming challenges. 

For me, this marked the beginning of my rest and recovery - no running, no pressure on the foot - I intended to continue lifting weights and get my cardio via swimming or pool jogging....though I wasn't looking forward to it and knew I'd suffer fitness losses and running withdraws!  But at the moment I just enjoyed my friends and the fact that I'd met my goals for 2012 -0 AND finished Miami feeling good. 

"Pain is inevitable.  Suffering is optional." - Haruki Murakami