Long Run Randomness 2

If you're committing to the long run, get ready to be very familiar with this sign ( unless you are a guy reading this. If that's the case, your sign will look a little different):

It's inevitable. When you spend 24 hours hydrating and fueling and then take off for running a couple of hours, public facilities are in your future.  There is no getting around it. Try to plan ahead. I like to stick near park areas or trails with fast food restaurants nearby. I, at all costs (well, maybe not at ALL costs), avoid port o potties, but that's just a personal thing and I see lots of runners ducking into them.  Hopefully, those runners carry hand sanitizer.  This past week I found myself having to run (literally) into a bar at the height of happy hour. Lets call that a cool runner feeling. Kind of like forgetting to take off your fanny pack while shopping around town after a run. Yup, that's another "cool" runner feeling. I'm sooo cool!

Summtober

Is this summer ever going to end?  We're practically in the middle of October and it is hot and humid like August. It's summtober in Houston. 

I know I'm going to be complaining like crazy as soon as winter gets here and I have to crawl out of a warm bed to run in gloves and jackets with numb extremities and a runny nose (sorry guys).  Just remind me of this day. 

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

In response to yesterday's blog, I was sent a link to another blog also posted yesterday (you really should check out momastary.com) that contained the below:

"You will never find your perfect life “balance” on the path for the same reason you will never find a unicorn on the path – because these things don’t exist. Forget unicorns and balance. If you were perfectly balanced- you’d never have to take any ones hand to steady yourself, and that would be a tragedy. There is no solid ground on the path – so don’t hold your breath till you find it. Breathe deeply and keep moving forward awkwardly. You can make it down the whole path imbalanced and flailing. When you fall, give thanks for the opportunity to rest. While you’re down, send love to every other path walker who’s down with you at that moment. Then get back up. Or crawl. Crawling is encouraged and respected. Path running is fine, but crawling is much better. Crawlers travel with their eyes close to the ground – so they never miss an inch of the beautiful, rocky path. Crawlers get less glory but learn the most about the path’s terrain."

Hello, my light bulb moment!!  Of course I can't figure out how to find the perfect balance between the musts with the wants.   Why would I expect to be able to find a "perfect" balance?  What in life have I ever found to be perfect?  The fact is, I AM HUMAN.  Aren't we all a little off balance?  In spending so much time and energy trying to find this ever elusive balance it becomes a must in itself, which in turn, throws off all chance at balance.  Not only was I feeling bad for trying to do too much, but I was also feeling bad for not being able to not want to do too much.  You getting that?  I was being hard on myself for not wanting something that deep down I don't really want.  Sure, I don't want to get sick.  Sure, I don't want to be too tired to get out of bed.  But, it turns out, I like doing the things that contribute to getting me there.  Some days are going to be good and some days are going to be bad, but I'm not going to spend time searching for something I may never find.  So, here is what I think now:  Sometimes the thing about life is just realizing that you are going to do it imperfectly and that it's okay. 

Yes, I do too much.  It's not a fault.  It's just who I am and I'm going to own that.  But really, some days I am SO good at doing too much (really, you should see me.  I even impress myself).  I love those days.  But, some days I really suck at it and I find myself down for the count.  But, you know what?  That's okay too.  On those days when I am curled up and exhausted I can take the time to be thankful for my wonderful husband who is willing to step in and take care of things when I can't.  I'm just not willing to give up the wants in my life.  They bring me so much joy and they recharge my batteries when I am down.  I've never done one of my wants and come away wishing I'd rested instead.  I've evaluated and I like doing all of the things that I do.  Could I make some improvements? Absolutely, yes.  But could I give myself a little slack for being off-balance?  Definitely! 

So, if you happen to pass a girl running like she could use a V-8, just smile and wave.  It's just me running off balance. 

*** UPDATE:  Isn't Life just freaking hilarious!?  It just doesn't take no for an answer. If you don't pick up its subtle hints it will slap you in the face with a big ol' sign   Not six hours after I made the above post, I picked up the Girls on the Run book to start reviewing the lesson I'm assigned to teach (my first to lead!) and this is what I see:

Can you believe it?  I'm going to be teaching the girls the importance of slowing down!  Okay, okay, Life. NOW I get it. I never claimed to be the quickest study. There is no perfect balance to be found. Life is unbalanced. At times you are overloaded with the musts and other times the wants get to take center stage. But, that doesn't mean I shouldn't learn to SLOW down so that I can fully appreciate both the musts and the wants. Life is not just about doing as much as you can. It's also about enjoying what you can do. Got it. At least for tonight. 

Slowing Down

Wait, haven't I just spent all my time writing and thinking about speeding up?  Life is "funny" like that.  You get so focused on one thing and then here comes life smacking you in the face and directing you to the exact opposite.

 

The truth is, lately I have not been reacting well to my running program.  Well, if I'm really going to be truthful, I have not been reacting well to life itself.  I have spent two days out of the last five curled up in bed just feeling completely, totally, and miserably spent.  I have been fighting "allergies" for weeks now and I can't seem to get better. My energy level is somewhere around zilch and my recovery time is taking way longer than it should.  Basically, I'm a wreck.  I don't think it's just the running that has me fried, but I don't think it's helped either.  The first time my husband told me, "You've taken on too much.  You have to slow down," I didn't really pay attention.  This is the same man who wakes up at 4:45 a.m. to go to the gym before starting his long and stressful days.  So, you know what the pot and kettle do, right?!  The second time (last night and then again this morning when he saw me in my gym clothes) he told me I had to slow down, I listened.  My husband is an extremely patient and understanding man, so when he gets firm about something attention must be paid.

 

Here's the problem: I don't know what to do about it.  Yes, I am a confessed over-doer.  I cram as much as humanly possible into those short twenty four hours a day.  And I keep cramming until I eventually break.  But, how do I stop?  How do you determine what to cut out of your life to free up a little rest time?  First, there are all of the things that must get done.  I must go to work, which can mean close an hour of travel per day.  Meals must be cooked.  Dishes must get washed.  Laundry must be done, folded, and put away.  Dr. appointments must be made, bills must be paid.  All of these things (I had to stop there before my stress level went through the roof) can take up an entire day/week/life.  Then there are the things that I want to do.  I want to go running.  I actually want to be training for this marathon.  I want to go to Bar Method.  I want to keep this blog.  I want to visit with my friends.  I want to see my family.  I want to go out to eat and drink with my husband.  I want to go on trips and see things and in general experience life.  But if fitting all of these things in is too overwhelming, I have to ask myself what goes?  Do I have to cut out the things I want to do because the other (and much less fun) list must get done?  And if that's the case, how fair is that?  What kind of a life is made of only doing the musts?  Aren't we all supposed to be living happy and fulfilled lives?  In doing so, shouldn't we also be living balanced lives with the wants thrown in too?  Where do you find the balance between the musts and the wants?  If I only do the musts then I'm miserable.  If I only do the wants then I'm happy, but poor and living like a slob.  HOW DO YOU FIND THE BALANCE?

 

While I was pondering this question, I took a look at my dog.  Trust me, this is not the picture of a dog curled in bed due to exahustion from doing to much.  This is someone who has mastered the art of relaxation.  I would say she spends about 96% of her day just like this.  Then again, the only other thing she must do is waddle over to her dog bowls and eat and drink what we must put down for her. 

 

 

So, I'm back at where I started.  Exhausted, but unsure what to do about it.  I have no clear path on this one.  Hopefully, the first step is simply acknowledgement and I can wait for the enlightenment to hit later.  Regardless, I must get back to work!

 

 





Hill (and street) Blues

I am definitely singing the running hills (and streets) blues today.  Yesterday was my first attempt, in many years, at running hills.  And today I am paying the price.  My quads are absolute trash and my calves aren't in much better shape.  What is it they say?  No pain no gain?  Well, based on my pain level today, I should be running record breaking paces in no time.

They, you know real runners, say that one of the best ways to increase your speed is to run hills.  I really hope they are right.  Now that I'm in full marathon training mode, I'm starting to set my sights on an actual time goal.  It takes me a while to figure out what my goal is because I need to really evaluate where I am and how I think my running can progress.  It would be crazy to me before even starting to train to set some arbitrary standard that I could either fail miserably at or easily surpass.  Even though I'm not really ready to share my goal, I do know that the goal is pretty hefty and it's going to take a lot of work from me.  So, a lot of work I'm giong to do.  Starting with hills.  Well, really just starting with this one teeny, tiny, baby hill.

Seriously, can you even tell this is a hill???

I interspersed hill drills (forward and backward "running") between my scheduled mileage.  Believe it or not, there is actually a trail in Houston that provides lots of hill opportunities.  I have my eye on a particularly steep and intimidating hill, but I'm going to need some more practice and a running mix of nothing but the Rocky soundtrack before I tackle that one.  So, to start, I am sticking with this teeny, tiny, baby BITCH of a hill.

Hill running is not easy (in case you hadn't gathered that from all of my above complaining) and it takes a lot of work, but it will (better) pay off.  Some of the benefits to running hills include increased calorie burn (not really that important in marathon training, but I'm a girl, so I can't help but like this one), increased endurance, increased speed, and increased leg strength. These things will come in handy for reaching my goal. Also, you can't help but feel like Rocky Balboa running up the Philadelphia museum steps when you get to the top, which is about the only thing that keeps me going.  Not while you're running, though. While you're running you feel more like one of those cartoons who keeps spinning it's legs but isn't going anywhere. Does that cartoon actually exist?  I feel like I can picture it but I can't name it. It could just be an image from some reoccurring dream of mine. Probably the one where I am a cartoon trying to run hills. 

I came across this today. I think I'm going to start reading every time I'm just about to start hill running. I will be a hill seeker!!

Genetics

 

 

The other day my mom was asking me about how the Komen race went and how I did and I told her that I'd placed 16th in my division and went on to describe the race and later walking with my beautiful friends.  Her reaction, in typical, never-ending, undyingly supportive, mom-style fashion, was to say something along the lines of, "You amaze me with what you can do with those short legs of yours."  Mom, if you are reading this, please note now that I love you and I know you meant it as a compliment.  But, for the rest of you, when I read her words this is exactly what I pictured myself looking like:

And, at 5'1" it's probably a pretty accurate image.

Here is the thing, though.  I know I'm never going to break any speed records.  At least, not for another 25 or so years when my division is narrowed down to a bunch of old ladies power walking (nothing against old ladies power walking, I can't wait to be one).  I know that I will likely never wear anything more than a participants medal around my neck.  I know that when it's time to line up for the start of a race, I shouldn't rush up to the leaders section.  And, I'm totally okay with that.  I am 100% satisfied running my own race knowing that there isn't a chance in the world I will win.  I wasn't made for winning. My mom is right, physically, my body will not be breaking that sub 3 hour marathon.  I can barely fathom the idea of breaking a sub 4 hour marathon.  It's just not in the cards for me. 

 

I didn't commit to this in order to be the best runner.  I committed to this to be the best runner that I can be.  I committed to giving every run and every race my all.  I'm not in this for the records.  I'm in this because it's hard (very) and because I get a sense of fulfilment and pride out of doing very hard things.  Every day that I lace on my running shoes I know there isn't anyone standing at the end of the trail with a trophy for me (although, I wouldn't mind someone standing there with a box full of doughnuts).  The trophy comes from within.  The trophy is the sense of accomplishment that comes with setting a goal, working towards that goal, and finally, probably after a couple brutal fails, reaching that goal.  Of course, doughnuts would be cool too.



 

 

 

 

 



Rainy With a Chance of Donuts

Here is the deal: it's not always about self -discipline and self sacrifice. Sometimes it's just about doing what you want. Sure, in committing to the long run, you are committing to doing something very hard. You are saying you understand it's going to be painful, but you are willing to do what it takes. You will give up late nights drinking, long mornings sleeping, and any chance of ever having presentable feet again. But trust me, for all of this, you deserve a little reward. Treat yourself!!  I am very good at treating  myself. If you ever need a lesson in how to give yourself a well deserved reward, just ask me. I've got it down. 

I was looking forward to this week's long run all week. The forecasters were predicting beautiful weather. Lows in the fifties, highs just barely in the eighties, and zero chance of rain. If you live around here, you know days like this don't come around often. I was checking the weather all day on Saturday planning my long run and I was so excited to take advantage of the wonderful Fall weather (yes, around here Fall is eighties). So, as I'm eating my Luna Bar and hydrating early this morning, I hear it. I hear the pitter patter of raindrops on the window. WHAAAAT!?!?  This is not what I signed up for. The weather channel had me sold on a cool, sunny, dry run. And as I'm thinking that I must have been looking at weather for some other city, the sky opens up and it starts to pour. And just in case you're wondering what I was thinking planning my long run in the rain, this is what the weather channel was saying as I'm watching it pour down:

Lesson learned. Never trust the weather channel. Ever. And, never let yourself be disappointed by things you have no control over. I can't control the weather. Because if I could, I would say I've been doing a pretty terrible job of it lately. What I can do is control my reaction to situations that are out of my hand. I can choose to run no matter what. When it's not the easiest or most convenient thing to do, I can still choose to run. 

So, after a quick wardrobe change (thank goodness for run rain jackets and visors - yeah I said it, visors. Running is the only activity in which visors and fanny packs are considered essential), off I went for 9 miles in the steady rain. 

Because I pressed hard yesterday for pace and because I had to skip my rest day and because the rain was coating the road making it slippery, I decided to take it easy. They say the important part of a long run is just logging the miles, so that's what I resolved to do. I made the soggy miles without more than a few quick glances at my pace. I just let my body do what it wanted and ran on. 

Now on to the reward part. I did the hard part. I chose to run on even when conditions weren't desirable.  That was hard, I needed a reward. I needed a reason to run. So, this is where I calculated my long run to end:

Yeah, that's right. When life gives you nine soggy miles, respond back with donuts and kolaches. Life is oh so sweet when you are on a sugar high. Really, runners, I recommend doing this if you can. A nice warm glazed donut right after a run is AHmazing!  Treat yourself. I promise you deserve it. 

Unless you are the jerk who thought it was funny to drive by me as fast as possible intentionally splashing the giant puddle you hit all over me. No donuts for you!  To you I send a special one fingered runner's wave.