Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Can't, Run.

Ever had insomnia?  Isn't it the worst?

 

After what felt like hours of laying wide awake (I refuse to look at the clock when I can't sleep because I know that will start the never-ending math calculations of how much sleep I could possibly get), I got out of bed at 4:00ish this morning and decided the only thing left to do was run.

I took myself to the gym (4:00 seemed too early for an outdoor run alone) and forced myself on to the treadmill. Lately, I just haven't had the willpower for early morning runs. Maybe it was the sheer delirium from lack of sleep, but this morning I finally felt ready to run. Run I did and it felt so good. I got in a lot of sprint work and by 5:30 am I was drenched in sweat and feeling great. Who needs sleep when you've got sweat?

***Please ignore any spelling mistakes, my eyes are half closed as I write. Turns out I need sleep and sweat. 

 

(NO)Labor Day

First off, let me wish you all a very happy Labor Day holiday! 

 

Now, guess what I did on this Labor Day......nothing!  I did absolutely no labor on this Labor Day.  For those of you who know me, this is very rare.  Taking a day off never happens.  I usually make sure to get at least some sort of workout in seven days a week.  Working out is just what I do and it's how I normally start my days.  I'm sure most of you runners can relate.  Taking days off isn't something that comes easily or happily for us.  We spend so much time telling ourselves to get up, get running, train hard, make the most of our time, and push on.  Rest days seem to just go against our nature.

 

 

 

But this morning, when I woke up and started to get out of bed with the plan of making up for my stalled run yesterday (see previous blog entry), a thought occurred to me.  That thought was, "Skipping this run will not be the end of the world.  I will not lose my fitness level.  I will not get fat.  I will enjoy the day."  And, with that thought, I laid right back down and snuggled up to my husband and enjoyed every second of sleeping in on this holiday.

 

Today is probably a good day to talk about why rest days, even though the are hard for us, are so good for us. 

 

 

Rest days are good for us physically (allow for muscle healing, prevent injuries from overuse, etc.), but I want to talk about how good for us they are mentally.  Life is exhausting, we cram so much into so little time.  We are obsessed with striving for perfection.  We have to be everything to everyone and all wrapped in a pretty/fit/well dressed package.  It's too hard.  All of this trying to do and be everything is exhausting.  Look, I'm guilty of it more than anyone.  I know it's hard to turn off that voice in your head saying, "get going, you have to get it all done, and done perfectly."  That little voice brings me to tears more often than I would like to admit.  That little voice keeps me up at night and wakes me up before dawn most mornings. 

 

But, today on this No-Labor Day, I told that little voice to STFU. 

 

This is how I spent my self-awarded rest day:

 

Blogging From Under a Bridge

Well, I never guessed that "Blogging From Under a Bridge" would be one of my titles. But, alas, here I am, blogging under a bridge. 

This pretty much sums it up:

There were signs this might happen. Namely, that huge dark cloud hanging over the trails. 

I was under the delusion that I might outrun the weather. As always, Mother Nature reminded me who is boss. So, here I wait under the bridge with a couple of runners, bike riders, and dog walkers, hoping it passes. 

I am normally a fan of running through the rain like a badass, but having already had to replace one iphone because of water damage, I think I will wait patiently for my husband to pick me up with an umbrella...

 

**Update: My husband did not pick me up with an umbrella.  The rain eventually slowed a little, so I packed my phone into my SPIbag, which I then tucked into my shorts (first time I've ever been excited for built in underwear)  and made a run for it back to my car.

Rungover

I am so rungover. 

 

Take it from me, do not drink and run. I know it's tempting, but if you are thinking of a Saturday morning run, put down that Friday night drink. When the waitress comes back a second, third, and fourth (ugh!!) time with refills, show some restraint and just say no. 

 

Do as I say and not as I do, folks. 

Too much of this....

Combined with this....

 

Leaves you feeling like this.

 

Stick to drinks that do good things for your body.

Thank you, Beet Box Blend Bar.

When You're in Need(le)

Since my car accident (truthfully it was starting to get bad before the accident), I've had a lot of knotting issues in my neck and shoulders. I know that so many of you out there also suffer from tight muscles, and you know I speak the truth when I say, having a pain in the neck is a pain in the neck!!  

 

I thought I would share with you what I do when the pain gets to be too much. Once I can feel all of those knots start tightening up, well, that's when I am in need of the needle. 

That's right, acupuncture. If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would go to and be a fan of acupuncture I would have laughed in your face.  But, here I am paying good money to have someone poke a ton of needles into my head, neck, back, and shoulders.  Isn't that crazy?!?!  But, I have to tell you that it has worked for me.  Now, I'm not suggesting that acupuncture is for everyone or even recommending where I go, I'm just telling you my story.

 

I've always, or as long as I can remember, had a tight neck shoulders.  I can't tell you how many times I've had what started as a small "crick" in my neck turn into a full on locked up neck.  For years I tried to figure out how to relieve the pain in my neck.  I would go for sports massages and deep tissue massages and every other type of massage, and while those massages all felt great (in that painful kind of way), they did little to actually relieve the pain in my neck/back.  After one particularly severe flare up, I caved to the idea of trying a chiropractor.  I asked for recommendations and went to see a well-reviewed chiropractor.  I went through months of neck and spine realignment and other treatments given by the chiropractor.  Really, I went to every single appointment they recommended.  And, about 3 weeks after they said I was in good shape, my neck locked right back up.  I was devastated.  No, a neck "crick" isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's really miserable while it's happening and having tried so hard to get rid of it and having it come back was really upsetting.  That's when someone (actually many people) recommended that I try acupuncture.

 

This is what I can say about my acupuncture experience.  After being treated one time, my neck pain was completely gone and my range of motion was fully restored.  Sure, it spasms every now and then and I get lots of knots and some tightness, but the misery of being totally locked up has never returned.  Can I say for sure it was the acupuncture?  No.  It absolutely could have been a coincidence.  Do I claim it will work for everyone?  Definitely not.  But, it's what I feel has worked best for me and I just thought I would share it with you. 

 

Also, you should know, you never see the needles (at least, not when you are going for the areas I go for), so it's not as creepy as you would think it would be.  And, you are pretty much guaranteed to fall asleep during the whole thing, so if anything, I enjoy the nap.

Sunday Runday

Remember Sunday Fundays?  Well now they are more like Sunday Rundays. 

My thoughts on this Sunday run:

1.  Overall, it was a better run than last week. I added an additional mile to the run and my pace was a lot better. I wouldn't say I was fast, by any means, but I was a little quicker. Aside from the first warm up mile and the last exhausted mile, I was feeling a lot more like my old self on the run. 

2.  Oh, Houston in August. There is no escaping you, is there?  I was out an hour and a half earlier this week, and it was still pretty darn warm. 

3.  Even in shorts and a tank, it was HOT out. Several times during my run I would start thinking how nice it might feel to take off all of my clothes and run naked. Then, I came across this guy who was running barefoot (I know you can't really tell in the picture, but trust me on this, he was extremely overdressed everywhere but his feet) and it made me thankful for at least my socks and shoes!

4.  This is happening in all Houston parks, and I am thrilled about it.

No matter what your thoughts on smoking and smoker rights are, I think we can all agree there is nothing worse than inhaling cigarette smoke as you're run. Look, when I'm running, every single breath matters.  Seriously, I am trying to get in every ounce of air, especially in this heat, and breathing in smoke is pretty much the worst thing ever a I struggle down the trail. Kudos to you City of Houston!!

5.  At about 2.5 miles a bug flew directly into my eye. Listen, it was a BIG bug and it hurt a lot. For about a solid mile after that, I was convinced it was a bee and that it stung my eyeball (turns out it wasn't). I'm sure I looked crazy running with one hand holding my eyelid up and letting years stream down. 

6.  Speaking of ouch, holy thigh chafing.!!  I've never had to put Body Glide down there before, but it looks like it's on my horizon.  Is this what all you shorts-wearing runners go through?!?!  Or do you all have a "thigh gap?"  I just showed my husband the result of today's run (I will spare you from the picture) and I had to explain to him that I hadn't done anything wrong to create this lovely red mark, except, you know, have thighs. 

And finally,

 

 

Okay, so maybe there is still some Sunday Funday left in me...

It May Not Buy Happiness, but...

I know they say money can't buy happiness, but I'm here to tell you, it can help buy motivation.  Motivation in the form of a bunch of new running shorts, that is.

I've been pretty honest about my lack of motivation lately, and I thought what better way to force myself back on the road than to give myself something to look forward to. Let's face it ladies, we are suckers for new clothes. We will do  anything as long as we can show off our cute new clothes doing it. Heck, if they made stylish, flattering floor scrubbing clothes, I'd probably be on my hands and knees cleaning the kitchen a lot more often (you know, ever).

 

I've decided, if I'm going to push myself to get out there and back running in the Houston heat, I'm going to have to dress the part. 

 

I wrote before here about how I'm pretty much a running tights girl, but I think it's time to cave to the heat and get accustomed to running in shorts.  And what better way to do it than with some cute new shorts?!

 

Here is the lesson:  Sometimes you lose your motivation and finding it again can be really hard and it might take all kinds of tricks to get you back out there, but never underestimate the power of going out there and buying a little ;)