To Be Continued.... and Yuuuumm

This morning I ran 10 miles and then immediately (read: after am hour of lying on the couch in a fetal-like ball) hopped on a flight to New York. I have lots to share with you about my run, but for now I will just tell you two things: 

My new, more grown up, post-run meal: 

Yes, it does look eerily similar to Ramen. I'm trying to break the Ramen habit, but you can't expect me to go cold turkey now, can you?  

Nothing like post (really post (as in waaaay too late)) run stretching with your best friend. 

 

It May Not Be Running

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret: Running may not be the thing for you. 

As much as I would love for everyone who reads this blog to strap on their running shoes and hit the trails for a life changing experience, I know that it's just not going to happen that way for everyone.

What I really want though, is for you to find that thing that makes you a happier, healthier, and more whole human being.  I know that running may not be that thing for you.  But, I also know that something is that thing for you and I urge you to find it.  Once you've found it, make time for it.  Do it often and make it a priority in your life.  Nurture it and it will nurture you.

 

Everyday life is tedious and exhausting and rarely does it cultivate your growth into the greater you.  Work and bills and cooking and cleaning, while absolutely necessary, aren't what we are all here for.  They are the monotony of life, which when we get totally wrapped up in them, prevent us from reaching our full potential.  They bring on the "you can'ts and the you shouldn'ts" that swirl around in our heads and prevent us from being those happy, healthy, and whole humans we want to me.  That's why it's so important to find the thing that draws you closer to your full potential.

 

For me, running and writing are the things.  Running is what I call my "inlet."  It's the thing that strips away all of the clutter in my mind and lets me really go inside of myself.  As I run, all of the junk from the outside world, which confuses us as to who we really are and what we really want slips away and gives me the freedom to see and search inside myself.  Running offers me the clarity, conviction, and confidence I need.  Writing is my outlet.  Writing is how I get all of the clarity and conviction out of my head and out into the world.  It's the action I have to take to stop myself from letting the outside world take over again.  It's the proof of the work I've done.

 

I don't know what your thing is.  It may not be found in running shoes. It may be found in a church pew, or on a yoga mat, or sitting cross-legged in meditation.  You may find your thing on a bike or in the ocean.  I don't know what your thing is, but I'm telling you, it's there and you need it and as soon as you find it, don't let go of it. 

 

Now get out there and find yourself.  I do, of course, suggest starting with a run, just in the case that running is your thing.

Race For The Cure - Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure.  This race isn't new to me.  It was my third or fourth time to run and every year I think I love it more and more.  The Race For the Cure is probably the one competitive race out there that really has nothing to do with racing.  The event is the thing, the race is so secondary.  If you can make it through a Race For The Cure without shedding at least a tear are two, I seriously question your humanity. 

 

Someone was giving an interview over the loud speaker yesterday and when asked what she saw when looking out over the crowd, her response was, "A sea of love.  A sea of support."  There went the waterworks for me.  Because yes, that's exactly what the Susan G. Komen race is all about.  It's an awesome show of love and support.  It's thousands of people in the same place feeling the same things: love and support.  It's thousands of people who have been touched in some way by this disease and have come together to remember the losses and celebrate the successes.  I cannot tell you what it means to me to be a teeny, tiny part of that sea of love and support. 

 

Right before the race started, we all took a moment of silence.  This year I took that moment to be THANKFUL.  Here is what I gave thanks for:

 

1.  Everyone standing next to me.  I was thankful to every single person who showed up and was a part of all of the positivity. 

 

2.  Everyone who donated to my fundraiser.  I cannot express this well enough.  I am honored by the generosity of people (if you still want to donate, it's not too late, click here for the link).  THANK YOU.

 

3.  My health.  I am so thankful that I have a body that allows me to run.  I do not take for granted that there are many people out there whose bodies prevent them from doing what I do.  Right there, in that moment of silence, I decided to always honor the gift of my healthy body by using it while I have it.  I don't know how long I have to run, but right now, while I can, I'm going to run!  And, I'm going to run with gratitude in my heart.

 

 

Okay, you came here for a race recap, so here are the details:

 

• The weather was AHmazing!!  By the time the race started, it was about 63 degrees and sunny.  I don't think there was a cloud in the sky.  It was perfect racing weather.
• I did this race all by myself and that felt a little odd.  Normally there is at least someone I know racing with me.  But, because I waited until the last minute to commit to running, I didn't have a race buddy.  The Hubs drove me there and dropped me off, but after that I was on my own.  Not sure how I felt about it.  Glad that I can do things like race on my own, but also it was really lonely.
• I actually raced really well. The first half mile was super slow (I find it always is with really big races), but once I was able to break out of the crowd, I ran like crazy.  I placed 14th in my division.  Which leads me to ask, are women between 30-35 not running?!?!?!  Seriously, am I the only one in this division running?  Where are you ladies my age?
  

•  I can't say enough about the organization of this race.  It's huge and always seems to go off without a hitch.  The Komen Race For The Cure is a well oiled machine.

 

• This run was the day immediately following my long run.  Normally, I take the day after a long run off.  My body was not happy with me after the race.  My left foot is in a ton of pain and my calves and hips are crazy tight.  I will be doing some serious foam rolling today.  It was worth it, but it was also a good reminder that I need to take serious care of my body while I'm training. 

 

Post-race banana. 

 

Here is the deal ladies: DO YOUR MONTHLY SELF EXAMS!!!!  We runners focus so much on the exercise component to physical fitness, but we've got to stay on top of our total heath.   Self breast exams are easy and take no time and are so important.

On a scale of 1-10, it was 9(ish)

On a scale of 1-10, this morning was 9(ish)......miles, that is.

 

I spent the first hour of my morning trying to figure out a way to push my long run of nine miles off for another day or two. Finally, the hubs told me to just go get it done.  I knew he was right, so out I went.

 

As I stood at the end of the driveway trying to will myself to start running, I realized I was really struggling with self confidence. I was scared of nine miles. I was really scared. I definitely didn't feel like I could trust my training. I started really doubting my whole "no formal training plan" approach. But, eventually I made a deal with myself, saying, "You can go as slow as you want, as long as you'll just go."  And then off I went. 

 

You know what?  I didn't go slow!  I went pretty fast (for me) and I loved almost every second of my run. It felt so good to get a real long run in. I'd forgotten how much I like spending the morning logging miles. 

 

THE BAD:

 

1.  The (ish) - Has this ever happened to you?  Have you ever run up to a busy red light, stopped your Garmin while you waited, and then took off running again once the light turned, only to realize much further down the path that you never restarted your Garmin?  Well, it happened to me today and it sucked. We runners (especially me) are obsessed with mileage. On long runs every tenth of a mile counts. Hell, every step counts!  And I want to be able to see all of those tenths and steps reflected on my wrist.  Luckily, I was really familiar with the trail, so picked a turn around spot that I knew was exactly four miles, got to the starting point of my run, and then ran another 1.12 (the extra .12 just to be on the safe side) miles, so I am confident I got in all nine miles, but the ish is still killing me.

 

2.  The road block - Literally, the blocked road.

 

 

 

How in the world are they going to put this in the middle of our running trail?!?!  There was no way to go around it.  More re-routing, which isn't exactly what you want to do on your long run.

 

THE GOOD:

1.  The People! - Oh, how I love other runners!  Seriously, you guys make my day.  A few miles in on this morning's run I started thinking about the difference between long run Fridays and long run Saturdays, the biggest difference being loneliness.  On Saturdays, the trails and streets are full of other runners getting in their long runs.  Friday mornings just aren't so busy.  Well, about ten seconds after I got done thinking of how lonely I would be, along comes another female runner.  When she catches my eye she doesn't just smile and wave.  No, she smiles and waves and calls out, "GOOD MORNING," like she meant it.  Her warmth filled me with joy.  I smiled and waved and called back out to her, "GOOD MORNING!"  It only got better from there.  Shortly after that encounter, I came across an older man running and he gave me the full on, "Namaste" greeting (complete with the bow and palms pressed together as if in prayer - all while never losing stride).  Well, I cannot tell you how much I love, "Namaste."  It is my favorite greeting in the whole world.  It's actually probably one of my favorite concepts in the whole world.  Loosely, it means: the divine in me recognizes the divine in you.  Oh, I just love it.  All that is implied in that phrase is all that is right in the world.  From that moment on, I was floating.  I was so excited to see people that I never once missed an opportunity to smile and wave.  And you know what happened?  Every single other run reciprocated (that is if they hadn't already initiated).  Do you know what that means?  That means that this morning, while out on a 9 mile run alone, I connected with dozens of other strangers in a positive, friendly, and supportive way.  Oh, it was wonderful.  I love you, runners.

 

 



After I was finished.  So happy to have started.



 

THE BEST:

 

Hey, it might have been a Friday long run, but I have a firm belief that all long runs should be appropriately celebrated!



NAMASTE!!!!!



 

Monday Mashup

No big life lessons here.  Just a mashup of all my Monday randomness.

Monday's motivation looked like this:

Isn't it funny how all running lessons also apply to all aspects of real life?  I love that about running.

And then there was this:

Remember that wreck I told you about here?  Well, they totaled my car.  So, Monday morning I picked up this new beauty. 

I set out with the intention of 5 miles.  This is how it ended up:

I am the worst route planner.  I will have the greatest route all planned out in my head, only to realize once I'm in it that it's nowhere near the mileage I thought it was.  Last night, I ended up running circles around my house until it got too dark to finish.  On a side note - it's getting darker earlier.  I hate that!!  I know cooler temperatures are coming along with it, but I love my daylight well into the night.

On the run, I came across this totally normal and natural yard decoration:

Okay, so I have no idea what is going on with the doctor/patient bush animals, but I had fun for the next mile or two making up scenarios where this yard made any type of sense.

Post-run child's pose.  Although, I'm pretty sure taking selfies during child's pose is the exact antithesis of yoga's purpose.

Run 10 Feed 10 Race Recap - Just Another Run

It kills me to write this race recap.  I love races and I am always so thankful to the organizers and volunteers, so it I hate the idea of writing anything other than a glowing review.  But, I've promised to always be honest with you, so here goes...

First of all, it wasn't really a race.  The Houston Run 10 Feed 10 event was a fun run.  I knew this going in.  I knew there would be no timing chips and no awards.  I was fully prepared for the fact that it would not be a "race."  But, I guess I thought there would still be some typical race days aspects present.  Maybe a start line or some balloons or music or the national anthem...I don't know, something....anything!  I was definitely wrong.  There was nothing, apart from a sign-in table with a banner over it and a race-day bag, to distinguish this run from any other Saturday run.



How does he get to be so cute that early on a Saturday and I.....well....

The race was scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m., and The Hubs and I got to the start (a running store parking lot) at about 7:40.  I kept waiting for everyone to show up, but quickly realized the group was going to be very small (50, maybe).  As we signed in we were told that the race route had changed because the park wasn't going to allow the event (is it me or is this something that should be cleared well in advance??).  The fact that the route had changed in and of itself really wasn't that big of a deal.  I rarely study race routes and I certainly hadn't done much more than glace at the route as it was posted on the Run 10 Feed 10 website.  The problem was that the run felt half-assed and so poorly planned. We ended up running on sidewalks and across very busy streets with zero traffic assistance. At one point, I found myself stopped and waiting at a stoplight for several minutes. Which, is why I say this fun run was no different from any other weekend run. The two most disappointing parts of the run were: 1) no water stations, which I found kind of shocking for a 10k (luckily, there was one working water fountain on the route), and 2) zero route direction. I had my Garmin on, so I could run exactly to 3.1 miles and turn around. I can't say the same for most of the people on the run.  They were turning around in all kinds of different spots, just guessing at 3.1 miles.  I understand that there was a last minute route change, but I was shocked that the organizers didn't at least have someone standing at the 3.1 mark to tell people turn around. Like I said, just another run. 

 

Maybe the problem was just that I had my expectations way too high.  This run had so much national attention and publicity (it was even on the morning shows!), that I was super excited about it and really had my hopes up for a big event.  Maybe if I had known what to expect, I wouldn't have wanted anything more.  They say, "Disappointment comes easily to those who expect too much."

 

Okay, time to look on the bright side.  Finishing 6.2 miles on a Saturday morning is always a good thing.  This was Paul's first 10k and, of course, he killed it.  He was the third person to finish and it seemed like he made some runner friends on the way.  That, I would say, was the biggest highlight of the event - the other runners.  Everyone was so sweet and friendly.  Have I ever mentioned before that I love other runners?  Well, I love other runners.  Also, the run swag was pretty good.  The Run 10 Feed 10 bag we all got after the run is very nice. 

 

The best thing about the Fun 10 Feed 10 run was that it supported a great cause.  With just our registrations alone, Paul and I provided 20 meals to those going hungry in our area.  That's huge!  Sometimes you aren't sure how much of a difference your race registrations actually make, but with Run 10 Feed 10, it's very clear.  For every runner who signs up to run a 10k, 10 meals are provided to those who need it.  However disappointed I might have been in the organization, I could not be more proud to have been a part of such a good cause.   Check it out!  http://run10feed10.com/home/#!/about

Doing It Again (and taking donations)

You may remember that last year I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in honor of my friend Denise (read about it here and here).  Well, I've decided to do it again.  Turns out I'm not done giving breast cancer the big FU.

I wasn't planning on doing it again.  Sure, I'd seen the Susan G. Komen e-mails flooding my inbox in the last few months, but I'd absentmindedly deleted them all as they came in.  It was nothing personal, but running the Race For the Cure just wasn't in the forefront of my mind. 

Then, I opened the mailbox last week and found this:

No runner turns down a free race bib.

The Race For the Cure group sent me a race bib for my fundraising last year.  And, that's when it hit me like a ton of bricks: How could I not be running?!?!  How could I not be fundraising?!?!  How in the time span of just one year could I have let something so important to me slip so far out of my mind?!?  How could I have forgotten?!?

 

This is how:  DENISE IS HEALTHY!  In the time span of one year my friend has been diagnosed, fought, and eliminated breast cancer!  What I realized upon opening that envelope was that I have been taking her health (and the health of all my lady loves) for granted.  But, that's exactly why I need to run and raise.  Because these treatments DO work.  Because these treatments SAVE LIVES.  Because the money I can raise will go towards making sure many more people can take their health for granted.  I need to run and raise to make sure that there are  more survival stories like Denise's.  I want to make sure that people who face this disease have the resources and treatments they need to be cancer free a year later.  I need to run and raise to do my part in eliminating this disease all together.  I want us all to take our health and the health of our loved ones for granted. 

 

Here is what I'm asking:

1. Please donate!!  And, please donate right away.  I know our normal inclination is to think, "yeah, I should do that," close the page with all intentions of donating later, and forget about it.  The race is in two weeks, so I don't have time to be forgotten.  Donate anything, $1, $10, $100.  Just please donate.

2.  Pass this on.  Pass it on to as many people as you know.  Together we can make a difference. 

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE