Week Five, just barely

Some mom friends and I hiked trails at Glacier and I wasn't quite sure of what to expect physically. I WAY overpacked and wished I had taken pretty much nothing but my toothbrush and a change of underwear about mile three because all I really wanted to do was run.

  The views were lovely, the food was great once we got up there and it was a much faster 3 hour and 15 minute hike down as opposed to the six hour hike UP the day before. I knew hiking would be good cross training on my half marathon journey but I didn't plan on the soreness for two days after getting home. I think the walk down was what killed me, my calves were screaming after any moments of inactivity. My running got pushed to the side for a couple days but by that Sunday I was able to complete my 5 mile run so I felt that I successfully accomplished the week despite my missed runs that week.

 

Just coming out of the woods on our hike at Glacier.

 After Scott Jurek's book, I read "Older, Faster, Stronger," by Margaret Webb. It was definitely an encouraging read as I struggle with the thought of "getting old" as I stare down 40 in a few years. My husband and I just don't have people in our families to look to for inspiration when it comes to aging. The unfortunate thing is many of them seem to just be waiting to die. I know this sounds like a horrible thing to say but when you sit in your chair for the last 20 years of your life, complaining of "old age," I just can't seem to see it any other way. I don't want to be this way, and I don't want our boys to see us doing this. I want to hike to beautiful places and run trails as long as I can. I realize, of course, that good health isn't always guaranteed, but I can do my best to do what I can to stay as healthy as possible.

I really, really wanted to run this trail!

 I really enjoy reading inspiring books and articles written by people that feel the same as I do. I don't particularly care whether it is written by a woman or not, I pay more attention to the fact that they are beating the odds, male or female, and enjoying a healthy, active life. I came across a great article today about Laird Hamilton and his outlook on aging and staying active. He made an awesome point when he said "I think what happens is that we decide we’re old and we just stop, and everything stops working. There’s so much stigma and weirdness around being older." I just want to pull my hair out every time my grandma tells me one of her ailments is "just getting old." I try to encourage her to eat better and get out and walk but I think he mind is already made up that this is old age and this is how she will be. It makes me sad. Imagine if our society worked on changing this mindset with seniors and they found out there was another way? Unfortunately, I think, much like cancer, there is way too much money involved in the elderly, from specialty centers, to prescription drugs and the doctors that care for them. What incentive is there to encourage people to exercise and eat well? We have to decide that on our own and not look for a doctor to tell us these things. I hope to encourage others like so many have been encouraging to me, especially to my own family.

 But enough of that depressing talk! So I now on week six, having run SIX miles! last Sunday. The longest I have ever run in my life. It is hard to imagine that I can run 13 miles, but I keep putting along, checking off the days on my Hal Higdon schedule. This week has been the most difficult so far, even on my days of just 3.5 miles. It has been hot and I have been staying up too late (like I am doing now!) so I get up around 7:30 and it is already hot. There is nowhere to run in my area that has shade, I miss the heavily treed parks of my home in Washington. One day this week I decided to run my four miles on the treadmill at the gym, which was probably worse than running outside because for one it's mind numbingly boring, and two, the darn gym seems to have no air conditioning and while there was a line of fans along the wall, not one of them was on and I couldn't seem to see how to turn them on. I made a mental not to avoid the gym for running until the miserable arctic winds returned to the prairie this winter. I managed to run my four miles this morning in the 80 degree heat and reminded myself that next run day, which will be another 6 mile run on Sunday, I better get my rear end out of bed at 5:30!

A Mountain Goat enjoying the view with me, while my Lunas let my toes breathe.




 

Finding My Happy Place

 

At one point in my life, I lived and breathed horses. From the age of two I was up on the back of one with my mother, riding up Mt. Si of all places, a mountain that I just read in Scott Jurger's book, Eat and Run, was a fantastic mountain to train for ultra runs.

 

 

 I was never without a horse, for pretty much all of my life and I was determined that they made me happy, they were the one thing I would cling to and refuse to give up when my boys came into the picture. Fast forward to a year ago and it all came to a head, our move to Montana seemed to show me how really unhappy horses made me. They cost a ridiculous amount of money, they are a tremendous amount of work, especially when you keep them at home, and quite honestly, the majority of horse people, at least for me, are not people you want to hang out with. I don't know what it is that brings out the worst in people when it comes to horses but it never fails, gossiping and nastiness will weasel it's way in to the conversations, especially online, pretty quickly. When I take a weekend trip with the family to go mountain biking, at the end of the day I am pumped up by all the friendly people you meet out on the trails, when I used to come home from a day at the barn, it wasn't unusual for me to be in tears for one reason or another. Whether it was a nasty barn owner, a rude fellow boarder or a lame horse, I am just to the point that I am tired of it all. Not to mention all of the time it takes away from my family. I don't like being away from them, my husband works 12 hour shifts and we are apart enough due to that, my boys will be grown and on their own soon enough, I cherish every moment I am lucky to have with them. When I run, they either run with me or ride a bike, or I get up so early that they are still asleep before I get home. This is what I I have realized is what makes me the most happy.

  I read a lot of times where people say running takes away time from the family but in comparison to my other hobby, it doesn't and it can easily be turned into a family adventure whether they bike or run alongside you and having a healthy parent is a good thing, encouraging them to be active as well. I know when kids are little it isn't that easy. Our running never lasted long due to living in the rainy PNW and not wanting to drag them (or ourselves) out in the rain, but now at 11 and 13 it is much easier.

 Running a 5k, as opposed to attending a horse show, was a huge morale booster for me. I was so happy and thrilled at my piddly accomplishment and by the encouraging and friendly people that were involved with the race, it was a night and day experience from a horse show. Life is too short not to find things that make you walk away from happy and encouraged as opposed to crying and dejected.

 My husband says I am going through a midlife crisis I early, I don't know, maybe he is right but I kind of feel like the odd thing about finding yourself, is actually true. Maybe all these years I just haven't really ever found the real me, until now.

Week Two Complete.

Four weeks ago I had the brilliant idea of running a half marathon in Bozeman on September 11th. I mean, four months to prepare to run 13 miles is plenty of time, right? Well, I guess we will soon find out!

 Right away I printed off Hal Higdon's half marathon plan. The only other time I was every seeing improvements in my endurance was when I followed his 5k plan. In no time I was running six miles straight and feeling good so I figured I would stick with his plans.

 It definitely gives me a great, consistent schedule and when I can wake up each day, do the workout on the calendar and check it off, I feel a sense of "yes! I can do this!"

 Yesterday was the end of week two and it called for a four mile run. I went to the river with my family, those three bums on bikes while I ran (in my Luna sandals!) and I trudged through the four miles, against the freaking wind and in 88 degree heat, so yeah it was a miserable run, but I did it.

  The good news about my sandals is that they are no longer rubbing the tops of my feet raw where the buckle sits but I did have a blister at the bottom of my right foot, so boo to that.

  My calves are not cramping when I land fore foot first like they did in the beginning and it feels like I am running on springs when I am running correctly, especially up hills. I can't make it the whole way running like that yet, my calves wear out and I go back to the jarring heel first landing.

 Next weekend instead of the five mile run the schedule calls for, I will be hiking in Glacier National Park so I am a little nervous about throwing off my schedule but hopefully I won't be too tired the days following and I can get back on track.