It wasn’t the big one, it was sadder, shorter version for people that want the Squamish 50 feel without the near death experience. 23k was is roughly 14.2 miles with 2,000 feet of climbing. I got the medal, and the too small shirt because the the lady passing out the swag bags totally ignored me when I asked for men’s medium (being over six feet tall gives me shoulders wider than normal women) so she stuffed a medium WOMAN’S shirt and I sadly didn’t find this out until I pulled it out of the bag two days after the race.
I have mixed emotions about it. I can’t say I felt very accomplished. It took me over 4 hours but I spent a good deal of time sitting along side the trail towards the end until I came down to sea level where I found a behind primitive bathroom in a park where I spent even more time finally able to assuage my stomach pains for a short enough time to get to the finish line.
I was so slow that there were no cool pics of me running through the woods, just one embarrassing photo of me crossing the finish line. I looked bigger than I realized and the sad misery of why I was so damn slow sunk in like a knife.
I had had a whole year to prepare for that and I crossed the finish line heavier than I had ever been in my life, even bigger than both of my pregnancies. I felt like crap, I looked like crap, I knew it was time to stop with the denial and just stop stuffing my face.
I walked through Whistler Village for the rest of the week. Carefully tracking the calories I shoved in my face with the My Fitness Pal app as closely as I could, at least, and now three and a half months later I am down 20 pounds. I’ve already taken two minutes off my mile, and trust me even with those two minutes my time still isn’t anything impressive, and I am aiming for a total 40 pound loss by my 40th birthday which is two months from now. Okay, maybe it sounds a little ambitious but 40 before 40 had a good ring to it.
I have tried losing weight a million different times, mostly when I didn’t need to lose now that I am looking back at it, because really the only time I have been legitimately overweight is from the three years I spent in Montana, gaining by the week, no matter how much exercising I was doing. It was a good lesson to learn that you can’t outwork crappy eating. It’s about calories, and the whole “I run because I like to eat” only really seems to apply to people that are running a hundred miles a week and even those runners eat way better than I ever did. Whole 30, keto, plant based, vegan. It really only works if you are eating in a calorie deficit. You can’t stuff your face just because it’s a magical type of food. I proved this to myself as we vacationed and ate crap food on the road and I STILL managed to lose weight because I added the calories up carefully and didn’t go over 1800. I ate buns with my burgers and drank a soda if I had the calories to spare and yep, still lost.
So we’ll see where this goes, if I will get myself back in a condition that I want to cross a finish line again and actually order the picture, or maybe be faster enough for the photographer to find me in the woods.
A 30 something mom's first time journey into the world of long distance running.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Monday, April 16, 2018
Honoring my father in law
My father in law passed away two weeks ago. His body battled to live despite his repeated abuse and neglect of the vessel he dwelled in.
He was the most kindest man you could ever meet in this lifetime, never had a bad word to say about anyone despite being surrounded by a wife and step children that had plenty to say about him. He had learned to deal with this with alcohol so between that and his chain smoking, along with his horrible diet and zero exercise once he retired from the Air Force, his body had a lot of things to fight against and no ammunition to fight it. We often said had he taken care of himself he would be outliving us all.
His battle started 16 years ago when he had a heart attack and requires a trip led by pass. He was warned by his doctor then that he needed to stop smoking and exercise but like the majority of heart attach survivors I would imagine, he quickly fell back to his old ways and without a wife supporting him in a lifestyle change for she was a heavy smoker, loathes any form of physical exertion and lives off of Diet Coke, the odds were really stacked against him.
His final days were tragic, so much fluid in his lungs that he only had 10% function in his lungs and when they tried a procedure to remove the fluid, doctors had to perform cpr four times to bring him back but sadly, tests revealed no brain function so he had passed away with only machines keeping his broken body going.
I am struggling with what to say to others about his passing. I think when people are killed after being flung from cars because they didn’t put their seat belt on, or they fell from their bike without a helmet on, that people are quick to say, “this is why you wear a seat belt, a helmet, treat all guns as loaded,” etc but with people that died from decades long of ill health that didn’t have to be, we just sort of shrug and move on with the status quo.
My family is very long lived, into their 90’s and 100’s so as I approach 40 in the next few years I don’t consider myself middle aged yet, I am saving that for 50! While I have never smoked, I don’t drink beyond a couple frou frou drinks a year, and I exercise pretty regularly, I feel like my diet needs a good overhaul.
I have tried the grass fed, organic route for quite a few years but honestly I am not convinced that this is much healthier. I am surrounded by people that hunt and eat only meat that they have killed themselves and I see no health benefits. Granted often these people aren’t eating wild for their health and typically drink and or smoke and eat processed foods so my anecdotal cases are truly without scientific basis! I just don’t see the health benefits of free range meat.
What I do see that inspires me towards a more healthy way of eating is whole food plant based way of eating. Not simply vegan or vegetarian since one can live off of Oreos and Mountain Dew and still live a vegan lifestyle, but eating for actual health and not for cruelty free reasons. I hear from too many people that point to someone they know that was a vegetarian and suffered from a heart atta k or cancer. One must know how they actually ate before they throw the whole idea out the window and dig into a cheeseburger.
So in honor of my father in law’s memory, I am going to try to do better, for myself and my kids, because I don’t want them to suffer through the same heart break, either in watching me as my body gives out, or with their own health.
He was the most kindest man you could ever meet in this lifetime, never had a bad word to say about anyone despite being surrounded by a wife and step children that had plenty to say about him. He had learned to deal with this with alcohol so between that and his chain smoking, along with his horrible diet and zero exercise once he retired from the Air Force, his body had a lot of things to fight against and no ammunition to fight it. We often said had he taken care of himself he would be outliving us all.
His battle started 16 years ago when he had a heart attack and requires a trip led by pass. He was warned by his doctor then that he needed to stop smoking and exercise but like the majority of heart attach survivors I would imagine, he quickly fell back to his old ways and without a wife supporting him in a lifestyle change for she was a heavy smoker, loathes any form of physical exertion and lives off of Diet Coke, the odds were really stacked against him.
His final days were tragic, so much fluid in his lungs that he only had 10% function in his lungs and when they tried a procedure to remove the fluid, doctors had to perform cpr four times to bring him back but sadly, tests revealed no brain function so he had passed away with only machines keeping his broken body going.
I am struggling with what to say to others about his passing. I think when people are killed after being flung from cars because they didn’t put their seat belt on, or they fell from their bike without a helmet on, that people are quick to say, “this is why you wear a seat belt, a helmet, treat all guns as loaded,” etc but with people that died from decades long of ill health that didn’t have to be, we just sort of shrug and move on with the status quo.
My family is very long lived, into their 90’s and 100’s so as I approach 40 in the next few years I don’t consider myself middle aged yet, I am saving that for 50! While I have never smoked, I don’t drink beyond a couple frou frou drinks a year, and I exercise pretty regularly, I feel like my diet needs a good overhaul.
I have tried the grass fed, organic route for quite a few years but honestly I am not convinced that this is much healthier. I am surrounded by people that hunt and eat only meat that they have killed themselves and I see no health benefits. Granted often these people aren’t eating wild for their health and typically drink and or smoke and eat processed foods so my anecdotal cases are truly without scientific basis! I just don’t see the health benefits of free range meat.
What I do see that inspires me towards a more healthy way of eating is whole food plant based way of eating. Not simply vegan or vegetarian since one can live off of Oreos and Mountain Dew and still live a vegan lifestyle, but eating for actual health and not for cruelty free reasons. I hear from too many people that point to someone they know that was a vegetarian and suffered from a heart atta k or cancer. One must know how they actually ate before they throw the whole idea out the window and dig into a cheeseburger.
So in honor of my father in law’s memory, I am going to try to do better, for myself and my kids, because I don’t want them to suffer through the same heart break, either in watching me as my body gives out, or with their own health.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
You Are What You Think
Once again, a race will come and go without me even attempting to cross the finish line. Why? Why have I failed THIS time? I have a million reasons that piled one on top of the other and it isn't even worth recounting all of them because ultimately, do they matter? No, the only thing that matters is I failed. AGAIN.
I was listening to Jamil Coury this morning on Ginger Runner and he was talking about what he considered failures but of course to mere mortal me, simply a wanna be runner, I am thinking, "wow, you attempted the Barkely THREE times. how can you consider that a FAILURE?" He still pushes on, he is honest with what he feels are his weaknesses and he puts it all out there, he doesn't just post his successes which is a huge reason I think he is awesome, along with Ethan and Kim Newberry. Yes, these runners are on a completely different plane from me, but I can set my own bar and wow is it amazingly low!
Why even keep going? I ask myself this on a daily basis. Two years now of running and so far the longest distance I have ever run at one time is a half marathon distance. Following the Hanson's Marathon Method I was really doing good, even though it was all treadmill miles (don't even get me started on what it is like to live on the plains during the third worst winter in Montana) and I was tackling up to 11 miles but then when the first 15 mile run appeared on my schedule, mentally I told myself I couldn't do. So of course I didn't.
My husband made a great point and I should have listened to him when he told me, you should at least start it, but I didn't. I found an excuse to not run that Sunday and the missed long runs compiled like dominoes until it became clear that there was no way I could tackle that marathon distance on April 14th. Then do the half, was my husband's response. Yes! fantastic solution, until a facebook post popped up one day telling me the half was officially full.
What? there was actually a max amount of runners allowed? All my ambition flew out the window.
We are still going to Washington for the week (where the race is happening) so I did a quick search and found there are a couple of other half marathons going on that I can sign up for so it may not be a total loss. We shall see.
Meanwhile, here in Montana, on the first day of spring, there is no sign of it in sight. Snow is still lining our driveway and I go out in the morning to feed animals bundled in my heavy coat and gloves, chipping off the ice from the top of the water trough. The grass is the typical prairie brown with no green even hinting at springing up from the earth.
Two weeks ago my family spent four nights on the Oregon Coast, enjoying sunshine and nearly 70 degree days and we were so incredibly happy. I was able to do a couple four mile runs before sunset out along the water and I was reminded of how great running was when you weren't pushing a button to adjust your speed.
After Oregon we drove up to Bellingham for two days, where we are from, just a couple days from the Chuckanut 50k and I shed a few tears as I checked the website where the times for aid station check ins were being posted. I really hope to be back home for the next race, this time not just visiting, and I can be running those trails on a regular basis. Oh, to be running amongst the trees again!
I was listening to Jamil Coury this morning on Ginger Runner and he was talking about what he considered failures but of course to mere mortal me, simply a wanna be runner, I am thinking, "wow, you attempted the Barkely THREE times. how can you consider that a FAILURE?" He still pushes on, he is honest with what he feels are his weaknesses and he puts it all out there, he doesn't just post his successes which is a huge reason I think he is awesome, along with Ethan and Kim Newberry. Yes, these runners are on a completely different plane from me, but I can set my own bar and wow is it amazingly low!
Why even keep going? I ask myself this on a daily basis. Two years now of running and so far the longest distance I have ever run at one time is a half marathon distance. Following the Hanson's Marathon Method I was really doing good, even though it was all treadmill miles (don't even get me started on what it is like to live on the plains during the third worst winter in Montana) and I was tackling up to 11 miles but then when the first 15 mile run appeared on my schedule, mentally I told myself I couldn't do. So of course I didn't.
My husband made a great point and I should have listened to him when he told me, you should at least start it, but I didn't. I found an excuse to not run that Sunday and the missed long runs compiled like dominoes until it became clear that there was no way I could tackle that marathon distance on April 14th. Then do the half, was my husband's response. Yes! fantastic solution, until a facebook post popped up one day telling me the half was officially full.
What? there was actually a max amount of runners allowed? All my ambition flew out the window.
We are still going to Washington for the week (where the race is happening) so I did a quick search and found there are a couple of other half marathons going on that I can sign up for so it may not be a total loss. We shall see.
Meanwhile, here in Montana, on the first day of spring, there is no sign of it in sight. Snow is still lining our driveway and I go out in the morning to feed animals bundled in my heavy coat and gloves, chipping off the ice from the top of the water trough. The grass is the typical prairie brown with no green even hinting at springing up from the earth.
Two weeks ago my family spent four nights on the Oregon Coast, enjoying sunshine and nearly 70 degree days and we were so incredibly happy. I was able to do a couple four mile runs before sunset out along the water and I was reminded of how great running was when you weren't pushing a button to adjust your speed.
After Oregon we drove up to Bellingham for two days, where we are from, just a couple days from the Chuckanut 50k and I shed a few tears as I checked the website where the times for aid station check ins were being posted. I really hope to be back home for the next race, this time not just visiting, and I can be running those trails on a regular basis. Oh, to be running amongst the trees again!
Monday, January 22, 2018
When your damn horse steps on your foot at week 10 of your marathon training
Yesterday was a big life failure all around. First, I was scheduled to a 15 mile long run. The weather in this rotten neck of the woods has slowly been changing but still miserable enough to make running outdoors more a chore than the treadmill. I can endure the 25 degree temps but running into the wind is freaking miserable. I did a six mile run on Saturday in the wind and it sucked, then I woke up Sunday morning and told my husband, who am I kidding? I can’t run 15 miles today!
“You should at least start the run,” he told me. Okay, I can see the wisdom in that, until our son reminds us we promised a trip to the hot springs an hour away and I secretly celebrate a touchdown dance in my head. No long run for me!!
After the hot springs and a shopping trip to Costco since we live over 80 miles away from the nearest Costco, it was too late for even starting a long run.
Okay, okay, I will get back on track in the morning. That was until my horse stepped on my foot. The first three toes are bruised at the base. Pretty sure they aren’t broken but I am going to be safe and not run today so I delay any healing. I think the elliptical will be a safe workout so at least I am doing something.
Onward and upward!
“You should at least start the run,” he told me. Okay, I can see the wisdom in that, until our son reminds us we promised a trip to the hot springs an hour away and I secretly celebrate a touchdown dance in my head. No long run for me!!
After the hot springs and a shopping trip to Costco since we live over 80 miles away from the nearest Costco, it was too late for even starting a long run.
Okay, okay, I will get back on track in the morning. That was until my horse stepped on my foot. The first three toes are bruised at the base. Pretty sure they aren’t broken but I am going to be safe and not run today so I delay any healing. I think the elliptical will be a safe workout so at least I am doing something.
Onward and upward!
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
14 weeks to go
Last year I was a huge failure at running. Every run I settled on, it would turn out my boys had a swim meet that weekend two or more hours in the other direction. The whole state of Montana seemed to be on fire and air quality for running was not good. We went on some fun trips, you know, life got in the way and that is totally fine. Our boys will only be young once and I refuse to put my hobby before them.
This time around, I managed to find a run that gives the boys and me an excuse to go home to Washington to run a marathon, spend my oldest’s birthday there, and just hang out for a week. It will be awesome!
So, once I picked out the run, I settled on following the Hanson’s Marathon Method after reading the book. I tried the Hal Higdon for the half two years ago and honestly I felt like crap. I had a horrible time of two and a half hours and just barely beat the walking group. It was miserable. I tried again with a marathon plan but didn’t get more than six weeks into the plan before my “long runs” felt like crap and I never managed to complete the runs without walking a good portion of the way.
When I started reading about the Hanson Method it made a whole lot of sense and the runners on their Facebook page had me convinced I needed to give it a try.
Honestly, three easy runs though out the week and then one long one on the weekend just didn’t make me feel any stronger or give me any better endurance. I still couldn’t run all the way through more than three miles without taking walk breaks and I couldn’t get over the thought that that was just ridiculous! All of these marathoners were talking about running the whole race with no walk breaks and I can’t even get past three?? I just wanted to be better, not necessarily killing it time wise and placing in my age group or anything crazy like that after all I am not insane, but just a better runner than what I was.
The weather has been ridiculous, like negative 25 ridiculousness, and with the boys at swim meet practice at our gym five nights a week for two hours, the treadmill really is the only way for me to run right now. For me, it’s harder to run on the treadmill than outside. It’s too easy to just stop and walk, or slow down, when I am outside and running alone. With the treadmill I have to actually stick with a speed and peer pressure from runners around me keep me from walking all the time. I can adjust the incline and out here on the Plains it is difficult to find hills unless. My typical running routes are pancake flat. Hence, my treadmill life. On the plus side, I am reading that treadmilll running results in fewer injuries, so there’s that, oh, and I have been catching up with all the last Ginger Runner live videos on YouTube. Big plus there.
Once the snow melts I will try and get more outside runs in, so maybe June, July, after the marathon!
This time around, I managed to find a run that gives the boys and me an excuse to go home to Washington to run a marathon, spend my oldest’s birthday there, and just hang out for a week. It will be awesome!
So, once I picked out the run, I settled on following the Hanson’s Marathon Method after reading the book. I tried the Hal Higdon for the half two years ago and honestly I felt like crap. I had a horrible time of two and a half hours and just barely beat the walking group. It was miserable. I tried again with a marathon plan but didn’t get more than six weeks into the plan before my “long runs” felt like crap and I never managed to complete the runs without walking a good portion of the way.
When I started reading about the Hanson Method it made a whole lot of sense and the runners on their Facebook page had me convinced I needed to give it a try.
Honestly, three easy runs though out the week and then one long one on the weekend just didn’t make me feel any stronger or give me any better endurance. I still couldn’t run all the way through more than three miles without taking walk breaks and I couldn’t get over the thought that that was just ridiculous! All of these marathoners were talking about running the whole race with no walk breaks and I can’t even get past three?? I just wanted to be better, not necessarily killing it time wise and placing in my age group or anything crazy like that after all I am not insane, but just a better runner than what I was.
The weather has been ridiculous, like negative 25 ridiculousness, and with the boys at swim meet practice at our gym five nights a week for two hours, the treadmill really is the only way for me to run right now. For me, it’s harder to run on the treadmill than outside. It’s too easy to just stop and walk, or slow down, when I am outside and running alone. With the treadmill I have to actually stick with a speed and peer pressure from runners around me keep me from walking all the time. I can adjust the incline and out here on the Plains it is difficult to find hills unless. My typical running routes are pancake flat. Hence, my treadmill life. On the plus side, I am reading that treadmilll running results in fewer injuries, so there’s that, oh, and I have been catching up with all the last Ginger Runner live videos on YouTube. Big plus there.
Once the snow melts I will try and get more outside runs in, so maybe June, July, after the marathon!
Monday, November 13, 2017
Never skip out on arm day
I have only recently adopted this mantra, and by recently I mean today.
We spent our usual week in Whistler, B.C and became the people we wish we could be year round. Our days began with a run around the golf course, coffee in the village and then the rest of the day mountain biking, hiking and a white water rafting adventure.
I would thoroughly enjoy living in a condo so I could avoid yard work and just step outside to enjoy nature without the mundane chores. Ah, life goals.
Upon the return to Montana, my husband became inspired to hit the gym on a regular basis. Being surrounded by active people and beautiful scenery can have that affect on you. Getting in the gym is easier when your kids have to be there anyway for swimming and karate.
After only five days of working out I could already see the difference in his face and physique (this is why men suck, I train for a marathon and gain weight, he works out for five days and loses a chin) so I was inspired to have him help me with weight lifting.
I have been watching with horror as my upper arms have gotten bigger, and not in a good way. This past two years have morphed me into someone I only saw during two pregnancies, despite all my running.
I have hit the weights pretty hard with hubby. I see no change but have definitely noticed it in myself because I can actually pick up an 80 pound bale of hay again and don't have to flip it end over end from the back of the truck into the barn.
The snow has already hit here. Zero degrees in the first week of November is a depressing warning of what the rest of the winter is going to be. Only four and a half more months of this. Yah. Needless to say my outdoor running is done. I'll do what I can on the treadmill but for now I am focusing on getting stronger and weight loss. I am not happy with the weight I am at and the heavier I am the slower I run.
I would love to set a goal for a run, preferably one of the rainshadow runs like the Orcas 25 or 50k but unfortunately, life is just too up in the air to schedule anything like that. Once again praying that we won't be in Montana in a few months, being one thing, too.
I wish I was seeing a miraculous change, like the stories you read about in magazines and on Instagram stories, but I haven't in myself. Other than a mental coping mechanism for getting through this time in life, at this point that is probably enough!
We spent our usual week in Whistler, B.C and became the people we wish we could be year round. Our days began with a run around the golf course, coffee in the village and then the rest of the day mountain biking, hiking and a white water rafting adventure.
I would thoroughly enjoy living in a condo so I could avoid yard work and just step outside to enjoy nature without the mundane chores. Ah, life goals.
Upon the return to Montana, my husband became inspired to hit the gym on a regular basis. Being surrounded by active people and beautiful scenery can have that affect on you. Getting in the gym is easier when your kids have to be there anyway for swimming and karate.
After only five days of working out I could already see the difference in his face and physique (this is why men suck, I train for a marathon and gain weight, he works out for five days and loses a chin) so I was inspired to have him help me with weight lifting.
I have been watching with horror as my upper arms have gotten bigger, and not in a good way. This past two years have morphed me into someone I only saw during two pregnancies, despite all my running.
I have hit the weights pretty hard with hubby. I see no change but have definitely noticed it in myself because I can actually pick up an 80 pound bale of hay again and don't have to flip it end over end from the back of the truck into the barn.
The snow has already hit here. Zero degrees in the first week of November is a depressing warning of what the rest of the winter is going to be. Only four and a half more months of this. Yah. Needless to say my outdoor running is done. I'll do what I can on the treadmill but for now I am focusing on getting stronger and weight loss. I am not happy with the weight I am at and the heavier I am the slower I run.
I would love to set a goal for a run, preferably one of the rainshadow runs like the Orcas 25 or 50k but unfortunately, life is just too up in the air to schedule anything like that. Once again praying that we won't be in Montana in a few months, being one thing, too.
I wish I was seeing a miraculous change, like the stories you read about in magazines and on Instagram stories, but I haven't in myself. Other than a mental coping mechanism for getting through this time in life, at this point that is probably enough!
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans
And this is especially true when you're a mom.
The past three runs I had planned for, my boys ended up having a swim meet on each one of those race days. Soooooo, plans went by the wayside, running was dismal and half hearted and here I sit having my long runs at 6 miles.
My oldest son has been such an incredible inspiration to me. He decided last summer after watching the summer Olympics, specifically Michael Phelps, that he wanted to try competitive swimming. August 11th will be the one year mark from when he took his first swimming lesson with the head coach of his swim team, to learn all the different strokes, and the weekend after next he will be swimming three different events at the state finals for long course.
He has worked so hard these past few months after his coach told him not to expect to make state finals for two to three years, and I feel like a big hypocrite when I encourage him to go to practice when he doesn't feel like it yet here I sit, not working towards my own fitness goals, so I told him I was going to start on the marathon plan, whether I run an official race or just do it on my own. His response was the kick in the butt I needed when he said was I going to stick to this one this time, because I had announced a couple times now that I was following a plan and well, I was a big failure! Okay, I added the failure part.
So yes, I am sticking to this one! I am on week two, a few of the runs have been treadmill runs since we are hovering in the 90's with terrible air quality because of multiple fires burning around the area.
One big thing I am aiming is losing weight. Running with this extra weight just sucks. My knees are making crunching noises when I go up the stairs, my minutes per mile are two minutes slower than they were before I moved to Montana and gained depression weight, and quite frankly I feel like crap when I put on my clothes so I determined. Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't try to lose weight while training for a marathon! I have been reading up on nutrition and am doing better energy wise and so far I am feeling good. If I start to feel drained I will change things up.
So there it is, one week down, 17 to go!!
The past three runs I had planned for, my boys ended up having a swim meet on each one of those race days. Soooooo, plans went by the wayside, running was dismal and half hearted and here I sit having my long runs at 6 miles.
My oldest son has been such an incredible inspiration to me. He decided last summer after watching the summer Olympics, specifically Michael Phelps, that he wanted to try competitive swimming. August 11th will be the one year mark from when he took his first swimming lesson with the head coach of his swim team, to learn all the different strokes, and the weekend after next he will be swimming three different events at the state finals for long course.
He has worked so hard these past few months after his coach told him not to expect to make state finals for two to three years, and I feel like a big hypocrite when I encourage him to go to practice when he doesn't feel like it yet here I sit, not working towards my own fitness goals, so I told him I was going to start on the marathon plan, whether I run an official race or just do it on my own. His response was the kick in the butt I needed when he said was I going to stick to this one this time, because I had announced a couple times now that I was following a plan and well, I was a big failure! Okay, I added the failure part.
So yes, I am sticking to this one! I am on week two, a few of the runs have been treadmill runs since we are hovering in the 90's with terrible air quality because of multiple fires burning around the area.
One big thing I am aiming is losing weight. Running with this extra weight just sucks. My knees are making crunching noises when I go up the stairs, my minutes per mile are two minutes slower than they were before I moved to Montana and gained depression weight, and quite frankly I feel like crap when I put on my clothes so I determined. Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't try to lose weight while training for a marathon! I have been reading up on nutrition and am doing better energy wise and so far I am feeling good. If I start to feel drained I will change things up.
So there it is, one week down, 17 to go!!
Monday, March 6, 2017
When it's your long run day but you're just too damn busy
Week six of my training plan to my June 10th 30K actually became a repeat of week five because of the week from hell that resulted in a horse to the vet and a $1,000 plumbing disaster, so I had to do a re-do.
The smaller runs were easy to do on the treadmill when the kids were at swimming and karate, my youngest son decided to start running with me this past week, too. Yah!
The ten mile run was going to be a struggle. Montana weather is still winter, and being that we are on the prairie, finding a day that isn't blowing a stampede of tumbleweeds across endless miles of nothingness is a rarity but I tried it outside nonetheless.
Two miles was all I managed. It was like running in mud up to my knees. My son was struggling to pedal his bike alongside of me, my chest ached from the cold wind and I bailed.
Attempt number two at getting 8 more miles in was done at the gym on a treadmill while my son had a one hour karate class. Five miles accomplished this time but once again had to bail so we could drive into Helena for grocery shopping. I was bound and determined to get my ten miles in, even if it is rather unconventional to do a long run in stages, at least mentally I would feel accomplished!
After dinner, we headed out to the OTHER gym we have a membership at and I ran as fast as my lungs and achy legs could handle. Week five complete, 10 miles down.
The treadmill miles this week owe many thanks to the Ginger Runner to sidetrack me from the endless miles of boredom.
The smaller runs were easy to do on the treadmill when the kids were at swimming and karate, my youngest son decided to start running with me this past week, too. Yah!
The ten mile run was going to be a struggle. Montana weather is still winter, and being that we are on the prairie, finding a day that isn't blowing a stampede of tumbleweeds across endless miles of nothingness is a rarity but I tried it outside nonetheless.
Two miles was all I managed. It was like running in mud up to my knees. My son was struggling to pedal his bike alongside of me, my chest ached from the cold wind and I bailed.
Attempt number two at getting 8 more miles in was done at the gym on a treadmill while my son had a one hour karate class. Five miles accomplished this time but once again had to bail so we could drive into Helena for grocery shopping. I was bound and determined to get my ten miles in, even if it is rather unconventional to do a long run in stages, at least mentally I would feel accomplished!
After dinner, we headed out to the OTHER gym we have a membership at and I ran as fast as my lungs and achy legs could handle. Week five complete, 10 miles down.
The treadmill miles this week owe many thanks to the Ginger Runner to sidetrack me from the endless miles of boredom.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
A goal! Yes, I finally have a race!
So I finally bit the bullet and chose a race. I told my husband I was going to make the depressing assumption that we were still going to be here this summer and his response was something along the lines of "I hope not but you might want to prepare yourself for the fact that we may be." So I found a race far away from the flat, color of dirt, landscape that we live in and selected the
St. Regis Trail Rail Run in June in St. Regis, Montana.
Since it is about a four drive, I felt like driving all that way I should at least make it a worthwhile run and with four full months to prepare, the 30k seemed attainable. I was, after all, able to drag my sad self over the finish line of a half marathon. What's six more miles?
I printed out the Hal Higdon Novice marathon training plan and tweaked it a bit with the mileage. I absolutely don't want to repeat how I trained for the half marathon in August by not running the race distance before the actual race. The farthest distance on the half marathon plan was ten miles and the last 3 were a killer, so this time around I plan on running 18 miles before the actual race.
Week one called for three days of 3 mile runs with a jump to 6 miles on the long run day. Yeah, I told myself, probably not happening. I haven't run 6 miles in two or three months. My son had swim team practice the day of my long run so I had to run on the treadmill. I told myself I could probably make it to 5 miles, and that would be a stretch but once I hit 5 I surprisingly felt pretty good and managed the last mile. Week one of my 30k training was complete!
St. Regis Trail Rail Run in June in St. Regis, Montana.
Since it is about a four drive, I felt like driving all that way I should at least make it a worthwhile run and with four full months to prepare, the 30k seemed attainable. I was, after all, able to drag my sad self over the finish line of a half marathon. What's six more miles?
I printed out the Hal Higdon Novice marathon training plan and tweaked it a bit with the mileage. I absolutely don't want to repeat how I trained for the half marathon in August by not running the race distance before the actual race. The farthest distance on the half marathon plan was ten miles and the last 3 were a killer, so this time around I plan on running 18 miles before the actual race.
Week one called for three days of 3 mile runs with a jump to 6 miles on the long run day. Yeah, I told myself, probably not happening. I haven't run 6 miles in two or three months. My son had swim team practice the day of my long run so I had to run on the treadmill. I told myself I could probably make it to 5 miles, and that would be a stretch but once I hit 5 I surprisingly felt pretty good and managed the last mile. Week one of my 30k training was complete!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Trudging along and thinking of goals
The weather here has been unbelievable, as in I can't believe I would ever live in a place this miserable cold. I know, what did I expect moving to Montana? There is a reason only a million people live in the fourth largest state in the union. When Steinbeck wrote that this was the "last best place" (what does that statement even mean?) he had been in Montana for a total of 56 hours and primarily stuck to the Yellowstone area so trust me, it is not an honest assessment since he never bothered to factor in the weather!
At one point, the temperature gauge on the truck read -35 and the snow pile up, even on the more bearable days, was too much to get outdoor runs in. With the two year mark coming up in March, officially releasing my husband of any obligation of having to pay back the money the company spent to move us here, he can officially look for employment elsewhere! It's really the only thing keeping my spirits up in this winter of misery.
I am a miserable treadmill runner. The most I managed to force myself to run was five miles. I look at guys running next to me, their mileage at 8, and I am in awe. Even with a t.v in
front of me, I am way too bored to run any further.
My oldest son joined the swim team last summer and he quickly advanced through the ranks to the team that practices five days a week so it keeps me at the gym at least. I switch my workouts between the bike and the stair stepper when I am not running. I use the machines for leg strengthening exercises but I don't venture out to the rest of the gym with the free weights because it can be rather intimidating. The weight lifters are not the friendliest and really make it known that that is their domain, even if we all are paying the same dang membership, so unless I am with my husband, I avoid that area.
I need a goal, I definitely work better that way. The trail running schedule is out but a part of me feels like I need to be spending my mental energy towards focusing on NOT being here in a few months and signing up for a race would instead be saying "nope, you will still be here so suck it up!" Yeah, ridiculous. It's been almost two years of learning how to battle the self talk that goes on in my head, a daily struggle to focus on how to make the day pass without crying, getting through the day without thinking about what we would be doing if we were back in Washington. I should just sign up for the training goal and look at it from that perspective only.
And I should probably cut out the second white chocolate iced latte I have at home every night. That might be a good goal, too.
At one point, the temperature gauge on the truck read -35 and the snow pile up, even on the more bearable days, was too much to get outdoor runs in. With the two year mark coming up in March, officially releasing my husband of any obligation of having to pay back the money the company spent to move us here, he can officially look for employment elsewhere! It's really the only thing keeping my spirits up in this winter of misery.
I am a miserable treadmill runner. The most I managed to force myself to run was five miles. I look at guys running next to me, their mileage at 8, and I am in awe. Even with a t.v in
front of me, I am way too bored to run any further.
My oldest son joined the swim team last summer and he quickly advanced through the ranks to the team that practices five days a week so it keeps me at the gym at least. I switch my workouts between the bike and the stair stepper when I am not running. I use the machines for leg strengthening exercises but I don't venture out to the rest of the gym with the free weights because it can be rather intimidating. The weight lifters are not the friendliest and really make it known that that is their domain, even if we all are paying the same dang membership, so unless I am with my husband, I avoid that area.
I need a goal, I definitely work better that way. The trail running schedule is out but a part of me feels like I need to be spending my mental energy towards focusing on NOT being here in a few months and signing up for a race would instead be saying "nope, you will still be here so suck it up!" Yeah, ridiculous. It's been almost two years of learning how to battle the self talk that goes on in my head, a daily struggle to focus on how to make the day pass without crying, getting through the day without thinking about what we would be doing if we were back in Washington. I should just sign up for the training goal and look at it from that perspective only.
And I should probably cut out the second white chocolate iced latte I have at home every night. That might be a good goal, too.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
The Agony of "It's Just Old Age"
I think I have talked briefly before about how seeing family age and wither away has been a huge motivator for my running and seeking better overall health as I stare down middle age in the not too distant future. I have also talked about how I seek out stories of seniors that are beating the odds when it comes to avoiding the rust that often sets in when they sit in the chair in their living room, or the front porch. There are so many stories out there when you start looking and paying attention and they are so inspiring! No matter what age you choose to start, as long as you are still breathing, it seems your body and health can improve.
Researchers that actually study senior citizens and health improvement beyond taking pills are proving this more and more. The unfortunate thing is that studies have been slow to occur in this field because there isn't a whole lot of money in this area but with the ever aging population and the strain that this is going to be on governments that are taking on more and more of these elderly patients with longer life spans due to medical interventions, people are waking up and admitting there needs to be a better way.
I was a lucky kid in that I grew up in a home with not just one grandma, but two. Starting at the age of six, I lived with both my grandma and my great grandma.
Looking back to my earliest memory of my great grandma, I see her sitting in her chair. Four different houses over the years and the scene never changes. When she walked, she shuffled from one place to another and I can still hear the sound her slippers made against the wood floors. Her back had what my grandma, her daughter, called the "widow's hump." I have a picture of her from her high school days of her and her girls' baseball team. This sort of shocked me when I first saw it. An image of my grandma as a young woman, running and playing a sport, is hard for me to imagine.
When she died in her late 80's, in a nursing home once she needed 24 hour care, my family was told by the doctor in the nursing home that she was on so many pills she was almost a drug addict, along with suffering from type 2 diabetes.
I think of her final years, sitting in her chair, watching her t.v programs, waiting for the mail or one of her grandkids to play a card game with her, and I am sad for her.
Now her daughter, my other grandma, is continuing on her same path. We get into weekly discussions on her aches and pains. She laments to me on how she will need a wheelchair at the airport when she comes to visit us because the distance between the terminals and the security check point are so long.
She is suffering from arthritis in her shoulders and she is convinced it is from her high school years of twirling baton. She tells me my running will ruin my knees and when I told her I completed a half marathon her response was simply "Oh my god." Her belief is that exercise will eventually lead to pain and bodily damage in the end.
Nana, I tell her, you have got to move, you have to go for a walk everyday, lift some one pound weights to which she responds, "Oh, honey, this is just old age."
She won't listen when I talk to her about the research proving that activity is the best treatment for her arthritis, instead she downs Aleve on a daily basis.
I am not in her doctors' offices with her, so of course I am not sure what they are prescribing for her aches and pains, it is highly possible they are trying to encourage her to get up and move. She has no major injuries or disorders to prevent this, but if they aren't, I really wish they would!
I wish we would get past this idea that old age equals lack of ability to move, the necessity for motorize carts at the grocery store and a hurry cane.
There is a common phrase used among the horse rescue community that "old age doesn't equal skinny!" it is an attempt to dispel the myth that once a horse hits their late teens and into their 20's that being skinny is just part and parcel of being an old horse when in actuality, being underweight does mean is that he most likely has dental issues that need to be taken care of, or an overload of parasites. Sway backs are a symptom of being ridden with the horse in an improper carriage, with a high head, hollowed back and abs not engaged and carrying the horse, again, not a sign of old age.
I wish that we could make it a campaign to dispel the myth of old age in humans equaling the inability to walk from one end of a shopping mall to the next.
I don't want my boys to fear old age, I want them to see their mom and dad hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and running ultra marathoners long into their "twilight" years (and while we're at it can we get rid of that phrase, too!)
Now just to get my husband on the same page.
Researchers that actually study senior citizens and health improvement beyond taking pills are proving this more and more. The unfortunate thing is that studies have been slow to occur in this field because there isn't a whole lot of money in this area but with the ever aging population and the strain that this is going to be on governments that are taking on more and more of these elderly patients with longer life spans due to medical interventions, people are waking up and admitting there needs to be a better way.
I was a lucky kid in that I grew up in a home with not just one grandma, but two. Starting at the age of six, I lived with both my grandma and my great grandma.
Looking back to my earliest memory of my great grandma, I see her sitting in her chair. Four different houses over the years and the scene never changes. When she walked, she shuffled from one place to another and I can still hear the sound her slippers made against the wood floors. Her back had what my grandma, her daughter, called the "widow's hump." I have a picture of her from her high school days of her and her girls' baseball team. This sort of shocked me when I first saw it. An image of my grandma as a young woman, running and playing a sport, is hard for me to imagine.
When she died in her late 80's, in a nursing home once she needed 24 hour care, my family was told by the doctor in the nursing home that she was on so many pills she was almost a drug addict, along with suffering from type 2 diabetes.
I think of her final years, sitting in her chair, watching her t.v programs, waiting for the mail or one of her grandkids to play a card game with her, and I am sad for her.
Now her daughter, my other grandma, is continuing on her same path. We get into weekly discussions on her aches and pains. She laments to me on how she will need a wheelchair at the airport when she comes to visit us because the distance between the terminals and the security check point are so long.
She is suffering from arthritis in her shoulders and she is convinced it is from her high school years of twirling baton. She tells me my running will ruin my knees and when I told her I completed a half marathon her response was simply "Oh my god." Her belief is that exercise will eventually lead to pain and bodily damage in the end.
Nana, I tell her, you have got to move, you have to go for a walk everyday, lift some one pound weights to which she responds, "Oh, honey, this is just old age."
She won't listen when I talk to her about the research proving that activity is the best treatment for her arthritis, instead she downs Aleve on a daily basis.
I am not in her doctors' offices with her, so of course I am not sure what they are prescribing for her aches and pains, it is highly possible they are trying to encourage her to get up and move. She has no major injuries or disorders to prevent this, but if they aren't, I really wish they would!
I wish we would get past this idea that old age equals lack of ability to move, the necessity for motorize carts at the grocery store and a hurry cane.
There is a common phrase used among the horse rescue community that "old age doesn't equal skinny!" it is an attempt to dispel the myth that once a horse hits their late teens and into their 20's that being skinny is just part and parcel of being an old horse when in actuality, being underweight does mean is that he most likely has dental issues that need to be taken care of, or an overload of parasites. Sway backs are a symptom of being ridden with the horse in an improper carriage, with a high head, hollowed back and abs not engaged and carrying the horse, again, not a sign of old age.
I wish that we could make it a campaign to dispel the myth of old age in humans equaling the inability to walk from one end of a shopping mall to the next.
I don't want my boys to fear old age, I want them to see their mom and dad hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and running ultra marathoners long into their "twilight" years (and while we're at it can we get rid of that phrase, too!)
Now just to get my husband on the same page.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Is Strong Really The New Skinny?
I was on the stair climber yesterday, that mind numbing machine that tries to inspire you to climb higher and faster by putting various buildings and monuments around the world. To beat back the boredom I picked up the equally mind numbing magazine, Shape, because of a certain celebrity on the cover that I was interested in reading about.
As I flipped past page after page of makeup ads and articles on how to get a certain look, how to get an awesome butt, shoulders that look good in strapless dresses, recipes to help you lose weight, all just to get to a two page article on a celebrity that was really only in there to sell her clothing line of "active wear" and swim suits that look like they are best for laying by the pool and not swimming laps or playing at the water park with your kids (these types of suits made very difficult to find by the way,) the saying "strong is the new skinny" popped into my head.
Years ago, as a newly married 19 year old, I had subscribed to this magazine, and as I look back I realize "strong" was never a word I aspired to. Nor was the idea of living a life of fitness and good health well into my senior years.
All I wanted to, all I was programmed to want, was to look good. If this meant eating as little as possible to achieve that then I would do it. Exercise was just to get me that look, just like the magazines promised. Do this exercise and you will have the perfect butt, find out what celebrity X does to have those abs. It was just a bombardment of how females needed to LOOK.
I started to really reflect on this, to wonder why I grew up needing to "look" a certain way (although like the majority of women I never actually did achieve that look.) In my introspection, I recalled all the fashion magazines that filled my childhood home.
Gaunt, forever 21 and forever hungry, wearing clothes I would never be able to afford, adorned with makeup I would never have the time to apply, were the females that always stared back at me. Subconsciously these images melded into being, convincing me that this is the ideal female, this is who I should be.
I never tried very hard to live up to this, don't let me fool you into thinking I became a fashionista that never left the house without perfect hair and makeup! Far from it, I actually did more of the opposite, partly due to my 6 foot frame and the difficulty in finding clothes that comfortably fit and partly due to my bank account that could never maintain that sort of a lifestyle, especially once kids came into the picture, but the bigger reasoning was I never felt like I could become that ideal woman in the magazines.
It was an ideal too hard to attain. Every picture ever taken of me, I analyzed like a scientist searching through strands of DNA. I quickly ascertained that I was not picture material, so I avoided them all together. I ducked away from cameras pointed in my direction every chance I got.
Fast forward to life with little boys and I knew that no way, no how, would my boys grow up looking at unrealistic images of women. I was thankful for grocery stores that offered "family friendly" aisles that little people wouldn't be eye level with cleavage and magazines entitled "have eye popping sex tonight!"
I felt vindicated in my thinking on this subject when my oldest was around six years old, after seeing the cover of a magazine with a woman in a short skirt and plunging neckline, as we stood in line at Barnes and Noble, he asked me "why do ladies sometimes dress like they are naked?" I shrugged and said I wasn't sure, but a few years later we discussed how some ladies think that is what makes them pretty and what they think men want to see, and how movies and magazines teach a lot of girls that their worth is in what they look like.
I am not naive enough to ignore the fact that males are very visual beings and my boys eyes' aren't ever going to be drawn to cleavage and short skirts with bleached hair and overdone makeup, but I do hope they have been brought up to look for healthy and active, like they have been raised, for their future life partners.
Reading the book "Natural Born Heroes" really brought home the idea that our bodies, both male and female should be healthy and strong, for good purposes. For survival, for war, for the simple facts of enjoying life to its fullest! There is so much world out there to be explored, trails to be run (or walked) national parks to be explored, even if you aren't an outdoors person, museums and malls with miles of stores and art are there to be enjoyed and walked.
I don't believe we are doing an adequate enough job of changing the narrative for our young people to strong is, and SHOULD be, the new skinny. I think we're getting closer, with the sudden explosion in spartan races and other types of events like tough mudder, but with as many of those that are gaining in popularity, Kardashian type lifestyles are gaining followers by the millions on instagram. How to get the "thigh gap," overinflated lips, and oddly shaped derrières are still a hot topic in magazines that target young women. Young men are still being bombarded with six pack abs and biceps really not serving any purpose other than to flex in the mirror while posing for a selfie, as the ideal man.
We need to impress upon our young people that having a healthy body that can get us from point A to point B, should be our goal. Filling our vehicle (our bodies) with foods to adequately fuel us and keep us healthy. Finding role models, both real life and those in the spotlight.
For my sons, their karate instructor who is almost 80 years old, still strong and nimble and still working at his landscaping job as well as teaching martial arts several times a week, is someone I point them to when we talk about a long life of fitness and health. Michael Phelps, an idol of my son that swims competitively, is an example of a strong, healthy body that is utilitarian, not just chiseled to grace the cover of a magazine.
For myself, I look to people well into their 70's and even in their 80's, still running marathons and Iron Man races. Even 100 mile ultra runs. Our bodies are amazing works of art, given to us to enjoy life to its fullest, climbing mountains, swimming oceans, biking through countrysides or exploring city streets. They is so much more to living than looking good in a selfie in clothes made for mannequins! The only way to get this message across to our kids is to really get serious about teaching them that strong and healthy, not skinny, is a lifelong endeavor.
It's definitely the message I wish I had learned long ago.
As I flipped past page after page of makeup ads and articles on how to get a certain look, how to get an awesome butt, shoulders that look good in strapless dresses, recipes to help you lose weight, all just to get to a two page article on a celebrity that was really only in there to sell her clothing line of "active wear" and swim suits that look like they are best for laying by the pool and not swimming laps or playing at the water park with your kids (these types of suits made very difficult to find by the way,) the saying "strong is the new skinny" popped into my head.
Years ago, as a newly married 19 year old, I had subscribed to this magazine, and as I look back I realize "strong" was never a word I aspired to. Nor was the idea of living a life of fitness and good health well into my senior years.
All I wanted to, all I was programmed to want, was to look good. If this meant eating as little as possible to achieve that then I would do it. Exercise was just to get me that look, just like the magazines promised. Do this exercise and you will have the perfect butt, find out what celebrity X does to have those abs. It was just a bombardment of how females needed to LOOK.
I started to really reflect on this, to wonder why I grew up needing to "look" a certain way (although like the majority of women I never actually did achieve that look.) In my introspection, I recalled all the fashion magazines that filled my childhood home.
Gaunt, forever 21 and forever hungry, wearing clothes I would never be able to afford, adorned with makeup I would never have the time to apply, were the females that always stared back at me. Subconsciously these images melded into being, convincing me that this is the ideal female, this is who I should be.
I never tried very hard to live up to this, don't let me fool you into thinking I became a fashionista that never left the house without perfect hair and makeup! Far from it, I actually did more of the opposite, partly due to my 6 foot frame and the difficulty in finding clothes that comfortably fit and partly due to my bank account that could never maintain that sort of a lifestyle, especially once kids came into the picture, but the bigger reasoning was I never felt like I could become that ideal woman in the magazines.
It was an ideal too hard to attain. Every picture ever taken of me, I analyzed like a scientist searching through strands of DNA. I quickly ascertained that I was not picture material, so I avoided them all together. I ducked away from cameras pointed in my direction every chance I got.
Fast forward to life with little boys and I knew that no way, no how, would my boys grow up looking at unrealistic images of women. I was thankful for grocery stores that offered "family friendly" aisles that little people wouldn't be eye level with cleavage and magazines entitled "have eye popping sex tonight!"
I felt vindicated in my thinking on this subject when my oldest was around six years old, after seeing the cover of a magazine with a woman in a short skirt and plunging neckline, as we stood in line at Barnes and Noble, he asked me "why do ladies sometimes dress like they are naked?" I shrugged and said I wasn't sure, but a few years later we discussed how some ladies think that is what makes them pretty and what they think men want to see, and how movies and magazines teach a lot of girls that their worth is in what they look like.
I am not naive enough to ignore the fact that males are very visual beings and my boys eyes' aren't ever going to be drawn to cleavage and short skirts with bleached hair and overdone makeup, but I do hope they have been brought up to look for healthy and active, like they have been raised, for their future life partners.
Reading the book "Natural Born Heroes" really brought home the idea that our bodies, both male and female should be healthy and strong, for good purposes. For survival, for war, for the simple facts of enjoying life to its fullest! There is so much world out there to be explored, trails to be run (or walked) national parks to be explored, even if you aren't an outdoors person, museums and malls with miles of stores and art are there to be enjoyed and walked.
I don't believe we are doing an adequate enough job of changing the narrative for our young people to strong is, and SHOULD be, the new skinny. I think we're getting closer, with the sudden explosion in spartan races and other types of events like tough mudder, but with as many of those that are gaining in popularity, Kardashian type lifestyles are gaining followers by the millions on instagram. How to get the "thigh gap," overinflated lips, and oddly shaped derrières are still a hot topic in magazines that target young women. Young men are still being bombarded with six pack abs and biceps really not serving any purpose other than to flex in the mirror while posing for a selfie, as the ideal man.
We need to impress upon our young people that having a healthy body that can get us from point A to point B, should be our goal. Filling our vehicle (our bodies) with foods to adequately fuel us and keep us healthy. Finding role models, both real life and those in the spotlight.
For my sons, their karate instructor who is almost 80 years old, still strong and nimble and still working at his landscaping job as well as teaching martial arts several times a week, is someone I point them to when we talk about a long life of fitness and health. Michael Phelps, an idol of my son that swims competitively, is an example of a strong, healthy body that is utilitarian, not just chiseled to grace the cover of a magazine.
For myself, I look to people well into their 70's and even in their 80's, still running marathons and Iron Man races. Even 100 mile ultra runs. Our bodies are amazing works of art, given to us to enjoy life to its fullest, climbing mountains, swimming oceans, biking through countrysides or exploring city streets. They is so much more to living than looking good in a selfie in clothes made for mannequins! The only way to get this message across to our kids is to really get serious about teaching them that strong and healthy, not skinny, is a lifelong endeavor.
It's definitely the message I wish I had learned long ago.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Running Partners
First of all, if anyone actually reads my blog I apologize for what a mess it is. I used to blog all the time a few years ago but blogger has changed, my laptop is old and slow so I typically write posts on my phone and I have yet to figure out how to post pictures. It let me post a couple and then not again so hopefully I will figure that out soon enough. I hate reading blogs without pics, so I know how boring that is. Running on the prairie is not all that scenic but once in awhile I manage to snag a deceptive picture to trick people into thinking the place is somewhat scenic. Can anyone tell I want to move back home?
One thing I didn't really expect when I mentioned my runs on Facebook was that people would actually be inspired to run. I've never seen myself as the type to inspire people so this was kind of a surprise.
I told everyone that mentioned it that I was happy to run with them if they wanted to get together and one friend finally took me up on it. She needed to meet pretty early, when it was still dark! But I went ahead and got my butt out of bed anyway. By our second run together, our sons had joined us!
One big positive that has come from our move is the amount exercise all of the family is getting now. My oldest son and running partner has joined the swim team and doing incredibly well, my youngest has taken up martial arts and bikes or walks every day with his dad to hatch Pokémon eggs and I have goaded my husband into running again so he is following a Hal Higdon 5K training plan.
Exercise is so good for everyone, our bodies were created to move, after all! So I am overjoyed that I might be the kick in the pants someone might need to get moving and get healthy. I keep telling everyone that last year I couldn't even make it to the end of our gravel road which is just about a quarter of a mile and now I can run a half marathon (albeit slowly!) so if I can do it, anyone can do it!
One thing I didn't really expect when I mentioned my runs on Facebook was that people would actually be inspired to run. I've never seen myself as the type to inspire people so this was kind of a surprise.
I told everyone that mentioned it that I was happy to run with them if they wanted to get together and one friend finally took me up on it. She needed to meet pretty early, when it was still dark! But I went ahead and got my butt out of bed anyway. By our second run together, our sons had joined us!
One big positive that has come from our move is the amount exercise all of the family is getting now. My oldest son and running partner has joined the swim team and doing incredibly well, my youngest has taken up martial arts and bikes or walks every day with his dad to hatch Pokémon eggs and I have goaded my husband into running again so he is following a Hal Higdon 5K training plan.
Exercise is so good for everyone, our bodies were created to move, after all! So I am overjoyed that I might be the kick in the pants someone might need to get moving and get healthy. I keep telling everyone that last year I couldn't even make it to the end of our gravel road which is just about a quarter of a mile and now I can run a half marathon (albeit slowly!) so if I can do it, anyone can do it!
Monday, November 7, 2016
Runners that cheat
I first heard about people that actually cheat in marathons and other similar distance races in Runners World a few months back. What a bizarre concept! Why in the world would someone cheat in a race? I guess I see WHY pro athletes cheat when it comes to bettering themselves to keep their jobs, I don't think it is necessarily right of course, but isn't running races about self improvement and health? What satisfaction do you get by finishing a race by cutting through the course, or signing up for a marathon but actually running the half?
Another way people cheat is to buy the bib of a runner that qualifies for Boston, or have someone faster then you wear your bib in a Boston qualifier. I just don't understand the psychology behind this.
Cheating is so common that they have actual committees that watch for it, studying previous times in races, whether times registered from their bibs when they crossed mats (if they didn't this is a good sign they cut through the course somewhere) sometimes they even need to look through race pics to look for cheaters. The first time I read about cheaters was a story about a man that the race committee noticed in a finish line pic. He wasn't in the best physical shape but he crossed the finish line looking pretty darn good, in a cotton t shirt with nary a sweat stain! Just that picture alone piqued the interest of the race committee and sure enough, they did some digging and found that not only was he a repeat offender in the cheating department but he also wrote checks that bounced for multiple races. I would love to know his reasoning behind this. Was it a good story to post on his Match.com profile?
Here's a blog that is dedicated strictly to catching and researching these cheaters. I appreciate people that dedicate time for outing these people, hopefully it deters others that might consider doing this. Training for a race takes literal blood, sweat and tears and to see others take places in races that one must qualify for, or lie about their age to earn records, use others bibs to run races they didn't qualify for, it really and truly is a disgrace and these people should be ashamed of themselves.
Another way people cheat is to buy the bib of a runner that qualifies for Boston, or have someone faster then you wear your bib in a Boston qualifier. I just don't understand the psychology behind this.
Cheating is so common that they have actual committees that watch for it, studying previous times in races, whether times registered from their bibs when they crossed mats (if they didn't this is a good sign they cut through the course somewhere) sometimes they even need to look through race pics to look for cheaters. The first time I read about cheaters was a story about a man that the race committee noticed in a finish line pic. He wasn't in the best physical shape but he crossed the finish line looking pretty darn good, in a cotton t shirt with nary a sweat stain! Just that picture alone piqued the interest of the race committee and sure enough, they did some digging and found that not only was he a repeat offender in the cheating department but he also wrote checks that bounced for multiple races. I would love to know his reasoning behind this. Was it a good story to post on his Match.com profile?
Here's a blog that is dedicated strictly to catching and researching these cheaters. I appreciate people that dedicate time for outing these people, hopefully it deters others that might consider doing this. Training for a race takes literal blood, sweat and tears and to see others take places in races that one must qualify for, or lie about their age to earn records, use others bibs to run races they didn't qualify for, it really and truly is a disgrace and these people should be ashamed of themselves.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Diet and workouts other than (gasp) running.
When I followed the Hal Higdon Half marathon training plan, I didn't deviate it from it one iota. I was so overwhelmed by the mileage and the thought of actually sticking to the plan that I was fearful of adding anything to my days.
After the half when my knee hurt so bad for several days, I knew I needed to add strength training into my workouts. At the gym I use the machines for the quad and hamstring strengthening, at home I do exercises I learned on a Pilates DVD from a decade ago to strengthen the psoas, and I try to swim a couple times a week.
There's really no schedule set in stone with me. I would probably be in better shape if there was! I am just of the mindset that fitting it in when I can is better than nothing. I would also love to be in a place where the weather was more consistent to allow for more outdoor exercise. If it isn't the wind, then it's the swarms of mosquitoes, miserable heat or miserable cold. I would really like to just deal with one negative, maybe rain, or heat, but that requires moving. Sigh.
As far as diet, I try really hard to not be on my typical see-food diet, I see it and I eat it. Two years ago, after mocking everyone on the gluten free diet and rolling my eyes at this "fad diet" that I figured would be out of fashion soon enough, I read the Wheat Belly Diet and was shocked to see I had many of the issues they listed off for people that were gluten intolerant; stomach aches (every morning!) acne well into my thirties, itchy skin, bloated stomach. I gave the Wheat Belly Diet a try and the difference in how I felt was almost immediate. It wasn't too long after that I gave the Whole 30 Diet a try. I gave up dairy, wheat, beans, rice and all sugar except in fruit. It was torturous, but what wheat removal didn't do, being dairy free did. My dark circles under my eyes went away completely and I lost 15 pounds but it was so restrictive I couldn't keep it up. Moving to the area we now live in made eating healthfully outside of the house very difficult and I have sort have gone back to my old, bad ways of eating.
Running has helped me stay on track as best I can, waking up after an evening of pizza to go for a run is out of the question, and once you've gone on a long run and feel good, it makes it easier to make healthy meal choices. I suppose some people think if they exercise they have an excuse for bad food choices but I feel the opposite. Except for my lattes, those are fuel for my runs!
Basically with my running I have wanted to make a full, permanent lifestyle change. Exercise and the foods we eat to fuel our body should go hand in hand for life and it is difficult to have good health without both.
After the half when my knee hurt so bad for several days, I knew I needed to add strength training into my workouts. At the gym I use the machines for the quad and hamstring strengthening, at home I do exercises I learned on a Pilates DVD from a decade ago to strengthen the psoas, and I try to swim a couple times a week.
There's really no schedule set in stone with me. I would probably be in better shape if there was! I am just of the mindset that fitting it in when I can is better than nothing. I would also love to be in a place where the weather was more consistent to allow for more outdoor exercise. If it isn't the wind, then it's the swarms of mosquitoes, miserable heat or miserable cold. I would really like to just deal with one negative, maybe rain, or heat, but that requires moving. Sigh.
As far as diet, I try really hard to not be on my typical see-food diet, I see it and I eat it. Two years ago, after mocking everyone on the gluten free diet and rolling my eyes at this "fad diet" that I figured would be out of fashion soon enough, I read the Wheat Belly Diet and was shocked to see I had many of the issues they listed off for people that were gluten intolerant; stomach aches (every morning!) acne well into my thirties, itchy skin, bloated stomach. I gave the Wheat Belly Diet a try and the difference in how I felt was almost immediate. It wasn't too long after that I gave the Whole 30 Diet a try. I gave up dairy, wheat, beans, rice and all sugar except in fruit. It was torturous, but what wheat removal didn't do, being dairy free did. My dark circles under my eyes went away completely and I lost 15 pounds but it was so restrictive I couldn't keep it up. Moving to the area we now live in made eating healthfully outside of the house very difficult and I have sort have gone back to my old, bad ways of eating.
Running has helped me stay on track as best I can, waking up after an evening of pizza to go for a run is out of the question, and once you've gone on a long run and feel good, it makes it easier to make healthy meal choices. I suppose some people think if they exercise they have an excuse for bad food choices but I feel the opposite. Except for my lattes, those are fuel for my runs!
Basically with my running I have wanted to make a full, permanent lifestyle change. Exercise and the foods we eat to fuel our body should go hand in hand for life and it is difficult to have good health without both.
Friday, October 21, 2016
New Shoes!
I am really impressed by people that keep track of the mileage on their shoes, how do they do that? A training log? Their memory is just that good? Whatever it is, I didn't do that with my last ones and based on the holes I was creating with my big toe, it probably had a good many on them!
Back home we had a running store in town, Fairhaven Runners how I miss you! They watched you walk, watched you run, evaluated your stride, brought out the shoes they recommended and had you run outside in them to try them out. Here on the prairie? Yeah, no such store.
On top of that, I was making way too big a deal selecting a brand and style this time around, mostly because I feel like I am more of an actual runner while before I was just a casual jogger. I mean, I have actual running socks so that must mean I getting pretty serious, right?
Since I have been trying to get to the whole minimalist running feel, I knew I at least wanted shoes that mimicked the Luna Sandals. Altras were recommended to me by the lady I met that ran the Leadville, if they will hold up for a 100 mile of tough mountain trails they must be worth trying out. I was thrilled to read the story on them; wide toe box and zero drop heel developed by a family that had a running store and realized that feet needed to replicate the barefoot stride inside a shoe as closely as possible. The outdoor store in town just started carrying Altras and had two trail types to choose from, the Lone Peak had the best fit, and yes I had to get the men's because they don't have my size in women's. I have big feet.
I like that they give me lots of space for my toes and enough cushion for my foot that I don't feel the stab of every rock down the drive but still minimalist enough that if I am heel landing too much I can feel the jarring up nearly into my teeth and I am reminded to correct my stride and lighten up on the landing. I heel strike pretty bad going downhill, but maybe that is because I run hills so rarely, note to self; run more hills.
So far my longest run in them has been five miles on the treadmill, I told you I have been slacking off. Today I ran an actual trail, with varied terrain and rocks to deal with, other than feeling I was slipping too much in the shoes themselves, as in my foot within the shoe, when going downhill, they held up well enough and I don't have a lot of complaints. The grip on the ground was fine, but the real test will be when the ground is damp and slick. With the clay footing around here, it makes running in the winter outdoors (when it isn't in the negatives and the wind isn't blowing) even less appealing.
The even bigger test will be the long runs, whenever those happen again.
Back home we had a running store in town, Fairhaven Runners how I miss you! They watched you walk, watched you run, evaluated your stride, brought out the shoes they recommended and had you run outside in them to try them out. Here on the prairie? Yeah, no such store.
On top of that, I was making way too big a deal selecting a brand and style this time around, mostly because I feel like I am more of an actual runner while before I was just a casual jogger. I mean, I have actual running socks so that must mean I getting pretty serious, right?
Since I have been trying to get to the whole minimalist running feel, I knew I at least wanted shoes that mimicked the Luna Sandals. Altras were recommended to me by the lady I met that ran the Leadville, if they will hold up for a 100 mile of tough mountain trails they must be worth trying out. I was thrilled to read the story on them; wide toe box and zero drop heel developed by a family that had a running store and realized that feet needed to replicate the barefoot stride inside a shoe as closely as possible. The outdoor store in town just started carrying Altras and had two trail types to choose from, the Lone Peak had the best fit, and yes I had to get the men's because they don't have my size in women's. I have big feet.
I like that they give me lots of space for my toes and enough cushion for my foot that I don't feel the stab of every rock down the drive but still minimalist enough that if I am heel landing too much I can feel the jarring up nearly into my teeth and I am reminded to correct my stride and lighten up on the landing. I heel strike pretty bad going downhill, but maybe that is because I run hills so rarely, note to self; run more hills.
So far my longest run in them has been five miles on the treadmill, I told you I have been slacking off. Today I ran an actual trail, with varied terrain and rocks to deal with, other than feeling I was slipping too much in the shoes themselves, as in my foot within the shoe, when going downhill, they held up well enough and I don't have a lot of complaints. The grip on the ground was fine, but the real test will be when the ground is damp and slick. With the clay footing around here, it makes running in the winter outdoors (when it isn't in the negatives and the wind isn't blowing) even less appealing.
The even bigger test will be the long runs, whenever those happen again.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
On being alone
I played sports in high school, not so much because I wanted to but because it seemed to be expected of me. I was tall, the tallest girl in my high school, so therefore my whole purpose in life seemed to be to play a sport that required tall people; volleyball and basketball and even the soccer coach came begging, saying I would make a fantastic goalie because I could take up so much of the goal with my long arms and legs. No, thanks to that one, Having people barreling towards me only to kick a ball at my face did seem not at all appealing in any shape or form. I did give in to the basketball coach and for a short time the volleyball coach and I look back on those years really not very fondly. I just didn't enjoy it, and it wasn't necessarily that I didn't enjoy the sport itself but rather the people I played with, nor did I really enjoy the coaches.
Everyone had an agenda, the players were hoping for scholarships, or the admiration of their peers, or the approval of their parents, the coaches were re living their high school playing days and hoping for a coaching spot on the next big team or a championship title. No one really seemed to be playing the games for the love of it in the moment.
There are those that say sports teach dedication and team work, okay I guess, but there are many things a young person can do that can teach that. In this day and age I would say quite possibly the best argument for team sports in high school would be the exercise, and that might quite be enough of an argument altogether.
Running is something I wished I had found as a teen, beyond the endless laps around the soccer field and the suicide lines we had to run at the end of practice. If not just for the exercise but the alone time it would have granted me. I find people overwhelming, always needing something that I cannot give them. As a female, it becomes very hard to be yourself with people when your genuine self is someone that walks about as open as a book as one can be. Often people that you come across in your day to day life don't want that, they don't want honesty about your rough day, they want uplifting Facebook memes and everything hashtagged blessing. They don't want to know you have an opinion differing from theirs, whether it be on religion, politics or where you want to live. Too many people create their false idols in their hometown, their Boy Scout groups or the way they think you should behave and become easily offended if you don't fall in line with the same way of thinking. Quiet and meek has never been something I could pull off very well and my self deprecating sarcasm seems to make a lot of people uncomfortable.
Running doesn't require anything from you, just shoes and clothes that don't enhance the chafe and you're off. I don't need a court, or a coach, I can just run. If I race, I am running against myself and not letting down a team if I have a bad run. It's easier to get over a slower time than you expected when the "we are only as strong as our weakest link" isn't in affect.
You can run without an agenda, run alone without judgement. No relying on a teammate to kick a ball back at you or a horse to be sound and ready to go.
The louder life gets, whether it be at work or just reading social media for 15 minutes, the more I see a need for being alone, no pressure from outside voices. Just the freedom of feeling ground rise up to meet each step, fast or slow, it's always there, waiting patiently for you.
Everyone had an agenda, the players were hoping for scholarships, or the admiration of their peers, or the approval of their parents, the coaches were re living their high school playing days and hoping for a coaching spot on the next big team or a championship title. No one really seemed to be playing the games for the love of it in the moment.
There are those that say sports teach dedication and team work, okay I guess, but there are many things a young person can do that can teach that. In this day and age I would say quite possibly the best argument for team sports in high school would be the exercise, and that might quite be enough of an argument altogether.
Running is something I wished I had found as a teen, beyond the endless laps around the soccer field and the suicide lines we had to run at the end of practice. If not just for the exercise but the alone time it would have granted me. I find people overwhelming, always needing something that I cannot give them. As a female, it becomes very hard to be yourself with people when your genuine self is someone that walks about as open as a book as one can be. Often people that you come across in your day to day life don't want that, they don't want honesty about your rough day, they want uplifting Facebook memes and everything hashtagged blessing. They don't want to know you have an opinion differing from theirs, whether it be on religion, politics or where you want to live. Too many people create their false idols in their hometown, their Boy Scout groups or the way they think you should behave and become easily offended if you don't fall in line with the same way of thinking. Quiet and meek has never been something I could pull off very well and my self deprecating sarcasm seems to make a lot of people uncomfortable.
Running doesn't require anything from you, just shoes and clothes that don't enhance the chafe and you're off. I don't need a court, or a coach, I can just run. If I race, I am running against myself and not letting down a team if I have a bad run. It's easier to get over a slower time than you expected when the "we are only as strong as our weakest link" isn't in affect.
You can run without an agenda, run alone without judgement. No relying on a teammate to kick a ball back at you or a horse to be sound and ready to go.
The louder life gets, whether it be at work or just reading social media for 15 minutes, the more I see a need for being alone, no pressure from outside voices. Just the freedom of feeling ground rise up to meet each step, fast or slow, it's always there, waiting patiently for you.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Trying to get my mojo back
I am watching big snow flakes come down right now, after a warm sunny day yesterday, a twenty degree drop in just an hour; welcome to Montana! Blah!
One of my issues with keeping up with running back in Washington was the rain and I know here it will be the wind and snow. I don't know how dedicated I can be to the treadmill, it's just so boring!
Since September 10th, the half marathon, the farthest I have run is five miles. Mainly out of boredom, I know this. I need some mental training along with physical, something beyond just kicking my butt. I need a mental kick, too! Finding a running partner would be ideal, but the husband nor the kids are interested. I don't have an addictive personality, unless you count coffee, so that's against me in the must not stop running department. I follow lots of trail runners on Instagram for inspiration but they are always posting awesome adventures in beautiful places, which inspires me to someday go and run these places but being that I am on the prairie right now, and at least a three hour drive from any great trails to run safely, that kind of negates the inspiration NOW that I was hoping for. The running groups in town seem to mainly consist of diehard runners that run 6 and 7 minute miles and require me to make a third trip into town anyway, so that's off the table for the time being.
Until I get inspired again, I need to just run my short three and a half mile runs, just so I am at least doing something, this much I have figured out. Just keep on moving and doing!
One of my issues with keeping up with running back in Washington was the rain and I know here it will be the wind and snow. I don't know how dedicated I can be to the treadmill, it's just so boring!
Since September 10th, the half marathon, the farthest I have run is five miles. Mainly out of boredom, I know this. I need some mental training along with physical, something beyond just kicking my butt. I need a mental kick, too! Finding a running partner would be ideal, but the husband nor the kids are interested. I don't have an addictive personality, unless you count coffee, so that's against me in the must not stop running department. I follow lots of trail runners on Instagram for inspiration but they are always posting awesome adventures in beautiful places, which inspires me to someday go and run these places but being that I am on the prairie right now, and at least a three hour drive from any great trails to run safely, that kind of negates the inspiration NOW that I was hoping for. The running groups in town seem to mainly consist of diehard runners that run 6 and 7 minute miles and require me to make a third trip into town anyway, so that's off the table for the time being.
Until I get inspired again, I need to just run my short three and a half mile runs, just so I am at least doing something, this much I have figured out. Just keep on moving and doing!
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Well, I did it.
I tried really hard to get out of it, I told my husband and kids I would just go run the route they posted on line and save the $84 dollars, but that didn't go over very well, as one might imagine. So begrudgingly I signed up, picked up my race pack, and dragged myself out of bed at 5am to make sure I had breakfast digested before the starting gun.
My husband and our boys all went to cheer me on and I fretted about how long this would take me, leaving them to wander the park in the early morning hours. It was a small group, 60 something runners. I discovered what I pretty much already knew, that I hate road races.
Having not run the full half marathon distance of 13.1 miles following the Hal Higdon plan, I ran slow, telling myself I just wanted to finish, not beat anyone or run some awesome time, but it was still defeating to be passed by so many people, and even more so when the really fast ones have hit the turn around point and start passing you going the other way. For some reason my breath gets out of whack in the beginning of races I feel like I am hyperventilating. That, mixed with the wind that is typical in this area, made it feel like I was running with a parachute on and slowed me down significantly.
I was so fortunate to have made a Facebook friend that had just run the Leadville 100 in Colorado and she showed me how to tape my toes and other spots that were being rubbed raw, unfortunately the toe I wrapped rubbed against another toe, creating a disgusting blister that I felt starting at mile 6.
By mile 11 I had to hit the bathroom in the worst way and couldn't put it off any longer when I came upon a restroom right along the trail. It was probably the fasted pee break of my life but it was enough time to let five more people creep past me. I had nothing left beyond a survival pace so there was no way I was getting my spot back. I was ready to walk, and fighting it with every fiber of my being.
Right before mile 12, I thought I was going to puke. This is not good, what a wimp am I if I was puking after only 12 miles. Fortunately I managed to avoid it and started taking short walk breaks. At mile 13, another runner caught up to me and she became my half marathon angel. She asked if wanted to run to the next water station together and then finish the race. She had raced a half before but thanks to a blister at 4 miles she ended up waking the rest of the race for the most part. Her goal for this race was to just keep moving. That sounded good to me! My goal was to just not go to the hospital.
We made it, bit by bit. She urged me on when I stopped and I urged her on when she stopped. We both crossed the finish line at 2 hours and 30 Minutes, my boys ran the last .1 mile with me and I resisted the urge to just lay on the ground and go to sleep.
My split time was 11.32. Okay, nothing to brag about. Had I not stopped to go to the bathroom and been better prepared to run against the wind for half of the race, I could have done a little better, but hey, I did it. I got a medal! And I showed my kids I could set a goal and follow through, and 36 years old doesn't need to mean "I'm old and slow!" I sure wasn't fit enough in my early 20's to run 13 miles, even though I was considerably skinnier.
The downside was my knee hurt for almost a week after and I still have barely returned to running, with this Saturday being two weeks since the race. I have run a few short sessions on the treadmill and swam laps at the pool so I am not completely giving up on working out. Tomorrow I plan on starting the next one, whether it's the 50k or a marathon plan I am not sure which one to work towards.
Whatever I decide, onward I will run.
My husband and our boys all went to cheer me on and I fretted about how long this would take me, leaving them to wander the park in the early morning hours. It was a small group, 60 something runners. I discovered what I pretty much already knew, that I hate road races.
Having not run the full half marathon distance of 13.1 miles following the Hal Higdon plan, I ran slow, telling myself I just wanted to finish, not beat anyone or run some awesome time, but it was still defeating to be passed by so many people, and even more so when the really fast ones have hit the turn around point and start passing you going the other way. For some reason my breath gets out of whack in the beginning of races I feel like I am hyperventilating. That, mixed with the wind that is typical in this area, made it feel like I was running with a parachute on and slowed me down significantly.
I was so fortunate to have made a Facebook friend that had just run the Leadville 100 in Colorado and she showed me how to tape my toes and other spots that were being rubbed raw, unfortunately the toe I wrapped rubbed against another toe, creating a disgusting blister that I felt starting at mile 6.
By mile 11 I had to hit the bathroom in the worst way and couldn't put it off any longer when I came upon a restroom right along the trail. It was probably the fasted pee break of my life but it was enough time to let five more people creep past me. I had nothing left beyond a survival pace so there was no way I was getting my spot back. I was ready to walk, and fighting it with every fiber of my being.
Right before mile 12, I thought I was going to puke. This is not good, what a wimp am I if I was puking after only 12 miles. Fortunately I managed to avoid it and started taking short walk breaks. At mile 13, another runner caught up to me and she became my half marathon angel. She asked if wanted to run to the next water station together and then finish the race. She had raced a half before but thanks to a blister at 4 miles she ended up waking the rest of the race for the most part. Her goal for this race was to just keep moving. That sounded good to me! My goal was to just not go to the hospital.
We made it, bit by bit. She urged me on when I stopped and I urged her on when she stopped. We both crossed the finish line at 2 hours and 30 Minutes, my boys ran the last .1 mile with me and I resisted the urge to just lay on the ground and go to sleep.
My split time was 11.32. Okay, nothing to brag about. Had I not stopped to go to the bathroom and been better prepared to run against the wind for half of the race, I could have done a little better, but hey, I did it. I got a medal! And I showed my kids I could set a goal and follow through, and 36 years old doesn't need to mean "I'm old and slow!" I sure wasn't fit enough in my early 20's to run 13 miles, even though I was considerably skinnier.
The downside was my knee hurt for almost a week after and I still have barely returned to running, with this Saturday being two weeks since the race. I have run a few short sessions on the treadmill and swam laps at the pool so I am not completely giving up on working out. Tomorrow I plan on starting the next one, whether it's the 50k or a marathon plan I am not sure which one to work towards.
Whatever I decide, onward I will run.
Friday, August 19, 2016
When women run alone, an uncomfortable topic
The murder of three women that had been out on runs just a few weeks ago seems to have created a flurry of discussions on the subject. There are so many different opinions on it and no matter what stance you have, you will have a large group of people strongly disagreeing with you so please realize this is MY opinion based on my own personal experiences and I don't in any way want to upset someone or tell another woman how they should go forward with their running, this is simply my view.
Sadly, women being murdered while out running is not something unheard of. Just follow the news around the country and you will hear of it, maybe not often, but often enough for me. When I was nine years old, I was very close to being kidnapped while out riding my bike, with a friend, in broad daylight, in a highly populated neighborhood. Had I not had the good sense to listen to the voice within me that told me I was not going to make it to my apartment building and instead ran into a random person's yard and onto their front porch, I feel pretty certain that I would be dead.
I basically blocked this from my memory for many years, my mom not taking me all that seriously when I told her the story once I got home and I think my child's mind just accepted my mom's theory and I shut it out. It wasn't until I was significantly older and replayed it that I saw how very close I was to being gone.
I don't remember exactly what age I was when catcalling and whistling began if I was walking home from the school bus, or out jogging, but it basically became something that I accepted as a way of life. I would roll my eyes and avoid eye contact with whomever did it, I really didn't care. It wasn't something that made me fearful and I figured they thought they were complimenting me so whatever.
When I ran in highly populated areas, I would occasionally have men run alongside me and try to chat. One came right out and told me he would meet me there at the same place the following day to run with me. No "hi, how you doing?" Just sort of a command.
I gave him an "are you nuts?" expression and moved along. Oh, I guess I failed to mention that several of these incidents, including the last mentioned one, I was newly married so sporting a wedding ring quite clearly on my left hand.
It wasn't until I had had two kids, and was still being hollered at whenever my husband wasn't running with me, that I became angry about it.
One particular day when I was running with my husband and pushing both of my boys in the jogging stroller, my husband sprinted ahead for the last stretch of our run while I just jogged slowly along, when a van pulled up alongside of me and my boys, a teenage boy jumped out, another sat in the back with a video camera, while a third teen was driving. "wanna race?" the boy shouted as he ran alongside of me, apparently to capture this on video. I looked towards my husband, who was quite a ways of ahead of us but had just turned around and the teens saw him at that very moment. "Get in the van!" the driver shouted, seeing that there was a man in the vicinity, and off they took.
Yes, it was harmless, but it was disconcerting to me, a mom that just wanted to push her kids in a stroller along the beach and had that been my boys, I would have been furious. The fact that they thought it was fine to harass me, until they caught sight of my husband and realized he was with us, also made me upset. If I am with my sons, now that they are older, or my husband, nothing. If my husband and sons are outrunning me, a car passes them without a word and I get hollered at.
I have been followed out of my neighborhood on the one and only nearly dark run I ever went on alone and had a man expose himself to me on a long desolate stretch of road. Several people, mostly women oddly enough, thought it was funny. I wasn't one of them, and to this day I will not run in the dark alone again.
I don't dress in an appealing fashion in any way shape or form, not even in tank tops. I think there are just men out there looking for an opportunity when it comes to situations like the flasher or the teenagers. Maybe also the catcallers. I think the only people ever saying that a female is asking for the attention because of the way she dresses are the actual perpetrators. No one in their right mind blames the woman and I do not believe we live in a world of "rape culture," the new buzz word, in this country What we do live in is a world where there are mentally ill and evil people out there and that is why I choose to run safe. Which for me means in well travelled areas when I am alone, out in the open where cars will be going by on a regular basis and never at night. I know that no matter what I wear, if there happens to be a sick individual out there, I am quite possibly a prime target based on the fact that I am female and he has an opportunity.
I do teach my boys that catcalling and leering, hollering at a woman, is just completely unacceptable. It's harassment and disrespectful and all I can do is hope other parents choose to do the same but there will unfortunately always be mentally ill or just out right evil people living amongst us and we just never know when they will strike. I don't consider this living in fear, I just consider it living in (an unfortunate) reality.
Sadly, women being murdered while out running is not something unheard of. Just follow the news around the country and you will hear of it, maybe not often, but often enough for me. When I was nine years old, I was very close to being kidnapped while out riding my bike, with a friend, in broad daylight, in a highly populated neighborhood. Had I not had the good sense to listen to the voice within me that told me I was not going to make it to my apartment building and instead ran into a random person's yard and onto their front porch, I feel pretty certain that I would be dead.
I basically blocked this from my memory for many years, my mom not taking me all that seriously when I told her the story once I got home and I think my child's mind just accepted my mom's theory and I shut it out. It wasn't until I was significantly older and replayed it that I saw how very close I was to being gone.
I don't remember exactly what age I was when catcalling and whistling began if I was walking home from the school bus, or out jogging, but it basically became something that I accepted as a way of life. I would roll my eyes and avoid eye contact with whomever did it, I really didn't care. It wasn't something that made me fearful and I figured they thought they were complimenting me so whatever.
When I ran in highly populated areas, I would occasionally have men run alongside me and try to chat. One came right out and told me he would meet me there at the same place the following day to run with me. No "hi, how you doing?" Just sort of a command.
I gave him an "are you nuts?" expression and moved along. Oh, I guess I failed to mention that several of these incidents, including the last mentioned one, I was newly married so sporting a wedding ring quite clearly on my left hand.
It wasn't until I had had two kids, and was still being hollered at whenever my husband wasn't running with me, that I became angry about it.
One particular day when I was running with my husband and pushing both of my boys in the jogging stroller, my husband sprinted ahead for the last stretch of our run while I just jogged slowly along, when a van pulled up alongside of me and my boys, a teenage boy jumped out, another sat in the back with a video camera, while a third teen was driving. "wanna race?" the boy shouted as he ran alongside of me, apparently to capture this on video. I looked towards my husband, who was quite a ways of ahead of us but had just turned around and the teens saw him at that very moment. "Get in the van!" the driver shouted, seeing that there was a man in the vicinity, and off they took.
Yes, it was harmless, but it was disconcerting to me, a mom that just wanted to push her kids in a stroller along the beach and had that been my boys, I would have been furious. The fact that they thought it was fine to harass me, until they caught sight of my husband and realized he was with us, also made me upset. If I am with my sons, now that they are older, or my husband, nothing. If my husband and sons are outrunning me, a car passes them without a word and I get hollered at.
I have been followed out of my neighborhood on the one and only nearly dark run I ever went on alone and had a man expose himself to me on a long desolate stretch of road. Several people, mostly women oddly enough, thought it was funny. I wasn't one of them, and to this day I will not run in the dark alone again.
I don't dress in an appealing fashion in any way shape or form, not even in tank tops. I think there are just men out there looking for an opportunity when it comes to situations like the flasher or the teenagers. Maybe also the catcallers. I think the only people ever saying that a female is asking for the attention because of the way she dresses are the actual perpetrators. No one in their right mind blames the woman and I do not believe we live in a world of "rape culture," the new buzz word, in this country What we do live in is a world where there are mentally ill and evil people out there and that is why I choose to run safe. Which for me means in well travelled areas when I am alone, out in the open where cars will be going by on a regular basis and never at night. I know that no matter what I wear, if there happens to be a sick individual out there, I am quite possibly a prime target based on the fact that I am female and he has an opportunity.
I do teach my boys that catcalling and leering, hollering at a woman, is just completely unacceptable. It's harassment and disrespectful and all I can do is hope other parents choose to do the same but there will unfortunately always be mentally ill or just out right evil people living amongst us and we just never know when they will strike. I don't consider this living in fear, I just consider it living in (an unfortunate) reality.
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