Then What?

What was I thinking?!  I have to run 13.1 miles tomorrow morning in a high desert!  It's gonna be hot!  There is a big hill!  It's a trail run.  (I prefer the security of a solid paved road beneath my feet.)  I'm a grandma!!!!

I remember the first time I rapelled a cliff.  It was scary because I was a mother and knew I had children to live for.  Well, now I have grandchildren to live for.  I hope I don't die!

My gear is ready.  I carbo loaded for two days.  I'm still hydrating.  I hope I sleep tonight!

Race Gear.  Better remember the shoes!

That's how it is with goals at times.  They sound great when we set them.  We move towards them and strive to overcome setbacks.  Sometimes we give up before getting close to the goal.  Other times we panic over the fact that we might actually accomplish the goal - then what?  Well, I'm to the panic part.  I hope I make it to the "then what?" At least they should be able to find me in my bright green shirt if I expire along the way.

My First Half

Look closely.  It reads, "Half Marathon!"

I finished my half marathon training this morning.  The four mile run was so much easier than earlier four mile runs.  Those long runs (10 & 11 miles) really change one's perspective!  I have two days to hydrate (It's gonna be hot!) and carbo load (My favorite part about racing!)  I've been working on the mental preparation for some time.  It got a bit of a boost today when one of my running buddies, Susan, decided to sign up for the 10K. Yipee! Misery truly does love company.
I've done the work.  I have the clothes.  I purchased the fuel - Powerbars, gel, sports drinks, etc.  I suppose there isn't much left to do, except maybe pray! I'm excited, apprehensive, and cautious about my expectations.  The goal for my first half marathon, the High Desert Trail Run, is to survive!  That in itself will be a personal record!
Wish me luck!  You can also pray if you would like!

I got a WIN!

 

I got a win!  Not the kind you are thinking of.  Many years ago some friends and I attended a “positive thinking” seminar.  I thought most of it was bogus, but I do remember one thing I brought away from it.  The instructor told us to list our “Wins.”  Wins were defined as:  Something positive that happens to you that day.  For instance, you find a great parking spot – you got a win!  Your favorite running shoes went on sale – you got a win.  And so forth. My friends and I hung on to that thought and when we had something positive to share we prefaced it with, “I got a win!”

Here is my win. 

An old school mate of mine, now a friend on Facebook, asked for running advice!  Advice from me?  I’m just an old running grandma.  But then, she is probably a grandma, too, and we have our own little concerns when it comes to taking up hobbies like running.  What if it hurts?  What if I can’t do it?  What if somebody sees me and thinks, “What is that old lady doing?”  What if it kills me!

I’m grateful she felt like she could ask and that I would have something to offer.  I’m grateful that I did have some bits of wisdom I have accumulated since beginning to run 4 ½ years ago.  Here are a couple of them.

• Just start – Even if you only go a few hundred yards that is farther than you ran yesterday.
• Good Shoes – A must!
• Running buddies – There is nothing more helpful.
• Music – If there are no running buddies to be had.
• RICE – Rest.  Ice.  Compression.  Elevation.

I’m excited to see her progress, and … I am grateful that she is the one just beginning this journey and not me!

Question: Have you been able to offer advice and encouragement to someone because you have already travelled the road?  How did that make you feel?

HAPPY RUNNING!

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Remember the BIG KID slide?



 

 

 

 

YMCA Christmas Run 2009

Remember when you were small and the Big Kid slide at the local park seemed so intimidating?  Do you remember visiting it a few years later and thinking, “What’s the big deal?” That great big slide wasn’t so big after all. It was all about perspective.

For a few years I regularly ran my two and three mile routes feeling both exhausted and satisfied afterwards.  Anything over three miles scared me – a lot!  Then my running friend, Susan, talked me into entering a 10K Christmas Run.  I pushed past the three mile mark for a few weeks, ran the race, and promptly dropped back to my regular mileage.  I ran the occasional 5K race, duplicating my times to within hundredths of a second.  No lie!  Without a racing challenge I had no incentive to go farther than the occasional four or five miles.

Enter the Long Run.  I determined to run a half marathon.  This motivation came mostly from watching still overweight Biggest Loser contestants compete in a marathon!  “Hey, if they can do that, I should be able to do the same!”  Realistically, though, I needed to survive a half first.  I visited Smart Coach at Runnersworld.com and downloaded a customized training program.  I picked a race in early May and then changed my mind - twice.  The race date moved to the end of June and I delayed the long run training for a few weeks.  Here is the race.  Crazy, I know!  Finally, I ran eight miles three weeks in a row, then nine, and then ten.  The biggest challenge about the long run thus far has been mental.  I have to really talk myself into settling down for a very lengthy workout!

One bonus about using a training plan is the occasional rest week.  Rest week fell on Old Fort BoiseDays 5K Fun Run week!  I substituted a four mile easy run for a 3.1 mile race and something unexpected happened.  My 5K time that had been fluctuating only hundredths of seconds was faster.  Much faster!  Almost two minutes faster!  I attribute it to the Long Run.  You see, after running eight, nine, and ten miles, a little old 5K doesn’t seem nearly so intimidating!  It was like looking at the Big Kid slide when you are all grown up. Don’t get me wrong … I was tired and self-indulgent as usual after a race, but during the race my mind kept saying, “What’s the big deal?  This isn’t ten miles!” It was all about perspective.

Question: What challenges have you endured that changed your perspective?

Happy Running!

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Don't you wish you had this shirt?

Non-runners wonder why we run.  I had a friend ask me, “If you didn’t run, would you be fat?”  Well, yes, I might be.  I would definitely be fatter!  It isn’t just about the fat.  There are many reasons.  Sometimes we run so we can race.  You, see, we really want the shirt.

Today was the Old Fort Boise 5K Fun Run.  It’s a small town event with around a hundred competitors – and they don’t all run.  Some of them walk – and the walkers get the shirt, too.  The time clock showed everyone how quickly they covered 3.1 miles.  It isn’t so much whether you run or walk.  It’s more about getting out and moving for three miles, giving it your best effort, and knowing that next time, if you try just a little harder you might beat  today’s time. 

There are only about 100 shirts like this one around.  It’s a very elite group.  You could be part of it next year!

It's a Rest Day

It's my day off.  I am not running today because it is a XT/Rest day on the training schedule.  That means I usually rest rather than cross train.  After all, I wouldn't want to overdo!  Oh, and there is a race tomorrow!
While on a long run recently a friend asked me what I did for cross training.
"Bake cookies," I replied between gasps for air.  It's not a lie, I do bake cookies on a regular basis.  I try to be a responsible baker and add whole wheat, oatmeal, and dried cranberries.  Like this. 
Today my XT/Rest will consist of mowing a patch of grass, hanging out laundry, and baking.  Not cookies today.  Cinnamon rolls.  They are to give away.  I baked the cookies a couple days ago.
I will also be carbo loading for the race with – you guessed it – cookies! I hope I don’t overdo …

What do you do for a rest day!  I would like to hear about it!  Comment below.

Happy Running!

Running into Nelsons

I seldom frequent running stores.  Not because I don’t like them – I love running stores.  I just don’t venture into the kind of metropolis where running stores are found very often.  I am a rural runner.  It was unusual then that I found myself entering a running store for the third time in one day.  On the first visit I collected a race clock and race prizes from Shu’s Idaho Running Co. for use at the OFB Parma 5K FunRun. The second and third visits found me inside Bandanna Running and Walking attempting to collect more race prizes. (The first visit to Bandanna was fruitless as the prizes were not yet ready for pick-up.)

As I entered the store I had a vague sense of familiarity.  This could have been due to my recent visit just over one hour previously, or because my eyes had been dilated in the interim and everything appeared a bit run together. Whatever the reason, I thought the back of the head of the man standing fifteen feet in front of me was somewhat recognizable.  As he turned to casually observe the newcomer (Me) to the store, I identified my cousin.  I waved and headed in his direction presently recognizing the fair haired lady standing near him as my cousin’s (Not the same cousin) wife.  Recognition lit her face just before I started to chastise – not because she was with the wrong husband (she wasn’t), rather because she was in the area without notifying me. You see, she lives seven hours away.  At this time the second cousin (her husband) peered from behind the first cousin.

We exchanged a few friendly words and more chastising to which Cousin’s Wife replied, “Well, we’re not really here.”  Huh? They weren’t really here because they were heading out of town to the Sawtooth Relays.  I let them off the hook – just a bit.  We had a short running discussion that included the usual content such as, “What races are you running?  Did you buy new shoes?  GU or Powerbar Gel?  What is your best time?  We should run together sometime…”  Then we were off about our business – Cousins to the Sawtooth Relays and I to the Old Fort Boise Days 5K.

 Yeah, we may never run together, but we are likely to run INTO one another!

Greetings!

I think it is time to dedicate an entire blog to running.  Readers of my other blog may get tired of the running stuff, especially if running isn't their thing.  I realize that it often is not, namely because it wasn't MY thing for many years ... er, decades!  So for my readers who run, and my readers who only dream of running, and especially for my readers who don't think they can ever run, this blog is for you.  Feel free to chime in if you agree, disagree, or even have difficulty believing in those things of which I write.  The running experience is as unique as the individuals who try.  Sometimes, it is good.  Sometimes, it is bad.  Usually, it is difficult.  Always, it is rewarding in some fashion.  So - read on and run on!
Happy Running!