Runner's Rambles: That's Life

There's been so much going on in my life lately. I have been getting settled into my new home, becoming a legal resident of the state of Missouri again, landing a new job, gearing up for grad school, driving all the way across the state and then some to go home to see family pretty much every weekend because it is hard to say no when you technically can go home and there are all kinds of things going on, and running in between all those things.

State of Training Address: I have made very very slow, but steady progress. Progress is really what it is all about though, and I am beginning to feel like my right foot may really be on the mend from the Turf Toe Debacle of Summer 2k15. I hurt it not long after we got to Missouri, and the healing process has also been very very slow, but steady so it seems. I'm sure all the hill running hasn't been the best for it, but I live on a hill. What can I do? Well, I could technically run on my treadmill, but what fun is that? I am thankful that the in-laws gave us their old treadmill, but I am going to do my best to stay off of it until the winter. I did go through about a week long spell where I would run on it in the middle of the day, but the scenery in my basement got old fast. I am glad to have my race bling and bibs finally displayed though! The two upcoming items on my training agenda are a 5k to spark the start of my true training for the Kansas City Half Marathon and adding speed work to my training schedule. I will attempt to keep the blog updated more frequently, but they always say life never gets easier!

Words of Wisdom: On my run tonight, a middle aged woman leaned out the passenger side of her best friend's ride trying to holler at me. (See what I did there? Some of you will get it.) But in all seriousness, this actually happened. I am not sure if she was actually sincerely trying to cheer me on, or if she was the world's biggest jerk, but I am going to pretend she was truly trying to cheer me on. You see, the part that makes this tricky is that she referred to me as "Big Girl." She yelled, "You get it, Big Girl!" Now, she may have very well meant that as a compliment, but being as I currently weigh far more than I ever have in my whole life, and my new Missouri license honest to God, right hand to Heaven makes me look like Momma June's sister, it took all I had to plaster the biggest smile on my face and wave a giant wave as she drove off. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry a little. I was annoyed. If I can offer any advice, it would be to just leave runners alone. Even if you think you are cheering someone on, they may not know what you are saying or if you are sincere, and you could do more damage than good. If you want to cheer on runners, then make a sign and go watch a race.

This is only a SMALL portion of a giant lily garden that I found
on my run tonight. This beats my basement any day!

Runner's Rambles: PSA for non-runners and runners alike.

I always try to be cautious when I am out for a run, and starting this streak has put me outdoors for more runs this winter than I would normally be willing to endure. Winter is generally cold and dark and gross, except for today which was 60 degrees in Philadelphia and coincidentally the first day of winter. Knowing that it was going to be warm today, I waited till I got home from work this evening to run.

I live on the corner of a very busy intersection, and it only took that first step out into the road to get my gears grinding tonight! I ran past a line of cars stopped at the stoplight, and the light turned green and the walk sign lit up just as I got to the curb, so I glanced over my shoulder at the cars, and trotted out when I saw it was clear. THEN a car pulled out and layed on the horn because I was presumably in the way. It is a good thing that I was raised as a kind Midwestern girl because I kept both middle fingers tucked out of sight instead of throwing up the double barrels, as I might have if I had actually been raised in Philadelphia, rather than Kansas City.

I was wearing reflective gear, a flashing light, only one earbud, and I crossed when it was my turn. I did not at all appreciate the treatment that I got from this person, and though it may have sparked a great 5k time for me tonight, I would much rather it hadn't been achieved in such a manner. I hope that all runners will follow safety precautions to keep both motorists and runners safe. Wear lights, reflective gear, and an ID band. Use sidewalks anytime they are available! When you have to run on the road, be sure to stay to the side, and run facing traffic to watch for motorists who may not see you. Make sure someone knows roughly where you're going and how long you expect to be gone, and ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings.

Motorists, please take a second to see that runners are people, not merely an inconvenience. I do my best to always stay out of the way, and I have just as much of a right to enjoy my neighborhood on a run as you do to drive down the road. Know that runners are not purposely trying to mess up your morning or evening by making you wait an extra couple seconds at a stop sign as we cross the road. We are just trying to live happy, healthy lives! Personally, I always try to muster the least painful expression I can manage, coupled with a wave when a car passes, and it wouldn't hurt to wave or smile back at me! But honking is often unnecessary, and hitting me would most likely hurt, so just be aware that there are runners in all seasons, and in general, we try to stay out of your way as much as possible! I am just asking for a little human courtesy!

This ramble was brought to you by Run Streak Day 11.

To everything there is a season and a time.

I've been feeling fairly inconvenienced lately. I have been indignant almost when it comes to running lately. Training for a marathon takes a lot of time, and if I'm being honest, I haven't even been putting in as much time logging miles as I should be. Getting up early to run, going to work, not eating dinner in order to get in a solid night run, and then going to bed in order to repeat it all the next day has really been wearing on me. I feel like I can't do anything I want to do. Though the truth is that I feel good while I am running, and I feel better throughout the day when I've started off with a workout or run.

Today I was really able to feel the seasons changing. Granted, it is still a bit early for the changing, but it is happening nonetheless. The cooler mornings are allowing me to run a little later when the rest of my schedule allows, and I even saw leaves falling from trees today. They looked like bits of glitter shimmering as they fell to the ground, and it was absolutely, beautifully humbling. How can I be bitter about training when I get to witness this beautiful world?

When I went back out tonight, I was grumbling before I even got out the door. I didn't have water to take with me, I couldn't find my reflective shirt, I wasn't going to be able to go as far as I wanted to, and the list went on and on in my head. I played a podcast of an NPR program, and the topic of the segment just happened to be about helping others, which pretty quickly put me in my place. How can I be so upset about something I should cherish dearly? I ran past a nearby park, and I was reminded of how much fun I used to have running through the local park at night like a maniac with a group of friends playing Army Tag. Why have I complicated and sucked the fun out of something I love? Running and being active are amazing gifts that I can choose to use fully, or fully take advantage of. The trick is that every day, I need to choose the fullness that I want in my life.

Live fully. Live on purpose. Be thankful.

Run, run, in the rain: Michelle Style

PSY may be picking up ladies and cracking pistachios Gangnam Style, but the really cool kids are running Michelle Style. Ok, so maybe crazy would be a little more accurate than cool. I have never gone for a run in the rain before tonight. That's right. I have been running long distance going on three years now, and I have turned home as soon as the rain started to fall every time until tonight. I did turn home once during my run tonight at the beginning, but that was only because Matt originally made me take my phone with me tonight, and when the torrential downpour started, I decided to book it home and drop it off so that I wouldn't ruin a brand new iPhone 5.

When I stopped in to drop off my phone, I realized that I didn't really have anywhere to put my keys because I took off my SPI belt, and the tights I had on today didn't have a key pocket. Matt and I briefly tried to come up with a solution to getting me back in to our apartment building that is locked, but none of the ideas we had really worked. Matt decided he would just throw on his old shoes and go for a run with me. I decided I would only run five miles instead of seven because I felt bad that Matt was running with me in the rain.

I am a fairly particular person. In fact, one of the reasons I decided to make 2013 my year of thanksgiving was because my family and close friends always comment about how I hate everything in the world. I don't really want to be viewed as that person, and I thought that I should spend more time being thankful and less complaining. Well, even though my family might say I hate everything, it just so happens that the two things I hate more than anything happen to be wet socks and rain. In that order. Top freaking two. Now you know why I usually turn home when it starts to sprinkle. Well, in true Michelle style, the first time I ran in the rain, I just had to go all out. Flash flooding and lightening accompanied my torrential downpour this evening. Yes, I realized about a quarter of a mile in that we were under a flash flood warning.

I didn't let it get me down. I ran my five miles in the downpour with water-logged shoes, a soaked white t-shirt, and a smile on my face. Even with the rain, the heavy shoes, and my terribly wet socks, I managed to run 11 minute miles. I even ran up the two biggest hills that I encounter on my regular routes. It may take a week for my shoes to dry out, but it was surprisingly fun. I don't know that it would be as much fun during the day with the threat of the sun coming up to kill me with the humidity, but for a rainy, flooded run, I'll take it!

Out of Focus

"Contemplative simplicity isn't a matter of circumstances; it's a matter of focus."-- Ann Voskamp

As I went out for an evening run last night, I was just sort of off. Night time runs have a different set of obstacles than day runs. There is the heat radiating up instead of beating down, plus the bugs that go up your nose or in your mouth, and all of that is on top of having likely used up some of your energy throughout the day. I know some people love night runs because you can run the day away, and that would normally be the appeal for me too, but I didn't do anything yesterday, and I was able to stay on sidewalks that are cooler than asphalt. I did swallow several bugs, I stopped counting around 5, but that wasn't the problem either.

I kept playing over and over again in my head the things I have been seeing and hearing about a lot lately. I think that the tragedy in Boston has brought running to the forefront of peoples conversations temporarily, but the conversations went from outraged and inspired to do something, to apathy and downgrading. Honestly, I run for me. I am running in my grandma's memory this year as well, and even though I started out to prove my brothers wrong, in the end, I am running for my physical and mental health. However, it was really getting to me for some reason that I have seen people posting things and saying things about running being stupid.

I saw a comment saying that marathons are especially stupid because anybody can do it, and everyone just says, "I finished." There was a little more to it than that, but it just kept swirling around in my thoughts as I ran. I know there are a lot of people who think it's stupid that I run in general. I know people who think it's stupid that I keep doing it even though I am slow. I know other people who just think the marathon distance is ridiculous. I just kept thinking to myself, "What the heck am I doing?" I was starting to think they were right, and that I should just give up.

I eventually put it out of my mind, and then today I had a thought creep into my head. I realized that part of my year of thanksgiving in 2013 was to be a more positive person. And the specific comment on a social media site that was plaguing me? It wasn't even posted by someone I knew. Why did it even matter? Why was I thinking about that? I could have spent that whole run thinking about how thankful I am for all the amazing things I have! Why wasn't I thanking God that I have the ability to run in the first place? In the end, I know how much discipline it takes to train. I know how running has the ability to help me appreciate nature, mobility, and life. My focus was off. I shouldn't have been annoyed with the comments and conversations, and I definitely should not have let them get me down. I have so much to be thankful for, and running is one of those things. It's all a matter of focus.