Get Your Streak On!

Best message for day one!

Ok, so it's back again. The Streak! Runner's World always challenges runners to streak from Thanksgiving to New Year's because most people tend to hit the slump at that point in their fitness. Most of us have finished races, it starts getting cold, there are tons of get-togethers with friends and family filling up schedules, and most of us start indulging in those holiday treats! The streak just helps as some motivation to stay active during busy times when it's easy to put running in the background.

It would stand to reason that once the weather is beautiful it would be easier to stay active, but that's not always the case. I have tapered my running after competing my goal of getting into Half Fanatics, and my marathon training doesn't start for about a month. And my chiropractor has had me scale back after the pinched nerve caused me so much trouble at my last half. So I decided to join in the RW Summer Run Streak from Memorial Day to July 4th. You don't even have to streak all the way to Labor day, so it's really not that bad. 40 days is less than the winter streak I did.

I was apprehensive at first because we are getting ready to take a trip out to CO for my friends' wedding, and we are moving as soon as we get back. I figured running on vacation, even if it is only one mile, was pushing it a bit because Matt's not a runner, and I didn't want to clog up our mornings with trying to fit in a short run in a place that I am not familiar with the roads. I mentioned yesterday afternoon that I wasn't going to do it, but then Matt told me that I should! He said, "So what if we are on vacation... hit the treadmill... it's one mile." So I went out for a run yesterday evening, and then enlisted family members with only a little bit of pushing for a couple of them so that I could have some accountability. Let's see how this goes!

Thanks for the accountability from Anna, Joe, Katie, and Grace!!!! Now, go run!

Runner's Rambles: January is for Dreamers

For the most part, I think about running all day long. I left teaching to work for a running company, so I am really not exaggerating here, folks. I really like running, and I like my job, but it sort of turns out that this is a bit of a blessing and a curse. Why? Because I sure can put quite a bit of pressure on myself. I have been running for a few years now, but I am just getting comfortable calling myself a runner. And I’m not so sure I’m “comfortable” with it at that! I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to fit into anyone else’s vision of what a runner is, and that I can and have to decide who I am and what defines me daily.

In the February issue of Runner’s World, Mark Parent wrote a great article for his Newbie Chronicles column.He wrote about the way we change over time, how we define ourselves, and what we are willing to do to reach goals we set for ourselves. He addressed the elephant on the calendar, so to speak, that many people are looking to redefine themselves during this time of year. He took the stance that things like New Year’s resolutions often don’t stick because we associate them closely with an event that happens once a year, which turns the goal into a one shot kind of effort. He writes, “January is a month filled with ghosts of failures past. January is the month of dreamers.” I think I might agree with him on a certain level because I cheated a bit on my New Year’s resolution; I started in December.

Parent remarks, “February is for doers.” I am excited for February. As I sit reflecting on the past two days’ runs that I had to drag myself out the door to do, only just beginning training for my first half marathon this year, I can’t help but look forward to February. I want to be a doer. I want to be a person of action. I want to be excited to act. I think a day will come when streaking just becomes second nature, and that’s the day that I am really looking forward to. For now, I will just keep moving closer to that day, one determined step after another. It is a choice that I will continue to make daily. That’s the thing I have really learned about defining yourself; it is constantly a work in progress.

“Finally, there is a day when you say to yourself, I’m in. This is me.”--Mark Parent

Diary of a Wimpy Runner

To say that I have been struggling lately, would be an understatement. I didn't even make it out of the my bed, let alone my house on Sunday morning for my long run. I then spent all day Sunday whining about how I am never going to survive a marathon. I went to the gym on Monday, but I was still down on myself because I know I've been neglecting my training and not really enjoying my runs ever since I got back from my trip to visit family.

Today I was able to get myself out of bed and on the road. I decided that a slow, steady, podcast run was just what I needed to start getting myself back on track. After my realization that slow and steady is good enough, I knew that I just needed one good slow-and-steady. I can always count on a podcast of "To the Best of Our Knowledge," to pull me in and take my mind off of the miles that I need to log in order to just get them done. Those are not my speediest days, but I do enjoy them.

I know that I can log the miles. I know that I should log the miles, but I just haven't been able to make myself do that lately. I saw a quote that Runner's World had posted on Facebook that really hit home with me. I decided that I need to stop being a wimp. I saved the picture to my phone as the screen saver.  When I wake up in the morning when my alarm goes off, it is a little harder to ignore it and snooze when I see the quote asking if I am going to be a wimp.

I am supposed to be running this marathon in my grandmother's memory, but I have not been emulating her strength lately with my training choices. One thing that majorly contributed to my PR at the Delaware Half this spring was thinking about how my grandma went through so much more pain in her life than I was at that time, and she did it with dignity and grace. That is the whole reason I am doing this And on top of that, I have dedicated 2013 to be my year of thanksgiving. I should be thankful that I still have the ability to run because I know that there is a chance that I won't always be able to run. I know that my training will not always be easy, and there will probably be days when I don't feel like running, but I need to keep everything in perspective.

Don't forget to help me out in raising money for ALS research if you are able to! Thanks! Find out about my marathon training goal!

Running with Scissors

I have spent way too much money lately on running gear. At the same time, I have really been wanting either a medal hanger or bib display book. When I looked at one of my favorite websites, I realized that the cost was more than what I wanted to spend at this time. I also know that I will want to sign up for more small races this summer, but I am pretty sure that my fiance will have to remind me soon that we are still saving for our wedding if I keep spending money on race entries and running gear and whatnot. That is why I decided to spend my evening making my own medal hanger as my relaxing activity after our 10 miler yesterday.

I have never been all that creative or crafty. It is funny because people kind of expect me to be, or they assume that crafting would be my kind of thing, but the truth is that I suck at it. I had some projects from my 4-H craft class win some blue ribbons when I was a kid, but really, the teacher did most of the work over my shoulder as I sat quietly watching. It could be because I had a small accident in the flower arranging class the year before...there was a hot glue gun involved. And when I had to take mandatory junior high art class, my dad went to the teacher during conference night for a report. I think he mainly went to see her because my brother also had her that year, and he was....well...Joe. The teacher had other siblings from my family in the past, and she asked my dad why the talented kids weren't the ones in art class. She was more than right.

However, I think my project turned out better than I would have projected knowing my skills and ability level. I didn't get too fancy or anything, but I had some good, cheap fun. The best part is that Matt and I now have a place to hang medals. I didn't realize till afterward that it will be completely full in two weeks when we run the Delaware Half. Oh well! Maybe I will just have to extend "RUN" to RUNNER."

Make Your Own

Materials: Wooden letters, acrylic paint, scissors, old Runner's World issues, mod podge, and  small screw-in hooks.

Steps: Paint letters. Cut out scraps to decorate and lay on letters for placing. Mod podge on the clippings. Screw hooks in the bottom of the letters. Hang and display race bling.

Cost: Materials were under $10, and it only took about an hour to make.

Runner's Rants, Raves, and Rambles

I am getting to the point in the year where I don't want to run outside much anymore because it is dark and cold when I can run, so I have been doing lots of treadmill running and taking advantage of "warmer" late morning and mid-afternoon runs on the weekends. I've had some time to think, try new things, and people watch, so it's time again for Runner's Rants, Raves, and Rambles.

Rants: I hate running on a treadmill in general really because I'm not really going anywhere, and I have a stupid clock ticking away in my face. I've tried covering up the display, but that annoys me even more, so now I just let it taunt me while trying to distract myself with people watching.

For some reason, I am both intrigued and perplexed by the high number of muscle head men I see walking on treadmills these days. A lot of those guys skip cardio, so it's good that they are doing it, but I just think to myself, why aren't they at least jogging? I feel like they should be able to, and I wonder what's the point. Don't get me wrong, I think walking is great, and everyone should do whatever they can. Plus, I know that not everyone likes running, but it just seems strange to me.

I am thoroughly annoyed though by the middle aged women who set it to the highest incline, grab a hold of the machine and "walk" uphill for the entire time. If you are a person who does that, please explain the rationale to me. I just really don't get it, and for some reason, it really annoys me to see people do that. So just let me in on the secret.

Rave: I had never really thought of listening to anything other than music or the background noise of the roads while I run until I saw the AT&T commercial with Ryan Hall listening to audiobooks. That got me thinking. I then read a tip in RW about switching up your workout by listening to a podcast or audiobook instead of music. I decided to try it out, and I have found NPR podcasts of Tell Me More, This American Life, and Fresh Air to be great soundtracks for both treadmill and road running.

Ramble: I tried out a new route today, and I encountered an animal that I have not yet encountered on a run. I ended up, somewhat accidentally, running through a giant flock of Canada Geese. I hear  Canada Geese is the correct term even though I often hear people call them Canadian Geese. Anywho, they started hissing at me, and I had to tiptoe around thousands of piles of poop, so all in all, I think I will try to avoid them in the future, but the small lake that is rather like a pond was a nice backdrop for a late Sunday morning run. I was also able to get some hills, which will hopefully come in handy for the 5k I am doing next weekend that promises to be fairly hilly.

Amazing Race

Pre-race with Matt

Today marks one year since my first half marathon, so what better way to celebrate than with a race? After the Joplin Memorial Run Debacle of 2012, my Anything for 10 Sister advised me to take some time off, and sign up for a 10k this fall. I did just that when I found out that I was moving to Pennsylvania and lived close enough to do the Runner's World Festival 10k. I posted a 10k 6 week training program on my blog, but due to life getting in the way, I ended up just running about 2 5k's a week for three weeks and calling it even.


I was pumped when we got to the starting line because the 5k was finishing, and Bart Yasso was up on stage with Dean Karnazes, and I was just a few feet away! I was too excited at the time to realize that I should be taking pictures, but no fear; I saw Bart again. It seemed as if the sight of them had sucked my energy because I felt like I was dragging when I started running. Matt, my fiance, quickly pulled ahead of me even though I didn't let him get too far out of sight. The fact that he had only run two times total to prepare for this race also weighed heavy on my runner's psyche. At the end of mile two, I was then passed by the overall winner who was finishing mile four. It seemed that was the last straw.

Immediately after the blow of a steep hill combined with getting passed by the winner, I decided to let myself walk part-way up the even steeper hill I suddenly found myself climbing. I looked over and there was Matt! We spoke briefly through our huffing and puffing, and then I realized I needed to get ahead of him right then, and find away to push myself to still accomplish at least beating him. It's not that I didn't want him to do well, but at the time, it seemed like all I had to hold on to, so I clenched on to that thought with all my strength. I focused on the things I'd written earlier this week to help dismantle that mental wall.

Scenery: Oldest continually operating bookstore

At the 5k mark, I looked down at my watch to find that I was at 35 minutes! Holy crap! There was still a chance that I might be able to finish in a decent time! This was also the point where I started wondering how they had managed to make a route that had only uphills. It just didn't seem topographically possible, yet I also knew that I had only had one slight downhill that was nothing in comparison to the uphill I had to trek to get it. That's when I heard someone say, "What goes up, must come down." And I knew that person was right. I kept pushing even though I wanted to walk.

Finisher's Medal

In the end, I may not have met my original goal, but I didn't let it get me down or ruin my race. I am the type runner, who in the past, I let little bumps in the road completely destroy my confidence. I consider this race a major victory for me based solely off the mental obstacles I overcame. After my 1:10:45 finish, I am ready to start preparing for the Delaware Half Marathon even though I have till May. I have never claimed to be fast, but an 11:23 average pace is something that I personally am proud of, and that's what's so great about running; each challenge is your own, and nobody, not even the first place finisher, can take that away if you don't let them.