Mind over Matter and National Running Day 2014

It's National Running Day!!
What does that mean exactly?

Well, it can mean some discounts on gear or race entries... It can mean a chance to get together with some running buddies or go out for a run by yourself... but to me, it's always a chance to reflect on why exactly I choose to run.  (Here's my ponderings from last year).

Because, let's face it... if you have been following my journey (or click here for the "before picture" at over 230 lbs), running is pretty crazy and the last thing I ever wanted to do.

Running was the last thing I sorta wanted to do today....

My last "real" run was May 18th (Rock 'n' Roll half marathon) though I had just done a 5k last weekend as a fun run (with a lot of fast walking and a bulky costume)... I feel like a lazy bum and completely not too sure about my half marathon this coming Saturday.  Yeah... my 3rd half marathon since the start of May (Hippie Chicks was on May 10th and started this crazy race schedule I put myself in.)

I finished Rock 'n' Roll and have been tapering ever since.  ;-)  Well, the biggest thing I've learned after all your wonderful advice on my facebook page is that this is the mental part I have to get over.

Mental.

So back to the pondering and reflecting why I run....

I went to National Running Day's web page and printed off some blank bibs for myself and some of the gals in my Moms RUN This Town club and sat down to write some reasons out.

When I asked Bugaboo what she liked about running, she responded "I run with Mommy until I get bigger!" and when I asked Squeakers, her response was "ZOOOOOOM!"  so there you go.  Their bibs were all filled out.  

I started an essay on mine.  I wrote out "To inspire.  To be a good example.  For good health.  To be a better person (a nod to last year's reason(s)).  To keep the lazy away.  For the accomplishment."

Time to meet my sole sisters, so I loaded the kids in the stroller and set off for the park.

It felt so good.

I was running again.

What the heck is going on with me?!  Mental.  It's all mental.

My husband has started a new job and the hours are going to be a bit crazy for awhile.  9-5 for a couple weeks, then him leaving the house at 3:30am to get to work by 4am and getting home early in the afternoon.  Late night shifts.  Early morning again.  All over the place.  I had been letting that stress me out since there is some unpredictability to it and I have been feeling cooped up with the kids at home.  Then I had been making excuses (some valid, some not) about why I couldn't get a run in that day.

Not today.  I had people waiting for me at the park... so with the car gone with the hubby to his new job, I ran as fast as I could to not be too terribly late while they waited for me.

As I arrived, it occurred to me why I run.  All those things are great on my bib, but the real reason why I run...  it gives me confidence.  Confidence that I can wrestle the kiddos into the stroller and get away, out of he house... I can destress and let go of the excuses and find some freedom out on the run.  I felt happy again.  Happy for the first time since I finished Rock 'n' Roll.

I guess you can call it the "Runner's High".  At any rate, I'm back in the game.

Tell me why you run...

what does your bib say?

Snow! Snow! Snow! (And a little stir crazy with the freezing rain...)

Well, the greater Portland, Or area (along with Vancouver, Wa) has an advisory to stay out of the streets and stay indoors.  I was hoping to get a long run in today... but I watched my husband slip and slide down the sidewalk as he went to check on our elderly neighbors.  I think I'll stay in my warm and safe house (that still has power) and cook.  :)

Thanks to "Running With Harmony" on facebook, I tried her "crêpes" and LOVED them.  They're simple enough that I can cook them!

I'm not an egg fan, but I gave it a try and these are delicious! Give it a try and tell me what variations you try! These are very versatile and can have many different options... 

You will need:

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon of almond meal/flour

1 tablespoon of Gluten Free oats

Combine all ingredients except for the oats in blender, blend until smooth. Stir in oats. I also added a splash of vanilla extract and some cinnamon. 

Pour into hot skillet like you would for regular pancakes and GENTLY flip and cook other side. 

Once cooked, I drizzled mine in cinnamon and honey and ate like a pancake. 

An absolute delicious way to eat eggs! (Next time I'll try a little butter and lemon juice...)

Since we are stuck indoors with the slick ice... I guess today will be cross training on the exercise bike and a bit more cooking.  :)  I'm also going to whip up some of my "Running cookies" and you should be able to pull up the past post with the recipe HERE.

Chia seeds, oats, pumpkin protein powder, coconut flakes, cocoa powder and salt.

Pretty, isn't it?  They are super yummy too, and I hide them in the back of the fridge so that I only enjoy them while on a long run or one post run.

I did get to go out and enjoy some of the snow this week before it turned to ice.  We get small dustings of snow once every year or every other year... but nothing I'd really define as "snow".  This year, we got 8 inches!  Last time it really "snowed" (as I define it, with at least one inch accumulated) was 6 years ago!  I wasn't a runner then... So I did not hesitate to go out there and play in it!

First snow run ever!

Thursday was our first day of snow and we had a couple inches... I went out for what i told my husband would be a "quick half mile" and snuck in another mile on that.  It was glorious!  No one else had been out and no one was driving in it yet.  There was just me and the sound of my feet crunching the new snow.  It was soft and fun to feel the padded ground beneath my shoes.

Friday was a longer run and a lot more slow and slick.

Friday's run had me completely lost at 3.5 miles.

I have been using the Nike+ app to help me keep track of which shoes have how many miles on them... and I earned my "Storm" badge.  Fun little app with badges to help motivate you or competitions you can challenge other friends on the app with. Anyway...

An hour and a half in the snow, I got lost, misjudged where the curb started and ended at least twice (but didn't fall!) and trudged through a field of snow that was knee deep.  The duct tape over my shoes kept my feet dry and it was beautiful and fun to be out there... but as I neared my regular stomping grounds and was at the "one mile" landmark from home, I saw a car accident with police and an ambulance on the way.

Time to high tail it home.

As I got home, I checked the mail and got my valentines' gift for Squeakers and Bugaboo...

I decided to get them the "Love" badge with the heart on it... available for "a limited time" with RoadID.
You can get yours here:  http://RoadID.com/invite/45WZT-TAF7SCZZXBJ
(or send me a private message on my facebook page if you'd like a $1 off coupon).

I'd say it has been a "running focused" weekend of running, even if I didn't get my long run in!


And with that, here's the tune I always get stuck in my head when I think of snow...

Do you run in snow?  Own a treadmill or take the winter off?
Share your secrets!

Book Review (and giveaway!): "My Favorite Run" by Katherine Karagiannis Richards (from Fit Kids Publishing)

As always, the opinions expressed in my reviews are mine alone (or Mariah's should she be the one giving the review...).  I was not compensated in any way for this review or giveaway.  I hope it is insightful for you! 

In my house, you know it is a good book if you have to read it at least three times in a row before being able to sneak away...

...And that they still want to read it themselves, with or without your help.

Bugaboo loves to go out on a run with me, whether in the stroller or being able to go around the block running next to me.  I hope that someday, Squeakers will  want to go run with us... though she is a big fan of riding in the stroller too.

I have been looking over my library and local bookstores for kids' books about running without a whole lot of success.  Finally a friend shared a post from Fit Kids Publishing on facebook and I have been excitedly waiting to get my hands on this book ever since.

It was worth the wait.

The pictures are beautiful with vivid colors.  The people and scenery are done very well.  Bugaboo and Squeakers both have wondered off with the book to slowly look through the pictures.  On the first reading with Squeakers, we talked about the pictures and the things we saw.  "Can you find the bunny?"  "Are they running?  Where are the runners going?"

Squeaker's favorite page is when the mom and daughter stop on their run to take a moment and smell the roses. (Something every runner should do!)  And she squealed with delight on finding a ladybug on one of the flowers in the picture.

The story is not too complex so that a very young child can enjoy it but with subtle references to good running form, recovery, stretching, pacing your runs... lots of good nuggets of information that we all might need to be reminded of and something to share with our children so that they can learn some of these tips too.  I think a child of any age range could find something of interest in this story.

I walked away from the story being reminded how important my example is and that little eyes are watching and learning from me about the importance of an active lifestyle and the healthy choices I try to make.

Here's a bit more about the story (and the project that helped make it a real book) from the author:

  I requested my local library purchase a copy of the book for their collection (and they did!) and after reading it myself, I am excited to contact the author on her webpage (click here) and order my own copy to keep and reread to my girls over and over and over and....

I hope you get your hands on a copy of this book!  It is darling.

You can also find it at Amazon for Kindle or Barnes and Noble for a hardcover copy or Nook version.   If you have an i-toy of some kind, you can also purchase a copy though iTunes.  Or, ask your favorite local book shop to carry it.  ;-)

You can also enter HERE to win a copy of your own!  (Starting Tues. Jan 14th)

Have you found any interesting picture books or stories for children about running or fitness?  Please share the titles so I can find them too!  :)  Or tell me about the example you show with people (or children) around you.  You probably are inspiring someone...

Facebook giveaway and Christmas Eve Traditions.

 It's been quite the week.... Preparing for holidays, lots of treats and trying to sneak in runs.  I'm on day 44 of my holiday running streak!  I am excited that I've made it this far, but it's still a battle to make time for even just a short mile every day.  We'll see what Christmas Day brings!

Christmas Eve has a new tradition of taking Squeakers and Bugaboo out in the double stroller to go look at lights in the neighborhood... and Maybe to work off the cookies Santa will be eating tonight.  We worse blinking holiday lights which, I'd like to think, helped us be more visible in the fog we are having tonight.  Good thing Santa has Rudolph... or he'd have a heckofa time in our area tonight!

On a side note, I wonder how this tradition will morph and change as the kiddos get too big to be hauled in a running stroller...

Other big news... A GIVEAWAY!!!

If you aren't already following me of Faceook, let me announce my big news!  Well, I think it's big.

My Facebook page reached (over) 1,000 likes!!!  So to celebrate, I'm having an "Ultimate Runner's Care Package" giveaway to start off someone's 2014 on the right foot.  Click here to check out my Facebook page.  While the giveaway is going on, it'll be pinned to the top of the page.  

For this giveaway, I've teamed up with "Hands Free living with Hips-sister", Fitsok, The RunnerBox and Glimmer Gear.   You won't want to miss this.... and for a limited time, Fitsok and Glimmer Gear are offering my readers a discount on some of their products.  

Holiday Streak Day 30. The hardest mile ever... maybe the best one yet!

Day 30 of my holiday streak.  I wanted to give up this morning.  "Who cares?"  That voice keeps chanting in  my head.  "No.  Honestly.  Who Cares?  If you stop now and stop posting on your blog or facebook page that you are streaking... will anyone care?"    A much smaller voice reasoned "It's just a mile.  Go get it done and another day is in the books." 

Nope.  Not motivated.  

Then the even smaller voice of my 3 year old pierced through the argument in my head.

"Mama.  I want to run with you."

Time to lace up those shoes and get moving.  If there isn't many on the world wide web who "care" about my journey or my struggles through it... there certainly is someone outside of myself who does.  My children.  

I helped Bugaboo pick out some warm clothes and we powered through a mile.  An entire mile!  Together. 

My best little running partner...

It wasn't a miracle mile.  Actually I kept trying to bargain with her if I could turn around now and take her back home to her daddy so I could get my mile done.  Nope.  She wouldn't have it... and as cranky as I was becoming to just "hurry up"... I realized that I hadn't even wanted to run in the first place, and now she got me out there.  I wasn't going to kick her to the curb and tell her she couldn't be there with me.  What kind of example is that?  Yeah.  I like running-time to be "me time" to clear my head and think straight and piece together my sanity at times... but this was different.

Was it an awesome run?  No.
Was it fast and full of heart pumping endorphins and exhilarating?  No.

Not every run can be that.

Was it goofy, full of laughs and looking for "huge pine cones"?  Yes.

 

After a loooong 20 minute mile, we came inside to a nice cup of hot chocolate.  Well, Bugaboo had some.  I'm not having a sweet tooth right now so I'll keep the 100 calories I burned on the longest one mile ever and savor her happiness to bond on a run and snuggle up after.

"Where did the marshmallows go?"

Day 27 of the run streak in 17 degree weather.

Besides, Day 27 was my euphoric run.  Hold on to those... they just don't happen every day.  What fun would that be if they did? 

Any secrets to overcoming those negative thoughts or lack of motivation?  Share your secrets with me!  :)

25 things I've learned in 25 days of running. (My holiday running streak.)

I started my running streak on November 11th and today marks day 25!  I have to admit that I started early as kind of a "practice run" because I hadn't been running at all after my 15K race and was burnt out.  I didn't think I'd keep it up.  So... here's what I'm learning about myself and about running in general on this journey!

25.  I should probably foam roll daily.


24.  A hot shower feels really good after a cold run.

23.  I really have an amazing, supportive husband to watch the kids for me to sneak in those daily runs.

22.  I don't like to run with music anymore.  It's easier to hear my pace or how my feet are shuffling and to focus on what is going on around me. 

21.  I really can do this.  I'm on day 25!!!  I don't have to do a huge training run every time... Just a mile if that's all I have time or energy for.

20.  On day 20 I learned I can run a 10 minute mile!  Well.... 10:03.

19.  I can get into size 10 jeans!  When I started running in January, I was in "22W".  

18.  Those cute metaphors about falling 99 times and getting up 100 times do not explain how hard it really is to get back up after a fall!  I had to chant to myself  "Get up!" as I laid there looking up at the sky trying to figure out what happened to my great run. 

Day 16 of my running streak.  Everything is scabbing over nicely now!

17.  Sometimes you just have to sneak a run in while doing errands.  On day 21, as the family loaded up into the car to go to the Christmas tree lot... I ran ahead 2 miles before they came across me en route and picked me up. 

16.  I can beat my family the 2 miles or about 22 minutes it takes me to run to the grocery store.  It takes my husband that long to load two kids into the car before being able to get the car on the road...

15.  It feels good to get a charity mile in.  Go check out this app if you haven't yet.  It will help your motivation to run for others.  

14.  Wood bridges and docks covered in frost are very slick. Yikes!  I don't think I ever crossed one so early in the morning before this run streak.
13.  Get up early enough and there is an untouched world full of beauty and some wildlife.

Day 15-  3 blue Heron.  One in flight on the bottom, middle picture.

12.  And 7 days later, the same place at the same time can be just a freezing and rained out path.  But at least I got out there... right?

11.  Cat calls leave me on edge.  I really don't like them.  Can't a guy just holler "Good job!"

10.  Running everyday means a lot more laundry.
9.  Your socks don't have to match.
8.  This also made it obvious that I have plenty of running shirts but need more pants.
7.  It is easy to throw on a t-shirt to get a quick mile in, but it is uncomfortable to run in jeans, slacks, or yoga pants that were just "a little too big" when lounging around the house.  Baggy pants are no good.
6.  What feels like a SLOW warm up now, used to be my "full out" fast pace.  I'm improving!

5.  Cold ears hurt like an ice cream headache.

4.  It didn't take long to figure out where a mile landmark is in any direction of my front door.

3.  I'm not drinking nearly enough water in a day.  My goal is 90 oz. minimum.  I think I had a glass of water with my lunch today... maybe.
2.  Snot rockets are just gross.  No thank you.

And #1:
The digital "your speed" sign can register me!  9 MPH baby!  Yeah.  I should probably rely on my Garmin for more accurate pace readings... 

Any surprises or revelations you've come across because of running? 

Weight weighing on my mind. (Reflecting on the last 12 months...)

Without a doubt, the year is drawing to a close, and as we think about what we are grateful for, turkeys and shopping for gifts... maybe you are even getting a jump start on New Year's resolutions?  I am thinking about the year that has gone by (and so quickly too).

I have never ever been one for resolutions... I mean, the whole point of them is to brag on Facebook how quickly you broke them.  Right?  That's what it seemed like to me.  I'm sure there is a statistic somewhere about how many of those resolutions are based on weight loss and how many of those hopes and goals are forgotten before June.  I wasn't going to do that.  So... why even make some silly promise to myself anyway?   

That was before I saw this picture:

The photo that "said it all" to me.

 This is Christmas Eve 2012.  We are arranging presents under the tree and last minute decorations before the kiddos go to bed and I gobble down all of the cookies left out for "the big guy" who sneaks into houses and leaves presents behind.  Unless you get coal.

I was in total shock!  That's what I look like?  Denial was not even the right word.  I was mortified and shocked and afraid.  How would I ever get to a healthy weight?  Depression set in and I felt hopeless. My stomach over hangs and spills into my lap!  my breasts sit on top of the shelf provided by my large stomach.  My legs look like huge rain barrels to me.

It shouldn't of been too much of a shock.  I had just had Squeakers and had "baby weight" to loose, but even my maternity pants weren't buttoning up.  This was November 2012.  One year ago I looked like this:
  

I'm so big, I couldn't even button my pants!

A friend had great success at Weight Watchers, and as a Christmas present, offered to pay for my first two months in the program.  I was so skeptical.  Assigning "points" to food and eating "whatever you want" as long as you stay within your assigned point values sounded fishy to me.  

So, you could eat all your daily value in peanut butter and chocolate cups and starve for the rest of the day, and still be following the program?  Well, if you want to simplify it that much.  I learned so much about myself and the program I was so willing to dismiss since my New Year's resolution to "loose the extra fat".  I joined Weight Watchers in January and  I started pounding the pavement, rain or shine.  Exercise and looking at my food choices and portion sizes is my only secret to my success.

Jan 2013 in the freezing rain.

I'm not perfect.  I still have so much more to learn.  For example, I still stress eat and turn to peanut butter and chocolate cups.  I also still think of myself as fat.  I do, actually have a few pounds to go before I'm with in the "healthy" range on my BMI chart... but more than that... I still purchase clothes that I think are going to be too small and skeptical about it and then find out that it is actually too big.  

But this is my journey.  I thought I'd share a little more about that, because sometimes I forget about it.  About how far I've come and I forget to celebrate my successes instead of seeing them as small milestones in a goal that I still have so very far to go on.

For every pound lost, there is a 4 pounds reduction from knee joint stress.  That is great news, because there was a point where i was not sure if I'd be able to grow old in a home that required the use of stairs.  I could get on the floor to play with my children, but then I'd have to crawl to a sturdy piece of furniture to pull myself up again.

So much has changed.  For that I'm so grateful.

I can run and play and keep up with my kids.  I started a local chapter of Moms RUN This Town and I've finished two half marathons (within a month of each other).  I've lost 66 pounds.  Here's to a good finish to the year, despite the temptations and treats... and to a healthy 2014!

What a year it has been!

Tell me about your goals (for the new year?) or how you started running.  :) 

Overcoming my fears and traveling to volunteer...

Last week, I had the privilege of volunteering at the Silver Falls Half and Full Marathon!  This truly is a privilege as the race sells out in about ten minutes for the half and within a day (if not sooner) for the full.  Volunteers are a limited number and many would like the opportunity to go and help out and cheer on these amazing runners!  (...Not to mention get an entry into a future event for free.)

As you might have gathered from some of my other recaps, I'm a bling chaser.  I love that feeling of celebration a race brings for all that training and hard work and the token of accomplishment at a "well done" a fun finisher's medal can give hanging from your tired, aching neck.  

On my way to the race to start my volunteer shift, it occurred to me that I had no idea what the finisher's medal looked like, if it was "worth it" or if it was only available to finishers of the full and not the half... as I have goals on participating in next year's half.

So what was it that is drawing me to this race?  After reading some of the recaps of the amazing but challenging course, I'm not so sure how I'll fair.  Hills, mud, very cold rain, flooded trails, etc.  And amazing Oregon scenery.  Running behind waterfalls!  Look at the race photos on the website, they are ahh-mazing. 

Let me tell you a little about myself, what running has done to me and why I'm going after this race....

I'm an anxious person.  I am.  A wall flower even.  Driving far from home (over 30 miles) in a new area on roads I've never traveled on... scares the crap out of me.  Maybe literally.  So here I was, sitting in the driver's seat of my empty car driving 2 hours away from home for a race I wasn't even running.  

I was scared, but reveling in the new sense of adventure and being so proud of myself for this achievement, I could only blame one thing.  Running.

I really really want to be apart of this elite race that sells out so quickly.  I want to be apart of the pack that can say "I finished it."  "I survived the cold rain, the flooded creek, the crazy hill at mile 10 and the freezing temps.  My legs carried me, my training got me through and my spirit was ablaze and I could do it.  I did it."

But can I?  I have 12 months for doubt to set in and be fought off with cross training and building up some miles.

Any advice on trail running gear for the cold cold rain?  

I snapped a quick photo of the finish as I picked up any litter from the after party/recovery tent.  I got to help serve hot chili to the finishers and then scrubbed the dishes and helped break down "camp".  While cleaning up, the youngest finisher crossed the finish line at 5:56:49 for the FULL marathon.  His FIRST marathon.  His first half was at this event last year.  He is 11 years old!  WOW!

Everything is getting put away, but the beer tent is still open!  

 I think that nine out of ten runners told me "thank you" or "thank you for being here." which just gave me all those great warm fuzzies.  All I was doing was scrubbing pots and pans, how could that be helpful to their race?  But they walked past my sink and said it anyway.  :)

I think my volunteer supervisor said thank you to me more than 50 times.  Then, after the raffle and prizes for the finishers, the announcer called up all the volunteers and remaining finishers under the tent all clapped for us.  My wall flower tendency was in overdrive, but part of me was eating it up too.

Afterwards, the volunteers all received a tech shirt from the race.  I absolutely love it, though I feel like I still need to "earn it" by running the race.

Here is the finisher's medal, that also doubles as a bottle opener.  I asked a group warming up by the fire if they'd use it as a bottle opener after working so hard for it on the trail.  Without hesitation all of them said in unison "YES!"  Then someone dug out a bottle of beer in a near by cooler and showed us all how it worked.  

The welcoming fire place under the picnic area where food was served.  I was a wee bit grateful to be near the hot propane camp stoves with boiling pots of chili and the near by fire.  Temps were a November cold and the rain was also freezing.

Next year a ultra will also be offered in the line up.  This is going to be amazing. 

I need some serious tips on running in such cold and wet weather.  I'm a slow runner and going to be out there awhile.  Any advice is welcome!!

Gearing up for my first half marathon.... this weekend. Wait? WHAT!?!

I know....  I started this blog as a sounding board and community to vent some of my fears and hopes as I started running again and started to prepare for my first half marathon.  Which was "Run Like Hell" in October.  Well, one thing lead to another... and when I see a giveaway I have to enter it.

This giveaway was that each entry was to nominate someone who was deserving of a free race entry.  I nominated a good friend, and the one who introduced me to the idea of running and a training plan that gave me hope that it was doable.  We won!  Well, Happy Girls Run couldn't pick just one fabulous lady who deserved a free race entry, so they ALL won!  One thing lead to another, and my buddy couldn't race, so she gave me the free entry back to me.  (Insert huge smiley face here.  I was beyond excited.)  

When I wanted to "jog" in high school to attempt to get my weight problem under control, I gave up right away.  My high school sweet heart drove to my house every morning at the crack of dawn for three days.  Every morning I heaved and gasped for breath and hoped I wouldn't die of a heart attack while he kept a pace with me similar to speed walking.  It was too humiliating and I gave up.

Speed up the clock 15 years later, and I still had that weight problem and still wanted to do "something" about it.  more than anything, I wanted to prove that I could do this.  I CAN run.  I can!  Well, week one of couch to 5k just about killed me.  It certainly killed my pride.  In a group of 5 other lovely ladies, I limped and lamented and when my 30 seconds of running was done, I cried at the idea of the walk times getting shorter and the run times getting longer.  I'm not even kidding.  You can ask them, but I'm too embarrassed about it to give you their contact info.  ;-)

Well, they didn't give up on me and I didn't give up on myself this time.... so now I'm running a free race on Sunday!  Why not go for the sweet swag and run a half?

Sneak Peak of the sterling silver bling awaiting half marathon finishers

I'll let you know on Monday how much I regret that decision.  I am full of hope though, because I am trained for a half right now with Hal Higdon's training plan.  I did great on my 10 miler last weekend.  The question is... How I'll do for 13 miles on a trail.  The very same trail I did a 10k on last month.  

This will be interesting.  Hopefully I don't face plant it too bad!

Any advice or anecdotes for a first half marathon?
Trail running?

Have a fatastic weekend and I'll keep you posted!  By the way, I hung out with SBS and Dimity of Another Mother Runner today.... that'll be a post for another day.  ;-)  Stay tuned!

At The Heart of it All... (Or "Why I won't let pain steal my long run.")

It seems like most people who are training have their long runs on the weekend...  I know with my family's schedule, it works best for me to get that done Sunday morning.  This last Sunday was to be my longest distance ever.  I don't know why, but I suppose I look to each Sunday now with a little bit of trepidation.  "Can I go that far?"  "Will I fail?"  "Will I have to give up and call my hubs for a ride home?"

Granted, maybe 8 miles isn't much for some.  But I was also excited and looking forward to the challenge.  "I CAN do this!"  "Here's to all the doubters and people who told me I couldn't..."  "Here's to my bum knee and other issues that have tried to hold me back..." etc.

Perhaps I worked myself up a little too much?   Whether anxiety or a physical issue or a combination of both, I woke up earlier Sunday morning than I had intended.  I was going to get up at the crack of dawn to beat the summer heat...  but I didn't plan on waking up to searing chest pain.  This was grab-your-chest-and-moan type pain.

What the hell?

Deciding it best not to wake the husband, I tried to sneak out of the room and woke him anyway.  It became very obvious to him fast that this wasn't something to mess around with.

He is a trained "first responder" at his job and went through his checklist with me.  My heart rate seemed normal, I wasn't sweaty or clammy.  I looked pale, but I had just woken up (very rudely too).

What I didn't have going for me was this terrible chest pain and pain deferring down my left arm.  I felt like my left shoulder had been bashed with a baseball bat.  It was very clear to me that it hurt much worse with every intake of breath.  Was that a heart attack?  Or an anxiety attack?

Having 2 out of 5 symptoms was enough for him to call 911 and I realized he was being more than cautious when he started to stutter at the operator's questions.

Uh-oh.

If he was losing his cool, this was more than just a little acid reflux or panic about running in the heat.

It seemed like he had just hung up the phone when the fire fighters started walking up the driveway.  They recommended an EKG in an ambulance... while on my way to the ER.

"Okay."  I wasn't able to think much between stabs of sharp pain.  Just do whatever you need to in order to make this stop!

After the first few blood pressure readings and a 12 point EKG, I was instructed to chew some baby aspirin and dissolve nitro tablets under my tongue.  This is not the breakfast of champions and I do not recommend it.

On the way to the hospital and getting an iv bag placed on a bumpy road, I couldn't help but stare at my feet and think, "Well, crap!  There goes my long run."    

At the hospital I had another EKG and chest x-rays.  My nurse was a trooper to commiserate with me on how terrible it was to not get to go on a planned long run when on a tight training program.  She did however know that some runners might like to over do things a bit and not take well to being sidelined with an injury or illness.  "You already went 8 miles today.  IN AN AMBULANCE.  Why don't you take the day off."  

She had run 8 full marathons herself, but her favorite distance is half marathons and has done "too many to count".

Between tests and checking on her other patients, she told me bits about her marathons.  Victoria was her favorite , simply because the people were wonderful and her worst marathon was the Marine Corps Marathon.  With a slap stick sense of humor she relayed to me all the mishaps of the race... including the water stations running out of cups, so runners dipped their hands in the water barrel.  Eww.

After the tests and hanging out in my room on oxygen, the Doctor came in to let me know that it was what he anticipated all along.

Costochondritis.

That increasing, terrible pain with each breath?  Inflamed cartilage in my rib cage.  Seems that this was the after affects of a little virus I had last week.     

I still have a lot of research to do on this, but it seems that for some people it can also be brought on by stress, as well as viruses (such as something simple like a common cold).  Nice.

Still a bit sore 2 days after the ordeal, I've decided that I'm not going to give in to it.  I'm going to "listen" to my pain and not over do it, but I'm not going to just give in to the temptation that this is a perfect excuse to stop.

Stop training.  

Stop trying.  

Stop running.

No.  Stop listening to that negative voice in your head that thinks you can't do this.  You already have done it.  7 miles last Sunday.  6 the Sunday before.  What's one more mile this week?  So, after discussing the pain with the Doc, he said go out and run.

Monday morning I pushed that voice that tries to derail me away and laced up my shoes. And I did it.  I ran.  8 miles.  I'm ready to do it again.  And when I've woken up since then with that stabbing, sharp pain that makes it nearly impossible to breath?  I no longer have that impending sense of doom and know now that it's something funky with my cartilage attached to my breast bone.  
So weird.

What obstacles, physical or mental, do you have to hurdle over?  How do you overcome?  

It takes a (running) community to get me on my feet



Who doesn't have a crazy life? It might be pretty peaceful and full of great people, fond memories and every other warm and fuzzy thought... but it can get crazy. How the heck to balance it all?

A general recap of last week would include hubby's birthday, a killer long run and planning a course for my local chapter's Moms RUN This Town virtual race. I'll leave out the recap on laundry and tough stains.  

 

The Mario and Princess figurines were not made of fondant, but that cute 1up mushroom is!

 

Starting out with something sweet, Bug-a-boo helped me whip up a cake for the guy who does it all.  With out hubby's unwavering support,  I can tell you I would have quit running by now.   So for his birthday, we whipped up a toasted butter pecan cake with cream cheese frosting and then covered with marshmallow fondant.  For my first cake with fondant, I was pretty happy with it... and it didn't taste icky (like typical fondant does).  [Recipes linked in the text above.]   

This week has had me reflecting a lot on my running and how I got here.  There's that proverb that "it takes a village" to raise a child, but it takes a village to make me a runner! 

Last Sunday, I left the house in the cool of the morning to get in a long run of 6 miles.  I hate out-and-back running and wore out looping the neighborhood, so it seemed like a good idea to leave squeakers (the baby) with hubby and hit the course with Bug-a-boo in the jogging stroller and meet up with them at the end of the 6 miles... have a little picnic, rehydrate and get a ride back home to the air conditioning.  Well... some plans are better in thought than in action. 

I left the house way later than I had hoped (around 9am) and the heat had already set in.  On top of that misery, I was just completely unprepared.  I had no idea hubby had packed snacks for me and Bug-a-boo in the bottom of the stroller and I had completely forgot to put sunblock on myself.  After 2 1/2 miles, I realized I planned my course to go by a friend's house.  I called her to "borrow" some sun block, a sweat towel and a refill on water...  stopping long enough to fuel up, it became apparent that I had better just call it quits.  I had the shakes, chills and was not thinking clearly.  I got three miles in and felt like I was cooking.  My back looks like it too! 

Stay hydrated people! 

Without a friend willing to help me out that day, I get nervous speculating if I could have gotten heat exhaustion or really compromised myself and my daughter out there. 

Lesson learned and I am so grateful for good friends... and that they live so close!

I picked up the remaining three miles that evening and then June left and July started!  With July, it had been my goal to run 13.1 miles in the month.  The WHOLE month to get that distance down.  That was my goal in April when I first learned of Moms RUN This Town and signed up for the virtual race.  After some encouragement from friends and a pretty good response to others wanting to do the virtual race with me, I started a local chapter.  Now it's time to start racing and logging miles for the virtual.   

I had some serious doubts in April about my stamina and if I could accomplish the 13.1 miles in time.  I wasn't sure I could handle more than a 5k once a week!  After reviewing training guides, I latched onto Hal Higdon and went for it.  So that I couldn't back out of the commitment, I signed up for a half this October ("Run Like Hell").  It will be the 10th anniversary of this race and it's the 2 year anniversary of my first race ever. (Which happens to be the 5k "Run Like Hell" in 2011.)  I'm pretty jazzed about it.  I try not to interject that "I'm running a half this October." into every conversation, blog post and facebook status update. 

Anyway....  I've been working on a course loop for my gals who signed up to do this with me, and with training in general... I completed my miles in 7 days!  This morning I finished up the final mile and hubs was there with the medal to reward my hard work.  Seriously, this guy needs a medal for being super dad and most supportive cheerleader. 

This morning a friend sent me an email saying simply "I need to know how you started running."  Already I've been wandering down nostalgia lane with my running shoes in tow, so it turned into a long email that I won't bore you with too.  Suffice it to say, I wouldn't be here without cheerleaders, awesome friends backing me up and running partners willing to slow their pace but challenge me to pick up mine.  It has been an emotional couple of weeks... discouragement from the heat, relief in friends and running mates, leaning on my wonderful husband and completely bewildered at how far I've come these last few months and my accomplishments with training. 

Thank you everyone.  I hope you all know who you are and that you have helped me tremendously. 

     Who or what is your running community?  What helps keep you going when things get tough?

National Running Day! I Run....

“Running to him was real; the way he did it the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as a diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free.” 

                                                                                                     ― John L. Parker Jr.

Today is National Running Day!  And my media news feeds are exploding with running related giveaways, discount codes for races, running apparel and all sorts of great deals to "celebrate" the day.  Did you checkout the giveaway I have going on?  ;-)  

I asked on my facebook page yesterday what people would do to celebrate... the general theme was "Go out and run!"  Yes.  Do!  Get out there and tear it up!  But I also hope that we take a moment and reflect within us why we run and maybe pick up the phone and call a friend who might need a little encouragement to get out there and try running too?   There is no community like the running community...  We are an open and accepting group competing against ourselves and old Personal Records.  It doesn't matter if you are fat or thin, fast or slow, anyone is welcome.

I started running the summer of 2011 because a friend wanted to do "Couch to 5k", and I thought "Well, why not?  Surely I can run for 60 seconds..."  I wanted to die.  Really.  I was bound to give up, but she wouldn't let me.  Or my pride.  After a couple weeks, my friend would tell me how much me going helped her.  HELPED HER.  I was helping someone with MY running?  My piddly stomping and huffing and gasping for breath?  I helped her because she didn't like to run in the park alone.  I couldn't believe that I was helping!  I kept going.  We ran our 5k that October and I quit.  Well, I kept up with it until I got pregnant with Squeakers that January.  I started again this January and have a bit of catch up to do.  That first 5k PR seems so far away right now.  (And let me tell you, it isn't like it was a super awesome time or anything...)

Today, on my 2 mile run, I reflected a lot on why I run.

I Run....
To find peace within me and shut my mind's chatter off.  Find the rhythm of the feet hitting the road and focus on the things I see around me.  Shut off the to-do lists and the shoulda-coulda things I berate myself with.

To prove to the negative self-talk in my head that I really can do this.  I can overcome the chronic pain in my hips and my pelvic tilt.  My plantar fasciitis is not going to win.  My crappy knee is not going to paralyze me.  I will not give in to that voice that says I am too weak, too fat and too slow.  If I can push two babies into the world without pain meds, I can surely go around the block without stopping to walk.  I will run that half marathon in October before the cut off time.  I will.

To be more healthy, get fit and set an example to my family.  My father has always been thin, but his sisters have battled weight all their lives.  My mother's family has been thin, but she has had her own struggles with weight.    I have lost 34lbs since I started running again in January.  In all honesty, I still have quite a ways to go.  I'd like to lose over 80lbs total.  Running isn't going to be the only way to do that, but it's a start.  The more active the parents are, the more likely children will be too.   I run to overcome the lazy in me!

To to feel better physically and mentally.  After I prove to myself that I can do it, the endorphins kick in and I feel like I got over an obstacle in my path.  I CAN run!  ...Maybe even a marathon someday.  I had always been the fat kid who came in last for "the mile run" in P.E.  But I am going to conquer that self doubt within me and overcome any excuses I am so good at coming up with.

Ultimately, it can all be summed up with:

Tell me about you.  Why do you run?