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!  :)

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?

Race Review and Seeing Stars

May 18th, 2013

Hillsboro Park and Recreation is offering an "All Comers Family 5k" series with a 5k in a local park in May, June, August, September and the last one in October.

"Lace up your shoes and gather the family for the All Comers Family 5k Running Series...  Whether this is your first 5k or your fiftieth... run, skip or walk your way through to the finish."

This is a perfect series to introduce the family to a race in a non threatening, easy pace race that is also inexpensive.  $5 registration fee for 18 years and up and 17 years and under are free.

Living in Oregon, you can't be afraid to run in a little rain now and then...  The park was absolutely beautiful!

On my way through the park to the registration table (with a screaming knee injury) it occurred to me that though I had been to this park many times, I was really just seeing it.  I wanted to "feel my race, be my race" and not focus so hard on a PR that I ended up destroying any recovery my knee had made.  I needed to run and appreciate my surroundings a little more instead of being so intense on my breathing, pace, and gait.  All of those things are important, but I needed to back off a little and just enjoy this Saturday morning.

This was the first time that my new chapter of Moms RUN This Town was getting together for a race.  Though our picture is missing a few other shoes, it was very rewarding to see these amazing, beautiful women come together and support each other.

Throughout the race, if you weren't being passed by and given a high-five by a familiar face, there were encouraging notes on the ground.  Or attempts to help participants stay on the right path.  I wonder what Robert Frost would have to say about this?

Over all, this small community race was exactly what I needed.  I finished pretty poorly in terms of time and previous races, but my knee thanked me for walking those hills and I gained a lot more in the park that day.  I heard the birds twittering, the rain hitting the tree tops over head and bonded with my new running buddies.  

And with this cathartic quote about running and enjoying it, I'd like to mention that I spent the afternoon after my race at a Health and Fitness expo where Kara Goucher was speaking.  What a great close to a racing day!  Kara spoke a bit about her balance between who she is and how people see her.  Balancing her competitions and training and her family.  Something that I have been struggling with a bit lately...  It's hard to run at times, we all get that... but it's also hard to get that time in to run, meet the demands and responsibilities required of a mom, wife, friend, blogger, patient in physical therapy, volunteer chapter leader for a running club... You get the idea.

As I walked away from Kara, feeling inspired that she can handle these demands and still train, but not really getting yet how I was going to manage it,  I ran into Sarah Bowen Shea.  Yeah.  One of the authors of the book about balancing the role of "mom" and "wife" with running your heart out.  If that isn't serendipity, then I don't know what is!  I learned a lot yesterday... I still have a lot to learn.  I'll keep you posted on my journey.  :)