Monday, July 30, 2012

Week 6 Recap - Summer of Run

Saturday was the end of week 6 of my Summer of Run Challenge.

  1. I ran all seven days.
  2. I ran at least one 10-minute mile each day.
  3. I ran more than 15 miles for the week.
At just over fifteen miles, this was my lowest mileage week so far this summer. But I still feel good about it. I purposely chose to limit my miles later in the week so I would be ready to run my half marathon Sunday. More about that to come later.

Here's how it happened:

And the challenge recap so far:

I'm really into this routine at this point. Running first thing in the morning has become a habit, and I feel a bit off if I don't get to it. And that's a good thing. And who knows what other good habits I may develop by the time this challenge is complete?

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Facing A Runner's Dilemma.

So far this week, I have run 10.78 miles. That means that I need a combined 4.22 miles over the next three days. No problem. Normally, I'd run five miles tomorrow to get to my weekly minimum and then do whatever I felt like the last two days.

But this isn't a normal week. On Sunday, I am running the Dolphin Dash Half Marathon in Long Beach. And starting my week off with a thirteen mile run is great, but that means I need to get a few rest days before then.

I SHOULD run 2.25 miles tomorrow, 1 mile Friday, and 1 mile Saturday. That's what I should do. But I know me. And I'm going to want to run more. Thus, the dilemma. Do I run more now and risk being tired and over-trained for Sunday, or do I just go for it this week and let the chips fall where they may at the half-marathon?

I'm going to take the long view here. I still have a lot of summer running to do, and it's better for me to stay within my planned distances. So tomorrow, I'll do the 2.25 and then the next two days will be one-mile recovery days.

Half Marathon, here I come!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

"Why do you keep talking about running?"

If you know me at all, you also know that I am very upfront and public about my running. I talk about it often, in person and online. And I'm sure to some people, it gets a little old.
"Why do you keep talking about running?"
Heck, there's even a funny ecard about it:


Why do I keep talking about it? Simple. Because talking and posting about it increases the likelihood that I'm actually going to do it.

For example, this morning, I posted this on SparkPeople and Facebook:
Run a 10k today? Why yes, I think I will!
After that, I grabbed my bag and headed out to the gym. I hopped on the treadmill and started running. As I finished my third mile, I thought, "pfft, I should stop at three." I was bored, I wasn't feeling the run, and I just wanted to quit. I couldn't, though.

Why? Because I had already a thousand Spark Buddies and four hundred Facebook Friends that I was going to run six miles. If I quit at three, I would have to explain why. And I couldn't just not post my run results, because then people would (rightfully) assume that I was trying to hide something.

Sharing my goals upfront makes me accountable for them. And that accountability is sometimes the only difference between my success or failure.

Sure, not everyone cares to read that I'm going for a run. Or that I'm satisfied with my distance or time. Or that I'm going to get out there tomorrow and do it again. But I don't post these things to impress other people. I post them because doing so helps my commitment to myself.

Now you know.

P.S. I also post them because, honestly, can anyone ever get enough of this smiling face?


Sitting Together in Woofy


Sunday, July 22, 2012

Week 5 Recap - Summer of Run

Saturday was the end of week 5 of my Summer of Run Challenge.

  1. I ran all seven days.
  2. I ran at least one 10-minute mile each day.
  3. I ran more than 15 miles for the week.
One thing I did not do was stick with my plan of running low mileage. Despite recovering from bronchitis, I still ran my second highest mileage week so far this challenge. I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Here's how it happened:


And the challenge recap so far:

The running felt really good all week. I was surprised that I was able to run two different 10k distances without coughing. After each day's run, I coughed a bit, but for the most part, I'm good to go.

And that makes me very happy, especially since I have a half marathon to run on Sunday, July 29th, in Long Beach, California.

This week, I'll be running much closer to my 15 mile weekly minimum, mostly to rest up for Sunday's half. Still, it's going to be another great week of running!

And the Summer of Run continues!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Of Things Built and Not Built

So the drama has been playing out for a while now. The President gave a speech where, according to reports, he said that businesses were not built by their owners. I heard the speech and took the words in context, meaning that he believes that America offers an infrastructure in which private business owners can be successful.

The reception from many other people has been quite different, though. According to them, the President was clear when he said that businesses were not built by their owners and were, instead, built by the government.

I finally decided to go back and read the words of the speech to see if that would help clarify. And for me, it did.

Here's the passage in question:
Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business -- you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.
Yes, I see the troublesome phrase. But I also see the sentence before and, more importantly, the sentence after.

As I read it, the President is referring to the system in which businesses thrive, specifically the roads and bridges. It is not really clear for me until I read the sentence after.
Somebody else made that happen.
It makes no sense that the President isn't giving a small business owner credit for building his own business and then turning around and giving someone else credit for it. That doesn't track at all.

I'll let the talking heads and campaign strategists make of this what they will. For me, though, I read it in the context in which I believe it was presented. The whole paragraph is about the "unbelievable American system" and that is what the President is saying was not built by any one small business owner.

Awkward phrasing? Maybe. But I don't believe he meant what he is being accused of. And for all my criticism of this President, I don't need to invent reasons to find fault with him.


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Finding My Own White Light.

George Michael has a new song and video out called "White Light."

 

I'm back
I'm back
Prouder than ever baby
Louder than ever maybe

One more pill
Just one more beer
One less star in the atmosphere
For us
Maybe she just wanted to be free

Heartless pictures on TV
Change that channel that could've been me
I said
Maybe she just wanted to be free

So I just kept breathing my friends
Waiting for the man to choose
Saying this ain't the day that it ends
Cause there's no white light
And I'm not through

I'm alive
I'm alive

And I've got so much more that I want to do
With the music
Was it music that saved me?
Or the way that you prayed for me?
Guess either way I thank you
I'm alive

Hotel Motel makes it clear
One more voice we will never hear again
But maybe he just wanted to be free

And I don't know
What the hell
What the gods
What the fuck
I'm saying
Half the time
But something divine
Oh divine
Brought me back to you
And I know it

So I just kept breathing my friends
Waiting for some god to choose
Saying this ain't the day that it ends
Cause there's no white light
And I'm not through

I'm alive
I'm alive

And I've got so much more that I want to do
Was it music?
Was it science that saved me?
Or the way that you prayed for me
Guess either way I thank you

I'm alive

And Tomorrow is mine
I said Tomorrow is mine
Said I just got to keep on breathing
I said no
Don't let goooo

Breathing breathing breathing

Got to keep on
Got to keep on
Got to keep on

I just got to keep on breathing
I'm alive
I'm alive

And I got so muh more that I want to give
Was it music?
Was it science that saved me?
Or the way that you prayed and prayed for me
Well I thank you
I'm a-live
Yeah

Mmm hmmm
Mmm hmmm


I can't stop playing this video and song. It's one of those that just resonate with me. Dark places, gloomy times, wanting to "just be free" of whatever (temporarily) overwhelming problem or worry has me in its clutches.


But none of those in-the-moment problems is greater than the simple fact that I get another day to do better, to feel better... to be better. This song is my kick-in-the-pants that I need from time to time. And for that reason, I'll keep playing it loud and often.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Week 4 Recap - Summer of Run

Saturday was the end of week 4 of my Summer of Run Challenge.

  1. I ran all seven days.
  2. I ran at least one 10-minute mile each day.
  3. I ran more than 15 miles for the week.
Here's how it happened:


And the challenge recap so far:

The running was good this week, for the most part. My plan to run 6-1-3-1-6-1-1 was good, and it gave me  a chance to rest while still hitting the daily minimum. But by late in the week, it was clear that my health was going to be an issue.

I coughed a lot all week, to the point that I had to see the doctor. No surprise, I have bronchitis. I was candid with the doc about my intention to keep running each day, and we worked out a plan. I was given the go-ahead to run provided I don't over-exert myself.

I have decided to switch my schedule, starting with a couple of 1 mile days this week and running farther later in the week. This will allow me more time to recover from the cough.

For week 5, I am planning this:
  • Sun - 1 miles
  • Mon - 1 mile
  • Tue - 4 miles
  • Wed - 1 mile
  • Thu - 3 miles
  • Fri - 1 mile
  • Sat - 4 mile
This will give me the bare minimum for the week, and I'm fine with it. Continuing to run with bronchitis is a tricky business, and I'm balancing the importance of completing the challenge with the need to slow down and heal.

And the Summer of Run continues!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Week 3 Recap - Summer of Run

Saturday was the end of week 3 of my Summer of Run Challenge.

  1. I ran all seven days.
  2. I ran at least one 10-minute mile each day.
  3. I ran more than 15 miles for the week.
Here's how it happened:

And the challenge recap so far:

This was a tough week for me. Running every day isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Without a full off day to recover, I am finding that even some of the shorter runs feel slow and awkward. My Friday run was the worst. It was the first time that I wondered if I might have taken on too big a challenge. By the time I got home, my shins hurt so bad that I was limping and I thought, "damn it, what if I can't do this?"

Fortunately, my Saturday run was better and I knocked out my mile with no problem. But the bad run made me realize how big this challenge is. I need to put some real thought into it and not just dash out the door each morning to run.

For week 4, I am planning this:
  • Sun - 6 miles
  • Mon - 1 mile
  • Tue - 3 miles
  • Wed - 1 mile
  • Thu - 6 miles
  • Fri - 1 mile
  • Sat - 1 mile

That will give me nearly 20 miles for the week, and that is well above my challenge minimum. It will also ensure that I am getting down time between my longer runs. Hopefully, I will feel strong and remain injury-free all week.

And the Summer of Run continues!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Of Running Shorts, Tank Tops and Declarations of Independence

My Ragnar Florida teammate, Jen, writes a great blog that is a mixed bag of inspiration, motivation and sometimes, even desperation. She is an amazing success story, having lost 100 pounds through better eating, increased physical activity, and her sheer force of will.

Her blog today, The Perfect Body, really pushed my buttons, and it prompted me to write this entry of my own. She wrote about her issues with how she still sees her body, even after losing such a large amount of weight.
When I was 100 pounds overweight I was eagerly looking forwards to the day that I could sport a bikini, rock a strapless or sleeveless dress and yes, even proudly and fearlessly wear shorts. The crock o' shit is that, CRAP, I still can't wear a bikini (hello flabby post-baby, post-100 weight loss looking belly), I still don't feel awesome in strapless or sleeveless stuff (courtesy of 'wings') and well, "not everyone has legs for shorts."
That rang a bell in my own head. My first reaction was to give her a hard time about it, launching into some grand lecture about loving our bodies just the way they are, being proud of how we have made changes for the better, and not worrying about what other people might think about how we look. And then I realized that a lecture like that, from me, would be bullshit.

Who am I to say anything to her about her fears, when I sit here quietly nursing my own? Sure, I run in shorts all the time. But I've made my peace with my short legs. No, my fear rides higher on my body. I don't wear tank tops. I used to, all the time. But since I put on all those extra pounds? No way. Even now that I have lost it again and I comfortable with my body weight, I still don't wear tank tops.

The closest I have come is wearing a muscle shirt when I run long distances, but that is just because I get way too hot and any kind of sleeves bother me. But a full on, no sleeves, cut to show the arms tank top? Nope. I won't do it. I try them on from time to time here in the privacy (pronounced safety) of my own bedroom, but to wear them so others can see? Pfft. Not a chance. So there I was, reading her blog about body image fears, and I realized that I am a total hypocrite. Who am I to judge when I carry my own fears? And that's when I decided that enough is enough. I dug around through my dresser drawers, found a tank top, and put it on. Before I could think too much about it, I walked out to the front room, asked my husband to grab his camera, and headed fearfully confidently into the back yard.

And what you see below is my own declaration of independence. I will wear whatever I feel like wearing. If I like a shirt, or shorts, or even a tank top, I'm going to wear them. Those who approve can shower me with compliments, and those who disapprove... well... to be honest.... I don't care one way or the other about those who disapprove.

This is me in a tank top. And later, I'm going to run a few errands, still wearing this tank top. And maybe... just maybe... my little bit of personal bravery today will one day blossom into full on confidence.





Monday, July 2, 2012

Week 2 Recap - Summer of Run

Saturday was the end of my first full week of the Summer of Run Challenge.
  1. I ran all seven days.
  2. I ran at least one 10-minute mile each day.
  3. And I definitely ran more than 15 miles this week.
Here's how it how happened:

And here's the challenge recap so far:


So far, so good. It's working. And I find that each day, it's actually getting easier. This running routine is making a difference.