Visualizations at their finest................................

It was kind of warm yesterday afternoon when I went out to do my run. The hot pavement reminded me of the parking lot of Notra Dame football stadium. What?

The race that I will be running this Saturday ends on the fifty yard line of the stadium. It will be the third time I have participated in the race.

The first time I did the race, what did I know about running let alone racing? I was thrilled to cross the finish line and all I wanted was to have my picture taken holding my shoes that I had just put the five hundredth mile on (my first pair ever).

The second time I had read a book on using visualization to help you run a better race. One was suppose to go over the race course in their mind, picturing themselves going fast without effort, or however one wanted the race to go. I did this over and over, paying particular attention to a portion of the race that is uphill and that I remembered as being very difficult.

On race day, I took off and the visualization seemed to be working great. I seemed to just fly up that hill and I felt like I had all kinds of steam left when I got to the top. About five or so minutes later I knew I should be near the end of the race and I began to have these flashes of a parking lot. I couldn't quite picture what race it was from, or if I was only imagining it. Consequently I began to slow down. And then I turned a corner and THERE IT WAS! The dreaded parking lot I had just seen in my head! When I was doing my homework I had totally blanked on the parking lot, how long it had seemed and how hot it was in the sun. As it came back to me it totally took the wind out of my sails and I felt as if I ran miles rather than yards to get across it.

So yesterday, as I was doing my run, I imagined it was race day and I was flying across that parking lot, picking off runner right and left, pushing my self to go faster and faster. I told myself how great it felt to run through that parking lot, how great I felt, how the finish line was just up ahead, how proud I was for the great job I was doing.

Now all that is left is to continue to rest, fuel, and wait for Saturday morning to get here so I can run the race for real and do the same fabulous job I have been practicing doing in my head!

Playing catch up............................

(my) Mister took a well deserved break from OP care and went camping last weekend. For this reason I didn't run on Sunday, but made it up by doing two runs on Monday.

First, I went to some new trails about thirty minutes from my home. While not as steep as the ones that I will travel during the trail race in ten days, they gave me a good workout. By the end of the run I was feeling the ends of my toes from all the down hills.

I ran for close to an hour and a half (ended up not doing the full time because I allowed myself fifteen minutes to make my way out of the woods and it only took me five minutes because my angels helped me out. It was great to run a new trail and kept me interested looking at the new things so the time flew by much faster than the trees did as I was running. I broke all the rules and didn't have a map or anything, but I did tell someone I was going into the trails and I knew it was small enough that I wouldn't be in any real danger of getting totally and completely lost.

The great thing about trail running is that no matter the temp out in the sun it is always nice and cool in the woods. As long as you keep moving, the bugs are not really an issue either, and like I said there is always something new to see and explore so it really feels more like an adventure than a tough run.

As I mentioned above, I did a second run on Monday, about 3.5 miles. It seemed easier because of the flat surface, but tougher because it was still hot when I went out and I was tired from the previous run.

The real reason I did the second run is to make sure I was ready for the trail race, as I need to run two legs of it. I knew I was physically ready, but I like to actually do the work because that gives me a mental boost so if I get tired during the race I still know that I am more than capable to complete the distances.

I have been spending more time stretching and relaxing my mind in prep for the next two weekend's races. The more relaxed I am, the more I am going to enjoy the races, and isn't that what it is really all about? If I can't have fun there is no point in doing it. I have to find the joy in things to keep me motivated and moving as I already have enough things in my life that I have to do whether I enjoy them or not.

Rain running........................

Yesterday's weather report predicted the rain would hold off until Sunday. Wrong again, naturally.

I have found that as long as I wear a hat with a nice wide bill to keep the rain out of my eyes I don't really mind running in the rain. Like snow, at least I don't get overly warm and have to worry about dehydrating.

After the first mile, the rain was coming down so hard that the hat was no longer effective. Well before the completion of mile two I had figured out how to re-arrange my ponytail to hold the hat at such an angel that it was again keeping the water out of my eyes. One more reason not to cut my hair. Don't tell my hair dresser.

I ended up cutting about a 1/4 mile off the scheduled three because my back is hurting today. One of my residents is getting increasingly more difficult to transfer due to the progress of her disease, and my back is taking the brunt of the task. I know about good body mechanics and and practice them, but due to certain things (privacy issues so no details) this doesn't always make a difference. The new running techniques I am learning really focus on a strong core so in the long run this will be a great thing. In the short run, my core not being that strong, it may be part of what is going on with my back. As with everything (or nearly everything) time is my friend, and what it will take to improve my core strength.

Back to my rainy run...(my) Mister ask me what it was like to run in the rain. I had a hard time giving him a good answer. I told him what I said above about liking to keep the rain out of my eyes, but I really don't think about it being any different than running without rain. The first several times I did it (back when I was a nubie runner) it was miserable. Focusing on the fact that I was running IN SPITE of the weather filled me with pride and gave me a good boost to the ole self-esteem which was great motivation to keep running. Now weather is pretty much a non-issue. I run without factoring that into the formula. The only weather that might stop me (or convince me to limit my distances) is extremely hot temps as I know how truly dangerous this can be. I might be nuts, but I am not insane!

So, eight AM on Saturday morning and my exercise is already out of the way. keep your fingers crossed that the rain lets up for a bit so I don't end up planting the garden in the rain. Without the mud factor I don't think I would mind so much. I'm a girl, and don't like dirt under my fingernails!

P.S.
I've been on Amazon used books again. Ordered six books (for sixty bucks before shipping, which is why I love AUB) about marathons and/or nutrition. Can't wait till they get here so I can learn more about the proper training and feeding of a future marathoner. That would be me! Can you believe it? How cool is that?

Pushin the easy button...............................

Did a five mile easy run last night. Spent most of the time playing with my posture and feeling my feet leave the pavement. I also forced myself to walk a bit at 1.5 and 4 miles just to make sure I was going easy. Didn't track the time, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of an hour for the same distance I did in 48:42 the night before. Now that is what I call an easy run!

They say it is just as important to have easy days as to have speed days. These days remind your body of the mechanics of running, but don't stress it to the point of fatigue so it can be working on recovery while you continue to work towards your goals.

Tonight is a night off from running. This means I get to go grocery shopping...Oh boy!

One of these days I just might get a life... Oh wait! That's right! I had one once upon a time and all I wanted to do was what I am doing now... No complaints from this gal...

Chi Running...................................

I have only read a part of the book, and certainly have not gotten the techniques down very well, and yet just focusing on my running last night and working with the concepts I felt a difference. I ended up doing five miles in 48:42 which is a great time for me.

More importantly than time is the way I felt. Maybe it is all in my head (and who cares if it is), but with the focus on relaxing my muscles I truly felt as if I was putting out less effort. The running felt much easier, and obviously, with the finish time, I was not slacking off so there must be something to all this. Right?

Can't wait until I really understand the technique and it becomes second nature to me while running. I just might have to take on a fifty miler. Now wouldn't that be something to brag about?

Feeling fine...............................

Last night I had to take my daughter across town to sign up for the CENA classes she will be taking in June. The hospice company I work with is looking forward to hiring her, and she is looking forward to making ten dollars and hour to help pay for college.

Anyway, I had her drive to track practice and then I did my speed run over to the track to pick her up as a way of working in my run for the day.

Things have been really low key around here which is giving me time to read some of the running books and articles I have had laying around. One of the books is called Chi Running, and so far it seems like it is going to be a great approach. The book talks about posture and relaxing as the best ways to run faster, without injury, and it follows the principles of T'ia Chi and focus which I totally buy into. It also says that running should come more from your mind than your muscles (again to avoid injury).

I have also been remembering to take the liquid vitamins and minerals I bought on my little shopping spree for the graduation food. The only problem with them is they are gaggy sweet (which I know is a selling point for most folks) but I am experimenting with mixing them into non-sweet things to make them go down easier. My eating is slowing getting back on track, though I still have leftovers that I am slowly giving up on and throwing away.

The weather has been so warm that the OPs have even let me have a few windows open (either that or they haven't noticed yet) and the fresh air in the house is wonderful!

Life is good!

Easy does it...................

I had a nice easy 3 mile run last night. Didn't push, didn't time, stopped twice during it to stretch out my legs. Felt really good when I got home. Then I dug out a running book that I have not had time to read in the past weeks and settled down for a nice relaxing night.

Sorry if I just made you jealous!

DEAD LAST...TOTALLY, COMPLETELY, DEAD LAST....................




AND I WON SECOND PLACE IN MY AGE BRACKET! Which I was also dead last in, but don't tell anyone.

This was (my) Mister's first race ever, and he also placed second in his age bracket. I am very proud of him, and he said he felt great afterwards, and has already ask me when the next race is( no matter that he might have been asking to know how long he has to rest...I am going to believe what I want to believe, that he loved it, and is looking forward to next time).

This is us, after the race. Don't you just LOVE the new running top I found on clearance a couple of weeks ago day?

So...Back to my race...

The graduation party was a great success, but I had been on my feet pretty much for the three days prior. The day of the party, I did not eat that much, but the things I ate were both sugary and fatty. NOT a healthy combination anytime, but especially vile for me the week before a race.

Race day, for whatever reason (I refuse to think just to torture me), the two resident's that normally sleep till nine or ten were up at seven so I had to take time out of my getting ready to get them up and dressed. No biggy except I forgot to take a change of clothes and the camera, and I was ticked at myself about this.

We got to the race (with only one wrong turn...Totally Mister's fault) in plenty of time to find out that there were only about thirty people entered in the race (and this included both the 5K and the 10K).

I did all my warm-up stuff, and was all set to start the race when it was announced it would start in ten minutes. We wandered over to the starting line and I started to get my headphones on. In what seemed like an instant, I heard five minutes, and then with barely a pause, READY, SET, GO! And people took off. I had my portable XM in my hand, one ear bud in place,, the other in my hand, and hadn't even had time to wish Mister a fun run. I just started out slowly, got myself together as I jogged, and then settled in for the race.

I kept with a really consistent ten (10) minute pace for the first four miles. Right around mile four I started crapping my pants from my crappy diet the days before the race. After another half mile I started slowing down just a bit and ended up finishing with a time of 104:22. I can't say I am at all upset about this time. Number one, it was on a trail, not the road and trails are always a bit slower because you have to watch your footing a bit more on the uneven surface. Number two I found I can run while crapping, and keep running. Lots of (sane?) people would have dropped out. To know I can keep moving is valuable experience for the marathon, which is going to be much longer than this race so upping the chances that my body will rebel in this fashion. It also seals the deal that what I eat (and do) leading up to a race is really important and not just important in my head. Again, a great learning experience.

How was it being last? Such a stigma in our society, I can't say that I didn't have a twinge or two at the thought, but in retrospect there is really nothing I might have changed about my race strategy that would have made much difference. There was also a part of me that loved the notion of being last. The part that said, "WAY TO STICK IN THERE!" Thinking that I was so important that they waited for the best to finish. Proud that I was out there in the first place when so many people aren't. Proud that I hung in and finished with a good kick!

And now I have that fear behind me. Everyone fears being last, and now I know that I not only can live through the experience, but I can shine during, and after the experience. It's all about attitude and gratitude. As I was running the second loop, feeling (my) muscles doing what brain was directing them to do, I could not help but feel full of gratitude for the ability to not only simply get up and run, but to run well, and for an extended period of time. I felt grateful for the ability as well as for the opportunity, and I look forward to seeing what adventures and experiences my running will lead me to next.

Gotcha..........................

It's so late in the day I bet you were wondering if I had gone yet another day without running.
Not the case...

Last night I had to go pick up another load of wood chips for the yard so I decided to run on the river trail in the bigger town. As I began to run I noticed the route was the ten mile race I did a year ago. First thing to note was all the people using the trail (though paved it can hardly be called a trail now can it?) and very few of them had a smile or a friendly wave to share with me. That is something I am not used to on my country roads. The second thing of note were the smells. First lilacs (this time of year they are all over my regular routes) then raw sewage, followed by diesel fuel, more raw sewage, then frying donuts. City living at it's finest!

Bottom line I ran for 58 minutes and 30 seconds, doing an out and back and was only two minutes slower coming back then going out so I thought this was pretty good. Had to be close to six miles, and considering I was limping the last ten minutes it is great. I got a new pair of shoes and they were fine for the first while but then my left toes started burning and paining (I think I need to cut my toenails) and then my left knee wanted to be acknowledged. I added a pair of supports to them and will give them another chance tonight. Being in pain, I had fun pretending that I was finishing my marathon and the end was near so I just had to keep going. It worked.

Not all runs are going to feel good. I am watching the difference between not feeling good and injury so don't worry. It's all good.

Mental training..............................

I didn't run a bit over the weekend...NOT ONE STEP! And I'm okay with this fact. Really.

I tend to be one of those people that try and do EVERYTHING, and then beat themselves up when something doesn't get done. This type of behavior is not good for self-love, so I am kicking it to the curb.

We got so many things done around the house this weekend that my mental stress is near non-existent. This is a major first for me, with a big party less than a week away. I am calling that progress.

Unbelievably, I am looking forward to the official start of my marathon training (June 3) like I look forward to vacations. Once the graduation party is over, my plans turn to training. I have nothing else on the agenda for summer. My time is going to be my own. I am not taking any new residents, so I will not be stressed out at work. I will have time to devote to mental, physical, and spiritual training and this is going to benefit my entire world.

Progress then, is not running for three days in a row (brain is making me type that it is really only two as Friday was a scheduled day off, so I guess there is still work to be done) and not calling myself bad names or dropping into a mental depression. I am looking forward, and that is really all we have. It doesn't matter where we have been, only where we are heading. And besides, a person could get seriously hurt running while looking behind, instead of watching out for what is on the path in front of them. Right?

Inner peace..........................

Listening to my radio talk show yesterday I heard a woman (Martha Beck) talking about the need to burn through one's own personal ring of fire in order to reach a place of calm and inner peace.

What she was referring to is the fact that one has to deal with the junk, peel away the layers of hurt and pain, stop the negative thoughts, etc... to get to the place where one is living the life they were meant to live.

Running has really helped me to tackle this task. Though the world would never guess, I have nurtured a pretty beat up self-esteem for most of my life. When things would turn out well, there was always that nagging feeling of, "it won't last," or "How'd you manage to pull that one off stupid? Watch, they'll catch on to you." When things went poorly, well, wasn't that what I expected and deserved?

This is not the blog in which to delve into the reasons why I had those feelings, but to celebrate the gift that running has become.

When I say I started running 2.5 years ago, that is not the whole truth. There was another period in my life when I took up the sport. It was back in my late twenties and I was going through my first divorce. Back then, three miles was a huge amount, and fifteen miles a week reason to celebrate (with sugar being the host, guest of honor, and main course, of course). I even entered a few 5K races, "for the T-shirt" don't ya know. So why didn't the running stick and become a part of my life back then? I have not thought about these runs (or races) in years, but I think the main reasons I quit were the same reasons other things have left my life. I didn't believe in myself, and I listened to the negative records in my head.

One thought I can remember clearly, as if it were yesterday (come to think of it, I did have it yesterday only with a higher weekly mileage total), "I am running fifteen miles a week and I still have fat thighs." What a bitch I was to myself back then. I let that thought fester until it became the focal point of my desire, and when it didn't materialize I blamed myself and threw in the towel. I wasn't a runner. Heck, I was some out of shape, loser who couldn't even keep her husband from straying, how was I ever going to keep up with those thin, in shape people at the front of the pack? And if I couldn't keep up, what was the point in trying. Funny how my sofa, potato chips, and chocolate ice cream understood me and made things all better. Before long I was spending a fair share of my time with them and my enemy, running, was all but forgotten.

So what that it took me twenty years to discover what running was really offering all those years before? That is the great thing about the universe, it offers to us what we need but we always have the choice whether or not to use it, and we always get a second chance when we are ready. It might have taken me twenty years to burn through my ring of fire (IE...negative thoughts and feelings) and come to discover the peace that accompanies a two hour run, the joy of showing up (still more comfortable at the back of the pack, but that's okay), on race day, and the huge sense of accomplishment these last two years of running has given me as I reach one goal after another, but the important thing is that I did it. I found it, it is mine, and I am not giving it back. I am, however, VERY willing to share it with you if you want!

P.S.
My run yesterday consisted of running to the bank and back which is about three miles round trip.

IT'S RAINING...THANK GOD IT'S RAINING........................

Which means I get a break from being up and out in the yard shortly after the sun arrives each morning. Yesterday I filled 4 of those big (30 gallon capacity size) yard waste bags. I do have to say the yard is looking great AND I am almost done. Done to the point that I have started transplanting things to other spots, and this is one more reason while I am really happy it is raining.

Why does this news have a place in my running journal?

Because I have been so sore and achy I have not been running that much, instead listening to my body, and this is a big thing for me.

I decided that I might also have had some kind of bug (or overdose from all the sugar), because I continued to feel poorly all of Monday and well into Tuesday. While this didn't keep me out of the yard, I did opt out of running anything on Monday, and only did two slow miles on Tuesday.

All day Monday I kept having these crampy things take over my left hamstring. The closest I can describe it is sorta like a Charlie Horse, but not as severe. Last night when I was running my right Achilles tendon was acting up, and the plantar surface (bottom) of both feet were painful with every single foot strike.

I am beating the shit out of my body with all the yard work, but I am also conditioning my muscles so this is a good thing. I am not injured, and I do not plan on getting injured which is why I scaled back the last couple of days.

I am thinking that it was divine intervention that I decided to have the open house in May rather than June, because that would have cut into my official marathon training, and really upset me. These weeks are bonus weeks and preparation weeks that are really going to make me strong and ready to go.

I have no big plans for the summer, and I AM NOT MAKING ANY (written in bold so I can remind myself later). My plans for the entire summer revolve around the marathon training. I am really going to hit it like I am being paid to do so, with the rest of my life playing second fiddle.

Today, right now, I am simply going to enjoy the rain! Crazy I know, but I don't even mind running in the rain. Stay tuned to see if it was still raining during my next run.

Back on track, without the track.............................

I feel as if I got a handle on my running yesterday after the crazy week and feeling like I was not giving it the attention that I wanted to be giving it.

As I said, I got up and out early Saturday morning so I could fit it my scheduled run, and then did 5.5 miles Sunday morning (in about 57 minutes) and then close to four miles in about 37 minutes. I need to get out in the car and figure out exactly how much I need to add to my four mile route that turned out to be only 3 miles and I have not done so as of yet. I added some, but the fact that I only took 37 minutes tells me not enough. My "4 mile" route used to end right by a cemetery that sits up on a hill and I am thinking that if I run through that not only will it be enough added distance, it will give me a built in hill workout. Double bonus! Now you see why I haven't gotten it measured...That would mean I would have to start doing the hills.

I had both runs in by two in the afternoon, and for some (strange) reason I felt like going out and running again around 4:00 (could this be that runners high thing that I have heard rumors about but never experienced first hand?). Knowing this would not be a good thing to do I refrained, and boy am I glad. About 8:00 last night I all of a sudden didn't feel good, and know it was from pushing myself too hard during the week. I am glad I pushed myself, because I am really starting to feel stronger when I run, but I also know that rest and recovery are really important parts of any training program. I still have a small degree of fear about rest days thinking that one could turn into two, and then into twelve, and twenty, and two months, until I am back to being the couch potato I once was. I know this is an irrational fear as I have established a great pattern/habit of working out, but still it lurks. Oh well. A little fear never hurt anyone, and if it keeps me on my toes (or should I say putting on my shoes and heading out the door) it's a good thing. Right?

Yesterday was a rest day..............................

Which went something like this...

Slept in until 5:30 AM only to be greeted with the usual mess from one of my residents. After cleaning that up and getting her settled with breakfast I was out in the garden pulling weeds from 6:30 until 7:30. Taking a break from that I spent the next hour dumping and spreading pea stones. Then I moved some retaining wall bricks and did a little digging to fill the area. The remainder of the morning was spent doing laundry, weeding, and resident care.

After making, serving, and cleaning up after lunch, I headed back out for another hour of weeding, then did some prep cooking for the pre-prom festivities, more weeding, served dinner, helped (my) Mister with parts of the platform he is building for our new resident, finished weeding the garden and between 7 and 7:30 PM dug up some plants to take to the plant exchange this morning.

Wonder what I would have been able to accomplish had not been a day of rest?

In order to fit my running in today, I got up at 6 AM to deal with the repeat first part of yesterday morning and then scooted out the door for a quick three miles. I have a "Patty" (two runs on the same day) planned for tomorrow so hopefully I will be a little nicer to my body today than I was yesterday. One can always hope!

No cavities........................

My dentist is also a runner, so the first ten minutes of my visit was spent catching each other up on our latest running endeavors. His son ran the Detroit marathon last year, so he gave me some info about the course and how cool the crowds were. The poor hygienist, first the X-ray machine funked up and then he had to sit and listen to us chat before he could clean my teeth.

After I was done in the chair, I did my run while my youngest had her teeth cleaned. Not knowing the town for distance, I simply ran for forty minutes, at a nice, consistent pace. I got back about three seconds after my youngest was finished with her cleaning, so everything worked out as planned. Don't ya just love when that happens?

This is the mess I started instead of running last night. It was a workout, and burned some calories let me tell you. I also worked on stretching my calves and hammies while bending so it counts...If not in miles, at least in effort. This afternoon I have to go to the dentist. His office is in a small town close to ours. My youngest also has an appointment, so the plan is for each of us to get our run in while the other is in the chair. Keep your fingers crossed.

Recovery run......................

After a long crazy day of work, yard work, errands, and even mowing the law (okay, this is a fifteen minute job, but was so long with our crappy mower it was a good upper body workout), I took off in the rain for my day-after-race run.

My hamstrings and right calf thought I was crazy, but I assured them that they would thank me in the morning or curse me if I didn't do at least a little. We ended up agreeing on two miles (which is fast becoming my warm-up amount) and called it a night.

As a special treat, (my) Mister worked on a few of the sore spots (that hurts so good stuff) and I only have a little discomfort and tightness this morning. I have to get my hamstrings loosened up before the trail race or I am going to be one MAJOR (sore) tight ass (your butt bone is where the hamstrings attach) come June 10 TH.

Note to self... STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH!