It has been a whirlwind since that fateful Monday afternoon where 2 young men (let's hope that is all) took lives and injured many along the streets of Boston. Running Boston is like participating in the SuperBowl of football. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to participate in the sacred event. Many runners will never qualify for this prestigious event. Most runners who participate in Boston know they are part of something magical.
I watched every minute of the Universal Sports Network (Channel 625 on DirectTv) coverage of the marathon. I got butterflies in my stomach before the start of the race. I got goose bumps while watching the runners do what they do best; run. I emailed my husband at some point while watching and wrote, "I think I want to go back to Boston". He first emailed me a response saying yes, let's go back. And then he asked me, to run?" I responded with an emphatic "Yes".
.....and then the explosions occurred. I know I said I was retired from marathons (but not half-marathons or ultra marathons) but I don't think I am done. I am a very proud American. No one is going to make me cower. What transpired INSPIRED me...
It was really nice getting facebook messages, emails, texts, etc. from friends far and wide making sure I was not there this year. I am part of a fantastic community that cares. It was nice hearing from teammates from my Hood to Coast, Bourbon Chase, and American Odyssey Relay. Most runners I know have hearts so much bigger than their physical counterpart.
My heart is saddened by all the tragedy and my soul is determined more than ever. I have a wonderful family and the best friends anyone could ask for. I know they understand. Am I still having some piriformis issues? Yes. Does that matter? NO!
Hug those close to you a little harder and pray for peace.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Piriformis What? As Sweet Brown would say, "Ain't nobody got time for that"!
I finally have the diagnosis to my excruciating leg/foot pain......Piriformis Syndrome. Here is what WebMD says about this condition and then I'll add my 2 cents worth of what I'm feeling:
Piriformis syndrome is an uncommon neuromuscular disorder that is caused when the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve. The piriformis muscle is a flat, band-like muscle located in the buttocks near the top of the hip joint. This muscle is important in lower body movement because it stabilizes the hip joint and lifts and rotates the thigh away from the body. This enables us to walk, shift our weight from one foot to another, and maintain balance. It is also used in sports that involve lifting and rotating the thighs -- in short, in almost every motion of the hips and legs.
Piriformis syndrome is an uncommon neuromuscular disorder that is caused when the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve. The piriformis muscle is a flat, band-like muscle located in the buttocks near the top of the hip joint. This muscle is important in lower body movement because it stabilizes the hip joint and lifts and rotates the thigh away from the body. This enables us to walk, shift our weight from one foot to another, and maintain balance. It is also used in sports that involve lifting and rotating the thighs -- in short, in almost every motion of the hips and legs.
The sciatic nerve is a thick and long nerve in the body. It passes alongside or goes through the piriformis muscle, goes down the back of the leg, and eventually branches off into smaller nerves that end in the feet. Nerve compression can be caused by spasm of the piriformis muscle.
Okay...so, there was your short lesson in this uncommon neuromuscular disorder. Here is what I was feeling: Getting out of bed in the morning I feel great until my right foot touched the floor. Then, I couldn't walk to the bathroom, I was hobbling and stumbling. After some brief stretching, I was able to walk almost normally. I was walking as if there was a large stone under my heel (not the arch, the heel). The muscles of my lower leg would tighten and tense. The muscles in my upper leg would feel as if they were being pulled into my hip socket. My inner thigh muscle, part of the adductor group would periodically spasm and cramp. I kept a good secret for days (although my hubby knew I was hurt) because I was so excited to be racing in the Wrightsville Beach half marathon. My leg would actually feel better periodically throughout the day and felt great once I was warm. Hence why I didn't see anyone about it.
This wasn't an overnight thing. There was no defining moment. There have been moments for the last 3 months that I have ignored. I think I thought if I just pampered my leg all would be good. I hung upside down on my inversion table. I rolled my leg & butt with my foam roller. I used my marathon stick on it. I have been teaching yoga consistently at least once a week. Why am I telling you this? Because at 47, I thought I was better at listening to my body but now I realize I need to be not only better at listening but also obeying my body. My livelihood has depended upon me being in relatively good shape. I am not in my 20's or 30's anymore. Am I still trying to be faster than women in those age brackets? Yes. Do I need to do more than the average runner to stay healthy? Yes. I tend to overload my schedule with teaching classes, running, and tennis. No more. I am mortal (although it pains me to say it) so I have started to scale back a little (notice I said little. Hey, at least I'm trying!)
There is a reason I have been running for 35 years now. I have always taken care of myself. I have been blessed with virtually no ailments (solid knees and good hips). This is a short term setback to my training, but a long term wake up call to be a better steward to my body.
Dr. Jeremy Phillips has not only fixed my leg, but I feel pretty confident I could audition for the Rockettes. Just kidding. He has helped tremendously and a week and a half later I am now running a little each day. Yesterday I ran 2 miles. Today 3. I'm going for the big 5-6 tomorrow. I have a little over a month till my Diva Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach. I realize I may not be able to PR (1:27), but I feel good about flirting with 1:30:00 again.
So....I'm excited to unveil my new slogan:
Get Real.
Get Moving.
I can't wait to blog about my new adventures in the making!
Stay healthy!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Recap of Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon
Here it is already Tuesday and I've already fallen behind in my race recap! Wow...what a whirlwind. Let me try and find some chronological order to my chaotic thoughts! Kind of like A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". Charles Dickens had no clue that I would define my whole weekend by his opening sentence. As many of you who know me, I'm not one to make excuses.....ever......so, I'm not going to start now. I did not do what I set out to do. Period. I was not trying to PR, I was merely trying to drop below 1:30:00. I did a 1:30:42 at Richmond without much effort. I was ready for effort this time. I had a plan. I deviated from the plan. As usual, let me back up and start from the relative beginning.
One of my dearest friends, Trish, and I left Friday morning from Greensboro. It was a beautiful day, albeit still rather chilly. Actually, Friday would have been perfect racing conditions. Warm with a breeze. We drove to Wilmington to stay at Josie Whitmore's gorgeous home in Landfall. How great it was to be staying in a house where several miles of the race was in her neighborhood. When we arrived around lunchtime, we all went to Dockside in Wrightsville Beach for lunch. Here is the gang:
From left, we have Trish, Patty, Chris, Josie and me. I know these girls from my tennis life. Many of you don't know that I took up tennis a while back. Anyway, what a pleasant Friday afternoon eating, shopping, picking up our race packets, etc.
Saturday morning I got up and ran a few miles to loosen the legs. I've been having some issues with my right leg from my hip to my heel and it remains happy when I am constantly moving and stretching it. More on that later. We played tennis and did a little more shopping. We ended up having dinner in downtown Wilmington Saturday night and walked around the city a little bit. Here are our Saturday night dancing shoes (there was no dancing, we had a half marathon very early the next day!)
I will let you decide who's foot belongs to whom. Anyway, we tried to go to bed early, but sleep didn't happen till after midnight. The 4:30 alarm went off and we all rose and scampered around in a hurry. Here is what we were wearing for our race:
I guess my shoe is easy to spot because I had my "Sole Sister" charm from Christie on my shoe. We walked outside to 61 degree little after 5:30am morning. It was a great morning even though the temperature was 10 degrees warmer than predicted.
We made it to the starting line with ease and didn't freeze waiting for the gun to go off. Here is where I should point out that there were 3 waves and they put the slowest wave first. Besides a 24 hour relay, I have never seen this done before. I actually liked it because it gave you people to look for. I had some friends that were great about cheering me on. They didn't realize how important that was to me during this race because I was trying to ignore the pain I felt in my right leg. I will go over split times at the end, but suffice it to say.....they energized me to spring forward :)
The pain I've been feeling has been a tightness that occasionally throbs, occasionally feels like a zinger, and occasionally feels like I'm running on a rock on my right heel. It appears to be a piriformis issue that travels down my IT band which makes my soleus super tight which tugs at my plantar region. The good news is that I'm done trying to diagnose myself and I am ready to admit that after 35 years of racing, I'm going to see a qualified professional for the first time. Literally, tomorrow. I'm still hobbling until I get everything 'loose and lubed' as they say.
Back to the race. I finished with a 1:32:30. Although I didn't do want I had anticipated, it is still a respectable time. I realize that. I think the sadness I felt afterwards was more because I couldn't turn my mind off during the race. I felt every blessed mile. Most races there are miles where I have no recollection of running. You have to love it when you have one of those type races! I tried not to look at my watch too often because I had my Garmin set for my 6:55 average mile pace to get me there in 1:30:00. I heard the mile beeps on my watch at every mile. I tried to dig deep because I'm the motivator. I'm the life coach. How do you motivate the motivator? Quite frankly I think I told myself to shush several times. Well....maybe it was a little more harsh than shush. I'll never tell.
After finishing, I practically ran to the massage part of the tent and 2 very, very nice people tried to work on me as I was in a love/hate relationship with my leg. I think I catapulted off the table several times and swatted the table with my hand (which I think I bruised a little). They got me moving and grooving again. Luckily I had friends that I ran into after the race while waiting for my house buddies: I ran into Melanie who I paced in the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon for a PR. Well. She PR'd again! I was so thrilled for her success, it was hard to not be totally happy!
I also ran into one of my sole sisters, Lori. Tiffany and Lori were smart enough to wear a hat with the sun blinding us. I know I was not feeling great on my right leg, but I looked absolutely pained in this picture!
The cotton tank I wore during the race was a "one and done" for me. I wanted to give my brother-in-law's bar a shout out because we basically ran right by Fibber's. I, however, did not realize how hot cotton is to run in. I was beyond sweaty! Luckily, my runningskirts.com skirt and my fellowflowers.com flower kept me looking cool!
So....back to my Dicken's quote. It was the best of times because of all the great fun. It was the worst of times because I did not accomplish my goal. One of the lucky things for me about racing is that I am cognizant of competitors around me, but I am truly out there for myself. I was lucky to earn some $$$ for my efforts and I am more determined to heal and then train for DIVA half marathon the end of next month!
Here is a photo of my tennis girls who all PR'd. I couldn't be prouder of ALL of them.
Even though it was a girls' weekend, my hubby came down and watched me receive my award. He means the world to me. I was thrilled he was there. Well....there's the recap...here's the splits, according to my Garmin:
Mile 1 7:07 (I started my watch when the timer started...)
Mile 2 6:59.98
Mile 3 6:59.17
Mile 4 6:52.02
Mile 5 6:54.26
Mile 6 6:50.79
Mile 7 6:52.51
Mile 8 7:02.35
Mile 9 7:05.97
Mile 10 7:03.48
Mile 11 7:09.11
Mile 12 7:00.81
Mile 13 7:07:05
Mile 13.21 (My Garmin had me at .21) 1:21:16
Total: 13.21 1:32:26 7:00 avg/mile
For not looking at my watch, I was happy with my consistency...even with discomfort. Hope all of you who raced this weekend had a great experience.
Thank you, Josie for a great weekend!
One of my dearest friends, Trish, and I left Friday morning from Greensboro. It was a beautiful day, albeit still rather chilly. Actually, Friday would have been perfect racing conditions. Warm with a breeze. We drove to Wilmington to stay at Josie Whitmore's gorgeous home in Landfall. How great it was to be staying in a house where several miles of the race was in her neighborhood. When we arrived around lunchtime, we all went to Dockside in Wrightsville Beach for lunch. Here is the gang:
Saturday morning I got up and ran a few miles to loosen the legs. I've been having some issues with my right leg from my hip to my heel and it remains happy when I am constantly moving and stretching it. More on that later. We played tennis and did a little more shopping. We ended up having dinner in downtown Wilmington Saturday night and walked around the city a little bit. Here are our Saturday night dancing shoes (there was no dancing, we had a half marathon very early the next day!)
I will let you decide who's foot belongs to whom. Anyway, we tried to go to bed early, but sleep didn't happen till after midnight. The 4:30 alarm went off and we all rose and scampered around in a hurry. Here is what we were wearing for our race:
I guess my shoe is easy to spot because I had my "Sole Sister" charm from Christie on my shoe. We walked outside to 61 degree little after 5:30am morning. It was a great morning even though the temperature was 10 degrees warmer than predicted.
We made it to the starting line with ease and didn't freeze waiting for the gun to go off. Here is where I should point out that there were 3 waves and they put the slowest wave first. Besides a 24 hour relay, I have never seen this done before. I actually liked it because it gave you people to look for. I had some friends that were great about cheering me on. They didn't realize how important that was to me during this race because I was trying to ignore the pain I felt in my right leg. I will go over split times at the end, but suffice it to say.....they energized me to spring forward :)
The pain I've been feeling has been a tightness that occasionally throbs, occasionally feels like a zinger, and occasionally feels like I'm running on a rock on my right heel. It appears to be a piriformis issue that travels down my IT band which makes my soleus super tight which tugs at my plantar region. The good news is that I'm done trying to diagnose myself and I am ready to admit that after 35 years of racing, I'm going to see a qualified professional for the first time. Literally, tomorrow. I'm still hobbling until I get everything 'loose and lubed' as they say.
Back to the race. I finished with a 1:32:30. Although I didn't do want I had anticipated, it is still a respectable time. I realize that. I think the sadness I felt afterwards was more because I couldn't turn my mind off during the race. I felt every blessed mile. Most races there are miles where I have no recollection of running. You have to love it when you have one of those type races! I tried not to look at my watch too often because I had my Garmin set for my 6:55 average mile pace to get me there in 1:30:00. I heard the mile beeps on my watch at every mile. I tried to dig deep because I'm the motivator. I'm the life coach. How do you motivate the motivator? Quite frankly I think I told myself to shush several times. Well....maybe it was a little more harsh than shush. I'll never tell.
After finishing, I practically ran to the massage part of the tent and 2 very, very nice people tried to work on me as I was in a love/hate relationship with my leg. I think I catapulted off the table several times and swatted the table with my hand (which I think I bruised a little). They got me moving and grooving again. Luckily I had friends that I ran into after the race while waiting for my house buddies: I ran into Melanie who I paced in the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon for a PR. Well. She PR'd again! I was so thrilled for her success, it was hard to not be totally happy!
I also ran into one of my sole sisters, Lori. Tiffany and Lori were smart enough to wear a hat with the sun blinding us. I know I was not feeling great on my right leg, but I looked absolutely pained in this picture!
The cotton tank I wore during the race was a "one and done" for me. I wanted to give my brother-in-law's bar a shout out because we basically ran right by Fibber's. I, however, did not realize how hot cotton is to run in. I was beyond sweaty! Luckily, my runningskirts.com skirt and my fellowflowers.com flower kept me looking cool!
So....back to my Dicken's quote. It was the best of times because of all the great fun. It was the worst of times because I did not accomplish my goal. One of the lucky things for me about racing is that I am cognizant of competitors around me, but I am truly out there for myself. I was lucky to earn some $$$ for my efforts and I am more determined to heal and then train for DIVA half marathon the end of next month!
Here is a photo of my tennis girls who all PR'd. I couldn't be prouder of ALL of them.
Even though it was a girls' weekend, my hubby came down and watched me receive my award. He means the world to me. I was thrilled he was there. Well....there's the recap...here's the splits, according to my Garmin:
Mile 1 7:07 (I started my watch when the timer started...)
Mile 2 6:59.98
Mile 3 6:59.17
Mile 4 6:52.02
Mile 5 6:54.26
Mile 6 6:50.79
Mile 7 6:52.51
Mile 8 7:02.35
Mile 9 7:05.97
Mile 10 7:03.48
Mile 11 7:09.11
Mile 12 7:00.81
Mile 13 7:07:05
Mile 13.21 (My Garmin had me at .21) 1:21:16
Total: 13.21 1:32:26 7:00 avg/mile
For not looking at my watch, I was happy with my consistency...even with discomfort. Hope all of you who raced this weekend had a great experience.
Thank you, Josie for a great weekend!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Dasani Myrtle Beach Half Marathon Race/Pace Recap
I found a new calling. Who knew I could have this much fun pacing?! I had one of the most rewarding experiences of my life this past weekend. It was a weekend of firsts for me. First, 10 women can absolutely be drama free and all get along swimmingly in a condo. It was fun because some of the Sole Sisters (Christie, Christine, Sarah, Amy, and myself) teamed up with some of the Woo Hoo Crew (Melanie, Katie, Carole, Kathy) and one from the Streakers (Amanda). We had an oceanfront condo in Myrtle Beach a few miles away from the start/finish line to the race.
First things first, Christie Strupe (one of the Sole Sisters) bought me the cutest charm for my shoe for the race.
It may be hard to see but it is a sneaker charm from BeeCausecharms.com. It says Sole Sister. I decided to give my Nike Free shoes a whirl for my pacing debut. They are super comfortable. We get to the expo and I am excited to meet some fellow pacers there. No one was there, but I got my pacer shirt:
Yes, I look happy. Yes, I stayed this happy for most of the weekend. I was so excited for my pacing duties that I barely slept on Friday night. I have to say it was weird being at the Expo and not having any butterflies in my stomach. I tend to get a little nervous before a race. We got settled in early for the night, and I taught yoga to everyone in the condo for almost 45 minutes. Very, very relaxing.
The alarm went off at 4:35am and I shot out of bed and directly into my clothes. None of my condo mates were able to accompany me to the starting line because I had to be there by 5:45am. The race started at 6:30am. I was there practically jumping up and down not only from excitement but from also trying to keep warm. We got very lucky....it was 42 degrees at the start and warmed up as the race went along. Rain and then snow didn't start till late afternoon on Saturday. The beach actually had a dusting of snow when we woke up on Sunday morning. Back to the race.
I saw several friends I knew and met quite a few people who were in my pace group. I continually stressed to them that I was NOT going to start out fast and that I had 2 Garmin watches on. One was set for the 9:05 minute mile and the other one had my overall pace, in the moment pace, and time posted. I even recounted the Richmond Half Marathon pacing story, so I appeased them greatly. It also helped to allay their fears when I mentioned I have several sub 1:30 half marathons under my belt.
We didn't hear the elephant (yes, a real elephant was supposed to roar, or whatever sound emits from their trunk is) for the start, but we saw all the runners ahead starting to run so we started my one watch for gun time (close to it) and the other watch I started on the starting line for the chip time. I talked incessantly at the beginning to coax the participants not to go out too fast. We stayed very steady. I told lots of stories. I warned them all......you are either going to love me or hate me. There would be no in between. I bopped around and chatted up with everyone during the run. It was a beautiful morning. I kept telling them that the key to success is to relax and enjoy the run.
I looked at my watches quite often, but I think the biggest smile I had on my face was when we hit the 6 mile marker and my pacer watch had a bunch of zeros across it. That was a GOOD thing. It meant that we were nailing our pace and that we were not ahead or behind our goal.
I really focused on getting them to ignore their mind and let their legs just keep turning over. I discussed ways to get the core involved to give the legs a break, but mainly I just kept pointing out things along the run to amuse them and make them smile. I even got bystanders involved during the run. I would yell, "When I say Myrtle, you say beach, Myrtle...Beach". Everyone joined in and encouraged my group. I didn't care if they thought I was nuts or not because I was going to get them to that finish line if I had to pull, drag or carry them. Luckily, I didn't have to! Here is a photo from the race almost 3/4 of the way into it:
It dawned on me that this great group of people were all going to make it. I was so thrilled. I knew that we had quite a difference in gun/chip time so I didn't tell them that we were going to come in under 2 hours. With a half mile to go, I encouraged anyone who was feeling good to listen for the crowds, empty the mind, and focus on the finish line. Several took off. I still had a good number left with me and when we made the final turn towards the finish line, I ran sideways, backwards and encouraged them as loudly as I could. The crowds were helpful. I think the louder I yelled for them, the louder the crowds were :) Here is a photo of me running sideways to coax them to the finish line:
I crossed the finish line at exactly 2:00:01. However, my chip time ended up being 1:58:18. I would never have finished this early if my group wasn't all with me. We lost 2 people that I know of because of being injured and not feeling well. If we lost any others, I was not aware of them. Here is me going across the finish line overjoyed for my group:
Had I known the red Powerade stained my tongue, I probably would have kept my mouth closed, but I was too happy to even care how I looked. Yes, my race bib says Cindyloohoo. Why not.
I got to hang out with lots of friends afterwards and we took several photos. Most of my friends PR'd on Saturday and I couldn't have been more pleased. I knew I did the right thing by pacing when several runners and their families came up to me in the post-race area and thanked me. I also got several hugs from family members for getting their loved ones in under 2 hours. I turned to several girls in my group and smiled ear to ear. I felt like I needed to run some more miles and I knew Mark, a friend of the Sole Sisters, was trying to qualify for Boston. I ran to the 23 mile marker and ran with Mark to help him to the finish line. He was having some leg issues. He was battling hard to finish in 3:25. I could see the pain on his face but I knew he was close to his goal so I ran and tried to keep his mind off of running until his wife Samantha joined us. I veered off so she could help him the finish line. He missed it by less than 2 minutes. He WILL qualify soon. I just know it! I got back to our group and we took more photos.
Here is our pyramid attempt:
All in all, I l o v e d being a pacer. I would do it every weekend if I could. I also enjoyed getting over 19 miles in for the day. After eating, showering and napping, we headed to the after-after party at the House of Blues. I think I danced for almost an hour. Talk about fun! But now my focus will be on the Wrightsville half marathon next month on St. Patrick's Day. I will be RACING, not pacing. I better get off this chair and go for a run.......
First things first, Christie Strupe (one of the Sole Sisters) bought me the cutest charm for my shoe for the race.
The alarm went off at 4:35am and I shot out of bed and directly into my clothes. None of my condo mates were able to accompany me to the starting line because I had to be there by 5:45am. The race started at 6:30am. I was there practically jumping up and down not only from excitement but from also trying to keep warm. We got very lucky....it was 42 degrees at the start and warmed up as the race went along. Rain and then snow didn't start till late afternoon on Saturday. The beach actually had a dusting of snow when we woke up on Sunday morning. Back to the race.
I saw several friends I knew and met quite a few people who were in my pace group. I continually stressed to them that I was NOT going to start out fast and that I had 2 Garmin watches on. One was set for the 9:05 minute mile and the other one had my overall pace, in the moment pace, and time posted. I even recounted the Richmond Half Marathon pacing story, so I appeased them greatly. It also helped to allay their fears when I mentioned I have several sub 1:30 half marathons under my belt.
We didn't hear the elephant (yes, a real elephant was supposed to roar, or whatever sound emits from their trunk is) for the start, but we saw all the runners ahead starting to run so we started my one watch for gun time (close to it) and the other watch I started on the starting line for the chip time. I talked incessantly at the beginning to coax the participants not to go out too fast. We stayed very steady. I told lots of stories. I warned them all......you are either going to love me or hate me. There would be no in between. I bopped around and chatted up with everyone during the run. It was a beautiful morning. I kept telling them that the key to success is to relax and enjoy the run.
I looked at my watches quite often, but I think the biggest smile I had on my face was when we hit the 6 mile marker and my pacer watch had a bunch of zeros across it. That was a GOOD thing. It meant that we were nailing our pace and that we were not ahead or behind our goal.
I really focused on getting them to ignore their mind and let their legs just keep turning over. I discussed ways to get the core involved to give the legs a break, but mainly I just kept pointing out things along the run to amuse them and make them smile. I even got bystanders involved during the run. I would yell, "When I say Myrtle, you say beach, Myrtle...Beach". Everyone joined in and encouraged my group. I didn't care if they thought I was nuts or not because I was going to get them to that finish line if I had to pull, drag or carry them. Luckily, I didn't have to! Here is a photo from the race almost 3/4 of the way into it:
I got to hang out with lots of friends afterwards and we took several photos. Most of my friends PR'd on Saturday and I couldn't have been more pleased. I knew I did the right thing by pacing when several runners and their families came up to me in the post-race area and thanked me. I also got several hugs from family members for getting their loved ones in under 2 hours. I turned to several girls in my group and smiled ear to ear. I felt like I needed to run some more miles and I knew Mark, a friend of the Sole Sisters, was trying to qualify for Boston. I ran to the 23 mile marker and ran with Mark to help him to the finish line. He was having some leg issues. He was battling hard to finish in 3:25. I could see the pain on his face but I knew he was close to his goal so I ran and tried to keep his mind off of running until his wife Samantha joined us. I veered off so she could help him the finish line. He missed it by less than 2 minutes. He WILL qualify soon. I just know it! I got back to our group and we took more photos.
Here is our pyramid attempt:
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Power of a Solo Run
All week I wasn't sure what my running plans for the weekend were going to bring. I leave for Myrtle Beach this weekend, so I wanted to give my husband the wheel on what we were going to do this past weekend. We ended up having a low key Friday night, so I thought I would run Saturday morning with some of the Sole Sisters who had planned an 8am run from Panera. Hot coffee, bagels and great conversation....who could ask for more? Well....evidently I didn't ask enough because I messed up.
I got to Panera early so I could do 2 miles before meeting with the group because they were only running 8. I didn't plan very well and took an Ipod in my mitten because sometimes I like to listen to music when running alone. It was a cold morning in the low 30's; I needed music. My shuffle, my pink nano and my other pink older nano all needed charging, so the Ipod touch would be perfect for the 2 miles. A mile and a quarter into the run as I was making my way back to the Panera parking lot, I realized the group had decided to run on SUNDAY morning, not Saturday.
I laughed at my blonde hair and decided that maybe this was some sort of divine intervention. I needed more hills in my workouts these days, so I was determined to keep running. I turned toward one of the longest hills in Greensboro with a smile on my face. I was not only going to run a hill, I was going to see airplanes. I was very comfortable running and told myself I didn't care about time, etc., as long as I logged 10 miles. I can sometimes become a slave to my Garmin watch; pace, avg pace, etc. I really, really enjoyed this run. I'm thinking it is because I didn't analyze my watch. I'm thinking I was running with just myself so if I needed to slow down on the hill, I could slow down. I didn't have to worry whether or not I could keep up with anyone or not.
I sang out loud a couple of times and stayed warm thanks to 'hot hands'....what would my Reynaud fingers do without them? I was actually smiling when I finished. I then looked down at my watch and realized I averaged a 7:39 mile and smiled even bigger. My new slogan, "Hills: It's What for Breakfast"! I grabbed some bagels and coffee for Dan and myself and went home.
The lesson I learned? Running with friends is great, but running solo can be empowering. Every single day is/can be an adventure....enjoy the ride!
I got to Panera early so I could do 2 miles before meeting with the group because they were only running 8. I didn't plan very well and took an Ipod in my mitten because sometimes I like to listen to music when running alone. It was a cold morning in the low 30's; I needed music. My shuffle, my pink nano and my other pink older nano all needed charging, so the Ipod touch would be perfect for the 2 miles. A mile and a quarter into the run as I was making my way back to the Panera parking lot, I realized the group had decided to run on SUNDAY morning, not Saturday.
I laughed at my blonde hair and decided that maybe this was some sort of divine intervention. I needed more hills in my workouts these days, so I was determined to keep running. I turned toward one of the longest hills in Greensboro with a smile on my face. I was not only going to run a hill, I was going to see airplanes. I was very comfortable running and told myself I didn't care about time, etc., as long as I logged 10 miles. I can sometimes become a slave to my Garmin watch; pace, avg pace, etc. I really, really enjoyed this run. I'm thinking it is because I didn't analyze my watch. I'm thinking I was running with just myself so if I needed to slow down on the hill, I could slow down. I didn't have to worry whether or not I could keep up with anyone or not.
I sang out loud a couple of times and stayed warm thanks to 'hot hands'....what would my Reynaud fingers do without them? I was actually smiling when I finished. I then looked down at my watch and realized I averaged a 7:39 mile and smiled even bigger. My new slogan, "Hills: It's What for Breakfast"! I grabbed some bagels and coffee for Dan and myself and went home.
The lesson I learned? Running with friends is great, but running solo can be empowering. Every single day is/can be an adventure....enjoy the ride!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
I Want to Flirt With Pain, Not Dance With It
I've been rather silent in the blogging world. That is usually a good thing or a bad thing. Right now it is a good thing. I've been busy doing/living and haven't had much time to sit down and write about it.
Since the day after New Year's Day, my hubby Dan has been on a clean eating path. Well. Maybe not completely clean, but pretty darn close. He's lost over 12 pounds thus far and I couldn't be prouder of this commitment. He's been working out regularly as well, so some of the bodyfat he's lost has been replaced with lean muscle tissue. Congrats to him. The only downside is that I've had to be super organized and plan lunches and dinners on a daily basis. We ate out twice in the month of January. That's a new record for us as we like to dine out approximately 1-2 times a week. Dan has been good about eliminating beer (for the most part) and indulging in an occasional glass of wine.
My daughter, Mandi, also moved back in the house the beginning of the year. It has been fun to see her mature into this beautiful, young woman who I adore so much. With her, came my favorite grand doggy, Skittles. She has been a delight to have around and keeps Cameron and Louie on their toes. Here is me cuddling with Skittles on the couch.
The New Year also seems to have inspired me to purge/organize the house. I have been milling about cleaning drawers/closets here and there with no real direction, but I am enjoying the 'feeling' of getting organized. I guess it is similar to planning, training and then racing in running. There is no better feeling than knowing you trained adequately and you left nothing out there on the course. Which, by the way, brings me to the real jist of my blog today: I want to flirt with pain, not dance with it.
I seem to be at a crossroads and sometimes being too knowledgeable about something can make a mere hill feel like a mountain. I used to revel in the craziness of feeling like I couldn't take another step. I used to drink in the feeling of knowing I gave it my all. For goodness sake, I was so focused on the finish line during a race (in high school) that I gave it everything I had and lost a little control of my bladder. Yuck! But it is true.
Don't get me wrong, I'm training hard these days. This week I've had a good mix of tempo runs, recovery runs and cross training. I am doing hill workouts again, but have yet to step on the track. I did a couple of speed workouts on the treadmill. Here is my little workout room that I love to occupy in the privacy of my own home. See that little piece of equipment on the far left of the photo? That's one of my most prized possessions: Back inversion table. That is what has saved me from spending countless dollars on back, IT band, and hip rehabililtation issues. I don't know what I ever did without one, but then again I was 40 when my hubby bought it for me. Anyhow, back to flirting with pain. I am a motivational speaker....why can't I light a fire under my butt and as the saying goes, 'Just Do It' (which, by the way, is trademarked, so I'm going to make sure I give Nike all the credit-why can't I come up with something inspirational that ensures our financial future?). I will address this issue further when I return from my pacing duties at the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon next weekend. I am going with a great group of Ladies from the Woohoo Crew and the Sole Sisters. I will certainly have lots of photos to post from the race! Here is Skittles wishing she had a matching pair of Kinvaras, and a walk.
Since the day after New Year's Day, my hubby Dan has been on a clean eating path. Well. Maybe not completely clean, but pretty darn close. He's lost over 12 pounds thus far and I couldn't be prouder of this commitment. He's been working out regularly as well, so some of the bodyfat he's lost has been replaced with lean muscle tissue. Congrats to him. The only downside is that I've had to be super organized and plan lunches and dinners on a daily basis. We ate out twice in the month of January. That's a new record for us as we like to dine out approximately 1-2 times a week. Dan has been good about eliminating beer (for the most part) and indulging in an occasional glass of wine.
My daughter, Mandi, also moved back in the house the beginning of the year. It has been fun to see her mature into this beautiful, young woman who I adore so much. With her, came my favorite grand doggy, Skittles. She has been a delight to have around and keeps Cameron and Louie on their toes. Here is me cuddling with Skittles on the couch.
The New Year also seems to have inspired me to purge/organize the house. I have been milling about cleaning drawers/closets here and there with no real direction, but I am enjoying the 'feeling' of getting organized. I guess it is similar to planning, training and then racing in running. There is no better feeling than knowing you trained adequately and you left nothing out there on the course. Which, by the way, brings me to the real jist of my blog today: I want to flirt with pain, not dance with it.
I seem to be at a crossroads and sometimes being too knowledgeable about something can make a mere hill feel like a mountain. I used to revel in the craziness of feeling like I couldn't take another step. I used to drink in the feeling of knowing I gave it my all. For goodness sake, I was so focused on the finish line during a race (in high school) that I gave it everything I had and lost a little control of my bladder. Yuck! But it is true.
Don't get me wrong, I'm training hard these days. This week I've had a good mix of tempo runs, recovery runs and cross training. I am doing hill workouts again, but have yet to step on the track. I did a couple of speed workouts on the treadmill. Here is my little workout room that I love to occupy in the privacy of my own home. See that little piece of equipment on the far left of the photo? That's one of my most prized possessions: Back inversion table. That is what has saved me from spending countless dollars on back, IT band, and hip rehabililtation issues. I don't know what I ever did without one, but then again I was 40 when my hubby bought it for me. Anyhow, back to flirting with pain. I am a motivational speaker....why can't I light a fire under my butt and as the saying goes, 'Just Do It' (which, by the way, is trademarked, so I'm going to make sure I give Nike all the credit-why can't I come up with something inspirational that ensures our financial future?). I will address this issue further when I return from my pacing duties at the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon next weekend. I am going with a great group of Ladies from the Woohoo Crew and the Sole Sisters. I will certainly have lots of photos to post from the race! Here is Skittles wishing she had a matching pair of Kinvaras, and a walk.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Conversations on the Run.....
It has been raining 4 days straight here in Greensboro. I know you do not need another weather forecast. But I've been doing some 'inside' work this week. It's not that I hate the rain, it is that I hate a cold rain. Let's face it, my moving North Carolina 20 years ago next month is due to the weather. I will put up with a few days of nastiness to stay here. I've been lucky this week, we had our BodyPump 84 launch at 2 of the 3 facilities I teach. I had much needed memorization time and the treadmill is THE place to do it. We set up our workout room at the house with a nice TV/DVD area right in front of our treadmill (Thanks, Dad & Sandy) and elliptical. I can become somewhat comatose learning the routines. An hour will fly by and I've accomplished 2 things from my to-do checklist. What did I ever do before Les Mills? Don't you just love checking things off your list?
Well, I used to watch television series on DVD's or movies from Netflix but now I even find them tedious. Sometimes I have to drive to the YMCA or the Club at Green Valley to accomplish my mileage because I get sidetracked at the house. I am the queen of procrastination sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love to run. I've been running since 7th grade competitively, so it's easy to take an extra day off here and there. Many of my running friends don't understand how I can possibly deviate from the plan. Plan? What plan? I don't 'do' plans. Plans would make me crazy. The only plan I have this Spring is to do more speedwork. Do you hear that Pat, recover from Disney already. Okay?
This week I reconnected with a high school running friend, Kenny. He did not go to Woodward High School, he went to Richard Montgomery. Our schools were about 5 miles apart. Our 2 coaches were friends and we hung out and trained all the time. I have not seen nor heard from Kenny in almost 30 years. Kenny was my racing rock. He was the only one who understood my nervousness before each and every race no matter how small or big the race(s) was. It didn't matter if I was favored heavily, each and every race was a test and I was about to be graded. I have severe text anxiety. Kenny was who I strived to be most like. Kenny was incredibly supportive and was calm before every race. Throughout the years I have had hundreds of conversations with Kenny while I'm running and/or racing. I think mainly because it calms me down when I'm racing like a security blanket. I also think about how great it would be to introduce him to my best friend in the whole wide world; my husband Dan.
Is there someone out there you aspire to be like and they don't necessarily know it? What conversation streams through your head when you run? I couldn't be the only one who's mind wanders during a run.........
This week's workout:
ran 11 miles, 7:45 pace
ran 14 miles on treadmill, sub 7 avg. for 3 separate workouts (4.5, 4.5, 5 miles)
ran 3 recovery miles on the treadmill, 8:45 pace
30 minutes stair climber (revolving stair tread) avg 8.8 floors/min: 2717 feet.
Taught 8 BodyPump classes
Taught 1 Yoga class (I need to do this more!)
Hula Hoop 30 minute class.....Yes I did. More on that next week with my friend, Christie!
Have a great weekend, as for me I'm headed to the beach for some rest, relaxation and getting away from this snow!
Well, I used to watch television series on DVD's or movies from Netflix but now I even find them tedious. Sometimes I have to drive to the YMCA or the Club at Green Valley to accomplish my mileage because I get sidetracked at the house. I am the queen of procrastination sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love to run. I've been running since 7th grade competitively, so it's easy to take an extra day off here and there. Many of my running friends don't understand how I can possibly deviate from the plan. Plan? What plan? I don't 'do' plans. Plans would make me crazy. The only plan I have this Spring is to do more speedwork. Do you hear that Pat, recover from Disney already. Okay?
This week I reconnected with a high school running friend, Kenny. He did not go to Woodward High School, he went to Richard Montgomery. Our schools were about 5 miles apart. Our 2 coaches were friends and we hung out and trained all the time. I have not seen nor heard from Kenny in almost 30 years. Kenny was my racing rock. He was the only one who understood my nervousness before each and every race no matter how small or big the race(s) was. It didn't matter if I was favored heavily, each and every race was a test and I was about to be graded. I have severe text anxiety. Kenny was who I strived to be most like. Kenny was incredibly supportive and was calm before every race. Throughout the years I have had hundreds of conversations with Kenny while I'm running and/or racing. I think mainly because it calms me down when I'm racing like a security blanket. I also think about how great it would be to introduce him to my best friend in the whole wide world; my husband Dan.
Is there someone out there you aspire to be like and they don't necessarily know it? What conversation streams through your head when you run? I couldn't be the only one who's mind wanders during a run.........
This week's workout:
ran 11 miles, 7:45 pace
ran 14 miles on treadmill, sub 7 avg. for 3 separate workouts (4.5, 4.5, 5 miles)
ran 3 recovery miles on the treadmill, 8:45 pace
30 minutes stair climber (revolving stair tread) avg 8.8 floors/min: 2717 feet.
Taught 8 BodyPump classes
Taught 1 Yoga class (I need to do this more!)
Hula Hoop 30 minute class.....Yes I did. More on that next week with my friend, Christie!
Have a great weekend, as for me I'm headed to the beach for some rest, relaxation and getting away from this snow!
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