So Ready

"I'm SO ready to run this half marathon." Exactly the thought I had as I got ready to do the first half of my 5 mile run on the hamster wheel (indoor track) last night. Because if I wasn't totally 110% committed to this training plan, there is NO WAY that I would have stepped foot on that evil hamster wheel last night when I was already feeling a little run-down by a cold. And I AM ready- mentally and physically. Even though my longest run so far has only been ten miles, I know that I'm perfectly capable physically of handling the 13.1 miles of the half. Knowing that has, by some miracle, resulted in me not being even the least bit mentally freaked out about running that far. In fact, I'm actually really excited about it. I'm so excited that I'd go out and run this half marathon tomorrow, if I could. Having a month left in my training plan just makes things that much better, because I know that if I feel prepared now, I'm going to feel fantastic about the race a month from now.

My Friday Foto

I've been inspired by Fair Weather Runner and Nike Mom to throw up a Friday foto. This is me, all suited up and standing in front of the steps of the United States Supreme Court. I had a wonderful opportunity to watch two attorneys I work with argue a case before the Court - and I helped write the brief. Best part of the whole trip was sitting next to some lawyer that worked for the Treasury and him saying "so, who are you here with?" Me - "the Respondents." Him - "oh, so what do you do for them?" (clearly thinking I'm about to say I'm a secretary or legal assistant). Me - "I'm on the brief." Him - stunned silence.

Exercise is forced

"Exercise is done against one's wishes and maintained only because the alternative is worse." -- GEORGE SHEEHAN

This is my Runner's World quote of the day, but I think that this really applies to more than just running. It applies to all of the activities that we do every day to keep our bodies healthy and strong. I started and stopped running several times before getting back into it last fall. Most of the times that I started, I started because I felt like I needed to be doing something extra to burn calories, although sometimes it was because I wanted to run in a particular race. But every time I stopped, it was because I just didn't enjoy running anymore, whether that was because I was unhappy with my progress or I was tired of fighting poor weather conditions to do something I didn't like that much in the first place.

The only reason that I've been able to continue running consistently since last fall, and the only reason that I've been able to decide to train for a half marathon and marathon, is that I finally found my joy in running. It has a lot to do with finding two amazing running partners who encourage me, challenge me on good days, and support me on bad days. But it also has a lot to do with accepting my own limitations and realizing that I can only be as good as I can be on any given day - I have to run my own race, and not anyone else's.

When we find the joy in what we do, whether it's running or walking or yoga or spinning or swimming or any other activity, it's no longer "exercise." It's fun. And maybe it even becomes a way of life.

Sick!!

I came down with a cold yesterday, out of the blue. Normally I get a "warning" day where I can try to fight it off, but not this time. Sore throat was not there one minute, and the next it was. I HATE being sick. I don't like feeling icky, and for sure it makes it difficult for me to keep up with the running/cross-training schedule that I've set for myself. But mostly I hate being sick because it always results in a lot of guilt for me. Guilt over the days of work that I miss when I'm sick, guilt over the workouts that I miss, guilt over the things around the house that just don't get done when I'm sick. Even though I know that being sick is sometimes my body's way of telling me to slow down, my mind doesn't want to slow down - it still wants to be everywhere, doing everything, even if my body doesn't want to keep up.

Thought of the day

Don't run past Krispy Kreme when they're baking fresh doughnuts - EVER. Especially at the beginning of a ten mile long run in obscenely cold weather when you'd much rather be curled up under a blanket eating a dozen freshly baked, delightfully sugary pastries.

It's official, I'm...

Training for a marathon! The things we won't do when peer pressured by our best girlfriends. My original plan had been to train for the Disney Princess half marathon and then see where my hips were at and *possibly* continue with my training to run the Oklahoma City Memorial *half* marathon or marathon relay. Then I got a bout of the "I wonders" and started comparing my half marathon training plan to the full marathon plan my two running buddies were using and - well they were nearly identical. Except for that teensy tiny little part about the long runs getting up above 16 miles before the half marathon, when my plan only went to 11. But after much hemming and hawing and a ten mile long run in 18 degree weather yesterday I finally decided that I CAN do this and that my base will be even better for the half marathon this way. So it is official - I am training for a marathon.

Competing against myself

"I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I'm competing with is me." -- WILMA RUDOLPH

I have a terrible time with comparing myself to other people. I find it difficult to resist the temptation, even when it is completely illogical. When I first started running the biggest struggle I had was not with the physical challenges of running, but with the mental frustration of not being able to run fast or far like I thought that I should be able. Slowly I've begun to learn that I really am only competing against myself every time that I lace up my shoes, and that has made a world of difference. My competitive fire keeps me constantly striving to do better than I did the last time, but the realization that the only person I'm competing with is myself has allowed me to experience happiness in all of my accomplishments - even if my "accomplishment" would be someone else's "slow" run.

Life without running

"I can't imagine living and not running." -- PAULA RADCLIFFE

I CAN imagine life without running - I've had it a few times. I can imagine life where I didn't have to plan my days and my weekends around my running schedule, where I didn't have to put on several layers of clothing to run outside in freezing weather, and where I didn't have to worry about doing obnoxiously long runs on the treadmill because the weather is just too bad to run outside. I can imagine a life where I didn't have to take time off work to visit my physical therapist once a week to treat a torn sartorius muscle or where I could go out on a Saturday night and have a drink or two because I wasn't planning to do a long run the next morning.

Would my life be easier if I didn't run, or at the very least wasn't training for a race? Probably. But like Bella tells Edward in the Twilight series, "it wouldn't be much of a life."

The Runner's High

"I'm not sure that I can describe what has been called the 'runner's high,' but like poetry and beauty, I know it when I experience it." - Matthew Shafner

The "runner's high" is not something that I experience on every run. In fact, I've experienced it very few times over the last few years that I've been running. The runs where I do get that "runner's high," though, are good enough to keep me going through the runs where I'd like nothing better than to go home and crawl straight into bed. Like this quote, I'm not sure that I could describe what the runner's high feels like to me. But I know that when I feel it, I feel like I could keep running forever just for the pure joy of it. And afterward I can't wait to get back out on my next run.

Fitness is a phase you pass through...

"Fitness is a phase you pass through on the way to becoming a runner." - George Sheehan

Last night as I ran, I was thinking about all the various reasons that I run and what running has become to me, why I have a passion to continue with my running journey and go beyond the bounds of what most people would consider sane. I was thinking about the finish line of my upcoming half marathon and what it would feel like to cross that finish line, how many milestones and accomplishments that I would have had to reach along the way to get there, and the people in my life who cheered me on each step of the way as well as the people who told me that I must be crazy to do this.

It seemed appropriate, then, to get the quote above from Runner's World today, because the answer to the question "why do I run" is that running has become more to mean than just a means to an end. Running is more than just burning calories in an effort to lose more weight, or to maintain a steady weight. Running is more than an attempt to be in good shape. Running is about shaping my mind, more than about shaping my body. Running is about clearling my mind and focusing my energy on the task in front of me. Running is letting go of the outside world for the time that I'm on the road and knowing that it's okay to focus on my own needs for that period of time. Running is learning to take care of my body by controlling how I treat my body and what I put into it. Running is knowing that the only things standing between me and my goals are my own fears and doubts, and that through my strength, perserverance, and dedication that I can overcome those doubts and fears and accomplish anything. Running is being thankful, every day, for the ability to do something that I never thought I could do. And running is community and support and encouragement from other runners who are always willing to lend a kind word of support or encouragement when it is most needed.

The more I talk to runners, the more people I meet who feel that running is more than just fitness. I think that's what keeps runners going even when things get difficult, when we have to fight through injury, and when we have runs that make us want to quit. We don't run because we're crazy - we run because we're runners.

Lawyer joke of the day

A doctor called his attorney in a panic.

"Rick," said the doctor, "I just gave a patient a clean bill of health and he dropped dead on the front step. What should I do?"
"Okay," said the attorney. "Stay calm. Now, quickly turn him around so it looks like he was just walking in."

Lawyer quote of the day

"Next to the confrontation between two highly trained, finely honed batteries of lawyers, jungle warfare is a stately minuet." -- Bill Veeck

Lawyer quote of the day

"Let the jury consider their verdict," the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. "No, no!" said the Queen. "Sentence first -- verdict afterwards."

--Lewis Carroll,
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

(courtesy of my friend Becky)

Thought of the day...

After I finish a workout, I never regret going to the gym when I didn't feel like going. I always feel better about myself. But if I skip a workout when I had been planning on going, I almost always regret it.

My stadium food rant

I have a problem with stadium food. It's not that I don't enjoy nachos, hot dogs, burgers, chicken fingers, peanuts, candy, or any of the other staple items of stadium food - I do really enjoy the occasional hot dog with loads of mustard and relish or the occasional Snickers bar. It's not that I have a problem with the fact that a bottle of water in a stadium costs $4 and I can't even keep the cap, when I could get a whole 24 pack of water at Sam's Club for the same price. (Okay, that's a lie - I do have a problem with that, but I digress). And it's not that I have any problem with other people enjoying those things, if that's what they want to eat. My problem is that I am not one of those people that can go several hours without eating, and tailgating or eating before a game isn't always a viable option - which means that for any lengthy sporting event, I'm pretty much a captive to whatever the stadium nazis are serving up. In other words, JUNK food. I'm ranting about this because I just got back from the BCS championship game at Dolphin Stadium, where the fantastically prepared concessions people ran out of soft pretzels right after halftime of the game. At approximately 10. When I hadn't eaten for about 5 hours. I'm more than a little peeved about that. For one thing, if you're an NFL stadium, how difficult should it be to stock the appropriate amount of food for a major event like the BCS championship game so that you don't run out of your most popular item halfway through the event? For another thing, why is it that the ONLY even remotely healthy item that I could have eaten in the whole stadium was a soft pretzel with no butter and no salt? It's not as if I was at liberty to bring my own healthy snacks in with me - oh no, my bag was carefully searched when I entered the stadium. Sure, I could have smuggled in a granola bar or something in my pocket, but why should I have to do that? Would it really be so difficult for stadiums to start offering at least SOME healthier, lower calorie, lower fat food options? I'm not necessarily talking fresh fruits or veggie trays here, but even pre-packaged Rice Krispie treats come in around 90 calories and 2 grams of fat, and spoil no faster than your average candy bar. We've all heard the statistics and the constant reminders that we need to be eating healthier, exercising more. And yet when we go to sporting events, we have no choice but to eat what they're serving (or eat before or after, which isn't always practical) because we're not allowed to bring our own healthy food in with us. I don't suppose my rant here is going to change anything, I'm going to have to continue bucking the system by smuggling in 200 calorie snack options somewhere on my person in order to avoid the customary bag search, at least for those times when I'm going to need a snack during the game. I also realize a lot of people probably want the traditional stadium fare and wouldn't go for the healthier options, anyway. But I really think that we're not going to become a healthier nation until places like stadiums start to realize that we need healthier options in the mix and make those options widely available for those of us that would take advantage.

Bad things that can happen while running

A few years ago, shortly after I had just started running, I tripped on a ridge in the sidewalk about a mile from my apartment and fell. I busted my knee open and got pretty good scrapes on both hands, and had to walk home bruised, bloody, and feeling very sorry for myself. At the time I was pretty convinced it was a sign that I wasn't supposed to be a runner. For whatever reason I didn't quit, but only within the last few months of running a lot and running consistently have I started to break my habit of staring at the ground 2 feet in front of me for fear of tripping and falling again.

The habit may come back. Yesterday morning I was feeling very good as I started my 4 mile run. I was very proud of getting myself out the door when it was cold and dark, and I felt like I had good energy, that it was going to be a good run. That is, until about a half mile into the run I was enjoying the scenery a little to much and tripped on the sidewalk. Luckily I didn't fall or twist anything, I managed to right myself and keep on running. Then about a quarter of a mile after that, I passed by a house and a large, angry looking dog started to chase after me. We have a serious problem with unleashed dogs in our neighborhood - so serious that I've often considered buying a special type of dog mace to carry with me just in case. But of course I've never gotten around to buying it and figure that with all the wind here, it's just as likely that if I ever tried to spray anything (or anyone) that it would just get blown back in my face. Just as I was about to stop and turn around and stare down this dog, he headed back to his house. I was nevertheless starting to feel like my run might be cursed.

I finished the remainder of my run without incident, though. But those two things and a post that my friend Beka wrote about running safety got me thinking. The interesting thing about running is that it seems like it should be a very safe sport - there are no flying balls to contend with, no sticks or bats or other weapon-like objects to face, no full-body contact, and yet when we run we expose ourselves to all sorts of danger and often don't think about it. How many of us run without a cell phone, because we don't have a good place to put it? (Seriously, clothing manufacturers - make running clothes with pockets, please). Or because we don't want the extra baggage? How many of us run without any form of ID on us? (Road ID is a godsend). How many of us tell someone exactly where we're going and when to expect us back before we head out the door? How many of us contend with obnoxious drivers in cars and trucks that just refuse to move over and make room for us, or worse actually drive closer to us because they think that it's funny or they think we have no right to be on the road? How many of us have had to face an unfriendly dog because its owners failed to keep the dog properly confined to a yard or on a leash? How many of us run in the dark at least on occasion because we have no other choice?

I don't know what the answer to any of those problems is. I do know that I'm glad to have my Road ID, and I'm very glad that I got a headlamp and a clip-on pouch to carry my cell phone for Christmas so that I can always carry it with me when I'm running. I wish there was something I could do to get drivers at least in my neighborhood to start treating runners with more respect, especially because there are no sidewalks on many of our streets. I wish I could convince people in our neighborhood to keep their overly agressive dogs on leashes or confined to fenced-in yards. I wish I could convince the city council where I live to install more street lamps so that those of us who run in the evening would feel just a little safer. The more that I run, the more I think that we runners don't get enough respect for the elements that we deal with day in and day out.

Running with a purpose

Yesterday was a long run day for me, which of course meant that we were going to have 20+mph winds out of the North and that it would be freezing cold. There really isn't a good place near my house to run that's sheltered from the north wind, so my choices seemed to be to gut it out in the wind, face an unspeakable 8 miles on the dreadmill, or come up with something different. I opted for something different, and decided to run my 8 miles south to my friend Beka's house and hitch a ride home. Normally I do my long runs at a park here in town that has a 4 mile outer loop and some shorter inner loops, or I run an out-and-back from my house, but basically I always start and end up in the same place and never get too far away from home or my car. Running from point A to point B was going to be a new experience for me, and I wasn't entirely sure that I would like it. For one thing, I wouldn't be able to break up my run into shorter mental segments like I could when I ran in the park in 4 mile loops. For another thing, I wouldn't have the comfort zone of never being too far away from my house or my car in the event something went wrong. But keeping that in mind, I took my cell phone and some cash knowing that I'd pass a few gas stations on the way, and headed out the door. Much to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed my run. The time and miles actually seemed to go by more quickly because I had a purpose and was actually going somewhere, rather than just running in circles. And it was fun getting to run through different parts of town and see some new scenery. It also felt like more of an accomplishment to finish my run. Running two loops of the park doesn't seem quite that amazing, but when I think that I ran all the way from my house to my friend's house I feel like I really did something yesterday. Although I have to admit, when I ran past one of my favorite gelato spots, I was REALLY tempted to stop in and have a small gelato before finishing my run. So my little nugget of wisdom for the day is that sometimes it's good to really shake up your running routine and try something completely different, get a little bit out of your comfort zone. You just might surprise yourself. Just don't run past any gelato places.

Running and pancakes and yoga, oh my!

On New Year's day I rolled out of bed on about 5 1/2 hours of sleep and suited up for a 5K, the Frosty 5, with my friends Beka, Ed, Katie, and Liz. I had set a rather lofty goal time for myself, thinking that with all the mileage that I've been putting in lately and the time in which I ran my last 4-mile race, surely I could run this 5K at a minimum of under 27 minutes. What I discovered is that I need to focus more on my speedwork and actually run some hills in my training - clearly my two weaknesses. The first section of the race was going pretty well, I was maintaining a pace that would allow me to meet my goal time, and was feeling pretty good. Then we had to run up a fairly steep hill - and I nearly CRAWLED up that hill. My poor performance on the hill was the start of what I felt was a steady decline in my performance level through the race. On the other hand, it seems that running outside in ridiculously windy conditions has actually done me some good, as the parts of the race where we ran into a fairly steady south wind did not bother me at all. And, despite the fact that I didn't achive my goal time, I still ran this 5K faster than my last 5K by a minute.

My friends Ed and Beka were kind enough to join me for pancakes after the race at my favorite breakfast restaurant. Pancakes are by far my favorite post-run food. I try to mix it up by adding different things to my pancakes, though, and yesterday's choice was a combination of oatmeal and coconut. Sounds weird, but it was a winner and may be my new favorite combo.

By the time I got home, I was ready for a nap. But, I was still a little disappointed in my running performance, and still feeling the effects of too much good food on New Year's Eve, so I decided to go to yoga instead. For those of you out there who have never done yoga, I do NOT recommend doing yoga on a stomach full of pancakes. Luckily, as this was the first day of the year, we had a lot of new faces in class and my teacher made the class a little less intense than his normal holiday classes. I always really enjoy yoga class after a run, but it was especially nice yesterday because I felt like I was starting the New Year right by doing my two favorite physical activities, running and yoga.

My husband and I wrapped up the evening last night by spending some time with friends of his that are in town from DC and Chicago, along with some other friends of his that live in town that we don't necessarily see very often. I always like spending time with all of them, and it's pretty entertaining to hear the guys tell stories from high school about each other.

At the end of the day, it ended up being a very fulfilling New Year's Day for me. I got a PR in a 5K, had a yummy breakfast, relaxed in yoga, and got to spend time with my husband and with good friends. Happy 2009, everyone!