Sunday, November 30, 2008

Humbling Memories... my real strength

Most times running is a solitary exercise for me, but every once in awhile it's not and it seems those times are the most memorable. Perhaps it is those very moments that brought me back for more this year. I wanted to share with you, a few of these great memories...

Last year I had my first 20 mile run right after Christmas. We were down at our little beach casita enjoying the winter version of the Sea of Cortez and time off from our crazy work schedules. The town of Puerto Lobos is home to Mexican fisherman and few hardy Americano Families. We have all be come great friends. There is a family that we have become especially close to. Mason & Natalie and their 7 kiddos. They are quite the crew - always full of fun and energy. I don't know how they do it with all those kids, but their house is full of love - that is for sure! Anyway... I was very nervous about the mileage I had to do that day and pretty worked up over it. I set off and up and down the dirt road I went, and turned around at 10 and came back. At about mile 18, I was seriously wondering if I was going to make it. Every bit of my legs were aching, I was tired, I was miserable and beginning to doubt myself. I still had about 2 miles to go when all of the sudden over the next hill came Mason's giant white Ford Van with little blonde kids all hanging out every single window, waving arms and yelling, " Go CJ! Go CJ!" Natalie was up front offering water bottles and bananas and all I have to say is all of that excitement and energy made me forget my misery and kick it into a higher gear and make it home with a big smile! I will always cherish the memory of how Mason's family changed everything about how I was feeling with their cheers and energy. One of my favorite running memories...!

Another favorite memory was during my marathon last year. I was really worked up about what was going to happen after mile 22 since my training program only had me run up to 22 miles. Seriously, I was a wreck about entering that place I had never been before. I was terrified! So as I approached the 22 mile marker and was mustering up all my mental strength, a wonderful thing happened. Loving Man showed up and began running next to me. It was February and he had just had meniscus surgery in December! I was yelling at him to quit running and he wouldn't have any of it, he just kept running with me! Finally after about a half mile, I was able to convince him to head back to the car before he got too far away. He later reported he could barely walk back! But wow... what a great sense of love I had for him for showing up and taking my mind off that horrible 22 mile marker demon! He was there, right when I needed him. He was listening to all my whining! He put together a plan to help me through it. A great running memory.

This past week I had another experience that has turned out to also be yet another one of these awesome running experiences! Sweet Cha was manning the camera and so I have pictures to share with you! Let's see if I can paint this story for you...

We are back at the beach casita enjoying Thanksgiving Week by the sea and of course, I am running each day like I am supposed to! Friday was another 18 as I decided to repeat my weeks of 16 and 18. The night before the run, the Cha and I took Jeepy and my GPS and marked my dirt road in 2 mile increments with spray paint.



We clocked out to the 9 mile turn around point. Turned out right there, near by the road, out in the desert, was someone's discarded smoking apparatus. It was bright green and we figured that would make a fine pillar to hail the 1/2 way point of my run. Turns out there was also an old shredded tire stuck in dirt at exactly the right place. What luck!



It struck me that the Cha was so willing to help me with all this work of marking my run and it warmed my heart. (It might have had something to do with me letting the 15 year old drive the jeep!) Check out her co-pilots! She is getting really good at shifting the old manual trans on Jeepy.



And of course, this story would not be nearly so accurate without this road sign assuring runners the path would not be easy...!




So with all of our mileage markers complete, we headed back to the casita in the sunset for left over turkey dinner and a good night's sleep before the big run.


Beautiful - always...

So here is where the story gets really good... (thanks for hanging with me!)

I start my big run early the next day. It was very cool and damp due to a little evening rain and it was a wonderful day to run. I had my iPod jamming with great tunes and at about mile 6-ish, here comes the Cha, driving up in Jeepy with a bag full of gatorades to stash for me at all the mile markers. She snaps this shot of me, and I remember, I was feeling pretty good then and loving having a support team!



I make it out to the shiny green mile 9 turn around and am headed back when at mile 12, I see Jeepy coming up over the rise! Here comes the Cha again with GU and more gatorade! She is such a loving Cha! Note that in this picture the smile is taking a little more energy to muster up! The sun is a little higher now and it is getting warm.



And off I went with just 6 more miles to go! Here are some of my motivators - I had these guys to keep an eye on me... just in case I had any notion of stopping, they were there to remind me that any animal down was fair game!



Finally the little village of Lobos comes closer in site. I trot by the little grammar school, past the cop shack and one last turn up the main road toward Mashi's little Tienda. Mashi's store means I am close - almost done! And up ahead I see some vehicles in the road and then I begin to make out something catching the light... what the heck???!!! There was a finish line set up for me!!!!



Another wonderful family I have grown to love down there is the Dunn's. Fran is like my adopted Mom and Eddie is the funniest old guy on this planet. He is always making you laugh and playing jokes on everyone. Their son Kevin and his buddy Chuck put together this finish line for me to run through. They glued all this colored paper on a piece of Caution tape and tied it to the fence by Mashi's and to their truck! CLASSIC! They even used Mexican Flag Colors! As I came running up, Kevin was shouting - "Don't Quit! Keep going! You're in First Place!!!" It was hysterical! And I had a cheering section right there at mile 18 and a finish line to run through! Funny thing, it was a STRONG Finish Line and almost sprung me backward! I mustered all I had and broke through! Probably the only finish line I will ever be the first one through, but wow...what an incredible bunch of friends and loving Cha I have to help me with this crazy addiction of running I have! I almost cried when I saw everybody and what they did for me that day while I was all self absorbed in my run. What a great family I have, what a great extended family of friends I have. I am blessed.



Here I am a little later - on the porch with all my ice packs - chillin and hydrating and enjoying the morning sun.



I still can't stop smiling at my most recent favorite running memory... It occurred to me that running has humbled me in many ways. While I am so into myself and my progress and my next run, there are a bunch of wonderful people around me, cheering me on. And without them- I may not be able to accomplish such things. I hope you are gathering these kind of wonderful moments. Send me note, post a comment and share your moments!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Music to Run by...

I REALLY hope that this post ends up with LOTS of comments! Please... don't be shy, give up your tunes for the good of us all!!!!

Something that keeps me going is the joy of music. I mentioned earlier how I had all my pals send me song choices for my Marathon Playlist... and wow... do I have a 5 1/2 hour playlist of GREAT TUNES!!!! Some are start you up tunes, some are tunes for that long stretch from Mile 14 to Mile 20... the keep you in the groove and moving forward tunes. Some are the fire you up and kick it into gear final mile tunes.

So my question to all of you... What are your favorite Running Songs on your iPod?! Please share!

Here are a couple that if you don't have them already - go shop at iTunes and get em! They are my #1's!

Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
American Girl - Tom Petty
Lose Yourself - Eminem
What a Wonderful World - Joey Ramone
Here I Go Again on my Own - Whitesnake
Walkin on Sunshine - Aj & Aly
Run Around - Blues Traveler

Ok, so this is just a little sample of the eclectic tunes on my pod. So please, post yours! Let's get the best running music out there to help us all keep us going those miles we need to burn!

And if you want more... holler! I have 104 songs that all have some connection to running on a single playlist and I am ready to add some more.

I want to hear what keeps you going... Please Share!

Ten Dollar Carrots

I went back and repeated my 16 mile run this Saturday. The very exciting news for the day was the Cha decided to run the first 3 with me! Sort of nice to have a little company. Until she left me and sprinted up and over Don Donnelly Hill and circled back to head home, double high-fiving me as she went by. For a second I was crazy-mad that I could not pour on the gas and run with her... but I still had 14.5 more miles to go that day, so I hung back and marveled at the youngster leaving me in the dust. She is going to run the 5k in Memphis with Loving Man while I do the 1/2. So with 3 weeks to go, she is beginning her training! When I returned home 3 hours later, the Cha was just waking up from her nap. Ah to be 15 again...!

I am liking to see her gain an interest in running. What a great thing to find the love for running at a young age. If she enjoys it, she can look forward to a lifetime of healthy living. I hope so much for her sake that she will find the fun and good feelings from running... and that's exactly why I am paying her $10 for each 3 miles she runs!!! Ok, so maybe it is a form of Teenager Blackmail, but she has text messaging to pay for and Christmas shopping to do! Why not hang a $10 carrot in front of those young legs???! If I had been incentivized to run for money when I was her age, I would have been in way better shape as a teenager. I did gymnastics and weight training then, but oh how I hated running! It blows my mind how far I run now as an old lady compared to what I would do back then.

So speaking of young legs - mine are not! I iced like crazy when I got home, and I can't remind you enough of how important that is. As I finished that 16 miles, I was feeling it in my ankles, knees and hips. And the toes were really aching for some reason. All I could think about was how much relief those icepacks would bring, and boy did they! Later, I took a luke-warm bath with Epsom Salt and felt really good. But today... the gimping is still evident. I know I will feel better tomorrow, but wow, the Sundays after these long Saturday runs are tough on the old hide!

Cha is happy to report no sore muscles, no aches or pains whatsoever. Wow...

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Running Demons & Pride

There are demons that invade running. Do not feel alone if you come to feel a demon or two. Anyone starting a running program (or even someone like me who has done one and is going for a second) - finds demons emerging. It might be your first double digit run - the mere thought of running that far has you scared - freaked out! You think to yourself, "...who am I trying to kid??? I can't run 10 miles!!!..." That would be a "10 Mile Demon". I had that one last year. And I had a horrible "16 Mile Demon" and then... there was the completely awful "22 Mile Demon", not to mention of course... the all consuming, "26.2 Mile Demon". This year I have a new demon - the "Don Donnelly Hill Demon"

Everyone has running demons and the key thing about running demons is they can scare you, make you doubt yourself, hold you back, even make you quit. Yes, quit! But you have not come this far with this blog because you are willing to quit. You are reading because you want to hear all of the stories and match your experiences up and not feel so alone in the quest to go further than you have ever gone before!

So what do you do when demons pop up in your training?

You quietly prepare. It's about 99% mental. And you head out and you face your demon. Maybe the demon holds you back and you simply can't get past it. This is where you DO NOT GIVE UP! Walk that last mile or two and walk right through that demon! And go back and face it in another week or two. Maybe even the next time you are up against that very same demon, you end up having to walk again, but I bet it will be less. Eventually something really great will happen. You will run right through your demon and when you have come through it, you might even throw your hands up in the air and tell the world - " I DID IT!!!!" Maybe the cars driving by will think you are possessed, maybe you might scare the old man you just passed... but hey, YOU DID IT! I say, shout it out to the world!

I finally beat my latest demon on Saturday. I have been doing my high mileage runs on the streets rather than the trails lately because the streets are actually easier to run on and I find my running to be much more efficient. There is a little issue though with my street runs... I can't get home without hitting a steep hill at the last mile. It is only .17 of a mile, but it is super steep and on a road called Don Donnelly Trail. I have been running 3.5 months now and have never been able to get to that last mile and run up and over it. I have had to break down to a walk. Heart rates have been too high to even consider running it.

Well - that all FINALLY changed on Saturday. I had a 10 to run and at mile 9 I put my head down and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping my pace up. Next thing I knew, I was cresting the Don Donnelly Hill and headed down the other side for my final trot home! It was a moment of pure triumph for me and yes, I did throw both hands up and yell YES!!!! I DID IT!!!! I was so happy! By the time I got home I was saying stupid things to Loving Man and Cha like... "hey, ask me about my run today..." Just so I could relive the joy of actually running through my demon.

And this is really why I run. Because all those doubts can be beat. Moments of finally accomplishing something that has been so hard... those moments are the real reason why I do all of this and beg you all to join me. They are small moments in your life, but they are EARNED accomplishment. No short cuts! Nothing that money can buy! A pure sense of pride and joy.

Be proud. Fight the demons! Your inner strength will grow (along side those quadriceps!) And that my friends, is a feeling you will never want to give up.


The last .17 of 3 miles of slight uphill - Don Donnelly Trail Eastbound - Homeward bound! Demonic!

Friday, November 7, 2008

MASSAGE!!!!

I have been a little gimpy since the 18 I did on Sunday. Long runs can do that to you. Joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles are all worked beyond capacity in long runs and they become sore as they try to recover.

I remember last year when I was in my long runs and my favorite e-Trainer and Power Lifter pal said to me, "you are getting regular massages, right?" NO...! I wasn't!!!! I did get one a few days after the marathon, but vowed to use them regularly during this year's training. So... have I? No...! Until yesterday!

Finally scheduled a massage and it was so awesome, I scheduled out after each of my long runs every two weeks. I got the best masseuse! Oh my gosh, she stretched my legs and hip joints out and wow. I felt so much better!

So here's to massages - they are an integral part of serious athlete's training. And because we run... we should indulge! And special thanks to GDC for reminding me how important a sports massage is!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

What % of the US runs a Marathon?

Ok, I came upon some facts - the estimate of Marathon Finishers in 2007 is 407,000. The Total US Popluation is 305,586,572. So put that together - 0.1% of the American Population can run a Marathon. Not 1%, one TENTH of a Percent!

I did it. You can do it. Join the club, follow the training schedule and become part of the ONE TENTH of a Percent of Americans!

Fall has fallen!!!!

Just want to say that this morning I headed out the front door for a 5 at 6:30 am and it was 60 degrees!!!!!! FINALLY!!!! It was a great run on my mountain trail with an 11 minute mile average. Not bad, considering I could barely walk yesterday after a long 18 on Sunday.

I was singing out loud. The desert heat has finally broke. I am very excited to do my long weekend runs in cool weather FINALLY.

Happy November to you all!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Addiction? Obsession?

By now, you probably have noticed your feelings toward running have begun to change. Instead of the dread and the million reasons why you can’t run, you begin to feel the opposite. You look forward to the short run days and think to yourself… “Great – a 4 mile run! The weather is cool and I can go fast! Maybe faster than I have ever gone before…” Or maybe you are into the part of your training where you are beginning to do longer runs – 10’s or more. Mileage that sounded crazy, insane to you a few months ago! If you follow a training schedule like mine, where every other week you have an increasing long run, you might be thinking things like… “Oh wow, next week I have a 16! I have never done a 16 before! Am I ready? I am scared! The schedule says to do it, I must be able to do it! Wow, if I do it, I will have gone a distance farther than I have ever gone before in my entire life!!!”

And you do it. And you get in better shape. And a funny thing happens. You become somewhat addicted to running.

Lots of things can interfere with your scheduled run. Work, family, injuries, travel… If you have to skip a day for some reason, you might find you become very upset with yourself. When this happens, just re-group. Here’s an example; last week I traveled on Monday and was busy on Tuesday. I missed a 5 and 3. So… time to refigure. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I ran a 5 each day. So M-F I got 15 in. The schedule said 5, 3, rest, 6, 3 on M-F. Total of 16. Saturday was a 10. I ran it, and my legs were tired, but I made it an easy run. Wasn’t my best, probably because I pushed with the three consecutive 5’s, but what the heck, I got the darn near most of the mileage in.

And there was no way anyone was going to talk me out of that Saturday run! This is the addiction part I mentioned earlier. I have a husband who is always trying to talk me out of my long runs, but there is no way! NO WAY!!! I have begun to look forward to those long runs. Quiet time all by myself, thinking about everything from my heart rate to work to family to issues that need sorting out. This is why I love to run alone. No talking, no one else’s pace to keep with. I run at whatever pace works for me that particular day and I can listen to my music or sort over thoughts. I have no idea where I found the time to actually think about things before I began to train!

If you haven’t reached the addiction point yet…trust me, it will come. And each milestone you pass, you will find a drive within you to make it to the next one. We have been at this for about 3 months now and look how far we have come! I am almost 70 % of the way to my February 26.2 goal.

There is another change that happens when you have been running for awhile. You become calmer in your center. You become stronger in your self. You know that you are doing something really good for you. You know that you are doing something that most of the population can or will not do. Self confidence increases. Self image becomes less about what you see in the mirror and more about your increasing performance. And no one, not NO ONE can take that from you! It yours, you are earning it, bit by bit, step by step, everyday and you are doing it all by yourself! And when you feel your leg muscles developing and hardening, satisfaction grows inside of you. That feeling becomes settled - less fleeting and perhaps that is the addictive part. Once you feel that strength, you never want to ever give it up.

And when that training schedule says run 3, away you go, get out of the way! And when the training schedule says 18, you say, ok... I am gonna do this...I'm nervous, but here I go... and before you know it you have done it. Something big, something you have never done before, something you would have never considered or imagined a few years ago! Addictive? Yes. A feeling that you begin to desire so strongly. And you begin to adjust everything in your life to achieve it. Better food, better sleep, better nutrition, better hydration.

Obession? Addiction? Whatever it is, it is real and a good thing. And it is a very special thing about runners.

And Triatheletes! Yesterday I had a great conversation with Melissa. I work with Melissa. Everyone loves Melissa! She is young and little and super cute and last year she decided to train for her first 1/2 Ironman Triatholon. Swim 1.6, Bike 56, Run 13.1. Ok, so she FINISHES with a 1/2 marathon!!!!! Well, she joined a club and trained for like a year and she did it. AWESOME! So we spoke yesterday and guess what? Melissa has decided to begin her training for the Arizona Ironman! Swim 2.4, Bike 112, Run -26.2 a COMPLETE MARATHON AT THE END! Unbelievable! I am so incredibly proud of her and I will be there at the finish line to CHEER HER ON!!!! It is amazing what you can do when you set that goal and put your head down and just follow the instructions. Go Melissa! And welcome to our little club...! : )