Rise and Shine

Today’s run was early.

There are quite a few things that were different about this morning’s 3.1 – and just about all of them were good things.


Time: It was EARLY compared to my runs so far.  I don’t have a problem waking up early, but typically when I do it’s to get work done, go in to work early, have a meeting or go to a networking event.  I enjoy “easing” in to my day that way.  Running requires quite a bit more energy than I typically exert at 6:30 a.m., but none-the-less it was enjoyable.

I didn’t go to bed particularly early, in fact it was later than I usually do.  Today is also day 15 of 20 consecutive work days – definitely not an energy-filled time frame. But, I’m tired of putting it off and waiting until conditions are right. I am tired right now, but I feel strong and centered. I believe my body is better for the miles and this is proof that even in the worst conditions I am capable of making time to better myself.  “Tired” is not an excuse.

Intervals: This morning was also an important milestone in my training- I increased my run  intervals a full minute from where I’ve been at and I’m back to where I was when I got injured in March.  I’m back to the pace I was at when I was building miles and I feel stronger in that place.  I’m still one month away from building steady mileage in preparation for my first half marathon, but that gives me confidence and strength that I can push even longer and harder than where I’m at now and potentially even add an additional minute to my run interval before I’m ready to train.

Weather: Today’s weather was a wonderful break from the pounding midwest heat I’ve been suffering through.  60 degrees and cloudy was a great way to start the day!

Snacktime

Review: Market Pantry Dried Apricots

I love finding really great, healthy snacks. So much so, that it takes 2-3 stores for me to get everything that I love for snacking.  Also, the snacks I buy in the summer have to be able to last a long time without going bad since I work so much. Here are a few things that I look for when finding a great natural snack item:

Natural Ingredients – One of my biggest pet peeves is something that is marketed as natural or healthy and when you look at the ingredients there are 30 items listed when there should be 1 or 2.  The first thing I look at is the nutrition panel for the ingredient list.  In this particular item there are only 2: apricots and sulfer dioxide (for color retention).

While I’m not thrilled about the addition of the sulfer dioxide, I was willing to try the item, regardless. I tried to do some research on the effects of the chemical in food and what I found according to ehow.com’s health article, is that it hasn’t had any proven effect on healthy adults, but it can effect adults with breathing disorders.  As an asthma sufferer, I didn’t personally have any problems with this small bag, but be aware that it is a warning.

Taste – Taste is obviously important or I won’t buy it again.  I also enjoy finding products that fill me up without my having to eat a lot of it.  The apricots were good tasting, but very strong tasting, too, so I could only have a few at a time.  This might be a fruit that I enjoy better fresh.

Texture – Texture is key to enjoying a natural snack.  Too chewy, crunchy, etc… and it’s not a good experience.  I thought the texture was right on these apricots but there were a few seeds that I got surprised with. Not used to dried apricots, that probably just comes with the territory, but just be aware if you do eat these.

Calories – I always look at the calories, too, because even with natural snacks you need to be mentally aware of what you’re consuming.  These came in at a respectable 90 calories per 5 pieces.  This doesn’t sound like a lot, but the taste is very strong in these, so 5 pieces is a reasonable amount.

Overall – I thought these were good, but not sure if I’m eager to run out and get these again.  I think these are better as an accent piece than as a snack themselves.  They would be good chopped in a salad.  I’m also not a huge fan of the additive to keep the color.  I would be find with these even without their trademark orange color and I’m just not sure it was necessary.  I plan on trying a few other brands and types before passing judgment on dried apricots as a whole.

Duo Recaps

It’s been quite a long week.

Coming off of the Indianapolis 500 weekend (a sacrosanct 3-days in our house) and heading in to a very busy work week, I only got one run in this week – a 3.1 on Saturday.  I did get my first yoga class in, though, so this will be a duel recap of the two experiences.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with yoga – it can be intimidating, especially walking in to a class with no experience.  I wanted to push my comfort zone, though, so I signed up for a four-week Intro to Yoga class this month.  A friend signed up as well, which helps both of us stay committed to the program and our first class was this week.

After one class – I’m hooked.  It was the only workout I’ve ever done that I was still thinking about 3 days later.  It really was energizing – but in a different way than high impact cardio.  After a run I feel accomplished and energized.  After this class I felt energized and thoughtful.  I was really impressed with the purposefulness of the movements and I look forward to next week and learning more.  I definitely think this will be an activity I continue.

Saturday’s run was a hot one – the high for the day was set to be around 91 degrees, so I wanted to wake up early and run before it got too hot.  I didn’t wake up early enough, because I didn’t get on the road until 9:30 a.m. and it. was. HOT.

The first 2 miles I pushed the intervals longer than normal but got my butt kicked on the last mile.  By the time I got home I was just wiped out and lost about 2 minutes on my standard pace.

A couple things I learned from this run for the next time.

– Eat breakfast first. I had some juice, but it wasn’t nearly enough.  After a long week with long hours at work, my nutrition hasn’t been the most energy efficient this week and I was definitely lacking energy the second half.  Some peanut butter toast or a banana would have been helpful.

– Drink Water. This was the first run I brought water along on since my longer mileage runs earlier this year and I don’t think I could have handled the heat without it.  This is one of the things that I need to remember as the summer heats up and my training gets more intense.  When my work schedule allows, I need to try and wake up earlier to get some cooler runs in, too.

This next week continues to be busy, but I’ve got another yoga class and hope to get at least 2 runs in (a 4 miler and another 3.1).  I haven’t been able to get the weight training worked in to the schedule yet like I wanted to, but that can come next month.

“The less you do, the more you do.”

Fact: There are only 24 hours in a day.

The title of this post came from the movie, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”  In this scene a surfing instructor (Paul Rudd) is trying to teach the land lessons of surfing to the main character (Jason Segel) before they go out into the water.

In full, the surfing instructor said, “Don’t do anything. Don’t try to surf, don’t do it. The less you do, the more you do.”

That quote has been running through my head this week as I see a lot of people fighting over who’s got the best information to share, who’s got the most knowledge on a subject and who to trust and who not to trust in the “expert” category.

Here’s my humble suggestion: Stop trying to be the best – and just do your best.

Do the best job you can and work your butt off in whatever work you do. Work hard, keep learning and read everything you can – whether or not you agree with it (especially when you don’t agree with it).  Read to evaluate other arguments and hear what others have to say. Even when you disagree you can pull a new idea or a new angle out of an article or blog post.

If you do the best you can, and you do it well, you will naturally emerge as a leader.  Lead by example. Stop spending time promoting your knowledge and instead cultivate your knowledge.

If and when you do emerge as a thought or industry leader – use your opportunity to learn even more and keep changing and keep evolving right along with the world.  If you stay in one spot spouting knowledge you will get left behind. If you’re ever named the top of your field – KEEP GOING.  Don’t stop, don’t look around and rest and certainly don’t spout off that you’re the best. You have to keep working at doing your best, keep learning and keep pushing yourself, because the top is only temporary and motion is constant.

You always still have your best work ahead of you if you’re willing to push yourself.  If you stop and think you’ve achieved success, you’re cheating yourself out of what you could accomplish.

So, here’s my plea:  stop all the noise about who has the right answer, about who knows what and about who has the right way to do it.  Instead, challenge yourself everyday, focus on doing your absolute best and the rest – the rest will follow.

Conversation is GOOD – let’s keep talking – but instead of talking about how we know it all and who is the best; instead, talk about thoughts, strategies, pros and cons and share real ideas – you never know how far it might take you.

Doing it anyways

Fact: I am a perfectionist.

At times, a failed perfectionist, but a perfectionist none-the-less.  That’s a big part of my challenge with running and getting in shape.  Nothing is going to be perfect when you’re learning a new skill and getting past the perfectionist ticks is a challenge.

Yesterday I was a few minutes in my 3.2 and considered just turning around.  I wasn’t feeling great about it already and something just felt off.  I had places to be, my husband was waiting for me to get back so we could go somewhere and it was early in the morning on a day off.  It would have been easy to just turn around and skip the day’s miles, especially since weather kept me off the trail the rest of the week.

But, I didn’t turn around – I pushed ahead and even more than that – I pushed faster, longer than I had planned.

I couldn’t keep the speed up for all the intervals – in fact, as I couldn’t keep up the speed during a good portion… but I did run faster than I have and I enjoyed the feeling.

In the end, it was a good workout after all and I was glad I didn’t quit at the beginning.  I’m hoping I can keep that dedication up over the next (very busy) month despite the fact it will be a long time of still learning, unknown challenges and it will get harder as the temperature and humidity kicks up.

I’m adding in yoga in June – a 75 minute class once a week – plus adding 2 days of weights/week.  Lofty goals with this month’s schedule, but I’ve got high hopes that I can keep it going.

June Goals:
Time:
– 360 minutes/week workout (equivalent to 1 hour, 6 days a week)
– Accomplish by running 3 days a week, 2 days of weights and 1 day of yoga/week.
Mileage goals:
– 10 miles/week: (4/3.5/2.5)

Respectable Run

Fact: Today’s. Run. Hurt.

I was really happy coming off of Monday evening’s run.  I really felt strong during Monday’s mileage.  For the first time in weeks it wasn’t as humid out, I could breathe and I hit all my intervals just how I wanted to.  My GPS was dying and it underestimated the mileage, but I know I ran faster than I have in a while (back up timing), which was awesome. During the run and at the end of the run, I felt strong.

Today?  Well today I felt pain.

My shins, feet and ankles were on fire for most of the run.  I ran a bit farther than I planned, but I had to cut my intervals down.  Today I didn’t feel strong, I felt brittle.

Not weak, exactly, but brittle.  I was happy to be home, and happy to have the miles in when I was done, but not exactly a banner evening.

Stepping back a bit – I can appreciate how far I’ve come since the beginning of my training.  3.2 miles on a bad day – that would have been laughable when I started.  Before I got my asthma under control – I would have LOVED to have my feet or ankles hurt before I had to stop for inability to breathe.

When I decided to start training last fall I felt pain while training – but it was a different pain, an out-of-shape pain as opposed to a pain from overwork.  So, today, I’ll take that victory.  There’s victory in progress, however slow it comes.

Total Mileage: 3.2

High Point: Perspective on some problems that were bothering me today.  I had one of those bummer mornings where you forget your lunch, something breaks, idiot drivers are around and I let it get the best of me in the A.M.  I was able to zone out on the run and really get back to center to remember what’s important.

New Goals: Pain was a low, but it made me remember that I need to start lifting and cross-training to build those muscles.

Running

Fact: I am a runner.

Just a year ago, that statement would be the strangest thing I could ever say.  I might as well say, “I am a duck.” or “I sprout wings and fly around the city two days a week.”

I am a curvy, solid woman.  I was not built to be a runner.  I’ve never been lean, even when I was thin.  I’ve always liked that I build muscle easily and always have strength.

Running after middle school softball practice used to end with me in tears, in pain, after just a few sprints.  I’ve never been fast and I’ve never enjoyed running.  In fact – I went above and beyond to avoid it at all costs.  I’ve always loved sports and working out – just never running.

Nevertheless, today I can state, I am a runner. 

I always assumed you had to be built like a runner to run.  You had to be born with lungs much more able than mine to run.  You had to be anyone but me, to run.

Last fall, fresh off our wedding, I made a decision.  I was going to run the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in 2011.  I’ve lived in Indianapolis nearly my entire life and I’ve grown up with the month of May being sacrosanct. The Mini was just the beginning of what marks the most exciting month in the city.  Never, not once, did I ever have a desire to run the Mini – or run at all – until last fall.

I wanted a challenge.  Running was that challenge.  I wanted to do something I always said I could never do – just to prove to myself that nothing is impossible.  I wanted to prove that I could not only learn to do what I never thought I could – but also learn to love something that I’ve always hated.

So, I started slow.  Okay, technically I started at a dead stop – I started by reading books.  I love research. I love learning in general and I wanted to be fully equipped with knowledge before starting this new journey.  I checked about 10 books out of the library and dove in.  Out of the books, I pulled the most relevant information – what could I use, what was above my head, what didn’t apply and what did.

The stories were all about the same – everyone started slow – run until they couldn’t, then walk.  Soon enough, they were running farther than they ever could have imagined.

Easy enough.

So, step one – get out the door.  I trained alone, and then with a fitness club, successfully until about a two months before the Mini.  Then – it happened.

Injury.

I never anticipated the impact injury would have on my training.  The first time it hit was after I finished my first 10k.  I was so happy, so proud after that 10k – I finished at a 10sec/mile pace faster than I anticipated.  I ran farther than I ever had.  I felt stronger than I ever had.  I beat my mental walls – all my work led up to this, I had learned to love running.

I felt the pain in my foot, google-diagnosed and confirmed through friends. Diagnosis: tendinitis.  Prescription: ice, heat, rest. No running for 1-2 weeks.

So, I took the week off, cross-trained daily, stretched, iced, heated and rested.  I got back on it a week later and went out for a 5-mile run (albeit- a tentative 5-mile run.)  Mission completed, if not a bit slower than average.  But then, just as sure as the time before – the pain started up.  This time, much worse than before.  I did a short run again, the pain grew.  One more run, even more pain and it was determined.  No running again, this time for 2 weeks.  More cross training, more ice, more rest.

When I got back to running it was only 3 weeks away from race day.  The first run out was awful.  I got back in more frustrated, more upset than if I hadn’t gone at all.  The second run – same thing.  I was back at the beginning.  I could barely maintain my pace for a few miles, let alone be where I was or where I needed to be.

So, I had to make a hard decision.  I had to reevaluate my goal.  Did I want to complete my first mini? Yes.  Could I walk the mini and accomplish that? Yes.  Was that the ultimate goal?

No.  Not anymore.

The goal was no longer just to finish – just to complete it once, most likely injure myself again and then stop what I started.  No. The goal is not to finish and stop; not to half-ass it, tape it together just to cross the finish line.  My goal is to learn to love something that I’ve always hated.  To push my limits physically and mentally in a way I hadn’t ever done before.

I reevaluated the plan, signed up for another 13.1 (this time, in November) and developed a training plan that would allow me twice as long to increase mileage and build up to the 13.1.  After that, I’ll run the Mini Marathon next year.  After that – I’ll continue to run and sign up for more races.  It may seem like quitting to some – I didn’t complete the race as planned, but it’s only quitting the easy way out, because the hard way – the long way – meant doing the right thing to build continuous momentum; not just half-assing it.

Because along the way – during the miles – I learned that running was more than just the number of miles ran.  It’s more than the number of calories burnt.  It’s not about losing pounds or looking cool or being fast (*because trust me, I will NEVER be fast. Ever.)

A run now is about the fact I pushed through the pain, about the fact my lungs are strong enough to run in the heat, about the peace and strength I feel after the run.  It’s not about 13.1.  It’s about the journey to get to the finish line – and keep going after that.

My run is worth more than the mileage number that marks it.

The basics

Fact: Life as a whole can be overwhelming.

It can be as overwhelming as when you were a small child and learning a new skill – be that spelling, long division or algebra.  At the start of the experience it can seem like an impossible task.  x=y? How can x=y in problem one day and x=z the next?  As you learn the skills, the tricks and start to break it down – slowly, things get easier.

That skill to be able to evaluate an overwhelming situation, to break down the big problems in to small tasks is continually helpful as an adult.  Too many people forget HOW to keep learning every day – forget how to take the big frustrations and break those down into small, manageable tasks.

The skills that you learn in the beginning- the simple arithmetic – those skills don’t stop being useful.  Ever.

Simple arithmetic expands even beyond the ability to break down big problems in to smaller, manageable tasks.  Simple arithmetic can be used to evaluate the world when you take a closer look.  Look deeper; look beyond the cover.  Really look – is the whole picture that you’re seeing more – or less – than the sum of its parts.

Some people can be worth less than the sum of its parts: their education, their pedigree, their bank account – might add up to a lot less than someone who doesn’t have those things.  The person without any of that could be worth so much more than the sum of their parts: their dedication, their trustworthiness, their ability to help or heal.

The same goes for activities and objects – a painting, a run – for different people anything could be more (or less) than it seems from the outside.  It’s easy to get caught up in what looks important from the outside – to get distracted by the shininess of something.  Take the time to really look past the cover and evaluate the situation.

Always do the simple arithmetic – is the whole worth more or less than the sum of its parts?