Hope…run?
The woman who won the Olympic Marathon was 38 years old, the woman who won the New York City Marathon, 37 years old…what that says to me….hope. Not so much in that I could win a marathon but that in women, as they get older, (and who are we kidding I am getting older!) can still be successful runners.
I started this little running adventure late in the game, 28 isn’t the typical age to take up a sport! 
I sat at my computer this morning and watched some you tube footage of the New York marathon, and then some of some Ironman races and it gives me hope. People of all ages…big, little, fast and slow come together to finish a race. I know from my first marathon experience it is harder to get to the start line then it is to get to the finish…injury can plague a person training for that distance. Finishing a race of that distance is life changing…at least it was for me. The time to register for Boston is here. I qualified, I have earned my spot again, however I cannot decide if I am to run it again this year. Does a person qualify and not run it? If a friend were to ask me I would say RUN! The question however lands with me, the time it takes…the long runs through with winter months, the fear…the anticipation, which in the wise words of a dear friend is always worse then what the actual thing your anticipating is….so the question remains…..Boston, to run or not to run?
Get some motivation, watch other runners. Go to a race and spectate, speak with your friends that run, watch a you tube video, read race recaps…believe in yourself. Believe that you, just like all other runners have somthing special in them. Find hope in people.
~Happy Running
Lost and Found
Running is so precious to those that run…but, like all other awesome things there is such thing as too much. I may have experienced that. Or perhaps it was the resounding sense of disappointment I felt from my less then spectacular showing in Detroit. I tried to talk myself into chilling, I was 41 out of 5052 female runners…pretty decent right? No…I had potential to run well better then that and I blew it. I got a bit burnt out I guess. I started training late in the season because of my Boston injury and that resulted in a pretty lackluster beginning. I placed in the top 5 overall in most of the races I did but it wasn’t my potential, and I knew that. So it started weighing on me…it is amazing how much the mental aspect is part of the running game. It felt great to get 2nd and 3rd but I wanted first…only I hadn’t earned it. It is sort of like Boston haunted me all season, a small reminder as to why I didn’t achieve what I should have. I finally did get my first…and it felt nice.
I was talking to a patient of mine, he mentioned he ran for years everyday and loved it but a week or so ago it just became a chore, he didn’t want to anymore, but he did anyway. I told him to take a break….don’t run for a few days…see if you miss it. I just knew he would, and then he could start enjoying it again. It was upon giving him that advice I decided to take it myself. So I didn’t run for 4 days…and in my world that is A LOT. It came back to me…it’s like it knocked on my door and asked if I could come out to play. Running was a good friend, and was there when I was ready to come back out and play.
I love running…
Coaching Service
“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”
–John Bingham
There isn’t a whole that compares to the feeling of accomplishing a goal. The feeling of finishing a race, no matter what the length, the feeling of loosing weight, no matter how much, the feeling of knowing that everyday you have control of your happiness…and that it can be found in something so simple as running. It can be your time each day that is just for you, your escape. It can be that time that you share with your best friend as each day you chat together during your run about the feeling that you will get finishing the Crim together. Running, no matter how far or fast brings you satisfaction.
Much like all other sports you must learn how to run. Form, skill, schedules, they are important in not becoming burnt out or injured. Let me help you. Check out my coaching page and contact me. I have a passion and would love to share it!
~Happy Running
Weekend Adventure
What an Adventure!!!
This little adventure started with some bad planning, my teammate (and running idol) and I hadn’t reserved a place to stay…THANKFULLY my face book plea was answered and I crashed with an old friend and fellow awesome runner. It got interesting with the drive down, (I am an admittedly a horrible navigator) we missed our exit but we made it, found a spot to park and then off to expo. With a lil near crash experience on the way. We were just chatting and before you know it were walking in front of a car….oops! J We made it alive in to the Cobo where we go to get our packets….only we weren’t registered…too funny! I suggested we take the out and go for some beers but of course super Ken got it covered and we then headed back to car. That’s where it got more fun! We were trying to leave and a lot attendant, whom wasn’t there when we arrived, came over to collect his “owed” $5.00…only Timiann (my running hero) said she wasn’t paying. He wasn’t there when we arrived, there was a Wings game happening which is why he came to the lot anyhow. She tried pulling out and the guy put his hand in window and hit her….OHMYGOODNESS!!!! I couldn’t believe it, he tried acting like we ran over his foot and hit the car hard on our way out….WOW that was wild to say the least. After a late dinner we crashed only to be woken up many times in the night by drunken crazy people and the police trying to get them inline.
Then it was race morning…I was a nerved up mess…I hadn’t really ran a half marathon race, I have been traveling a lot in the last 2 months and had 3 weekends out of state which resulted in the lack of necessary long miles and I believe the nerves got the better of me because before I knew what was happening I was puking, THREE TIMES on the Canada side of the race…and running threw that tunnel with the crazy smells and heat I was sure number four was coming…I made it out with out incidence and was able to pick up my pace but it was too late…my race was not salvageable. I ran a much slower then hoped for race. I had thought a 7:10-7:15 pace was reasonable. I ran a 7:26…egh!
As I was pondering with extreme pissiness the events of the weekend, I couldn’t help but change my attitude when I learned that 3 men died at that race today. Men, one whom I know was younger then I, died and I was complaining? I am a blessed girl considering. I have my health, I was able to enjoy the company of some amazing runners who I very much look up to and I have my life still. I will take today, chock it up to a good solid tempo run and move on thankful…interesting story to tell, great workout all before 9:00am and I have my life. Perspective…that’s what it comes down to….putting it in perspective.
Winning = AWESOMENESS!!!
There is not much better then winning a race, ok, winning a race in your home town might step the awesomeness factor up a bit! I have been hungry for a win, 2nd, 5th, 4th overall and don’t get me wrong, I was happy with those, ok…not totally happy but winning a race on a crisp fall morning with your friends around you and finishing with a quality time on the track of the school you graduated from can be a pretty amazing feeling. I was able to finish, cheer my friends to their finish and proudly tell the people who asked how I did that …..I WON!!!!
To this point I have ran races with hundreds of people, thousands of people and some that are just over a hundred, the win feels just as sweet. Training daily, long runs, speed work at the track, farltek’s through neighborhoods…I have trained for the feeling that comes along with a win, I have visualized it, I have hungered for it and yesterday, I earned it. I cannot think of a better way to start a day. That is win number three under my belt…I love the feeling!
What makes the whole thing a bit sweeter? I helped coordinate the race, I have worked for months with the Davison Educational Foundation to help make the race a success. The DEF works hard raising funds to provide scholarships and grants to students and teachers. It is a fun race with a great purpose, we intend on continuing to offer this race year after year..mark your calenders!…not much compares to finishing on a track to cheering crowds and then watching the children of the community race the 1/4 mile as if it were the Olympics…fabulous day.
~Happy Running!
Why Run?
Why run?
Because when your office walls are closing in around you and relationships are sucking you dry and you feel as if you can’t manage another day with out a stiff drink…running lets it all out. It makes the day better, it helps you breathe easier, it works out the frustrations. Running allows you to release steam, clear your mind and when all things are in a state of upheaval and there are many things you can’t control, whether or not you lace up your shoes isn’t one of them. So I lace ‘em up, and I run….
~Happy Running!
Crim
The weather was perfect. The excitement had been building for weeks, months even. Did I mention the weather was perfect? The Crim is notorious for hot humid horrible running weather, and all summer you train for it…when training on those horribly hot days you ask yourself why and then almost simultaneously you know…the Crim. This year allowed for exception.
The atmosphere is amazing for weeks on end downtown and it only builds as the days get closer. My super awesome running buddy joined me downtown for a trial run two weeks before and WOW was that great! Just getting the feeling, running the course, being around a ton of other runners who also took to the streets to do the same…it’s priceless really.
Then the expo…oh how us runners love the expo…as if we are kids in a candy store we flock to the expo in droves and walk through looking, and touching, and talking to others doing the same. It is one of my favorite days. My good buddy (the same super cool cat I ran with two weeks before) bought me a shirt there. It says running is 90% mental…AMEN TO THAT!! I was mentally ready for a good run…and was it ever.
The morning of started with me picking up a friend for his very first race. Ryan is a high school senior who decided to give the Crim a go…and did he ever! 74 minutes for his first race! I am super proud to say I converted him and he is a runner now. A great one at that. The weather was perfect, spirits were high and everyone I know ran exceptional PR’s that day…it was amazing.
I ran the race in just over 71 minutes…and with a pee break. Oh the dreaded pee break but that is for another post soon. Crim number one 84 minutes, Crim number two 74 minutes, Crim number three 71 minutes… can I go to the coveted under 70 next year….YES I CAN!!!
One of my favorite races….
~Happy Running!
Sharing the Run
One of the things I love most about running is the awesome camaraderie found at races. When I first started running I was just amazed by the exceptionally upbeat atmosphere…the smiles and positive attitudes were amazing and I just knew from the very first race, I wanted to be part of that. The awesome feeling I get from running/training/racing is so uplifting that I can’t help but want to share it with everyone I meet (and those I already know! ) Because of my contagious running spirit many of my friends and family have tried the whole running thing out…I am super excited to say for my sister it stuck. She started running and following the training schedules I would email her…she was building a base and getting to be a solid runner. During one of our many sister conversations I mentioned racing to her…I don’t want to say she scoffed but I can’t think of another accurate word to describe her initial disdain at the thought of racing. I love my sister, I was going for a visit and I couldn’t imagine not sharing a race with her…so I won her over with my excitement and she signed us up for the Carolina Panthers race….and what a race it was! It was a hilly course on a super hot morning and Jen got a little taste of race day Cindy…the pre race quiet..the post race excitement, the process of getting ready and preparing both mentally and physically…my cousins thought they would clue her in early and told her how I am pre and post race…she felt so prepared/warned…it is rather humorous I suppose but I have to tell you it is just amazing to share such a fabulous experience with someone you love so much…and I love her. We had a great time and I am now actively trying to convince her to do a destination race with me, I am thinking a half marathon in a cool city….Chicago, New York…the possibilities are endless, if I can convince her to run longer then a 5k that is! Go ask a friend, call a family member, invite a neighbor, share a run or a race with someone you are care about…it is a great motivator and an awesome experience to share with people you enjoy.~Happy Running!
My sis and I just after getting my second place award cup.
- Post race shinanagins!
Race ready
Getting race ready. From increasing the mileage and adding two a days, to knowing when to rest and recover running is a complex sport. It requires determination, dedication and a large amount of fortitude. A good runner must eat well, train hard, but not to hard, and mentally prepare…and that is in addition to all that is their outside world. For me that is parenting, working, relationships…the list goes on. I found that no matter how hard a person trains, or how well they eat or how much they pay close attention to recovery nothing matters on race day if your head isn’t in the game. I recently had a race where all things did not come together…I bombed it big time! I had a goal, it was achievable and I did not succeed. It was because on that day while I had rested, and ate well and trained right I wasn’t mentally in the game. Fear, expectations, anxieties…they won. I wasn’t all in. I made a commitment to myself after that…no more showing up to race day not race ready, and that is in all areas. I will not skip a workout, I will not over train, I will not stay out late, I am always fueled up and with out question I am putting as much effort into my mental preparation as I am into the physical aspect. I love the race, the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the competition, I will regain that….July 26th I race Tuuri and I am showing up to that start line with a new attitude…I am ready to run.
Training, Traveling, Triathlon
A season like no other….and it couldn’t be better!
Training: It has been great! I am blessed to have such great bud’s to train with! From the Elite Feet Striders that I get to train with weekly (I am sure those track workouts make me faster!) to the Tri For Life team members that keep me going long and help me in the water I am a blessed runner. I very much enjoy my quiet runs..the ones with me and my thoughts, working through issues…clearing my mind, practicing strategies, remembering the day….as good as a solo run is, a group run is enjoyable and for a whole different reason.
Traveling: I have had the opportunity to do some traveling this season, and I highly recommend it, if it is at all possible! From visiting the Beautiful quaint city of Boston to walking the streets of Minneapolis traveling for an event offers excitement and a break away. I recently had the chance to head to MN for a tri with my triathlon team and encountering different types of people, seeing events on a larger scale, sharing a purpose with people out side our small towns was amazing. I cant put into words how that weekend was…I would never do it justice but the memories are tucked inside my heart….
Triathlon: I took up tri’s after an injury I experienced last year, and I found a new very enjoyable sport! I am not much in the water and not great on the bike but putting all of those things together to make a race is an amazing experience! It tests the will….the body…the heart….I love the reason we tri, I love our purpose, I love my tri team. www.donatelifetriathlon.com , being the change.