The Iron Nun

Last week I attended a book talk by the Iron Nun, Sister Madonna Buder, at the Boulder Bookstore. I'd only just learned of Sr. Madonna and was quite excited to meet her and hear what she had to say.

I was never a runner in my days as an athlete. I played basketball in high school and college. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the team, I performed better when others were relying on me and not so well if I was competing against myself. Last year, when I told my best friend from high school and basketball teammate that I was going to start running, the first words out of her mouth were, "Really? You hate running." I honestly don't know that I hated running but, she could've been right. Deciding to start running in my 40s though was a different thing than being an athlete in my younger days. In high school, I played basketball because my big brother told me I should. I enjoyed it but didn't know it was something I was good at but he assured me I was. I enjoyed basketball a lot. It was fun to be good enough to compete and win.

What's different about being an athlete now versus back then is that I am choosing to do this for myself now. Basketball was all about the team, even though I did it because I enjoyed it. Running is all about me. And I've chosen to do this. No one is scheduling practice for me. No one is making me work hard. No one is making me run races. No one but me. And I also know that no one else is relying on me to perform. If I skip a run I'm only affecting myself. I can choose to make up the run or not. I can choose to be upset about it or not. It is quite liberating to have that control.

When I decided to take up running it wasn't because I thought I would excel at it. I was just hoping to improve my health. The boot camp workouts are great but at some point, I should probably stop paying for those classes and put those funds into the house, or my motorcycle, or a vacation or something. So, I thought, running would be a good back up activity to keep me honest and keep me moving. Turns out I also enjoy it. But, my plan is not to improve my times or anything like that. My plan is more long term than that. I want to keep moving to stay healthy for the rest of my life.

I have inherited some good health genes. My grandparents all lived well into their 80s (except for my paternal grandfather who committed suicide when my dad was 10 years old). My aunts and uncles have pretty good health as well. Many of my relatives on both sides were or are athletes. So, much like Sr. Madonna, I feel a certain amount of responsibility to use these good genes and my gifts for as long as I can.

Sr. Madonna began running in her late 40s. She is now 80 years old and a world class triathlete. She has competed in the Hawaiian Ironman over 30 times. She usually dedicates her runs to a friend who is unable to move as she does. She hopes that by running she will impart some of her strength to others who need it. She said at the book event that she doesn't train. She says at her age she needs to save her energy for the races. She says it's better to be consistent than to be hard core. Well, she didn't say hard core, but I'm pretty sure that's what she meant. She runs to all of her errands - grocery, church, visits, etc. That's her training plan. For an Ironman. Amazing. I hope to be able to keep it going for as long as she has. She's my new hero.

You go Sr. Madonna!

Yeti Chase Review

The Yeti Chase, what a fun race!  It was a bit chilly this morning but sunny and cloud free.  By the start of the 5K it had warmed up quite nicely.  It was in the 20s when I arrived at 8:30 to check in, pick up my race number and fabulous race shirt.  I wore three layers on my upper body, a poly mock turtle neck, short sleeve poly shirt, and a quarter zip pullover, long fleece lined tights, crew socks, gloves, a hat and a neck gaiter that I wore over my mouth for the first mile or so to warm the air as I was breathing.  About two thirds of the way through I felt overdressed but not uncomfortably so.  Since it was only a 5K I wasn't too worried about over heating.  The tights were comfy.  It was the first time I've run in them.  My hands did get sweaty and I took my gloves off close to the finish.  I probably could have gotten away with my mesh cap and ear warmers too.  But, I was ok with my fleece Under Armour hat.  What I worry about the most in the cold are my ears getting too cold.  I get earaches very easily in the cold.

Here I am getting my photo taken with the Yeti!

What I really liked about this race was that there were vendors set up and giving stuff away at the start and finish of the races.  That was cool.  Also, it was limited to 500 participants so that made everything very easy to manage.  No standing in lines for stuff.  Yay!  They also did the random drawings for prizes while the race was going on so all you had to do was check the results board to see if you won anything.  No waiting around for that either!  Very cool.  (I didn't win anything.)

Here is the view from the start of the 5K.

As for my part, well, I did alright.  :-)  On Friday, at my fitness boot camp, we did the 600 workout.  It's a pretty tough one and had me worn out all weekend.  My main issue was that I had very tight hamstrings.  So, I made sure to warm up before the 5K.  Even so, I was tight for most of the run.  I minimized my stride as much as I could and tried to not go too fast too early.  At about a mile in, I stopped to stretch a little but even that didn't help.  Oh well.  I carried on and decided I'd need to just take some walk breaks.  On my walk breaks I tried to keep up a quick pace because if I slowed too much my legs would tighten up and start to cramp.  At the turn around point was the water station.  They also had some electrolyte drink but I'm not sure what it was.  It was not very tasty so I only took a few sips of it but drank more water.  I felt well hydrated so wasn't too worried about that.  I'm not very good about keeping hydrated so I was pleased with myself for that.   

At about the 2.5 mile mark I could see the parking lot where the start/finish was located.  So, I stopped worrying about my legs and pushed on.  My race strategy to push myself at the end, is to find someone I've been keeping up with more or less, try to stay with them and then push past them close to the finish.  There were a few folks who fit into my strategy this time.  I'd passed them early on but as I slowed to take my walk breaks, they'd pass me again.  Once I could see where the parking lot was, I picked up my pace a little.  There was one pair of younger women who were talking and running the whole way through.  They were standing near me even at the start chatting away.  I was certain I wanted to finish ahead of them!  LOL!  Once I had them in my sights, I set myself up to push past and stay ahead of them.  Piece of cake and I felt good picking up the pace.  Then I just trudged on for a while before taking another walk break.

Close to the loop to the home stretch, I noticed a man, about my age, ahead of me.  He wasn't on my must finish ahead of list so didn't worry too much.  But, I pulled up right behind him as we made the turn to the finish line.  Well, I didn't want to be behind him.  How would I get a finish line photo?  So, I pushed past him too but, he was having none of that!  He said, "Oh no!" and started to sprint.  So, I sprinted alongside him.  We pushed it to the finish line and came across at the same time!  It was really fun.  He gave me a high five and a short hug and a smile.  That was very cool! 

Another neat thing I liked about this race is that they called out names and numbers of the runners as we crossed the finish line.  That was cool.  She even said my name correctly!  Sweet!

The post race spoils were pretty tasty too.  Homemade chocolate chip banana nut bread, store bought tasty muffins, cinnamon rolls, and other treats, hot chocolate, hot coffee, water and cold soft drinks.  I picked up another Mix brand protein shake as well. 

I was very pleased with this race.  It was well organized, nice and small, and the folks were all very friendly.  Woot!  It was a good time. My official chip time finish was 36:35.  One of my yearly goals was to finish a 5K under 40 minutes.  My first 5K was last March and I completed it in 42:01.  :-)  Success!

Thinking and running...

I made this post on my other blog (http://g650gs.blogspot.com/2011/01/inside-my-helmet.html) about the solitude of riding my motorcycle.  As I was writing it, I realized that's also how I feel about running.  I don't run with music.  I haven't found any ear buds that fit my ears or that will stay in my ears when I'm sweating.  When I first started running I ran on the treadmill.  I listened to my iPod, usually audio books not music, mostly to keep the people who lived with me from talking to me.  My hubby is better trained now, and the kids have moved out.  (Thanks Love!)  But, the ear pieces would always fall out after a while so I stopped bothering with them.  When I started running outside, I was more comfortable being able to hear what was going on around me.  I also didn't want to carry anything extra.  Of course, I do run with my iPhone and use the iMapMyFitness app to record my runs, so I guess that's not really a good excuse.  Anyway, I just became accustomed to running without music.

I don't get bored on my runs.  I am quite comfortable in my head with my own thoughts.  Mostly, I think about the run.  How's my breathing?  Am I going to fast?  Do my legs hurt?  Should I run faster?  I'm not really training for speed or anything.  I'm just running because I want to and because I still can.  So, there isn't any pressure on myself to do sprints or hill work or anything like that.  For me it's more about comfort.  Should I go one more mile or turn around?  Should I walk this mile and run the next?  Training for the half marathon, I focused only on getting the miles in, not at all on how fast or slow or how much I walked versus ran them.  Just the miles.  There is something meditative about that for me that I really enjoy.  Because of this I am also comfortable on the treadmill.  I just focus on me and how I feel.

It's funny to think about being at this point because there was a time when I didn't even want to think about running or working out.  It's nice to be back!

Van Bibber Park

Did about 3.1 miles at Van Bibber on Sunday.  It was my first run outdoors.  All this time (well, one week) I've been running on the treadmill.  Last week I didn't run at all.  Last week was the first week of boot camp and I was sooo sore I didn't even think about running.  Today's boot camp session seemed more manageable.  I'm going to try to get a run in tomorrow at work.  I need to get a schedule going so I can get my miles in. 

This weekend I registered my relay team for the Colfax Marathon!  Three legs of about 6 miles and two legs of about 3 miles.  I"m on tap for a 6 mile leg.  I'm looking forward to it! 

Yeti Chase is Sunday.  The ten day outlook says there may be snow showers.  We shall see.  I'm not worried.  I'll be there!

2011 Goals and Plans

I think I've figured it out.  Here are my carefully thought out plans, as of today.  (Subject to change on a whim of course.)

January
Yeti Chase 5K
February
Frozen Foot 5K
or
Snowman Stampede 5M
March 
Running of the Green 7K
May
Colfax Marathon Relay
June
Estes Park Half Marathon
October
Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon

My one goal is to run the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon faster than I ran the 2010 Vegas Half.  Estes Park is on the list because it was originally the first half I registered for but failed to attend (for work related reasons).  It's at a higher altitude so will be quite the challenge.  The Colfax Marathon Relay will be a training run on the way to Estes.  I'm running it with my book club girls.  The other runs, and any others that turn up, will also be training runs.

Now I need to figure out the best way to train for the Estes Park half.  Yay!

Barefootin'

I've never been a fan of going barefoot. I really dislike stepping on things in my bare feet and I'm also very ticklish. It just kind of weirds me out for some reason. But, I just finished reading "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall and was blown away by it. While not a soap box proponent of barefoot running, the idea does play a part in the story. So, today, being the first day I've felt healthy after this 4 day cold, I got back on the treadmill for a 30 minute run. I decided it should be more of a walk since I still have a little bit of a cough. After about a half mile I decided to take my shoes and socks off to see what it felt like going barefoot. I did drop the speed down a small amount at first. But, since I was nicely warmed up, I did a little jog at 3.5 mph. Normally I run at 4.0 mph. It seemed being barefoot changed that a little. I felt like my stride was the same but the speed of the treadmill was just slower. It was really weird how much it didn't bother me to run barefoot. I thought it would totally suck. It was fun actually. I did about a half mile. I didn't keep running without shoes though. I finished the rest of the 1.5 miles with my shoes on. Just to see the difference. It felt like my toes were constricted in my shoes, which wasn't the case before. And my treadmill speed was faster even though I felt like my stride was the same. I don't know enough about this running stuff to make any interesting observations about that.

It was only a half mile but I think I'll try this again some time. Interesting.

Starting to feel better

I'm trying not to take it as a sign that I caught a cold soon after starting this running blog. Not just a cold but I've been pretty much on the couch under the covers for about four days. That's very rare for me and I hope won't be an indicator of how the year is going to go. I'm really not too worried about it. I'm just feeling anxious because I haven't been able to run for a while. It's weird. I've only been running for about 5 months seriously. I've done one 5K, two 10Ks and one half marathon. I think I'm hooked. I miss it right now, a lot. I'm itching to get back at it, even back on the treadmill. The treadmill is the tool that helped me to get started so I feel some affection for it. I am no longer intimidated by that machine and feel confident when I'm away from home and have access to a treadmill on the road. No more excuses. Just get it done.

I want more of this in 2011...



More miles and more smiles!

Yeti Chase 5K

I've registered for the Yeti Chase 5K run on January 23rd. It's to keep me honest in my training. I hope it doesn't snow but even if it does, I'll be there. I've been running on the treadmill for about a week. I'm hoping to get outside before the 5K but we'll see. I've also been fighting a cold with a sore throat which doesn't inspire me to run much. I was hoping to train hard to have a faster 5K time. My 5K split at the Las Vegas half was 38 minutes. Which is fast for me. So, this year my goals are to be faster and to train better and more consistently and efficiently. But, so far, I've had two colds since the holidays. I rarely ever get sick so this is really bugging me.

I've got two weeks until the Yeti.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog!

I have another blog all about my motorcycling habit. That fabulous motorcycle was a gift to myself for starting to work out back in the summer of 2009, which is where this story actually begins. I signed up for a fitness boot camp that was happening at 5:15pm right across the street from my office. How perfect is that?! One common belief is that the way to keep yourself invested in something that's good for you, is to reward yourself for the good behavior. I told myself, if I was really good, and invested in my own health, I'd buy myself a new motorcycle as a reward. At the time I was quite infatuated with the BMW F650GS dual sport motorbike. A couple of folks that I knew had them, including some family. My sister-in-law even let me ride her GS. Wow. It was awesome and I was hooked. And, I was still working out. It seemed like a brilliant win-win situation for me. So, in September of 2009, I convinced my hubby that I should have a brand new one. :-) September 11th I rode it home. It was also the last day I worked out. Go figure. I had a new toy!!

Soooo.... I actually felt pretty guilty about it and I was again out of shape. Funny how quickly that happens once you hit that 40-something age bracket. So, my 2010 new year's resolution was (drum roll please....) to run a half marathon. (What was I thinking?!) I chose the Estes Park Half Marathon because it was on June 13th. 13 on the 13th was my mantra. June seemed far enough away for me to figure out a training plan and steel myself for the long haul. I even convinced my hubby to buy a treadmill (a cheap one). And I think I even walked on it a few times. But, I needed some reality. So, in April 2010, I signed up again for the boot camp. I'd really enjoyed it the first time around and it proved to be very effective over a short amount of time. It also had me in good running shape.

I've been going non-stop to the boot camp since then. The results have been fantastic and I'm very very happy and feel very healthy these days. I managed to follow through on my half marathon goal as well, although, I didn't make it to the Estes Park event in June. I ran the Las Vegas Rock and Roll half marathon with some good friends. That was on December 5th. (Completed that resolution just in the nick of time!)
I finished in 2 hours and 49 minutes, which made me super happy as well. And I finished in pretty good shape too. Ready for more.

So, why the blog? Well, I'm at the now what phase of this running thing. I've found I really enjoy it but, I haven't done much of it since the Vegas half. I do have plans for more but I don't have any goals laid out. So, that's why the blog. Keeping track of my running habit, or what I hope will be a habit, will, hopefully, keep me motivated and moving.

So, here we go!

Happy New Year!!