Just Let The Legs Carry You…..

I’ve got this little thing coming up in two weeks.

Just this little race that I recently signed up for.

This Philly Gore-Tex Marathon.

It is literally 2 weeks from today. Let’s just hope that by this time of night I am actually done running it and am soundly asleep!

I was talking to my friend who I am doing Philly with today. A couple of the women who were signed up to run it won’t be doing it now. Can’t really blame them at all seeing as they just both ran in the NYC Marathon. They both were amazing and rocked it! One even qualified for the Boston Marathon. They have more than earned their weekend at home and are most definitely excused even though they will be missed!

Me on the other hand, I’ve got no excuse. Yes, I haven’t been plotting this run out for a year, but I think (hope) I’m ready. I’ve been following my training plan and doing what needs to be done. Yet, the doubts still creep in. The “What was I thinking?” doubts. I don’t know why. I think it might be normal or at least normal for me. To be honest, I think my legs will hold out. It’s the feet and mind that worry me. Running really is a mental game. Many don’t realize it, but it is. The body will do what the mind tells it to do. If the mind tells it to give up, it will. If the mind tells it to keep going, it will. They key will be making sure my mind doesn’t give up.

I’ve got to work on my Manta.

My normal – “You’ve got this” won’t really work in this situation. How am I supposed to know that I’ve got this when I’ve never got this before. So that one is out.

I think I’m going to go with – “Don’t think and just let your legs carry you.”

In the whole scheme of things it really amazes me how far I have pushed my running in the last year. I didn’t run my first half until May and since then I’ve run two more and am getting ready to run my first marathon. It boggles my mind. If you had EVER asked me if I would ever run a marathon, I would have firmly told you that you were crazy. Whose the crazy one now? I guess me because I’m going to do it.

Part of me thinks that this might be my one and only marathon, but then there is the other part of me that knows this is just the beginning…….

Friday Five: Staying on Track During the Holidays!

Nov7

So after yesterday’s post Is It Really Just a Number? Yes, it is; this is a timely Friday 5!

We’ve all either been working so hard or just starting out on our journey to get fit and healthy.

Then BAM

along come the Holiday’s!

First Thanksgiving which literally revolves around food.

(yes, this is cake)

Then for my family we are off to Christmas

which means

cookie exchanges

Gingerbread houses

Family and friend gatherings

New Year’s Celebrations.

Then BAM BAM BAM

The New Year’s guilt and getting back on track

BUT

what if there didn’t have to be any New Year’s Guilt?

What if we could still enjoy all our festivities while not finding that our clothes are shrinking.

That’s what today’s Friday Five is all about

5 ways to stay on track / healthy during the holidays

Now, I’m still trying to figure this out and I know that I won’t be perfect so

Maybe instead of meeting friends for lunch, we could meet for pedicures, shopping, or even a run. It’s about spending time with our friends not about the food.
Sign up for a local Turkey Tot, Jingle Fun Run or any sort of silly usually short race. They are not only fun, but it will also keep you motivated. I’ve also signed up for the Half Marathon for January. Yes, I’m going to freeze my butt off but I will have to keep running through the holiday’s to be ready for it and I won’t be alone! Grab a friend to join you.
Tweak your recipes to make them healthier. This is always a tough one, but there are ways to do it. It does take more planning, time and less processed food. Pintrest is a wonderful thing
Don’t drink your calories. For me I’m not even talking alcohol. I’m talking homemade hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows or Eggnog. I’m the only one in my house who likes Eggnog, therefore there is no reason for it to be in my fridge all month long. I vow when the container in my fridge is gone; I will not buy another one till I’m having company. I will also NOT make marshmallows until right before Christmas!
Life is short. Enjoy it which if for me means partaking in the food of the Holiday’s. So I’m going to go for it! Just don’t go for all of it. So when at cookie exchange, party, ect; I will eat. But to make sure that I’m not going over board, I will not nibble. I will make a small plate up thereby monitoring what I’m eating. It’s a lot easier to keep track of how many cookies I’ve had by making a plate up. To see the actual amount I will eat than haphazardly pick one by one up with no idea how many I’m actually eating. This strategy will work for any Holiday party too.

I do plan to enjoy my Holiday’s this year. I know that life is short and meant to be lived, so I am going to live it. That is one of the reasons that I work so hard. I do want my cake and eat it too! If I stay motivated, keep on track and maybe just tweak things just a little it will all work out. And if doesn’t that just means that I need to work out a little longer:)

Here’s hoping:)

For more ideas

check out the other blogs through

the Friday Five Link Up

hosted by DC area bloggers

Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed up for What?!!

Is it Really Just a Number? Why, yes. Yes it is!

Nov6

I bought new clothes today. I bought them because I needed too. As the season is changing, I realize that my wardrobe is not up to snuff. The reason being is that things that fit me last year don’t fit me as well this year. Luckily it’s because somehow they have gotten bigger not me. Besides having a “justifiable” reason to go shopping is always a good thing.

Now, I am by no means tooting my own horn.

Toot. Toot.

I will say that I often get asked not if I’ve lost weight, but how much weight have I lost. I’m not sure if people are just saying that because they know how hard I’ve been working or if they really think I’ve lost weight. Now if I lost a lot of weight this question would make me feel great, but the truth of the matter is that I really don’t like this question and here is the reason why. Since I’ve started my journey (and it’s been one), I have only lost 5 pounds. Yup, you heard that. When I started, I weighed 1X5 and now I weight 1X0 (Did you really think I was going to give you the number? Silly people). So when I am asked the question “How much weight did you loose,” it just reminds me that I haven’t really lost much. It used to make me sad, but I embrace it now. So now, when asked I reply, “only 5 pounds, but the rest shifted and I’ve gained more muscle.”

I am not exaggerating either. I may have only lost 5 pounds, but I have gone down 3 jean sizes. Yup, you heard me. I went from double digits down to single digits.

Exhibit A

Before

September 2013

This picture was taken at my first Sprint Triathlon before I was really bitten by the bug.

The I like running bug.

I am number 708.

So as to create a true before and after picture,

I give you

Exhibit B

Same outfit, same event one year later

September 2014

Now I would like to first of all say there are very few people who can pull off a Two Piece Tri-suit. I am, obviously, not one of them either before or after. I share these though to prove that the scale really doesn’t matter. What matters is how you feel, how your clothes fit, and how muscular you are. Patting myself on the back, I will admit that my arms are more toned now. My legs are more muscular too.

Exhibit A

Now, please don’t get me wrong I know I’m still a work in progress.

I see the love handles and the pouch.

But sometimes you have to look back to see how far you’ve come.

I will also tell you that when I first started that I obsessively weighed myself.

I very rarely get on the scale now.

I encourage you not to get on yours either.

(unless your doctor thinks you should).

To me the scale doesn’t tell the full story.

It doesn’t tell anything at all.

Except a number.

It doesn’t take into account percentage of body fat vs muscle.

It doesn’t take into account my cardiovascular health.

It doesn’t take into account, how much weight I can clean at the gym.

It doesn’t take into account how many miles I can run.

It’s just a number.

It no longer defines me.

Don’t let yours define you.

Can you step away from the scale?

The Runner’s Superbowl

Nov2

I’ve never really been a sports person. I never really got the excitement of watching people run around bases or down a field with a ball. I just don’t get it. Never having played sports in high school (probably because I couldn’t), I really never got into any of it. But today I might actually get why people so get excited about watching sports they are not participating in.

My sport of choice – Running.

Today was every runners Superbowl.

I sat here watching people that I don’t know cross the finish line of the New York City Marathon. Watching, cheering, and inspired. Not only was I watching on tv, I was even tracking several racers that I know too. I was nervous. I was excited. It wasn’t the elite runners that got me feeling this way either. Although I am in awe of them. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for members of my local Mom’s Run This Town (MRTT) group to finish. We had several moms running and a few husbands too. I don’t even know some of these people except in cyber world although I may have seen them in passing at a few events. Some of the Mom’s though I do know. Some I’ve run with, some I’ve baked cakes for, and some I’ve done races with. It didn’t matter if I knew them personally or not, we were a team today.

As I said before, I really have never been part of a team. I decided that I like it. Our local chapter of MRTT Facebook group was blowing up with excitement of us tracking them. I wasn’t alone in my excitement either. We were cheering for them from home even if they didn’t know it. We were concerned about how the weather would effect them. We were proud of them every step of the way. We wanted so badly for them to have a good race and cross the finish line. They all did.

I will let you in on a secret though. I would bet and bet a lot if one of these women had not crossed the finish line, that they would have been met with nothing but sincere condolences, virtual hugs, and words of encouragement. That’s what a team does for their teammates. Not until today, did I realize that I really had become part of a team. I am a MRTT Mama runner. Yes, running is an individual sport, but that does not mean that you are in this alone.

So my words of advice to you….

Find a local running group that you connect with. All running groups are not created equally, but with the right one you will be amazed at how far you can go. I firmly 100% believe that if I had not joined this group, I would not have come as far as I have in my running. I’ve made wonderful friends. Not just running friends, but real friends. I’ve been inspired by their passion, dedication, and bravery. Yes, there is bravery in running. You have to be brave to not only start running and sign up for a race, but also be brave to know when it is time to give your body a rest and pull from an event or even stop running until your body is ready. I, actually, think you have to be more brave to do the later. Either way, it is nice to have support of people who get the craziness of running.

You tell a friend, your feet hurt, you’ve got bad blisters or severe muscle pain from running, they will look at you like your crazy and tell you to stop running. But you tell your fellow running friends the same thing and they will give you words of encouragement and understanding that only another runner can give you. It’s a beautiful thing.

Yes, you can run, train, and go to events without the benefit of a running group; but why would you want to! Your running group may be an informal group too (some people you share your passion with or an online group you follow). But there really is nothing better than a group of like minded people sharing their passion that will help get you to the next level.

Do you belong to a Running Group and does it help motivate you?

You Knew It Was Coming

Nov1

I think in the back of my mind, I knew it was coming. I knew it was inevitable and I knew there would be no going back. If not, why would I run 20 miles. I did my 20. I was sore from my 20, but I survived my 20 and really within a day felt fine. Once I crossed that barrier, there was no going back. It was just fighting the inevitable and it was a logistics game.

I casually brought up the subject with Dear Hubby. Mentioning that friends were trying to get me to do run a marathon with them, but it was in Philly and I would have to sleep there the night before. I think part of me was hoping that it would be a problem for him, so as to have an excuse not to run one till next year. Just my luck, Dear Hubby was totally supportive and fine with it. Nope. No problem with me going to Philly and running 26.2 miles. Damn, that supportive husband of mine!

Now the only excuse left was that maybe I’m a big ole chicken who still doesn’t think that she has what it takes to cross the finish line and become part of the 1% of the population who has completed a marathon. I guess the only way to find out is to actually attempt it.

So I did it!

I signed up!!!

Not sure who was more excited, me or my cohort in crime. She called me and left me a very excited message about it. She is the excited one. I am the nervous one. But what’s done is done. I’ve signed up and if you no nothing about me, know that I am one determined SOB. Now that I’ve signed the dotted line, there is no going back. If I have to crawl accross the finish line, I just might. Eye on the prize. Eye on the prize. (which reminds me, Is there bling for this race? I will have to check into that!)

One of my many motto’s is

GO BIG

GO BOLD

GO HOME

Luckily, I’ve trained my @ss off for the Hat Trick. I did my 20 with a fair amount of hills. I’m in taper now! So it’s all easy training till the starting line.

Sent to me from my very exited friend whom I could not do any of this without

That’s what I’m going to try and do now.

Game on!

Halloween Friday Five

Oct31

Another Friday Five!

Since it’s Halloween, it may be no surprise that today’s theme is anything Halloween.

Reminder of what Friday Five is all about…..

.It is a weekly Friday link up to other like minded blogs —

a “Friday Five.”

Now, I’m going to take a turn today.

It’s Halloween, so why not?

Normally, this blog focus is just on my running and my training,

So today I will scare you with something new.

We are not all about just our training, or at least most of us.

We have other interesting factoids of our life.

Today, I give you my

5 FAVORITE HALLOWEEN TREATS THAT I’VE MADE

So now you see why I must run

and

run far.

Happy Halloween

and

don’t forget to check out the other blogs through

the Friday Five Link Up hosted by DC area bloggers Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed up for What?!! Don’t forget to visit each host and a few other blogs 🙂

Testing the Limits

Oct29

So today was a BIG day for me. Today was a test. A test that I passed. Barely. It was hard as hell, but I completed the task at hand (or foot). Today I ran for the VERY first time 20 miles. Did I hit “the wall?: Maybe, but I kept on going. I did it in 3:57:02 burning over 2000 calories which I think I may have consumed since I finished.

So why the test?

You may remember my post Can’t Always Get What You Want

Where I talk about how close I came to possibly being in this years NYC Marathon.

Obviously, I didn’t get in, but it was there in the back of my mind. Could I run a Marathon if I wanted. Could I push myself? I didn’t get the opportunity to find out, so I focused on the Hat Trick training which worked for me. But in my mind, the seed was planted. I may do the NYC Marathon in the future, but I wanted to test my limits now. I have friends that are going to Philly to do the Gore-Tex Marathon in a few weeks. I’ve been toying with it, but haven’t made a decision. I could even do a half. I could call it a day and just wait till next race season. I’ve pushed a lot this year. A lot more than I ever thought that I would. But I was curious if I could push myself for a long training run. I wanted to see if I could do it. Dawn had one today. So I tagged along. Why not? Just a fun day with a friend. But I told her I would do the 20 and she got me there.

Before today the most I’ve ever run in one day is a little more than 13 miles. Training for the Hat Trick, I did have days where I would run 13 after running 5 & 8 in the preceding days. I ran 22 total when I did the Hat Trick. I needed to see if I could do the 20 though.

I never fully understood how heavy the legs would feel on a long run like this. There were decent hills too and as the miles rose it felt like someone was adding weight to my legs. Since I didn’t “need” this run for any other reason than to test myself, I probably (no probable here) would have stopped without my running buddy. I would have hated myself later, but I still would have stopped. She needed it, but she also knew that mentally I needed it. We plodded through this run with a good solid pace even up those big hills. It was worth it, when we hit the 20 though.

What did I learn about pushing it to 20 today?

Don’t do Crossfit with wall balls the day before.
Don’t do a 6 mile hills two days before
I can do it.
I am ready, I just need to decide if now is the time.

So as I ponder these things, I will finish my wine, eat my chocolate, and go to bed as I’m tired!

What limits do you push?

Strike A Pose!

Oct28

I was taught by the Master (yes, I mean you Robyn) on how to strike a pose while running a race. I’m not to her level yet, but I have come a long way from some of my race pictures.

Let’s see if I’ve got this right…

Keep your eye out for the camera people.

When you spot them – Big Smile, Raise your arms in the air and make it look easy.

Still working on that, but I will say that my photos from the Hat Trick came out much better (not all of them), than let’s say my photos from my Sprint Triathlon. Part of that may just be the nature of the beast because it really is hard (at least for me) to look all together while looking like a water rat at the same time. It’s a work in progress. I’m still looking for a way to look good while doing a Tri. (Yes, I may be that shallow. Although, maybe not because I do still share those photos).

Case in point….

Anyway, I would love to show you actual race photos, but I really don’t have many during events except for the time a friends husband came and took pictures. I have a few before selfies and maybe a couple after, but not many during. Why is that when there are trained professionals throughout the course taking photos. Photos that I now have been trained to smile and pose for. Like this one from the Half at Runner’s World Festival.

I LOVE this picture!

I would LOVE to have a copy of this picture, but I don’t.

I also LOVE how the two guys behind me are showing how truly tiring running a race is at the finish line. Therefore making me look that much better.

I hope I don’t get in trouble for sharing. Don’t mind the dots…..

So if I love the way my pictures came out, why have I not ordered them?

Ok. Let’s start with that I am a mother of three boys. Two of them starting their braces and one of them in speech. These minor things usually come before my race photos especially when I’ve already paid for the race which I certainly understand the cost there. What I do not understand is why race photos are $60 to download or $45 to order 4 photos. And for the Hat Trick, its triple the cost. Now I am not beating up on Runner’s World because the cost of Race Photos is across the board!

I further understand that they do need to pay the photographer for their time. They need to pay to sort the pictures or what ever magical program is used to match the photo to me. I get that there are costs. I know that there is nothing free in this world and I’m NOT expecting free, but come on people. Really 60 bucks! I wonder how many people actually buy these photos. I don’t know many. We LOVE to look at them. We wait for them to be sent, but most of us of the people I know don’t buy them.

Here is a thought….

LOWER THE PRICE OF RACE PHOTOS AND YOU WILL SELL MORE!!

Therefore MAKING MORE MONEY!

I admit if the price was between $30 and $40, I probably would be more tempted to purchase them.

I just can’t justify $60

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Do you spend the money on your race photos?

Would you buy them if they were cheaper?

Race organizers, please listen to us and I bet you will make more money that way and also have happier runners!

What Makes a Runner?

Oct27

I will admit some people are literally born to run. They have the long legs and lean shape that makes pushing through the wind an act of beauty and ease. Now just as everyone who was given the God gift of a runners body does not like to run, many of us who are not so lucky also choose to run.

I am one such person who was not born with a runners body nor do I have any hope of developing one. I am not even remotely close to being tall at my 5 foot 2 which may also be a slight exaggeration. I have short legs and I do not have the lean physique of top runners. You would never look at me and think, “Wow, she must be a runner!” I will let you in on a little secret though. I am still a runner.

The Webster definition of a runner is as follows:

run·ner

noun \ˈrə-nər\

: a person who runs as part of a sport, for exercise, or in a race

There is nothing in this defniton that says that says that I can’t be a runner. I meet the criteria. I run both for exercise and in races. So check, I’m a runner. I don’t even need to do the races and I still qualify. I have the desire and heart to be a runner and that’s all it takes. I may never (and there really is no may in this sentence) be more than a middle of the Pack runner and I’m ok with that. I’m still a runner and that is all that matters.

I have even been told that I must look funny running fast (that being a relative term) because of how short I am. Well I have never crossed a finish line where they asked for my height, so that really doesn’t matter to me. And if you have seen some of the things that I’ve worn while running, you know that I really don’t care much about looking silly or others opinions too much. I run for me and I hope that you have the confidence to run for you.

I think often we limit ourselves with thinking we can’t do something because maybe we don’t fit the traditional mold. I hate molds. I hate limits. I like to push limits and prove that I can do things that both myself and others thought that I could never accomplish.. The worst thing that we can do in life is let others expectations and views define us. We need to break the molds and be who we want to be letting no ones keep us from reaching for the stars.

Do you push your limits too?

6 Days

Oct25

Today is 6 days without a run. Is it crazy that I can tell you this? Maybe. I have friends who think I’m crazy with all the running that I do. Now, by no means, am I saying that I’m not crazy; BUT not about my running. The rest we won’t get into that today. These are the friends who don’t understand why I am constantly running around town, getting up at the crack to do events, and just “giving up” so much time. I honestly don’t get it sometimes too.

When I started running it was simple so that I would be able to finish the run in my Sprint Triathlon. I remember bitching about how much I hated running. I remember not being able to complete a mile and I when I did I remember how slow I ran it. Now don’t take offense as I am not dissing anyone’s who runs time. I am just saying that I am faster now than when I started. I am by no means fast as to compared to some of my friends who are Speedy Gonzalez, I look like a turtle. A mile is a mile no matter the pace. I am just trying to say that over the course of my training for various events, something happened.

I have not only developed a love for running (OMG WTH), but I have developed a NEED for running. It has become one of my sanity busters along with cake decorating. Yes, I know opposite spectrum, but the balance each other out don’t you think. As with running, I need to concentrate solely on the task before me and it clears the mind. You can’t always decorate a cake, but it is usually easy to squeeze in a run. Except this week.

I purposely took Monday and Tuesday off to recover from my Hat Trick. No, I wasn’t really that sore. I did have some soreness in my right calf and I didn’t want to push it. I’ve done that before and it’s never good. So I did want to take a few days off, but now I am at six days and it’s too much. I kept thinking that I would be able to squeeze a run in during the week, but that never happened. Dear Hubby went back to work on Wednesday and there has just been too much stuff to do that either didn’t get done last week, needed to be done before today, or just the normal stuff that has to get done in life. But today is day six and I can’t take it.

Today is also going to be a rough day. Today is the day we say goodbye to truly one of the good guys, My Father-in-law. A man who worked his whole life with the simple focus of taking care of his family. He raised 9 children (5 natural, 4 adopted) and that doesn’t even begin to touch the scope of who is was. It will be a day of tears. A day of remembering and a day to say goodbye.

This is why, for me, I do need my run. As you know, running is my time alone. My time to let off stress. My time to just let things tumble through my mind at will as my feet hit the pavement. No running isn’t therapy, but running can really help to release stress, tire you out, and sometimes you have runner’s tears when the wind hits your eyes even if you have sunglasses on. I know though that today though that there once again may not be time to run and I will be ok with that as tomorrow I will get up before my house and go for a long run. Not because I’m in training, but because both my body and soul need it.

How does running help you?

The Accidentally Running Mama

Run, Bike, Swim and Have a Life!

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