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Suck it up, Buttercup!

Oct7

Final Installment of Grete’s Gallop HM

So you’ve seen outfits.

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You’ve read about the  course.

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Now it’s time to get to the actual mechanics of the run.

I bet your ready to hear more about rainbows and sunshine.   Well your in for a real treat because the actual run kind of sucked!

Are you shocked that I said that?

Don’t be.

Yes, I ended up trudging through it which is what I needed to do.   It was a great training course with the rolling hills of the park.  This was the perfect course to prepare me for my Hat Trick.   To prove to myself that I could run it without stopping.

Yes, I finished in a decent time of 2:20:04.   You know what? It still sucked.

  Why?

Let’s see………

Around mile 3, I developed a muscle cramp

(AKA a charlie horse in my right calf)

Around mile 7, my damn toe and ball of my foot started to hurt.

Then there were the lies – This is the last hill.   It’s all down hill from here.   Your almost there.

But in the end it didn’t matter.

I crossed the finish line and although I didn’t forget any of the pain,

It was worth it.

I needed to know that I could push through the pain and finish.

I did.

Rule of the road when running in a tutu

You need to be able to back it up:)

I’m not sure if I would have finished as quickly though without friends to share the pain with.

One friend may have seen a different side of me as I may have been a bit of a sailor with my words to deal with the pain.

One friend was inspiring because she was dealing with her own pain from pushing herself to her limits and she kept going.

Even better,

We all smiled when we crossed the finish line together!

I will have to remind myself that I can do it, no matter what.

Right now, I’m focused on getting my legs and feet back in shape.

I’ve got 10 days to go till the Hat Trick.

If anything, this run taught me that sometimes you just have to suck it up and run through the pain

because

Pain really is temporary (in this case)

and

the felling of accomplishment will be forever.

I’m a Little Bit Country, but now I’m also Little bit Rock N Roll

Oct7

Part 2 – Grete’s Gallop Run NYC

I’m a country girl at heart.  I grew up with space.   I grew up with trees and mountains.   Life in the Burbs feels too congested for me sometimes.   I have a sister that lived in The City (NYC – because there really is no other city like it).   She loved it.    She still misses it.   Now don’t feel too bad for her as she is now living in sunny California, but it’s different.   I really never understood her love for The City until this weekend.   Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy going into The City on occasion, but I honestly didn’t get what the excitement was all about.

I will admit the thought of running in Central Park was very appealing to me especially after missing the opportunity to run the NYC Marathon that I told you about in https://accidentallyrunningmama.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/cant-always-get-what-you-want/

I’ve never dreamed about running in the city.   I’ve never really given it much thought.   Until recently.   Then when this chance came along I couldn’t pass it up.    I’ve only been on the outskirts of the park.   Never venturing in.   Didn’t think I was missing much because really what could The City have that a Country Girl would appreciate.  Now I get it.   I get why people dream of running in Central Park and NYC.   It’s an amazing experience.

The People

10690324_1497145117201625_3575926529110256613_nEvery race has people but there was just something different here.

Not sure if it was because of the sheer number of participants, volunteers, spectators,

and just people who could care less that you were running a half marathon because they came to enjoy the park themselves;

but this was different.

The Park

1208524_1497145103868293_2415875355252458864_nThis was the best starting line I’ve ever been to!

The Course

10698499_1496674013915402_4038269502547917188_nIt was challenging, interesting, and you really did get to see the park.

I really wanted to hurt someone and hurt them bad for constantly lying to me

telling me it was all downhill after the turn.

lies, lies, lies

 

It’s really is Picture Perfect

945019_10204089024858375_774358394750037621_nYou don’t get views of the skyline like this in the country!

Probably because there are no skylines like this in the country.

That’s why it’s the country:)

That being said, it is a spectacular view and I’m sure those that live in there don’t even notice it after a while;

but I did.

It really was spectacular!

It also helped that it was a beautiful fall day in the Park.

Wait….

There’s still more:)

Tomorrow!

A Surprise Half Marathon

Oct6

Part 1

(As I think I might have a lot to say:)

Last week I was taking about my upcoming run schedule.   I said that I had 13 to do on Sunday.   Some friends said that I should come to the city (NYC) and run with them in a half marathon they were doing.    I thought about it for like 2 seconds and thought it was a great idea.   Of course, just because I thought it was a great idea didn’t mean that it was going to happen.  I do have some people that I need to take care of.   So as always with the life of a Mama runner, I had to do some scheduling.   It was down to the wire, but it all worked out.    While I was waiting for the scheduling to fall into place, I wasted no time in getting ready for the race.

The race was the Memorial Sloan Kettering Grete’s Great Gallop to raise money for Cancer Research.   On the back of the Tech shirts given out:

Imagine A World Without Cancer

Chilling

We all decided that this was not going to be a run for time.   This was just a training run for me and the other two ladies were not running for time anyway.    Now since it was going to be a fun run,  we thought we would take it up a notch and run in tutus!   Now, some love the idea.   Some hate it.   I am in a group that  think it is fabulous!!   Unless you are a competitive runner, my question is; “Why Not?”    Life is to short and complicated not to have fun when you can.   We decided that we would do pink.  Unless you live under a rock, you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and pink is perfect.   Plus, I have a dear friend who is just starting her Chemo for her breast cancer.   I’ve actually been doing all my Charity Mile runs in her honer using Stand Up To Cancer. (If you don’t use that app, you should).   I even bought my friend her own tutu and you may see us around town in them.  One never knows.

 Did we look Fabulous?

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Of course!

We finished in style too

2:20:04

Am I happy?

You bet!

What made it so wonderful  is when it was all over with and we were recovering from the run, A couple in boas came up to us.   They wanted to take a picture with us.   At first we thought it was just because they were being silly, but then the woman went onto say that she is from Canada and a 5 year Breast Cancer Survivor.

As the saying goes,

That’s what it’s all about!

She summed it up:

Hope.

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Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow with more race thoughts and racing in the City for the first time!

You Must Have a Lot of Free Time?

Oct1

The age old question.

How Do You Find The Time?

If your a runner, triathlete, or  just exercise enthusiast, you’ve probably been asked this question.  Probably more than once.   Usually followed, by how that person doesn’t have that much time to dedicate to it.   Almost like either we have a magical extra hour or two in our day or we just don’t have anything else to do.   Let me be clear here….. THEY ARE WRONG!    Yes, these things that we do take valuable time from our days.  Time that is usually made up elsewhere.   I don’t know about you, but I still have a whole host of other things that I need to get done including taking care of the people that live in my house.

Now, I will admit that I am luckier than many.   I have a part time job working just 4 hours a week at the local YMCA.  I will further admit that I am lucky that I no longer have young children to take care of during the day allowing me more time.   That being said, I have a house to take care of, children to take care of, a husband to take care of, I bake time consuming cakes,  I am in charge of my sons Cub Scout Pack plus I am his Den Leader, ect, ect, ect.    Yes, I am home during the day.   That does not mean that my day fills up any slower than yours.

As I’m writing this though, I realize that when I was an avid scrapbooker (I will eventually catch up on them again in the off season); I heard these same comments.  I’ve also heard it when I would spend 12 hours or more on one of my cakes.    So maybe people say these things not belittle, but to justify why they aren’t doing it themselves.

I have always said (and I mean it), that people will find time to do the things that they want to do.   I know people who work full time, have young children, husbands, ect and STILL find time to train for a marathon.   They find the time because they WANT TO.   So rather than people put us down for doing something that we want to do, maybe they could use that time to do something more constructive like NOT SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL.

Have you been asked How You Find the time too?

keep-calm-and-don-t-ask-me

 

Fear Factor?

Sep29

Don’t Let Fear stop you from reaching for the stars!

We all have fears.   Some fears  keep us safe and some are silly.   I’m not here to say if your fears are silly or not as I know that I have some very silly ones of my own.   Like my “discomfort” of small porcelain dolls that look entirely too real. Have we not all seen chucky?  There is NO need to have a realistic doll in your house.  Nope.   Now, some may say this is silly (although if so silly, why is it a recurring theme in horror movies?), but whose to say that I don’t think one of their fears are silly too.  I will go further to say that the person who says that they aren’t afraid of anything are either lying or just not in touch with themselves enough to admit the truth.  Everyone has something

Webster defines fear as the following:

fear

noun

: an unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger : a feeling of being afraid

: a feeling of respect and wonder for something very powerful

I would like to add that:

Fear is natural.

Fear is normal.

Fear can be motivating!

Fear shouldn’t stop you!!

Fear can be overcome!!!!

It is ok to be afraid.  It is not ok to let the fear define you or stop you from taking chances.  If it stops you from doing the things you want to do, that is a problem.  When we let fear stop us from doing something, we are embracing the fear.   Sometimes that is good use of our fight or flight mode, but most of the time it is bad.

If I had let fear stop me from signing up for my first Sprint Tri even though I couldn’t run a mile, didn’t  know how to bike properly or have the right bike, and only thought I knew how to swim; I would not be where I am today.    Fear didn’t stop me, but it did motivate me.   It motivated me to train as hard as I could. It motivated me to push myself.  It continues to motivate me.   I don’t know if I can do all the things that I sign up for, but I can’t live in fear of failure not to try.  And the bottom line is that even if I fail at least I tried:)

Now I’m not saying do stupid things to prove that you can move past your fears.   I’m saying just don’t let your fear keep you from doing something (smartly & safely) that you want to do.

NEVER LET FEAR HOLD YOU BACK!

1357570255_3905_fearWhat are you afraid of?

Running on Empty

Sep27

I’m a morning runner.   Now when I say morning, I do not mean jump out of bed and run at 5:45 like some people I know.   I’ll be honest, I will only wake up at the crack of DAWN for a medal or a trail run!   That being said, I do like to get my run in by noon.   When the kids are in school (yeah school!!!), I will go right after drop off.   This will still give me time after my run to do the things around the house that needs to be done (darn those household chores that won’t take care of themselves).  When they are not in school, I try to go before they wake up which is somewhat easy with two teens and a younger one who tries to keep up.

Running a few hours after I wake up  gives me time to have breakfast before my run AKA fuel for my run.   I am slow to wake up and need some coffee and quiet time in the morning.   I don’t always get it, but it’s nice when I do.  This is why early morning runs are not best for me because I don’t know how to properly fuel for them.   Ok, it’s not that I don’t know how.   It’s that I can’t force myself to eat a bagel with peanut butter or a banana that early in the morning.   I’m great with my post workout fuel just not my pre work out which maybe even more important.

So what to do with those mornings where I need to run early or even on just regular days where I haven’t been able to eat?  It’s a work in progress.   I’ve been trying to have a Fig Bar or something small.   For a long run, I might take an extra GU during the run.   I’m not sure if this is the “correct” way to do it, but it seems to be working for me until I can find another alternative and, as always, I’m on the search….

How do you fuel for an early morning run?

This entry was posted on September 27, 2014, in none. 1 Comment

Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Sep25

I need shoes.   I really do.

Yesterday, I made the mistake of lining up my running shoes as I wanted to see the brands.  I only have 4 pair and two of them are actually over a year old.  I put A LOT of miles on my shoes.   (ok, not compared to some, but for me a lot).

Dear Hubby saw the shoes and even asked, “What do you buy a new pair a month?”

I had to explain that I don’t and that I just keep my old ones.   Now, I could easily buy a pair a month, but I do have some restraint.  Now that being said, I did just buy a pair last month.   I don’t like them.   I still continue to battle foot pain with them.   They really haven’t helped the way I thought they would.   Now to top it off they squeak.   NO, I am not kidding!    It’s not just me either.   My running partners heard it yesterday too.    I think I might need a new pair of shoes.

Now as to why they squeak, last week I went to go for 7 mile interval training.   Grabbed my stuff and headed out the door only to realize that I left not just my headphones at home, but also my socks.   I thought, “how bad could it be?”    I also knew that if I returned home without getting my run in that was it.    I wouldn’t get it in.   So, I ran.   It sucked, but I got it done.   By the time I was done, I had blisters and ended up walking my cool down with shoes in hand.  I’m sure I looked so sassy.    Since then, my shoes squeak.   I may have to powder them, but I can’t keep running in them.   To be honest I don’t think they are the right shoes for my feet anyway.   I wonder if Dear Hubby can understand that.

Although, I guess I should be glad that he only saw how many pairs of sneakers I have and not how many pairs of boots!

So how many pair of running shoes to you have hiding in your closet?

What’s Your Goal?

Sep24

goal

The other day I said to know what training plan to use, you needed to know what your goals were.   It is true too.

  • Is your goal to complete your first race?
  • Is your goal to better your time?
  • Is your just to get yourself moving and be more healthy?

I know many runners who run, bike, or swim just for the enjoyments of it.   I must admit that there is a part of me that envies them. This is not to say that I don’t enjoy doing these things, but I would never push myself the way I do just for fun.  I’m not wired that way.  I would love to be able to run, bike, or swim without thinking of my end goal.   Now, I don’t mean that every time I am training I am thinking about the event that I am training for either.   It also does not mean that I am super competitive either except with myself (Damn – those 3 seconds!).

For me it’s about needing to train for a specific event for motivation.  I will not lie, if I wasn’t training for a specific event, I would not push myself the way I do.   It would be so easy to say, I’ve got to get too many errands today; so no time to work out.   I’m wired for excuses.   When you know that you’ve got to show up to something and you’ve purposely told everyone and their brother about it, you better show up prepared.   I need that.

It’s not about the Bling either.   Although, I do admit that I do like an impressive medal, but these are for me.   I keep them in my computer area in the basement for me.  No one except family really goes down there. I do like to look at them as a reminder of how far I have come,  how much I’ve accomplished, and what I can do if I put my mind to it.  This is the also way I am wired.   I need something tangible.

You may not realize it but once I get near my goal event, I start to think, “What should I be training for next?”   I signed up for the Hat Trick right after the NJ State Tri even though I had the Iron Girl Tri coming up.   I’m nearing the end of my Hat Trick Training even though it doesn’t feel like it now as the miles are ramping up.   So what am I doing,  I’m actually wondering what I sign up for in November?    Part of me wonders what is wrong with me, but part of me knows that I’m not alone or there wouldn’t be so many people at all these races and I wouldn’t have so many people to do training runs with either:)

How are your wired?

It’s Just Not Fair

Sep23

safety

Now I do think that women in general should rule the world.   I think we would do a much better job at it, but that’s not the issue.   The issue here is it is just not fair that any day of the month a man can lace up and go out the door without a second thought.   They don’t have to go through the emotional roller coaster that women go through or maybe it’s just me.    They don’t have to deal with the monthly bloating, hormones, worry about if they might need a bathroom break while out running, and is it even safe to run.  Now I want to be clear none of these things would stop us from ruling the world, because as women we know we just have to deal with this issues.

It’s just not fair…… Do you hear my foot stomping?   You should.

I think the biggest thing men in general take for granted when they are running is their safety.   Yes, they need to worry about the knucklehead that is texting while driving, the speed demons, or all those things that come with running outside,  But overall, I don’t think that when they lace up for a run they think of anything else while they are out training.   Maybe they do.   I’m not a man, so I could be totally wrong.   I just don’t think that I am.

  1. Do they notice if the same car has gone past them more than once.?
  2. Have they every felt creeped out from someone giving them a creepy look or comment?
  3. Do they ever think, ” I shouldn’t run a trail by myself because something really bad could happen to me” and then don’t go?
  4. Do they make sure that their Find My Friend App is on just in case?

For some reason, I really think that the answer is no.   It, sadly, is just the reality of the world we live in.    It doesn’t stop most of us from running.   It just makes us think twice and maybe we change our plans and routines to stay safe.  Women are adaptable that way:)

Here is what I do or plan to do

  • Keep my music low enough that I can hear what is around me.   This should be done for so many reasons including traffic.
  • Run with Pepper Spray (Don’t have any yet, but it’s on the radar).  This is also good for many reason including animals.
  • Use a Runner’s ID
  • Run with friends when possible.   As we know, there is safety in numbers.  Plus it makes the run more fun!
  • Let people know where and when you are running.
  • Change up your running route.  I know there is comfort in the same route, but it’s good to change it up anyway to challenge yourself.

As they used to say in one of my favorite shows growing up

(yes, I’m that old – see if you remember it too)….

Let’s Be Careful Out there!

(Do you remember it?)