1 Day till Akron Roadrunner Half Marathon

This is has been quite an off week for me. I had three tests to prepare for on Thursday. I spent last weekend freaking out about them and then studying with most of my "free" time if you want to call it that from Mon through Thurs.  Trig, Spanish and chemistry became my life this week. Feeling down that I didn't do as well as I'd hoped on my chem test. Feeling emotional. Beating myself up over not handling the stress as well as I pictured or expected. And not doing all my training days as planned.

I did get a good nights sleep last night and plan to tonight as well. I also went to my gym to swim for a little bit. It's something that I truly enjoy and was hoping it might help center me. I also added some walking in the walking whirpool thing and jacuzzi time. Now I just feel more tired. But I am glad that I got to the gym. 

When I finish this blog, I am going to go to the Health and Fitness Expo to pick up my number and packet. Hopefully I will get a shot of enthusiasm from the energy there. I guess I just have to accept that I had a much more stressful week this week, than the week prior to my first sprint triathlon. And let go of whatever my finish time will be. I'd really like to hit the sub 3:30, but we will see.  Namaste.

Race Day - August 7, 2011 - Part Three

I crowded in with the all the 15-29 year-old swimmers, the buzzer went off and we ran for the water. Instantly, the intensity of the water was felt. I feel pretty confident in my swimming, but this made me feel like I was going to drown. I tried to get into a rhythm, but then a wave would crash down on me. I got to where I could barely touch and I doggie paddled for a little bit. It felt like I was going no where and fast. There was a group of heads bobbing up and down ahead of me. I tried to imagine them pulling me along like I do in running. I noticed people walking the water. I determined that if I seriously felt like I was going to drown that I would get out and walk. I was starting to feel this way. So I flipped to my back for a little relief. It's normally what I do when I get too tired with the front stroke. It was nice to be able to breathe consistently. The waves were a bit disturbing, but at least I could stay on top of the water.

I knew I had passed the first buoy and there were two more to pass until I got to the last one. I was pretty sure that I had passed the first one, and never noticed the second. The water was a great temperature, and the sand felt like sand and not algae like in Munroe Falls Lake. I started to get used to the waves and water, so I dug in and front stroked. I finally saw the last buoy. I dug in harder. One stroke after another, I knew I would get there. I was getting tired, but knew somehow I would get there. Getting around the buoy was also tricky with the waves and other people trying to get around it as well. Then I was attempting to get out at the finish line, but the waves kept taking me up the shore. Finally, I got to where I could walk and get out of the water. As I was walking up the beach with my quickly sand covered feet, a woman came up behind me and told me that I was a great swimmer. She said that she was swimming behind me and just kept following me. I figured if she had been behind me for awhile that she must be a great swimmer too. I told her that, we washed our feet off and wished each other good luck. 24 minutes.

I got to my transition station. Wiped my legs and feet off. Sat down to try and pull my socks on over my sandy feet. Tied my shoes.  I bet it would be a you tube hit to try and watch me put on my bike shorts while being wet from swimming. Not a pretty sight. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me. There were other swimmers in the same boat as me yanking their bike shorts onto their wet skin. I ate/slurped a Hammer Gel and drank lots of water. Grabbed my bike and headed to the transition exit. My first transition took 7 minutes and 11 seconds. This is kind of shameful, but makes me laugh. That is a really long transition time! I can hear Linda, Cassie's mom, now telling me that I could've shaved a lot of time off if I had been quicker.



Bike Portion of GCT at railroad tracks

There was a couple in front of me. This is where the ages on the calf becomes a little annoying. Their ages were 64 and 65. Yea. The man looked extremely fit though. Here comes the positive thinking reel. . .I'm only comparing me to me. It's not a race. My goal is to finish. Imagine they are pulling you forward. I made my way out of the park. It was interesting to be on the roads. The biggest hill was the bridge over the expressway. One pedal at a time I made it up the hill. I ended up passing the woman who told me I was a good swimmer. It was a beautiful morning. The storm clouds completely passed and we had blue skies. It was challenging, and I was worried about being able to finish. So, I focused on enjoying the moment. I soon came to where my friends were volunteering at the rail road tracks. I did slow down so that Cassie had time to grab my camera and shoot a quick photo. After the railroad tracks came the wind tunnel that ran along the expressway. It was very odd, as I had never bike against the wind before. There was  woman who I had seen previously that chatted for a moment and encouraged me along my way. The next was the road into the park to transition again.

1 hour, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds.

My second transition, I racked my bike, ripped my bike shorts off as quick as I possibly could and put on my running shorts. I ate another Hammer Gel, Raspberry (my favorite), downed some water and walked to the start for the run. They handed me Gatorade. I asked if it was the low-calorie. They said no. I drank two glasses anyways and quickly started to feel sick to my stomach. I also needed to go to pee, but had no idea where the bathrooms were and didn't want to take the time to stop. 4 minutes and 16 seconds.

I think I crossed the start for the run. The sensation of switching from bike to run is completely weird because of the different sets of muscles. So I walked part of it. I was starting to feel tired, plus the sick stomach feeling wasn't helping. I saw my friend Shana Jane, her daughter Sophie and our friend Ebony as I was heading out. It was wonderful! I hugged Shana. It was a surprise to see Ebony. It was all very encouraging and fun. A great way to start the last leg of my triathlon.  I ran/walked through the path to the parking lot. I'm so used to saying hello to everyone on the trail when I'm training, that I started to say hello or good luck to people that were coming in. I also tried to tell myself that it was only 3 miles and I would be done. My legs were tired, so I kept reminding myself that the others in front of me were pulling me along. There were some people that looked really beat up or were too focused to even respond to my good lucks. But then there were a lot of women that cheered me on as well. A few men too. Oh, and Cassie found me while riding her bike. She was all excited and energetic which helped me keep going.

The majority of the women that said 'good luck' or 'keep going' to me were wearing Grunt Girls Racing jerseys. It was very refreshing. It was also really cool, because I had been thinking about joining GGR. The way they acted on the course without even knowing me was awesome and very encouraging.  I made it to the 1 mile marker and knew the turn around would be coming soon. It was very sunny and open which meant not much shade for the middle part of the run. Thankfully there was a water station at the turnaround. After getting more water and running around the cone for the turnaround, I felt like I was nearing the end. I really tried to focus on the next hundred feet in front of me because I was tired. There were some real fast runners that passed. I wasn't really paying attention at this point. I think my pace for the run was the fastest I've ever run a 3.1, so even though I felt really tired I was going at a good pace for me. Plus, I still had to pee.



Fred and I heading to the finish line. The END!



Fred ended up walking down to find me and ran/walked with me all the way to the finish. I'm a big high-fiver, so I gave him a high-five for finishing. He had a finish of 1 hour and 35 minutes.  We chatted as much as I could muster up towards the end. There was a little girl probably 11 or so that wished me good luck and various other people along the way. It meant a lot that they didn't know, but cheered anyways. I got to where I could see Shana, Ebony and Sophie again. For some reason, I thought they were at the finish line and I slowed down. Then Shana told me the finish line was up ahead. I started jogging again. The Finish Line was huge and there was a race photographer. I think this is where I got a cold bottle of water from a volunteer. 43 minutes and 30 seconds. A total race time of 2 hours, 23 minutes and 50 seconds. I had projected that it would take me anywhere from 2 hrs and 45 min. to 2 hrs and 30 min.

I was happy to cross that finish line! My body really wanted to keep going, it was hard to stay still to talk to people at the end. They also gave me my finisher medal at the finish line. It was probably one of the biggest adrenaline rushes that I have had in a really long time! It took some time for my brain to catch up after I finished. I still sort of felt like I was going to puke, and still had to pee. I finished. I had just completed a triathlon. I had just completed a freaking triathlon. I was able to do something challenging that I never would have guessed that I could do a few years ago.  Granted it wasn't just me, but my higher power and everyone that had supported me along my journey. Kristy and Shannon joined us at the finish. I met some of the Grunt Girls. I got some free food for Shana, me and Sophie. I was impressed that they had Lara Bars. They are my favorite! Thankfully Shana and Ebony took photos of me after I finished. It really was a beautiful day all around. We all got to go to Pickle Bill's and decompress afterwards. And hear about some infamous history of Pickle Bill's.

I had started to feel a little sad that it was over, but tried to stay in the moment the best that I could. Someone called us triathletes.  I had that split second reaction of looking at Fred like it didn't include me. And realized, oh, yeah, I just completed a triathlon. I guess that does make me a triathlete. Hmmm. I like the sound of that. I like breaking down walls and re-creating who I am. It may be challenging, but completely worth it! Namaste.





Race Day - August 7, 2011 - Part Two

I got up at about 5:10 am on Sunday morning practically wide awake.  I did end up showering because that is part of my wake up routine. I did my yoga practice in Linda's living room. Fred ended up doing the last half with me which was great to be able to introduce someone to yoga. I drank a protein shake and took a banana for the road. I put on all needed items for the beginning of the tri and finished packing my bag for the day. I couldn't find my watch in the morning. I looked several times which included taking everything out of my bags and putting it back. Still no watch. As much as I wanted it to be able to pace myself, I took it as a sign from my higher power to be in the moment. I have a tendency to be a clock watcher and felt it would stress me out too much to have a watch. Cassie had offered me hers, but I declined hoping that it would help me stay focused on the moment.

Thankfully Cassie drove us over the Mentor Headlands State Park where the triathlon was being held. We got there around 6:30 a.m. My little inferiority complex kicked in to high gear telling me that everyone was going to know that I was new. Because of my mountain bike and lack of "race gear". I was able to keep going and get distracted by getting my race packet. It included my number, 339, for running, my number for my helmet, and my bike. Yes, I'm a dork and liked that my number was a compilation of a number, 9, that was divisible by the two other numbers, 3. I don't typically like odd numbers, but I liked these ones. Thank goodness! I didn't need any bad number ju-ju. Then I got get my body marked with my number on my right and left arm. Oh, and let's not forget that they put your age on your calf. I understand that I am only 29, but this also allows you to know the age of the people that are passing on bike or run portions. My packet also contained my fluorescent yellow swim cap for my age group - 15-29.

We then headed to the transition area where only people racing were allowed. I took my bike in, found the rack for my number and started setting up my transition for swim to bike and bike to run. At this point, the sun was coming up, the sky was cloudy but blue, and you could smell the beach. There were several other people setting up their transition areas, and I felt sick to my stomach. I haven't been that nervous in quite some time. I called my friend, Shana Jane. She reminded me that everyone had a first triathlon at some point, that it was okay to be new and be a learner that day. I took a deep breathe and tried to take in what she said. I also took some Rescue Remedy (homeopathic remedy for anxiety), so that hopefully my nerves would calm down somewhat. I also was able to go to the bathroom (i.e. take a dump), and Cassie says that it is going to be a good race if this happens. We made another bathroom stop for Fred, and headed to the beach.



Mentor Headlands State Park for GCT - 7:15 a.m.

  I love the water, sand, waves, fresh water smell, etc. Behind us in the picture are all the people walking to the swim start for the sprint and international distance triathlon. This is where Cassie said good-bye. Notice my body marking on my right arm and the fluorescent cap that I'm holding. And our handy dandy ankle bracelets that track our times. I'm pretty sure that Fred was just as nervous as I was.



January 2006



I've had really mixed emotions about this whole experience. It usually ends in feeling surreal. It is connected to why I named my blog Big Girls Practice Yoga Too. I was extremely overweight for the majority of my life and I'm still larger than the average woman (whatever that is.) But I have to say I never thought that I would do a triathlon. I had run in high school a little bit to lose weight, but that was pretty much it. I enjoyed it a little, but it just seemed too hard. Too much energy, too much exertion. So, I quit. It seems that when I am one way for a long period of time, I put myself in a box with all these labels. Such as, I'm fat, I'm ugly, I'm lazy, stupid, etc. And it takes a long time to lose those labels and replace them with new ones. This training journey including yoga has been helping me to re-train my brain, but the residual effects are still there. I included the photo to the left for people that have never known me at that size and for myself to remember what it used to be like. It probably isn't my top weight. I probably have very few photos from that period as I avoided photographs.

Back to the triathlon. My start time was supposed to be 7:45 a.m. At that time though, they still hadn't started the international distance. It had gotten very cloudy and dark. There were people in kayaks on the water, and the waves were extremely large! It seemed more like we were at the ocean than Lake Erie. There was talk of the swim being canceled, most people were hoping it was only delayed. I met this very nice young woman named Hannah who just moved from Florida and was a med student at Case Western Reserve. It was great to meet someone new and have a distraction from my race jitters. They actually were going away. I did swim momentarily in the water, just to get wet. The waves were just as rough as they looked. Nothing like swimming in Munroe Falls Lake!

Finally there was movement and we noticed the international distancers had started. There were people walking the water, it was so bad. Mickey Ryzmek had made his way down and in Mickey style with his megaphone, announced that we would start shortly.  To be continued. Namaste.

The BIG Day - Greater Cleveland Triathlon and Duathlon - Part One

 On Saturday night, I was able to drive up to Willowick to stay at Cassie's moms' house with Cassie and Fred. I am so grateful that I was able to do this, because I wasn't alone the night before the race and I was closer to the event in the morning.  After meeting Kristy, a friend of Cassie's and volunteer at the race, I got to meet Linda, Cassie's mom. And she is something else! Sarcastic funny, but also has a genuinely nice side.

Fred and I with Cassie, our fearless triathlon coach.

 I'm not so sure how often Cassie gets to see that side, but she does have one!

Kristy then drove us down the road to the Lake Erie beach. They had left Fred there so that he get meditate and get centered. So, we walked down the steep hill to the beach. It was still muggy, but somewhat cooler than the day had been. I could hear the sound of the calm water, and could feel the rough sand under my feet. It was wonderful to be on a beach even if it was Lake Erie beach. There was drift wood, stones, and rocks. The picture to left is of Fred, Cassie and I who have been training together on Wednesday nights at Munroe Falls Lake to get ready for this triathlon. Fred is a Marine veteran who also won a sweet road bike from Bike Authority in conjunction with the race. Fred had the most awesome attitude gearing up and going into the race. It was very fun to be able to do it with another newbie!

I learned I am terrible at skipping rocks, and Fred is awesome at it! We shared some good laughs, Cassie took some video, and got to know Kristy a little bit. If Cassie figures out how to upload her video, I will eventually post them. She did our pre-race videos the night before and also did post-race videos too.

It was getting late, so we headed back to Linda's house. I was grateful to actually feel tired. I was slightly worried that my nervousness would keep me from sleeping. Thankfully, it didn't. Cassie suggested setting everything out the night before that I would need. So, I set out all my clothes and packed my bag with everything else that I would need for the transition. An important thing to note is that I had started hydrating on Friday. Making sure that I drank  probably anywhere from 8-16 ounces of water every hour to hour and a half. On Saturday, I continued to hydrate and added electrolyte powder to my water 2 -3 times. Emergen-C makes a great zero calorie Electro-mix. It comes in packets and you just add it to a liter of water. I did not want hydration to be a problem, especially if I could prevent it.

After some chatting and last minute prep, we actually started to get ready for bed. Linda told us that there were towels we could use for tomorrow. I asked Kristy and Cassie, if it was stupid to shower before a triathlon. It felt a little ridiculous, but a shower always helps me wake up and feel refreshed. They of course said, "No, not at all, if it helps you feel refreshed." Linda sure didn't miss her chance. All of a sudden, a voice from another room says, "Yes, it's stupid." I had no idea where the voice came from. I thought it was Fred from the basement. Here it was Linda from the living room. She had me laughing so hard, I thought I was going to cry. Finally, we settled into our room arrangements, set our alarms, and said our goodnights at about 11/11:30 p.m.

Tri Training - 4 days til Greater Cleveland Triathlon and Duathlon

There were 3 of us there tonight for our tri training. Cassie is working at the event, and Fred and I are both doing the Sprint Triathlon. It was fun. Cassie looked up what the times were for the first and last finisher in both of our age categories. That was interesting. I think the last finisher in my age group (15-29) was at least an hour and a half. I don't think it was two hours. Oh well, I'm not doing this to try and place. I will just be happy when I finish the 600 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run(/walk.)

We also talked about the transitions, the timing Velcro ankle bracelet, and transitions. Oh and not trying to beat the other people racing, so that you end up pushing too hard and making yourself crash. To concentrate on your own pace and your own abilities. These are all reminders that I need. And I am really impressed by the technology of the ankle bracelets. There are sensors for each entry and exit for each leg AND for the transitions. Awesomeness. At this point, my transitions should be pretty quick, since I don't have special cycling shoes to change into.

So, after all this talking, we got to do about a 7 mile bike ride which took about 35 minutes. Then I did one lap around the lake which is a little more than a mile. It was rainy and we decided to skip the swim tonight. I got to adjust my seat, so that my leg could straighten out better. It made a big difference in the ease of pedaling.

I have a bike rack to borrow through the Triathlon. I have a helmet that I'm borrowing for a month or two.  One of the things that I am lacking is bike shorts. Cassie says they make a huge difference. I think I'm going to check out Dick's on Friday and see if they sell them. Cassie is lending me a number waist belt. I'm so excited and nervous. They really are the same emotion. I am going to practice the whole one day at a time attitude. And start visualizing finishing each leg of the tri when I get worried about it.

Very grateful that I am able to stay at Cassie's moms' house the night before. Not that I couldn't have driven the hour to Mentor, but it's just nice to be there closer in the morning. And have the camaraderie the night and morning before the tri. It will probably be challenging, but I think it will be fun and completely worth it! I'm also looking forward to be able to see the Headlands Park. Overall, I think I'm pretty prepared, and able to finish. For today, I have done what I can to prepare. Namaste.

Week 8: Long Run - 9.5 miles

I spent part of the week leading up to Saturday being nervous about what would be my longest run/walk yet. In an attempt to re-route my thinking, I started visualizing run/walking the 9.5 miles. This did help calm my nerves. Along with reminding myself that the actual day wasn't here yet, and being in moment needed to remain my focus as well. I got to go to sleep at a decent time Friday night which was about 11 p.m.

I woke up at about 6:10 a.m. wide awake. This is new for me. I used to hit the snooze alarm at least 3-4 times before getting out of bed on a Saturday. And now I can't even fall back to sleep for one snooze hit. I did my yoga practice as usual. It is getting slightly easier to have non-judgement about my thoughts while meditating and practicing which helps to be in the moment too.

I got my gels, water bottles, and key holder for my shoe gathered up and set out for the Cascade Valley Towpath trailhead on Memorial Parkway to meet Allison. Being nervous can make me cranky, so I'm glad Allison was chipper because it dispelled my cranky nerves. With a reminder to not go all out on the first mile, we set off north on the trail. We had just walked together on Thursday night, so it amazes me just how much we actually have to talk about.

We hadn't went very far on this trail when we run/walked it on Wednesday. So, we didn't really know where we would go or what was where as far as restrooms and water stops.  This actually made me miss Sand Run trail. It just goes to show how much the familiar is comfortable just because it is familiar.  I knew the trail markers, the rest stops, the scenery and the people. This trail felt like a stranger. But a stranger that I wanted to get to know. 

One of the nice things about the Towpath is that it was pretty flat compared to Sand Run on the section that we run/walked. It was also nice to have new scenery, new things to discover. The Towpath ran into Merriman Road which is the road that Sand Run is off of. I got to show Allison where Blimp City Bike Shop is. That's the shop that is fixing up my mountain bike. Passed Bruegger's Bagels. We also tried our new Hammer Gel. Allison tried orange and I tried the raspberry. I had been using Clif's Shot Blok's Electrolyte Chews which are kinda like gummies. So the actual gel was an odd texture and taste. Not bad, just odd. The raspberry Hammer Gel reminded me of a less sweet, more runny version of jelly. I'm not sure that I noticed a performance difference between the two. I like them both.

Soon we got to our half way point (4.75 miles), it was so exciting. I wasn't exhausted and I didn't feel like puking. A little crazy that we had to go back the same distance that we had just come, but one step at a time we'd be able to do it. Allison had also recently realized that we hadn't come across a bathroom or a water stop. We decided to ask a fellow runner. He happened be quite a cute fellow according to Allison. He suggested that we get water and use the bathroom at Bruegger's. We walked over the grass barrier and headed into Bruegger's.

It was comforting to see that we were not the only ones who were sweating at Bruegger's. It was a hopping joint for 8:30/9 am in the morning. I just remembered that is was really quite foggy the majority of the morning. It was appreciated as the Towpath trail is not as shady as the Sand Run trail. For some reason we didn't do as much positive talk this morning throughout our entire run/walk as we have on other mornings. Saturday, it was probably about the last 3 miles.

I really ended up liking the Towpath trail. It was probably better practice for the actual half-marathon because it was more open, and it has a section that is run on the sidewalk.  I also liked that because the tri doesn't have road closings for the race. The people were just as friendly as they were on the Sand Run Trail too. The last mile to mile and a half were probably the toughest. Allison feet and one knee started to bother her again. So, we tried to go it slow and steady. We definitely busted out the Miley Cyrus "Party in the USA." Laughing still makes it harder to breathe, but it helps my mood so I guess it's worth it.

We probably walked the majority of the last half mile. But we made it back to the beginning of the trail in 2 hours and 35 minutes. It was such a thrill to yet again complete another run/walk that I used to think would be impossible! My body was sore enough. I could tell that I just ran/walked 9.5 miles, but nothing particularly hurt except the side of my neck. The tendon or whatever that is in the front of my hips seemed to be the most sore thing other than my neck. Overall, I was in pretty decent shape.  Oh, the last notable thing that I noticed was that I actually had sweat dripping down the front of my lower leg.  I don't know that I've ever noticed that before. And it wasn't just one lone drop sliding down my leg. It was a lot of sweat on both legs. I think that I'm just fascinated that I was able to exercise enough for this to happen. Namaste.

Last Week's Tri Practice

Wednesday, I was running late to our weekly triathlon practice at Munroe Falls Lake, so I was in that rushed mood. When I arrived, I discovered that there would be just 3 of us. I missed the regulars that weren't there a lot - Laura, Gabe and the Freedom House guys. But I got to meet a friend of Cassie's. I did two laps run/walking around the lake which is probably about 2.5 miles.

Then I got in the water with Cassie, just the two of us, to do laps. I got in about 6 laps before they kicked us out of the lake to close. It was very quiet and serene to swim that night. Still dealing with algae that floats up, but somehow getting used to that. Have I mentioned how much I love swimming? Well, I love it! Apparently, Cassie says I make swimming look graceful. She particularly likes my backstroke. But somehow I can't swim straight while doing the backstroke. I always end up in the opposite lane and thankfully there aren't very many people when we swim. 

I was seriously considering registering for the Greater Cleveland Sprint Triathlon that is held in Mentor, OH. And I had a lot of questions for Cassie. The Sprint Tri is a 600 meter swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3 mile run(run/walk.) Mainly, I was worried about whether I could do it, and if it was okay to do the tri without having done all three distances together. Cassie says that I should be able to do it no problem, and that it isn't a big deal about doing all the distances. I also wanted to be sure that if I got the mountain bike fixed up that it would be okay to use for the race. Again, she said it would be fine. Her friend that she brought had done the same tri last year. I got more comfortable about the idea.

Before we left, Cassie was set on getting me to commit to doing the tri.  And I said yes! So, my first Sprint Triathlon will be on Sunday, August 7, 2011. Very excited! Namaste.

The track at the Nat

I have gone to The Natatorium in Cuyahoga Falls off and on for about 15 years, probably more. The old Nat you could run around the track basically without being seen for at least half of the track.  Then it was remodeled sometime in the late 90's or early 2000's. The new facility was a major upgrade.  The only thing with the track is practically everyone in the building can see you running it.  Okay, maybe on everyone, but dang close.  For some reason, I have had an irrational fear of everyone watching me run/walk.  I think run/walking on the Sand Run trail has helped somewhat. But I decided to face this fear on Monday the 25th.  It was raining, and I didn't really have running rain gear plus I didn't want to use the treadmill.  I figured the track was going to be easier on my joints.

I wasn't too crowded, since it was about 8:30 am. Funny how I would typically think that is early. But in gym world for morning workouts, that is late. Most people have already been at work for 30 minutes. Anyways, it really was fine. The weird thing was not saying hello to everyone as I went around. Other than that I chose to believe that what other people think of me isn't any of my business. It was mostly people over the age of 60, at least. Have to say that that kind of helped my confidence. I apologize if that is offensive. But it is what it is. I'm sure there are a lot of older people who could out run/walk me, but they weren't at the Nat on Monday morning.

I think it would be nice to have an mp3 player again, as mine died.  I was run/walking by myself. But it was okay, I didn't go crazy being alone with my thoughts. I do like working out by myself sometimes, so it was nice. It was also nice to not have any electronics numbing my mind. I know I'm full of contradictions.  Basically, it was great to face my fear of everyone watching. It really wasn't that big of deal. I am not the center of the universe or the center of the Natatorium. And today that is relief! Namaste.

First Magic Mile

The purpose of running a magic mile in Jeff Galloway world is to predict what your training pace and race pace should be at your current fitness level. I really should have read a little more about it before I did it, but I didn't. It wasn't detrimental. It just would've helped to know that I could run/walk at a slower pace for the warm-up mile. It was really nice to be able to run/walk 3 miles and that was what my training plan said to do! We, my friend Allison and I, were slated to do it on Saturday, but I was out at a concert and then couldn't go to sleep when I did get to bed. So, only have about 4.5 hours of sleep, I decided with Allison to postpone.  We ended up run/walking on Sunday morning.

We actually ran to people that I knew and we hadn't run (pun not necessarily intended) into on the Sand Run trail previously. It was great to catch up with them.  So we set out on our magic mile mission. Allison did remind me to slow down a bit when we started which helped. With all of our positive thinking/talking training combined with our physical training, we hit our second mile with some gusto. The intention was to run/walk faster because this was our timed mile. We skimped on the talking unless necessary. Yes, we may have sang a Miley Cyrus song along the way. We also gave ourselves some credit because it was probably the most humid morning that we have faced yet. I think we even still tried to say hello to people. If I missed saying hello to you during this magic mile, I sincerely apologize. I was just trying to stay focused on breathing.

One of the funny moments was when I was going to jog past the 1.5 mile marker because I was so used to running past it.  Thankfully, Allison had her wits about her and reminded me to turn around.  And then we got to run/walk down most of the hills that we just came up. That was nice!  We were able to complete this magic mile in record time for us. 13 minutes.  Yep, that was 13 minutes.  We had been do anywhere from 15-16.5 minutes per mile up to this.  Now, I understand that this was the whole purpose of the magic mile, but I still feel a sense of accomplishment.

We then were able to do a slow run/walk back to the beginning of the trail.  This is also where I wish I read the page on Jeff's website about the magic mile.  He says to walk for 5 minutes after the magic mile and then do a slow run/walk for as long is planned.  This probably would have helped us recover a little before finishing that last mile.  Oh, well. Lesson learned and first magic mile completed. 


Our training pace for the half-marathon should be 17:54 min/mile (3:54:29) and our projected half-marathon race pace should be 15:36 min/mile (3:24:22).  This is especially exciting because when I registered for the Akron Roadrunner, I had to write down a projected race finish time. Guess what I wrote down, well, typed? I put 3 hours and 30 minutes! When we started training, I did not fully believe that I was going to hit that. And here I am half way into training and that looks like it will be completely do-able. It really is amazing to be able to have not only the mental and physical benefits of training, but the spiritual benefits as well.  To be able to face my fears, and train for something that I never thought I could do is just the "face-lift" I need for my spirit. Namaste.

First Bike Ride In A Looooong Time

I can hardly believe that this is week 8 of my training.  It definitely seems like week 8, but just looking back and seeing how far I've come. It is amazing.  Tonight was triathlon group training night out at Munroe Falls Lake Park.  The lake was really infested with Duck Weed because of the recent storm.  I was able to swim for about 25 minutes.  It would have been quite humorous to watch me do laps tonight.  The algae was also increased from the storm. So here I am swimming along, wearing Laura's tinted goggles and swim cap, doing freestyle stroke, taking a breathe and putting my head back in the water. As I put my head in the water, all I can see is big black chunk of algae attacking my face. It really creeped me out. I'd jerk out of the water and either swim around or switch to backstroke to escape the algae. Laura and Cassie called me out of the water to take our bikes over to the Bike and Hike trail in Munroe Falls right off 91.

We met Gabe, Laura's husband, John and Harrison at the trail to go for a bike ride. Thankfully, Cassie had a tire pump! I learned how to use that, and that caps really aren't needed to keep air in a tire.  Oh, yeah. I don't think that I have mentioned that I got a NEW to me bicycle! For FREE!  It was donated to Cassie and our little group that is encouraging all the Freedom House guys to get out and exercise.  It is mountain bike and I got to ride it for the first time tonight.  It rides great. The gear shifting, uploader-I think, needs some work done, but other than that it is perfect for me!

I honestly never thought that I would be bike rider.  I certainly never really intended to be one. But this summer, probably the whole year has been about doing things I never thought I would do. So I was becoming more open to the idea even before our Triathlon group started meeting. Going to Portland, OR this past May probably had a lot to do with be opening up to the idea. Almost everyone rides a bike in Portland and it is so bike friendly there! Anyways, my mom had a very terrible bicycle accident when she was 22.  She crushed her knee and was a cast from her ankle to her hip for about 6 months.  She has had problems doing stairs, not being able to hike, and overall mobility issues ever since.  Not to mention her getting her knee replaced when she was 50. Yes, I understand that this may have been a lot of misplaced fear, but nonetheless I've used as an excuse for a long time.

I'm so grateful to have had the group to ride with tonight. I wouldn't have done it otherwise. I was nervous at the beginning. Hit some hills and ended up walking my bike up the first few.  Then drill sergeant Cassie got on me about pedaling up them and not walking. It's funny how I don't want to hear it, but it's just the thing I need to hear to get into gear. She reminded me that I need to focus on the path in front of me, not stare at the top of the hill. Pedal one foot and then the other, and before you know it you are at the top of the hill. This is such a powerful metaphor for living in the moment, not getting caught up in the future, just doing right now. It was amazing! I could do the hills that I thought that I couldn't.

We rode from 91 to Kent Road near Fishcreek on the Bike and Hike trail. This meant that there was a short section where we had to ride on a road. I'm so glad that I was with a group, it really wasn't bad. Well, except for the really decayed skunk that was in the middle of the side of the road. But the actually riding on the road wasn't bad at all. Then we got to fly down some hills riding back. It was fun. I can see why people like riding. But my butt, sits bones and wrists are going to have to toughen up because that is probably what hurt and made it uncomfortable. I imagine that it will get better with the more that ride, just like everything else.

Another great Wednesday with my triathlon group! Thank you Cassie, Laura, Gabe, John and Harrison for making it an enjoyable night! Namaste.

Week 7 - 8.5 miles

So, I guess this post is the actual end of Week 7.  I woke up with my nephews at about 6:45 am. This gave me time to get them ready and get my yoga practice in for the morning.  I think it might have been the first time they had seen yoga.  It was really easy to try and rationalize why I didn't have time. But it only takes 20 minutes and I knew my body would thank me for it later.  Then I dropped my nephews off at my mom's house, stopped at Sheetz for a small bottled water, and set off for Sand Run Trail.  As a side note, I only bought the bottled water because I don't have a bottle small enough to carry while run/walking. I don't like buying plastic and usually carry around my large reusable water bottle which is not good for carrying.  This means I need to purchase a small reusable water bottle for runs.

I got to the trail at 8 am. One wouldn't think that this is much later than 7:30 am. Well, what a difference a half hour makes!  I had to wait for a spot to park, it was warmer, and the trail was very crowded.  Also, my trusty friend Allison who is typically at the trail before me was not there.  There was one morning where she completely forgot to get up. So, trying to stay positive, I just told myself that I would do the best that I could. That I would still be able to do it even if she wasn't able to join me.  I think I even kept repeating. But I decided to give her a few minutes before I started out on my own.  And she arrived a couple of minutes after that.

She was admittedly a bit cranky today due to a lack of sleep. And I was just happy to have my friend run/walk with me. We did our warm-up, stretches, and I took a bathroom break before we got started. Okay, if you really want to know how much of a dork I am, here goes. . .  I want to know if the ammonia smell in the port-o-potties is from all the "waste" or from their cleaning supplies.  It is sooooo strong.  It is hard to believe that that is normal compost smell.  Anyways, I need to finish my blog before I go searching about that topic.

Armed with our water and electrolyte gel chew thingys, we were off. I was pretty energetic and pumped to be setting out on our 8 mile adventure.  I think I went a little fast and hard that first mile. I certainly wasn't able to maintain that chipper pace.  It also seemed like people were not as friendly at 8 am in the morning or something.  I think the first 5 or 6 people that I said good morning to ignored me and had no response at all.  Some people may wave or nod, if talking isn't able to be done while running. But even the ones that weren't wearing head phones. I don't like that feeling when I feel invisible. But I was pretty determined to greet everyone on the trail. Because I seemed so eager and chipper, Allison deemed me the trail prom queen.  The only time in my life that will ever be uttered! It was hysterical. Have I ever mentioned how hard it is run while laughing? It is very difficult!

It seemed that first 2 miles were pretty smooth. Still tough on the hills, but smooth otherwise. The section of Sand Run is pretty hilly.  I hear that the actual Akron Roadrunner is pretty flat for the Half-Marathon. I liked hearing that info! We passed the 2.5 mile marker, and Allison asked me if I remembered when we thought that was exciting. I do. It was fun to be able to push past what we thought was possible!

Very grateful for the sunshine today even if it made it a little more challenging.  We made it to the end of mile 3. The trail we have been using is only 6 miles round trip. So we decided to run the last half mile two times to make up for our 2 extra miles today. It seemed safest to stay on the end of the trail, so we couldn't back out of the higher miles being closer to the beginning of the trail. Doing it this way made for even more hills though. We hadn't really planned on that part. It reinforced our positive thinking/talk though.  Continuing to use phrases such as; "I'm gliding", "I love the way I feel when I am done", "Every step gives me benefits", "Endorphins help me relax", etc. It does help. Also, imagining the people ahead of us pulling us forward helps.

One of the funniest things that happened today, as we were running along the trail we came around a bend.  On the other side was a young girl running towards us while singing.  I have no idea what she was singing. But she was singing, out of tune and enjoying every second of it.  And you know what, she stopped singing just to say hello back to us! It was awesome. I think she cheered us up for a good half-mile.  She also inspired us to have our own trail karaoke.  Yes, it may have been Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA", but it was upbeat, we knew the words, and it was funny as well as fun. I think we definitely got our share of funny looks, but we didn't care. We had just finished 5 miles and had 3 more to go.

I think we have become regulars. There were quite a few people who are starting to look familiar. This is pretty cool. I never really thought I would become a regular on a running trail!  At mile 6, Allison's knees started bothering her, so we slowed our pace and increased our walking stints.  She toughed it out and we ran/walked through mile 7.  Near the beginning of mile 8, she decided she needed to give her knees a break. So we walked the rest of our route.  Jeff Galloway emphasizes that it is more important to stay together than to run faster during long runs.  So, I stuck with Allison to the end of our walk. And we did our cool down walk, then stretches.

I iced my knees. I also made sure I moved my legs around today while I was driving to and from Canton. Took some arnica and Ibuprofen.  My muscles are somewhat sore, but not anything that is going to keep me from doing my daily life.

I don't know if I can convey how grateful I am to be healthy enough to be able to do my training. Grateful to have had all of the support, all of the experiences that have helped me get to this point, grateful to have the physical ability to run/walk, grateful that my yoga practice helps me mentally and physically be able to do everything in my day, grateful for the trails, grateful for Allison, grateful for all my training cheerleaders-Tony, Jana, Shana, Cassie, Julie, Scott and Michelle. Grateful. Namaste.

A MUCH Needed Update. . .End of Week 7!

I just looked and saw that I haven't posted since June 29! Time seriously flies by when you are living in the moment. Since the last time that I blogged, I was cleared by a doctor to keep training.  He actually told me to continue to be active and that I looked good.  I also completed 6.4 mile run/walk which was completely exhilarating.  I went out of town for work and was only able to maintain my yoga practice.  But I was able to resume training after being back for 2 days which brings us to this week. . .

Tuesday, I met my friend Allison for some run/walking. We did about a half hour run/walking then another half hour walking, to rest her leg that was giving her problems.  Then Wednesday, I got to do my fun cross-training at Munroe Falls Lake park! It was fantastic.  I swam 800 meters all together in about 35/40 minutes.  Had a break, then Laura and I run/walked about 1.25 miles.  After that we got to hear from Mickey who is super knowledgeable about Triathlons.  He told us about the rules and what are the most common disqualifiers and penalties.  It really got me thinking about trying one.  Also, fabulous news. . .Cassie has scored me a free bicycle that someone donated to the group!  I'm so excited. I get to pick it up tomorrow.

I was thinking about doing another run/walk on Thursday, but decided to let it slide for the week. Especially since I had just done everything at the lake the night before.  I did go for a 30 minute easy walk with Allison though in the evening.  Sometimes it is hard to slow down and do an easy walk, even though I do enjoy it.

Friday was supposed to be a rest day.  I say supposed to because I had planned to watch my 8 and 5 year old nephews that day and have them spend the night.  I have a very small efficiency and really didn't want them to get bored at my place. So, we swam which involved - Marco Polo, diving races, water tag, and throwing them around the pool.  We went the fountains at downtown Cuyahoga Falls, walked to the library and gas station then back to my apartment.  It was great fun, but a little exhausting. The good kind of exhausted!

I did make sure that I did my yoga before they came over at 7:30 am.  I also took some arnica, and ibuprofen. Thankfully, I was so busy I didn't really have much time to obsess and worry about my 8 mile run/walk that I needed to do in the morning.  I knew that I could probably do it. I was only a mile and half longer than my last long run. But it sounds daunting. . .8 miles. 8 M-I-L-E-S.  Seriously, I didn't think I could 3 miles a few weeks ago!  Enough of that. By now I've learned, I just need to show up and I will be given what I need when I get there.  I hope. Namaste.

Rejuvenating Evening

This morning when I woke up I did my yoga practice like normal.  I was really unsure whether I should do my walk/run today, because of my talk with a running mentor. He emphasized how important it was for me to have my knee checked out by my doctor. He said that he has know runners that will train through an injury and then they seriously injure themselves which results in being off for 6-8 months. I really do not want to have that happen or cause anymore pain to my body.  So, I chose to wait until after I got off work and decide later.

I also had already planned to go to this meeting that a friend was holding at Munroe Falls Park. She said that it was for anyone interested in running, biking or triathlon. Okay, maybe a triathlon isn't in my near future, but I was interested.  In the email that I got, she just said to show up. I packed my bag with a suit, and my running clothes because I would have to go straight from work. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen. I honestly thought that is was going to be more of a talking info session.  But it was held at a park where there was a fee, so I was really up for anything.  The park has a big lake, trails, tennis courts and road that goes all the way around the lake.

I found the group that met and there were 4 men and 3 other women.  My friend and one of the other women were experience triathletes, and so were 2 of the men.  I know that the third woman and I were inexperienced.  It was great to have people that were willing to teach and show me how to do things. The next thing I know, I'm changing into my suit. We are going to swim laps.  I'm so grateful for having had experience swimming laps! We had to do 8 laps to complete a mile while swimming.  We got 3 in before they blew the whistle on us for a break.  If my math is correct, we did at least 1/3 of a mile.  Then the inexperienced triathletes went to change into our running clothes. One of the experienced runners had a knee injury as well, so she agreed to run at my pace with me. I was extremely grateful because my pace was A LOT slower than everyone else's! It was great to get to know Julie and make our way around the lake which was at least 1 mile or more. It was sunny, it was cooling off because it was evening, and it was beautiful!

I learned several things this evening. One is that I should never run on a treadmill, black top or concrete. They are too hard and don't have enough give to them which can cause a lot issues in your knees, hips, feet, etc.  Second, I shouldn't run heel to toe.  Julie said that every time I put my heel down it's like using breaks on your body AND 3 times your body weight. Then your body has to gear itself back up every step.  So, I need to step more in the middle of my foot and keep my feet under my body. The third thing that I learned was that I need to keep my head in the water, as well as, my shoulders to protect my neck and keep my body straight in the water instead of slanted.  Keeping my head and shoulders in the water will not only save me from neck pain, but also increase my speed.

It was such a rejuvenating night. I met new people, learned things I didn't know, and got to work out with other people who really enjoy it! It was exactly what I needed, right when I needed it.  Thank you to Cassie for including me in your mass email! Oh, the other thing that I learned was to not say that my body is angry at me, but to say that it is grateful to be used.  I had said that my pec was angry at me for swimming, and Julie suggested saying that my muscles are grateful to be used and that I have nerve endings there that are happy to be acknowledged. It was fun. It's 5 weeks into my training, I'm having knee issues, and I was able to swim and run without any severe pain~ plus it was enjoyable.  It was great night! Now I need to surf Craigslist for a bicycle, go swimsuit shopping, buy goggles and a watch.  And not forget to do yoga! Namaste.

Week 5: Able to run again!

Monday, the 27th, was absolutely awesome.  I got to do a 25 min. walk/run at my original slower pace, but I was able to do it! I still had some pain in my right knee. Not enough to stop, but enough to be concerned about. So, I now have scheduled myself an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. Sadly, I'm pretty sure that my 9 year-old iPod actually bit the dust. It's tragic.  I think I may have to have a memorial service for it.  So this run was a la Channel 3.  Luckily, I got to watch The Doctors show and the beginning of Ellen. Let's face it, Ellen is pretty hilarious and how could I not be inspired while watching Ellen trying to learn a hip hop dance and perform live on TV.

The other noteworthy experience during my day at the gym was while stretching. I've recently incorporated a hamstring stretch into my warm-up and cool down. It has me putting my leg up on a bar while standing and resting my heel on the bar. I was able to do this at the trail that I run on on the weekend and on the side of the track at the gym. This time I was stretching at the mirror where there are double bars. I stood there for seriously 30 seconds trying to figure out how I was going to do my said hamstring stretch.  30 seconds may not seem like a long time, but when there are other people around working out, stretching, etc. It feels like forever. The top bar was definitely too high for me to stretch on, but the second one was fine. The only problem was that they weren't staggered and they are pretty close together.  Enter, another woman stretching who I watched out of the corner of my eye just to see how she was going to maneuver these bars.  I almost laughed out loud in the middle of all those people.  All she did was slide her foot under the top bar and rest her heel on the bottom one. Seriously, it was simple. Thank you to random woman stretcher who was able to save me from my brain short circuiting!

I have still continued my morning yoga. I can do a squat without my knees being in pain or way to tight.  I feel much stronger in my legs during everyday activity and while running. Still taking it a day at a time with stretching. It is nice because now I pretty much have my yoga routine memorized.  So, I can practice it while watching something else, or if I'm not at home and don't have my DVD. I just checked out a book about Qigong which I may start incorporating into my daily life. It is completely new to me, but the book is very descriptive and there are pictures, so we will see. I don't think there are any Qigong classes in this area.  Either way, I am really, really grateful for yoga to help me maintain my flexibility and strength.  Namaste.

Week 4: Low Key

Week 4 started out with a 30 min. walk/run on Monday, 20th. I also worked in my crunches.  I did my walk/run at my original slow pace.  It was difficult to be running slower, but for the sake of my knees I figured it was worth it!  Wednesday, I was still pretty nervous to walk/run.  My knees continued to feel better, but they were still sore.  Then I was blessed with a 30 min. sports massage by my friend, Shana Jane Steinhouse.  She is a miracle worker. I decided to post pone my Wed. walk/run.  On Thursday, I did a 10 min. walk/run, crunches.  I'm continuing to do yoga every day and extra stretches to work on my tight hamstrings.  Apparently, tight hamstrings can be a major cause of knee pain.  Later in the evening, I did about a 50 min. walk with a friend.  It was great to just walk and talk. Friday I noticed that my every day movements seem to be getting stronger which is very nice.  I have a huge fear of having to quit this half-marathon training.  On the other hand, it is also difficult to back off and go slower/shorter to wait for my knees to heal. But I'm trying my best at practicing.

So, Saturday's long run was 2.5 miles. My usual long run partner actually forgot to get up. It was funny.  But thankfully, another friend showed up.  She also brought along her Boston Terrier/Pug mix to enjoy our morning run with us. I also was still trying to go easy.  So, I went pretty slow on my run interval, and took longer walk breaks.  And we actually did 3 miles.  As there are no 1/4 mile markers.  So, Rocky lived it up on the trail.  It sniffed everyone and wanted to meet every other dog on the trail.  He doesn't seem to have the best manners on the trail, he's a newbie.  Most people seemed to like Rocky, there were others that looked like they were going to completely trip over him, but there were no injuries incurred.  It was also hard for me because my friend and Rocky had a quicker pace than I did when running.  But as long I envisioned a string between the two of us with her pulling me forward, it wasn't bad.  Plus, I was just glad to be able to part of my 3 mile walk/run.

It is very easy for me to blow off my stretching and yoga, because it doesn't take that long.  And I like to try and tell myself that it doesn't really make that big of a difference.  But from the improvements that I've made, it is has to be making a difference.  Plus every stretching, and running book that I read usually suggests the exact stretches that are in my yoga practice.  So, I have only missed one day in the last week.  It is definitely practice.  I really don't like when things are the same all the time, and usually as long as I tell myself that I only have to do it for today, then I can do it with ease. I'm still dealing with a lot of thoughts and mind-racing while doing yoga. I keep telling myself that that will get better with time.  And that I just need to keep focusing on the moment.

For now, I'm still in the Half-Marathon game.  Til next time, Namaste.

5 Miles!

Saturday was my week 3 long run. 5 miles.  I had worked a lot and gotten as much sleep as could the night before (about 6.5 hrs).  I had also made sure that I ate at my normal intervals.  At this point I knew that I could do the 5 mile walk/run, but I was really nervous about my knee situation.  I didn't want to injure them further, but I also didn't want to not do it if I could.  So, I showed up with a snack this time.  It was cool, light out and 6:30 in the morning.  You know that I'm committed when I will purposely show up at 6:30 am.  It had rained the night before, so there was rain water dripping on us from the trees. Due to my pain and friend's lack of sleep, we turned out to be very raw and negative on the first third of our run. Once we noticed this, we worked on using our positive thinking mantras. Unfortunately, it just felt like words that I didn't believe.  But at least still worked on it nonetheless.  It was amazing how many people were out at this time in the morning. Most of them friendly. It's also very encouraging when other people are bright, chipper, smile and say something back to you when you say "good morning!"  Sometimes it's just the boost that you need to keep going.  My knees seemed to relax as we got to mile 2.  I can't believe that I just wrote that sentence.  Who would have thought that knees would relax after walk/running 2 miles.  But it happened.

The beautiful sunlight as we turned around at 2.5 miles.

It was helpful to repeat, "One more step, one more step.. ." several times when going up hills.  Those hills seemed to take forever.  But we got up them.  Some where after 2 miles there was an extremely attractive man running that I am pretty sure was put on that path just to entertain and encourage us.  He was the most good-looking man that we have seen on the trail yet!  We had to cross two roads which we hadn't done before and it was exciting.  We knew we had to be close to the 2.5 mile marker where we could turn around.  The picture trio the right is me running past the 2.5 mile marker.  I couldn't figure out why I kinda look like a giant, but I think it's because my friend is shorter than me mixed with me height.  Anyways, making it to the halfway point gave a burst of energy to finish off our run.  We passed a lot of people twice which was fun sometimes.  My friend got a couple of compliments on her bright pink hair which always made us smile.

We continued to attack the hills, and lets just say were dominating them! A woman running with her friend actually told us we were looking good. It was the second time we had passed them.  It was wonderful having  a perfect stranger give us encouragement.  After a bathroom break, we were at the 4 mile mark.  Who knew?  I keep being grateful and loving that I can do things that I never thought I could!  Did I mention there were more hills?  We made it to mile 5 in 1 hour and 29 minutes! I think our time reflected our attitude, lack of sleep, and pain.  But we completed the 5 mile walk/run!  It was fabulous, sweat and all. Sweating salt is also a huge thing. It is actually enough that if I try to wipe my sweat off, my skin feels like sandpaper.  It's weird. Must be why they have sodium in those GU things and Gatorade type products. I also have learned that ice is my friend.  10-15 minutes on, then 10-15 off, and back on again.  It totally worked on my knees. They aren't 100% but they are feeling better.  Most importantly, I made it through my 5 miles. It was great having a friend to run with, it made it so much more bearable.  Woot!

Knee pain, ugh!

Something happened on Wednesday.  I'm not sure what.  I felt fine during my walk/run.  I felt fine at work.  Then later in the evening, I drove about an hour(to go visit my new niece, but I won't go into that. I'd be writing for a long time!)  I get out of the car to stop at McDonald's to bring food to the new parents.  I step out of the car, and BAM, my knees are achy, one wanted to give out underneath me. It's a weird pain that really doesn't feel like pain, more of a soreness.  It was on the inside of leg below my knee and down a little bit.  This feeling is completely new to me.  And it slowed me down a little.  I'm not used to this.  I am used to being able to walk at a pretty quick pace, and who wouldn't when there is a new 7.1 lbs baby girl to go visit.  I thought maybe it's just because I sat still too long.  It didn't go away the next day.  Very stiff and sore.  But I did go for an easy walk on Thursday. I think we did 45 min. walking at a leisurely pace at the Gorge in Cuyahoga Falls.  It was very pretty scenery, but unfortunately the river stinks.  The photo is of me near the waterfall.

Last Wednesday's Run and Shocking Dream

It's a bit late, but better late than never. Right? Right.  I did do my 30 min walk/run on Wednesday.  I was trying to increase my time, so I increased my speed slightly on my walking and my running.  My previous times was 3.6/4.0 which was probably about a 16/17 min mile pace.  So on Wednesday I did 3.7/4.4 pace which was probably about a 15 min. mile pace.  It was tougher, but I got through it.  It also wasn't such a drag as my run on Monday. I'm not sure why, but somehow doing my walk/run in the morning is easier than waiting til the evening.  And Wednesday's was in the morning before I went to work. This  is mostly what I remember from my day at the gym that day.  One of the reasons why blogging the day of is important!

I do need to write about the most shocking dream that I had last week though. I didn't really completely remember it until later in the day while working in the Biology lab. If you had been a fly on the wall, you would have thought that I was crazy.  Because I just bust out laughing because of this ridiculous dream that I had just remembered! So in my dream, I was running.  I think it might have been the marathon, I'm not really sure.  I was about half-way through my run and I was exhausted.  Really exhausted!  Now, some background information before I continue.  I have been reading Jeff Galloway's book called Marathon: You can do it!  There are several places where he tells you and continues to remind you to take your walk breaks starting from the very beginning of your run.  Not 20 min. in, not when you start getting tired, not when you decide is good, but at the BEGINNING.  Back to my dream, I'm completely exhausted and feeling like I'm ready to quit when someone asks me, "Did you take your walk breaks at the beginning like you were supposed to?"  I react all horrified realizing that I didn't take them early, and get really disappointed with myself.  Then I wake up.

How hilarious is that?  Not only did I have a running dream, but I also dreamed about forgetting to take my walk breaks when I should.  Just the face alone that I have had a running dream is pretty hysterical!  Who dreams about running?  Apparently, I do.

Week 3

For some reason, I was really procrastinating on doing my 30 min. walk/run today.  I didn't do it when I woke up, so I just kept finding reasons to put it off.  I laid down and took a nap until 5:30 pm, because I could.  I laid there remembering - An object/person at rest wants to stay at rest, an object/person in motion wants to stay in motion. I need to get off my futon and start moving around and then I would be able to keep moving, right?  I got up, got my gym clothes on, grabbed my iPod and gym pass.  Off to the gym I go. 


I still was not pumped to be doing my walk/run today.  I walked past the outdoor yoga class. I didn't even know they did yoga outside! That is exciting, I will have to remember this for the future.  I warmed up, turned on my music, stretched and got on my treadmill (#1 is my favorite. It doesn't feel right when I have to be on any other treadmill.)  I kept telling myself, it's only 30 min.  I can do this. I've done it before. It's only 30 min.  I was slower today than last Thursday, but I increased my speed a little bit.  I probably shouldn't have increased it, because it made me slower with my walking time.  My walking speed stayed the same, but I needed longer to catch my breathe with walking.  Either way, I did 2 miles in 30 while walk/jogging. 

I also used this as a chance to practice my positive brain talk. Today's main ones were - I can, I will, I am.   And I'm benefiting from every step.  Also, short strides give me strength.  It was wonderful today. I saw someone I knew running on the track.  I didn't know he was runner, so seeing him gave a boost.  Then when he went around, waved and smiled, it was the energy boost I needed to propel me past the half way mark of my run.  It was so nice to have that unexpected "coincidence"! 

So, I made it through without any bathroom breaks.  I got to hear "Don't Stop Believing" and "I will  Survive", still two of my favorite songs.  I slowed down for my cool off period, and felt tired but not exhausted.  Then I stepped off my treadmill to get a towel to wipe down.  Then I felt lightheaded.  It was the first time that ever happened.  I think it had to do with my food.  I hadn't eaten since 1:30/2, and here it was 6:30pm.  So, I should probably make sure I that I eat when I'm supposed to, because I don't want to have to worry about my blood sugar dropping like that again!  I kept walking on the track after that, thinking that maybe I wasn't cooled down enough. But I just felt too tired.  So I stretched and went straight home to eat. 

I felt much better after eating. I also got a sign up form to be able to the Stow Firecracker 4 mile run on the Fourth of July.  I'm looking forward to doing a mini-race.  I feel pretty neutral about my run today.  I was pretty tired from all my activities over the weekend, so maybe that had something to do with it.  I will have another go at it on Wednesday.

The Dreaded Long Run

Last night I spent a lot of time freaking out being able to complete a 4 mile walk/run. I've only been doing 2 miles walk/running, how am I going to complete 4? How long will it take me? How am I ever going to survive walk/running for over an hour? What if I can't do it? These were some of the choice thoughts running through my head. Ha, ha. No pun intended. So, I did what I've been taught to do with other difficult things in my life. I made a phone call to get out of my head and let another person know about the craziness in my thoughts. Then, I talked about it with other people. Oh, and gave myself a pep talk; you aren't in tomorrow, all you have to do it right now. Right now you are driving, and you can totally handle that. 4 is ONLY double 2, that doesn't seem THAT difficult. Then I'd be able to think about something else after the pep talk.

Talking with people about my craziness resulted in one of my friends offering to come along for the walk/run. She must be just as crazy as I am to agree to a 4 mile walk/run at 7:15 am. And I welcomed it. Everything I've read suggests running with others, especially on long run days. Somehow it makes it easier. So, my brave and funny friend Allison agrees to this nonsense. And then I can breathe. I had someone else to brave the unknown with me.

We met at actually about 7:20 am. Neither of us are truly morning people, but she didn't glare at me while I was all awake and smiling AND saying hi to people on the trail. So it was great! We tied our car keys into our shoelaces, and braved it without taking bottles of water with us. I will have to post the photos/videos later, when I figure out how to do so.

It was quite cool this morning which was great! We made it through the first mile and a half pretty easily. Without being OCD about it, we tried to keep a 30 sec run/45 sec walk pace. Neither of us had a stop watch. Then the hills increased. This was definitely not a PG rated walk/run and hopefully the trail/dirt/hills weren't offended by our cursing them. But this gave me the opportunity to share some of the information I read with Allison. To remind her that Jeff(Galloway) says that it's about the mileage, not about the time. And that it's more important to stay together then to try and go at a higher pace then the person you are jogging with. (Is it weird that I still can't stand to leave prepostions at the end of a sentence? Either way, I'm still going to do it.)

I would dare say that I actually had fun on my walk/run today. We talked about all kinds of things, including a movie called Idiocracy. And we laughed. I never realized how much breathe you needed to laugh. It sort of complicates being able to breathe while jogging, but worth it. So, Jeff suggests using certain phrases to help the battle in your brain during your walk/running. I shared these phrases with Allison. You are supposed to choose the ones that relate the most to you, and he has a ton of them. Some may call them dirty little tricks, because they work. The one that stuck out the most to me was "Every step gives me benefits." It helps me stay in the present. Another one was "I'm gaining strength from endorphins." The one word that confused me was "glide." Apparently this is one of his favorites. So this became a joke the rest of the run. . .I'm gliiddinng said in a sing-songy voice. It's fun. You should try jogging and repeating. This conversation actually got us to our 2 mile marker where we could turn around.

Then some more hills. Those downhill spots are bea-u-ti-ful. The scenery also helped. It was a gorgeous morning, blue sky, clouds, sun, AND cool. The streams glistened, there were birds and chipmunks scurring around. The hills were probably the most challenging going back. My leg muscles started feeling heavy. That was when I reminded Allison that smaller strides apparently help and that we didn't have a time goal. And we made it up all those hills. Before I knew it, we were at the bathrooms. I'd had to go since we saw the 2 mile marker. Got a drink of water, and Allison pointed out the very thoughtful doggie drinking fountain. How great is that? A drinking fountain for dogs!

Guess what the great thing is about the bathrooms? The 3 mile marker was about 500 feet away. We made it and I feel like passing out. After a high-five, we jogged on up another hill. Insert choice words here. A conversation about the awkwardness of saying hi to people on the trail. It is sort of awkward. Some people are smiling, some people are jamming to their music and don't hear you. Some are covered in sweat and just trying to keep there body in motion. Those people usually don't even look at you. I think from now on that whenever I say "Hi" to people on the trail, I'm going to view it as saying "Namaste." Namaste is what is usually said at the end of a yoga practice. It has been described as meaning, the divine in me acknowledges the divine in you. I always like that part. Because I do believe that each of has a spirit, and it helps me remember that.

We started passing parking lots, there was no river in site, and we knew we were close to the end. It was amazing, we were almost finished with 4 miles. We jogged a little quicker and then walked our way to end. We made it! We did some walking to cool down and of course stretched. I am a huge fan of stretching. It lessens whatever soreness I may have after my workout. And I can tell when I don't stretch afterwards. Thankfully, Allison pointed out that with our warm-up and cool-down, we actually did 4.5 miles and next weeks long run of 5 miles is only .5 longer than that. And that actually helped my brain.

Leaving the park, I was so thrilled that I had completed the 4 mile walk/run. I will be able to check it off on my training schedule! And my brain was worried for nothing. This experience today has me questioning a lot of things that I worry about and think that I can't do them. I love it. Today is the reason why I wanted to run a half-marathon. (Please remind me of this when I have a 9 mile long run.) For today, I did it. And I am again shown that my higher power will carry me through. I'm very grateful.

Training Plan

In my obsessive-compulsive way, I successfully checked out several books about running marathons from my local library. I love books. I really do. The ones that have helped the most so far are Marathon: You Can Do It by Jeff Galloway and The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On With Your Training by Dawn Dais. The book by Dawn Dais has had me laughing so loudly that I wonder if my upstairs neighbor can hear me! Her take on running is definitely from that of someone who doesn't do it for fun. I will have to share some quotes, as they are worth sharing! And Jeff Galloway, well, what can I say? I think the man is a running genius! Seriously, I'm pretty sure that he was the first person to implement the run/walk method. This is extremely important to me, because I want to run injury free. My body is very important to me. I like being active, I like being able to do downward dog, I like being able to do somersaults with my nieces, and I like to be able to walk. It is imperative to stay injury free.

I'm using the Galloway Run/Walk method to train, and my focus is to finish. It is difficult to listen to all of the experts, because I really want to be able to do a 10 minute mile today. Not in 3 or 4 months, today! So, I'm working on following the suggestions from those that have experience. One of those suggestions is that first timer's focus on finishing, not a time goal. With this said, I'm running, which is more of a jog right now than a run, at a pace that is pretty comfortable for me. I use comfortable loosely, since running doesn't necessarily feel comfortable.

I will try to catch you up to date without writing a novel. Last week I walked a few times on the treadmill and I organized a walk at Sand Run Park this past Saturday for a 3 mile hike. We ended up hiking for an hour and 35 min. I think we actually did 4 or 5 miles, but that's okay. It was great to have support with friends and have people to talk to. Let me also stress how great it was to be in the woods! We saw live chipmunks(unfortunately, dead ones too.)

The plan will be to do 30 min. run/walk - two times a week(Mon/Wed) and then do my long run on Saturday. According to Galloway, this is what I'm supposed to do. No more, no less! This is so hard for my over-acheiving and addict mind. I already had to talk myself out of running more than that on Monday. So this past Monday, I did a 10 min warm-up, stretched my major muscles, then completed my 30 min. I finished with a 20 min. walk to cool down. It's amazing how much one can sweat, and how hot I got. It went good. Nothing hurt while I was running, and I even did 10 min. of crunches when I was done. I also am listening to the info about making sure you are hydrated and eating properly. I don't think that I've had a diet soda in over 8 or 9 days. This is a record. For those of you who know me well, I heart diet soda. My heart may not heart diet soda, but I do.

I did go to my Free Akron Yoga class last night. It was wonderful to do yoga in a group and see all of my amazing yogi friends! What a great community! It was difficult because I have a wrist injury that makes Chataranga(Plank Pose) pretty close to impossible. And we are preparing for the 108 sun salutations that will be done at the Summer Solstice event in the CVNP that is in 13 days. But I modified and it still felt good. I love the positive energy and that people aren't afraid to laugh. Oh, and my wrist is surely not strong enough for crane pose. It is when you balance on both of your hands flat on the ground, and rest your knees on the back of your elbows. Apparently, Carrie has a book that says it's easy. Google it and you will see just how easy it looks! Anyways, it's nice to be able to notice how much strength I have, even though I haven't been practicing regularly. And where I have strength, I really do need to keep practicing to become more flexible again.

This morning, I got out of bed at 6:54 am. I had set my alarm for much earlier then that, but it never went off. It never went off because although I changed my alarm time, I didn't turn my alarm on! My higher power is pretty great, because I still woke up at 6:50. That is a very cool thing to me. I'm not typically a morning person. But the more healthy stuff I do for myself, the more I am a morning person. So, drank a glass of water, ate a tablespoon of almond butter, and drank about 1/2 cup of bolthouse green goodness juice, then I got dressed and walked over to the Natatorium. I did about 8 min. walking warm-up, stretch, then got on treadmill #1 for my 30 min. walk/run. I had to stop two times. Once, to go to the bathroom and then again to drink more water from fountain. Really, I am amazed by the sweating! I can't remember the last time I actually had sweat dripping from my face. Not counting the breaks, I did 2.1 miles. Monday, I did about 1.75 in my 30 min walk/run. I know it's not much of an increase, but it's something. And I will certainly take it. I did the same crunches routine that I did on Monday. I cut my cool-down walk to about 8 min. because I had to go to the bathroom again.

Today I realized two big things. One is that I really prefer music to Law and Order while running. I finally brought my iPod with me to the gym today. I don't have cable at my apartment, and I love Law and Order, so typically when walking it's great to be able to watch USA channel. But what a difference listening to music makes! P!nk, Journey, Sheryl Crow, it was the perfect line up. Plus, I don't think that crime shows actually improve or add anything to my life, let alone my exercising. The second thing that I learned today is that I think my body will be able to handle this. It's my mind that concerns me. It's scarey to say that about my body because I feel like I have beaten up my body so much. But my mind didn't want to keep going like it did on Monday. I was able to implement some of the positive sayings that Galloway suggests in his book. I think his book has at least 3 chapters alone on the mental aspects of the marathon. So, I may be re-reading those again. I could definitely use some positive brainwashing, as he calls it.

I also reminded myself today that I was only doing my run today. I kept re-directing my thinking from the half marathon to today. And for today, I have completed my training. I get a little stiff if I sit too long. But other than that, nothing in my body is on fire. Well, except for maybe my spirit. I haven't felt this alive and healthy for a while. I'm hoping to be able to do some stretching again before I go to bed to help with the soreness.

Stay tuned to see how my 4 miler goes on Friday.

and we run. . .

It has been QUITE some time since I've last posted. And now that I've started my training for my half-marathon at the Akron Roadrunner, I figured that I should keep track of this life changing experience. Well, at least I hope that it will be life changing. Even if it's not, it will be a major accomplishment. The big day will be on September 24, 2011 at 7:00 am!

As you can possibly guess, since my activity level on my blog went down so did my actual activity level! Earlier this year, I had set out to work on conditioning for my half, but never continued past February. I have still been doing some sporadic treadmill and walking, but I wouldn't say I was training. I've also been quite sporadic with my yoga practice in the last 6 months. Starting my training for the half, I am hoping to be able to practice more yoga. I think the stretching and asanas (poses) are quite complementary to running.

I know part of the battle has been to actually start training. So, what got my butt moving? Lots of things, but mainly that I had already registered for the event. And who wants to spend money on something they aren't going to do? Not me! This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. And I would say that running a marathon is on my bucket list. I need to run a half-marathon before I run a full marathon! I want to be able to prove that I can push myself and complete it. Even more, I want to prove to myself that you don't have to have 19% body fat to be able to complete a half, and that I can do it without getting injured or further injuring my body!

September 24, 2011 at 7 am, you will be able to see me line up for the Roadrunner and then complete the half-marathon! As long as, I live through the training!