Back to Basics

This past week has taught me quite a bit.

Most importantly: in order to keep my crazy life from overwhelming me, I need to focus on the simple things. The basics. Because worrying about whether or not I can reach an impossible deadline or run a marathon next November is not going to help me accomplish either. But making sure I get those 30 minutes of exercise in - that will help me do both.

I didn't get my long run in this week. In fact, the longest run I got in was only three miles. And calling it a run really does require quite a stretch of one's imagination. And its not because I'm not motivated. I am. I think a big part of it is that I haven't found a route I'm comfortable running. I recently moved and my new neighborhood is not nearly as well lit as my former one. I'm on a cul-de-sac with lots of wooded areas. The kids enjoy it. But it just freaks me out. We all know how well I deal with strange noises and shadowy figures. I'm a wuss. I really took for granted how I could walk out the front door of my old house and run for 1, 3, 5, or 8 miles without too much effort put into the thought of where to go. Any route I take from this house puts me on dark streets and past creepy woods, without a sidewalk in sight. And, oh yea, there's a cemetery too. Maybe its just because its Halloween and I HATE Halloween. Yep, I said it. I hate it. Its the worst time of the year for me. I can't wait until November 1st when I can start decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas, planning menus, and enjoying much merriment without passing houses decked out in orange lights and spider webs.

Also, since I'm basically starting over after a long running hiatus, I'm more self-conscious about running. I miss the solitude of my old running trail. Running there really helped me focus on the run and not worry about who was peeking out their window and whether or not the tech fabric was doing its job of containing the jiggle. So that is the excuse I have for not putting as much effort into the "runs" this past week. I'm really not so far from that trail. I may just have to get in my car and drive there, at least for the longer runs.

So getting my 30 minutes of "other" exercise in each day has helped me feel a little better about the measly number of miles I've logged. And cutting up all those veggies instead of throwing them out at the end of the week - I feel good about that. I also realized I haven't been drinking the amount of water I should be. So I got back into the habit of filling up a half gallon container and drinking that each day. We forget about those little things once we've been running awhile. We get more concerned about the stats on the Garmin, or whether or not those compression socks come in the right color to match that cute running skirt, or if the awesome Bondi Band people will be at the next expo....and so on. But I had to remind myself that, when it comes right down to it, its the basics that really matter.

Move more, eat the right fuel, drink lots of water, and get enough rest.

I'll let the professional runners worry about negative splits right now. I just need to find a running route that keeps me safe from zombies, town gossips, and my overactive imagination.

Incentives

You would think good health and a personal sense of accomplishment would be incentive enough to stick with an exercise plan, right? But, I suppose if that were that case we would all have a lot more company out there on the trails and in the gyms. Truth is, I just don't do much unless there is something in it for me....or if there is something painfully horrible that will happen if I don't.

So I'm being very conscious this go-round about keeping myself on track. I'm using rewards, reminders, and any sort of motivator I can think of as I embark on my next round of training.

Rewards
Races. I love races. So each time I finish one race I will allow myself to sign up for one or two more.

Clothes. I don't even have to buy many. I have so many cute clothes I bought last year that I can't fit into right now - so I can pretty much just shop in my basement as I lose weight.

Running Gear. There are some items I've really been wanting to buy. So I put together a little list of these "prizes" that I will allow myself to indulge on as I hit certain goals.

Vacation Planning. I love me a good vacation! And, if I could, I would spend all day, every day planning them out. So now I'm using it as a reward. On Sunday nights, if I have completed all my training for the week I will sit down in front of the computer with a drink and celebrate with a new destination :) I have a few trips in the works to spend the time on too. I suspect by the time November 2012 rolls around, my little trip to Tulsa for the marathon may just turn into a two week romp along Route 66.

Reminders
Training Schedule. I plastered all eight pages of Jeff Galloway's training plan for the Tinkerbell Half on my bedroom door. I can't go anywhere or do anything without seeing it staring me right in the face.

30 Minutes a Day. Jeff Galloway's plan only calls for three days of running a week, so I'm also including an additional 30 minutes of walking or cross-training each day. This is on my daily To Do List and seems pretty easy to accomplish since I don't call it "training" :) I track this, along with other daily chores, at a www.goalforit.com Its amazing how important it is for me to get to give myself a little stamp each day. Its like I'm five - but it works.

Mastermind Group. I have started including my fitness goals, along with my business goals, when participating in my mastermind group. Knowing that I will have to report the following week on my progress keeps me accountable.

101 Kicks in the Butt. I printed out this article from Runner's World and I have it in a document holder on my desk. So if I ever feel sluggish I can just scan it and pick out a tip that works for me that day.

Motivators
Seeing Myself on Video. I have to put together some videos in the upcoming months. And while I think I look a supermodel, its apparent that YouTube does not share the same perspective.

This Blog. The comments I get here and the people I meet through this blog have given me more inspiration and motivation than I ever imagined. I seriously think you guys know more about me and understand me better than people I talk with in person every day. So I'm going to be more diligent about posting - at least three times a week.

Route 66 Marathon. This is a HUGE motivator for me. I had hoped to do it last year. I realized over the summer that I was nowhere near where I needed to be in order to participate. This year I will not allow myself to back down from the challenge. I even have people who will be there to cheer me on next year - which makes me think it was just meant to be to happen in 2012!

Training for 2012

I miss my bloggy friends! I'm so thankful I'm friends with some of you on Facebook so that I could at least keep up with all the fun stuff you are doing. I didn't consciously intend on taking this long of a break, but it happened. Things got overwhelming for me. I moved, started school, dealt with a death in my family, and I'm launching a new business. It took some serious fortitude to just get through some of those days. But now I've just returned from a two week vacation in Florida, which was exactly what I needed!

As much as I gripe about training, every time I take a break from running I realize that I miss it. So I've signed up for a couple races and climbed back on the wagon.

I was supposed to have run Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon on October 1st. But plans changed when my teenage son realized Homecoming was that weekend. We butted heads about the vacation for a couple weeks and then I realized that I needed to back down for this particular battle. I didn't want to take the boy kicking and screaming, and I tried to remember what it was like to be 15 and in the midst of your first real relationship. I soon realized that we could compromise on the vacation. So we left a couple days later and stayed a few days longer. It all worked out. The boy had a fantastic night, I still got my Disney fix, and no one was emotionally scarred in the process.

The biggest casualty of this compromise was the race. I didn't arrive in Orlando until the wee hours of the morning on October 3rd. So, even though both my son and I were signed up to run the half - it just wasn't in the cards. And, truthfully, I was so ill-prepared that I can't imagine I would've had a good race. I did, however, have an amazing vacation! I just love Disney World during the Food and Wine Festival! Its my favorite time to visit. And I do believe next year I will be taking my first solo trip to Disney World so that my two teenagers don't miss out on all the happenings that became an issue this year.

I kind of feel like I'm starting from scratch here. I'm armed with all sorts of great information I've learned over the past year, but my body is back at square one. And that's okay. I will own it, take my baby steps, and work towards my next half in January!

I updated my race schedule to include the races I'm planning on for next year. I'm most excited for the Tinkerbell! I just can't wait for that one. Have you seen that medal? Its awesome.

And the Tinkerbell in the middle spins....and it says Inaugural on it. I'm a sucker for any "special" medal that you can only get that year. And when the marketing folks put the words "Special Commemorative Medal" together - well, I usually just sign up right then and there. That's what they did over at the Boston Athletic Association with the new Distance Medley they created. You run the 5k in April, the 10k in June, and then the Half in October. You get medals for each of those races and then a "Special Commemorative Medal" if you run all three. I'm already planning on the 5k, so I'm seriously considering those other two. Its only two more flights to Boston, right? I mean, you get an extra medal. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Here is another medal I'm gonna travel for:

Its big. It has moving parts. AND it lights up. Yes, please!

Next year will also be the year for my first full marathon. I've decided it will happen at the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, because....you guessed it! They give a special medal for first-timers there. Its perfect for me. I'm scared, but I'm starting my training right now!

The Plan, The Execution, and The Bright Side

This was my plan for the day: Get shit done. Run six miles.

I've been spending many, many hours in front of my computer reading, and researching, and connecting with people about some new business ventures. And while its all very exciting and mentally stimulating, I'm finding myself frustrated with how little is actually done at the end of the day.

So today was less about planning and more about executing. Hence, my declaration - twitter style.

This morning I was aflutter with activity. Crossing off check-boxes; tackling actual, real-life projects; opening actual, real-life mail with envelopes and everything....it was all quite productive. Then, in one of my whirlwind trips down the stairs, I stepped on my foot all funky. Ouch! My initial thought was: I knew I should've gotten those miles in first thing this morning!

Its not a major injury or anything. Mostly it feels fine. But at certain times it just lets me know its mad by shooting a sharp little pain up to my brain. So my brain decided that I would continue working on the plan and just move the run to later in the evening after my foot felt better.

I did end up logging some miles, but only 4.2 miles. And I had to walk them. The foot didn't hurt too bad until after the first mile. Then I would just get these sharp pains every now and again. Not constant - just intermittently. But it bothered me enough to call it quits before I reached the 6 miles originally on the books.

However, in my effort to silence the negative self-talk that lives inside my head, I've decided to look at the glittery lining of my little scenario.

1. Sometimes the plan needs to adapt to changes in the situation. That doesn't mean its a fail.

2. While 4.2 miles of walking is no 6 miles of running - at least its not a big, fat zero!

3. Even though my plan was not perfectly executed, I didn't abandon it completely. (This is a win for me since I would normally have relished the excuse to sit on the couch and watch old Disney movies all day while my poor, little tootsie was resting.)

4. I got uncomfortable and didn't die.

I just can't help but think that if the plan for the day had been:
Run six miles. Get shit done....this all may have turned out differently!

Not Giving Up

I'm not a very good blogger.

I get that.

I seriously don't know how some of you other bloggers manage to get your posts up here every day, looking all perfect, and saying just what I want to read. I truly admire your dedication and the hard work you put into your posts.

I won't beat myself up too badly about my lack of posting. This blog is meant to be about running. And, frankly, I haven't been. So there's not much to write. I have had a mighty productive couple of weeks plotting out the course for the rest of my life. You know....little things like that. Its this sort of cathartic chaos that calms me.

And today I stopped long enough to realize that the Wine and Dine half marathon in 80 days away.  OhGeezOhMan. And Mr. Jeff Galloway says I should've had a long run of 6.5 miles on the handy dandy training calendar. Oops.

I kind of thought of giving up on the whole running thing for awhile since I have so much going on. Which, in essence, would mean I would be giving up on this blog too. Don't worry - those naughty thoughts didn't last too long. So since I wasn't finding inspiration in myself of late, I decided to go find it where everyone else goes to look for it.....YouTube.

And sure enough. The YouTube Gods worked their magic and I was presented with this little number.

Good grief! To paraquote Humphery Bogart in Casablana: I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that my problems don’t amount to a hill of beans in comparison.

I don't know where competitors get this kind of mental toughness. It is definitely my weak spot. I'm just too much of a princess. And when things hurt - I stop. I need to learn to get uncomfortable. So, that is what I will be doing. I will try not to whine too much in the process.

But I've learned that there is absolutely no reason why I can't see this through. And even on days when I feel like giving up - I'm not gonna. I'm scheduling that long run for Thursday next week since I will be out of town again over the weekend. You hear that? Thursday! If you don't hear from me, its because I'm avoiding you and I don't want to fess up that I didn't git 'er done.

No excuses.

Unless I tear a hamstring. Because, seriously, I just can't take that kind of hurt.

Helpful Resources

I thought I'd take the time to put all the helpful stuff I've learned, and websites I have been using in one place. I really didn't know where to start when I began running, but found some truly helpful websites, people, and products along the way.

And I am not cool enough for any of these people to pay me or give me free stuff. These are really just things, places, and people I love.

In the spirit of full disclosure: the links I have to products available at amazon are linked to my affiliate account. So I will get a nominal kickback. But it doesn't cost you any more to use the link and I only list them here if that is the cheapest place to get the product online.

Training
Coach Lesley at Racing it Off : Lesley is awesome. I trained with her as my coach earlier this year and it was great to have the personalized attention and those motivating emails. I learned a lot from her and will be asking her to train me for my full marathon next year.

Jeff Galloway Wine and Dine Training Schedule : I'm using the beginner version of this schedule since I've been slacking a bit these last few months. He recommends running three days a week in his program. But I'm gonna add a fourth day because that is what I was doing with Lesley and I think it works best for me. I find I have a hard time sticking to a schedule if I have too many days off.

Rails to Trails : I love this program. They take abandoned railroad tracks and repurpose them into running and biking trails. I have a trail near my home that I use frequently. And when I travel I check to find trails I can use in other cities. I'm still not comfortable running in town, so I find I push myself much harder when I have the privacy of these types of trails to shelter onlookers from the jiggly waddle...you're welcome neighbors :)

Dailymile :  I love, love, love dailymile! Those of you following me there may not feel the love since I've been MIA lately, but its just 'cause I have nothing to enter. Not to worry though - I will be back! Dailymile is a wonderfully supportive community of runners/walkers/athletes. It keeps track of your mileage each week and allows you to send and receive motivation to others. You can also build a profile that lists your upcoming races. Its fun to meet up with other dailymilers who are running the same races you are.

Log Your Run : I use this site mostly to keep track of the mileage on my shoes and to post workouts to Facebook. Dailymile also allows you to share workouts on Facebook, but its a little too much info for some of my friends over there. I don't need some of my not-as-supportive Facebook friends mingling with my uber-cool dailymile friends. There are lots of free tools on log your run. I don't use many of them, but I really like knowing how many miles are on my shoes.

Nutrition
My Fitness Pal : This is a really easy-to-use site for logging your food intake. I like to keep track of my calories, protein, carbs, fiber, and sodium. But you can set it up to track whichever nutrients are important to you. The food database is huge and there have only been a handful of times when I've went to enter a food that isn't included. Although, it is simple to manually enter new foods into the database and use them again in the future. You can also track exercise and get historical reports. There is a community section there too, but I don't utilize it.
 
FRS : I love these products. Sometimes you can find a good deal on their website, but amazon usually has them beat. I tolerate these FRS Healthy Energy Pineapple Mango Chews way better than some of the other energy gels/beans out there. My favorite energy drink is the new apricot nectarine and the low-cal citrus pomegranate. My fav protein drink is the blueberry acai. (Those I get directly from the FRS website when they offer free shipping.)
 
Xagave Organic Raw Agave with Fiber: I am seriously in love with this stuff! You can use regular agave nectar too, but this particular brand tastes awesome and has the added benefit of inulin which adds fiber and calcium to the mix. Agave Nectar is a low glycemeic sweetener that has fewer calories and a higher mineral content than regular sugar. I bake with this stuff, my kids sweeten their tea with it, and I especially like it drizzled on grapefruit. This particular configuration from amazon comes with two bottles that have flip-top caps (convenient for said drizzling) and lasts quite a long time. They do sell other sizes though.
 
Green Tea : I am a huge tea drinker. I like all sorts; red, chai, white, green, and black. My favorite in the summer is green tea though. A few months ago this Yogi Blueberry Green Tea sucked me in with the "slim life" claim on the box. I bought it because it is organic and it was a heck of a good deal. It also has ginseng and garcinia cambogia which is supposed to suppress your appetite. I can't attest to those claims, but it is pretty darn good and I've been drinking lots of it. I got six boxes of the stuff for a little over $14.00 and I'm stocked up till the end of the year!
 
Spinach Smoothies : I have gotten LOTS of feedback on this post. I find myself craving these drinks and have tried all sorts of variations. Spinach/Frozen Cantaloupe, Spinach/Frozen Mixed Berries/Banana, Spinach/Frozen Strawberries/Kiwi, etc. But my all-time fav is still the original Spinach/Strawberry/Banana one featured in the post. I have been adding chia seeds to them lately though. Chia seeds are totally getting their own post soon :)
 
Food Inc : This movie totally changed how I look at food. You can watch the entire movie on Netflix if you are a subscriber. I eat way more unprocessed and locally grown food now. It makes a HUGE difference in how I feel.
 
Motivation
Much of the motivation I get comes from other bloggers. Here are some of my very favorites:
http://noradoesgrandmas2011.blogspot.com/
http://racingitoff.blogspot.com/
http://littlefruitfly.blogspot.com/
http://runchunkyrun.blogspot.com/

Also, signing up for races motivates me to keep going. I find nearby events using active.com and searching for running events near my zip code.

This blog does A LOT to keep me motivated. Interacting with other bloggers and folks who comment go a long way to keep me chugging along.

John, The Penguin, Bingham : Making us back-of-the-packers feel good about ourselves.

And here are some movies that always make me feel like I can accomplish anything once I'm done watching:
Spirit of the Marathon : You can watch this for free at hulu.com. I found it inspirational.
Without Limits : The incredible story of Steve Prefontaine. Available on Netflix if you've got it.
Run for your Life : The story of how the NYC Marathon got started and how Fred Lebow started a movement.

Gear
Bondi Bands : These are great! I'm wearing one in my profile picture, and just about every time I run. I don't like wearing hats. These do a great job of keeping the sweat out of my face and keeping my ears warm during chilly runs.

6pm.com : This is not a product, but my go-to place to buy most of my running gear. They don't always have the best selection, but when they have something in your size - you need to snatch it up right away. The inventory changes frequently. I find the best way to use the site is to search for the particular size and brand I'm looking for first. Otherwise it can get a little frustrating since not everything is available in all sizes. I have gotten phenomenal deals here. The Saucony Progrid shoes I'm currently wearing were retailing for $140 - I got them here for $72. Also, they have a good selection of plus-size workout clothes. I like the Nike Dri-Fit duds and usually get them here for 50% off.

Garmin Forerunner: I can no longer even leave the house for a run without my Garmin. I have the older 305 model, which you can now get on amazon for pretty darn cheap. I'm sure the new model is great too. I wrote a post about my Garmin, Gary. He totally changed the way I run. I love the stats and using the heart rate monitor. The only thing I dislike about this unit is the wristband. Hated it! But I rectified the situation with this much more comfortable replacement bandand have been in love ever since.

I hope this helps someone. I remember feeling a little lost when I first started out. I've tried a lot of things that I just didn't like or just didn't work. I hope this saves some legwork for those just starting out.

I will continue to add to this post as I find helpful people, places and things. Right now I'm searching for some anti-fog sunglasses. I sweat like crazy and can never run with sunglasses because they just end up a yucky, foggy mess. Any suggestions?

What are some of your favorite websites/people/products?

Chicago Rock n Roll 5k

Looky here! A race report the *actual* day I complete the race! I know you guys are all sorts of impressed with me now.

Truth is, I almost didn't make it to Chicago today. The logistics of this race were proving to be a major pain in the patookey. And then my daughter suddenly got sick Saturday morning. My friend, Dee, also didn't think she was gonna make this race due to a schedule conflict. But, thanks to my daughter's equally sudden recovery, and Dee's change in plans - we were able to make everything come together!

My friend, Lynn, had posted about this race on Facebook awhile back. It took me all of about 1 1/2 minutes to sign up once I learned it was a 5k AND you got a medal. I love my growing collection of medals. And I especially like adding to it when I only have to lug my butt 3.1 miles :)

Check out our cool sequential bib numbers. We must've been within seconds of each other when filling out those online registrations.

So, lets back up.....

Dee lives about an hour and 15 minutes from me. I live about two hours northwest of Chicago. Lynn lives about an hour southwest of Chicago.

Dee was gonna spend the night at my house so we could leave bright and early Sunday morning to make the 8am race start. Lynn scored a good deal on a hotel room downtown and decided to stay in Chicago Saturday night. Dee and I had originally planned to take a train into Chi-Town, but after some contemplating - decided to drive. The Sunday train schedule kind of stinks for those of us north of the city. And the race was by Montrose Harbor anyway, which is about as north of Chicago as you can get.

We arose at 4am in order to get ready. We left the house a little before 5am, stopped for gas, picked up some coffee, and had an uneventful drive south of the border. We arrived at our perfect parking spot a little after 7am.

We had to pick up our race packets so we got into a ridiculously long line that led to ONE tent. This was really the only thing that could've been better about this race. They did not have packets organized by last name, or have separate lines organized by race number....it was just one big ole line leading to one little ole tent. It was kind of a cluster. The volunteers did their best to get everyone through, but it was a little unorganized.

After we attached our bibs and timing chips we needed to pitstop at the potties. Holy long line, Batman! We had to wait longer than we wanted, and we were cutting it awfully close to the start of the race. But, we did make it. Had we taken the train, we probably wouldn't have made it.

I was supposed to meet up with a fellow blogger before the race and had to text her about our time crunch. She was already lined up at the start line while we were lined up at the porta-potties, so we decided to meet afterwards.

I did not run much of this race. The three of us decided to stay together and ended up chit-chatting the whole time. Lynn is way faster than Dee and I, and we told her to run her race and meet us at the end. But we all decided this was gonna be a more laid back 5k for us. Dee was having some pain in her leg. And I am just so miserably out of shape right now, that we all enjoyed the slower pace and the company.

Once we finished we got our cool medals.

And picked up our finisher flip flops. (I totally had to sneak that medal in again. Its a great medal!)

And I finally got to meet up with a blogger friend from "From Couch Potato to Half Marathon Competitor". Timre is super nice and offered to pick up my race packet from the Soldier Field 10 Miler I had to flake on. I had to help my Mom up north that weekend and felt pretty bad about cancelling on her. I offered to give her my t-shirt since I now have the dilemma of not being able to wear it since I didn't run the race. Worse yet - its a really cute stinkin' shirt! Sure. The shirts I get for the races I run and am "qualified" to wear always manage to be butt ugly. This is, perhaps, one of the cutest shirts I've gotten and runner's code forbids me to wear it. Thankfully, the shirt also runs really small and I couldn't wear it if I tried. If I were to manage to get it over my head and my ample boobage it would pretty much serve the purpose of a sausage casing. And I fear I would never get it off without the help from a magician schooled in the art of straight-jacket escape. It is SMALL! So, now it provides incentive. And if I lose enough weight to fit into the darn thing - I'm totally wearing it. Go ahead. Judge me. But fitting my large self into that shirt will take much more effort than it would have to run the 10 miles. So, I'm changing rules on this one. But just for this particular shirt. I promise to abide by the code otherwise.

Timre had to leave us quickly, but it was great to get to meet her. And I was super thankful for her lugging my race goodies out to me.

Another perk of this race was free beer. Our bibs each had two beer tickets on them. Granted, it was 9am. But our fearless threesome was braving the beer garden anyway. I don't drink much, but a beer actually tasted pretty good right then. I think we all enjoyed the festivities more than we thought we would. Soon people were giving us extra beer tickets right and left. Some guy even gave me an actual beer so I didn't have to get up to get my own. Sa-weeet!

Here is our collection of beer tickets from random people.

And here is all of us enjoying said beer tickets.

We made it until closing time, which came promptly at 10:30am.

Dee was nice enough to drive Lynn downtown to her hotel since the cabs up by Montrose were few and far between. We freshened up in her room and then had a nice brunch at the hotel. I'm convinced I exerted myself more during the buffet than I did the 5k. There will be no calorie deficit for me today, despite the mileage.

After brunch we said our goodbyes to Lynn and headed back to my place. We ran into crazy stupid traffic backups and it took us almost 40 minutes just to get back up to Montrose. But we were full and happy, so we managed the traffic much better than folks who had somewhere to be.

Overall, this race was great. They had some snafus with packet pickup. And they advertised two water stops on the course and we only saw one. But the perks were great.

The medal was substantial - especially for a 5k. The post-race snackage was better than average. There was some really great roasted red pepper hummus, all different types of popchips, bagels, fruit, and, of course....beer :)

All three of us are all in for this one next year.