Saturday

Saturday brought another long training run. It was a 9 mile run. I believe I've commented on this before, but I could not believe how easy a 9 mile run was this week compared to what it was in March of 2016. I'm actually going to go back and read my blogpost about the Heart Mini after this. I remember it being insanely hard and I was in utter shock that I ran 9 miles. Yesterday, I just went out and did it like it was no big deal. This is 100% the biggest mark of progress to me. The scale, photos, etc. are good, but doing things that my body physically struggled through before, now with ease, is the best sense of pride I get.

I also had some great conversation with 2 members from my group. I really feel the need to chat on long runs because they can get so redundant. Especially this one, which was at Lunken Airport and it was an out and back 2 times. The course is extremely boring. After feeling disconnected from my old group, it was good to see some new friendships forming. We also discussed travel quite a bit, which I love to talk about and hear stories of where others have  been.

Really flattering pictures of me this time.... lol

In the afternoon, I went to see my friend Megan in a Crossfit tournament that was being held at the gym where I work out. It was a crazy environment and I had no idea it was possible to pack that many people inside of that gym. It was a very odd smell of sweat and chili. I'm not sure I understood everything that was going on, but I liked that it was a team based competition. I think a lot of times it's just more fun to work with other people than to to work by yourself.

This particular challenge looked really fun. I love deadlifting!

Anyways, physical fitness can look so different based on who you are and what you enjoy. I've found that I love lifting weights and running. Others hate both of these things. I'm not sure that Crossfit would be something that interests me, but it interested a lot of people that were there. I don't like doing the treadmill or elliptical, but some people find these machines relaxing. The point is there are so many different ways to make your body healthier. Try different things out and see what you like, but don't give up just because you didn't like something the first time you tried it.

I'm going to post some recipes this week.

A Goal

One of the things I wrote on my vision board for 2017 was that I would help 4 people in running their first 5k. Many people expressed interest via facebook, but then one of my coworkers approached me at school. She said she was very interested and asked when we could start running. She talked another coworker into it, then apparently when they were talking about it at school, two more coworkers wanted in on the action. So far we have run twice after school, both times for 10 minutes. I really love doing it. It's fun to get to be in a position to "coach" people and help them accomplish something that they want to do and that makes them feel good about themselves.

Our target race is Bockfest at the beginning of March. Right now, these four women are getting used to breathing correctly and the ten minutes has been challenging for them. However, I think they are surprising themselves each day and I know they will only continue to grow and get stronger. The best part for me was when one of them finished on our first day and said, "I had no idea I could do that." It's so neat to see someone have that moment.

Running has changed my life drastically. I want people to feel the same confidence that I feel after a great run. I want people to realize the therapy that running can be for the body and mind. While I know that many people hate running and will not run, I'm glad that these four women have signed on for the challenge. If they give me permission, I hope to post more about them in the future.

Wish Sarah, Susan, Tina, and Abby luck!

A New Training Season in Full Swing

I've only done 2 previous training seasons, but this has to be the worst start weather-wise that I can remember. Our first run brought rain. Our first long run brought temperatures between 2 and 5 degrees. Our second Tuesday brought fierce winds and for the last mile, downpours, and this Saturday brought MORE rain. The Cincinnati weather has been so unusual. We keep getting down into freezing temperatures but quickly coming back out of them into 60 degree temperatures with so much rain that it's like April. The rain has been hard because I don't like running when it's raining so it's hard to get motivated to get out there on "off" days. Not only this, but the constant grey skies have been taxing on my mood. Even cold weather is better if there's a little sunshine.

This Saturday I tried out a new product that I got for Christmas. It's a hand water bottle. I've suffered from dehydration from some long runs and races. The water stops just aren't always enough. I had a hydration belt, but it flopped up and down frequently which sometimes made it uncomfortable to run. Many of my running partners have a hand water bottle, so I thought I would try one out. This is the one my mom bought me.

PROS: It's easy to carry and holds quite a bit of water. It also has pouch for your phone and there's enough space to put some nutrition in there as well. The clear front allows you to use the functions of your phone, even when it is in the pouch. There is a strap on the back for adjusting how tight or loose it is on your hand.  It will stay on your hand even if you completely open your hand, so you aren't having to constantly grip it.

CONS: My wrist started to cramp up a little bit and I ended up having to switch hands. You just squeeze the water into your mouth, which is a pro, but sometimes the water would not come out and it was just a puff of air. When it did end up coming out, I got drenched a few times. I think this could be abolished with more practice.

Overall, I liked it better than the belt just because it felt like I had less weighing me down. I hate to carry extra junk with me on a run, but if this could help my hydration situation, especially on warm days, I think it's worth it.

I promised to share some goals from my vision board for 2017. I've been working on writing down 100 things that I want to accomplish in 2017. I won't lie, it has not been the easiest start to year. We've already had multiple car troubles and had someone steal our credit card numbers. The weather has brought a ton of sinus issues for both of us, and I've been on the phone with Anthem several times trying to figure out insurance issues. I've also had some conflicting feelings about the change in presidency, but alas, I will try to keep politics out of this blog. However, looking at my vision board makes me excited for the things that can be possible this year and how I still have plenty of time for good things to happen. I encourage each of you to make one for yourself.

Here's one of my goals: How did I run 1,000 miles in 2017?
So I'm trying to run 1,000 miles. I haven't been off to the best start considering I'm only doing our group runs right now. I hope to push my feelings about weather to the side and get out there. Strength training has been easy to keep up with in a warm gym. I'm going to work to push myself to run more, no matter what the circumstances are.

As it is MLK day, I'll leave you with this....

It's A Cold Day in Cincinnati

First off, I apologize for the pictures not showing up in my last blog post. I was working with limited technology resources, and apparently the Ipad doesn't play well with blogger-it took me forever too! Next, I have to let everyone know that this morning when I woke up it was 5 degrees outside and it also happened to be my first long run of the season, which was 6 miles. Being so cold, it was really hard to get excited about going for a run. As we were running, several people's eyelashes and eyebrows were freezing...like literally. I saw so many icy white faces and I myself had a tear roll down my cheek that froze to my face. That's a first for me.

As you can see, there is snow on the ground, which made it difficult to run. You can see that I have sweat stains around my elbow pits (that's a medical term.) This has never happened to me before, but after I finished I noticed my elbows hurting to. I came to the conclusion that it's because I was so tight trying to keep warm. I was subconsciously trying to keep in as much warmth as possible and apparently that meant clenching my arms, fists, and shoulders. I realized I was even clenching my jaw because when we got back to the store, it was hard for me to talk. Maybe that had to do with my face being numb. I was freaking sore after I finished! Although it was cold, it was possible. Although the last hill where wind was blowing directly on us was miserable, it was possible. Although it took me 3 hours, a hot shower, 2 blankets, slippers and a nap to feel warm again, it was possible. I even made it without any hypothermia or frostbite...I think. I have to say, I even thought about the mileage way less because I was thinking about how cold I was. Could being cold be the key to getting rid of self doubt? Not sure if it's a trade off I will take.

I'm now home with coffee from one of my favorite local spots-Press on Monmouth, and I'm reflecting on why I felt a little sadness this morning. I made the choice to run a full marathon this year because it has been something on my mind since I completed my first Flying Pig. By making this commitment, I had to join a new training team. The friends that I had made were all going out together with the half training group this morning and I was with a new group where I hadn't formed any relationships. I had such an amazing and encouraging group before so I feel like it will be hard to top. I got to know each of them individually and felt like they really got to know who I was, and hopefully appreciated my loud mouth self being on their team as well. Beyond that, it was hard to look around and feel like all the people my age were running with much faster pace groups (including my friend, Liz.) I know this shouldn't bother me because it's like I'm doing a flipping marathon for God's sake, but sometimes we can't help the thoughts that sneak into our heads! I'm trying to keep an open mind moving forward and be positive because I know that's the only way to move forward, but I know will continue to miss my old friends and how much I loved running with them.

Today was 6 miles in the books, a very small mileage amount for what I know will be coming up. I know there will be several hardships, but I have to keep my determination. I started this for me and I will finish it for me.

Through the next several weeks, I am hoping to incorporate some video blogs. I'm calling on T.J. to help me get this up and going because I think it would be interesting. I also made a vision board for the year so I'll share those goals with you.

Until next time!