Running Thoughts

We didn't go to Denver after all. There is over 2 feet of snow there, and we were to drive a propane truck back. Since we can choose when we go, we decided to wait until next weekend. It's been snowing here too, but just a little. I'd love a run today, but my neck and back feel out of whack and I'm taking it easy. Yesterday, hubby popped my back for me...it never pops, and it popped all the way from my neck down to my tailbone! We had a wonderful outreach for my son's home autism program! Julie came and worked with our family on new goals and how to reach them. She is awesome in so many ways, and we've been friends for years. One incredible thing is that she wouldn't allow me to pay her. I cried. Interesting how life fits itself together in interlocking pieces. As Julie talked with me about going into a session with my son with the intention of finding the day's challenge, easing off, but being persistent in coming back to revisit that challe...

I've been super busy lately. Sara is due to have her baby very soon (2 weeks til the due date!) and we have been helping them get into their new place (love their new place) and planning a mothering shower which was last night at my house. It was a great time! And today is a workshop all day for my son with autism which is really fun too! Tomorrow, we go to Denver and will return on Saturday as Odell's parents arrive for a weeklong visit. All good stuff. All this to say, no workouts have made it into my days this week except going to yoga and belly dance. I just keep telling myself that I'll get to run soon. :)

Today was the Nike+ Human Race 10K...the day the world runs. People all over the world ran today and Nike donates money per mile to leukemia research. It's fun to think that somebody somewhere is running with you. And today, someone right here was running with me. My friends, Lydia and Michelle, joined me. I was so nervous like a girl asked to the prom...sort of in panic mode. I couldn't relax and kept needing to take walk breaks. It was fun though, and they were great about it. They just walked and chatted until I was ready to run again and then we got started telling kid stories the last mile and walked on home. Did you run with me today? Cuz that's cool if you did! I'm working on my plans for running...will get back with ya! Thanks for your encouragement. I realize my last post sounded sort of pathetic, but the mountain lion thing is an actual concern, especially if I want to run trails, which I do. :)

Ruth is Right. I miss running for fun. I thought that I could work on speed during the week and then relax into a long run on the weekends, and maybe so. But I ran only the relaxed runs so far in this training schedule to increase speed. I didn't "get to" the intervals or the tempo run, and I'm not going to run 4 fast miles today (on the schedule) because tomorrow is the "Human Race 10K." It really doesn't matter if I'm faster or slower, but I'm slower than the other gals who run around here and I would like to keep up and run with them. Two friends (maybe 3) are planning to run with me on Saturday for the 10K which would be fun except that I know how slow I am and I'm skeered. If only I were a little faster. And when they run with me, they will see how slow I am and won't want to run with me ever again. Running alone is great fun, but I'd like to be ABLE to run with them. And running the trails alone can be sort of a bad id...

I moved lifting to yesterday, thinking that it was a "rest from running" day. Turns out it was to be intervals. So, I figured I'd do both. I lifted. Then realized that my hubby did something to the extension cord for my treadmill. So, the intervals are today's workout that I'm procrastinating. :) Intervals are hard. I want to do them on the treadmill because the distance is measured. There is no track around here for running 5x400's. I'm to run 400 meters at a 1-mile pace, 5 times with a 400 meter walk or jog in between each. I don't know what a 1-mile pace is or how far 400 meters might be. Where I live, you go out and move your feet one in front of the other up and down hills, across creeks, over rocky terrain, through snow (lots of snow today)...until you decide to turn around and go home. There is something to be said for the simplicity of it. But it doesn't help me get faster. :) Maybe this will. More after my date with the trea...

Funny how things are impossible when you believe them to be. You never try... It's impossible after all. Have you ever noticed how many people run marathons these days when it was such an elite thing to do not too long ago? It's still not the norm, but 2 of my friends ran in the Denver Marathon/Half yesterday among over 10,000 other runners. That's remarkable, I think. Number one, big kudos to Martha and Lily! And Number two, think of all those other runners who believed in the possibility. What if they'd thought of mythical Pheidippides' death over running such a distance and assumed it couldn't be done? They wouldn't have had the experience they had today...the accomplishment. And what about the finishing times lately? Amazing records are broken constantly. What was an unheard of speed a few years ago looks slow today. It's really mind boggling how much influence your belief has on your ability. Since a mile has been run in under 5 minute...

I planned on a weight workout and totally forgot to do it until this evening. So, I got all excited about it and was barely into it when hubby called with a change in my plans. I guess I'll plan to do it tomorrow which is fine, but I'd meant to do it today and could have...if I'd remembered earlier! Well, I'm a copycat. I've gotten tired of my mediocrity. I want to run faster and lose about 10 pounds of fat and gain muscle. So, I'm suppose to run a 10K on October 24th, and I will plan to do my best. But I'm joining Ruth in her virtual turkey run so that she can have someone to beat. I'm gonna steal her plan too. I've already printed it. :) And I'm in on this challenge by my friend, Jen. You can join too!

Ingredients: 1 pair of running shoes 1 pair of non-holey socks favorite running skirt warm sunshine cool air ipod 3 great kids 1 great friend yoga Mix shoes, socks, skirt, sun, and cool air, making sure to blend well with ipod. Add homeschooling 3 great kids and laugh happily. Find a great friend who will babysit your child (thanks, Sara), enabling you to go to yoga. Enjoy, as I did.

I ran Monday, but not as fast as I'd planned. Soaking in the sun as it peaked through the clouds, you'd think I'd have been happy. It was a beautiful day, but all I could think about was how very LITTLE I'd improved even with lots of trying. I want to increase my speed. And I have, but ever so slightly. The incremental advancement challenges my patience and my practice at happiness. I ran Monday, but not as fast as I'd planned. I've improved my health, but not as much as I'd planned. I've taught my children, but not as much as I'd planned. I've helped my special needs child, but not as much as I'd planned. Maybe if I replace the word "plan" with "hope..." maybe I'll let go of the expectations that trip me. And I can continue to hope, run, improve, teach, help. I can do that.

This led me to this. Which led me to share this . You?

I enjoyed a short 2.5 miler this afternoon. Here's the lowdown. warm sun, cool air long sleeves, tousled hair reds and yellows orange and brown a hundred leaves come floating down babbling creek, whispering breeze the sky, the mountains touch and tease reds and yellows blue and brown mountain echoes drifting down footsteps landing softly, hear the crush upon a leaf carpet, rich and plush reds and yellows gold and brown hear the quiet autumn sound

I was in such a foul mood most of the day. Until I lifted. Then, I was fine. A hard workout is good for lots of things it seems. Must remember that.

No lifting today... I tried, but my dvd player wouldn't work. I moved my weights to the other room to try that TV, but then had to run an errand and head over to some friends' house who had invited us over for a yummy meal... So, not only did I not lift, I did EAT. Tomorrow. Here is more info on my Goal 10K. I hadn't run anything longer than 2.5 miles for about 3 weeks! So, I almost just re-grouped to try for October. And I could see snow out and up where I was to run. I left the house thinking that I would just run a couple of faster miles and push my goal out. So, I began like it was to be a 2 mile run. But as I got going, I realized that I really didn't want to put it off. I decided by 2 miles that I would just keep going until the snow turned me around. It was a wet snow and I wasn't dressed to get wet. At a little over 2.5 miles, I decided it was time to turn around. No big deal. I could deal with the last little bit on the treadmill. So, I took o...

At the beginning of the summer I set some goals. You might remember... I wanted to lose 5 pounds, run a faster 10K, and explore at least 2 trails by September. Now, I'm checking in. I have not lost 5 pounds, but I have tried. My hormones are still off track, so I probably just kep myself from gaining which is also a good thing. It's next to impossible to lose weight with hormones out of whack. I didn't manage to run my 10k until yesterday. I ran it at about the same pace as my last 10k...but I thought I wasn't going to get very far (snow ahead) so I started out too fast and was slower at the end. And my short runs are faster. So, I'm making progress. I did explore not only 2 trails, but 4. And I loved them! Next summer will be so fun! I have another shot at a faster 10k on October 25th. I'm planning to run the Nike+ Human Race that day. I've begun Chalean Extreme weight training again, too. Re-focusing. Re-grouping. Re-joicing. As Ruth says, ...

Crisp air, unpredictable weather, beautiful color... Ruth asked for pictures.