Running Thoughts

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY RUN TO ME! I've been so busy with Zumba (love) and it's been sooooo cold on top of that, I am just today getting my birthday gift to myself which was a much needed peaceful run in the brisk air.  I took my dog, Banjo, with me.  He is always such good company.  :) I was reminded why i love running so so much. the cool air in my nose, into my lungs, out through my mouth in rhythm the sound of my footsteps crunching a rhythm in the snow the swish of fabric..in rhythm the sound and feel of speeding up..rhythm the rhythm of nature around me..wind, river, trees... the rhythm I feel in being alive Plus, this was my first official training run for the Nike + 10k I've signed up for in March.  

Quick reminder that goals are attainable... 2005: 2012: I started my 40's in a state of ill health and panic.  I have hoshi-motto's thyroiditis.  Pregnancy and childbirth really messed with my hormones.  In the picture above in 2005, I weighed about 170.  In 2006, I blossomed to 185.  I began blogging about my lack of fitness as I determined to regain my health and enjoy my 40's more than I had my 30's.  Over time, I began blogging not about my lack of fitness, but about my fitness.  These days, I feel a vitality that I lacked in my 30's.  As I notice on the calendar that I am only 6 days away from my 47th birthday, I am thrilled to realize that 47 feels healthier and happier than 37 did.  Just today, I got wind that someone called me "the most fit person" that she knows.  Really?  Me?  The chubby gal from 2005?  Fit in 2012!  Yeah, that's me.

Well, I'm just always exhausted from Zumba and Zumba practice....  Running is still in my heart, but hasn't happened like I planned out on my calendar!  No worries, if I don't manage 12k, I will manage something...maybe 5 golden miles.....

"on the first day of christmas, my true love gave to me......" Well, I don't plan on anything having to do with a partridge or a pear tree, but I am planning on a Christmas goal of running 12k.  It's not an organized race, it's just my own little Christmas jaunt...My "12K of Christmas." From now until Christmas, my weeks will be filled with Zumba and my weekends will be filled with training for my little 12K.  Details later.....

I don't know how I manage to let so much time pass between posts...but let's get back to this idea of running and life:  my running-life. I had a glorious summer of zumba and running.  Seriously, glorious is the word.  I have enjoyed attending a zumba class on Mondays and Wednesdays as well as kicking my own butt as I instruct a Tuesday/Thursday zumba class.  I thought I'd never again weigh in the 120's, but I was wrong.  I just needed to add a little punch to my fitness life.  Zumba is fun and awesome, says my 126 lb self. But running, oh, running....the accomplishment, the solitude, the rhythm, the predictability, the unpredictability, the landscape, the meditation, the stretching of limits, the moments of knowing oneself and knowing God, ....I could continue with this list, but I'll stop here for now...... Oh, running. Zumba takes all my energy until Friday.  Friday is my day to RUN!  And sometimes Sat. and/or Sun., but a body needs a lit...

A few setbacks in half marathon training have me hitting fast forward in this post.  I'm just gonna skip ahead and say that I'm still training and trying to learn enough zumba routines to create a class and/or sub. I was sick and weather rained me out --so I've missed some runs so I'm hitting re-set and keepin' on keepin' on!  This week, I plan a reasonable 5 miles along with some shorter runs and lots of zumba. On the topic of zumba, I've been teaching a merengue in another teacher's class and am adding a cumbia this week.  She's great to offer to let me practice in her class and maybe it helps her too!

Look at me!

Half marathon training is rockin' along.  This week is sort of a rest week, so my long run was to be 5 miles.  (Next week will be 8...I can't believe I'm already to 8!)  I got rained out at 2.6 miles, so I'll have to find time to try again.  The weather isn't looking very cooperative though.  Before this week, the weather has been perfect!  So, all I've wanted to do is run...I've done some zumba too, but no insanity workouts in a couple of weeks, just run, run, zumba, run!  Certification in a week n a half!

I can't believe I forgot to mention that I signed up for Zumba Certification Training!  It's April 20th.  I will be practicing hard between now and then.  I bought some Ryka shoes that I think I'm gonna like for Zumba too.  They are very light weight and have little traction on the soles for slides and turns.  Also, Sara and I are training for a Half Marathon!  We are doing "Insanity" as cross training now that our bodies are more accustomed to the routine of it and we don't get so sore.  Our training includes, interval runs, tempo runs, chill runs, long runs, and cross training (Insanity, Zumba, Yoga).  I leave you with a fun Zumba Workout:

Reasonably Raw: I'm concentrating on eating mostly raw fruits and veggies.  And I'm so excited about my new toy.... I've been impressed that it will take raw vegetables (carrots) and make them into soup! Seriously, the above soup contains raw carrots, cabbage, and other yummy veggies.  I've also discovered a new Love:  These power meals are delish. Tropical smoothie made in my vitamix ...  Last week, we had summer weather in March!  Ah!   And a pic of Sara, Brooks, BabyDoll, and Me on today, the first day of Spring, hitting the road for some 1 minute speed intervals.  We did a bunch...I forgot to count.

Have ya missed me? I'm still be-boppin' along.

This is along the Kapalua Trail on Maui, Hawaii, where I got to run last week.  Hubby surprised me with a romantic vacation, so I packed up my runnin' gear and a couple of skirts and swimsuits and off we went!  I absolutely could get use to running in HI.  Oh my.... Any huge revelations I have normally come to me while running (or knitting :) and I realized something important while running the Kapalua Trail- past elegant palms and raging waves, sultry skies and serene beaches.... I always say that I love running in the cold...and it's true.  But it's definitely a choice.  I choose to love running in the cold because that's what I have.  But really, truly, I could really dig running on an island every day.  So, I realized that I have the ability to choose to be happy where I am...not that the idea is new to me, but a reminder of my inner strength is cool.

Well, it amazes me that so much time has passed since my previous post announcing that I'd signed up for the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon...TODAY, I ran the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon! I trained for this race and was feeling pretty good about it, but then, we went to TX for the holidays....  I didn't get to run for those two weeks and then my return to nearly 9000 ft above sea level had me gasping for air.  To top that all off, I caught a cold.  I suddenly wasn't feeling so sure that this Half was such a good idea. I decided to Just Do It.  Get it?  Nike?  ha I set out from the back of the lake and headed to town (nearly 7 miles) and then headed up my favorite mining road for the last 6+.  At mile 2, I had the feeling that I wasn't going to finish.  So in my head, I divided the journey into 2 mile segments and told myself, "I only need to think about this 2 miles."  And so it went to mile 10.  Mile 11 was tough.  It was long. ...

Tomorrow is the first official long run of my nike+ half marathon training!  I signed up for the 2012 nike+ half.  I'm excited.  This will be a challenge...fitting in the miles during winter/holidays/without far to run before snow is 100 ft deep.  If Ruth can run in circles, I can run back and forth.  :) Here's the registration page in case you're interested.   It's January 15th, 2012.  Run where you are.  I love it! I'm trying to eat 80% raw veggies/fruits.  I'm hoping for more energy, but am aware that my thyroid condition might interfere and I may have to stop and re-figure balancing the carbs/simple sugars with more protein at each meal....  Have to keep that insulin level even with hormone problems.  At any rate, eating more raw fruits and veggies is awesome for me. Six miles tomorrow, snow or sleet.

Stepping up onto box... Seriously, People, I like you.  I like your dog.  But I would like both you and your dog more if you were connected by a leash. Stepping back down... Snowy run.  Would have been fun if I'd had another layer and the afore mentioned dog and owner had done things differently.  3 miles. Still not feeling the energy promised of a raw veggie diet...haven't done it perfectly, but have done fairly well and I would like that energy now, please.

My imagination "ran away" with me as I left my house today wearing my Halloween Tee shirt, cute little skirt, and running shoes.  I decided the old mining road that I love to haunt must be spooky today, this spookiest of days... The creepy bare trees cast spooky shadows on my path....ooooooooooooooooo The leaves blew across the dirt road ahead of me whispering, "beware, beware!" Eyeballs in the dark, haunted cave glared out at me as I fixed my gaze decidedly away from that abandoned abyss that locals call "Hell's Kitchen." The wind whistled, "Go back, Go back" in unison with my usually friendly rock face, Mr. Three Mile Turn Around, who today, looks more like a monster.  eeeeeeeek!  I kept running, afraid to even turn around!  Today would just have to be 4 miles instead of 3. Bones!  Part of a ribcage lay before me as I wondered, "are they human?"  On any other day, I'd assume they were from a deer, but today.... Are tho...

I'm so excited that I just couldn't wait to post this!  I ordered some things from amazon.com.  (I love amazon.com)...I'm planning to scope out this website to get recipes!  The raw cocoa is exciting because I have medjool dates (taste like caramel!) ordered to be delivered tomorrow!  MMMMMM! Raw brownies!

I mentioned that I felt like I'd landed back on square one again and that I had some thoughts to share on the subject... I know how I ended up back on square one...Things happened to get in the way.  They were all good things, and as we all know, things DO happen.  My main goal way back when I started working toward a fit version of myself again was to keep moving toward my goals even when there are setbacks.  I've been true to myself and to that goal, and I'm actually happy to be back on square one.  I had a great freedom half-marathon in July, and I remember on one energized run right around that time thinking, "I'll keep running long, and a short run will be 5-6 miles all summer!"  Then, I got sick.  Then, we went on vacation.  Then, then, then.  And now...I've had the great opportunity to keep my goal of sticking with it no matter what.  To keep my promises to myself. My long run has become the length I thought my short run would be as ...

I set out to continue on my expanded week's plan.  Today would be 3 miles, but I've been really looking forward to my long run day and I was feelin' it today.  I reached my turn-around point (you remember him, Mr. TMT), said hello to the giant rock face and continued on, thinking, "well, flexibility is a good thing."  My new expanded week idea has lots of room for flexibility.  So, I ran my long run today which was intended to be 4 miles, but again, ...since I'm being flexible...I've also missed the big winding hills that are just past the 4 mile turn around point.  I flattened those, and turned around for a total of 5 miles. This brings this workout week to an end and begins the next one a mile ahead of plan.  Yay! And in honor of my little long run: Click Here HaHa!  That was my favorite as a kindergarten teacher...I hope I wasn't that obnoxious!

What is an expanded week?  Well, I seem to never fit in everything I want to fit in between long runs....for example, by the time I do yoga and insanity and run, I haven't put in enough weekly runs before my long run so it gets pushed.  Well, who cares?  If my workout week is longer, I have plenty of time to fit in all these things I love + rest and get in a nice, needed long run.  So, here is my 10 day workout week, (my expanded week): My week began on Sunday, Oct. 16th... Sunday: rest Monday: hills, (no yoga until Nov) Tuesday: push ups Wednesday: 3 miles Thursday: insanity, push ups Friday:  3 miles Saturday:  Push ups Sunday:  3mi or long run Monday:  either rest or long run (depends on Sunday), push ups (no yoga until Nov) Tuesday:  either rest or 3mi 10 days=1expanded week