Running Thoughts

Foto Friday…  Lola Mae McGregor...My wonderful Gran-Gran celebrated her 100th birthday on October 21st.  You can see her in the first picture on the left as my beautiful mother holds the cake for the camera.  Longevity.  Wow.  I'd say, "Yay, for me and my genetics!"  But I know better.  I know that she lived in a time when food was actual food.  Then, my mother's generation got bombarded with packages of "food" that catered to fast-paced living and easy solutions.  Packages full of chemicals, additives, fat, and sugar.  I'm excited that I've discovered the "non-food" quality of the packages on the grocery store shelves.  I'm excited that I can feed my family REAL food.  I'm excited to look forward to longevity in spite of the lack of nutrition we confront in our nation of convenience.  So, "Yay, for me and my genetics and for real, nutritious food!"  I'm excited to be Lola Mae McGregor's name-sake, Lola Josha. ...

I've been thinking.  I haven't been able to do much else.  Thinking that I really love how far I've come along the fitness road.  I like how long the road is, how windy, all the bumps along the way, I like the journey.  I like that I'm on it.  Yeah.

Actually, I'm not sure Ruthie and I agreed on Whiny for Wednesday in our new idea of getting back to blogging by assigning fun topics to each day of the week,.. but it was definitely in the running, and I have some whining to release, so… Welcome to Whiny Wednesday. Tabloid Tuesday was a precursor.  It was a fun way of announcing that I have something to whine about now that it's Whine-time Wednesday.  It turns out that it's mostly my booty-us maximus that is injured and causing whine-worthy pain.  In short, ouch!..my butt hurts! No Zumba or running until I can at least walk like a normal person.  Oh, wait… maybe I never walked like a normal person…..

Zumba Instructor Falls During Stretch Noteworthy of attention at the Zeller Wellness Center today, Josha Smith nearly fell to the floor during a "runner's stretch."   "It was really funny," offered an innocent by-stretcher.   Smith is reported to be recovering from a pulled hamstring and is complaining of some hip pain after the incident.  Ice added to the 20 degree evening will be her treatment.  She is unavailable for comment at this time.

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...