The beauty of Nashville . . .

As school started this year, my life turned upside-down with so many new changes and stresses in every area of my life. While my blog went by the wayside, I am proud to say that my running stayed constant. With my husband’s help and support, I was able to carve out a little time throughout the week to squeeze in my training and even all of my long runs. My incredible husband, wonderful kids, and stress releasing running were my constant during this time of transition. And I can now say, with pride, that I have completed my second half marathon.



Last Saturday, my niece and I ran the Women’s Half Marathon in Nashville, along with three of my sisters and my mom who all walked it. This second time around has been just as full of life lessons and joys as the first time, but even more enjoyable. My goal finish time was 3 hours and I finished in 2:47:32! I didn’t even notice how tired my legs were because honestly, I was just having so much fun. It was really empowering to be in a sea of thousands of women of all ages and fitness levels accomplishing a feat that had such individual meaning to each and every woman. There was an amazing feeling of supportive comradery throughout the whole race. And the city was beautiful! And my favorite part of the race was going 3 mile down a beautiful street that had a turn around at the end followed by 3 miles back. What I loved was spending 6 miles seeing all of the other women going the other way. We kept cheering for each other, and encouraging those in their first 3 miles of the stretch. I also got to see and high-five all of my sisters and my mom! I missed my niece somehow, although it turns out she was close behind me the whole time. I wish I had known – I would have hung back a few minutes so I could run with her! Maybe next time.



We all finished under our goal times and each completed our own journey getting to that spot on the other side of the finish line. And we all went back and waited for my mom at the end of the race and walked with her across the finish line, 5 minutes under the 4 hour mark! I’ll admit. I cried off and on for a good hour or so afterward. I’m proud of myself for being able to do so much in such a short training time. But more than anything, I’m proud of my family who all overcame their own physical, mental, and emotional obstacles to finish that race. And we became a family who are now in constant contact with each other, even if it is through facebook. Several times a day, we would (and still do) check in with each other with training advice, successes, frustrations, venting, spiritual thoughts, support . . . It started as an ambitious idea which I thought would never take off, and has become an incredible journey. And we’re now, of course, all hooked – everyone is talking about “the next one!”



For me, my plan is to step back, build my training more slowly, doing a half in the spring, another in the fall, and then going for the full marathon in the spring of 2013. I feel I finally understand how to train more efficiently and effectively, and I want to make sure I have a strong physical base before attempting a full marathon so that it is a good experience. I want to WANT to do another marathon once I’m done. I want to be one of those 70 year old women out running on a Saturday morning. It’s funny. I thought it was a miracle I went from avoiding running at all costs to wanting to “finish one half marathon.” That turned into “do another half so I can do a full marathon once and cross it off my bucket list.” Now, it’s “become a marathon runner.” You never know what crazy path you might end up taking yourself down . . .

Baby steps to training for September . . .

It has been too long since I have posted. But the good news is that instead of writing about running, I have actually been running! As I mentioned before, I'm training for the Women's Half Marathon in Nashville at the end of September. I was really worried because my leg had been injured, but I can say that today I am injury free! I have started up my running nice and slow, following the training guide I got for free with my half marathon sign up.

It was a good guide to get me going. Most weeks look like this:
M- 30 min run, low intensity
T- cross train, medium intensity
W - rest
Th - 30 min run, medium intensity
F - cross train, low intensity
S - long run (started at 4 miles)

Then of course the minutes go up and the mileage goes up, with a nice taper the few weeks before the race. I like that it slowly builds and has a good beginning outline. What I don't like is that it just focuses on running. Not different aspects of running.

Everything I have read about training for longer races (and everything I've heard from talking to others) is that there are 3 important exercises to include each week. Each of these exercises helps strengthen different parts of your body, and I'm not talking about different leg muscles. They train your heart, lungs, metabolism, and other systems to work more efficiently.

First, you want to do intervals one day. Intervals are like little (or big) pick up during your run. You warm up with a good mile or so, then do 6-10 intervals. You could pick up the pace for a minute or for a specific distance if you're on a track. This isn't just picking up the pace a tad but going significantly faster. This will help build speed over time. Here's a pretty good article on speed work: Speed Work/Intervals

Second, you want to do a tempo run. This is practicing the pace you want to run for your race. It trains your muscles how to use oxygen more efficiently. As your tempo runs go longer, your lactate threshold, or the point at which your body fatigues, gets longer as well. What you do is warm up with a mile or more, then hold your race pace for a few miles, starting with less mileage and building up. Note - this is NOT your long run. That comes next. Here's a good article about tempo runs: Tempo Runs

Lastly, you will need to do a long run. This is actually at a "conversation pace," or a pace at which you could talk to someone next to you. This builds strength endurance. You want to add no more than a mile each week, but you want to get close to your race distance (10 miles for a half, 20 miles for a full marathon). Once you start getting some races under your belt, and your goals become more time oriented instead of "I just want to finish!" you can build these to longer than race distance. Also, every fourth week, you should back off a tad on your long run mileage, as well as your other mileage. This is true of any exercise, including weights. It gives your body a bit of recovery time. I love using www.mapmyrun.com to map out runs, including around park tracks and such to figure out mileage. It was also great to use when I ran in Tennessee, since I didn't know the area well.

Something that I read in Born to Run, spoken by a big time trainer, is that too many people do their fast runs too slow and their slow runs too fast. I definitely fall under that category. I always ran the same speed, whether I ran 1 mile or 10. I never thought past the idea of running a certain distance. I'm excited to really use the above exercises, and to really vary my pace.

As you get closer to your race, you should start adding in hills as well. This is obviously running up and down hills to train your body and muscles to adapt to different terrains.

The other things that should be included in a good training schedule are rest or easy days. It is important to give your muscles (heart included) time to recover. you will see better results if you give yourself some recoveries, especially after hard and long runs. (This is also true of weigh lifting.) Speaking of weights, you want to include crosstraining. This can be cardio, though as I just mentioned, you don't want to push hard everyday, or it can be weight lifting. Weight lifting is such an important part of fitness, which I am slowly learning. I'll be honest. I'm not a big fan. But as I've been lifting regularly for the past two months, I feel a difference in my running as well as overall fitness and health.

With all this said, I am starting to add these three workouts into my schedule this week and it feels great. I have successfully completed a month of training just focusing on getting moving and such, but now it's time to kick it up a notch. I feel great, and I'm proud to say that while I've only lost 2 pounds, I've lost 1/2 inch everywhere, and I see a noticeable difference. Everything feels a little more firm and a little less giggly. And most of all, I just FEEL better.

As I pay more money towards this trip, I somehow find more motivation to train. I start thinking, "Man! I better make the most of this!" I'm getting excited. I feel stronger, but I'm only a few steps into the journey. Two months to go, and I feel like I've got a long way to go . . .

It's official . . .

I'm running the Women's Half Marathon in Nashville, TN at the end of September. I'm all signed up and everything. What's cool is I got a free interactive training schedule when I signed up. And is it sad and too girly of me to be really excited about the finisher's medal? It has a removable necklace charm, so I can actually wear part of my medal whenever I want! So officially it's me, my niece, my mom, and four of my sisters, partying like it's 1999.

So what does this mean for me? It means relearning how to listen to my body while simultaneously telling it to shut up and run. It means working really hard while clearing my mind and rejuvenating my drive. It means a really weird form of therapy and meditation. It means big bursts of serotonin and other happy hormones. It means torturous running. And loving it.

What does it mean for you? Lots of rambling blog posts from me. Lucky you.

Up and down . . .

What an up and down year this has been, and that includes my running life as well. I started running and though I knew I needed to go slow, I just pushed too hard. I also started wearing my New Balance Minimus shoes while I pushed too hard, and yup! I got injured. I'm almost positive I have a stress fracture. It fits all the symptoms and descriptions I've read. It might also be a torn/stressed tendon, but my gut says it is the former.

While I am still a firm believer in minimal footwear, I just did too much too soon, which is what all of the minimal footwear literature emphasizes over and over. I also think that the particular shoes I bought were just not right for me. I wear nothing but minimal footwear all day long (when I'm even wearing shoes), as I wear pretty flat sandals, very thin ballet flats, and sometimes my good ol' chucks. That's the extent of my daily footwear choices. But when I'd wear my NB Minimus, even just for a walk or to the gym, my leg would ache again. That told me it was the shoes as well as the over doing it. I should have just gone for the fivefingers. I just didn't want all the stares.

But that brings us to today. My leg is feeling really good, after really taking it easy with only cross training and weights with no running and taking bone calcium supplements for quite a while. And it comes just in time. I was thinking of bailing out of the half marathon I had planned for the end of September, but somehow my sister and I have convinced the women of my family to do it. So, three of my sisters and my mom will be walking the Nashville Women's Half Marathon, and my niece and I will be running it. They are all paid for and signed up. I will be on Friday. So, there's no backing out now!

Do I think I can train to run the whole thing by the end of September? To be honest, I've very doubtful. But I'm going to do what I can. It's been hard to readjust my goals. In January, I had time goals and strategies. Now my goal is to finish it, and hopefully run the whole thing. It's tough starting all over. A year ago I could run 6+ miles quite easily and it was even fun. Now I struggle to finish a mile without breaking and while it is really frustrating, I am trying to focus on the fact that I have done this before, so I can do it again.

This week I am giving my leg a test run with harder cross training, mostly spin and maybe some elliptical. Next week I jump back into running - SLOWLY this time, so I don't get hurt. The good thing is my stride has changed. I used to hear a thunk thunk thunk thunk as I ran, and with my ear phones on, I heard it very loudly in my ears. Now it's a light pat pat pat pat, mostly landing on my midfoot. I know this will help me avoid injury as well.

So, the journey begins again . . . let's hope this is the last beginning for a while and I see it to the end this time. Half in Sept, full in the spring.

a return . . .

(This is my awesome barely 3 year old son, RUNNING up the hiking trail we went on in Tennessee. When we stopped to wait for others he just kept asking, "Can I run now?" That memory epitomizes this post.)

It has been too long between posts, and I hope to do better.

First of all, it has been so hard to get out running. I have been reading about running. Thinking about running. Planning training ideas. But I can't seem to get out the door. Part of this is that it is so hard to go out for a run with little kids, especially when I am so darn picky. I hate running strollers (plus ours only fits one), and I don't care for treadmills at all. I also live in a rougher neighborhood, so I have to either go somewhere else or plan my run during specific parts of the day. And I live in Arizona, which adds the whether to the variables. To make a long complaint short, I am just finding excuses because running is hard, and getting back into running is harder. It gets frustrating to know that a year ago I was running 10+ miles for my long runs, and 4-6 miles on my other runs, yet I can't go 3 miles without stopping. So I am working on shifting my focus to just running for the enjoyment of it, with the underlying goal of getting to 3 miles straight (and then of course I'll have to start actually training at some point shortly after).

This brings me to my second topic - Born to Run. I had heard a few things about this book from various friends, and I remember when there was a sudden focus on the whole minimalist running based on the Tarahumara tribes in Mexico. Since I had a trip and spring break coming up, I bought the book, and man, am I glad I did! I can honestly say it is one of the best books I've ever read. Even my nephew (who's older than I am) picked it up while at our reunion and finished it within a few days because he just couldn't put it down. While I am weird and actually prefer non-fiction books, I understand that they are often dry and I rarely finish them. This is not that kind of book. While it is full of so much information, it is written by telling different people's stories, and it really read like a novel.



It tells about the tribes in Mexico who are crazy shy, but throw huge drunken parties and go out the next morning and run up to 300 mile races. It tells about various ultra runners (those who race 50 and 100+ miles races, usually on trails) and their love of the sport. Then there is the illusive Caballo who is an American living and running among the Tarahumara, whose story changes depending on who you talk to. And scientists who stumble across amazing facts about how our bodies are really made to run. This book is funny, interesting, moving, and just makes me want to strap on my shoes (or not) and run. The thing I love most is how it emphasizes the love of running. All of these runners that come out of nowhere and just run 50 miles a day because no one ever told them they aren't supposed to be able to do that. I also love all the evidence that we as human are in fact born to run. I've heard so often "We're not really made to run." "Running is dangerous." Running is bad for your body." And the weird belief from the 70's that has somehow stuck, "Running will damage your uterus" . . . or jiggle things loose . . . or make it fall out . . . and weird things like that.

I'd tell you all the details of this book, but honestly - you just have to go and enjoy it yourself. I will give the warning, for those who are offended by such things, that there is some language in this book. Mostly mild, but a handful of f-bombs. It kind of makes me sad because I understand why they're there, but coming from a more conservative crowd, there are many people I know who sadly will never read this book and enjoy it's treasures because of a few words that didn't need to be there. But that's another topic for another day.

So as I read this book and contemplated how I need to return to just running because I love it, I was at a family reunion in Tennessee. We were just outside of Pigeon Forge, for those of you who know TN. Coming from Arizona, which has it's on unique beauty, I have fallen in love with the green lusciousness of Tennessee. Here's the beautiful house we stayed in:



While there, I went on a 2 1/2 mile run with my niece, and then another 2 miles run later by myself. Below is a picture from that run. Honestly, I went for that second run because I knew I was leaving the next day and it'd be my last chance to run on that beautiful road. The other beauty of running in Tennessee? The drivers. Note that there are no shoulders on this road, or any of them for that matter. But the drivers not only would give way more room than needed (especially since I'd jump into the grass, mud, and whatever else next to the road), but they'd smile and wave while doing it. AZ? My experience has been quite the opposite, but thankfully I avoid the streets and run on sidewalks or tracks for that reason.



But here I am, back home in the great desert, trying to find the motivation, time, and energy to just go run. So it's time for compromises with myself. Treadmill, stroller, you name it. I've got to just get myself out there because September is right around the corner, and 13.1 miles aren't going to run themselves. I just need to remember that while the circumstances may not be perfect, I can return to that love of running I found last year, and just enjoy it. If I do that, I really believe the rest will start to fall into place.

Going strong . . .

I went for a 5 1/2 mile run/walk yesterday and it went so well! I mean, don't get me wrong. It was tough. But I felt sooooo good afterward. I forgot how good I feel, both physically and emotionally, when I really run. I went farther than my typical 3 miles because we have a pedometer challenge at our school and I just wanted more steps. But I'm so glad I did.

I went on the River Walk for one main reason - once I go out, I have to come back. I went my 2 3/4 miles west and was totally pooped. But, there was only two ways to get back to the car. Run or walk. And running's faster. All in all, I ended up running about 3 1/2 miles and walking the rest, though there were breaks between and sometimes during those miles. But my fastest mile was just over 12 minutes. 1 min 45 sec shorter than two days earlier. I fell like it's coming back quickly, which gets me excited to go back out. Now just to figure out how to schedule in more runs between work and taking care of my two little monkeys.

Here are two pictures of my favorite part of the River Walk. It's between La Canada and La Cholla. Of all the desert plants, I admit that I love mesquite trees!

A cause for pause . . .

I am now FINALLY getting started with my running. I, of course, am feeling anxious to do some training and so forth, but my first task is building up my running slowly. I have gone out three times now, running/walking 3 miles. My goal is to get back to running 3 miles straight, since that was my "easy run" distance before, and a good starting point in working towards my goals. I am also focusing on my stride, trying to get back to the mid foot strike that I started developing towards the end of my running last time. Which brings me to my not so recent interest . . .

I remember several years back reading an article in Men's Fitness about the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico, who have these ridiculously long runs in nothing but these homemade sandals made of old tires strapped to the bottom of their feet. I think the article was actually about the book Born to Run, which is about a runner who spent time with them, learning their ways, etc. I thought, "How different from everything I've ever heard about running . . . I love it! But is it just a fad?"



A year or so later, during the fall of 2006, while a good friend was visiting from Mexico, we took a road trip up to the Grand Canyon. In Williams, we encountered three runners on their way to run the Grand Canyon. Go ahead and reread that to make sure you read it right. Yep! They were going to run the Grand Canyon. South rim to north rim to south rim. Their car had broken down, but that wasn't going to stop them. They squeezed in the back of our little Honda Accord along with our friend - four adults in the back! (Now that I think about it, I should have forced my way to sit back there so she didn't . . . oh, well.) I quickly noticed those weird glove shoes that I had briefly seen in that article strapped to one of their backpacks. His name was Ted. "Barefoot Ted." And he quickly answered all the questions I had. Turned out he has quite a blog and plays his part in promoting barefoot running - barefotted.com (and now also borntorun.org). His running partners just chuckled and rolled their eyes as he got very excited talking about the whole barefoot running phenomenon. (see his post) I, of course came home and started researching this "radical" idea of running without super cushioned shoes . . . Here's a picture of Barefoot Ted on his Grand Canyon adventure.



A year later I started running and was still fascinated with the idea, though this stint was short lived as I soon became pregnant. Fast forward almost two years and I started actually running and training for my first half marathon. The idea of barefoot running had blossomed and was starting to get more attention . . . I decided that I wanted to get a good base in running before trying something new, but it kept nagging at me, especially as I dealt with shin splints, which often comes from heel striking. Now that I'm training again, I can't get it out of my head. What once seemed like a totally radical idea has started becoming more accepted by the running world. This year I had several students in cross country who all wear those barefoot shoes, and almost every major running shoe company now has their version of minimal or "barefoot" running shoes. Harvard did a study. When I go out running on the river walk, I see at least one person doing it . . . Is this just a fad? Or a revolution?

So here's the theory behind why we should get rid of our cushy running shoes and go more minimal. First of all, humans have run for thousands of years without these fancy shoes. In fact, they came about only in the 1970's. The idea is that since the heel is raised in traditional running shoes, it causes runners to land on their heel, rather than on the ball of their foot, or both together. (75% of traditional running shoe wearers land on their heels.) This causes the shock of contact to travel up the skeleton. When one lands on the ball of their foot, it absorbs the shock instead. Check out these videos (and this website) to see what I mean . . . Harvard - Biomechanics of a Foot Strike

And here's a video of a runner who was given no instructions but to run - once wearing shoes, once just in socks.

As I've mulled over this idea in my head, I've started watching kids feet when they run, since they haven't been taught how to run, and they don't wear fancy shoes. They all land mid or forefoot. People who have never worn shoes to run in their whole lives naturally land in the mid or forefoot. It just makes sense. I tend to gravitate towards ideas that fit with the "why mess with it if it works" mentality. I feel that while modern technology is wonderful, sometimes we mess with stuff too much. But I digress . . .



I also can't get the stories out of my head. While, like any new sport, it has to be eased into slowly, since it uses muscles that haven't been used in a while, it strengthens the foot and ankles. I have read story and story of people who eased into running in "barefoot" shoes and have most of their injuries go away because they ware running in a way that is easier on their body. I mean, why do we accept that shin splint, plantar fasciitis, "runners knee," etc. are all just part of the territory of running? Even as I feel twinges in my shins, I concentrate on having a midfoot strike, and it goes away. "Barefoot running" just makes sense, as radical as it may seem to our modern minds, and I just can't get the idea out of my head. Now is it for everyone? Probably not, as I think most things aren't one size fits all. But it is definitely reshaping our understanding of probably the oldest sport.

The shoe that is probably most popular in this whole revolution, as I've decided to call it, is the Vibram Fivefinger. It looks so silly. Seriously. I went and tried on a pair of Sprints, which were pretty comfortable, and are made as a kind of all purpose Fivefinger. But then I started reading about their newer Bikila shoe, which is specific to running. I tried it on. I can honestly say it is the most comfortable thing I have ever put on my feet. Silly looking, but sooo comfortable.



And so . . . as soon as I can find a decent deal on them (I check the internet and ebay everyday), and maybe sell something for the cash, I will be a proud owner. I don't plan on running in them every time, but like so many people that start out with that thought, I will probably become hooked.

(These are the ones I like the most - kind of cooler looking than their counter part, and I like the added adjustment laces give.)