Freakin' Four Miles...

Yesterday Boston, Today Nothing

I was saying my good nights to my 11-year-old son on Monday and he said I should train for Boston. Are you freakin' kidding me? (I didn't say that to him.) I thought it was the sweetest thing. 'You can do it, Mom', he says. 'You can do anything.' I've come a long way by golly but BOSTON?!!! My friend over at http://www.shutupandrun/ has it in her attainable radar and I love her for it. But me, well that will never happen. Or could it...

So my wheels started turning and I went to bed thinking why not?! Feeling invigorated and motivated when that's hard to come by these days was really, REALLY nice. So I got up the next day bound for Boston. I started my simple, little 4 miles at about 10:30 a.m. in the squishy southern heat and hated every single step of the run. Every one of them. My attitude tanked, my positive self-talk turned profane and it's all I could do to finish freakin' four miles. How could I get to Boston if I can barely get back to my mailbox? BUT, I did finish. I beat my own attitude and that's a victory that stayed with me all day. Maybe that's the baby step to the next level. How do you set a high goal and strategically map the course? Do you plan in the wiggle room for bad attitude days? Strategy isn't my strong suit but believing in big ideas is. Somebody, kick me in the ass. Maybe, I should just shut up and run. I drive my own self crazy!!

Do you like it upside down?

Reverse Psychology

Once during my single days, a ...ahem... 'friend' of mine pointed out that I'd never seen him upside down. I didn't know what that meant or why it was important. On Sunday (17 years later) during Yoga - I found out.

This isn't me but I did it! For the record - I don't think this is what my friend had in mind but I did it (this) nonetheless. I balanced my entire body weight on my head. I used my shoulder girdle for the base and core strength for balance. My aha! moment was glorious - I found equilibrium without stress or struggle. My cervical vertebrae felt -nothing. My legs were reaching for the sky while my head was solidly rooted beneath me. I was upside down. What a kickass feeling! Is that what I was missing out on all those years? Better late than never!

You know I showed my children. They weren't that impressed they did look curiously at their almost 41 year old mother and wonder if things were normal in this neck of the woods. Amazing what a moment of reverse perspective can do for a gal. I was more fun yesterday. I have my upside down moment tucked in my heart for a day when reverse psychology is a must. Maybe this IS what my friend meant - potential nudity notwithstanding. Heck I feel like I can do anything now that I can stand on my head.

Have you done it upside down?

Gag!

It's all about you, you, you...

I just finished Dean Karnezes' "Ultra Marathon Man, Confessions of An All Night Runner". I'm sick. I have always struggled with the idea that running seems so self indulgent. We run to improve our own bodies, pace, performance. We run to clear the mind. We run for the solitude, a brief time away from responsibilities. Runners talk about their knees, hips, and shoulders - where's the world peace, fight for hunger, or cure for a disease? Karno, (as Dean's close friends call him) ran to save lives - Libby Wood for one. He also ran to save his own and his family's after the tragic death of his sister. When I stop self-flogging for a moment, it occurrs to me that we all maybe doing a little bit of 'good for the world' even if we don't know it. Maybe the you, you, you after a ball's out run is a better product for the planet and in fact our running is quite good for everyone.

I'm nicer after a run. I am more clear-headed and sharp. I make better decisions because the nagging guilt of not having run yet is not crawling all over me. My conversations during long group runs are quite meaningful. All that said. I need more.

I know there is a lot of opportunity to partner with a cause and make more out of running. Team in Training, Relay for Life, and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to name a few. Most big races have a signature charity that benefits from proceeds. I'm starting to feel better. BUT I still want more. I am selfishly training for the Richmond Marathon without a cause in mind. It occurs to me we can approach each run with some intention if that's our gig. Do it for the babies, do it for the old people, do it for the homeless, do it for (gag) YOU. That's quite enough. Did I just say that? Gotta go - not to cure cancer or finish my novel or teach the underpriviledged in Uganda. I gotta run. Maybe afterwards I can do all those things. Why do you do it?

Ball's Out

I never knew I was capable.

Balls Out - a term used to describe all-out effort, mack-daddy results, and/or private parts exposed.

We might also use the term when baseball season is (finally) over. No offense, Nick.

Examples

1.) My son, Nick (a left handed pitcher and mack-daddy hitter when he wants to be) recently competed in an All-Star baseball tournament. Caught up in an unpleasant, unsportswoman-like moment I referred to the opposing team as 'show-offy little bastards'. A balls out comment for me. Never knew I was capable. These are children, for God's sake. Balls out, I feel bad about it - even if it was true. The season is done. (Base)ball's out for us.

2.) Recently, while on a long training run I got to talking to a cool lady who told me about an ultrathlete who lost control of bodily functions during an event and kept right on going with (ahem) muddy clothes. This is an example of balls out focus and drive. I wish I had it. Eye on the prize, baby. The shower will always be there.

3.) High-risk environment. Vulnerable. Exposed. Everything on the table. Nothing withheld. No sandbagging. Causes increased heart rate. Eyes dart around looking for obstacles or injury to the tenderest of spots in us. Invigorating, liberating, learning generally the hidden parts are all the same. No flinching. Out in the sunshine. What's next? Hey, those aren't balls I see out that's a distance runner getting ready for a race.

Tell me your balls out moment. With running, sports, or anything else. Would you do it again? I bet you would.

Get Some!

Motivation, Inspiration, Perspiration


Did you get any this morning? I am sitting here dressed for action and waiting for mine.

Inspiration to run. A friend and I were discussing how ever-lovin' hard it is to get out and run some days. He says he wakes up drags, his body to the coffee maker, downs a cup or two and just waits. Sits there - at 4:30 in the morning - for the moment to hit to git up and run. He does. I'm not sure exactly what happens but he feels 'wonderful' when it's over.
Things we know...

• Dean Karnezes says, 'Running isn't Fun'. It can be 'enjoyable'. But it isn't fun.
• Running is a vehicle for goal setting, endurance testing, and self-reliance.

I'm starting to feel something...

• Running requires no equipment, except shoes. Clothing is optional depending on where you live

Tingle, tingle..

• Running clears the mind and raw will roars

Tension building...

• Running maintains a trim (waistline) - get your mind out of the gutter

I'm gettin' there...

• Running is always available, is a great way to connect with nature and releases ass-kickin' endorphins so it feels wonderful when its over.

Yes, yes, yes!!!!

• Gotta run

What do you get yours? Motivation, inspiration, and perspiration.

Raise the Bar, Baby

New Marathon, New Outlook.

"I just want to finish and I don't want to be last". My old running goal.

I was about to start my first race about 18 months ago (Frostbite 8k in Richmond) and got to chatting with a young, experienced-looking, fit runner. As we talked about our running experience (I had almost none) - I told her my mindset. She laughed and said, 'Oh God, you'll be fine'. Like 'get a life and get a real goal'. Other races have come and gone. A few halfs and a full. For the full -I wasn't last and I did finish (barely). But passing my low bar did nothing for the emotional hangover from the event. Now, I am on to a new marathon with a new outlook. I'm raising my bar, baby. Higher. Higher. I want to finish under 4:30. That's ONE HOUR improvement. I'm still slightly embarrassed to state it. Never mind I was just off steroids from pneumonia and had two hours of sleep. (I know. Excuses. Excuses.) I'm movin' on.

Our first group run was on 5/31. There are 1,000 runners training with Richmond Sportsbackers. About 150 of us heathens meet on Sundays. Great weather. Great people. Better pace. And the lattes on the way home are still really, really good. I hope this marathon is better than my first. Really. Really.

I still don't want to be last and I KNOW I'll finish. What is your bar like? www.shutupandrun is going to BQ.

That's Sick

Held prisoner
and nowhere to run.
(The only reference to running here is that I was training for my first half marathon when it happen. Take heart - anyone close to celebrating four oh might find a nugget of fun. read on)

Beth over at http://www.shutupandrun/ locked me in her basement this past summer. Maybe you were getting your car lubed or at a bar in July of 2008 and glanced at a streaming live-time news show from a mounted flatscreen and saw this. It's not me. But it could've been. Here's the deal.

Last July, I embarked on a never-been-done-before-children, all-by-myself trip. Couldn't wait. I was headed to visit my dear, dear friend, Beth in Longmont, CO. I even bought a 'airport outfit'. Travel day was my ACTUAL 40th birthday - got a free glass of wine during my layover in Vegas. I thought it was for my birthday but I think that's just how Vegas rolls. Anyway, I didn't even pack my beloved running shoes - this event was no place for those puppies. Here's how my trip rolled.

(This is not for the faint of heart.)

#1 I SEE BETH. Yeah. We lovingly greet each other like two friends who haven't seen each other in years. Oh wait, we are. Never mind. No tongue though. We are in our groove within a matter of seconds.

#2 We go to a bar nearby that smells like feet when you first walk in. (Not mine because they don't. Remember the body function phobia?) The upstairs deck is way cool They spray you with water every few minutes. It's stinkin' hot.

#3 We head to Boulder for more drinks and a further traverse down Memory Lane. I laughed so hard my cheeks ached. I had no idea what was in store for me.

9:00 p.m. 'ish

I race in to see Beth's family - including their 3-legged rescue dog, Lucky and their never-been-seen-before-by-me house. Yeah. More fun.

10:30'ish

Bedtime for Clair. I'm pooped. East Coast time and all. Beth shows me to my quarters. I get the whole huge basement to myself which includes my own bathroom with a runnable faucet. Yeah, again. 'Night everybody.

6:30 a.m.

It's coffee-time in Colorado. Or so I thought. I saunter on up the stairs to a $#$%%$$ SHUT AND LOCKED door. The only thing I hear is effing-Lucky sniffing around on the other side. Tap, tap, tap I go. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. I hear. Back down the steps I go.

6:40 to 7:00

I exit my cell from the sliding glass doors down below IN MY PAJAMAS (did I tell you they live on a golf course that is in use at a very early hour), careful not to shut it all the way. (I'm so smart.) Up the deck stairs I go. To nothing. Nada. Locked out again. Who is this person I call 'friend'?

7:00 to 7:15

DT's from no coffee. False hope of rescue.

7:15

I give up. I crawl back in bed. It's a good thing Beth gave me a book for my birthday (Thank you) because the sorry ass book collection in my cell did not turn me on. I should, however, bone up on C. S. Lewis, The New Testament and Dickens. At least I know it. Lucky's effing limp on the kitchen floor is really on my nerves now. Must be nice.

7:45

I hear Beth in the kitchen. Now I'm embarrassed. Up the stairs I go to try again. Tap, tap tap I go. Laugh, laugh, laugh I hear. Sick. 'Oh, my God.' (laugh, laugh, laugh) 'Did I lock you out?' (laugh, laugh, laugh) 'Holy Shit. (She cusses.) 'I can't believe this.' (laugh, laugh, laugh). 'I have got to call Ken.' Sick 'Holy Shit'. (More cussing).

7:46

I'm out. More Colorado Fun.
Oh, and here are my older two children playing. I secretly liked this. Sick.

Ever been held captive? What's your story? Keep it clean.