Quote of the day

Runner’s World @runnersworld

If you want to be a better runner, you’ve got to run more. It’s as simple as that. -Tom Fleming #MondayMotivation

 

So this quote struck me as painfully obvious and extremely thought provoking. What does better look like for me? How will I know when I am a better runner? Is it the habit of running more? Yes, that’s one measure. Is it when I get faster, and beat those goals I have floating in the back of my mind? Maybe. Is it when I can run longer, finally completing a half- or full marathon? Perhaps. 

 

At this point in my life and training, the most important measure of becoming a better runner is the process of learning to think of running as I do reading–something I do at the expense of other things because I really truly enjoy it and get something out of it. I will run more because I want to give my body the chance to learn to love running and want to do it. It’s the same way some kids become readers because they are given consistent time and space to read, and support from others who are readers. I need to give my body consistent time and space to run so that it may learn what it likes and doesn’t like. I have not yet found the race/pace/interval workout/playlist that will flip my running switch, but I am setting out on the journey to find it. The best part is, even if I never find it, I will still be a runner. 

Race #2–#TwitterRoadRace, January 21

Due to unexpected travel and, I was unable to do the original race I planned for January 7. Luckily, there was a virtual 5k, the TwitterRoadRace, happening on January 21. Perfect! I had planned to run the race on my brand new treadmill, which ended up being both good and bad.

Good: I didn’t have to brave the snow, slush, and ice. I was able to fit it in around our family calendar (soccer, basketball, sledding). I got so sick of staring at our piles of laundry that I had a rockin’ Saturday night laundry washing and folding party.

Bad: three words–brand new treadmill! This treadmill and I are just starting our relationship. We are just getting to know each other. I still have to think to push the speed and incline buttons. This is unlike my old friend treadmills at the Y. I know how to push their buttons. 😉 On my treadmill (I’m still deciding on her name), I am still getting the feel of the belt, the balance, and the rate of increasing/decreasing speed and incline.

My final time was 40:25.It was a run/walk affair. I find it hard to run slowly on the treadmill, so I have to use walk breaks. When I run outside, however, I can slow to a turtle jog to recover. 

Overall, I was neither pleased nor disappointed with my performance and results. It is a good first of the year number to have, and as I continue to practice, I will be able to use it as a measure of my growth and development as a runner.

 

Practice–Week 2

Practice = awareness

This week I spent a lot of time just being aware. Of my body. Of my mind. Of my home. Of my kids. Of my surroundings. Of the moon.

I didn’t fight the images. I didn’t justify them away. I didn’t immediately make any life changing decisions based on what I saw/felt. In many cases, I didn’t even give life to the things I noticed. I just let them pass. There were some things that I acted upon, however. Interestingly, most of those involved ignoring my feelings and doing what aught to be done.

Go The Distance–Week 2

Well, this week was a 100% improvement over last week. I doubled my miles walked/ran. Ok, so that’s not really saying much considering I went from 3 to 6, but I haven’t given up yet! Two trips to the doctor, one for me one for a kid, cut into two of my exercise windows. Then, all those January resolution people at the Y had the nerve to bring their kids to Child Watch, so my third time was cut short. Oh well. C’est la Vie!

BUT…I did drink more water this week–meeting my goal of 64 oz. five days out of seven. I love the Waterlogged app for my phone. It is an easy way to keep track of my drinking habit–when, where, and how much.

The best news of the week is that, as I write this, the delivery guys are downstairs right now! setting up our new TREADMILL!!! It is a combination Christmas and birthday gift for me and R from me and R. I’m so excited! I am a treadmill girl; it’s my preferred way to run. Truth be told, I don’t think I would have joined Go The Distance if I didn’t know I was getting one.

In better fitness news, I have kept up with my daily planks, thanks to #PlankADay. My current streak is 11 days!

Looking forward to week 3 (well technically I’m already here, but bear with me)…I have three days blocked out for cardio. I also plan to do at least one yoga or pilates class. Saturday is the #twitterroadrace. So, all in all, I should be able to make my weekly goal, and even add a mile or two to get me back on track.

What am I practicing?

PRACTICE

Go The Distance–week 1 update

I did not have a good week fitness wise. I only managed one day of running walking for a total of 5.3 miles. Yikes!
This week promises to be better. I have 3 days of running/walking scheduled which will meet my weekly needs.
Squeezing in smaller sessions to increase my weekly mileage will be emmuch/em easier once the treadmill arrives.

What Practice Looks Like–Reflection 1

One of the most immediate changes I’ve noticed since adopting practice as my guiding principle is that I’ve had to give up my all-or-nothing way of thinking. I am definitely a  black or white thinker and doer. If I don’t think I can do something perfectly, or if I don’t think the end result will be perfect (often on the first try), I won’t do it. I won’t keep trying; instead, I will see the first failure as an end result. Roadblocks are not detours; they are the end.

Living with a practice mindset has thrown those beliefs out the window.

Example 1: We were visiting family this week and I wasn’t able to maintain my exercise practice. Before, I would have used that as an excuse not only to not exercise, but to eat anything and everything because I was on “vacation”. This time, however, I chose which things I was going to do and which I would let go of for the week. That meant that I found time/space/energy to do my #PlankADay, continued drinking calorie-free, and wrote in my graditude journal. No, I didn’t make my weekly mileage goal. But, I am also not starting the week hungover from soda overload, back to square one with my core work, or resentful of being thrown off my routine. Instead I am able to look fondly on the week we spent with family, and move forward without regret.

Example 2: We have been living with one garage door opener for almost a year, and have wanted a keypad entry for the entire 6 years we’ve been in this house. But, because the garage door itself isn’t in the best condition (it’s fine–it’s functional, just not the prettiest one on the block) and we couldn’t afford to replace it (it was low on the priority list), we lived without. Not happily, mind you, but just without. Fast forward to this week, when my mother in law asked my husband to replace her garage door opener ($20). He did it in 5 minutes.  The first thing I did when we got home was go buy BOTH a new opener and keypad ($50). 20 minutes later and for the cost of a dinner out for our family of 5, we were all set! By focusing on what we could do, and actually doing it, we made ourselves happier and increased our peace of mind. And you know what? The garage door no longer looks so bad. I can cross new garage door off my list!

The PRACTICE of LIFE

I am someone who lives a lot of her life in her head or with her head in books. While this means I’m never bored–I’ve always got myself and my stories/plans for company–it does mean that many of ideas, plans, and dreams never see the light of day. I have not been able to successfully cross the bridge between the idea center of my brain and the control tower, where things get implemented. This has led to years of frustration and disappointment, as my plans never came to fruition and my life remained exactly as I didn’t want it.

This fall I started actually doing. I completed Ease into 5K on schedule. I signed up for & attended a spinning class with a friend. I attended a one day retreat in Pittsburgh with Karen Maezen Miller. I took a meditation course at the local Zen Buddhist Temple. Bedrooms were painted.

And you know what: it felt good. Unnatural, but good. I was engaging in the practice of life as opposed to thinking about how my life should/could be.

So, this year I’ve decided that my guiding word will be practice.

Noun:	The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method as opposed to theories about such application or use.
Verb:	Perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one’s proficiency.

 

While I do have specific goals in mind for different areas of my life, my focus and intention will be on developing a practice for them as opposed to thinking about the end results. The goals will be met, or not, but what I really want to get out of this year is practicing life: living life in the here and now, accepting what is and what is not, knowing when to stop thinking and start doing, knowing when to stop doing and just be

.

Race #1 Recap–Belle Isle 5k

Time: 40:53

A little disappointing. I wanted a sub-40:00 finish, but it was not to be. I trained exclusively on the treadmill with no incline, and it put me at a huge disadvantage.  I did, however, run the entire thing! I think I would have been faster doing run/walk intervals, but I really want to be able to run 3 miles nonstop, so I did!

Weather: 39 degrees, cloudy, NOT rainy

Course: Belle Isle, Detroit

a beautiful island in the city. For much of the course, we ran along the St. Clair River looking across to Windsor, Ontario Canada.

Thoughts/Feelings/Emotions:

This was hard; much harder than I thought it would be. Running with others is an entirely different experience. I couldn’t stop comparing myself.

I have a HUGE mental hurdle to overcome re: being a runner. After my treadmill workouts at the Y, I feel pumped and excited about running. Before, during and after this race, however, I felt like a failure. Why wasn’t all of my training showing more results?

Where do I go from here?:

Changes to training: increase incline on treadmill to 1%; go faster earlier and gradually increase length of time at desired pace; increase runs to 4 miles; develop and maintain stretching program;

What’s next:

Race #2 is on January 21. It’s the #twitterroadrace, organized by Doug Cassaro.