Why I Run

I've been pretty bad at this, haven't I? Well instead of rambling off what I've done to prepare for my next marathon - I'm going to share something a little more personal. Why I run.

Running isn’t something I am forced to do each day. There are reasons behind my madness, behind my passion. It’s like that quote that talks about how the road won’t miss you if you don’t run. Basically, it’s your decision and every runner has a different drive behind his or her step.

I have a few. The more obvious reasons are to stay fit, to be able to eat more of what I want and for the competition. Constantly challenging myself is an exhilarating test each time I go out for a run, and it's even more heightened when I line up for a race. But there are other reasons ... ones that have become clearer with each year and more experiences.

My sister and I were talking the other day about running and why we do it. The short of it - it’s therapeutic and it's a place to go where you are completely alone with your thoughts. There’s no better place to think with an uncluttered mind than on the pavement. In the last six years of my life I have lost five very close family members and running has been what I've turned to so I can sort out my thoughts, cope with my heartbreak and ask God the questions I don't seem to understand. It's not always that deep of course - sometimes I run to get away from it all. I can leave reality for a little bit and then come back refreshed.

Even more, I can deal with whatever anxieties or stresses I've taken on that day or whenever. Anxiety often times clouds up my chance for sanity in a particular moment, and to experience the openness of the road is the best escape. I don't always turn to running when I'm dealing with something negative though - a majority of my runs are because I just like the feeling. I love passing other runners who share a similar joy, I love seeing different parts of a city that I never would have seen any other way and I love pushing myself to a limit that I didn't seem imaginable before that day.

So when asked why I run - well I guess I have a few reasons. People handle the cards that was dealt to them differently. Sometimes running is a cure, sometimes it can be a celebration or it can just be something I want to do that day. But it is definitely a part of my life in a big way.

Pushing Through Rough Times

Once again I've slacked on keeping up with my posts. These last couple weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. Traveling to Orlando in early January for work was my first hurdle. Not that the trip was anything negative, but I needed to show more motivation then I did when it came to my running. We worked long days and long story short, the fitness center and I did not get acquainted. On the second day of my trip I received devastating news - my mom-mom passed away. The news was unexpected and heartbreaking. After contemplating getting an early flight home, I decided to stick it out in Orlando to keep myself busy. The weekend after I got home was the weekend Chris and I had to move into our new apartment. Since we needed to drive to Maryland for my grandmother's services we had to pack all the work into one day. Missed my long run. I still planned on squeezing it in at this point but a few very long, emotional and exhausting days had passed and still no running.

We returned to Raleigh late Tuesday night and so I picked up where I left off on training Wednesday. I ran a little over three miles and then Thursday I ran a tempo three miles. Friday called for a rest day - not like I needed any more rest - but I took it regardless since I had a long run on Saturday, which was seven miles. I felt pretty good but I did face a couple steep hills that took a lot of energy and strength to get up. As I've said before, it's going to be crucial to work in hill work outs with Boston's course having several throughout.

Today I rested. My program says to run a recovery run the day after my long run but after some experimenting last time around, I decided that I felt better when I take the day off the next day. With my long run going fairly well I'm confident that the week I missed won't rattle my training at all. The weather is getting nicer so I think hitting the pavement versus running on the treadmill might be a little more inviting.

Boston Bound

Sorry it's been so long since I posted last ... but I'm back now and training for the 2010 Boston Marathon is underway! I'll be using the same training schedule that I used for the OBX Marathon. Why change something that worked so well? Monday kicked off the 16 week long journey. What I didn't realize is how much harder it's going to be to stay motivated when it's so cold and dark all the time. Training for OBX will seem like a cake walk compared to what I'm setting out to do for Boston. I guess this is where I'm supposed to get tough and not let the weather break me down and not let the early mornings scare me away. Conquering the obstacles during this training will be a very rewarding experience, and there's no doubt that I can do it.

I went home to Maryland for Christmas, which is where I started my first day of Boston bound training. It was supposed to be a 30-minute run but the bitter cold turned it into a quick and stiff 20-minute run. Sadly, I took the next two days off just because of my busy schedule and my holiday exhaustion. Good start, eh? Thursday I found a drop of motivation again and I ran with it - literally. Something tells me there will be a lot of treadmill work outs this time around because that's where I found myself running four miles that night. Since treadmill running is typically easier because of the rotating belt, I varied the incline percentage throughout the run to simulate running up and down hills, and I also cranked up the speed. My average pace was 8.05 (or something like that), of course with variation there too. I figure if I'm going to resort to those kinds of work outs, I'll need to make it challenging and realistic. That brings me to Friday, where I took advantage of my rest day to, well, rest! Today marks my first long run and I'll head down to the treadmill again to run four to five miles. With wind chills making it feel like 18 degrees - I say NO THANKS to braving the cold.

I haven't been doing that much since I ran the OBX Marathon. A lot of elliptical work outs, an occasional treadmill run and some weight lifting and ab work. To keep my body guessing, which is always good when you're trying to slim down, I like to incorporate intervals and weights into my elliptical work outs. Since I train for long distances my intervals need to be longer too - like two to five minutes on and off - depending on how I feel that day. When I use weights while I'm on the elliptical, I weave in curls, presses and arm raises, or just hold very light weights. I like to think of it as multi-tasking! Strength work is usually kept simple. Squats, lunges, leg raises and calf raises round out my leg work, and curls, presses, tricep pulls and some other made up lifts make up my arm work. Also, I like to incorporate weights into my ab work outs so that I know I'm not just going through the motions. Weight training will be especially important in training this time around since I'll be facing a lot more hills than I did in OBX.

Happy New Year! Here's to many SUCCESSFUL RESOLUTIONS! :-)