Running...Running My Life

Life has a funny way of getting in the way...of running.  Sick kid, graduate work, parent-teacher conferences, out of town travel…’rolling with it’ was the only way to maintain my sanity over the last few weeks.  At first, it seemed like a burdensome task...rolling with it.  I didn’t want to roll with anything...I wanted to run!

My mileage peaked at an all time high of 42 miles three weeks ago, accompanied by an achy left knee and twinges in my right shin.  I intentionally eased up on my mileage the following week to a much more manageable 28 miles, rationalizing that there was no reason to be logging marathon mileage before I even begin training for that milestone.  After a brief recovery week, my plan was to keep weekly mileage between 30 and 36 miles a week, except for the week I taper for the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K.  

While away on a work conference, I reconnected with a colleague from my middle school teaching days.  She is one of the track coaches in my district and I was offering to run with the distance group a few times, maybe evening doing some speed drills.  “I don’t know how you do it.  How do you run, juggle work and family and graduate classes?  Where do you find the time?” she asked, shaking her head.  I began to think perhaps life wasn't getting in the way of my running.  Perhaps I was getting my own way...of my crazy, hectic life. I took this as one of many recent signs to slow down and reevaluate.  

In that crazy, hectic life, I am faced with the daunting task of finding time for all my runs.  During this weekly Sunday night ritual, I am analyzing my training plan, our family calendar, and my lesson planner and writing it down in my training journal.  While this is not a exactly stressful, being the Type A personality I am, feel obligated to complete each and every workout.  Missing a run make me feel like a slacker...even if it was for a highly legitimate reason such as work obligations or a sick child. Inevitably, I consult all of my planning tools, searching for a time to ‘make up’ that run.  

A peek at my Believe training journal

What I should have been doing was cutting myself (and my training) some much needed slack. Why was I so worried about making up a run?  Missing a workout or even two at this point in my training is not a dealbreaker for reaching my goals.  If anything, I am dancing along the delicate line of overtraining...something that I sincerely want to avoid again.  I am not going to lose any of my fitness by missing a run.  As long as I adjust my training to focus on the quality of my key workouts, the overall quantity of mileage doesn’t need to be a stressor at this point.  (“Stop being such a worrier, Courtney!”) I am more than trained for my first big races this spring.  If anything, I need to focus on staying healthy and not training harder.  

What did I do to celebrate this little epiphany?  I went for a run...a fun, slow shakeout run where I allowed myself to enjoy the sunshine, melting snow, and time to have fun at the beach...in March!  I even spent time taking some running selfies on the remaining ice along Lake Michigan.  

After that run I am resolving to become less of a worrier about my training...and more of a warrior. After all, there is a lot of life to live.

A Runner’s Top Ten Signs It’s Spring

Two weeks ago, I was on a long run and observed some very faint glimmers of spring here in West Michigan. I was almost certain it was all going to go back to being a frozen wasteland again, until I ran this past Sunday and last night. Now I'm 100% positive spring is on it's way...and here's why:

10. Easiest 5 lb weight loss ever...no more bundling up for sub zero temps!

9. Winter running tights begin to show their wear & tear...potentially popping seams on the next long run.

8.  Shorts & capris become legitimate outdoor apparel options again.

7.  Headlamps are no longer needed for late afternoon runs! (Thank you DST.)

6.  Hurdling and dodging snowdrifts turns into hurdling and dodging gigantic puddles.

5.  Howling winter winds yield to the melodious chatter of birds returning.

4.  Wondering if that is a patch of black ice or just wet pavement.

3.  Boston...every runner begins talking about the Boston Marathon.

2.  Gels and water bottles are no longer a frostbite hazard on long runs.

1.  Seeing bare pavement elicits whoops of glee and miles of smiles.

My #TeamChemistry

This week, Oiselle posted a #TeamChemistry Instagram challenge.  I have participated by posting #TeamChemistry pictures of both of my running groups (Run Muskegon and the Grand Haven Running Club) as well as two of my dear running friends, Liz and Donna.  

Without these people in my life, I would not have been able to keep up my running and focus on my original #TeamChemistry teammate: my son Cole.

If you were a fly on the wall in our house, you’d hear:

“Mommy, we are a great team.”  

“Cole, we are going to do (insert activity) because we are a team.  This is how we work together.”  

“That was some great teamwork!”

“Mom, we are the bestest team ever!”  Yup...we are.

Since we lost Collin, my late husband and Cole’s father, to cancer almost three years ago, Cole and I approach life as a team.  We on this crazy road together, through thick and thin.  Honestly, I don’t know how I would have made it this far without Cole.  My little blessing tolerates my need to run and the time it takes me away from him.  Offers to ride his bicycle along side me (we will be working on his endurance over the next few years), bring tears of pride and joy.  Cole has even caught my running bug having completed his first 5K at age 5 and running in the Color Run, Milan’s Miracle 1K, and the Ugly Sweater Run.  I, in turn, spend hours building Lego sets, becoming a pseudo Star Wars expert, and learning to play Minecraft.  

He is my reason for running, for pushing myself.  I know my son is watching, and I, as his only parent, am his leading role model.  I want him to know what the journey of pursuing a dream, a passion, looks like...and not just the end with all the achievement and celebrating.  But the deep, gritty, and raw moments that are inevitable.  I want him to see this so that when it is his turn to chase a dream, Cole knows I will be right there with him, supporting him unconditionally.

So...to my little heart...Happy Valentine’s Day!  Thank you for being my wee wing...my teammate.

Cross Training Chronicles: A Skate Skiing Adventure

Cross training is one of my focus goals for 2015, but I am not ready to throw in the towel and become a gym rat just yet...or perhaps ever.  So when my Italian friends, Carlo and Sofia, offered to give me lessons in skate skiing a few weeks ago, I couldn’t turn them down.  (Really... I couldn’t.  They were on my doorstep, ready to go!)

So on a bright, sunny Sunday afternoon, we drove to the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex, just a short drive north and nestled in the backwood dunes next to Lake Michigan..  The Winter Sport Complex, part of Muskegon State Park in North Muskegon, boasts some of the best cross country ski trails and snowshoe trails in the area, as well as acres of ice rinks and a quarter mile ice skating trail through the woods.  The groomed and lighted trails of the MWSC are meticulously maintained when the snow conditions allow.  Skiers of all levels can enjoy the well-marked ski trails, ranging from a fairly flat 2.5K loop to the more advanced Lost Lake 5K loop.  

Gearing up behind the Lodge.

Now, I have been a Nordic (or classic) style skier most of my adult life.  I still have the pair of skis my parents gave me when I was in high school.  Skate skiing is a different beast altogether.  The skis are longer and much more narrow, the poles are taller too.  Since my equipment was not right for skate skiing, I rented the proper skis and pole from the lodge for $20.00 on top of the $7.00 fee for the trail pass.  Then my lessons began....

I struggled at first...I was clumsy and awkward; much like a duck on skis.  Carlo and Sofia were terribly patient with me, talking me through the technique, one step at a time.  First I learned how to move forward, making skating movements with my feet, without the use of my poles.  Trying to reverse the muscle memories my body draws from after many years of Nordic skiing was no easy task.  The runner in me struggled with being slow and graceless, falling up hills and down flat trails.  Once my instructors felt I had minimal mastery of one aspect of skate skiing, another element was thrown in: poles; pole placement; body movement; rhythm.  After about an hour, Carlo, Sofia, and I made our way back to the lodge and I was feeling slightly more confident in my skate skiing ability…I hadn’t fallen down in the last 15 minutes.  

After a brief reprieve, my trio headed out again, lapping around the 2.5K loop twice.  Starting back up was difficult, having lost my concentration on my form and technique.  I found my rhythm again, reminding myself to slow down...this wasn’t a race or about hitting my weekly mileage.  This experience was about learning something new and enjoying time with my friends...about giving my body a break from my runner’s mindset.  Once I realized that I just needed to relax, skate skiing suddenly became MUCH easier and more natural.  

By the end of 10Ks of sunny trails, I was tired, sore, and incredibly happy.  While I search for some used skate skiing equipment of my own, I will still have to fall back on my Nordic skis.  But, I can’t wait to go back out and continue to embrace the Michigan winter and a new way to cross train.

Carlo, being an avid photographer, captured my trials, errors, stumbles, and falls with his camera.  Here is a brief compilation of my progression from complete novice to basic:

 What else have I been up to these past few weeks?  Guest blogging for Michigan Runner Girl about Run Muskegon's upcoming inaugural Shamrock Shuffle 5K!  Check it out here! 

Carlo, me, and Sofia on the trails.

My Oiselle Katron Vest & Go Joggings tights were perfect for skiing!

Dreading the Dreadmill

Good old man winter has put a damper on outdoor running this last week.  I haven’t been able to safely run solo outside since last weekend and the only way I can keep up on my mileage while training for the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K is to hop on the DREADMILL.  With three dreadmill workouts under my belt for the week, I am NOT looking forward to a fourth anytime soon.  

What exactly is this ‘dreadmill’ I speak of?

DREADMILL (/dred/ /mil/) noun:  a modern torture device designed to move runners nowhere as fast (or slow) as they please.

I approach the dreadmill as matter-of-fact as I can.  “Just do it.”  With my workout or speed drills mapped out, I stuff a towel into one cup holder and my water bottle full of Cherry Lime Energy NUUN into the other.  Setting my phone to one of my playlists, I dial in my warm up pace and say a little prayer that the other dreadmills don’t fill up and I have to cut my workout short.  (Like most fitness facilities, the YMCA has a limit on treadmill time if they are all in use...a mere 20 minutes.)  

Granted, my winter training plan does include two treadmill runs a week, averaging between three and six miles.  My intention was to do mostly speed work during my treadmill runs and as a warm up for my PIlates classes.  I have found these distances to be tolerable when the televisions at my YMCA are locked on ESPN Sport Center or CNN and with only subtitles available.  Ugh.  There has been no better excuse to crank up my music on my iPhone and jam in my earbuds (I stopped road running with music this summer to improve my cadence.)  Having recently discovered a few pod casts has help tremendously...even though my fellow treadmillers are rather startled when I bust out laughing.  Who on earth laughs while on a treadmill in the middle of an 800m?   Oh wait...me.  

To be fair, there are some things I enjoy about my indoor running routines.  It allows me to concentrate on my running form and posture.  Speed and incline are under my complete control.  I don’t have to check current wind chill and radar conditions to determine just how many layers to wear.  And, perhaps most importantly, it allows me to still run.

Normally, I wouldn’t let freezing temperatures and some snow keep me from pounding the pavement.  This is my third Michigan winter I’ve run outside and I have never felt more prepared to meet the challenges I will face.  Unfortunately, the wind chills, whiteout conditions and lake effect snow have made running outside perilous to even a seasoned runner.  The lack of visibility combined with my experience of near-misses while running on the streets of my town have taught me to err on the side of caution.  (ex:  I was almost hit by a truck at dusk while wear a blindingly bright pink reflective jacket and being light up like a Christmas tree.)  

So, tomorrow, I will trudge up to my ‘favorite’ dreadmill, step up, and just get it done.  And then back to the great outdoors!

Tick Tock Tick: Time to Get to Fixing

Time...a measure of duration and intervals...an ordering of events, past, present, and future…  As a runner, the value of this abstract measure is priceless.  Speedwork, training, tempos, personal records, pace, time goals, finding the space in my hectic life to dedicate to a long or short run...the list goes on and on.  But ‘time’ by itself is only the measure I allow it to be and I’ve been letting it get away from me.

As Lauren Fleshman said, “Time fixes nothing. Time is a facilitator but you still have to do the fixing; Dig into the difficult conversations; Look hard at yourself in the mirror and ask if you’re doing everything you can do to get healthy. If you aren’t currently living the life you want, there is no other way to get there. Time won’t make it happen. So you can either adjust the goal, or give yourself a swift kick in the ass. Those are your only two options unless you enjoy the feeling of eternal tug of war.” (see more on her latest blog post here.)  

It seemed as if Lauren Fleshman had been hanging out in my brain these last few weeks...because this was basically what I have been telling myself!  

2014 was a year of many ups and downs, as well as a heck of a lot of growth.  The weeks following Christmas and New Years are typically times of reflection and contemplation.  I don’t make resolutions...that just doesn’t work for me.  I prefer to look back at my actions and reactions, seeing what worked and what didn’t, then readjust for the future.  (Ironically, most of my reflections occur while I’m running.)

In 2014, I had set two major goals for myself: 1) run four half marathons and 2) run 1000 miles.  And I did both.  I trained hard and raced even harder, sometimes pushing too hard and ending up with mild injuries.  Overall, my training worked for me: running three to four times a week with a mix of long runs, tempo runs, and speed work.  My speed, pace, and running form improved from the beginning of the year, and I set new personal records for my 5K, 10K, and half marathon times.   

My race schedule...not so much.  Three half marathons and a 25K in eleven weeks left me ready for a break from long distances.  Add in a hefty handful of 5Ks and a few 10Ks, and my weekends were consumed with running all summer long.  Autumn came out of nowhere, leading me back to my classroom with no sign of my racing or hectic schedule letting up (and squeezing in one more half marathon the weekend of my brother’s wedding).  Stresses and pressures accumulated and weighed me down, pushing me off balance.  I reacted by pushing back...and pushing myself even harder.  So I have ended 2014 with a nasty case of shin splints and the realization that I need to get down to ‘fixing.’

 

Fixing My Race Schedule:

Celebrating all 1000 miles of 2014

I am promising myself to limit the number of ‘big races’ I do this year.  I have my sights set on two races: the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K and my first marathon.  There are time goals I have in mind for both of these races...realistic but lofty.  I am still going to race local 5Ks and 10Ks, only being more selective about them.  If I’m feeling good, perhaps I will snag a last minute bib in a few half marathons as training runs.  As much as I love racing, I don’t want to overload my weekends with races like I did last year...it wasn’t fair for me to monopolize so much of the summer weekends with races.

Training Smarter, Not Harder:

Cross training is a weak point in my training.  Until recently, Pilates had been my only form of cross training (other than shoveling all last winter!).  My mission is to incorporate more stretching, strength training, and cycling into my training along with my Pilates.  A lovely fellow Oiselle runner gave me a Believe training journal and a pair of wings.  What I love the most about my training journal is that it has reflection and accountability built into it.  

As far as running, I am incredibly fortunate several veteran runners are helping me with my training schedule for my marathon.  I also have found a few running partners whose pace and running philosophy match mine.  My support system, the web of my running family, is extending, reweaving, and coming back stronger than ever.  

Time to Get to Fixing!

Now...time is needed.  Not to sit and wait.  Not to allow others to do the work for me.  Not simply wish my dreams and goals come true.  Now is the time for action.  Time for ME to get to ‘fixing’ and make this happen for me.  

And I can’t wait to get started...

Counting Blessings and Taking Stock

The proverbial rush of the holiday season has died down for me now that I am on Christmas Break from my teaching position...and my running is going on a brief hiatus due to an overuse injury (shin splints).  Having met my yearly mileage goal of 1,000 miles last weekend, I am giving myself a small break to heal and reflect...but not without having a few last group runs to celebrate, despite my injury and gimpiness.  (Yes...I’ve joined another running group...more on that in a future post!)

Festive running apparel, complete with lights!

Monday night found me with a small group of dedicated Michigan runners braving cold rain, wind, and two passes over a drawbridge at night.  (I have found running over this drawbridge on a walkway wide enough for only one person and only six inches and a railing between me and traffic at night to be epically thrilling!) This fast-paced group has a ‘get-it-done’ mentality that matches my own training philosophy.   

Tuesday, I joined Run Muskegon for a Sweaty Santa holiday run complete with festive running gear and Christmas lights.  I had been keeping an eye out for brightly decorated houses along our running routes to make as destinations for the group the past few weeks.  The anticipation of this group outing brought out the youth in me as I prepared to done my holiday apparel...complete with tinsel garland, lights, and jingle bells.  I figured running in the dark required reflective gear and lights of some kind...why not make it festive for tonight?

Run Muskegon crew

Cheers to running friendships!

Afterward, the Run Muskegon group convened at our watering hole, Pigeon Hill Brewery, for a pint, some pizza, and cookies.  While the group has grown and changed in the year I have been a part of it, I am profoundly thankful for the friendships that have been forged through our love of running.  As I spend today icing and stretching, I am given the opportunity to count the many blessings running has brought into my life (and my son’s as well).  There are individuals and families that are dear friends, no longer mere acquaintances, and whose friendship extends well beyond worn out shoes and training plans.  I am beyond glad that I chose to continue to be a part of a run group...because there was a brief period I considered going back to solo running exclusively (due in part to personal conflicts).   This choice also led me to seek out another running group, Grand Haven Running Club, where I will continue to create new ties with more runners who are even more dedicated and crazy than I am about running.  

Life is funny.  I feel a bit like a phoenix rising who has been rising from the ashes for a few years now...smoldering, still singed around the edges from lingering fires and flare ups...but still rising, overcoming, growing.  And all with the help of family, friends, and running partners...so many blessings.

Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!  Run happy and often!  From one runner to many, many other...