Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Letting the Feet Fly

I headed out this morning for a run after missing the last two that were scheduled, making it a solid week since my last one. My legs and body were itching to run, my feet were begging to fly. Even though the legs were itching and the feet were begging, they definitely weren't trying to make it easy on me! Turns out that my feet, especially along the arches, are super sore from walking on the sand at the beach this weekend; and the legs - well, those are super sore from the lunges and squats that Jillian Michaels inflicted upon them yesterday during the 6-week 6-pack level 1 workout. Ugh.

But with a little of my own begging and pleading, they cooperated and at least shut up enough to let me have moments of bliss while I tucked my shoulder blades back, opened up the lungs, and appreciated the cool touch of air against skin that kept the sweat at bay. It felt glorious, even if it didn't look beautiful!

One of my absolute favorite running companies, Run Pretty Far, which is a small woman-owned company that has been going for just over a year (check them out and you won't be sorry - www.runprettyfar.com) is having a flash giveaway today on their Facebook page and her question was if you had a magic ticket and could go anywhere for a run right now, where would you go. My mind immediately thought ALL of these:

1. Ireland - right along the coast!
2. Oh wait, ITALY! In Rome by the coliseum!
3. Oooh - New York Central Park!
4. A Beach anywhere!

Okay, so there's lots of places I would like to run apparently. :-D Perhaps someday...but until then I can't thank Jenn at Run Pretty Far enough for making me take a moment to think about it! Perhaps I will have to download a little Celtic for my next run and let it take me on a magic carpet ride to green rolling hills. Or some Italian opera, or better yet, the soundtrack for Gladiator, and let it take me to Rome and a time long past. Some show tunes and I'll be in New York; and finally, Jack Johnson can transport anyone to a beach somewhere, anywhere! If I can't do it in real life, a girl can at least pretend!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

All I Can Do...

All I can do in this life I've been given is strive to be the best ME possible! I have been doing some thinking lately about my running, primarily, even though there are other aspects of my life that are touched on. I kind of took a month or more off of serious running...well, wait - now that I think about it I think I did recovery following the Tinkerbell Half Marathon back at the end of JANUARY and never really returned to feeling like I had that "fire in my belly" for running. I had a lot of life stress going on and my running became something that was just one more thing that I felt like I had to do...and I didn't need even one more have to do so running kind of took a backseat. That was probably the first time in the almost three years that I've been running that I was getting little to no joy from it. Don't get me wrong, it felt good when I went out and got it done the once every couple of weeks I was doing it, but it didn't feel good getting there...putting on the clothes, the running shoes, the iPhone/iPod, the headphones, the Garmin. It just all felt like WORK. So I kind of took a break from more work.

And then the life stress lessened a little and I realized I needed to get back to a regular workout schedule which includes running 3x a week. But as I have been mentally thinking about where I want to go, the negative thoughts come creeping in. The ones that tell me why bother because I'll never be "fast". I'll never win races. I'll never be one of "those people" that run effortlessly pounding out 5 miles in under an hour 5 days a week all before they head off to work. That will never be me - so...why bother????

Well, because although I will never be the fastest runner, I could be the fastest runner I could possibly be. I still don't know what that threshold is, and it may never be as fast as I was a year ago because as you get older, you naturally slow down. But I don't know yet if it was my max...all I can do is keep trying and see where I end up!

I may never win a race...but I can beat myself in a race! So far I've been able to mostly improve on my time in each consecutive race I've done. That's something tangible! There may be times, like the upcoming Idyllwild 10k on June 2, that I consciously decide that I'm not going for a PR (personal record)...and that's okay too. I don't have to beat myself every time. OR I can just be one of those runners that is still going strong at 80 and by then the competition in my age group should be significantly smaller and I'll win by default! ;-) Hey - a win's a win, right?!?

And who says I can't be one of "those people" banging out 5 miles before work. That is far from an impossibility. Yes, I may have to get up even earlier than I already do...but if it's something I want, there's no reason why I can't attain this.

The reality is that I may never be better than the person next to me, but I can be a better person INSIDE of me! And that's all I can do...and it's enough.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Gaining Strength

So my word for 2012 is Strong...in choosing that word I was focused on inviting into my life a strong marriage, strong friendships, strong faith, strong work ethic and some actual physical strength mixed in with some other less tangible ways of building strength. But I don't know why I didn't really THINK about it and what that means. I already know that choosing a word for the year can be a powerful thing...I learned that with Peace back in 2010! But I started thinking this morning about some of life's recent challenges and I realized that I INVITED THEM!


When you build physical strength by lifting weights or using your own body weight, physiologically you are creating tiny tears in your muscles that rebuild into a stronger muscle during the recovery period. I think we all remember this from Science class and from TV shows like Dr. Oz, etc. This isn't new information, right?

So if I want to be stronger in all those ways I mentioned above...did I actually think that was just going to magically happen? That I was going to just wake up one day during 2012 and my marriage would be awesome, my faith would be off the hook, my friendships would be rockin' my world and so on and so forth? Yeah, I kinda think I did think that. Or maybe more appropriately would be to say that the absence of thinking about it period meant I thought this was going to be a magical transition from weak into STRONG.

Bwahahahahahaha - like seriously, Kristen?!?!? Let's be real for a moment...
Source

In order for those things to become stronger, it takes breaking them down and rebuilding them!!!! Maybe not individually each and every single one of those things that I asked to be stronger, but as a whole I have to be broken down and rebuilt. And breaking down and rebuilding...well, it's hard. It takes us to places we don't really want to go. It makes you sweat and cry and bleed (figuratively hopefully!) and when all is said and done you feel like jello has replaced your insides. It's no different than when you have a total kick-butt workout and at the end you just want to lay like a puddle on the floor because there's nothing left inside to give.
source

Now just picture that as mentally instead of physically exhausted...torn down...jello inside...used up...nothing left to give. Yeah - not a pretty picture!!

But you know what? In the end, when the soreness goes away and you look at yourself in the mirror and you see STRONG you realize it was all worth it! All the challenges and obstacles. All the battles. All the "opportunities for growth". Everything. It was all worth it!!! Because what has replaced the weakness is a total and complete BADASS!! And she is fierce! And that strength, it isn't just relegated to one place in life, it spreads and blossoms into ALL facets.

I may not be to that place yet, but I'm getting there. It might hurt and it just might hurt so bad it feels good.


If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well. If it is worth having, it is worth waiting for. If it is worth attaining, it is worth fighting for. If it is worth experiencing, it is worth putting aside time for.
- unknown

Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.
- Victoria Holt


Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him.
- Aldous Huxley



Tuesday, February 28, 2012

I'm a Runner, You're a Runner...

Yeah...the rest of that would be "wouldn't you like to be a runner too???" But the reality is that not everyone WANTS to be a runner! I know...*gasp*, right??? ;-)

But for those of us that are "runners" there is a lot to debate about what exactly makes a runner. Is it someone that runs 8 minute miles? Someone that has only one foot on the ground at a time? Someone that is pushing themselves to be faster than they would be just walking? Yeah...lots of debate to be had. Adding to that debate is Pearl Izumi who created a series of ads about "we are not joggers". Oh what's this? There's a difference between runners and joggers? What might that be?? More to debate. Personally, I don't think there's a difference between runners and joggers. Sometimes I'm a runner, sometimes I'm a jogger. No I don't run 8-minute miles and I probably never will. BUT I do run. Don't get me wrong...I push myself to go as fast as I possibly can. Yet, sometimes when I punch in my run on a tracker it comes back and says I was WALKING. SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!?! I beg to differ...my running is most definitely NOT walking.

So here's the thing - I'm a runner. I've run multiple 5k's - no I didn't win my age group. I've run two 10k's...and no, I didn't win my age group. I've even run two - TWO - half marathons! And, no...I didn't win my age group on those either. So you may be wondering how it even is that I have the nerve to call myself a runner right? Well, I can call myself a runner because I bear the marks of one!


  • I have runner's calves! You don't get those babies by sitting on a couch, yo! You EARN them by pounding the pavement...and that I have done - oh yes, I have!
  • I have a black toenail! Normally, that wouldn't be a good thing...but I earned that baby pounding out 13.1 miles. And let me tell ya - 13.1 miles may not be a full marathon, but it's more than an average person can say they have gone whether running, jogging, wogging, walking, slogging, whatever!
  • I have KT Tape and know how to use it! If you don't know what I'm talking about, then well, never mind. Look it up on Google or something. LOL
  • I have a Garmin and know how to use it! And I do use it...usually 3x a week at least and I have splits, and pace, and all that jazz.
The point of the matter is that nobody else can define me but me! Nobody can tell me that I'm NOT a runner, because I know that's a lie. I don't care that I haven't won my age group in any of the races I've competed in and probably won't until I'm only one of 3 in it. I don't care that some trackers try to say that my "run" is a walk. I don't care if Pearl Izumi says that they are "not joggers" with disdain at those that are. What I care about is that I AM A RUNNER. And nobody can take that away from me...my black toenail tells me so!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Favorite Places

I think we all have them...those little places in the world that just resonate with us. Sometimes they are public, sometimes private and sometimes...well a little in between. I was thinking about this yesterday as I was walking out to one of my very own favorite places I found myself getting excited in anticipation for spending a few brief moments there. So here they are, in no particular order, some of my favorite places!

The MSJC Track (local community college that also happens to be where I work) - I'm kind of reluctant to tell others that this is one of my favorite places because I like that it feels like "mine". I wouldn't just take any old person out to the track with me...only the most special of friends! Silly, I know. And it's not necessarily the track that gets me all warm and fuzzy, because, well...it's a pretty jacked up track! It's sand and not that nice squishy stuff that many places have now...and it doesn't drain properly so after a little rain it is covered in puddles and deceptively squishy mud. But it's really the very top of the bleachers sheltered by the announcer's booth. It's the view of North Mountain sitting all majestically forming the top of our valley. It's the way the sky can look so perfectly blue. It's the view of the other mountains that surround us in their various hues of blue looking like a picture perfect watercolor.

Disneyland - I don't think it's any surprise to people that know me that I absolutely LOVE Disneyland. You might even call me a little bit of a fanatic...and you see, the thing is that it is in my genes. I can't help it! My parents (even though the marriage didn't last) honeymooned there. My grandparents took us each summer. My oldest son honeymooned there. My Dad still practically lives there. I practically live there. My kids practically live there. You see...it's not my fault! And I recognize that it doesn't extend to everyone...many people even say how they - GASP! - can't stand it. I don't get it, but to each their own. It's now, and forever will be, one of my favorite places. Just the smell of musty water or diesel exhaust and it takes me there! The sights and sounds...I still get excited like a little kid when I catch a glimpse of Mickey! There are so many memories there when I go, it feels like home.

Paradise Point Resort & Spa at Mission Bay, San Diego - We found this place sort of by accident. A coworker/friend of my husbands was vacationing down in Mission Bay and said we should come down. We checked out the hotel he was staying at, but it was a 3-day minimum and we were only going for two, so we had to find another place. And BOY was I glad!!! This place was amazing and we were transported on one of the most magically spontaneous vacations we have ever had. I have the most amazing memories of watching my hubby sit on an Adirondack in the grass under the shade of a tree with a cold bucket of Corona by his side and a line of brightly colored beach chairs that looked like sunshine, and hibiscus flowers that didn't look like they could possibly be real and the most amazing sunset I have every seen. It was, honestly, probably the most relaxed I have ever seen my husband away from home. We have gone back several times and each time harbors more and more special memories. I definitely have not spent my last time there...I see many more special trips in the future. (I seriously had so many great pictures, I had a hard time deciding which one to use!

Idyllwild, CA - I live in the town just below the mountain and Idyllwild is the main "town" on the "hill" (our little valley way of saying mountain LOL). My memories here go back to probably as long as I can remember. As a child we camped there with family and extended family...groups of cousins and siblings and second cousins and people that were considered family without being blood related. I think of Idyllwild and I think of gazillions of stars, the smell of campfires, the sound of kids playing kick the can, UNO!, the insane ruckus of "one, one, three, four, four, one" that is Pit (one of the funnest card games ever!! and also happens to be the game that gets us a warning to be quiet from the rangers almost every.single.time. No fail), hiking, smells of pine needles and fresh air (what?!? no smog???). Over the years it has become even more special as I have added in anniversary dinners on Christmas Eve with my hubby at Gastrognome, cabin rentals with unexpected snowfalls (two out of three times!), hikes on the Ernie Maxwell and the challenge of getting to Tahquitz Peak via Devil's Slide. Whether it is a snow trip, a hiking trip, a camping trip, or an anniversary dinner - Idyllwild can't be beat for mountain charm.

Home - They don't have the saying "home is where the heart is" for nothing. It may also mean mundane chores like dishes and laundry or it may even have some less than happy memories within the walls of arguments past and the missing sounds of pitter patter of footsteps as the kids leave the nest over time. But it also has a fireplace that burns bright on cold nights and a TV resonating with the sounds of football games and an oven that has cooked more awesome meals than I can count (even the ones that tasted less than stellar but had the best company anyone could ask for!) and candles welcoming in visitors and all the new sounds of baby's crying and a little 15 month old tearing Tupperware and Ziploc bags out of cupboards. You can travel the world and go to so many exotic locales, but nowhere is like home.
Believe it or not, I didn't even have to pose the dog! :-)

What are some of your favorite places and why?

Monday, October 10, 2011

My Smile for Today...

Driving into work and the gradual sunrise peeking over the mountains and hills that form the valley I live in. The sun isn't over the mountains yet, but it is blazing the hills behind me glimpsed in the rear view mirror so that it is shadow in front and fire behind in the colors of soft rosy pink and pumpkin glow orange. Then just before making the final turn the sun peeks above the mountain creating a bright halo of sunshine saying "Good Morning"! The sky changes from a dusk blue to the color of faded flowers in an instant and the world is transformed, for just the briefest moment, before it takes on the look of perfect blue cloudless sky and bright Autumn sun.

My closing shot for today is another M.A.G.raphy from Melissa Grimes. I don't know what she's named it, but I call it "Streets of Gold":

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

A Quality End to the Day...

So I was reading something the other day...hmmm...can't really remember what exactly but I think it was perhaps the latest issue of Runner's World (which I absolutely DEVOURED by the way...finished it so quick I was sad it was over) and someone mentioned that their afternoon snack was tea and a little indulgence. Basically something to get them over the last hump of the afternoon as they head into dinner. And I kind of realized that I might be missing something like that. A little hump jumper of a snack! So I decided that I would grab a new herbal tea and something that resembled an indulgence, without being ridiculous like a volcano cake or something, and see if it wouldn't be good (mentally/physically/etc).

Well - let's just say - quality found! It's especially important after a long holiday weekend spent doing quality stuff. Today is a hard day to readjust to worky-work. So here's what constitutes quality today:


Good Earth Sunset Red Tea in Vanilla Caramel. And no worries of caffeine overload - it's caffeine free!
Here's what they have to say about it: http://www.goodearth.com/red-teas-2.html
It's just like they describe it - earthy, but soothing with light hints of vanilla and caramel. And even though it is still technically summer, I'm declaring it Autumn and am happy sipping a warm cup of tea at the end of the day ...and it doesn't hurt that it is sub-zero temps in my office thanks to my boss that tends to run warm!

Add to that some dark chocolate covered pretzels from Sprouts Farmer's Market and it is delish! I enjoyed every sip and bite and guess what...I'm relaxed and ready to head home and make a dinner for the family without chowing down on anything and everything I can get my hands on!

Q~U~A~L~I~T~Y