Magic

I'm back.  I found it.  My mojo, that is.  It was missing, for a while.  It was actually missing for so long I didn't even realize it was missing.  It had nothing to do with being sick.  It had nothing to do with being busy.  It had everything to do with my mindset.  All it took was 4 short days in a tiny mountain town with 100 or so people full of inspiration and love who are living their dreams in the best way they know how.  I heard their stories, spoke with many of them (I wish I had had more time) and they showed me that if you want to do it...all you have to do is do it.  Maybe some of them will read this, and if they do, they should know that I am giving them the biggest hug a gal can think to give over the interweb.  Magic.  Each and every one of them.

And guess what happened?  I went running.  Shocking, I know, but it was different this time.  I let my hair down and felt it in the wind.  I ditched the overpriced running watch and the ipod, threw on my favourite running gear and just ran.  I ran my favourite running route in all of Calgs.  Through the dog park, down the hill, along the river, along Riverdale Avenue, through Stanley Park around the river and back.  I didn't worry about my pace or distance and whether or not I was doing intervals.  Truthfully, I didn't worry about anything.  I cleared my mind and just revelled in the sound of one foot after the other hitting the pavement again and again and again.  It was moving meditation in running form at its finest!  I laughed.  I cried.  I smiled.  I remembered how much I love to run.  I wasn't running to train for a race or to train other people for a race, I just ran because, well, quite simply because it felt awesome to run.  I'm not sure how to describe it except to say that I felt light. I felt magical.  And happy.  And that is something I haven't felt for a very long time.  I remembered that for me, running is not about the result in the race or the time on the clock, but is about the process involved getting there.  I lost that for a while, and I'm sure glad to find it.  It really is like most other things in life, less about the destination and more about the journey.  I feel like the universe has been nudging me to head in a certain direction on that journey for a while; I'm sure glad I decided to listen.

And those 100 or so peeps?  You know who you are.  You all shine.  You all inspire.  I will see you again because likely I will be sleeping on your couch when I come your way for a race.  And I can't wait.

Bionic Runner

This is me being in a running study:

Totally crazy like a bionic runner, yes?!

Anyhow, the study involved running back and forth several times while the electrodes measured the vibration in my muscles thus testing the new technology of a new brand of shoe.  I should also mention that this description is likely inaccurate as I am not a scientist, but this was how I understood things in my own (strange yet wonderful) mind.  I then had to answer a series of surveys and complete the same running back and forth and surveys in my own shoes.  Next, I get to keep the shoes (and they are pretty sweet if I do say so myself) and must run in them 2-3 times per week for the next six weeks.

These are the shoes:

I like the mint green, I like the reddish orange, I like the springy feel.  Overall, it's a like.  But its not a love.  My heart still belongs to Asics.  Even though I'm cheating on Asics.  At least for two runs per week.

And on another even more crazy note, recall my obession with running shoes and my thoughts to add a few more pairs?  Well, running friends, first world consumerism got the better of me and I caved.  Check it:

New trail shoes, new study shoes, new 2170 training shoes.  I suddenly feel an overwhelming sense of pride that I did NOT purchase the ultra cool blue and yellow Adizeros that I had on my feet in Florida.  I feel double glad that my sister purchased the coolest pair of bright orange Asics that I can borrow all summer long.

And speaking of summer, its right around the corner.  I'm feelin' it.  Shorts, tshirts, post running jumps off the dock.  Right up there with shoe love just has to be summer love!

Now I must stretch.

Boston Inspiration

I ran the Boston marathon in 2008.  It suddenly seems like a super long, long time ago! 

The 2008 Boston Marathon saw the closest women's finish in the history of the event.  Take 3 minutes and watch this video.  Can you imagine running this hard after running a whole marathon?  I sure can't.  CRAZY.  Inspirational and AWESOME.  To all the peeps I know headed to Boston that will be running on Monday, have an amazing race, good luck, enjoy, take it all in, kiss a girl or two at Wellsley, kill those Newton hills and revel in this life-changing experience!

The Truth

I get asked A LOT about marathon training.  A LOT.  Here is the cold hard truth:

Sums things up very nicely, indeed.  Ready to commit to an amazing and unique life experience known as running a marathon?  Please let me know!  I'd love to help.  One of the greatest pleasures in life for ME is to see and hear about people crossing the finish line in their first marathon.  Life-changing.  Totally cool.  And very emotional.  What are you waiting for?  find a race, get into some running shoes, make a plan (and let me help you make a plan) and hit the pavement RUNNING.  Only great things can come from this; I promise!

Pie

Because I just ate a big, FAT piece of humble pie.

First run back after 10 days completely away from running (and 3+weeks of bronchitis) and let's just say it was not super speedy at all.  Not only was it not super speedy, it wasn't super long.  43 minutes was all I could handle today, and after denying being sick and then getting SUPER sick, I decided that I would listen to my own stellar advice and start listening to my body.  Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she created this spectacular machine that is the human body, and the fact that I let ego get in the way of taking a break when really, the only business I should have been taking care of was breaking, well, it lead to some not good things for me. 

Of course, like any choice in life, be it teeny tiny or monstrous, there are consequences that go along with the choices we make in training.  Pushing through, getting sick and the subsequent reality of being very, very close to the May marathon means that I totally derailed my training, erased the awesome track work that I had put in with Adrenalin Rush for the past 3 months and likely dashed my chances for a sub 3 on May 27th in Ottawa.  I hedged, gambled and lost.  However, because I am trying very, very, VERY hard to stay positive about these things, the  important take away from this is that even though I lost, I'm not going to lose the lesson!

And in case you missed it, the lesson is:

Listen you your body.  When you are tired, rest.  When you are sick, rest.  When your body is feeling pretty beat down from the miles and miles and miles, rest.  We are after all, ONLY human, and although Mother Nature, did a damn fine job, sometimes the best training you can do is to REST.

Not sure what is happening with said May marathon...deets to follow.  Promised myself I wouldn't make a decision until I was healthy.  Until then, I'm totally healing myself with vegetables (and antibiotics) with visions of marathons dancing in my head.

The Brighter Side

Half Empty:
Didn't get to race a potentially awesome trail run Dade City Florida, thus having to REMOVE a race from my alphabet goal list.

Half Full:
Had an amazing week in Florida with my family, including one wee H- bean, ARJR, Tee-dubs, J and K Rock.
Listened to my beaten down bod, gave it a long, well-deserved rest to prepare for the final training push to Ottawa in just 2 short months.  Eeep!
Runner up in the Rice-Wirvin family pickle ball championship of the world once I overcame fever and cough.
Was well enough to visit with some long lost K-city peeps who have the privilege of being year long Floridians.
Did not get chased, bitten or eaten by any Florida gators in the Big Green Swamp.
Did not get chased, bitten or eaten by any Florida poisonous spiders in the Big Green Swamp.
Was well enough at the end of the vacay to get a couple of good jogs in the heat and humidity.  And I LOVELOVELOVE heat and humidity.

I know there was also a very important lesson in this for me, too.  Remember my previous post about moving outside of the comfort zone to find the magic?  Well, after some hard thinking (admittedly, I had a bit of a pity party when I ultimately decided not to race) I realize the comfort zone for me would have been to really push it and run the race, which likely would have had a disastrous effect on my health and wellness both physically AND mentally.  The magic I found was to push aside the ego, listen to the body and to be at peace with the idea that sometimes, no matter how hard you train and no matter how badly you want to do something like participate in a race, sometimes you have to let it all go in order to do what is best and right for YOU in that moment and find the magic in that way. 

The glass is ALWAYS half full.  And sometimes it even has a curly straw in it too.