I thought I'd finally blog about my running adventure since getting back into the thick of things and healing from my stress fracture this winter. Life sure does have a way of throwing snowballs and poop balls at us, doesn't it. Sorry, but it's going to be a long post.
Well, I am definitely back to running and that makes me soooo happy I can't even tell you, but my body sure is feeling it a lot more this time around. I think maybe I'm just not easing into it quite as slowly or maybe that extra birthday has something to do with it but I am certainly just as determined, just a little bit more tempered, shall we say. I may not seem as gung-ho, but that's just because life has thrown me for some loops and has some more in store over the horizon. Life is kind of funny that way. I can't get out and run the way I did last year. Sometimes it makes me kind of sad. But I'll learn to deal with it and make running happen someway, somehow.
So I finally got to run my first race since being back and it was special because it was the anniversary of the very first 5k I ever ran, the Legacy Midnight Run. I have been training for this one by following another audio podcast by my personal running coach, (that's how I refer to him, I'm kind of obsessed) Todd Lange. He's the guy that made "5k101" which got me started and all the way to my first 5k in a matter of 2 months and I seriously can't praise the guy enough. I used his "10k101" program as well and it kicked butt, literally. This time I did "Your Fastest 5k," which is a 4 week program to help you set a new PR for a 5k. (For those that don't know, that means Personal Record and is your minutes/mile). Holy Hannah Hard, and I loved it! My goal was to see how much I could improve my time from the same race last year. Results? Well, I kind of don't know. See, I ran the race and I ran it hard, which was awesome. But as I was getting close to the water stop and the area where the turn around was last year I was mentally talking through that. But there was confusion at the stop and they were telling everyone to keep going. So I kept going, and going, and going. I finally got to the turn-around point and made the long haul back. At that point I was getting tired and it was kind of a struggle to keep up my pace, because mentally I had been prepared for 3.1 miles and even though I had been on a number of 4 and 5 mile training runs, I wasn't in a frame of mind for running at a good speed for a longer distance. My goal was just to run pretty fast (for me) for that 3.1 miles. But somehow I kept it up to the end. When I got to the finish line I picked up my results and shook my head because it said I finished in 48:49 and ran a pace of 15:29/mile. Yeah right. Last year I finished in 37:32 and ran 12:04/mile and I can tell you I definitely ran a heck of a lot faster this time. If I didn't then something is wrong with me. So I stuck around for the awards ceremony to find out what the deal was. When they started to announce the first awards, the guy said, "And for 3rd place...in the 4.4 miler." Say what? You heard me. 4.4 freaking miles. (The 10k people ended up running 8.2 miles - that's supposed to be 6.2). Kind of not cool because I wasn't able to accomplish my goal in a way. Kind of way cool because I accomplished a lot more than I bargained for and that feels really good. If you do the math my minutes/mile was actually 11:02 so a full minute off of last year which is nice, but I can guarantee you that if the race had been the right distance I would have been a lot faster. I'm even going to go out on a limb and say I would have done a 10:00 mile. I placed 4th in my age group and 41st overall. I feel really good about that. I have since gotten an apology email from the race director explaining how they messed up so bad. Something about trusting the job to someone else and GPS error. Technology is really great sometimes, isn't it? Anyway, one thing I can say is I'm well on my way to a 10k, which is good because I - wait for it - signed up for another half-marathon, and this time I intend to run it and not to break any body parts training for it. It's the Snow Canyon Half-Marathon on November 2nd. And I couldn't be more thrilled because I pretty much dig that place and spent most of my family vacations there growing up.
As you can see from the blurry red-eye picture above, I was decked out in my blinking butterfly wings and antennae, and super awesome color-changing shoelaces for the race. Let's not forget the reason for all of this running now. My sister Nicole, my favorite butterfly, continues to inspire, motivate, and amaze me with her determination and resilience and she is now officially listed as a US Paralympic Professional Snowboarder! The Paralympic Games in Sochi Russia are just 8 months away now. I can't believe it! And guess what? Nicole is a runner now too. I'm so psyched over this latest development. I can't wait for the day when we will cross the finish line together. That will be the Best. Day. Ever. And we will both cry. She just never stops being awesome. My brother Jon also made his racing debut. He's a punk. (Sorry Jon. Love you Bro). He didn't even train, hasn't ever run a race in his life, and got 1st in his age group, 5th overall. Dude. He didn't get his medal because he didn't stay for the awards ceremony. It was already past midnight and he didn't even realize I don't think. He hadn't even planned on running it. He was actually going to walk it to support his wife, my SIL who had to pull out at the last minute due an unfortunate circumstance. I hope she is feeling better and I look forward to a future opportunity to do a race with her. Keep at it Corrie! I'm rooting for you. This whole running thing has been kind of contagious in my family which is so funny. I would have never thought in a million years that anyone in my family would be running. So far 9 of us have participated in races if you include the kids 1k's. Yay!
Of course I have to include a song to end my post. I have selected "Bigger Than My Body" by John Mayer. I listened to this song quite a bit while I was out of commission with my stress fracture. The mantra of this song really speaks to me. Something that is really difficult for me to talk about is my personal struggle with Bipolar Disorder, but it is another reason that running has been so powerful for me. (*Now I want to make a disclaimer. Please tread lightly and don't judge me for choosing to talk about it in this post. I thought very carefully about it before I chose to include it. I don't talk about it very often, or with very many people, other than the jokes I crack now and then. I try to keep things light for the most part, but in reality it is a very serious part of my life). I have a lot of demons that like to haunt me and a lot of things that at times are out of my control. Running is one thing that has helped me prove to myself that I can take back the control. I can win some of the battles over my head. I can be bigger than my body and my mind. I don't have to throw up my hands and let myself be defeated when I feel like I am past exhaustion mentally, emotionally, or physically. I can always dig down deep and find more fight, more reasons, more strength. I think about Nicole, who definitely proves that she's a giant. That's what this song means to me.
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