Author Archives

by

Hello Golden, Colorado!

Well, it has been awhile since my last blog entry but I think I have a pretty good excuse.  I have been moving my family across the country from Jacksonville, FL to Golden, CO.  We are still not completely settled, but there has been a lot of excitement surrounding our inquiry of the new area and all that it offers.  Let me tell you, it offers a whole lot!

However, as a runner in Golden, CO I kind of feel out of place.  I have been on an 8-mile run that afforded me the pleasure of encountering about 5 other runners.  That may seem like a lot, but I must admit that about 50 of my human encounters involved people on bikes.  I quickly learned that Golden is a biking town.  Oh, they are friendly enough and will often wave or nod, but I get the feeling that they might think I am some kind of nut.  I mean, who runs up these insane hills when you can bike up them and then sail faster than the cars as you glide down them?  As a runner, it takes work going up the hill and, whether or not you believe me, it actually takes some work going down them.  Then again, I would only fear for my life if I were on a bike.  I have yet to attempt that because I am still mustering the courage.  I just nod back and silently call those cyclists “crazy.”  Yet, everywhere you look in the quaint little downtown you see a bike rack (and oddly enough, they are actually shaped like bikes).

So, here is runner me gasping for air at 1.2 miles above sea level (yep folks, Golden is higher than Denver… and my neighbor just had to warn me about the fact that we get double the amount of snow during the winter).  Let me remind you that I just moved from flat, sea level Florida.  Granted, the sweltering heat and humidity totally SUCKED, but I am thinking that this altitude really STINKS.  Not to mention the fact that an onion I purchased at the store today nearly jumped out of the back of my SUV which was slanted at 45 degrees in our driveway.  If I wouldn’t have caught the darn thing then it would have literally rolled all the way to the end of our road and then down to the bottom of the valley.  What does an onion have to do with anything?  Well, my point being that we live on a freakishly hilly hill (if you think there is no such thing then I cordially invite you to visit my home). When the training plan says “rest day” I can pretty much throw that to the wind because no day is a “rest day” when you have to climb 200 feet up a hill.  Unless I can run down the hellish thing and persuade my husband to pick me up at the bottom.

Well, it has obviously been an adventure.  The adventure lies in finding a flat place to run, but I have yet to find any such place around here.  Since I should just consider myself screwed, my plan is to run like crazy here (I don’t even have to leave the boundaries of my neighborhood) and then make a trip to a lower, flatter location and run like nobody’s business.  I am sure I will make some kind of world record.  It’s all about making a positive out of a negative, right?

by

Goodbye Jacksonville

It took me about a year to adjust to living in Jacksonville after spending 5 and a 1/2 years in San Francisco (and California is my home state).  When my husband found out he was being transferred to Jacksonville, I cried… and then cried some more.  Not only did I despise the idea of moving away from home, but I also really despised the idea of moving to Florida.  Really, could we move any further away from the west coast??  The heat and humidity scared me (and I already knew about it because my husband was a prior resident of the state).  The big bugs were also a bit frightening.  Oh, and snakes too!

It was not easy driving ALL the way across the country to a new world (yes, it was a bit of a culture shock). The one thing I was looking forward to was finally owning our own home!  And it just so happened to be double the size of the house we were currently renting.  However, it was not a short 10-minute walk from the beach.  And it was not a short 10-minute walk to the local coffee shop or brewhouse.  But it was a very nice house in a very nice neighborhood with a very nice community pool.  I tried to remain positive throughout the whole moving experience, but it doesn’t help when you are packing up your home while you are extremely sick with the flu.  At least the drive was nice… if you like 110 degree weather and Interstate 10.

So, we finally arrive in Jacksonville and I don’t find my niche right away.  All of the Coast Guard families are very friendly, but most of them were from the south or east coast.  Nothing wrong with that, but I kind of felt like the odd woman out.  I’m the type of person who likes to have a couple of really good friends instead of a hundred acquaintances.  I’m also very shy and find it hard to make small talk.  A year went by and I still didn’t find what I was searching for but I went through my third (and final) pregnancy with a happy little bundle of joy at the end.  That cute little bundle of joy kept me busy and so did my final year of my Master’s degree program.  Finally, though, enough was enough and I needed to find some friends.

I thought about Team in Training and how I had met some amazing people when I was a part of the program in San Francisco.  I knew that running a marathon was on my bucket list and I also knew that I needed to lose the baby weight and the only way I could was through running (the best weight loss program I know of).  6 weeks after giving birth I joined the local team.  Through the 4 month experience I made really good friends, lost all of the baby weight, gained confidence and finished my first marathon.  I was hooked.  I couldn’t stop there so I decided to stay involved as a coach and then eventually signed on as a participant once again.  Even though it sounds crazy, I loved getting up at 5:00 am on Saturdays to run with the team and meeting up on Tuesday evenings to push ourselves over the bridges.  I knew I had finally found my niche in Jacksonville.

Training and working out became my passion and a big part of my life.  I enjoyed getting a break from the kids by dropping them off at the gym daycare (and they loved the social aspect of it).  I looked forward to the classes offered by very personable instructors.  I began to set my sights even higher and ran a marathon and a half (in 2 days) at Disney World with one of my really good friends.  I even tried my first triathlon and loved it!  I overcame (well, not completely yet) an injury  that set me back from achieving my fitness goals.  Through that, I learned a lesson on determination.

I have learned and endured so much since moving to Jacksonville.  I just can’t believe that it is already time to move on to the next place.  I will truly miss all of my friends, my house, my neighbors (the most awesome cul-de-sac ever!), and the Jacksonville running community.  I will not miss the summer weather, but I must admit that it was kind of nice wearing shorts and t-shirts during most of the winter.  I will look forward to having all of the seasons, real mountains and being closer to the west coast.  I am sure that I will have many new adventures and that is what keeps me going through all of this.  I am definitely never bored.

So, goodbye Jacksonville!  Tomorrow I start my next journey across the states!

by

My First Tri

I may not be super fast or extremely fit, but I have a lot of determination.  Regardless of how crazy it sounded, my goal for my first triathlon was to finish it in first place (female overall).  I tried to override this thought process by telling myself that I should only focus on finishing the thing.  My husband sure reminded me of that (any time I mentioned anything even slightly competitive).  But my mind wanders and it seems to have high expectations.  There is a warning to that though: high expectations can bring great disappointment.  Yet, I would rather just push and see what happens.  I tend to achieve more when I have a bigger goal to work towards.

So, over the past couple of months I have worked hard on my silly dream.  Not really as hard as I could have, but I always had the best intentions and motivation seemed to follow suit in most cases.  Even those who appear to be highly motivated have their ups and downs.  There were days I didn’t want to get up and go swim at 6:00 am and days where I just felt like refusing to turn my dial during spin class.  But there were also days when I would plan to ride 15 miles, but ended up doing 20 miles instead.  We all have our good days and our bad days.

I didn’t let the fact that I have 3 kids to care for get in the way.  When I am not in training mode, I am in mommy mode.  If I wanted an extra workout, I would push 60 pounds of little kids in the double jogging stroller.  When I wanted to do something fun with my oldest, I would take her out for a bike ride.  This all sounds just too perfect doesn’t it?  Like I am some kind of super mom?  Okay, let me also point out that on days when I would push myself too hard, I would come home and lay on the couch while the kids watched cartoons. If I was feeling too exhausted to make lunch, then we would drive through Chick-Fil-A on the way home (always a tease to my starving self because I choose not to eat chicken).  There is a cost, but this is what makes me happy and when I am happy then I can better focus on making my family happy.  Not only that, but I feel like I am setting a good example (most of the time).

Back to the triathlon.  Oh boy, was I nervous!  I felt prepared, but you are never sure if you are really prepared when you try something new.  And of course everyone there knew who the newbies were because we had it written on our leg.  Maybe all of the questions gave it away too.  I stood by the lake prior to the start and was very relieved that I had chosen to do this at a lake instead of the ocean.  My main concern was the swim portion of the event.  Fortunately, we went in waves, so it wasn’t one big massive group swimming together.  I think I only got kicked twice.  However, when I first started swimming I realized that the lake was pitch black.  I started swimming like a person who doesn’t really know how to freestyle… the person who keeps their head up out of the water while doing the motions with their arms.  Then I realized I was being ridiculous and told myself that I know how to swim.  I stuck my face in the black water and got down to business passing people, maneuvering around the buoys and focusing on swimming in a straight line.

After I got out of the water (I must say that it did go by fast) I ran to my bike.  Even though it felt like my shoes and my helmet weren’t on right, I hopped on and got going.  As I started passing people (and that is a whole new thing because there are certain rules), I started to get worried because I know I tend to push too hard in the beginning which can cause me to die at the end.  Yet, I couldn’t tell myself to slow down because I wouldn’t listen.  My legs burned, but I just kept thinking about spin class.  The instructor is kind of pushy and I always leave class with a soaked towel (thanks to all of the sweat spilling off my body).  Maybe that paid off.  I just kept going and was relieved when I passed a little kid (very cool, but I sure as heck didn’t want him beating me).  I wasn’t even sure how far I had gone because it was the first time I had ridden without GPS.  But, it didn’t take too long before I managed to coast to the end.  The end of the bike ride that is.

My legs felt like lead when I jumped off the bike and I felt a tad tired.  I ran to change out my shoes and put my bike up.  Then I started the run.  I thought about how I usually start a run all refreshed and feeling pretty good.  Yeah, that is a bit different when you start running after swimming and cycling.  I felt like I was moving in slow motion.  Yet, it seemed like the people in front of me were moving in even slower motion.  I wasn’t even sure how I passed about 10 guys, but I did.  I kept telling myself “the run is your strength, you can push it.”  And I did push it like I normally do on any other run.  I was so happy to see the finish line, but I also felt so excited about what I had just done.  I already couldn’t wait to do it again.  Not only did I have fun, but I did finish in first place for the “My First Tri” race.  And not only did I finish first over all of the newbie females, but I also beat the first place “My First Tri” male by one minute.

I am proud of what I accomplished, but also humbled by the work it takes to achieve your goals.  I want to inspire others in a positive way and make it known that all things are possible if you BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.  I know I will most likely be disappointed at my next race because I have set my expectations too high (and I will no longer be a “my first tri” participant), but that doesn’t mean that I won’t try to do better.  I will still have fun doing it.

Just a side note.  When I first started training a few months ago I could barely swim a full lap without stopping and I would fall over when I tried to stop on my bike.  Don’t let those small annoyances get in the way of achieving your goals.

by

I Will Tri

This morning marked the end of a journey.  It was my last Saturday morning run with Team in Training.  I remember nearly 2 years ago when I sat in the information meeting just 6 weeks after giving birth to my third child.  I was determined to run a marathon and I knew that Team in Training would help me accomplish my goal.  I was no newbie to TNT.  I had already completed a Grand Canyon hike with the Team in San Francisco and I was well-informed on how the money raised was used for cancer research and to support cancer patients and their families.   Not only did I want to run a marathon, but I knew that joining the Team would be a great way to form valuable friendships.

I was easily suckered in at that first meeting.  The next thing I know I was at the first training wondering if I would be able to keep up with the fastest runners.  I saw a woman there who looked to be about my age.  I remember that she kind of looked a bit tough and she had all of her running gear.  I assumed that she had been running for a while and I must admit that I was a bit intimidated by her.  At the trainings that followed, that running chick always seemed to go above and beyond.  She would run extra miles and turn around to go back up over the bridges.  One day I decided to stick with her and see what would happen.  Wouldn’t you know it, we became each other’s best motivator.  We became good friends…. life-long running buddies.  Even though we are now separated by thousands of miles, I say “life-long running buddies” because we already have future plans to meet up for races around the country.  Even though I don’t see my running buddy, she is still motivating me to do my best and to never give up.  I can’t thank her enough for that.

So we ran the Walt Disney World marathon.  Oh wait, let me back up for a minute.  Let’s not forget the Jacksonville Bank Marathon just 3 weeks before that.  Four of us crazy teammates decided to do our long training run (20 miles) during the Bank Marathon.  We figured that we would run the first 20 (you know, to train) and then just walk the rest (you know, to recover).  Well, that really sucked.  We don’t recommend doing that.  The Walt Disney World marathon was a much better experience even though I still thought I was going to die at mile 22.  But what do you expect during your first “real” marathon?  Pain… lots of pain.  Out of the 4, I came in last… not my best moment, but I finished!

Of course we couldn’t stop there.  My buddy calls me not too long afterwards to ask if I would be willing to coach the Fall Team with her.  Sure, why not?  Oh, but please note that when we say “Fall Team” we mean that the participants train during the summer so they can run a marathon in the Fall.  I hope you realize that I live in Florida.  I soon found out that training during the summer really SUCKS.  In order to beat the heat (whatever that means because the heat doesn’t care what time of day it is) we had to wake up at 4:00 am in order to start our runs at 5:00 am.  Not that I was a Friday night party animal, but waking up at 4:00 am on a Saturday morning really SUCKS!  But you know what?  It was worth watching those participants finish their first half-marathon.  What a rewarding experience that was!

Then what? Oh, of course I couldn’t stop there.  I just had to run another marathon with the Team, but first I had to do my own thing and finish that Goofy Challenge.  Then I was able to meet up with the Team and give it my full attention again.  But let’s go ahead and mention that I couldn’t have done the Goofy without another running buddy who I was fortunate enough to meet through TNT.  Okay,  by now you should realize that it is so much easier to finish a race when you have a MOTIVATOR!  Now THAT was FUN!  Seriously, I was ready for it and didn’t feel like I would die.  It appears that marathons seem to get easier as you run more of them.

Done with Goofy and then back to TNT to finish training for the next marathon.  I had to go back and forth between which marathon to do, but I finally decided on the Country Music Marathon in Nashville.  So, I was chugging away at my training and having fun meeting more amazing people when… WHAM!  Yep, I was hit with THE INJURY.  Whatever, you blasted injury!  It really pissed me off and I had to take a running leave of absence.  But, needless to say, I was determined to at least finish the half-marathon.  And I did.  Somehow.  Still not sure how I ran nearly the whole thing, but I did.  It SUCKED, but I pushed through.  Maybe that is why I won the TNT award for “Most Determined.”

And this morning was our celebration run.  Now what?  Oh, right.  Of course I have a plan.  Now I will finish my first triathlon.  Let’s shoot for an Olympic on June 23rd.

 

by

The half-marathon I will never forget!

I tried not to think about it as the day approached.  I wasn’t too keen on walking a half-marathon.  I just kept telling myself that the plan was just to finish it and not to worry so much about how I would actually get to the finish line.  I wasn’t as stressed as I usually am when I pack for a race.  I only brought one pair of running shorts, one shirt and one pair of running shoes.  Normally I would make sure I always had a spare of each item.  I didn’t really worry too much about what I ate during the days leading up to the event.  I didn’t feel any real excitement about the race and I mostly just focused on enjoying a vacation weekend away from home.  It was almost like the race was just an after thought.

I eventually arrived in Nashville and spent some time looking around the race expo.  I wasn’t interested in purchasing any race attire or souvenirs.  I didn’t feel the need to take home any mementos other than the medal that I would receive if I crossed the finish line.  The Goofy event a few months ago was a different story.  I made sure I had purchased a shirt that very clearly stated that I had run 39.3 miles.  That was an obvious necessity.

When I went to the inspiration dinner later that evening I was inspired (not an unusual feeling for me at those events).  A young woman talked about how she lost her sister to cancer many years ago.  She cried often during her speech and it brought tears to my own eyes.  I listened as they announced all of the top fundraisers and I was utterly impressed.  At the end of the dinner I still wasn’t sure about my own goals during the race, but I knew that I had already done something… I had raised $3,000 to help fund cancer research.  What more did I need to do?

As usual, I couldn’t sleep that night.  I tend to run races on very little sleep because I have so much trouble falling asleep the night before.  I woke up not very refreshed, but ready to get it over with.  We took our team photo down in the lobby and wished each other success on the race.  A few participants were running the marathon and I felt a twinge of jealousy because that had been my original plan.  Yet, I knew I had just been dealt a different set of cards.  I knew that this would be a challenge and challenges usually motivate me, but for some reason I just wanted to get through it and be done.

I waited with another participant near the starting line.  We actually waited a very long time because we had arrived so early.  She was nervous because it was her first half-marathon and she wasn’t confident that she had properly trained.  I encouraged her as best as I could.  Come to find out later, she actually did quite well.

I went to my corral up near the front.  The only reason why I was up near the front was because I had registered with a decent finish time for the marathon.  I considered moving back since I feared that I would be the only one stopping to walk.  I often get annoyed with people who decide to stop in the middle of the road, especially at the start of a race.  I didn’t want to be one of those people.  Yet, I also didn’t want to get stuck in the back where I had to deal with weaving in and out of traffic if I decided that I would pick up my pace.  I decided just to stay in my assigned corral and move off to the side.

At that point, I began to get a little worried.  The furthest I had walked in the past few weeks was 6 miles.  And of course I hadn’t been on a run in over a month and a half.  I just assumed I would be fit enough to finish because I maintained my fitness through cycling, swimming and weight training.  However, I knew that people who thought that they could run a half-marathon without actually training for it were just plain stupid.  Now I was standing there wondering if I was one of those stupid people.  Not only had I not trained specifically for that event, but I had an injury to deal with.  I began to wonder if I had made a mistake.

Well, it was too late to reconsider because the next thing I knew I was following the crowd past the starting line.  I started at a slow jog because I didn’t want to inhibit anyone behind me.  People were still passing me, but at least I had a decent speed.  After jogging a block or so I felt the adrenaline pumping and I started to pick up speed.  I wasn’t about to be that slow person holding up traffic.  I kept thinking that I should stop to walk.  Actually, that was a recurring thought throughout the entire race.  I never really ever responded to that thought except maybe a few times when coming down a steep incline or during an approach to the water table.  The next thing I know I was at the 5K mark within 31 minutes.  Yikes!  I told myself that I needed to slow down because there was no way that I would be able to maintain that speed.

Every now and then I would consider the pain in my left leg and lower back.  I would consider it thoughtfully.  It was more of a dull ache and not a sharp shooting or severe pain.  I didn’t feel any numbness in my leg or foot so I knew that was a plus.  I couldn’t find a real excuse to stop running at the pace I was moving at.  Then I focused on endurance.  Yeah, I would probably tire myself out before I got to the finish line.  I hadn’t run this far in a long time so I knew that fatigue would take over all areas of my body.  These thoughts always ended with a final decision:  to just keep running until I was either in severe pain or too tired to move my legs.

And the hills!  Wow… Nashville is hilly!  All of my running buddies know I love to run hills.  It is actually the best part in my book because I usually tend to pass loads of people who are wearing down.  Well, you might think that I would get even more tired since I hadn’t been out for my regular Tuesday night bridge runs in quite some time.  Sure, I was more tired than usual, but you know what?  That pain in my left leg would subside when I ran up an incline.  No pain meant more running.  On the downside, I had to go easy with the declines because those made the pain worse.  So, I was passing walkers going up the hills, but runners were passing me as we went down the hills.  They must have thought I was some sort of freak.  Who runs up hills but walks down them?

It was one hill after another, but I didn’t really notice like most normal people would.  The only hill that I actually cursed was the one at mile 12 because I was just so dang tired.  At the marathon / half-marathon split at around mile 11 I easily talked myself out of joining the marathon course.  I knew that would have been just plain stupid.  As I neared the finish line I couldn’t believe that I had continued to run pretty much the whole way.  Not only that, but the time just flew by and I couldn’t believe I was already almost there.  It was then that I felt a wave of emotion.  I had to curse the hill just so I would refrain from shedding the tears.  I just could not believe what I had done despite all of the setbacks.  I wasn’t sure if I should have been proud of myself or if I should have cursed at myself for being really stupid.  I just knew in my heart that whatever pain I was feeling was nothing compared to the pain that Elizabeth and her parents have endured.  I nearly choked at the thought of what it would be like to have a sick child and feeling helpless as she endured endless treatments.  I almost felt like I had no right to stop and walk.

Somehow I managed to cross the finish line at 2:19:18.  My worst time ever, but not by much.  My first half-marathon time was 2:17:55.  A far cry from my fastest time of 1:49:57 (accomplished just a few short months ago), but how can I complain?  My goal was 3 hours!  I was planning to WALK!  What happened?  I don’t know, but I will take it.  I just can’t believe I did it.  I really can’t.

Of course I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed the next morning.  Then I would hear the endless “I told you so’s” and never be able to redeem myself.  But to my utter amazement, my left leg and lower back were perfectly fine.  Strangely enough, I didn’t feel even the slight pain that I had been feeling over the past few weeks.  Yet, I wasn’t left in tip-top shape.  Nope, my body had to reward me with a strained right calf muscle.  Now I am limping around on my other leg.  Okay, whatever.   I will take it.