Leap without looking

When I decided we should register for this 5K, I obviously didn't think it through very well.

Following is my whining list of reasons this was a bad idea:

1st - It's in the morning and while I am a morning person, my mornings do not start before 7:30. In order to be awake enough, hydrated enough, prepared and at registration by 8:15 (that's actually a late start for most runners, but not me) I'll need to wake up by 6:30, latest.
2nd - Morning = sunlight and greater heat. While I love to lounge in sunlight, I only run at night. I'm probably going to have heatstroke.
3rd - It's at the beach, which means sand. I have never run in sand! My knee could explode!
4th - It will likely be windy. I freaking hate wind. Try to run in wind. You will hate it too.

Obviously I'm a slightly disturbed individual, because I mean each whining word above and yet I'm really looking forward to the race.

Following is my list of reasons that tomorrow will be a very good thing:

1st - I will run with people I love.
2nd - We will have donated to a good cause.
3rd - It will be warm and the sand will be a challenge, but it will be beautiful running ocean side.
4th - The sense of accomplishment I will feel crossing the finish line will make me feel like I'm going to burst with happy self satisfaction.
5th - I get to go swimming in the Atlantic, post race. How many people get to do that?
6th - Post race celebration with fellow runners and people I love.

Had I thought it through, I'd likely have been too freaked out by the cons to get around to all of the pros. There's something to be said for leaping without looking every now and then :-)

And if you can spare any extra, even a few dollars, your donation will go to providing clean drinking water. It's a worthy cause. CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Whine, Turtle Runner and Wine

If you have delicate sensibilities, stop now because I plan on saying what I want to say, exactly how I want to say it. Which is:
Fuck me, that was an annoying run!! Or run/walk, whatever the hell what I do is called. I need a name for this method. I think I'll just say RW. So ok, FUCK ME, that was an annoying RW! And no, gentleman, that was not an invitation but an exclamation. Everything hurt this evening. Everything. Blah. I'll disgust myself if I go into a whining fit so I'll resist the urge.
Why, oh why is running this way? One run is incredible and I feel on top of the world, capable of anything. The next run? The next run can leave me feeling like an idiot for thinking I'm capable of running a half marathon.
And what the hell?! I'm slow! As I told someone recently, I've taken to calling myself Turtle Runner. I have the body for running. I'm lean and long-ish. I look like people's idea of a recreational runner...well, other than the boobage. Ha. Guess what? It's a sham! A mere facade. I am a TURTLE. Doing this RW thing (I'd say Galloway Method, but I'm not actually following that method) I do 3.1 miles in 34 minutes. Even walking part of the time I feel I should get 3 miles done in 30 minutes. The weirdest part? My jogging pace isn't too bad. I can keep it in a 10 minute mile, which is average, I think. It's my walking pace that kills me! I can not, to save my life, walk at a fast clip. I mean a pack of Zombies could be on my ass and if I had to out walk them, I'd quickly become one of the Zombie Nation.
Oh hey, didn't I say I wasn't going to whine? Yes, yes I did. Apparently I lied. The good news is my wine is kicking in and I'm feeling less annoyed by this evenings shortcomings. Notice I didn't say MY shortcomings. Uh uh. No. Negatory. It was this evening, that run and not me that fell short. That's what I'm telling myself and I'm sticking to it.

Back in the Groove and a Great Cause

Not only am I back in the groove, I'm now registered for not one, but TWO 5k's in March! Can I hear a "You kick ass Michelle?" And not only will Kurt run them with me, but Morgan, my son's girlfriend, is joining us for both races! These will be her very first 5K's! I am so crazy honored to share her first official race with her!

And now on to the great cause: We are fund raising for our first race in March: South Florida Run for Compassion. 100% of the money donated will go towards providing clean water to those in need. And yes, it's a Christian organization, but please don't let that distract you from this very good cause. Let 's come together, regardless of belief systems, and help people. Please click the link below and donate what you can. Thanks!

FirstGiving - Your fundraising

Friends and Partners

Today, as a few of my friends can attest, I was a whiny baby. I went out with friends last night, had a couple of margaritas and a fantastic time, but stayed up too late and as a result, was dragging butt today. And for some weird reason, I was achy all over. All that to say it was a day when I rather than thinking, "I get to run today!" I was thinking, "Crap, I have to run today."

With the help of the above mentioned friends and their harassment (It was suggested I start using a pacifier) I managed to convince myself that I needed to get over it and go run. And so I did and you know what? It really wasn't as terrible as I had anticipated. My aches feel better too. I did four miles alternating between walking and running. I ran more at a stretch than I have in a while and felt pretty good doing so. There appears to be progress and that delights me. Without my man to encourage me on and my friends to harass me into better behavior, this journey to the half wouldn't be half as much fun. Thank you my love and thank you my peeps!

Here's the post run pic of the night. we're ridiculous. It's why I like him...well that and another reason, but that's private ;-)

Some days life tries to get in the way of running. Today was one of those days. I came home, said hello to the tribe, changed clothes and started locking up. Then it occurred to me I was missing one cat. My favorite cat, Bodie, was missing.
(I know it's horrible to have favorites, but I do. It's one of the reasons I never had a second child. I knew I'd like one more than the other.)
The whole tribe looked for him. We looked everywhere. He could not be found. Finally everyone else left and I cried. I couldn't leave without knowing he was ok. Finally, I heard a Bodie sound. I managed to track him down. He'd somehow found his way into my dresser and behind a drawer. How he got his fat body behind that drawer, I can not imagine. Anyway, I broke the drawer and got him out. Bodie rescued, finally time to run. I didn't want to, but I headed out.
I got to the park and within 30 seconds of running I had a wicked pain in my belly. What the hell? Seriously? I kept running. Screw you, you thing that's trying to keep me from running, I thought to myself.  I ran some more and I hurt some more. I walked and then I ran again and little by little the pain left, but my mind still wasn't in the groove. It was just one of those days. I kept doubting my ability to ever run a half, but that doubt would then fuel me to keep going. I felt so contrary with myself...it was weird. Like I needed the cynicism to provoke my inspiration. Finally, and I credit AC/DC on the mp3 player, I found the groove and I finished my 4 miles. Yeah, only 4 tonight but that means I only have 9 to go :)
A little PS-- I've found tempo in music is irrelevant for me when running. What matters most is the lyrics and the mood of the song. It would seem I can regulate my breathing much better when I sing along to what's playing. This amuses me. I wonder how many people heard me singing "You Shook Me All Night Long" this evening?
And in closing, let me show you the beastie that caused that upset this evening:

I'm back.

It's been a while since my last post and I'll tell you why-  In September I started really toying with the idea of running a half marathon, but then life crept up and got in my way. Some of the things I got distracted by were good and all of them fun, but some of them were simply that-- distractions. I found myself getting lazy and less committed to pursing fitness. I really wasn't yet used to working full time and having a life. I love having a job, but I couldn't (still can't) stand the idea of spending any day only working. I wanted to cram life into what was left of the day. I would come home from work and there were always so many other things to do and enjoy other than making myself go out and run. Soon enough I wasn't running at all.

I started to miss having a challenge. As content as I can be, as hedonistic as I can be, I still need a challenge. Without one I get a little melancholy and loose a bit of my groove. Indulgence, I love it, but I need an extra something running through it, behind the scenes, pushing me. For me, for now, that seems to be running. And so, I'm back and in search of my running groove and chasing a half marathon. Said half will be done, if I have any say so in the matter, in 2012. I'm contemplating the Disney Wine and Dine. It's starts at 10pm (gotta LOVE that) and there's wine. Did I mention wine? What better race for me to pop my half cherry than one that honors the two halves of myself?
So tonight I did about 4 miles. A combo of walking and running. This is me afterward. Gorgeous, I says! :-) Hello running, I'm back.

Back to basics, sort of and Rock and roll girl

So, because of the tendon issue I've been having I had to stop running for a while. It made me angry. A couple of times I went out and ran out of sheer stubborn desperation. I'd run  an average of a mile and a half and be in agony. That would anger me further. Finally, I gave up.
And then, well and then one day I decided to go back to the basics. I walked and then I ran. I walked some more and ran even more. I ran more than I walked and it felt glorious to run again...until the next day when I had what felt like shinsplints. I didn't care. That could be dealt with. I had hope again.
Two days later I went out and did almost the same thing, but this time I dialed back the running time a little and gave myself more balance between my run and walk time. Then I did it again. And again. And it's getting better. I'm finding a new groove and routine. What I've discovered is this-- I'm running faster than I did before. Granted, it's shorter bursts, but I feel like I'm building up to something. The reality is I may never be able to jog more than a mile and a half at a time without some nasty consequences, but I may be able to make just as good time doing a run/walk split.
My goal is to do a run/walk for a minimum of 30 minutes 3-4, preferably 4, times a week and see how I progress. Eventually I'll try to run more than mile and a half straight. If the pain kicks in I'll walk, but at a good clip and when it settles down, I'll run again. I'm going to do another 5K and then I'm going to keep pushing. I want to eventually do a half marathon. I'd given up hope on that, but damn it that's what I want and I'm going to push.
And thinking of pushing....at core I am a rock and roll chick. It's rock that fuels me through a run and enables me to push further than I might otherwise have. Here are the two that pushed me on my last run. They gave my feet wings! Turn it up!