My running rambles!

Running….isn’t it one of first physical activity skills that we learn? Then why on earth can it be so difficult and so frustrating, and yet, two days later be the easiest and most peaceful thing on the planet? I suppose if I had an answer to this I could make myself rich!!!

Why do I run? I get that question all of the time and still I’m ‘running’ in search of the answer, and on any given day, that answer can be quite different. Some days it’s because I can: like when I ran a marathon 5 days after being in a car accident, other days it’s because it keeps me sane: as an assistant principal the things I can deal with in a day are quite profound, far-out-there, sad, or just plain frustrating, and running helps me to put everything into perspective – it’s a way to be free, to get away from it all, to think about anything and everything, but most of all finishing with some sense of a plan. Other days still it’s just to make myself feel physically better: how many of us have had those “I ate too much last night, I just feel fat” days?!?!? Yep, somehow running makes me feel less guilty and better about myself.

As I’m writing this I’m sitting in very cold, very snowy Spokane at the January OSPI conference. Being away from home can present its own challenges for getting our workouts in, but being at a conference with colleagues makes those challenges ten-times tougher: you sit listening all day and then your team wants to go out to eat to be social right at the end of the conference…do you say “sorry, gotta train”, or do you “suck it up”? For me, it’s more of the dreaded “I’ve got to drag myself out of bed at 5:30am to go run on the treadmill before the day begins, and then “can I sneak out of the last session early and jump in the hotel’s tiny little pool”? So, yes, I did both – the first met me with disappointment – all the treadmills were being used, and their occupants looked like they were on for a marathon, and there was a line of about 4 other excited onlookers! What to do? Well, those of you who know me know I love thinking outside of the box…so, I decided I’d just run around the hotel, and so made myself a fun little route, kept my heart rate at about 150, and just enjoyed people watching. It was probably one of the most relaxing runs I’ve had in a long time…and needless to say, the next day I didn’t even stick my head in the “gym”, I just went straight for my little “route”. I got strange looks, but no-one (at least openly) complained and those waiting in line for the treadmills were rather green with envy, or was that green from the heat and smell in the little room?!?!?! I have to say swimming in a pool that small made me quite sea-sick and taught me that I must learn to flip turn, oh, and take Dramamine! It made for a tiring few days, but at least I didn’t offend anyone, and I got my workouts in!

I’m “famous” for being the Marathon Maniac, but, seriously I don’t see myself that way at all. I don’t think I do anything special, nor am I anything special. I’m just like everyone else: tired at the end of the day, balancing a job and family life, taking classes that will one day hopefully lead to my PhD, and training. This last year I signed up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene. I’ve always wanted to do it, but never really dreamt that I could. Now I’m in the middle of “training my butt off” and loving every minute! I love the fact that cycling has made my running leg turnover quicker, and swimming has helped my asthma and my breathing. I should have been cross-training years ago!!! The whole 4 marathons in 10-weeks came as a result of my husband teasing me (oh, I’m so easily influenced!) and a thought that if I could do that I could finish Ironman…I think I forgot that there are other events in an Ironman ;)

This fall’s marathon experience was awesome. I loved it! I never, once, felt ready for running 26.2 miles when I was at the start line though, and yet, I finished each one, including a PR on #3 in Seattle, which is a brutal course…I felt like I was flying that day. I did everything right. You’d think I’d “got it”, but just 3-weeks later, I totally blew it on my 4th marathon and seemed to do everything wrong! Crazy! Those who have run a marathon know that the last 6-miles is brutal, almost an out of body kind of experience…those who haven’t, to explain it would be like me trying to describe colors to you if you had been blind since birth! There isn’t any way to describe it – and even fewer words to describe how your legs feel the morning after! Although, I have learned that after 10 marathons that feeling doesn’t last half as long, or seem half so bad as the first! I actually kind of like it now – it’s a personal “feel” of satisfaction in a weird kind of way!!!

I promised myself I’d take some time off from finishing the last marathon in December, and so my next one is Yakima Canyon in April. I’ve got talked into doing some halves along the way, but I wanted a mental break and a chance to focus on breaking the 3:40 mark, and to qualify for Boston…although I realize I’m more likely to do that in the Fall after Ironman, but I still plan to try! Really running 13.1 is SO much easier than running 26.2 so I’ve yet to figure out why I don’t stick to that distance!