Running in the news

Interesting article today in the National Post about running the marathon.

The will to run: Going from the couch to a marathon in a year.

The story kind of rambles, but is the message of going from completely sedentary to the marathon really a good one? What do you think?

Heck, I've been running for 3 years (minus injury time, of course) and completing a marathon is still only a dream for me. The thought of going from couch potato all the way to 42.2K in 12 months is crazy to me. Just the half was a tough for me mentally. I remember being out on one of my 18K long runs in the rain and thinking to myself: If I were marathon training, I'd be running this twice. Yuck.

I drew some inspiration from the article by this tidbit of info from one of the competitive coaches:
Richard Lee is a distance coach in Vancouver who works with Dylan Wykes, a top athlete expected to give (Reid) Coolsaet a run for his money at October’s Scotiabank Marathon in Toronto. He thinks amateur runners don’t push themselves hard enough.

“People who don’t do anything can do a marathon; it just comes down to will power,” says Lee, who coached his first runner in 1984, training his wife all the way to the Olympic Games. “You’re not born with talent, it’s a learned process. You just need to be prepared, follow a plan and develop a steel-trapped mind for achieving your goals.”

This is certainly something I need to remember. I'm a Kenyan in my head, as most of us recreational runners are, but I know I am faster than my recent times have shown. I've got a decent PR in the 10K and 5K that I haven't improved on in over 18 months. While I've had setbacks, I know I can become even faster if I'm willing to put in the time and effort.

Ten Things That Make Me Happy

My friend Sadie (see the link in the sidebar) challenged us, her blogger friends, to post a list of the ten things that make us happy. I have to admit that I'm not exactly in a chipper mood this week, but I hope that drawing up this list will help to pull me out of my funk.

1. My husband and his neverending support, love and affection.

2. Our pets, especially our 2-year-old Tonkinese cat who loves to cuddle under the covers and has conversations with me while I'm taking a shower in the morning.

3. Time spent with friends.

4. Champagne/Sparkling Wine. It soothes my soul, but not in the I'm-Drinking-Alone kind of way.

5. Vacations!

6. Seeing neat wildlife on a run, like interesting birds or squirrels chasing each other. It usually brings a smile to my face.

7. The feeling of accomplishment and a job well done, whether that's running or at work.

8. Striking items off the "to-do" list.

9. Finding mail in the mailbox. And no, I don't mean bills! Tonight my free Sugoi custom armwarmers arrived!

10. Seeing that I've got new followers on my blog. Welcome! :)

A new first

We runners often get caught up in personal bests or records, pace times, speedwork... all in the name of getting faster. It's easy to forget the fun part of running or to remember the little achievements.

In weight loss, we call it a non-scale victory... something we're proud of that's not the number on the scale. I think I could expand this to non-speed victory.

I passed a rollerblader last night. The guy had 4 wheels and I didn't... and I passed him, twice. Granted he wasn't going super-fast, but it was still a boost to the ego!

Why I Run

A friend asked me recently: "Why do you run?" I had to really think long and hard about what my reasons were. Much of my answer is so intangible that the logical reasons are those that only a fellow runner would understand.

Needless to say, I'm still thinking about this question today, almost a week after she initially asked.

Here are some of my answers:

• I run because it makes me feel good inside, as though I am doing something that is benefitting my body and my overall health.
• I run because it gives me a reason to get off the couch so that I can enjoy the outdoors and the nice (and the not-so-nice) weather.
• I run because it empowers me. Once I finish a particularly good or difficult workout, I feel as though I can take on the world.
• I run so I can eat the blueberry tart at Starbucks without regret.
• I run so that I can be blessed with the occasional runner's high.
• I run today so that I can run faster tomorrow.
• I run because it gives me precious time to myself, which, in turn, keeps me sane. It gives me the quiet time to sort through my thoughts.
• I run so I can tune out the world around me, so I can forget my worries and stress and just focus on the next 10-50 feet of pavement in front of me instead.
• I run so that I can accomplish my goals of completing specific races or distances.

These thoughts are just an attempt at putting those feelings that running evokes into words. Remembering these ideas is essential on those days where you don't want to tie up the laces for a run.

Inspiration can go both ways

Last night I ran despite the crazy heat and humidity we're experiencing in Ottawa. I did my scheduled 3K.

As I ran, I noticed a lot of little girls out with their parents. Two tandem bicycles passed me on the path, with a little girl of maybe 5 or 6 riding on the back part of the bike. Each girl looked back at me with a very peculiar look on their face.
Then on the way home I saw a little girl walking with her Dad, again staring at me. Then I saw another little girl with her Dad as I did my cooldown, and I heard her Dad say, "Yes, that lady is going jogging." I wanted to correct him and say that I don't jog, I RUN!

The interest of these little girls in my running was strangely inspirational. Like it was almost strange for them to see a woman out alone exercising. Maybe it was the running skirt? Now everytime I'm out on a run I'm going to think about the looks the girls gave me and that hopefully I inspired them to start running someday, too.