Getting Fit

I have a friend who recently ran her first race ever, at the age of 37. She does not consider herself a runner, which I whole-heartedly disagree with. In my opinion, if you run, regardless of distance or pace, you are a runner. Go ahead, call yourself a runner. It feels good! I learned that she just started running a year ago and on that first day of running she was only able to run to the end of her street. But, she stuck with it and went back out there, day after day. One year later, and more than 70 pounds lighter, she completed her first race. She is so inspiring!

Hearing her story reminded me of where I started almost a year ago and made me reflect on what has worked and what hasn't, for ME. I started running on January 28, after giving myself almost 7 months to recover and adjust after Lucy's birth. That first time running, I did less than three miles and paced at somewhere around 14 minute miles. It felt awkward and uncomfortable to run, almost like I was running with two left feet. Since January, I've run two half marathons and have logged almost 600 miles in my training. I've been able to increase my pace to 8 minute miles on my shorter runs, and even though I wasn't focusing on losing weight, I've actually lost 20 pounds and I feel strong and healthy.

Here are a few things that have worked for me:

1) Set small, easily-attainable goals. And, then, constantly adjust them and make them more challenging. For example, I started off running (or walking) 3-4 days a week for 20-30 minutes, without any pressure of how far or how fast. I just had to get out the door and do something. Now, I try to get out 4-5 days a week and try to constantly increase my speed or my distance or both.

2) Set bigger, long-term goals. In other words, signing up for a race (or two) that would keep me motivated to keep pushing and keep reaching. I've found, though, that you can do this without signing up for races. Just pick a certain pace or distance that you want to get to by a certain date a few months out and then work toward it.

3) Find a workout buddy. I've run and trained for races all by myself and I've trained with people. It makes such a huge difference to have someone to exercise with. Talk to people you'd want workout with, ask around. You might be surprised to find someone else looking for someone just like you to join them in working out. It helps to have someone else working toward the same goals and someone that's depending on you to be consistent. I've been so lucky to have had lots of running buddies, sometimes even going on multiple runs on the same day.

4) Appreciate all the benefits. I don't put too much emphasis on whatever physical benefits that come from exercising, because I get so much more from my workouts that go way beyond the physical. There are mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits that come from being active and having a little time to myself to fill my bucket. I feel like running actually helps me be a better mom. Any physical benefits are just extra.

5) Listen to your body. When it aches, let it rest. When muscles are tight, stretch them out. When something is hurt, find things that will fix it. When it's hungry, feed it. When it's thirsty, drink lots of water. I've found that when I'm exercising, I naturally crave more healthy foods and drink a lot more - another side benefit to running. I try to listen to my body and be extra kind and gentle with myself.

6) Reward yourself. One of the best parts of being active is the feeling that I can eat anything without feeling bad about it. I'm not shy about rewarding myself... I just don't go overboard. I feel totally okay with splurging (even daily) on a small scoop of ice cream or a cookie or a handful of M&Ms, but I'm super careful not to put all three of those in the same bowl at the same time. (I'd at least spread them out throughout the day! haha!)

7) Don't get discouraged! Most results are going to happen so slowly you might not even notice them if you aren't paying close attention. Those slow changes are healthier for the body and are much more likely to last. If I take the 20 pounds I've lost since January, then it figures out to losing less than a tenth of a pound every day. Another way of putting it, I've lost one pound every two weeks. That's insanely slow, especially compared to results that some pills or diets will promise, but it's natural and it's healthy.

Just like everyone else out there, I have things about my body that are softer or rounder or curvier than what I sometimes want, but I really do love my body and love having this exact body of mine. I love moving, I love feeling alive, I love working my lungs and feeling my muscles burn. I also love food and I love feeling like I can enjoy the flavors and tastes even more when I'm doing what I can to be active. That is the best part!

My Running Hat

A year ago I was recovering from my c-section and could barely walk without wincing with every step. I'd heard it was best to wait eight weeks before trying to start an exercise routine, but even after a few months I was still having a hard time doing much more than an easy walk around the neighborhood. I'd hear my friends talking about their morning runs and seriously doubted if my body would ever fully recover enough to do any kind of intense exercise again.

After a few attempts here and there to pick up running again, I finally decided to give myself a year to fully recover and focus all my energies on embracing my new mother-of-two-small-babies hat. I went on frequent walks with the boys in their stroller, but I put aside my running hat, certain I would know when the time was right to get it out again.

In May when my sister was visiting, I knew it was the perfect time to dust off the running shoes and jump back into a good routine. I was sure that having a running partner for nearly three weeks would make it much easier to get started and keeping going. And, it was. Now that it has been almost two months, we've both kept up with our morning runs, often calling each other before heading out the door to give each other that little motivational push.

Just this week I broke six miles and it feels so good. I've been realizing how much running has become my outlet. That might be part of the reason I haven't been blogging much - I leave the bulk of my thoughts out on the pavement to be swept away with the wind. Which is probably a healthy thing for me with it being July and all.

Putting on my running hat again has proved to be healthy on so many different levels - even to the point that I feel like it's helping me fit better into my mother-of-two-active-toddlers hat. And, I feel so grateful for a body that can function again like it did before having major abdominal surgery.

The other day when I returned home from a long run, as soon as I walked through the front door, Hugh walked toward me with his arms stretched high, reaching for my hat. That boy and hats, I tell you! I reluctantly gave in and right away he put it on his head. It was so cute (and gross at the same time) that I had to capture the cuteness. (I don't know what it is, I never used to sweat like I do now.)

It appears Hugh loves my running hat as much as I do. But, I hope my children will always know that there isn't a hat that I love wearing more than that of mother.

Halloween Half Marathon

Back in May I coerced my parents into doing a half marathon with me. We trained all summer, going on morning walks/jogs through the streets of our little town. The hours we spent training were just as fun and memorable as the hours we spent this morning participating in the actual event. The weather was perfect, the autumn-colored wine country we walked through was absolutely stunning, the excitement of the other two-thousand runners was contagious. (Just a random fact - 68% of the runners today were women. How 'bout that?)

We even had our own personal cheer section right before mile 5. Thanks, Scott and Rachel!

And, I just have to say... my parents are awesome! They are the grandparents of 27. And, today they completed 13.1 miles. I was so proud to be on the course with them today. Definitely a moment saved among the most precious of memories to relive.

** There is a really good story behind why I had to catch a ride to the finish line at mile marker 9, but that's a story for another day... sure to be told soon, though.

Marathon Madness

I came across this video the other day and it made me laugh so hard! It's title is: The Day after the Marathon. Those runners out there will really appreciate this:



My good friend, Camille, first introduced me to the idea of running a marathon while we were out running early one morning down the cobblestone streets in Mestre (just outside of Venice). She had run quite a few marathons before coming to Italy and assured me I could definitely do it, too. So, we decided when we were both back in the States the following year, we'd run the St. George marathon together. And, we did. And, then we did it again the next year. And... then... I got married.

I stopped running marathons for a couple of different reasons, but have always had the urge to pick it up again. The whole experience is so cleansing - physically, emotionally, and mentally. The months leading up to it require discipline in eating healthy and getting out to build up stamina and distance. And, then comes the day to run all 26.2 miles at the same time. The adrenaline is high, the excitement unmatched.

I don't know how it is for others, but I know for me there comes a point when the excitement wears off and the running is no longer about physical strength... it becomes completely mental. That's about the point when I start singing the chorus of this song (please enjoy this flashback to the retro 80s):



And, then before you know it you're coming down the last stretch... that ".2" that some people leave off when they talk about marathons, that ".2" that almost seems like ".2" more than what you can do after completing the 26. When I crossed the finish line in 2001, I was giddy with laughter. I had actually completed my first marathon and had accomplished my goal of running the entire time. Success!

2002 was a different story. I hadn't trained as hard, partly out of thinking I didn't need to since "I had already run a marathon," and partly because I had been too busy planning my wedding to run 10-15 miles a day. So, when I reached mile SEVEN I was in so much pain I told myself, "at the next mile marker, you can give up and be escorted down the rest of the way." Well, I got to mile 8 and thought, "okay, I'll just go to the next one, then I'll quit." Those thoughts literally went through my mind for the entire remaining 19 miles. My physical abilities helped me to only get through the first seven miles, after that it had to come from somewhere else. The moment I crossed the finish line, I burst into tears. Marc was waiting there for me and I collapsed into his arms with jelly-belly size tears gushing down my cheeks. The second marathon was much more emotional for me than the first.

Somehow I had finished. Somewhere deep inside I had found something to keep me moving forward. And, on that marathon course I learned a lot about the strength of the human mind and spirit. While my body was telling me, "you can't do this, you didn't train as hard as you should have, you don't have it in you to finish," my mind was telling me a different story - "don't give in yet, just go a little bit further, just one more mile." Those thoughts literally carried me to the finish line.

Sometimes life throws hard experiences our way, and sometimes in the midst of those hard things we are overwhelmed with negative thoughts that try to convince us to throw in the towel - "just give up now", "it isn't worth it", "you're not good enough", "you're not strong enough", "you'll never make it, so don't bother trying." Those are the moments we need to turn up the volume from deep within, relying on strength that surpasses all physical strength to get us through. Sometimes that is simply breaking down the challenge into more manageable pieces - just tackling it one piece at a time, or one day at a time, or even one hour at a time. And, before long, the challenge has been overcome and we have crossed the finish line.

There might be giant tears and achy muscles, but there will also be deeper joy than we would have ever imagined when we learn how strong we really are. And, the only way to really learn that is by going all the way through those hard things and then coming out on top and seeing how far we've come and how deep we had to dig to get there. And, the thing I'm learning is that the joy waiting at the finish line is always worth it. Always.