Running into a California Sunset

What a BEAUTIFUL run today! My co worker--who I will call Dannie--and I went on a run tonight after work. I asked him how far he wanted to go tonight and he said, "you're the boss." I gave him the look like, "are you sure" and laughed. So, I offered 5-6 miles--something he hasn't run in a long time, if ever! And he was down for the run, so off we went!! His lactic threshold is around four miles, so we pushed past that today. He struggled quite a bit, but pushed harder and harder and BAM! right on through that barrier. He finished VERY strong at 5.5 miles with a smile on his face. Granted, while we were running he was behind me muttering, "I hate you Karrie," but at the end he thanked me for keeping him going. I thanked him. He asked why. And I said, "for letting me help you." What a wonderful running partnership, eh?! Wow, I think the runner's high is still lingering as I'm writing this! haha!

I'm hoping this run has helped with his lactic threshold...hopefully pushing it to around the 4.5-5 mile mark. I also hope its helped his lung capacity and his mental strength..."i think i can, i think i can, i think i can." I want him to KNOW he can! The best part about all of this is that he's reached a goal. He has decided that he wants to run a marathon. He wants to be active, unlike the lifestyle he grew up in. What a wonderful turn of events. It started with a, "I was thinking about running tonight, you want to join me?" And has grown to, "I want to run a marathon, will you help train me?" I love it!

There are days...

There are days when I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I'm not too tired, I feel healthy, have energy that I normally don't have...then I look in the mirror and I'm stunned at what I see. Is that ME?? I look swollen. I have bags under my eyes. Is that MORE cellulite?!?

I'm beginning to think that this is just the side effects of growing older. I work out harder, I eat better, and yet, it's still hard to lose that last bit of fat right around my arse. Hmph! To be young again, right? Well, this is what has got me to thinking. If I feel great, then it shouldn't really matter about that extra bit of cellulite around the back of my thighs. I will continue to run, lift, and eat right so I can continue to feel great. If the weight comes off, then it comes off. I have decided to not let it discourage me into a pint of ice cream. Thank you very much!!

Round TWO!

August 8^th, 2009

My coworker and I logged 4 miles last night on our Thursday run. We ran the same route we did two days ago, but extended our turn around point to make it 4 miles rather than 3.5. He was in much better condition this time around. We didn’t slow down nearly as many times, and when we did slow down it was for shorter periods of time. I checked the Nikeplus sport kit and our 2^nd mile was done at a 5:11 min/mile pace! I was surprised but when I did the math, I realized it was the mile that was mostly downhill. Still, he’s listening to my little tidbits of advice which I think is helping him pick up the pace. I keep telling him that it’s okay to go slower UP the hills because he isn’t expelling as much energy as he would if he pushed it full throttle. Then, on the DOWN slope of the hill I tell him to just let his stride out and let gravity take him. It feels exhilarating actually! By doing those two things, he conserved energy and felt much better at the end of the run. The last .75 mile of our run I picked up the pace to just below 8 mins/mile (we have been running around 8:15-8:25) so he could really feel the run’s benefits. I said to him, “You’re really going to hate me, but we are going to pick it up at the end.” He just rolled his eyes and gave me the look like I was crazy. At the end of the run he was all smiles though! All in all, it was a great run! Can’t wait for our next Tuesday run!

A New Chapter in Running...

August 5^th, 2009

Yesterday, I began running with a co-worker of mine who is trying to lose that extra twenty pounds he gained since he became a family man. Being in the military we run about 2-3 times a week, so getting started wasn’t too hard. He wants to run faster and longer without any real goal in mind. I want to see if I can get him to commit to a race, goal, or something to keep him motivated. Until then, we are working on him getting up some anaerobic endurance. Our run consisted of 3.5 miles with two large hills. We were pretty steady at an 8:23 pace; although around mile 2.5 my co worker started to really slow down. Now we know where his initial endurance wall is. We will have to try to push his tolerance threshold through the 2.5 mile point so he can go further without feeling so depleted. Looking forward to another run with him in two days…

Lead by Example

What a cliche, right? "Lead by Example." But it is so true. I have friends out there who always looked at me like I was crazy for running, especially as much as I do. Now, granted, running marathons isn't everyone's idea of an enjoyable Saturday afternoon, but running in general can be. Experience has taught me that urging people to run doesn't really work. However, just running and being the living example of the benefits can be really motivating for some people. I have had a handful of friends call me up, text, email, or whatever to let me know that they are now training for a half marathon, they are training to improve their run times for their PT (physical training) tests for the military, or (like yesterday) that they are seriously going to train for a full-on marathon. To no end-this makes my heart smile. One, because they know that I am here to listen and encourage as a friend, but more importantly, they are feeling the benefits of what running can do for their health and they are taking it to the next level. Good luck my compadres!

PS. I'm running the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon tomorrow--I might need some luck of my own!

Ahhhh, the California Sun...Is it so Sunny?

The weather is beautiful over here in Northern California! Just moved West this past week. It's been CAARAZZZY the past year. So, I am at it again, trying to blog. North Dakota treated me well. I finished the Air Force Marathon under the 4 hours that I was training for. Quite the accomplishment for me! I also ran on the Air Mobility Command Marathon team which was an honor and experience I will never forget. Thanks to all those who ran and encouraged!!

Next week I will (hopefully) be completing the Seattle Rock 'n Roll Marathon. I didn't get to train nearly as much as I would have liked, so finishing it might be a bit rough. I'm hoping that this marathon will be the kick in the butt that I need to get my act together to start running more consistently. Who uses a marathon to do that?!? Haha!

Training through the winter and spring in North Dakota was probably the most difficult thing to accomplish this past year. The military kept pulling me away for weeks at a time for training (not the running kind:); there was ice on the ground 6 months or something crazy like that which I tried running on but nearly fell on my face...pretty funny sight actually. When spring hit we had flooding all over the state so we housed evacuees in the gym (so not only was there ice and water all over the place, there was no gym to run in either), and the list goes on and on and on. I am really not one to make excuses, but I really did try to run as much as I could. The worse part is I STILL gained 15 pounds when I was up there running through the winter. AGH!

Now that summer time is here in California and it's swimsuit season, I really need to get those running shoes on and hit the trails. Especially with the extra 15 pounds of jiggle I acquired! I really am scared of the neighborhoods and crime here though. I've been told there are gangs, streets to stay away from, drive by shootings, and all kinds of other stuff. The bad part is, I don't know the details of when, where, who, what, etc. so I am afraid to go outside for a run! Especially during hours of darkness!! I'm thinking until I get some better knowledge of the area, I am going to stick with running on the base.

I ran yesterday, just two miles...a quick two miles because the dogs were dragging me along. It was fun, but scary because I didn't really know where I was going through these neighborhoods. I kept telling myself I had the dogs there for my protection. In reality, they are labs and probably wouldn't do much else but lick the attacker! Am I just paranoid?!? Or pessimistic?? Anyways, a run is in order for tomorrow. I'm hoping to get 6 to 8 easy miles in. Gotta wake up early!!! Ciao for now!

Karrie