Running Wogging & the Glass Half Full

Finding time to get in a "long" run takes creativity (the term "long" is relative--- your long run may be near or far-- "long" is whatever goal seems just out of reach) Finding the courage to even try- takes naïveté. na·ive·téNoun/ˌnīˌēv(ə)ˈtā/ 1. Lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment. 2. Innocence or unsophistication. Merriam-Webster The Free Dictionary I think today: 1. -"lacking experience, wisdom or judgement", pretty much sums me up- ************* The run had a nice start. Good feel to cadence, easy breathing... Worked a little on pace by way of keeping foot tempo the same, but lengthening stride- found that my shoulders tensed up every time- so backed off and just ran- Air was cool- I've been running early lately- VERY early for me- It's interesting to notice your senses peaked by the slightest things when running alone in the quiet- I've discovered 4am is cooler than 5- 6 is also cooler than 5- Weird-- but it's been tha...

Today was interesting- Today, the "run" (in reality it was a walk) had some lessons to teach- Still feeling the thrill of my 8 mile run- the plan was to do the route again, only shortening it by 3 to get in my 5 miles. Alarm set for 5 (I Shouldn't have, but I double checked, and it's exactly 23 minutes fast) Out the door and up the warmup hill- then across the street and down. 1.46 miles later, this nagging thought creeps in- "what about that steep ascent just up the way? Will you run it? Can you run it?" Where was my victorious " Tell-ur-ide*jog*jog*jog* Tell-ur-ide*jog*jog*jog* " chanting from Thursday? Then I did it- turned around and ran the other way- They say running can be spiritual--- most of the time I think they mean humanistic spirituality were you glorify the power of "you" rather than the power of God. Today my heart was pricked- why did I turn from the hardship of ONE hill- that was the race I was to run, and shirked it. I ...

Yesterday, Wednesday, was hard, not just for me, but for most people I ran into- just a weird- messed up kind of day. I skipped my morning exercise class, took forever to get ready, then realized I'd promised my son, Riley, I'd get him to school early to finish homework he'd accidentally left at school. Rush, rush, rush- Plod, plod, plod- The "treadmill" of life surely had us in its grasp- I was determined Thursday would be different- I'm realizing that a good day begins the night before- Looking at my Running Schedule- I saw I had a 5 mile and an 8 left for the week- The girls' Saturday run would be a 5 if I joined them- so that left me with 8- Holy Cow- 8- I figured up my pace and mileage- it would take me about 2 hours to complete. "Hang you slow pace!!!!" I set my alarm for 4:15--- only my clock in my room is set 20 minutes fast- (those of you who know me know why) so actual time was------- you do the math- I don't want to ruin it for m...

This week has been a nightmare for getting up in time for my regular workouts. I've been faithfully getting up before 5 for over 2 months now, to get to a Zumba, Body Pump, or Body Combat class each morning~~~ But not this week. Even getting in a run has been rediculous. Today I was late by 4 minutes to Body Pump.... the sign in sheet said 27 had arrived before me~ no way was I walking in late to that. So it would be a treadmill run. I thought it would be easy~ I could work on my pace... pumping up the speed, when there's no choice but to "one foot in front of the other"~it... When will I realize that nothing is "easy" in running?  Boredom was my key enemy~  No headphones meant lip reading bad music videos that quietly "blasted" from screens in the middle of the facility. Only 1 was interesting... a Christina Agulara take on Alice in Wonderland caught my eye for all of  the 3-7 minutes it lasted... the only reason being my abil...

Today I started to register for my first half-marathon-then stopped. All the other girls had registered long before me- why was I hesitating? One word - LOGISTICS My honey (AKA: my "better half") is in the midst of the most challenging point of his life to date. Not only is he finishing a MSMA degree from Purdue--- it's his hardest, and last semester. Top that salad off with the kickoff of his startup engineering firm- spur of the moment business trips and long hours abound- Add to that, a little, make that BIG, back issue- (I have to call the chiropractor for him tomorrow) Season it with three crazy, button pushing children- And you have a recipe for disaster. Sure- I've got a ride for the 2-3 hour trek there and back- and yes- there's strength in numbers- to know just which hotel to book- and surely my in-laws would watch the kids. But, it just seems like I'm forcing it--- A "Half" is a Half? Right? I mean- do you have to...

Where did the summer go?  Here it is the first week of school, and we realized we didn't even go camping. So we decided to do the next best thing--- cheat, and forgo the " roughing it" part- we booked a room at The Peaks Resort in Telluride ( psssssst- don't forget to ask for the "locals" special) and made it a weekend road trip. The whole way up, all I could think about was how gorgeous a run would be, and how I could make time to sneak one in. As we got in bed that night, I sheepishly said "I'd like to go for a run tomorrow." "Just don't wake me up" came the reply And it was on. All night I plotted my run, worried I'd oversleep, wondered if the hills would kill me- -- thought about mileage ( I had 7 scheduled- would I be able to run it?) and speed- (oxymoron that is- my pace is still a slow 14) Dawn came- or should I say- alarm went off- I looked outside and stalled--- it was so dark~ Finally ready, I left ou...

Thursday~ How did you sneak up on me like that? I have to get a run in, but how? I'm a rare breed~ I think technically you would call me a: Stay~At~Home~Mom~Who~Works~Part~Time Say what!? Does that even make sense? I guess that makes me a part time mom? But I digress~ My morning had me teaching three classes (part of my part time work) with 50 minutes to spare before the part time mommy side of me had to pick up Molly from preschool. Do I dare? Do I dare run a Berg Park 3? I do~ and I did~ My gritty determined game face must have looked funny as I started out, because two loafers sitting on the wall heckled me as I ran past. Ignore. I was running for Molly- no stopping me now. I ran. *3 miles later,  I was back at the beginning, two loafers still sitting. I dared them with my eyes to heckle me again. I would have said, " I just ran 3, how far did you go?" But, no heckling, they just stared. They must have known. *(actually it was 2....

******This post is actually from a few weeks ago- I found it while cleaning up old drafts. If it would have posted it should be inserted after the post,'K-4 running'. Reading this post really solidified for me just how powerful journaling can be. It took me right back to the run- and the excitement I felt as I met another goal. Enjoy!**** My Wednesday run was to be 5 miles. The wilderness run was out- I'd be running early- no lights. The college -AGIAN??? And how would I get miles in- run it twice? That sounds fun- not! But I knew I had to play it safe- 5 would take me a bit of time to complete- and my honey was hoping for an early start to his work day--- pressure on. Focus would be speed. Now- every runner you talk to says it's not about speed--- and we truly do believe this- but in reality- it IS ALL about speed- Every run has me tallying how long my half would take-- Must get faster! Today I was armed with the same points to ponder as always--- head up, shoulders d...

My littlest now goes to school- K-4 to be exact. Day 1 sounded so fun- I'd be free of kids, and it's my day off- and hubby at work--the stuff dreams are made of-- But the mommy side of me rebelled. Getting into the car after a morning of happy smiles and photo ops- my kids happily beginning their first day- I did it- I got in the car and mindlessly turned to to the back seat and said "Buckle up Molly"-- only Molly wasn't there. That's when I lost it. No shopping-mani-pedi day would fix this one, I had to go for a run. Goal was 3 Knew just were it would be too--- the wilderness trail- It did not disappoint- it healed.

So remember that great group of gals encouraging me on?  Well, every Saturday they get together for a run. My last couple Saturdays were crazy and left me out of the loop- but today was golden, and the run was mine to plan. I had planned a killer run through the wilderness park- perfect scenery- perfect distance, its only drawback being it was more cross country than flat- a drawback that worried many of us coming off of injuries- Wilderness park tabled, we would have to run the college loop. Starting off- I actually worried " would they like it?" " would they see what I loved about this run?" I knew it wouldn't be long enough, and worried how we'd add on--- Funny how a run shared becomes so personal.... They were off - Their pace an easy 3 faster than mine-- Soon I was in my usual element, alone with the road-- but with the motivation to keep up--- no wogging allowed on this run. Rounding the halfway mark my heart sank- there was my favo...

When did my mind decide that 3 miles was nothing- 4 nod worthy- and 5 respectable but not as glorious as 6? Snobbery in any arena sets oneself up for failure. That's just what happened to me today. I was so sure of myself- "Gonna knock out 3!"- turned into " What knocked me out?" Today my shin splints came back.  Nothing but painful "wogging"- no smiles- Just how does one stretch a shin?  I wogged through my magic carnival lights that cheered me on through my last run, but the magic wasn't there. I walked- "Push through it- don't give up" said the ambitious side of me. "Pull back- give in, and listen to your body" said the cautious . Tug of war where no one wins---no one looses---what's the point of that? But there was something to be gained. Going slow made me 20 minutes later in my trek- and in that 20-- a beautiful sunrise. That sunrise made me see a path I hadn't seen before through a sculpture by ...

Today, CRAZY was in the house!  Everything seemed to fall apart- Discombobulated ~ not even long enough to describe the day. I knew I had to get a run in to meet my weekly mile goals~ But the time I had the kids even close to ready for the night, it was already 8:30.  Should I even try? Starting out, I thought about a focus for my run-- should it be breath controll?  Cadence?  (I'd just read an article on cadence, why not?) But the run had other plans.  "Why not just run for fun?" it said.  Soooo glad it was dark, because what happened next can only be painfully described as- "Richard Simmons Does Zumba Running!"-- I ran, and hopscotched, and altogether did whatever it was I wanted to do.  I ran like a kid- I smiled-  I explored curvy paths instead of straight.  I just "ran with it".  One spot was all lit up like the entrance to a carnival ride- even the lights cheered me on.   Half way mark came and went. Run wa...

It's 9 at night, and all I can think about is my run the next day- my goal was 4 miles. 5:15am had me wondering if I was crazy... the warmup walk out of my neighborhood made me realize just how early it was-Dark and calm- I like to run alone because I like the quiet, but at that hour, it's so quiet that any noise is amplified. My footfalls became a distraction, pulling me in, my mind started doubting- The entire run had me speeding ahead, then slowing to catch my breath- the dreaded walk- jog --- wogging- the unglamorous work of newbie training. I was discouraged. Then I rounded the corner and burst out laughing - speed limit 35 - OK- Really? Really? 35 miles an hour? HA! Then I saw it again, and smiled- Now THAT'S more like it!

Been running lately? I have. I don't come by it naturally- but thanks To a great group of friends encouraging me on, I've been at it faithfully 3-4 times a week for over a month... So now I'm stuck with a habit I have to nurture, great- So here's my plan... Take one photo every run to remind me to be open to what the run brings... A quasi scavenger hunt- if you will~ Let's see where the road takes us - This is the first photo I took on a run. I had a 4 mile planned on my running schedule, but remembered they had just paved this stretch of road, and just had to try it! This was a milestone for me, because for the first time, I added on to a run--- 1.4 miles to be exact--