Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Another Tuesday

Tuesday thoughts....
  • I was in the Kohls this morning picking up a shirt tie for son (aka College Boy). I could not believe that they had a red Christmas tree on display by the front doors.  Really, come on folks it is not even Halloween yet!  This week Target has been airing Christmas commercials.  So too early for Christmas promotion. 
  • It has been three weeks since Chicago Marathon and I am getting through the post marathon blues. But I have been struggling with muscle spasm and cramping in my left leg.  The weird thing is is that it occurs through out the entire leg and not one general location.  So after some internet searching I have been icing my foot in hopes that it is not platar facitiis (which I have had before and is not picnic), eating more bananas, drinking more water, and eating Tums for the calcium.  So I will let you know if it gets better. Has anyone else had this problem?
  • I have gotten in a few easy runs last week and one fun virtual 5k with  http://www.runwithjess.com/ Virtual runs can fun.  It was all about cupcakes.  Check it out. I had to do my run on the treadmill because we had several day of rain here.  Been a long time since I was on the treadmill.  Will have to get use to it again as the weather get colder.  Now, I don't mind the cold-it's the ice and snow that I don't get along too well with.
  • This years running goals are to work on speed and pace.  Neither of which I am any good at and it effects my 1/2 marathon time.  I really want to see a 2 hour time. So I got to thinking about a garmin watch cause for several years I have run with the Nike + on my phone cause I was only really concerned about logging miles or running for a set amount of time. But Nike + does not give me accurate mile splits.  It give an average which is not helping me work on pace.  So I have been investigating Garmin watches.  I don't want a really expensive one but I do want one that is user friendly and will give me splits.  Anyone have a garmin watch that they like?  Christmas is fast approaching and I have to put a watch on my Santa list (LOL)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Thankful....

Gratitude does the body good!
Give things, and you may get something back: better health. University of California researcher Dr. Robert Emmons found that grateful people report a host of benefits, such as stronger immune systems, better sleep, and more joy and optimism.  To foster gratitude write down what you are thankful for. 
(FamilyFun Magazine Nov 2012)

Saturday, October 13, 2012

What moves you....

The Invitation  

Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Canadian Teacher and Author



It doesn't interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after a night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
 
© 1995 by Oriah House, From "Dreams Of Desire"
Published by Mountain Dreaming, 300 Coxwell Avenue, Box 22546, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4L 2A0


Got this from a friend and thought it would be great to share. Sums up why I run and how it has caused me to grow and mature into a better person. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

I ran a good run!

Start Line
Ten Things I Liked About Marathon Weekend
1.  Time on the train reading.
2.  Time spent quietly with my own thoughts.
3.  Time enjoying the city of Chicago.
4.  Cruising through the Chicago Marathon Expo and eating all the goodies that they give away at the expo!
5.  Perfect weather for running.
6.  Staying in the Family Hostel and meeting other runners.
7.  Eating dinner with World Vision runners and getting to hear their stories.
8.  Meeting with World Vision runners the morning of the race and praying together.
9.  No mishaps: dressed right, ate right, got to start on time!
10. Enjoying the run and finishing (on my feet running)

Five Things I Wished I Could Have Changed (Because I don't have 10! Positives outweight the negatives)
1.  Less nervous.
2.  Ability to adjust pace accordingly.  I always have a tendency to go out to fast.
3.  Nike + app on phone would work correctly.  It had me finishing the run 1.5 miles before I actually got to finish.
4.  That I had a better finish time.
5.  That I would think less about the time it took to finish and more about what an awesome experience running a marathon can be.

So, I really did have a great experience running the Chicago Marathon.  The weather was chilly starting out but it was a gorgeous sunny 50 degree day by the end.  I finished 5 minutes faster than last year.

The last 3 miles were my toughest but that is where you really have to dig deep down inside to talk yourself in to getting to the finish line.  When you see the last turn into the home stretch you know that it will soon be over!

I can't imagine running a marathon any where else but Chicago. So this makes my second Marathon, both run in Chicago.  I think that I might take some time off from the marathon scene and stick to the half marathon.  I am comfortable with the 1/2 and can spend less time on long runs.  I think I have the marathon bug all out of my system for now.

This is my last race for the season so now I have to switch modes from training to running for fitness.  I always feel a little out of sorts when I don't have a race goal to focus on.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Racing Season

This is the season that we have all been training for....fall racing season.  By profession I am a librarian and love to read when I can find the time.  I am enamored with my Kindle Fire which I often read while I eat lunch or hang out in the coffee shop.  The latest book I am reading is "Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened..." by John "Penguin" Bingham.  Some times I can really relate to what he is saying.

But let's back up. Speed has just never been my thing.  I was a swimmer in High school and love the long distance events.   I took up running in college because I was giving lessons to a lady who was a runner and wanted to be a triathlete and in exchanged she gave me running advice and got me started. Did a few community 5k's and 10k's for fun and a challenge but was never the fastest runner.  But I enjoyed the challenge.
Got married, had kids, and let life get in the way so I just never ran again. But when my kids got older and my weight pushed higher, I began to slowly take up running again.  Over the course of 6 years I have worked my way up to the Marathon. Why do I feel compelled to join races? GOALS: I am a goal setter and if I set the goal I will achieve it.

This weekend I participated in my favorite 1/2 marathon, Fort 4 Fitness.  This was 1/2 marathon #5 for me and I was really hoping to improve my time. I have been getting all my runs in and have been improving my cardio/hills/speed.  I started the race out with a friend so that I wouldn't go out too fast (cause I have a tendency to do that and then pay for it in the end).  We were running great, feeling great, and keeping our projected pace.  As my friend began to slow at around mile 8 we made the decision to split up. She had had a more difficult training season .
I really though this was going to be the race where I would PR.  Everything felt so good.  My final time: 2:11
So close to the same time as all the other races (except my first at 2:20) Four other 1/2 marathons all between 2:09 and 2:16.  So should I be running for time?  Should I be setting other intrinsic goals? Will I ever get closer to 2 hours?  Now I am not beating myself up about my time and I don't feel bad.  The whole morning went really well: great shoes, good nutrition, no porta potty stops, and I am even learning to get through the water stations without walking!

"challenges, the achievements, and the satisfaction you get from running can be obtained from any pace" -John Bingham "Accidental Athlete"

"It isn’t pace that separates those who are willing to test themselves from those who are content to be what they are. It isn’t speed that makes a person a better runner or a better racer. It’s that moment when you aren’t sure what you’ll find when you reach deep into your guts and discover there’s something left."

Bingham, John "The Penguin" (2011-09-14). An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age (pp. 138-140). Ingram Distribution. Kindle Edition.

"I am literally running for my life. I am running because, for me, the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits of running far outweigh the struggles, setbacks, and challenges. I am running because, for me, not running is unthinkable. I am running because I am a runner. It’s that simple."

Bingham, John "The Penguin" (2011-09-14). An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age (p. 164). Ingram Distribution. Kindle Edition.

"Running has become an act of faith. Running allows me to believe that there is something better out there for me. Running allows me to believe that I can be not just a better runner but also a better person. Running allows me to believe that if I am willing to work hard enough, I can achieve the impossible. Running has taught me that the limits I place on myself are illusions. Through running I am learning not just how to run today but how to run tomorrow. My running is a mirror of my life, and my life is a mirror of my running."

Bingham, John "The Penguin" (2011-09-14). An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age (pp. 164-166). Ingram Distribution. Kindle Edition.

So now I am 5 days away from running the Chicago Marathon.  Now it is important to remember why I am running this race. I am running this race to challenge myself and be a better person.  Not a faster runner but a better person who runs.
Does running carry over into other areas of your life?  Do you see your race as a goal time or do you see it as a way to be a better person?

So close to my goal with World Vision.  Support the cause at 

Support.worldvision.org/goto/RobyneSpillers