Accountability aka "Peer Pressure"

Accountability can be a really good thing. Especially if you have a big ego. I recently saw my sister who is closest to me in age, but lives on the opposite coast. I don't see her for years at a time. After spending a few days together she pointed out that we have very similar eating styles. Lots of vegetables, lots of sweets. I always justify eating candy by having something like a spinach salad later in the day. Nancy struggles more with exercise so I suggested we set a goal of doing something each and every day and keeping each other accountable. She upped the ante and said, "Let's include eating healthy."

Whoa- hold on there sister. I run so I can eat candy. Not sure I want to do this, but I knew she was right. I might have been able to get away with that "I run so much I can eat whatever I want" in my thirties. But not in my forties.

And so it begins. I am taking a photo of everything I consume and texting it to my sister. Most people would not tolerate this type of self-centered use of a data plan, but we have a pact. And it is working. I think twice before sampling my son's Pringles because I don't want to have to take a photo! I plan my meals better (lunch has always been an issue) and can take one photo that includes breakfast, lunch, and a snack. And if I indulge once in a while, it is more likely to be a cute cupcake than a liquor store candy bar.

My brother and I have challenged each other to a modest running goal of 20 miles this week. This challenge is much easier for me, so I am not even making a big deal about it.

Now if someone wants to challenge me to a commitment of cross training......



My family and the challengers: # 1 is Nancy, my food pact, # 2 is me, # 3 Stephanie, #4 my mom, # 5 brother Buzz, and #6 Jimmy the runner

Spring Tease

Here it is February in California, and I got to run in 82 degree weather with my friend Erin, after enjoying sleeping in past 7:00 a.m. It was almost too warm to get a late start, but it was fantastic. This heat was a teaser and it is supposed to cool off and even rain on Tuesday, but it was a nice change.

However, this morning I tried to wear a dress to church with sandals, and realized I am cursed with "Runner's Tan." Kind of like "Farmer's Tan" but stops at the ankle. I might try and tan these glowing white feet before the sun disappears again. What a quality problem.

I am over the flu and back on the dirt and it feels great. I never take good health for granted, but it is especially appreciated after being sick. My first run back was with my brother Jimmy who lives on the east coast. He came out to visit our mom and I love running with him. If we lived close to each other, I would probably run with him often. I would turn him into a trail runner. He, in turn, would make me faster. Instead we have a long-distance running relationship, but I am glad for that too. It is nice to have a sibling that gets it.

Today I am considering cross training but I don't understand why it is I always prefer to run? I just love running. I love what it does for my mind, body, and soul. Nothing else really gives me that level of satisfaction. I know it would even improve my running to cross train, yet I have to force it. I think I see rollerblading, arm work, and abs on today's agenda. I have the time, but I need the discipline.

This is where I ran with Erin yesterday: I call it "My urban trail run" because it is in Huntington Beach. It wasn't this green yet. I took this last spring.

Love to the Legs!

I set out this morning on what I thought was going to be a solo run, but that bitch showed up again. You know the one. She lives in my head and can't stop checking the watch. She believes every run should be an improvement over the last run one. I tried to remind her I had just gotten over a head cold, but she doesn't listen to reason.

As I tried to argue about self care and not relapsing, I thought about how often someone says to me "I used to run, but __________" (fill in the blank with various injuries) and thought to myself how lucky I am to have enjoyed 20+ years of running. I love my legs, not for how they look, but for how they perform. I tuned out that negative voice and started appreciating my legs.

"Thank you phalanges, for never drawing attention to yourself. You are all team players and I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you tarsal and metatarsals. You have done your part too. Fibulas, you have been faithful, and tibias? I know I put a lot of pressure on you and yet you only lash back with shin splints after a long break from running. Patellas, you are perfect. Femurs and Ilium, I know I don't say it often enough, but I love you."

"Muscle, you have aired many complaints, but I don't blame you. Thank you for faithfully showing up to work. I even want to thank you for the gentle reminders you give me after working you hard. Sorry about the downhill hiking. I know you hate that."

"And finally, I want to thank tendons and muscles. You are unappreciated and yet you are my greatest allies. Especially you guys around the ankles. You are amazingly resilient at trail running, able to handle a twist or roll without freaking out. And you guys around the knees are amazing too."

And before I knew it, the run was done. As I write this, I am rewarding my legs with compression sleeves and elevation. I think they deserve a rub down with lotion. The spark is back. I love my legs.

The Best 1/2 Marathon I Never Ran!

Last Saturday I had planned to run a night time 1/2 marathon through the streets of Los Angeles with a bunch of girlfriends. I trained for it. I paid for it. I got excited for it. Then I got sick.

This certainly isn't the first time I had to back out of a race, but this was a new experience for me. I decided to go as a spectator and possibly walk the 5k. I already had a room booked with a good friend that I don't see often enough, and sitting at home was not doing much to enhance my personality.

I ended up having a great time, and a PR in the 5k! That is a joke, sort of. I have never signed up for a 5k because the distance seems too short to warrant payment. So it was my first 5k, but I walked it as fast as I could. I am really proud of this prudent decision.

It was really fun to be out at night with a bunch of gal-pals. Something I do not do often enough. It was fun to see some sordid spots of LA that I could never walk through alone at night. And it was especially fun to support my girlfriends. One ran her first 1/2 marathon, 2 got new PR's, one struggled from lack of preparation and got inspired, and one had to walk it like me and didn't have to feel alone. And I got to know a few people better in the process.

All in all, I'd say it was one of my best races. The best I never ran.

Questions From a Troubled Mine

My life feels pretty out of control right now. I ride a crazy roller coaster with my finances, the result of trying to run a small business in this economy. Add to the fact that I am forced to run this business without the use of any credit and it becomes very crazy. Case in point; this morning I was flat broke. When I say flat broke, I don't mean I have money in savings I don't want to use. I mean broke. I'm talking about collecting the quarters out of my husband's change box so I can put gas in my car. I needed to drive approximately twenty miles to pick up a check for over $ 10,000. Yes, quarters to fuel my car so I could pick up a huge check. And half of that check is already gone. Payroll, taxes, rents, utility bills, vendors.... And so the wild ride continues.

It is exhausting and really has me perplexed. I never used to think about money, now I feel forced to think about it all the time. I used to be a teacher. I got paid once a month and knew how much that check would be. Enough to cover my expenses and not much more, but that left me free to concentrate on other things. I believe I was a much more creative person back then. And happier.

So why am I doing this? I would like to blame my husband at times, after all this was his idea, but he didn't twist my arm. It felt like a prudent decision to quit my job five years ago. I had a two year old son at home and the business was growing fast. That was before the recession. When I blame my husband, I get really resentful and unhappy. I also believe in my heart that this was something God wanted me to do. You see, I am way out of my comfort zone and have been forced to grow. A lot. I am way stronger of a person than I was, even if I don't feel as happy or creative. I feel like I am on the correct path, but am missing something. Like a hiker without shoes. All she can think about is how her feet feel and not the scenery.

So I don't have the answer yet. I don't expect and epiphany. But I am beyond ready to have my thinking restored to a useful and productive state, instead of a fearful worry-wart.

It is a new year.

I have the flu.

I was supposed to run a 1/2 marathon tomorrow. I am bummed to miss it, although I don't want to be in self pity. It is just the flu and I know I will be better in a week.

I sure miss the way I feel after a long run. It has only been a week since I had a great, mind clearing, 9 miler. How the heck do non runners stay sane?

Oh, December....You Threw Me!

December sure did not go like I planned. Not a bit. On the first day of the month I was at a cubscout sleep over at the Los Angeles Zoo with my son. I didn't run much in anticipation of marginal sleep, and that prediction was spot on. But it wasn't just sleeping in a large room with a bunch of giggly boys and snoring adults that left me sleep deprived. It was sleeping next to the inferno that was my son. I knew it was hot in that room, but he felt way too hot. I tossed and turned, wondering what to do, unable to sleep. Finally I scooped him up and carried him outside. "Do you feel okay?" He answered "No" so I called the zoo employees and asked for tylenol. They did not have any so I decided to quietly gather up our clothes, leave our sleeping bags, and head home. We fled the scene at 2:00 p.m. and I had not seen the freeways at that hour in years.

Thus began a crazy month of sickness, missing school, missing work, trying to catch up, more sickness, plumbing issues, husband traveling, and trying to get our house back in order after reconstruction from the plumbing issues. December has been insane and my running went by the wayside. I barely even posted on Facebook, which is unlike me.

I probably ran as much in December as I did in one week in November. This would not be a major concern if I did not have a 1/2 marathon coming up on 1/5! I didn't intend to PR for this race, just wanted to enjoy the run and I still believe that is possible. I have just joked about the fact that I started my taper too soon.

Now it is Christmas and my son is sick again. Or relapsed for the third time? I believe he was given an ineffective antibiotic and he has been getting a fever every few days. This has been a real bummer and source of stress for our family. I am taking him to see a specialist tomorrow.

On a brighter note, I had a wonderful Christmas! We went to church on Christmas Eve and just had a very mellow Christmas at home. I received some very thoughtful running related gifts including a Garmin Forerunner which I absolutely love! I took it out today for a five mile muddy trail run with my buddy and her dog. The Garmin was simple to use right out of the box. Goodbye Runkeeper on the phone! I never liked that nagging lady anyhow.

What I liked about the Garmin: Easy to use. Chirped at the 1 mile mark each mile without nagging me. Compared miles without me asking (average pace, fastest mile.) Not too much information, just enough. And since it was my first time using it, the device told me I had a PR in everything! Fasted mile, fastest 5k, longest run! Just the encouragement I needed today!

Merry Christmas Runners and Readers!

A Year of Growth

Would it be cliche to post a gratitude list the day after Thanksgiving? Probably so, but I am doing it anyway. I have a moment to reflect on how much my life has changed this past year and that is what I am going to write about. This year. Not my whole life, but how things have changed since last year at this time.

1. I went through a bankruptcy and it was one of the hardest and most humbling experiences of my life. I surely didn't want this experience, but I got it anyway. And now I am grateful because I learned so many things. One is that I can survive without a credit card. I would never know this unless I was forced to learn it. All my life I have considered my good credit a safety net. I don't have a wealthy family, but I could always use the credit card in an emergency. Not so anymore. I actually experienced running a business without credit! It has been so hard at times, but I feel grateful. I learned to trust God instead of myself and that piece of plastic in my wallet. Freedom.

2. I learned I can run faster if I am willing to do the work. I ran a 7;31 mile this year. I know I can do a sub 25 minute 5k if I train for it. Then a sub 50 minute 10k. This is big news. I have taught my son the value of perseverance and I am not a hypocrite.

3. I learned that my son has dyslexia. I learned that my husband has a much worse case of dyslexia. This explains a lot, but it doesn't define either of them. My son needs extra help with reading, but he is progressing just fine. They are both different than me and they process information in a different way. Dyslexia has advantages too. They both can imagine things in 3-D and build things I can't fathom. I'm grateful for them.

4. I recently became excited about my job. I have been hating it at times, and wishing I could return to teaching. But I had a few experiences where I realized how convenient it is to be self employed. And there is hope for the future. My husband and I both got excited about an idea to expand our business and it feels really good.

5. I have developed friendships with many like-minded woman around running. I have a diverse group of running buddies and I believe this is one of my greatest assets. I can't believe how lucky I am in this department.

6. I have remained healthy and injury free. I am blessed.