From the monthly archives:

May 2010

Superhero Half Marathon Report

by admin

superherohalfmarathon

This weekend I participated in the Superhero Half Marathon in Morristown, NJ. I rocked that race! Okay, stop laughing…I’m kidding. I did finish….but I didn’t set any records. In fact I came in dead last. It’s true…I was their last finisher, but let me tell you – I felt just as much pride as anybody who finishes a half marathon feels. It wasn’t my first time finishing a half marathon, and it wasn’t my first time being last. I was last at the Bucks County Half Marathon too — but you know what? I’m totally okay with that. I went out there, gave it what I had – and I finished it. Nobody can tell you how incredible it feels. I stuck with it….even when it hurt, and I didn’t want to keep going….I kept going. I just kept moving….one step at a time…and step-by-step, I got there.

This was an inaugural event, I was really impressed with how well this event was handled. Plenty of support on the course, police covered traffic well, lots of neighborhood crowd support, lots of porta potties, etc – and one event I would certainly do again. I think they did an excellent job for their first event. (held in Morristown, NJ)

One other small thing I wanted to mention – Today was my attempt at completing 3 half marathons in a 90 day period. (I reached that goal! Woohoo….completed 3 half marathons in 71 days!)

- I’m still struggling with a lot of pain in my messed up tailbone, but I didn’t use it as an excuse.

- I broke out in shingles earlier this week (3rd time!), but I didn’t use it as an excuse.

- I woke up with a fever, but I didn’t use it as an excuse.

- It was my female time of the month, but I didn’t use it as an excuse.

- I had a personal issue that threw me for a loop this week, but I didn’t use it as an excuse.

I showed up at the start line just like everybody else. I decided that I was going to just get out there and do what I could. My goal was to finish…and that was what I kept in my mind….just make it to the finish line. If I can do it quicker than I usually do, great, but if not – just don’t stop, keep going.

Sometimes it can feel a little embarrassing coming in so far behind everyone else….dead last finish, but you know what – I went 13.1 miles…where’s the shame in that? I reminded myself as I rolled up on the finish that I had just spent a good long portion of my morning putting one foot in front of the other, and accomplishing something huge. It was okay – because I did it. Nobody can do it for you….it’s only you and your body out there, and you have to battle your body and your mind in those moments when you’re tired. This time — I won.

I’m proud to say I have now officially finished 3 half marathons, and I hold my head high….because I did it. Nobody did it for me….I put my body through the paces, and I pulled it off…again. That’s a nice word….AGAIN….I did it AGAIN! Cool feeling.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

The Joys of My Garmin GPS Watch

by admin

garmin

Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

I love that stinkin’ watch. My Garmin GPS Watch has added another element to my running or even walking. I’ve heard others go on about their love for their Garmin, but it truly takes having one to appreciate why — and now that I’ve had it for 4 difference races, I’ve got to say – I officially love that darn thing. This is the one I have – the 305. There are all different versions of them, but for $150 bucks – this little smarty sits on my wrist and tells me what I’m doing….

- how fast or slow I’m going
- how far I’ve traveled
- how long I’ve been on the move

Simply put, it tells me what I’m looking for. Some people are all into the heart monitor thing, but I don’t keep track of that, I listen to my body and know when to push or hold back. I do like to see that I’m maybe at mile 11.8 of a half marathon and know that I just have a little longer to go….it’s looking down and seeing that I’m moving at a 14mm run pace, or that I’m walking at an 18mm pace and I need to pick up my pace.

It’s knowing that I’ve been going for 2 hours and 12 minutes, and seeing my pace at a glace – it’s not having to premeasure a workout…I can just go to the park for a workout and turn it on and go….at any given moment I can see how far I’ve gone and more….I love those details. Ooops, slowed down, pick up my pace a little, glance down and see that I’m moving faster now…

…I wore it on a walk with my husband the other day, and as we got into a conversation our pace had slowed, but we didn’t FEEL like we were moving slower, so he was surprised when I told him our pace had slowed by 2 mins — we went from a 18mm casual walk to a 20mm stroll…so we picked it up, let’s try to do it at 17mm – it’s being aware of those tiny changes that you might not notice.

During a race, I love that I can glance down and see where I am, and knowing where I want to be, what I need to do to adjust….love that silly watch! It’s crazy how attached you can get to that little piece of technology, but I’ll tell you what, I’d miss it like crazy if I didn’t have it next time I was in a race. There’s a reason people love their Garmins….those are my reasons.

*link leads to Amazon

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Running Labels

by admin

jog

Am I a runner? Or am I a woman who runs? Does it really matter how I label myself or how others label me? I’m not sure – I guess that depends on if you are looking for an identity or if it’s just something that you do.

I think there’s a piece of me that wants to hold onto that label if I’m honest with myself. People look at you differently when you’re a plus sized runner – “Oh you run?” — “Wow, you run!” — “That’s great, I’d love to run but I can’t”, “Wish I could run…” etc…is it in the way people react and respond?

Maybe it’s a feeling you get inside of yourself….thinking about running when you aren’t running, or maybe always thinking about how you can improve.

I somehow transitioned from a woman who runs into a runner – and I’m not sure how. I think it’s because running is on my mind a lot, even when I’m not doing it — and yet, I procrastinate at times and force myself to run. Don’t runners want to run….well, to be honest – sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

Everyone of us is different, and I’m learning that. I can call myself a runner – even though I’m slow. I can call myself a runner, even though I don’t run everyday.

What I don’t want to do is label myself for the wrong reasons…I am a woman who runs, who just happens to be a runner. I had to discover that inside of myself – and figure out what it meant to me. It means I’m not finished running yet. It means I still think about tiny things like, if I changed this one little thing would it make a difference in how my pace is, my stride, my endurance….it’s always on my mind.

When I go to bed at night, when I have trouble sleeping, I sometimes go back to my first half marathon and think about what changes I can make – how I can improve, what it might have felt like to do it a little differently, or what I will feel like if I have a quicker foot turnover, or if i lengthen my stride instead of shorter it, or shorten it more, or wear capris instead of skirt, or wear a different pair of socks….and the list goes on….

You see, as much as I am a runner – I am also just a woman who runs, and that’s okay by me. It’s for me now…not to show other people that I can anymore – which really made a world of difference once I reached that inside of myself. I stopped, I breathed, and I am doing it for me. I am a runner – yes, a woman who runs. I am a woman who runs – yes, a runner.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }