Cross Terrain-ing

My winter running shoes!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after living in Eastern Oregon all these years, it’s that you have to make peace with the weather.  This week was no exception.  March came in like a lion, and went out like a cranky lion.  April snow showers will delay May’s flowers.  The weather can wreak havoc on one’s psyche this time of year.  One morning, I was all dressed for spring, then, opened the blinds to find a fresh blanket of snow on the ground.  Change of plans, and change of clothes.

Tuesday afternoon I ran in shorts and a t-shirt after work.  It was a balmy 64º.  We had snow showers the rest of the week.

My hubby and I had made plans for a walk on Mt. Emily Thursday afternoon.  I have a four-day work week, and Thursdays are my Fridays.  I came home feeling tired and ready to collapse in the recliner and call it a week.  My sweetheart, however, was already changed into play clothes and hiking boots, had gathered our snow shoes, and was ready to go as soon as I got changed.  I brooded to myself as I changed clothes and prepared for a death march.

We loaded up the dogs and the camera and headed up the hill.  We walked uphill quite a distance before we reached the spot where there was more snow than road, and we put on our snow shoes and the workout really began.  Snow shoeing is a really great workout.  It’s fun, but – boy, is it a butt-burner!  No matter how cold it is, your body heats up in minutes, and before you know you’re shedding layers of hats, gloves and jackets.

Besides the workout, we got a big ole dose of peace and calm.  The dogs frolicked, and Annie enjoyed a snow bath.  She especially loves it when the snow is hard and crunchy.  The valley below us was a beautiful patchwork of colors.  Although we grieved some of the logging that’s being done on ‘our’ mountain, we were able to appreciate new views of the valley through the newly opened landscape.

Our goal was to hike until we reached a spot where the snow run-off creates a lovely, babbling brook.  We could hear the rushing water from a distance (it will slow to a babble in late summer).  We continued upward until the sound was deafening.  We stood quietly, inhaling nature, and exhaling the work-week.  There’s something so calming about the sounds of the earth.  We just stood there, grinning at each other, watching the dogs play, and filling up our souls with goodness.

I haven’t run much this week for a variety of reasons.  I have to make peace with that.  There’s always next week, and the week after that.  As long as I keep leaving the house in the pursuit of  physical activity, I know I’m building a base…a mile at a time.

NEVER SAY NEVER!

It's funny to think of how many times in my life I've said, "I will never..."  It's a habit I'm learning to break.  It's also a habit that I'm learning to forgive myself for by giving myself permission to grow, and then change my mind.
Some things I swore I would never do:
- watch 'reality' tv shows
- wear yoga pants (I prefer to call them 'buffet pants')
- have acupuncture
- get a tattoo
- own a gun, and learn to shoot it

and most pertinent to this blog...
- NEVER be a runner
Then as I started running...
-NEVER participate in organized events
-NEVER do a half marathon
then
- NEVER do ANOTHER half marathon
and now,
- NEVER DO A MARATHON!

To be clear - I've only been running for a year.  I'm a naturally fast walker, so the progression to slow runner was realtively simple.  I started running because I had heard it was a great way to lose weight.  At this point, I had lost nearly 20 lbs. (see bio re: all things buttery!) and my weight loss had plateaued.  I wasn't willing to spend MORE time exercising ( I was working out 6 days a week for 1 1/2 - 2 hours between eliptical and yopi - I was also unemployed at the time!) so I wanted something more efficient.  I looked up the Couch to 5K program (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) and found that I was too advanced for that - I was already off the couch.  Then I ordered the book Run Your Butt Off (http://www.runyourbuttoffbook.com), and found I was somewhere in the middle.

Unbeknownst to me, I began implementing the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk-Run method (more on that later!).  I would run until my heart rate was making me crazy, walk until I regained my senses then run again. [Consult your physician - I'm NOT recommending this - just reporting it!]

I was totally self-conscious when I started running.  I thought maybe real runners woud see me and ask me to stop muddying the name of the sport.  I felt like an imposter.  See, that's the thing that can keep people from trying new things - that inner voice that says 'you don't belong here.'  As I've grown older, I hear the voice and recognize that it's not my own.  It belongs to the mean girls from high school, or the overly competetive kids in PE or track.  They are nothing more to me now than bad memories.  I'm the one in charge.  I'm the one writing my own story.
I'M THE ONE PREPARING FOR A MARATHON!

So - back to my list of nevers...
I began run/walking, or wogging, as another blogger put it  (http://www.myallnaturalweightloss.com/) in March of 2011.  In a book or running article, I had read that signing up for an event was one way to keep your running goals on track.  I could see the logic in that.  I began to look for an event -- maybe a women's event where I might feel like I belong.  I found one in the See Jane Run series (http://www.seejanerun.com/) called, I Run For Chocolate And Champagne, and I knew I'd found my people.  The event was in Boise, ID - just two hours away.  I signed up for the half marathon - which was eight weeks away.

My husband seemed worried.  He actually was worried.  He asked why I hadn't signed up for the 5K or 10K instead.  Honestly, it hadn't even occured to me.  I wasn't going to drive two hours and pay money to run 3-7 miles!  Nope - half marathon or nothing.

I looked up training guides on line and found that I was exactly where I needed to be in my training with the exception of adding longer weekend runs.  On June 12, 2011, I completed my first half marathon in 2:54.  No whirlwind pace, but I enjoyed ALL of it. I talked to people, encouraged those whom I passed, and accepted encouragement from those who passed me.  I stopped for drinks and restroom breaks, with the mind-set that this was all about me - my comfort.  My pace, my race.




My husband thought I had lost it because I was grinning from ear to ear as I crossed the finish line.  I had just completed 13.1 miles at 45 years old, and I was ecstatic!  I had done what I said I'd never do.  I wasn't fast but I had trained well enough not to be suffering.


I came home and immediately began to look for my next event.  That was four events ago.  At least this time, I've given myself 6 months to prepare instead of 8 weeks!

NEVER SAY NEVER!