First, my own mom. As I knew her, mom wasn't terribly athletic. She liked going on long nature walks, but that's probably the extent of any physical activity I ever witnessed from mom. She always talked about the good old days when she raced on ice skates, played softball and was otherwise occupied in various sports at the local park district. She never mentioned running, and I was surprised when these pictures turned up after her death. Mom was the one furthest on the left. She would have been a freshman or sophomore in high school in those pictures.
But that's not the mom I want to talk about today.
I'm a runner and a grad student. It can be difficult sometimes to prioritize my running over, say, writing my dissertation. (This is probably not nearly as difficult as it should be.) Still, I may be busy but my time is highly flexible. This makes it much easier for me to run. We also don't have any kids yet. Just dogs. No matter how cute they are, being a dog mom doesn't really constrain my ability to head out the door for a run. I have a very real sense of just how lucky I am.
We know, for instance, that parents engage in less physical activity than non-parents. When children are younger, the effect is more pronounced, and it affects women more than it does men. The research that supports this statement couldn't possibly come as a surprise to any busy parent.
We also know that when you add other factors, like having a child who is developmentally delayed, that can only further complicate yourlife and your schedule. In a 2005 study in Occupational Therapy International, Wayne and Krishnagiri found that "Raising a child with Down syndrome had an impact on parents' leisure occupations in many ways. These include limiting the amount of time available for leisure, changes in types of daily leisure from more active to more passive occupations, increasing the need to plan leisure more systematically,
This is all my own nerdy background to explain why I'm so very impressed with JoyMama. JoyMama has two awesome kids, one of whom has autism and other issues. She blogs about her adventures, and she's also a runner. JoyMama started out with the Couch to 5K, she's run her first race and she's planning at least one more that I know about. Sometimes she runs with a four year-old in a running stroller, a feat that I'm frankly completely uninterested in ever duplicating. Whew.
So, here's my salute to the most awesome running mom I know. I don't even mind that she's probably faster than me these days.
Yet, it didn't take a marketing genius to figure out that we runners want to run faster. We've seen the Six Million Dollar Man. We know that technology can help us. Stronger. Faster.
Then again, maybe not. Did I run/walk at a 13:41 pace today instead of my 13:48 pace on Monday because of technology? No! And yet, that doesn't stop me.
I will say that I like the convenience afforded by my Garmin. Living somewhere rural makes it more of a pain in the ass to figure out distances, and I'm quite happy that my Garmin can do that for me. I prefer wicking shirts to cotton, on the whole. I am CERTAINLY glad that my shoes have helped keep my knee injury at bay (*knock wood*). Plus, I completely love my running log on Excel. If you're looking for a handy log that you can keep on your 'puter, go grab this one. It's got tons of nifty features. It's awesome.
If I were going to advise someone to invest in any one piece of technology, it would be a good pair of shoes. It helped me more than I expected when I finally got a digital watch that I could use to time my runs. It's nothing fancy, but it's quite handy. I'm not running barefoot, but I think of everything else as being optional.
So, here's my question:
Do running blogs (reading or writing them) make you run more, less, or do they make no difference? Are blogs facilitating your physical activity? If they're not making a difference in how much you run, do they make a difference in how you do it? How would you be different as a runner without blogs?
Okay, that's a bunch of questions, but I'd love to hear your comments anyhow.
I hope that you and your family have good holidays - whichever ones you celebrate. Here's to good health and happiness to us all!
There's this race I've been wanting to run for years, now. The Uwharrie Mountain Run is this really rugged race through the Uwharrie. They hold an 8, 20, and 40 mile race simultaneously. Someday I want to run the 8 mile race. It's the race I was training for when my head exploded.
I had my aneurysm in January, and the race is held in February. Needless to say, I didn't run it that year. In fact, it seems like every time I go to run this *(^$&#! race, I'm injured. The race is also very hard to get into. In fact, I tried to sign up for the 2009 race but I just wasn't quick enough. Two years ago, I actually had a registration in hand and then I had to drop out at the last minute because of a sprained ankle.
I don't really know what to do about this race. Do I give up on it? Do I just keep trying? I really want to run the damn race. It really bugs me that I haven't been able to manage it.
If there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that everyone leaves this world with things unchecked on their mental To Do list. You're never really finished. So maybe I should let this one go.
Still, this doesn't seem to be my style. I flunked out of college, and a decade later I went back and finished. Hell, I even went back many months later and finished the seven mile run my brain aneurysm had interrupted.
What do you do with a dream deferred?
We've been together for a while now. I logged my first run four years ago, on Nov. 11. I ran my first race ten days later - a little 2.75 mile Turkey Trot. I ran it in 30:28. I came in 33rd out of 36. The three people I beat were all walking, but I was hooked.
I've never broken up with you, but we have had a rocky relationship. My brain exploded, then a bad sprain and a bum knee all kept me off the roads.
I wanted to thank you for all you've done for me. I've gotten to know my neighborhood in a way that you just don't when you're in the car. You've gotten me out on pretty days and in rotten weather. I've been able to find success with you even when other things in my life aren't going so well.
Thanks to you, running, I've learned things about myself.
I'm really competitive. I never would have thought of myself that way, but it's true. In running, I mostly compete with myself (except that one time when I won my age group), but that doesn't make it any less fierce. It's killing me that I'm not going to be able to Shave my 5k time this year, but I'd rather be running than push it, injure myself again, and have to quit.
I'm also pretty stubborn. Well, I knew that. What I didn't know was how firmly self-motivated I am. The research all says that people who run with other folks are more likely to sustain it. Most people do run with others, at least some of the time. Yet, I have never had a running partner. Partly because I'm too shy, I've never gone on a group run hosted by my local running stores. I haven't joined the local running club. I run alone.
You have also brought other joys. Gadgets. Nerdy research. The best running tights ever. I've learned that tourism is much more fun when you're a runner. You get to see the sights completely differently.
Most of all, running, you make me feel alive. I want to thank you for that.
Some obvious things come to mind. The ability to heal myself so that I could run injury free would be nice. I wouldn't mind being faster or stronger. The problem with having my speed or strength because of a superpower is that it would just mean that I wouldn't be impressed by winning my age group. I guess when it comes down to it, I'd rather be slow and have earned it than be fast and not get the credit.
I've decided that the perfect superpower for me should have the advantages of making me faster without the disadvantages of feeling that I got there by cheating. So my superpower is (drumroll)
The power to flatten all hills in my way
The most awesome part about this superpower is that I would never again face an uphill finish line, which I maintain should never be allowed because they're cruel.
If you want to spend some time that you'll never get back, go take a look at Wikipedia's list of comic book superpowers. Some people really do have too much time on their hands.
Here's what I've learned:
You can set difficult goals for yourself and then achieve them through hard work
This sounds obvious, right? Yet I frequently hear from friends and acquaintences that they could NEVER even imagine running even as far as my favorite six mile loop, nevermind a half-marathon. In some sense, I understand that. I came late to running, and I would have simply refused to believe anyone who told me at 30 that within a couple of years I would be a runner.
This is one of those life lessons I've managed to pick up from other parts of my life besides running. I learned it when I was working a night job full time when I returned to school to get my bachelor's degree. I learned it when I had my brain aneurysm, dealt with daily pain as part of its aftereffects, and still graduated with my master's right on time. I'm relearning it now as I work on my doctorate. If you want to do something, figure out what it takes to get there and then do that. That's true with running. That's true with life.
Of course, some things hard work won't do for you. I'll never run like Deena Kastor, even if I managed to train like she does. Hard work won't keep me from having some doors shut to me because I'm a woman or because I'm a lesbian. Still, hard work can take you a long way and you'll never get anywhere without it.
You demonstrate what you value in life by how you choose to spend your time
There really are people who don't have time to run. Someone who is caring for an ailing parent or working three jobs to put food on their table is showing that's what they value, and I have absolutely no argument with that. People who say that they have no time to run and yet spend two hours a day in front of the TV are really saying that's what they value more.
Make no mistake, scheduling the time to workout is hard. Other things do seem to be more important - school, work, or spending time with my wife. These things are important and I negotiate them, but the workout is too important to me to let it go altogether. Working out says that I care about myself. I want my brain and my body to work better. I want to feel better physically and emotionally. I like it (most days). It's fun.
Live in the moment
Some of my favorite running memories have been those times when I really was rooted in the moment. I think in some ways that's one of the things I like best about running. When I run, it places my attention on my body, my breathing, the rhythm of my stride. Even when I let my attention wander, it's likely to wander to the birds I hear chirping, the funny surprised look cows give me as I run past them, or changes of the season. When I spend my time thinking about my life, I'm likely to do it in a way that feels more centered.
(This is, by the way, what I *don't* like about swimming. I'm too busy trying to not-drown to be able to think about anything else but that. My wife says that it feels like flying to her, but I haven't managed to feel like that yet.)
Plan for the future
I always have a running plan. I may not follow it to the letter, but I have a good idea of what kind of training I want to do in order to reach the goals I've set for myself. I always have a race that I'm aiming at. Sometimes easing up is part of my plan, too, and not just with the taper. Planning is how you reach your goals. Being willing to change your plans is how you keep your sanity.
Never stop being playful
Sometimes I'll sprint a short while just for the sheer joy of running just like I did when I was a little kid. I don't do this as part of any kind of interval training. I'm not running a fartlek. I do it just because it's fun.
I have a little niece who runs just because she likes the way it feels. I can't blame her. I do, too.
Today's Take it and Run Thursday topic is running blogs. Boy howdy, there sure are a lot of running blogs out there. One of these days, I'll get the chance to do some research on what kind of an effect blogging has on runners.
I have lots of questions.
Do bloggers run more because of blogging? Train harder? Smarter? Are we less likely to skip a run because we know we'd have to 'fess up on our blog? Or do we just stop blogging? Is there a real sense of community among bloggers? What's necessary to get that sense? What about lurkers? Do you have to join the conversation to feel like you're a part of things? Are lurkers different, somehow? How is blogging different from what one might get from joining a running club? Are people blogging instead of joining their local club? Do you end up with more access to social capital? Less? Is anyone making any real money off of their blogs? Is there a difference when there are extrinsic rewards attached to it? Why are people blogging about this stuff, anyway? Why do people read running blogs? What makes a running blog popular?
I could go on. Instead, here are some of my favorite blogs:
Being a confirmed nerd, I completely love the Science of Sport. As far as I'm concerned, this is academic blogging at its best. They take complex issues that they're interested in as researchers, break them down and make them accessible and interesting to everyone. Good science makes for a fun way to look at running.
I read Half-Fast, of course. Vanilla is always good for a laugh, even if it's sometimes at his expense.
Lately, I've been reading Coffee Betsy. I'll admit, I follow this blog as much for the adventures of Jack as for the running. What a cutie!
I don't know about you, but when I run I have this running monologue in my head. I don't think I could reproduce it if I tried, but it sounds a lot like what you might read over at Jog Blog.
I also like to see what Razzdoodle is up to over at Running Off at the Mind, and what kind of crazy thing Laura is going to do next over at Absolut(ly) Fit.
I'm going to stop there. I just counted, and there are 28 running blogs in my Google Reader. If you haven't tried it, you should think about Google Reader for your aggregator. It's got nifty features, but mostly it's about the search. Whenever I want to send someone a link to a particular post, I just jump on Google Reader and search it. Every blog post I've ever read is magically collected, so I can always find it.
Chances are, I'll pick up one or two more, by reading what people post in the Lounge. Just what I need to help me finish that dissertation.
Oh, well.
So, here's mine:
I like to push myself hard
I guess I've been thinking about that lately, since I haven't been running. I thought I was a runner, and that was the deal. It turns out that I can access at least some of the things I like about running in other ways. One of the things I really like about running is that you can set what seem like impossible goals, push yourself, and then achieve them. Lately, I've learned how much fun that is in other realms.
Today, for instance, I bench pressed 85 lbs. My goal, someday, is to bench press my body weight (150). The first time I tried it, I could just about manage to bench press the bar, which weighs 45 lbs. That was 2 1/2 months ago. Rapid progress is one of the nicest things about picking up a new sport.
I worry about injury, since I'm clearly injury prone, but I also worry -- am I working out hard enough? Should I be doing more?
Getting faster or stronger takes a particular kind of persistence. You have to work out even when you don't particularly feel like it. You have to put together a schedule that makes sense, and then stick to it. You have to prioritize your workout over other things that are really important as well as time wasters that aren't important at all.
The reward is knowing that you've changed your body through your own hard work. Plus, pushing yourself is in itself a great deal of fun.
I have plans to try a run next week. Hopefully it goes well.
Today's Take it and Run Thursday topic is food. This is where I come out.
I'll do all kinds of things to improve my performance. I run in all kinds of weather. I run fartleks and negative splits. I make careful plans and I faithfully log my miles.
However, I'm barely on speaking acquaintance with vegetables. I also go through at least a pound of cheese a week. I'm not even repentant about this.
My favorite dish? Cheesy rice.
Here's my recipe:
Cook your rice so that it's just a little bit soupy.
Then add four ounces of cheddar cheese cut up thin and stir it in until it melts (this is for one serving of rice, mind you).
Now you have a creamy, happy, cheddar cheese rice dish that you can snarf. Mmm. Cheesy rice.
There are few things quite as much fun as going out and running seven miles or so, getting all cleaned up, and eating your cheesy rice knowing that you've already burned every one of those 700 calories. Life is good.
I've never cross trained. I'm a runner. I like to run. If I have time to exercise, why the heck would I waste it on something that's not running?
Unfortunately, I've been unable to run for the past month because of my knee. However, I needed to take out some financial aid this summer. To qualify, you have to sign up for a class, and the little one credit PE classes are perfect for this.
Normally, I would have signed up for Run Conditioning. No running means no run conditioning class for me, so I signed up for Weight Training instead.
I'm having a ball.
Now, I'm laying off of just about anything that uses my knee, which means nothing for the lower body, at least for the moment. Still, I'm already figuring out how to work lifting into my schedule once the class is over. I don't know what it will do, ultimately, for my running. I know it will be fun, though. This has been an unexpected benefit of being injured.
People usually talk about cross training the same way they talk about eating your vegetables. It's the kind of thing you should do. It's good for you, and good for your running. It strengthens your bones. Yadda yadda.
Why didn't anybody ever tell me how fun much fun it is?
How you spend your time tells the world just what you value.
I am running up a hill, my labored breathing a sign that I'm struggling. I remember this hill. Less than two hours ago, I was running down it. I shared a brief chat with the heavy-footed woman running next to me.
"I bet this is easier on the way down," I say.
"Yeah. This one will really get you on the way back."
She is a pleasant woman. My guess is that she's a decade or so my senior. She says that she has run this half-marathon several times.
"I learn something every time," she comments.
Eventually, I pull away from her. I suspect that I will see her again. I know that my pace is too fast. I know that I will pay for it later. I decide to ignore strategy. I decide, instead, to enjoy the feel of running and feeling strong. I don't particularly care that I am knowingly making a rookie mistake.
At the last water station, the woman passes me. I recognize her thundering stride a moment before she goes by. She says something encouraging. We have about three miles to go. I mumble something to myself about "run, Forrest, run," and I keep her in my sights.
I want to drop into a walk. I would drop into a walk, but the nice heavy-footed lady is just in front of me and somehow that motivates me to keep running.
My world has narrowed to her shoulders and my breath. She is ten yards in front of me, then five. My heavy breathing is punctuated by expletives. I never get any closer, but I keep running anyway until I reach the finish. You learn something in every race.
Expiration. Inspiration.
I do use this training log, and I completely love it. It does everything I could possibly need and a few things I don't. It's quite nifty. I especially like the race doohickey. I switched to an Excel spreadsheet when Cool Running dumped their logs over onto Active, and I suddenly thought that maybe I really ought to be hanging on to my own data instead of letting someone else take care of it for me. I back it up regularly, and the Excel sheet has lots more different kinds of charts than the online logs had, anyhow.
I've found that keeping my runs to four per week has helped me stay *knock wood* relatively injury-free. I also tend to run just a little bit more than the training plans suggest for me.
Sometimes I wish I could use running as part of my commute. Unfortunately, I'm always dragging silly amounts of crap with me on the way to and from school. This means that I generally run loops, and sometimes an out-and-back. So my running plan is always the same - go nowhere fast!
I'm just a bit late for Take it and Run Thursday, but I think the problem was that I'm kind of superstitious about the topic. I've got my big race on Sunday, and I'm scared to death that something will prevent me from running it. I'm most frightened, of course, of Thursday's Take it and Run topic, injury.
However, as a good grad student, there's nothing that I can't intellectualize, so I thought I'd center my post around Collinson and Hockey's article on managing a disrupted identity when injured.
The authors, two long-term, serious runners , happened to get knee injuries at about the same time,and used that happenstance to examine the experience of being injured and what that experience did to their identities as runners. One of the authors had 20 years of experience, while the other had almost 40. It took them more than a year to get back to running.
As part of their rehab, they took up walking. Concerned about losing their identity, they did it in their running gear instead of street clothes. They cheered each other on using the same sorts of language they used as runners, although they were walking instead. They told stories about experiences from when they were still running. When they finally got back to running, they found that their identities had changed. They were more careful, more aware of aging bodies, and less willing to "run through the pain." Since the injuries ended up taking them out for so long, their goals changed. Instead of wanting to run well, they shifted to wanting to be able to run at all and working to extend their running careers for as long as possible.
Having read people's blog posts on the topic (and sharing some of the same experiences and concerns myself), I imagine that a lot of folks have similar experiences to the ones related in the article. I've had injuries take me out for months at a time. Hell, I had a brain aneurysm rupture when I was out running. One of the first things I asked my doctors after that was when could I start running again. They thought I was nuts.
Running's pretty important to me and to lots of us, but perhaps it's worth remembering that, as Diva reminds us, we are more than runners.
This week's Take it and Run topic is the running community.
I wish I could post about how I run with the local group, or even a friend. Unfortunately, I don't. Originally I was just too shy about how slow I was to even think abour running with folks on any of the weekly runs hosted by local running stores. (What would we do without our local running stores?) This semester I have this insane schedule, and my night classes preclude me joining folks for a group run.
None of my friends run. My wife doesn't run. This means that I run alone. I don't mind too much, although I know that when friends and family participate in exercise, that facilitates participation. Nevertheless, I've done just fine motivating myself.
That doesn't mean I'm not indebted to the running community. Thanks to an active local running community, I'm able to take my pick of races. The bus I rely on doesn't run on the weekends, which makes it exceedingly difficult for me to volunteer at races. Nevertheless, I've made a mental promise to do that as soon as I can, and I'm always aware and openly appreciative of the folks who give their time so that I can enjoy my race.
I'm also thrilled to be part of the blogging community. Blogs mean that I can get my fix of nerdy science information about running, and stay on top of the latest research. I can imagine myself doing the kinds of insane trail running and ultrarunning I know I'll never do, while keeping myself more grounded by reading more ordinary runners' blogs.
Take it and Run Thursday is about the long run today.
One of the things that gives me the most pleasure about running long is that you get to run really far. There are many benefits to the long run, but at least one of them is the "wow" factor. Running in many ways is still new to me, and there's nothing like doing a long run to help me impress myself.
Long runs help me feel strong. They help me really feel like I'm making progress. It's because of this that I really do prioritize my long run.
There really is no trick to finding the time for a long run. The truth is that how you spend your time is like how you spend your money. It reveals what you think is important, what you're willing to invest in. I choose to invest in me, my mental health and my physical health. I'm fortunate enough that I can find the time to do that. I know that some people really can't. My long runs (each of my runs, really) are a statement about what I think is important. It's a decision I make every time I head out the door.
Plus, non-runners are always so impressed. :)
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