Clubs, Cows and Kids

My week of running — spent 2 days at the gym and ran 4 miles each day on the treadmill. Followed the running up with strength exercises. I do believe these exercises have made me more fit, overall. I love going to the gym. It probably helps that it is such a NICE LOOKING club. It’s clean, BIG, lots and lots of equipment and lots of space. I remember going to some gyms in SF when i lived there and they were not nearly of the same caliber, but of course, cost pretty much the same. Anyways, I am thankful that Petaluma has such a place for me to enjoy my workouts/training. It makes a difference. If the gym you belong to is “dirty”, tiny and you feel packed in like a rat, difficult to get to, no parking, etc…all these things can deter an individual from taking advantage of their membership. So. Yes, I am thankful. There’s also a great pool, hot tub, spinning classes and many other classes! The pool area has a semi-resort feel to it. And both a wet and dry sauna in women’s locker room. Where is this? Club One in Petaluma.

I ran another 4 miles on the day sandwiched in between the club days. Ideally, would have liked to have gone longer on one of those days, but just didn’t happen. I have been taking Saturdays off from running. This is something I have not previously done in the past when training, but so far, i think this is a good choice. Legs feel just that much fresher on Sunday. All about quality!

So, here’s what I don’t understand about myself….how i forget sometimes to “stock up” on things I need for my Sunday run. Like energy gels. It’s like…HELLOOOOO. Last night, I go to look in the kitchen for my gels and notice I only have 1. Well, 1 just doesn’t cut if for a 16 mile run. It was late and here in Petaluma, while they have many great things, they don’t yet have a Target or a Dicks Sporting Goods that i could go to that late and pick up my gels. (p.s. both stores are expected to be here in 2013) But, the point is why do I NOT STOCK UP?? Even when I do go, I only buy what I need for the next run. So, it might be 2 or 4. Why don’t i just go buy a couple of cases. I ALWAYS USE THEM. Clearly, I need some assistance here…

Anyways, I woke up this morning and had to decide what to do about nutrition. I had 1 ClifBar and 1 Hammer Gel. Rather than eat the Clif Bar for breakfast as I usually do, I had 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter and a banana. Not together. Separate. I sliced up the Clif Bar into 3 portions and took it with me along with the 1 gel. Out the door at 9am and on my way.

Today was the first time in a while when the sun was not already shining on us. It was a little cool and overcast. I opted to wear some longer pants and a long sleeved wicking shirt. I never got hot so it worked out perfectly. I ran much the same route as last weekend, but with a slight change. I went a bit further onto the East Side of Petaluma and on the outer areas, where it becomes much more rural. I turned left onto Frates Rd from Lakeville Hwy and there was just a beautiful stretch ahead of me as I ran East. To my left was a golf course and to my right were empty golden fields. Way ahead of me, up on the hillside, were vineyards. Beautiful slopping vineyards; some late morning fog still draping them a bit. Gorgeous.

I was basically running on a rural 2 lane road. For Sunday, it was a bit busy, which was kinda a bummer, but I just kept on. I turned left onto Adobe Rd and was on another long stretch headed North. I passed a small, towering grove of Eucalyptus Trees. Took some deep breaths…AHHHH….Ran by many farms; cows about 15 feet away and just grazing and paying no attention to the runner with the yellow bandana. Passed a small Elementary School with a vineyard smack right behind it! How lucky are those kids? Some kids go to elementary school where there are drugs, muggings, right across the street. Some kids go to school where they might not be any running, clean water. Luck of the draw. Purely, luck of the draw…And so I thought about this stuff for a while and how the kids are born into their environment and have no choice….and then become shaped by their environments. It’s all amazing really. Could go on and on about this.

I kept running along. Oh, so…I ate 2 of my Clif Bar slices along the route and had my gel. As I mentioned last week, I felt like I needed to do something differently with my nutrition DURING the run because I felt like I needed more fuel. I had $2 on me and as soon as I could, I stopped in at a Chevron Gas Station and purchased a Gatorade. Unfortunately, this was not until about mile 13. They didn’t have any Chevron’s or 7-Elevens back with the cows. I poured about 1/4 of the gatorade in with my water and used that the rest of the way. I think this did make a difference. I felt my energy pick up noticeably. So…note to self on the gatorade. AND BUY MORE THAN ONE BOTTLE!

I finished at my goal of 16 miles. Felt great to reach that distance as this is the farthest I have run since SEPT 2010, when I ran 40 miles on my 40th birthday! Holy cow…I didn’t realize that…but it makes sense because I had not raced any races over a half-marathon since that time! And the last marathon I ran was in Los Angeles in March 2010. So…here we go.

So, 16 miles today felt hard. I noticed how long I was moving my body, how long I was out there on the road of Petaluma. Some moments, i felt the pain, other moments I was just in a zone thinking about nothing or the kids who might live in crappy neighborhoods and don’t get to see such beauty. I thought about how I am doing my HEART and my heart some good.

Keep strong.

Onward….

the pros, the kids, and me

One of the athletes I admire and have been inspired by is Craig Alexander. For anyone who may not know, he is the 2 yr reining champion of Ironman Championships in Kona. I have followed his career for a while and have read and watched interviews. He has always seemed kinda soft spoken, humorous, and dedicated to his sport. his job. He has also appeared to be a pretty classy guy. confident, yet humble. So…i had seen where he along with 2 pro women triathletes, Heather Gollnick & Mirinda Carfrae, were going to be in Atlanta for a fundraiser for 2 local kids’ charities. Of course, i had to go. The event was held at Piedmont Park on a hot, sticky evening last Tuesday. The athletes showed up and everyone was just kinda mulling about at first. I went up to talk to Craig. I told him how inspired i was by him and then asked him some stuff about his training plans, etc.. So easy to talk to. Very unassuming, humble, and damn handsome. oh, and probably not one ounce of fat on his body. Amazingly lean! The large group split up in 3 groups for a short run. I was in the group with Craig and it was pretty neat to run right beside him — he was good natured with everyone. I didn’t have much interaction with the female athletes, but i saw that Heather was full of spunk and energy and Mirinda was on the quieter side.

All the proceeds from the event (entry fee, silent auction, & raffle) went to two local kids’ charities; East Atlanta Kids Club & Tri Kids Inc. Both organizations are involved in getting kids to be active and healthy and there were many kids at the event. I absolutely love seeing this kind of stuff and being a part of it.

Saturday, I ran a 5k race put on by Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation. I ran this local race 2 years ago and this year, it was substantially larger! There were approx 1000 runners for 5k and about 600 for 2k. $250k was raised for brain tumor research! Amazing. One of the things a speaker said at the end was that it was great so many people came out for event and all the money raised, but it would also be wonderful to not HAVE to host such an event. Amen to that!

This year, I participated as a way to show support for a client who had lost her husband to a tumor. I was honored that she asked me to be a part of her team. She did not run, but was a volunteer at event (and is also involved with SBTF) She was at the Wall of Heroes which was a place where families and friends could post photos and stories, etc…of loved ones lost to this disease. It was not a sad event. It was an event of celebration and determination to beat something that takes so many lives.

I pushed kinda hard in the run. Temperatures were 80 degrees with 85% humidity, so it was far from easy, even for a short distance. As I ran, I thought about my client and her husband of many years and got strength and focus from those thoughts. There were many kids out running, too, which i love to see!

i placed 2nd in my age group and got a very cool medal w/ a butterfly on it…the symbol of hope the foundation uses. While waiting for awards to be given out, I walked around and found a table where we could color in these pictures of butterflies. A lady asked me if i wanted to color, and i said yes. I got some crayons and colored in my butterfly. I was thrilled. This might not seem like a big deal, but to me, it was. I rarely do things like that — maybe because i don’t have kids and am rarely around them…whatever, it was neat. It cracks me up to look at the photos cause I look pretty serious. HAHA

Sunday’s long run began about 6:50am outside. I ran for  4 mile and thought, this (weather) is ridiculous. i’m going INSIDE to run on the freaking treadmill. And, so I did. I ran another 10.5 miles on treadmill for a total of 14.5 for morning run. Later that evening, I went back to treadmill for another 4 for 18.5 total on Sunday …i think treadmill and I are no longer dating; we are in a full blown relationship. i think those 10.5 miles might be the longest I have ever run on treadmill at one time. Why do i have a feeling that is a number that will be surpassed very soon…

The donations for the My Stuff Bags Foundation are coming in and I’m thrilled. Thank you to all who have contributed. Truly Appreciated!!

Overall, feeling ok. Did a couple of other shorter runs mid week. Body has been kinda out of sorts lately, but I cannot dwell on any one thing. I just gotta trust that some days are good days, some days not so good. I’m running on my 2 legs and 2 feet and a whole lot of heart. What else do i need?

Well…maybe some crayons…

walk, run, hike

Greetings! I deliberately did not run last week Mon-Thurs. Just wanted to see how my body would feel, react, etc..
It was an interesting experience. I definitely do not like to sit around. In terms of movement or exercise, I spent some time at the gym with weights, crunches, pushups, etc.. I normally do these anyway, but this past week was without the running. I WALKED 1 mile on treadmill with a steady incline. BORING!!! REALLY BORING!!
Friday, I laced up the shoes and ran for 30 minute around my hilly neighborhood. Did almost the same exact run both Saturday & Sunday. 30 min exactly. I’m sorta trying to tweak the running a bit…more later on this.

I also went on a 2 hour walk/hike early this morning with these fine folks. We went to Sweetwater Creek State Park. Approx 25 min drive from my house. I’ve been there for trail running before so was happy to be back there again.

getting settled in

momma & son

I can do it!

he's a charmer!!

ahhhhh

A great way to start the day; in nature with friends on a gorgeous Sunday.

I found out, I did NOT get into the regular Dipsea race. (i am not surprised) So, now I gotta decide if I am 100% gonna run Double Dipsea on June 26th.

I am also making plans for a new goal. A new dream. Stay tuned.

Treat your body well. Love it. Nourish it. Rest it.