Monday Motivation: Just Keep Going

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Thanks to DC Rainmaker's Facebook post, I was inspired by Olympian marathoner Caitriona Jennings from Ireland who finished almost an hour after the leaders in 3hrs 20min and never gave up.

 

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Motivate Me Monday: Courage and Following Your Bliss

Happy Monday! It's snowing here and my boys are doing the snow dance on their way to the bus stop. We won't get much of an accumulation, but we'll take anything that resembles a winter after these very mild winter months. Granted, it's March, but it's so beautiful outside, I wish today was a run day for me so I can run through the flurries.  Do you like running in the snow?

I found these this past week!


1)  Whenever I see a runner with prosthetic legs, I am always inspired.  They really make my excuses for not working out or not running pathetic.  They encourage me to dream big, and to be grateful and blessed. 

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2)  Lately, this is why I run.  I've been feeling a bit testy lately and a good dose of 5 miles out there every Tuesdays and Thursdays help me do what I have to do as a stay-at-home mom with more patience.  Amazing how 5 miles can help me feel better about doing laundry!

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3)  My runner friends (off and online) have been bitten by the trail running bug lately.  I would LOVE to run a trail course one day, but I can't right now due to my SI Joint Dysfunction (that keeps getting mis-aligned) which pulls at my ITB, making it feel sore...oh and of course there's PF.  I'm a mess.  There's this awesome 5 and 10-Mile loop of trails near my house that everyone goes to with our local running store.  I've heard what a great workout it is - it is both challenging (hills) and fun.  So everyone seems to be going there for long runs, leaving me to do my long runs on the road...alone.  My Physical Therapist said to stick to the roads, to the more even surfaces.  It's easy to get caught up with what everyone else is doing and want to do/try the same thing, but I need to listen to my body if I want to keep running until I'm 90.

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4)  Speaking of 90 year olds, have you met Ida Keeling?  Ms. Keeling is America's oldest sprinter who, back in 2011, broke the world's sprinting record at the age of 95.  I love seeing older runners at races.  At my last race, Virginia Is For Lovers 14K (yes, race recap is coming, don't give up on me yet, LOL!), I saw a couple of runners who looked like they were in their 60s.  I couldn't help but feel, man, I want to be running when I'm in my 60s and beyond!  Like Ms. Keeling....




and this man....



Hmmm...perhaps there is hope that I will eventually qualify for Boston in my 80s!  Wow, that would be sweet!


5)  This quote got me thinking about who I really am.  Well, right now, I am a runner and a mom.  I want to be a visual artist one day, but it's not working out right now.  I think in our life, there are many stages of growing up.  When I graduated from college, I was an Environmental Scientist, then after grad school, I was a Landscape Architect.  Then, I became a mom.  Now I am a mom and a runner.  I'm looking forward to who I will become after Little Man goes to elementary school (in 2014!).  I hope I get to still be a runner.  I will always be a mom, but I know there is something else I want to become. 

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I hope you all have a great week!  I started the new week with Yoga this morning, a much needed class since I feel so tight everywhere!  Sitting in a car for 6 hours each way AFTER doing a 12-miler last Friday was not fun.  So I'm looking forward to a week of stretching and more yoga.


How was your weekend and your weekend runs?  Did anyone race this past weekend?  Any new inspirations and motivations for you this week?

Motivate Me Monday: Your Body, Your Faith, Yourself

I'm borrowing Running To Be Skinny's "Motivate Me Monday" title because well, it just sounds cooler than "Motivational Mondays."  Not only does it sound better, but because my readers (that's you! :) ) motivate me just as much as the photos, quotes, and links that I post here every Monday.  So motivate me, please!  Please share what motivates you.  I really appreciate all your comments, tips, advice, stories, and encouragement you give me daily.  Thank you!

I found these post-it notes (see below) on Things We Forget.  A post by Another Mother Runner led me to these post-it notes of encouragement, inspiration, and motivation.  They are such a great way to start off a new week!  If you're not following them already, you must!

I picked these post-its after my very lousy 7-Miler yesterday.  I was stepping down to 7 from doing 10 last weekend, so I was looking forward to a good "shorter" run.  Well, I guess you never know how your run is going to be until, well, at the end!  I went slower in the beginning (Mile 1 - 11:58; Mile 2 - 11:15; Mile 3 - 10:46), after so many reminders from runner friends & training plans, that long runs are suppose to be slow.  Like 1  to 2 minutes slower than your race pace (depending on your source).  Seasoned runners can go 30 seconds slower than race pace.  My long run race pace is 10:30 min./mile, so technically, I'm suppose to do my long runs somewhere between 11:00 - 12:30 min./mile.

My big rookie mistake this year is doing most of my long runs at race pace.  Really, Marie?  Really stupid, huh?  So bad.  So if you've been running for just a year, like me, or just starting, make a note of this and don't do what I just did:  Do not do your long runs at race pace.  Long runs are suppose to be slower than race pace.

Clearly, I should have been doing this too: 


Listen to my body.

Souce

Yes, my body is obviously smarter than me.  It's been telling me to slow down weeks ago after PF showed up right before my Virginia Is For Lovers 14K (race recap coming soon! I promise!).

So during my 7-Miler yesterday, PF was trying to poke its ugly head through my foot again with an ache at Mile 5, enough of an ache that it slowed me to a walk.  Then my SI Joint on my right started to ache!  I ran the rest of my run MUCH slower just to finish, and I iced and massaged the crap out of my foot and calf.  Again.  So more resting is in store for me this week!  The only saving grace from that run was running with my friend, F.  It was our first run together and if it wasn't for her, I probably would have just quit at Mile 5.

Best advice I've received was just that - listen to your body - even from those little aches and pains,  before they magnify to an injury that could side-line you for months.


Have faith.

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Aches, pains, soreness, and injuries can really discourage me to the point where I start to doubt whether I have the body to train for my first full marathon in October.  I really like this post-it above:  "Let Faith Be Bigger Than Your Fear."  I have to remind myself that I had the courage to sign up for my first full marathon because I know that I CAN finish that distance as long as I follow a training plan and be smart about training along the way.  I know that if I let that fear of getting injured get in the way, I will never get to that finish line.


Run my own race.

Souce

I think I'm insecure about my running pace when I run with friends.  I'm slower, and I find myself apologizing for slowing my friends down.  I need to get over that and realize that if my friends wanted to go faster, they wouldn't invite me.  Right?  It's so easy to be swept away by faster friends, and I find myself trying to keep up.  Last time I did that, I got PF.  So now, I'm trying to stay true to myself and my friends.  I'm much more relaxed on my runs as a result because I am running my own race.


Ben Comen, Runner.
Finally, how can you not be inspired by this kid?  Meet Ben Comen.  He was a high school kid when this video was recorded.  He was in his school's cross country team.  He has cerebral palsy, but watch him run a 5K.  I just LOVE how passionate he is about running and his strong determination to finish even after falling down so many times.




UPDATE on my aches and pains:   PF is gone as of this morning, knock on wood.  Enough for my workout today.  I've been self-correcting my SI Joint, something I learned from Physical Therapy, so this morning is good so far!  Crossing fingers!

Thanks so much again to those who gave me tips on running my first full marathon!  Reading your blogs motivate me everyday.



What's your week's motivation?  What motivates you to keep running?

When You're Sick And Can't Run, You Find Your Feet...

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Since I'm sick and can't run or work out, all of a sudden I have all this extra time in my hands!  I'm trying to be a good girl by taking THREE full rest days, so I can do my long run (8-miler) this weekend.  I've got this bug that reduced me to a shivering, coughing, "hit-by-a-truck" mess on the couch.  I hate being sick.  Everything takes a back seat - the house, the laundry, and it's like survival mode over here, just feed and care for the kids, don't worry about anything else, just let the house explode.

Still haven't shaken the bug off of me completely, but I am feeling better. We're having this unusually warm spell today, 60-some degrees outside!  I want to run so badly!  But like I said, I'm trying to be good, trying to be good.  So instead of a run, I treated myself to some breakfast at Panera (after dropping off Little Man at preschool) - whole grain bread with a slice of ham and eggs!  YUM!  I'm easy to please.  For one hour I let myself "be where my feet are" and it was awesome - much needed "me" time that doesn't involve running.

I "met" Maggie Bahnson from my couch through Another Mother Runner's "Follow That Mother" post which led me to Maggie's own blog, A Slice of Wife, which brought me to her wonderful post about being where your feet are.  In my own frenetic days, I admit I am somewhere else but here most of the time.  Sometimes, while I'm cooking, I'm thinking about the laundry that needs to be done.  While playing with Little Man, I think about what to cook for dinner.  Maggie's post was my much needed reminder to be in the present and just relish whatever it is I'm doing.  It's something I am constantly trying to be better at.

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So instead of thinking about what I'd rather be doing (running) or what I needed to do (groceries), I watched people in Panera.  I realized there were lots of moms like me - waiting for preschool to end, taking a "me" break, or working - in groups, alone - some on laptops or on their cell phones.  There's the solo Dad with his daughter, struggling to keep her from screaming her head off again.  Most interesting is this lady whom, I swear, took 30 pics of herself on her cell phone!  Ok!  Yeah, so this is what it's like when you don't run while your preschooler is in school - you get to hang out at Panera, chill, and take pics of yourself!

I realized then that I needed more of that kind of time.  I feel like I'm constantly rushing going from one thing to the next.  I need to just chill, "be where my feet are," like now.  Thanks so much, Maggie, for helping me find my feet.

Monday Inspirations - The 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials and Derek Redmond Chasing The Blahs

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Up until this past weekend, I was feeling a little unmotivated and uninspired.  2011 was such a huge running year for me (1st Ragnar Relay Race, 5k and 10k PRs, 1st half marathon race).  I swear, I think I got runner's high every time I ran when I trained for those races, and it spilled over to every aspect of my life - I felt like a better mom, better wife, a better friend and I finally hit my goal weight!  If I could bottle up that runner's high, I would.  I'm sure you all know what I mean.

Then my enthusiasm came crashing after my first half in November, which, I've heard and read, was normal and expected as my running season came to an end.  I was missing following a training plan and the excitement of looking forward to a race.  The crazy holiday prep slowly replaced my runs, and thus found myself in a huge rut, absent from running and guilty from the holiday indulgences.

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I'm signed up to run my first Rock N Roll race in DC, the half in March, but my last training runs have been so....blah.  Could it be because I've already done the distance?  Or is it the cold weather? It's like the PMS that won't go away.  Blah.

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Blaming it on my blahs, I almost forgot about the Olympic Marathon Trials.  Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, who came THIS close to spoiling it for me in the morning, I claimed the upstairs TV for the 3pm recorded broadcast on NBC.  No football game or Wii game or recorded Cat in the Hat TV show.  It's mom's turn in front of the TV.  If I was as smart as Run With Jess, I would've done some cross training while watching the trials, but I was so...blah (You go, Jess! ;) )

For someone like me who never watches TV, who knew that TV would pick me up and inspire me?

Inspiration #1:  The Men and Women at The 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials.  Yes, all of them.  Watching all the men and women Olympic hopefuls at the starting line made my heart swell.  Gosh, even for someone who qualified but knowingly had no chance against the elites toe'd up at the start, their dreams ahead of them....  I felt so proud of them all!

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Deep down, I had my hopes on Kara and Deena, who both just had babies and are getting back to racing again.  I wanted them to prove that they can make a huge comeback, that they are more badass than ever as mother runners.  I was in awe of Desiree Davila who made 26.2 miles look like a fun run.  She was so calm and cool the entire time.  LOVE her running form.  Kara, to me, has this way of looking both vulnerable and strong at the same time.  I identify with her a lot - emotions so close to the surface.  She is so real to me.  LOVE her.  Shalane's mantra, "cold execution," matched her face the entire race.  Once in a while, though, a grimace would pass over her face.  It was only after she crossed the finish line, taking first place, did I notice the chafing under Shalane's arms.  Ouch!  Oh and who doesn't grimace after running for that long?

Other memorable moments for me:  seeing the other women qualifiers cheering for the lead men as the men lapped them; Meb's victory lap;  the top 3 women crying, huddled under our flag, telling each other, "I'm so proud of you!"  It was painful to watch the fourth place runners - Dathan Ritzenhein and Amy Hastings - to be SO close.  

Inspiration #2:  My second inspiration came Sunday morning:  Derek Redmond back in the 1992 Olympic Games (not crazy about the song, but the words totally made up for it).

I just learned that Derek's dad is going to carry the Olympic torch at the 2012 London Olympic Games!  How cool is that?

Start of a new week.  I hope to face this new week with renewed energy and hope.  I'm thinking I might just need to change things up a bit, like run with friends more, or find new routes to run, to keep things fresh.  I was so inspired by these athletes to keep doing what I am doing.  To not give up.  To work my way back up again, and that it's ok to falter, just don't give up.  I was reminded of why I run - that positive and uplifting community of runners, that scary, exhilarating moment at the start line, and the triumphant feeling at the finish, no matter how fast or slow, injured or not.  

"If you can't fly, then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward."  - Martin Luther King, Jr.

I hope they inspired you as much as they inspired me.  What inspired you lately?  Enjoy your MLK, Jr. holiday.

'Til I Collapse

I've seen this so many times, and it's still painful to watch.  I have so much respect for these Ironman athletes for their unsinkable determination and drive to finish.  As a runner, you cannot just watch and not get goosebumps, tear up, and feel motivated.  Kinda shuts me up whenever I feel like stopping in the middle of my 5 mile run.  I need to add this song to my playlist.

"‎'Cause sometimes you just feel tired, feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength and just pull that sh*t out of you and get that motivation to not give up and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse." -  Eminem

Do you have a song on your playlist that gets you through those excruciating last miles?  Please share!

Inspiring Runner: Team Hoyt

To quote my friend, "When you think you can't do something, remember this..."

Inspiring Runner: I am a Runner

I have to share this powerful and courageous story about a mom who was in a very dark place in her life.  It's an amazing and honest story of how running rescued her and healed her.  While I cannot imagine what she went through, I can honestly relate to being rescued and healed by running, and to being grateful for having friends like hers for getting me out there to run for the first time.  Please check out her story at Another Mother Runner's blog.  You will be inspired.

Inspiring Runner: Ida Keeling - Running Strong

Check out this mother runner! At 95 years old, she is still running strong! I hope I can do the same, to run for as long as I can! Go, Ida, GO!!

Inspiring Runner: Kristin Armstrong

"Although raising three children is the best adventure of all, this phase of my life is not marked by freedom—in terms of liberties & indulgences with time. But there is freedom in running. There is liberty & indulgence with time, even 30 precious minutes, if that's all the day affords. I am reminded...that adventure is out there, always whispering to me, calling me forward." Kristin Armstrong, Author & runner

Kristin Armstrong - wife of the famous Lance Armstrong - has become an athlete herself, a remarkable runner.  I read a little excerpt about her on Shanti Sosienski's Women Who Run and was struck by her strength as she dealt with a very public divorce from Lance, raising her children, and picking herself back up.  Again, I am inspired and moved by the healing powers of running.  Kristin found solace, comfort, and a new start in life through running.

I cannot wait to get my hands on her book, Mile Markers: The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run.  Has anyone read it yet?

Inspiring Runner: Ben Davis in Ben Does Life

I love being inspired by other runners. Meet Ben.  Back in 2008, he found himself in a not-so-happy place in his life.  He was overweight and depressed.  So one day he decided to go for a little run.  He is now a happier man, 120 pounds lighter, a marathoner, and with an Ironman in his belt.  More power to you, Ben!  

Ben's 120 pound journey



Ben's interview and on becoming ambassador to Active Network

Inspiring Runner: Steve Prefontaine

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."

"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts."

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

Steve Prefontaine, legendary U.S. runner who viewed running as an art, an Olympian and former US record-holder in the 5000 meters, died in a car crash at age 24 on May 30, 1975. He would have been 60 years old today.

Inspiring Runner: Terry Hitchcock in MY RUN

I am always moved to tears by everyday people overcoming hardships and doing extraordinary things.  I stumbled upon this trailer for the movie, MY RUN, today.  In this inspirational documentary, Terry Hitchcock shares the power of the human spirit and proves that nothing is impossible.

After losing his wife to breast cancer and having to raise 3 kids alone, Terry's incredible 2,000+ mile journey took him from St. Paul, MN to Atlanta, GA, running 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring awareness to the struggles many single-parent families face daily.  Terry had very little running experience prior to his journey, running only 2-3 miles everyday for 17 months.  His story is another testament to how far one can go if you put your heart and soul into it.  So inspiring and encouraging!


There is no word yet about screenings for this movie.  I hope there is one near me!  You can follow updates about the movie on MY RUN's Facebook page.


Movie trailer below: