Tag Archives: running

Update: Going solo

19 May

So I ran the race yesterday morning and I made my goal!! I ran the 6.2 miles in 62:36, which is about a 10:06 mile. I was shooting for 10:00s and was actually running sub-10s for the first 5.5 miles. But right at mile 5.5, there was a huge hill. Since I had been really pushing myself, I didn’t have much extra energy to get me up a hill. Plus, I couldn’t breathe. So I ran as much as I could up the hill and walked the rest. It was a great feeling anyway to run that far in that time–a PR for me in Colorado and in a race period–and I got a cool medal to boot!

Here I am:

me running

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Going solo

17 May

Tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM I am running a 10K (6.2 miles) in the Colfax Marathon Relay. This will be my first race that I run alone, without Travis. I’ve only done 2 races–a 10-miler and the half marathon I just ran 3 weeks ago. But they were both with Travis. We trained together and we ran the race together (at my pace of course).

But Stacey is the one who asked me just this past Thursday if I wanted to run in the relay and they only needed one more person. So Travis is just going to cheer me on from the sidelines. I’m not too worried–6.2 miles isn’t that far compared to a half marathon. On Friday morning, I ran 3.7 miles no problem and I ran it in 37:08! I really want to try to push myself tomorrow to run at least sub-11s–none of this 11:30 crap. 🙂

As I was looking at the marathon website tonight though, trying to figure out parking and where the start line was (I’m running the first leg of the relay), I found out that each separate leg of the relay (there are 5 total) has a different color bib. The first leg’s bib is yellow. I was given a green bib. The green bib is for the last leg–the 12K. Oops. The woman coordinating our team picked up everyone’s packet for them so someone else on our team must have my bib. I’ve tried calling Stacey’s cell and home phone because it sounds like this is a non-negotiable thing from the website. I’m praying that the Lord will work everything out…

Or else we’re not running!!

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This may not be normal…

16 May

But I love exercise.

As I was reading the book my mom gave me called “Comfortable in Your Own Skin,” the author was suggesting ways to live healthily. She said “You should exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. I know, I hate exercise too but for the past 5 years, I have been diligent in exercising 3 times a week.”

First of all, three times a week isn’t really that much. I probably exercise 6 days a week, if not 7. But I’m not in a gym all 7 days–probably not even 2.

Second of all, how do you hate exercise? This is mind-boggling to me. Humans weren’t meant to sit around on their butts, doing nothing all day long. We were meant to DO things and be active! I can’t stand how I feel after sitting down all day.

But here’s the thing. I think most people think exercise = gym = bored out of my mind. Well, good news for them! There are many forms of exercise that don’t require a gym AT ALL! You can rollerblade, bike, run, hike, walk, play tennis, basketball, soccer, ice hockey, go canoeing, kayaking, swimming, dancing…really, the possibilities are endless. And I bet that if you asked the author of that book or anyone else who says that they “hate exercise,” they could probably name at least one (if not two or more) things on that list that they would enjoy.

Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox now. The reason why I say all this is because I’ve been thinking about it ever since I read what that author wrote and also because last night and this morning I’ve had 2 great “workouts” that were extremely pleasant. Last night, Travis and I biked to McDonald’s and got their free Southern-style Chicken Sandwich (with the purchase of a medium drink). We also split a hot fudge sundae (yum…) Then we went on a 10-mile bike ride around Boulder. It was so peaceful and relaxing and a lot of Boulder’s Greenways go through undeveloped parts of the cities. So the ride was very scenic, spring-like, and wonderful.

Then this morning, I went on a 3.7 mile run. I normally don’t run in the morning (because the sun doesn’t come up until 5:45) but Stacey from work asked me to run a leg of the Colfax Marathon this Sunday. I’ll probably be running a 10K (6.2 miles) so I wanted to get out and run a little before Sunday, just to reassure myself that I can still do it. And I found out this morning that not only can I still do it, I can do it faster than ever! I ran 10 minute miles–I had been consistently running 11 or 11:30 minute miles before! Granted, I was beat by the end of my run but I did it!! YAY!

As I was praying on the way to work, I was thanking the Lord for my body. It’s a lot of hard work to get in shape but once you do, it is one of the best feelings in the world. I wish more people could experience it. It’s worth it. (Plus, all that hard work builds character.) 🙂

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Ready to run

11 May

I got new running shoes yesterday from the Boulder Running Company. I am so excited!!

The guy helping me had me try on about 6 different pairs, go run on the treadmill while they tape my feet, and then analyze how each shoe aids my foot strike, pronation, and lift off. I went with the Nike Air Zoom Structure Triax +11. That’s a mouthful.

I took them for a test run–literally–this morning. 4.35 miles and they feel great!!

Here’s what they look like:

nike shoe

I really love running in the mornings. If I didn’t have to leave for work by 7:30, I would run in the morning all the time (running at 5:00 is a little too early!) I went this morning before church though and just enjoyed being outside, getting some exercise. I also enjoyed being able to run without worrying about distance and pace. I timed myself just for the heck of it and found that I was actually running under 11 minute miles too! Comfortably! It was just one of those mornings that make me think “Man, I love running!!”

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I DID IT!

4 May

I finished the half marathon today. My time was 2:30:46. I was hoping for 11 min miles. It turned out to be about 11:30 min miles. But as Travis lovingly pointed out, 11:30s were what I trained at so that was what was realistic for me. But I finished nonetheless.

We got up at 4:30 to make it to the buses by about 5:15. They bussed us up to the starting point and then let us stand outside and freeze for an hour. It was probably in the 30s when we got up there so everyone–all 1,000 of us–were all huddled over on the same end of the field. It was a long hour. My feet were the coldest.

I had debated about whether to wear pants or not but I did. And then we forgot to bring a plastic bag to put our sweatshirts in so I had thought about just leaving my sweatshirt in the car and not having to deal with it. I’m so glad I didn’t! I would’ve been completely miserable without those two things.

The race started off fine. I was a little tired but around mile 4, I got into my stride and we were running about 11:05 min miles. Around mile 8 though, I hit a wall. My feet were hurting (and that’s no wonder considering the giant blisters I have on my toes!! My running shoes have officially been retired from long distances) and my boob was hurting and my hip flexors and my knee. I wondered to Travis why my training runs seem to go better than the real thing.

About a year and a half ago, I ran a 10 mile race in Minnesota. I trained for it for about 3 months and even ran 10 miles before the actual race. No problems. But the day of the race, the first 7 miles were great. I was running faster than in training (9:30 min miles) and feeling good. But then I developed this huge blister on the bottom of my foot and it felt like I was running with a small pebble lodged between my toes. I even stopped to get the “rock” out of my shoe, only to discover that it wasn’t a rock. It severely slowed my pace so that I finished averaging 10:00 min miles.

Anyway, so after mile 9, I stopped to walk a little at every water station. It was so hard to will myself to keep running. But I did and I ran the majority of the race. And it’s exciting to me to finish so close to what I trained at, even with all the walking I did.

And I pumped it for the last .2 miles, especially the part where all the people were standing and cheering.

I”m glad the race is over so I can start doing stuff besides running. I want to start doing yoga and I want to do more weight training and less cardio. Yay for my first half marathon!

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The excitement builds…

28 Apr

and so does the nervousness. I am prepared for the half marathon this Sunday but still, there’s something about having to run a certain distance one day and needing it to be a great run…the one day that it really matters. Even when I go out on runs in training, I still get a few nervous butterflies. Race day is that much more intense.

But after running 11 miles yesterday, I’m feeling decently confident. I felt good at the end of our run and there were a number of hills in that run. The course in Ft. Collins has a “net downhill with very few turns and hills” according to the website. It has been dubbed “America’s Fastest Marathon.” I like the sound of that.

Here is the course map (the half is in blue): course map

Only 6 more days!

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My materialistic dream come true

27 Apr

Ever since I saw a Coach purse however many years ago, I’ve wanted one. Coach is just one of those brands–I love every style and design. The North Face is also like that for me. I drool over just about anything I see that is made by The North Face. They also have one more commonality: they’re crazy expensive.

Which explains why I didn’t have a Coach purse, nor did I think I ever would. I don’t have $300, let alone $300 to spend on a purse. So I relegated my Coach purse dream to the part of my brain that stores all the “Maybe someday…probably never” dreams that I have (those dreams usually involve possessions and things of superficial worth).

But my mom got this gift card for $50 off a $150 purchase. She asked me if I liked Coach purses and I said “Uh…yeah!” She asked me if I would use the gift card if she gave it to me. “Well, $50 off…but I don’t have that extra $100.” And then she said, “Well Dad and I could give you $100 now for your birthday (which is in July).” Sold.

I was still a little dubious about whether I could find a purse that I really wanted for $150. But I was willing to try. So I headed off to the Coach store at Flatirons Crossing and I did find one that I really liked, the only problem was the stupid handle. It was only long to be carried on your forearm, not put over your shoulder. I’ve had purses like that before (and I’ve had a LOT of purses) and it’s always just a little annoying. It’s what separates a great purse from a good purse. So the more I thought about that purse, I knew that if I bought it, I would always be a *little* disappointed about the handle.

Thinking that maybe the Coach store didn’t have EVERY style out on display, I checked out Coach.com. And I found 3 viable options, 2 of which were realistic. 🙂 When we went back to the Coach store yesterday, I found the 2 purses that I liked, tried each on and looked at myself in the mirror. The one I had expected to like better was actually a tad big for my taste. Travis thought the same thing (and the bigger one was more expensive so that was an automatic “I like the other one better.”) I ended up buying the other, smaller one that cost $218. With my $50 off, it cost $182. So I have to pay $82 out of my blow money, $40 for the next 2 months. It’s worth it!

As we walked out of the store, me carrying my ritzy Coach purse inside its own Coach pouch inside a glossy Coach bag, I wasn’t completely sure that I bought the perfect purse. I really wanted one with gold on it but the style I wanted didn’t have that as an option. The one I bought that is very sophisticated and will en vogue even when gold is out. 

Nevertheless, the minute we got to the car (after Travis went to Dick’s Sporting Goods to look at hunting scopes), I transferred everything from my old purse to my new purse. And the more I used it last night and this morning, the more I absolutely love it. My materialistic dream has finally come true!! I am the proud owner of a Coach purse! (And it doesn’t have as much to do with the “status symbol” as it does with the fact that I just really LOVE Coach purses. I mean if you asked me if I wanted a Louis Vitton purse, I’d say no. I just don’t like Louis Vitton.)

So here is a picture of my new beloved possession:Coach purse

Beautiful, eh?

On another note, the half marathon is in exactly a week. Travis and I ran 11 miles today so I think we’re pretty well-prepared.

On yet another note, I never get sick of making analogies between the Christian life and running. So I have another one before I end this post. I have been pretty dedicated to training for this race because I know that if I don’t do the short, weekly runs, I’ll never be able to do the long, weekend runs (or the race for that matter).

My dedication to running makes me think about the dedication I have to other areas of my life, especially my time with God. Too often, I’m not that committed. I think, “Well I have to train because or else I won’t be able to run the race, but it doesn’t REALLY matter if I don’t get into the Word today. I mean, what’s going to happen to me?”

But I think that if I saw the whole race stretched out before me and I saw what would be required of me down the road (or what I would be able to achieve with consistent training), my approach to time in the Word and in prayer would be quite a bit different. God doesn’t want me to spend time in the Word because “it’s a good thing.” It is a good thing but I am not just training for a little stroll in the park when I get in the Word. I am training for battle. I am training for challenges and circumstances that are only possible for me to face and stand against when I am grounded in God. Just as the distance I can run increases the more I train, so the difficulties of the obstacles I can face increases the more I train my soul and mind.

That’s food for thought.

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Willpower has a time limit

24 Apr

So today I had a day-long meeting with my Director, her Director, the Sales Manager, the used-to-be Marketing Manager (she just had a baby 2 months ago and is now part-time) and a Marketing Consultant. We were talking about our marketing strategy and budget–if where we’re putting our money right now is effective, what ways we can maximize our dollars, etc. It was very interesting and it gets me really excited to be in the marketing world. This is what I want to be doing.

There are times when I think about being involved in women’s ministry, writing my life story and speaking into girls’ lives as a profession. I hope to do that someday. But I love marketing. And really, I feel SO blessed to have my job and be doing what I really enjoy because to be honest, I didn’t think it would ever happen. When I got out of college and started looking for jobs, and then when I ended up with the job I did, I really thought that my career would never be what I wanted it to be. I struggled with that notion a lot last summer and prayed earnestly for God to give me a job that I loved and was good at when we moved to CO. And tada!! Look at His faithfulness. God is amazing.

Anyway, so I ate a big breakfast this morning (the equivalent of 3 servings of Honey Bunches of Oats and a grande light caramel frappucino from Starbuck’s) so that I wouldn’t get hungry during the meeting. Silly me, I thought that we wouldn’t have any food there. I thought that some people might bring snacks for themselves (and to “share”) but I brought my own snacks as well.

When I showed up at the church though (where the meeting was), my boss Carol Ann had a whole spread of food for us. There was fruit, chocolate, toasted wheat thins, goldfish, coffee, water, muffins. “Man, I shouldn’t have eaten such a big breakfast!” I thought as I walked in. But I resisted the temptation to eat anything. Not only was I full, I had eaten extra calories at breakfast to tide me over until at least snack time around 10:30.

Well, the first part of the meeting went well. Around 10:30, I had some strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and 1/2 a banana. I also a few toasted wheat thins but I made sure that I was still hungry by the time we went out to lunch. I also drank about 3/4 of my Nalgene so I had to pee 3 times before lunch.

We went to lunch at Red Robin. I ordered water (not Diet Coke!) and the Asian Chicken Salad (not a burger!) I didn’t even eat any of the french fries that they brought out before our food. I was “being good” and holding out for my real meal. I ate my whole salad and the 2 pieces of flat bread that came with it. And then I had 1 french fry. Just one. Oh, the willpower.

But when we got back to the church, all hell broke loose. I had 6 little hershey candy bars, 3 handfuls of Reese’s pieces, a pull-and-peel Twizzler, and some more fruit. I wasn’t hungry and by the time I left, I was feeling sick from all the candy I had eaten. Yuck.

But I mean, there’s only so long that you can sit in front of chocolate, hearing it call your name and resist. Willpower has a time limit. I’m a ticking timebomb in front of sweets. As soon as the timer gets to zero (willpower), I explode and devour everything in sight. Ok, so maybe it isn’t that drastic. But I still went home today feeling like I was pregnant.

It’s days like this that remind me that I need to take care of my body and respect its needs. I can’t starve it and I can’t stuff it. My body has a happy medium and it’s my job to make sure that my body stays happily medium. When I overeat, I feel really gross and unhealthy and it really distracts me (because I keep beating myself up over my failure). When I undereat and count calories, I feel deprived and distracted as well (because then I can’t stop thinking about the next time I get to eat). So the good thing for me is to eat just enough and to treat myself within reason and not worry about the rest. I feel like taking care of my body frees me up to focus on more important things, like God, my marriage, and other people. So the health benefits are mental and spiritual as well as physical.

When I got back from the meeting, I didn’t have time to run 5 miles like I had planned before I had to go teach English. Plus, I was so sore from my weight training yesterday (it didn’t seem like my squats and lunges were that difficult…but then again, my legs did feel jello-y afterwards) that I didn’t know if I could run. And I was so tired that I didn’t want to run anyway.

So I didn’t run. I stretched a little and then took a nap. I really debated about calling Alma and telling her I didn’t feel well (“I have Adhesive Mattressitis”) but I didn’t. I went and taught and I’m glad. And then I redeemed my slacker-ness by grocery shopping and tidying our apartment so that Travis doesn’t come home to a pigsty. So today was an on-off-on day. Not so great for eating and exercising but alas, there IS more to life than that. And tomorrow is another day.

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The countdown is on

22 Apr

It is officially 12 days until the half marathon. The past 2 weeks have been so busy and semi-gross weather-wise that I haven’t done much running outside. And then Travis got hit in the shin with a puck while playing hockey so he has pretty much been out of running commission for the past 4 days. I had to run this past Sunday without him (so I only did 5.5 miles instead of 10).

But this week and next week, I have to be on top of my game! No more laziness or playing around. It is crunch time. So yesterday I ran 5 miles and today I ran 7. Tomorrow I am going to recover by doing some cross-training at the Y, Thursday I will run another 5, Friday will be my rest day, Saturday will be cross-training and Sunday will be running 10 or 11 miles, depending on how the run goes. I would really love to run 11 because then I’d be a little more confident about the race. But we shall see…

Today on my run, my little toe on my left foot really hurt for a couple miles. It went away (probably went numb) after a while so I ran the whole distance. I know that I need to get new shoes–I’ve been getting big blisters on the outsides of my big toes from rubbing against my shoes–but somehow, I don’t want to. I like my running shoes, even if they are destroying my feet. And now that the half marathon is so close, I don’t really dare get new shoes. I would have to break them in first and I don’t have time for that! So my little Saucony Grip Propels will have to do for now.

A little motivation that keeps me going is how many calories I burn running. They say you’re not supposed to use food as a reward for exercise but when you’re running long distances, getting to eat whatever you want is about all the motivation you can muster sometimes. I have already planned out my post-half-marathon meal: boneless wings from BWW smothered in honey mustard BBQ sauce. YUM…

 

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My idol of thinness

26 Mar

Since my senior year of high school, I have struggled with my weight, body image, and eating habits. Growing up, I was a naturally thin child. I didn’t watch what I ate because I just didn’t think about it. I ate what and how much I wanted and stopped when I was full. It was very simple. I was always a little conscious about my stomach–my biological makeup just deposits more fat there than other places of my body. When I was on danceline in high school, a lot of the girls on my team practiced in just their sports bras. I always wore a shirt. I was always concerned about my stomach at the beach.

But my senior year, one of my good friends starting eating only salads and lost a lot of weight. She didn’t look gross but she was thin. Then my boyfriend at the time went away for the whole summer to be a camp counselor. I didn’t have much going on since I was only working part-time at a drugstore/gift shop. So I started counting calories and exercising everyday (I had never intentionally exercised in highschool but had danceline practice 3 days a week and performances on the weekend). I lost some weight but when I got to college, everything went out the window.

My freshman year of college was characterized mostly by weed and munchies. My roommate Hope and I ate so much food when we got the munchies that sometimes we felt like we couldn’t breathe, we were so full. I never exercised (unless you count walking to class). Needless to say, I gained about 20 pounds, which put me at 155. About the middle of second semester, I decided I wanted to stop eating so much and start exercising (my lifestyle had become unenjoyable). That summer, I started running outside. At first, I could only run one pathetic block. By the fall, I could run 3 miles (on the treadmill).

My sophomore year was when my calorie-counting obsession really took off. I still was smoking weed so I still got the munchies. But during the day, I limited my calories to about 1,200. I went to bed so hungry sometimes that I couldn’t sleep because of the hunger pangs. How I ever did that, I have no idea. I ran on the treadmill at the Rec Center, often admonishing myself for a binge the night before due to weed. I lost all the weight that I had gained my freshman year. My desire to be thin became an obsession and was spurred on by the attention I got from guys.

The next summer, I studied abroad in Venezuela for a month and a half. Pretty much all the food I ate over there went straight through me. So I lost some more weight–getting down to 125. I have realized in the past couple years that for me, that weight is only maintainable when my food ends up in the toilet 30 minutes after I eat it. And that is not a fun life. In Venezuela, I became a Christian. But there were other issues more urgent than my body image–things like sex, alcohol and drugs. So it took a backseat.

I still clung to my idol of thinness throughout my junior year of college, even though the rest of my life changed dramatically. I stopped having sex. I stopped drinking and partying. I finally stopped smoking weed. My binges did not exist anymore but there were still days when I only ate 800 calories out of a desire to be thin. Finally, I recognized in my desire to be thin a desire to be sexy and get attention from guys.

My senior year, I let up on my physical regimen. I felt happy with my weight and treated myself to high-calorie food often. I worked at Noodles and Company the fall of my senior year. Between eating their food and not exercising much, I gained about 10 pounds. None of my pants fit anymore and I felt like a fat blob. I started exercising again and eating healthy. Some of the weight came off but I stayed around 145 for that whole summer.

When I got back from Summer Beach Project (in Myrtle Beach), I started running again. My roommates decided that they were going to train for a 10-mile race, so I joined them. Running was good for me. It kept me on schedule and I really enjoyed it. Because of my increase in appetite, I didn’t lose much weight. But I was in the best shape of my life.

Then, the day before New Year’s Eve, Travis proposed. With the biggest day of my life finally on the calendar, I started eating sensibly. I passed up dessert at my workplace and didn’t eat when I wasn’t hungry–even when people brought free food into work. I abstained from Doughnut Monday. I kept running and weight training as much as I could. And on our wedding day, I was very pleased with how I looked.

I started counting calories again the summer after Travis and I got married. He was gone for 2 weeks in Ghana, Africa, and I passed the time without him (much like that summer before college) by counting calories and exercising. I didn’t lose any weight.

Then we moved to Colorado at the end of August. We hiked a lot when we first got out here and I stopped counting calories. I kept running, though the altitude and hills made running even 2 miles a challenge. I listened to my body’s hunger cues and ate healthy foods. We bought a scale in mid-October and lo and behold, I had lost 10 pounds!

Over the holidays, I ate sensibly and didn’t stuff myself. When I got back to CO, I weighed myself and I had actually lost a pound! But soon after that, I started counting calories again. It started off as an education tool–to get an idea of how many calories I was eating every day. But it became an idol. I was pursuing eating healthy and exercising for my own glory–to lose weight and look good. God didn’t factor into the equation at all.

I went back to MN for my grandpa’s funeral and ate way too much while I was there. I was feeling fat and disappointed in myself but Lindsay, my brother’s girlfriend, told me I looked great and like I had been running a lot, so that made me feel better. But now I have gotten to the point that I don’t want to continue this crazy cycle.

I am sick of eating and exercising and the fear of getting fat (and conversely, the desire to be thin) ruling my life. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful for me but I will not be enslaved by anything.” I will not be enslaved by my desire to be thin!! As I was reading the Word last night, I saw that my desire to take care of my body should come out of a desire to glorify God in everything I do (1 Cor. 10:31) and to treat my body like the temple of the Holy Spirit that it is (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

I have this vision for my life of eating: that I would be so satisfied in God that food would be a secondary pleasure (rightly so). Overeating is a small attempt at filling a void–being so consumed with physical pleasure that reason is trumped and impulse reigns. Often, my decisions regarding food are made according to my fleshly desires, not my Spirit. But Romans 13:14 says “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” So I am waging war against my idol of thinness. I am no longer counting calories and I am seeking to be mindful of God’s glory–and seeking to not be mindful of my own–when eating and exercising. I will listen to my body and treat it with respect. After all, it is a holy temple. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). Therefore, I will not starve or gorge my body but I will give it what it needs. And I will echo the words of my Savior in Proverbs 4:7–“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”

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