D.N.F....y

DNF! Three letters that drive me crazy. Three letters that sink into my very being.

So last weekend I joined some friends on a 50k run. Basically I was going to enjoy the ride. Maybe take a few pictures along the way. Be in the moment and all that. Well that worked until about six miles into the race when my left foot slid on some leaves sliding it in one direction, my knee in the opposite direction, and hip following the direction of my foot. And just to add to the fun my head into a tree. So there I am laying on the ground screaming out every dirty word I can think of in the book ( and inventing a few more),my knee starting to swell, my hip just weird, and my sunglasses busted.

After what seemed to be forever I get up and start hobbling to the next aid station two miles away. For me it doesn't get any lower. I can't remember the last time I had to drop out . This REALLY HURTS! Physical pain aside I was lower than low.

The sweeper catches up to me and helps me for my last mile. Another nice person takes me back to my cabin were I ended up on the floor with ice packs on me. I was able to get myself up and get to the finish line and cheer on the people I now admire.

My friends? They were awesome! Both finish and I couldn't be more proud.

So what am I to learn from this? What is this suppose to teach me?  Watch my step? This wasn't my time ?

So I take few days off. Pain was still there Wednesday and only made it a mile and a half. Thursday I did make it three and Friday five. Slight pain today after three but the tingling in my toes gone.

The countdown begins. That mountain doesn't own me. DID NOT FINISH.....YET!

More to come...

Something For A Cause.

Doing something for a cause and having a great time-what could be better? A week back I was blessed to run in a marathon relay for breast cancer in sunny Fla. So with skirt and pink arm warmers I was given the final leg of this great event.

Many events are directly related to a cause. Why not get out there and do a few. It's not often we get to do something we love and help others. Join a team and raise some money. Many of these teams also have coaches and training plans. So you get to help out a cause and yourself? And have a good time!

Back to the race. Coming from freezing temps to the sunshine was the perfect medicine for this guy. Our team leader ( sporting a skirt and a wig ) smokes the first leg for another team. Then because of the strange bus schedules ends up running his leg for our team in reverse and forward to hand me the stick. Superman!

All in all a good time with great friends. Some old, some new, and all friends.
Next year we are giving the women a run for their money!
Go do something good!

More to come...

Up The Miles- Again!

Every now and then I have to remind myself something- "Life is not a moving sidewalk." You can't just stand there and move through life. You can't expect life to come to you. You have to jump off the moving sidewalk and put in the work!

I see this all the time in people. I see this in myself. What I want to do requires me to get out there and put in the work. With all that goes on in my life and in my head I can;t expect to be where I want to be without jumping off the sidewalk and finding a way to make it work.

So tomorrow morning I jump off the sidewalk again.

More to come...

The World Is My Gym.

So I was remembering  ( Yes I do it a lot) about a 5k I did a few years ago. I felt sorry for the people putting on the race because only thirty or so showed up. Anyway, I was sitting on a wall afterwards drinking some water when I was pulled into a discussion (I think he pulled me in because we looked to be the same size and frame). The man was in his late fifties and he was telling some women how he stayed in shape. He started with the usual-no processed food, plenty of water....But then he tells them "Why pay for gym membership? The world is my gym!". He goes into showing us all the different exercises he could do right there. He used the curb, the wall, or nothing at all. It really was amazing.

Good thing for me I have someone (my best friend) who is nice enough ( and a a lot smarted than me about this )  to give me workouts so I don't have to figure out what to do. All I need is space and some hand weights. And afterwards I'm wiped! Just trying to type right now is a struggle.

Now if you like the gym that's cool. But there are plenty of ways to get into shape and stay in shape without the cost. Let the world be your gym! We can't run all the time-or can we?

More to come....

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow......

Unless you live where I live! Because with snow we get ice. Ice everywhere- on the roads,on the sidewalks, everywhere. So for almost a week I'm trapped inside going crazy. Good things for my workouts my best friend gave me. Sure they kill you but in a good way. Still nothing like a good run. To rub it in I see people running on my first attempt to the store. I should have been out there but ice and me have a hard time seeing it's out to get me. See me running when there is ice and break out the video camera and wait. I'm guaranteed to bust something and give everybody a good laugh.

Luckily after a week stuck in the house the snow and ice has all but melted away and I'm free. Sure it was rough at first but it still felt sooooo good. Road, trails, paths- it all good! Just out enjoying the view.

More to come.....

What Are You Gonna Do?

I had a bad night the other night. Just when I think things are going good I find out there not. It's all just an illusion . This is my life at the moment. So what are you gonna do? For me its means no sleep and thinking about what's next. So about five in the morning I thought a run was in order. I've known plenty of people through the years who use running to wash the problems of the day away but what about life. For me it can be my escape. If I can clear my mind the world seems right-the world is right.

So I go for a run. Good thing my car is well stocked and I have a place to get lost. The music begins , the time starts and I'm ready to go. First lap 5 miles-still in my head. Second lap 3 miles- still there! Another 5, another 2, 5 more ( 2 bottles and a sandwich) and finally 2 miles and three hours and  I had to stop. Back to life.

The illusion is still there so I guess I keep on running.

More to come....

Blank Slate.

For many of us the new year is about setting up race schedules and these become our goals. For many people the new year is about a new beginning.

I went to get some new shoes yesterday. On Dec 31 of all days! The store was packed and I got a good chuckle out of all the people there in the store. I learned from one of the guys that most of the people that had been in that day were doing the usual new year "I'm going to get back into shape." shopping.

Now four years ago this was me so I applaud these people and hope they not only reach but bust those goals in half!

If I have one thing to offer let it be this. Go into it like you have never run before. Think of it as a blank slate.

I ran from my teens to almost thirty. I ran A LOT! I ran thousands of miles and  raced at any distance I could get to. I ran over a hundred miles a week for eight weeks to just do it.

So when I started back after over ten years off I thought I could just jump right back into it. This is a quick way to get depressed and the quickest way back to the couch. Which is almost what I did until I figured something out.

Everything in life has an expiration date. You cannot let what happened years ago control you today. Think of it as going into the fridge and getting out some milk. You take a drink and it has a taste so sour you throw up. Now do you put that milk back into the fridge? Do you pull it out the next day and do the same thing again?
That is what I did over and over again. I would go out on a run and sure enough I would think about the "old days".  And it would bum me out comparing yesterday me to today me!

Finally I realized. I just need to start over from scratch. I set my sights on twenty minutes . Then 3 miles, 4 miles, 1 hour.....and boom I became a runner. Not a runner again but a new runner. I was able to enjoy all the  milestones because they were new.

I think this works not only in running but in life. Live today.

More to come.....