Doesn't everyone state at year end "where did the time go?" ?? Regardless if it was a year full of the best of times, the worst of times, painful times, joyous times, etc. it does indeed seem that time escapes us inexplicably. At times in this past year I felt as if time was standing still, I was hurt I was not feeling like myself, I was biding my time, wanting to skip forward and magically be "me" again. And during that time, unbeknownst to me at the time, I grew more into "me" than I ever thought possible. In the cycle of physical therapy which started late last year and continued into January I rediscovered yoga. I decided to make my practice a regular thing, to grow it, to explore a new [to me] studio and see if that might not be part of the solution to getting myself healthy and running again without pain.
And it was, indeed, a prominent slice of the solution. And it was so much more than that, so much so that it's very difficult to put it all into words. Yoga strengthened me physically and mentally. To deal with life's regular hurdles, long hours at the office, the rediscovery of my running, my relationships with family, friends, co-workers and complete strangers. My mind exploded in a reawakening of the interpersonal skills that we use every single day. I loved each day more than the last, I saw things differently ...more thoroughly, more intensely and with a deeper sense of being. Perhaps yoga was just the impetus and everything that followed a reaction? Whatever the case I feel truly blessed that this series of events occurred in my life. This year has been about a deeper understanding in who I am and want to be as a human, how I want to live my life, what makes me & my loved ones happy and how I'd like to engage in the world as "me". It was the perfect setup for where I am now, back into my running, very much enjoying a [oftentimes] stressful job, growing and happy in my relationships and wanting to spread this phenomenon with everyone around me!
I have zero doubt that 2010 will be a good one. Good b/c I intend to start the year just as I'd like to, on my terms and with a positive attitude. Good b/c, hot damn!, I'm back to running consistent 50+ MPW and will be moving deeper into my training for Illinois. Good b/c this gift of yoga has only one way to grow, up. So then my friends, I close 2009 out with 8, 9, and 11 mile runs :-) Eager to see where the next 365 days takes me and confident that it will be based upon the last 365.
Happy New Year!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A big batch of easy with a sprinkling of RP
Phase 1 continues on and will do so until January 31st, at which point I will have hit my max. mileage for this round of training for at least 3 weeks in a row. Wheeeee! In phase 2 I'll back off the mileage slightly and add in more quality before bringing back the miles with the quality for the finale that will be phases 3 & 4. As mentioned before, all of my running these days is at an easy pace with a couple sets of strides per week as really the only other component. Oh and the occasional race sprinkled in here and there. The races aren't all out efforts but rather a way to gauge which paces I should be training at, once quality reemerges in my running. They're also a great way to mix things up and give me a taste of another pace, RP.
I'm really having a blast so far and totally enjoying running for exactly what it means to me, at it's very roots.
Simple. Cleansing. Meaningful.
And the balance struck between my running and my yoga practice seems to have found the most perfect of mid-lines. I feel new streams of life shooting through my limbs in each discipline undoubtedly provided by the other. It's a beautiful thing and I'm loving every second of it. Add to that some recent running excursions with some of my most favorite people and folks, we're talking full package here! I look forward to opening up those experiences even more while back at home in St. Louis over the holidays.
Onward!
I'm really having a blast so far and totally enjoying running for exactly what it means to me, at it's very roots.
Simple. Cleansing. Meaningful.
And the balance struck between my running and my yoga practice seems to have found the most perfect of mid-lines. I feel new streams of life shooting through my limbs in each discipline undoubtedly provided by the other. It's a beautiful thing and I'm loving every second of it. Add to that some recent running excursions with some of my most favorite people and folks, we're talking full package here! I look forward to opening up those experiences even more while back at home in St. Louis over the holidays.
Onward!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
NYC in December
A few of my most favorite things appear near the end of November & beginning of December, each year around the city. This one in particular is quite exciting as it not only enhances the appearance of our sidewalks but it also enhances the smell. Go to bed on Thanksgiving night and awake the next morning to Miniature Christmas Tree lots sprinkled throughout the city. Some are parked next to bodegas, others take the place of smaller Greenmarkets and still others are magical little dynasties all on their own.
This one is just a block away from our apt., is less than half a block "big", smells deliciously of a variety of pines and is manned by some very friendly Canadians who live in their van from Thanksgiving until the day before Christmas. I especially enjoy that I get to walk through it several times a day, to and from work, to and from the grocery store, to and from the park.
The extra magical ingredient appears when our first dusting of snow comes down. Ahhh, you really can live in the city and feel like you're in the country ....well, sort of.
This one is just a block away from our apt., is less than half a block "big", smells deliciously of a variety of pines and is manned by some very friendly Canadians who live in their van from Thanksgiving until the day before Christmas. I especially enjoy that I get to walk through it several times a day, to and from work, to and from the grocery store, to and from the park.
The extra magical ingredient appears when our first dusting of snow comes down. Ahhh, you really can live in the city and feel like you're in the country ....well, sort of.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Well hello there
Yes, yes... I'm still alive and kicking and more importantly, running! Once again work has taken over and caused some stressful weeks that I'd rather not recount. However my running has not suffered and in fact has rooted itself into more weekday mornings that I could ever have dreamed possible. You've heard me say it here before, "I should really run more in the mornings; hold me accountable to 1/week or 2/week"... etc etc. I know I've said it on more than one occasion and I've also said it to Missy while running. My job is more a P.M.-centric type of job meaning that sure I could get in early and get some stuff done and be more organized and all that junk but the heavy lifting of my job happens in the P.M. hours. Which means there's always the chance for a late(r) evening at the office and a greater chance for a run getting pushed. While this does not bode well for my ideal hours in the yoga studio it sure helps to have my running done in the mornings.
Anywho, coach and I are staying on track with a schedule building to a May 1-2 marathon. I'm still not committed to a particular race although the Illinois Marathon is looking quite favorable as of late. I like that it's a Saturday race and have heard good things from Mindi regarding it's inaugural year, just last April. It's also not so far from "home" which means I might be able to visit the family as well.
And since I haven't reported any running details in awhile or specific workouts, here's a snapshot of the last few weeks ...all easy running.
The next several weeks will look similar, backing off the miles just a bit before adding in some quality and then adding back more miles. I'm also planning on a couple races to get some more accurate training paces defined. The Joe Kleinerman 10K on 12/6 and the Ted Corbitt 15K on 12/19, both in CP.
Lastly I plan to sneak in another session of yoga sometime regularly. It's hard to do w/work b/c my most favorite classes start at 7:00 p.m. but I'm going to try and remain flexible and see what I can make happen. Last night was a sweet session at Kula with loads of twisting, twisting, twisting all culminating in some very strong side crows (probably my best ever) and on both sides. Super stoked about that.
Anywho, coach and I are staying on track with a schedule building to a May 1-2 marathon. I'm still not committed to a particular race although the Illinois Marathon is looking quite favorable as of late. I like that it's a Saturday race and have heard good things from Mindi regarding it's inaugural year, just last April. It's also not so far from "home" which means I might be able to visit the family as well.
And since I haven't reported any running details in awhile or specific workouts, here's a snapshot of the last few weeks ...all easy running.
The next several weeks will look similar, backing off the miles just a bit before adding in some quality and then adding back more miles. I'm also planning on a couple races to get some more accurate training paces defined. The Joe Kleinerman 10K on 12/6 and the Ted Corbitt 15K on 12/19, both in CP.
Lastly I plan to sneak in another session of yoga sometime regularly. It's hard to do w/work b/c my most favorite classes start at 7:00 p.m. but I'm going to try and remain flexible and see what I can make happen. Last night was a sweet session at Kula with loads of twisting, twisting, twisting all culminating in some very strong side crows (probably my best ever) and on both sides. Super stoked about that.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Missing scenes
OBX.
Ahhhh.
What a time. What an experience. What friends. What a beautiful slice of the coast. What running fun. And above all else, what a tribute!
Joey was remembered well. We sang Happy Birthday to him, we felt him among us --- in the ocean, while running, while laughing, while living. Kath made some super cool medals for all of us, Chris fashioned some sweet armbands, and everyone pitched in on creating signs to post along the course (pictures to come). I cannot properly express what it means to me to have this group of friends and to have some of my family there as well, sharing in the experience! I am rich beyond words.
As for the running, I stuck to my plan with keeping the full as a training run & was lucky enough to have my little bro with me the entire way. And although my tummy sloshed a bit in the first half, I never felt physically hurtin'. However, I wasn't there mentally. Somewhere around mile 16 a light went off.
What exactly am I training for?
Sure I am registered for CIM on 12/6 and I also registered last minute for Rocket City (12/12) as a back-up, but am I ready? Is this run in OBX really a step towards one of those two races? A phrase that I've held in my mind recently came from Chris Lear's Running With The Buffaloes. Wetmore tells his runners to make a movie in your mind - the movie contains all aspects of the race you've worked towards. Your training prep, the course, your execution, etc.
I then attempted to make a movie in my mind.
The movie is incomplete, there are missing scenes.
I pretty much decided right then and there that I had to reconsider racing a marathon next month.
I want to do this right. I want to be able to make the masterpiece in my mind AND on the road. I am not able to do this right now and I have nothing to prove attempting to force the issue when it's well outside of my character to do.
The good news - I'm READY to make it right. I've been consistently logging my miles w/out any quality [yet] and I can feel my body responding positively. After over a year of being somewhat healthy and injured and somewhat not, I'm strong, I know the formula for me. I want to work with Lloyd all the way through this thing so any previous pitfalls might be avoided, training techniques improved upon and levels raised to where they should be. Of course these thoughts had to have lived in the back in my mind somewhere... they didn't just magically appear at mile 16 in OBX. Most certainly that race was the impetus and just having allowed them to come out and, further, to discuss them with some of the folks at OBX (Missy in particular) and later Lloyd, felt like a huge load off my mind.
So here I am. Sticking with consistent mileage for now, adding in some other fun stuff during the base building phase and looking for a spring marathon to strut my stuff.
Ahhhh.
What a time. What an experience. What friends. What a beautiful slice of the coast. What running fun. And above all else, what a tribute!
Joey was remembered well. We sang Happy Birthday to him, we felt him among us --- in the ocean, while running, while laughing, while living. Kath made some super cool medals for all of us, Chris fashioned some sweet armbands, and everyone pitched in on creating signs to post along the course (pictures to come). I cannot properly express what it means to me to have this group of friends and to have some of my family there as well, sharing in the experience! I am rich beyond words.
As for the running, I stuck to my plan with keeping the full as a training run & was lucky enough to have my little bro with me the entire way. And although my tummy sloshed a bit in the first half, I never felt physically hurtin'. However, I wasn't there mentally. Somewhere around mile 16 a light went off.
What exactly am I training for?
Sure I am registered for CIM on 12/6 and I also registered last minute for Rocket City (12/12) as a back-up, but am I ready? Is this run in OBX really a step towards one of those two races? A phrase that I've held in my mind recently came from Chris Lear's Running With The Buffaloes. Wetmore tells his runners to make a movie in your mind - the movie contains all aspects of the race you've worked towards. Your training prep, the course, your execution, etc.
I then attempted to make a movie in my mind.
The movie is incomplete, there are missing scenes.
I pretty much decided right then and there that I had to reconsider racing a marathon next month.
I want to do this right. I want to be able to make the masterpiece in my mind AND on the road. I am not able to do this right now and I have nothing to prove attempting to force the issue when it's well outside of my character to do.
The good news - I'm READY to make it right. I've been consistently logging my miles w/out any quality [yet] and I can feel my body responding positively. After over a year of being somewhat healthy and injured and somewhat not, I'm strong, I know the formula for me. I want to work with Lloyd all the way through this thing so any previous pitfalls might be avoided, training techniques improved upon and levels raised to where they should be. Of course these thoughts had to have lived in the back in my mind somewhere... they didn't just magically appear at mile 16 in OBX. Most certainly that race was the impetus and just having allowed them to come out and, further, to discuss them with some of the folks at OBX (Missy in particular) and later Lloyd, felt like a huge load off my mind.
So here I am. Sticking with consistent mileage for now, adding in some other fun stuff during the base building phase and looking for a spring marathon to strut my stuff.
Friday, October 30, 2009
There are no miracles in running
Loving Chris Lear's Running with the Buffaloes and perhaps even more so, love learning about Mark Wetmore's coaching style and interactions with his CC teams. I'm already seeing similarities between Wetmore and my own coach, and it feels really good to work with Lloyd and get some solid plans slated for my running. Because we're starting our work together deep into a training cycle, the strategy will be a bit different from an orthodox training cycle but no less important. And thus the focus for the coming weeks, including the full @OBX will be to log the miles in an even-paced easy effort. Consistency is more important than anything as this point. Coach and I are looking towards the future and making big plans.
And so my daily runs look a lot alike at this point but my attitude and outlook have incurred a serious spike. In energy. In positivity. In drive.
It doesn't hurt that the NYC Marathon is this Sunday and the buzz around town is highly inspiring and motivating! Missy & I are planning to meet up with Kris & Jenn to do some spectating along First Ave before joining Trevor out of Manhattan, into the Bronx and back through Central Park. Oh and tomorrow we'll be meeting up with Trevor & Bob for some expo action followed by carbo-loading - wheee!
And so my daily runs look a lot alike at this point but my attitude and outlook have incurred a serious spike. In energy. In positivity. In drive.
It doesn't hurt that the NYC Marathon is this Sunday and the buzz around town is highly inspiring and motivating! Missy & I are planning to meet up with Kris & Jenn to do some spectating along First Ave before joining Trevor out of Manhattan, into the Bronx and back through Central Park. Oh and tomorrow we'll be meeting up with Trevor & Bob for some expo action followed by carbo-loading - wheee!
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