September 8, 2013
I know I am going to second guess that title next week but as for now... it's true!
Yesterday I went for my "long" run but it's a down week (meaning next week will really kick my butt with 12 miles) and I was only scheduled for 7 miles. I grabbed a friend training for a half marathon in November and took her on her longest run to date... or well, walk. The miles were quite a bit slower than my normal with an average pace of 16.5 and only 1 running segment. I felt great throughout the whole thing. The first couple miles were just 2 good friends chatting about life and then we put in music and off we went. Of course I was sweating, but at no point did my mind jump to the comfy zone I live in where I can't wait to get to the end. My legs never wanted to fall off and then trail behind me kicking me.
Afterwards I had no pain and didn't need a nap or days to recover. That's just crazy.
Next week, however, scares me a bit. I like the down week but now jumping up to 12 is crazy plus I am going to need to step things up a bit soon so that I shoot a little past the highest mile being 20 miles prior to marathon day. Adding 6.2 miles more than I've ever done before is a little to risky for me. I'd like to do 23 or 24 miles for my longest pre-race run.
What's hard is that I am now at a mileage that is really too high for a 10 year old to run. I mean, we aren't running, mostly just walking fast. When it comes to walking, there are virtually no studies that say there is anything against his going, but only if he wants to. Erik will have to determine if he wants to continue to join me. He is such a great motivator to keep me going and it is great bonding time that I am going to really miss him. It's been very difficult for me to imagine him not with me during the marathon so I guess this goes along with the whole "nothing new on race day" philosophy.
So, lately I've really only blogged about training but in reality tons of stuff has been going on including I had a great deal of medical tests done. Since the week of my birthday in March, I have been experiencing frequent migraines, nausea, heart palpitations, chest pains and like an elephant has been sitting on my chest. Some of these symptoms are only when running which is why I needed to go and get checked out before running a marathon. It's been a pretty scary time. In addition I was dealing with situations at work that just became more than I could take and I decided to quit. This week I went back to my doctor to go over all the results from the past 6 weeks of medical tests and found out that everything is good. No heart damage. No Angina. No lung problems. He said that whatever is wrong is NOT Heart or Lung related.
That being said since August 23rd,my last day of work, I haven't had any migraines or any of the other problems... INCLUDING when I am out running. My doctor is convinced that since this job started in February and the issues started in March, then everything stopped when I quit, that my job was the culprit responsible. It's insane that a job can literally have that big of an effect. In any case I now have a clean bill of health and I felt great during and after my walk yesterday.
I also got a new job which will allow me to work from home starting next week. It's not a travel job, but its customer service. The pay isn't great but being able to work from home saves a lot of money in work clothes, lunches, gas, etc and I will be home when Erik comes home from school! It's a huge perk of the job.
We have had a huge learning curve since Erik came here. We meaning Paul and I as parents, as well as Erik. We are all learning about each other, how to do things differently now and how to identify things that need to change to be better. Me working at home is going to help with the juggling of so many new things for our family which is still under a year old. Every day is a new day to wake up, make mistakes, and go to bed. LOL. Most parents get to figure this part out without school and homework but we didn't have that luxury. Our luxury, however, is Erik. And no one else has an Erik!
Stay tuned until next time.
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Running with a Purpose
September 5, 2013
So if you haven't learned this yet from knowing me or reading my blog, let me make sure this is clear... no blurred lines... no lack of clarity...
I Hate Running. (Even if by running, I am actually speed walking) I in no way disrespect those that DO LOVE running, but I am not one of you and often can't understand you.
No I do not get runners high.
No I do not find it relaxing.
No I do not enjoy breathing in the fresh air of nature. Well I do... just not while running.
Maybe one day I will, but as of now... I stand by the fact that I am doing it. And Yes, I am running a marathon (or speed walking... lets not mince words here).
So why do it? Well I guess, the answer is probably deeper that the old "Why not?" First of all I have always held such a huge respect for distance runners and especially those that can complete marathons. The amount of dedication it takes to train, the self motivation, the endurance... it's amazing. I want to fall into that group of people whom I hold such great respect for. I mean really, there are so many things that I would LOVE to do but really just don't have the opportunity to. I remember an old episode of Friends where Monica had her identity stolen by a woman who took chances. She got her to audition for Cats on Broadway and walk into a drop in dance class... those are things that are not available to me here... at least not that I know of, but marathons are available to everyone. Why would I deny myself the chance to fulfill my own idea of greatness. And the fact that I am doing it, being something I hate, makes me that much more proud of myself.
Another reason is because... well, I can. I have two legs. They move freely. Currently they may not be that strong but through training they are getting stronger. God has given me two functioning legs and completing a marathon means I am going to take these gifts from God and move them one in front of the other for 26.2 miles. I'm sure there are many people out there who would give anything for the chance, but their chance was taken from them. For those people, I will complete this for you. Especially those who chance was taken while trying to complete the Boston Marathon earlier this year.
Thirdly I run for my son, Erik. As I previously explained in a blog, Erik is struggling in school. It's hard. He doesn't want to go. He would rather just not do it because thats the easy way out. He would rather run. I am showing him that some things are easier for some people than others. Running is easy for him, but not for me. Just like he needs to keep practicing to get good at his homework, I need to keep practicing to get good at my running. His report card will be his prize and my medal will be mine.
Lastly, I want to make this marathon really mean something. I mean, it means something to me and hopefully it will mean something to Erik. Maybe it might mean a little something to people who know about my story. But when December 1 comes around and that 11th, 12th, 16th, 18th, 22nd, 24th miles come along and I hurt and I want to stop and give up, what is going to motivate me? What will push me? What will remind me that this is bigger than me and my goals and lessons for my son through actions? I have decided to dedicate each mile to someone or a group. During that Mile I will pray for that person/group to motivate me and get me out of my own head, thinking about myself, and instead thinking of someone in need of prayer. Several slots have been filled by people in my circle of friends. I've dedicated a mile to my husband's cousin battling breast cancer at a young age and newly married. I've dedicated a mile to the orphanage Erik came from and all the orphans around the world that need families. Since I hope to complete a 15 minute pace, I am dedicating the 15th mile to the Boston Marathon Victims as this will be at about the 4 hour mark when the bombs went off on that fateful day.
So I ask you, if you would like to be considered for one of my miles or know someone else that should be, share the story with me. As we get closer to race day I will post the actual mile dedication chart so that everyone will know what I am praying about during each stage of the race.
This isn't easy for me. Don't get this twisted. I am finding myself in more pain on a regular basis these days. This will require more out of me physically than anything I have ever done before. I will be pushing my body for a straight 7 hours. In fact I will probably be at mile 7 when the 1st place competitor crosses the finish line. I will only be at about the halfway mark when the awards are given, and by the time I cross the finish line there will likely be very few spectators. With there being a time limit and only 2,000 people eligible to complete the full marathon, which filled up back in July, most runners have done this before and more than once... so I might even be the last person to cross the finish line. I am determined to not get picked up by the bus. I will finish. Even if I am last. And whatever my time is, I will be proud of that time because I will at that time have become a Marathon Completer and no one at any time can ever take that away. I've already bought a T shirt that says "I just completed my first marathon" and another that says "the pain is temporary, the pride is forever". No matter the pain, or the hatred for training for the sport, come that day, across that line, I will be filled with a joy that can only come from completing something I always wanted to do, but never really thought I could.
I encourage anyone if there is a star out there that is within your ability to reach, Go Reach It! Name It! and then go do it again!
~Future Marathon Finisher,
Jenn
So if you haven't learned this yet from knowing me or reading my blog, let me make sure this is clear... no blurred lines... no lack of clarity...
I Hate Running. (Even if by running, I am actually speed walking) I in no way disrespect those that DO LOVE running, but I am not one of you and often can't understand you.
No I do not get runners high.
No I do not find it relaxing.
No I do not enjoy breathing in the fresh air of nature. Well I do... just not while running.
Maybe one day I will, but as of now... I stand by the fact that I am doing it. And Yes, I am running a marathon (or speed walking... lets not mince words here).
So why do it? Well I guess, the answer is probably deeper that the old "Why not?" First of all I have always held such a huge respect for distance runners and especially those that can complete marathons. The amount of dedication it takes to train, the self motivation, the endurance... it's amazing. I want to fall into that group of people whom I hold such great respect for. I mean really, there are so many things that I would LOVE to do but really just don't have the opportunity to. I remember an old episode of Friends where Monica had her identity stolen by a woman who took chances. She got her to audition for Cats on Broadway and walk into a drop in dance class... those are things that are not available to me here... at least not that I know of, but marathons are available to everyone. Why would I deny myself the chance to fulfill my own idea of greatness. And the fact that I am doing it, being something I hate, makes me that much more proud of myself.
Another reason is because... well, I can. I have two legs. They move freely. Currently they may not be that strong but through training they are getting stronger. God has given me two functioning legs and completing a marathon means I am going to take these gifts from God and move them one in front of the other for 26.2 miles. I'm sure there are many people out there who would give anything for the chance, but their chance was taken from them. For those people, I will complete this for you. Especially those who chance was taken while trying to complete the Boston Marathon earlier this year.
Thirdly I run for my son, Erik. As I previously explained in a blog, Erik is struggling in school. It's hard. He doesn't want to go. He would rather just not do it because thats the easy way out. He would rather run. I am showing him that some things are easier for some people than others. Running is easy for him, but not for me. Just like he needs to keep practicing to get good at his homework, I need to keep practicing to get good at my running. His report card will be his prize and my medal will be mine.
Lastly, I want to make this marathon really mean something. I mean, it means something to me and hopefully it will mean something to Erik. Maybe it might mean a little something to people who know about my story. But when December 1 comes around and that 11th, 12th, 16th, 18th, 22nd, 24th miles come along and I hurt and I want to stop and give up, what is going to motivate me? What will push me? What will remind me that this is bigger than me and my goals and lessons for my son through actions? I have decided to dedicate each mile to someone or a group. During that Mile I will pray for that person/group to motivate me and get me out of my own head, thinking about myself, and instead thinking of someone in need of prayer. Several slots have been filled by people in my circle of friends. I've dedicated a mile to my husband's cousin battling breast cancer at a young age and newly married. I've dedicated a mile to the orphanage Erik came from and all the orphans around the world that need families. Since I hope to complete a 15 minute pace, I am dedicating the 15th mile to the Boston Marathon Victims as this will be at about the 4 hour mark when the bombs went off on that fateful day.
So I ask you, if you would like to be considered for one of my miles or know someone else that should be, share the story with me. As we get closer to race day I will post the actual mile dedication chart so that everyone will know what I am praying about during each stage of the race.
This isn't easy for me. Don't get this twisted. I am finding myself in more pain on a regular basis these days. This will require more out of me physically than anything I have ever done before. I will be pushing my body for a straight 7 hours. In fact I will probably be at mile 7 when the 1st place competitor crosses the finish line. I will only be at about the halfway mark when the awards are given, and by the time I cross the finish line there will likely be very few spectators. With there being a time limit and only 2,000 people eligible to complete the full marathon, which filled up back in July, most runners have done this before and more than once... so I might even be the last person to cross the finish line. I am determined to not get picked up by the bus. I will finish. Even if I am last. And whatever my time is, I will be proud of that time because I will at that time have become a Marathon Completer and no one at any time can ever take that away. I've already bought a T shirt that says "I just completed my first marathon" and another that says "the pain is temporary, the pride is forever". No matter the pain, or the hatred for training for the sport, come that day, across that line, I will be filled with a joy that can only come from completing something I always wanted to do, but never really thought I could.
I encourage anyone if there is a star out there that is within your ability to reach, Go Reach It! Name It! and then go do it again!
~Future Marathon Finisher,
Jenn
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Perfect 10
August 31, 2013
Good Morning! Rise and Shine! Top Oh The Morning to Ya! and Whatever else might work to get you out of bed, into your running shoes and hitting the pavement. Those words weren't enough? Don't worry, they wouldn't have been enough for me either!
Paying almost $100 to agree to run in a guaranteed to be painful race that, if I'm not fast enough I won't even GET to finish OR get the bling... or the bragging rights... NOW THAT'S MOTIVATION TO TRAIN!
It's really amazing how quickly my body has managed to recover from the beating I give it each week. I haven't felt so regularly pain filled since I was in High School doing color guard practice 5 days a week with games on Friday nights and sometimes competitions on weekends. We were always stretching, moving, pushing our bodies to the limits, taking chances, building our muscles to propel our talents forward... hitting ourselves with the occasional piece of equipment. I was in pain every second of every day and I LOVED it! It was Good Pain, not Bad Pain. It was the pain that came from knowing my body was getting stronger.
I feel like that again. Except with running, I'm not even close to be one of the greats or striving to be the best. I am striving to be Okay. To finish. To not give up.
After just a few more than a few weeks off the couch, I was able to get up and walk 10 miles. That in itself may or may not seem impressive BUT I did do in in under a 16 minute average pace. I only did one short interval run but decided the walking was much better as I was already feeling the pain in my hips. In the end, 10 miles was 10 miles no matter how I made it there and of course my 10 year old kiddo did it with me!
What made it extra tough today was that music is such an incredible motivator... or demotivator. I bought a new MP3 player because my ipod kept giving me issues and not doing what I wanted it to and I hate iTunes so I went with another highly recommended brand. Evidently my files were in the wrong format so while it showed them listed on my player, only the same six songs played over and over... plus the crappy 5-6 that come auto loaded on the player. Thankfully my songs were good ones that kept me going:
Katy Perry - Roar
Katy Perry - Firework
Avril Lavigne - Here's to never growing up
Great Big Sea - Donkey Riding
Mylie Cyrus - Party in the USA
Jennifer Lopez - Lets get Loud
I spent at least a combined few minutes trying to figure out what was going on and trying to get it functioning and fast forwarding through the auto loaded songs every time they came up. This is why they say, nothing new on race day!
I am looking for people to pray for while I run. Dedicating each mile for someone with a big prayer request. Something to keep my mind off my pain and onto someone else's. If you know someone or if you have one, leave me a message, I'll blog more about this later.
Here's the post run Recap:
Enjoy
Jenn in Action
Good Morning! Rise and Shine! Top Oh The Morning to Ya! and Whatever else might work to get you out of bed, into your running shoes and hitting the pavement. Those words weren't enough? Don't worry, they wouldn't have been enough for me either!
Paying almost $100 to agree to run in a guaranteed to be painful race that, if I'm not fast enough I won't even GET to finish OR get the bling... or the bragging rights... NOW THAT'S MOTIVATION TO TRAIN!
It's really amazing how quickly my body has managed to recover from the beating I give it each week. I haven't felt so regularly pain filled since I was in High School doing color guard practice 5 days a week with games on Friday nights and sometimes competitions on weekends. We were always stretching, moving, pushing our bodies to the limits, taking chances, building our muscles to propel our talents forward... hitting ourselves with the occasional piece of equipment. I was in pain every second of every day and I LOVED it! It was Good Pain, not Bad Pain. It was the pain that came from knowing my body was getting stronger.
I feel like that again. Except with running, I'm not even close to be one of the greats or striving to be the best. I am striving to be Okay. To finish. To not give up.
After just a few more than a few weeks off the couch, I was able to get up and walk 10 miles. That in itself may or may not seem impressive BUT I did do in in under a 16 minute average pace. I only did one short interval run but decided the walking was much better as I was already feeling the pain in my hips. In the end, 10 miles was 10 miles no matter how I made it there and of course my 10 year old kiddo did it with me!
What made it extra tough today was that music is such an incredible motivator... or demotivator. I bought a new MP3 player because my ipod kept giving me issues and not doing what I wanted it to and I hate iTunes so I went with another highly recommended brand. Evidently my files were in the wrong format so while it showed them listed on my player, only the same six songs played over and over... plus the crappy 5-6 that come auto loaded on the player. Thankfully my songs were good ones that kept me going:Katy Perry - Roar
Katy Perry - Firework
Avril Lavigne - Here's to never growing up
Great Big Sea - Donkey Riding
Mylie Cyrus - Party in the USA
Jennifer Lopez - Lets get Loud
I spent at least a combined few minutes trying to figure out what was going on and trying to get it functioning and fast forwarding through the auto loaded songs every time they came up. This is why they say, nothing new on race day!
I am looking for people to pray for while I run. Dedicating each mile for someone with a big prayer request. Something to keep my mind off my pain and onto someone else's. If you know someone or if you have one, leave me a message, I'll blog more about this later.
Here's the post run Recap:
Enjoy
Jenn in Action
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body
August 25, 2013
I hurt. That's all I can say because pretty much every inch of me is in pain. My shoulders, my back, my hips, and everything from my thighs down to my toes. My friend told me that Pain is Weakness leaving the body. I'm going to be really strong soon and while it sounds like a joke... I actually think it's pretty accurate. All of this exercise is probably just putting my body in a state of shock and hopefully within about a month, my body will give in a work with me.
I suppose that equivalent to life in a lot of ways. When we go through difficult situations we end up shocking different parts of ourselves, like our emotions or our stress level, and then when get onto the other side of it, we fall numb and are able to move on and deal with whatever damage we have done to ourselves.
But what about joy? Happiness? Elation? Isn't it also true then? Do we let ourselves get used to everything being perfect? When we stop looking for the next best thing, stop thinking about what we are missing out on and stop living life in envy of what someone else has and just live thankful for every thing that makes us smile... That's when we fall numb to the hiccups that show up in life and can live life in Joy.
If Pain is weakness leaving the body, then Joy is keeping the pain out.
Live life in a state of joy and if something is so bad that you can't, remove it and try again!
I hurt. That's all I can say because pretty much every inch of me is in pain. My shoulders, my back, my hips, and everything from my thighs down to my toes. My friend told me that Pain is Weakness leaving the body. I'm going to be really strong soon and while it sounds like a joke... I actually think it's pretty accurate. All of this exercise is probably just putting my body in a state of shock and hopefully within about a month, my body will give in a work with me.
I suppose that equivalent to life in a lot of ways. When we go through difficult situations we end up shocking different parts of ourselves, like our emotions or our stress level, and then when get onto the other side of it, we fall numb and are able to move on and deal with whatever damage we have done to ourselves.
But what about joy? Happiness? Elation? Isn't it also true then? Do we let ourselves get used to everything being perfect? When we stop looking for the next best thing, stop thinking about what we are missing out on and stop living life in envy of what someone else has and just live thankful for every thing that makes us smile... That's when we fall numb to the hiccups that show up in life and can live life in Joy.
If Pain is weakness leaving the body, then Joy is keeping the pain out.
Live life in a state of joy and if something is so bad that you can't, remove it and try again!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Niner Niner
August 24, 2013
Well Thursday's 3 mile was alright... not great so getting up at 5am to run 9 today.... I wasn't excited. I'm a bit amazed at myself, but it's still not fun or relaxing or enjoyable but I am doing it. We are doing it.
Erik in tow, we set out to really try to speed walk the whole thing. Even sticking to the walking the first 3 miles were just awful. I guess I need to expect that to be the case as its how long it take for those muscles to wake up and warm up. I fear it will be worse come the morning of December 1 when it is cooler out. I pushed through the pains and cramping of my legs and feet and by the time mile 4 rolled around I felt pretty good. Not as good as the 7 Miler, but pretty decent. I felt the urge to sing some more.... oh those poor people on the path with me. Let's just say my singing is awful in the best of circumstances.... add running and hot sun and shortness of breath.... my head phones were up enough that I couldn't hear myself. I am thankful for that. Sorry to everyone else. Somewhere around mile 5 we through in our first 30-45 seconds of running to switch up the muscles I was using and we did this just a few more times throughout the rest of the path.
About Mile 7 I started getting side craps and the sun was getting to me. Salt from all the sweat was dripping and burning into my eyes and I couldn't wipe it away because every inch of my body was sweating.
By far the last mile was the worst. My pace slipped, my eyes burned, my side craps came back and it was hot.
Ultimately we finished in a 15.66 pace which I felt pretty happy about. It's days like this that I have no clue how in just a few months I am supposed to do todays path x 3?!?!?
Almost forgot but today a HUGE goal was reached! I finally wore Erik out! He was passed out in the car by 10:00 and he came home, took a shower and a nice long nap... so did I!
Well Thursday's 3 mile was alright... not great so getting up at 5am to run 9 today.... I wasn't excited. I'm a bit amazed at myself, but it's still not fun or relaxing or enjoyable but I am doing it. We are doing it.
Erik in tow, we set out to really try to speed walk the whole thing. Even sticking to the walking the first 3 miles were just awful. I guess I need to expect that to be the case as its how long it take for those muscles to wake up and warm up. I fear it will be worse come the morning of December 1 when it is cooler out. I pushed through the pains and cramping of my legs and feet and by the time mile 4 rolled around I felt pretty good. Not as good as the 7 Miler, but pretty decent. I felt the urge to sing some more.... oh those poor people on the path with me. Let's just say my singing is awful in the best of circumstances.... add running and hot sun and shortness of breath.... my head phones were up enough that I couldn't hear myself. I am thankful for that. Sorry to everyone else. Somewhere around mile 5 we through in our first 30-45 seconds of running to switch up the muscles I was using and we did this just a few more times throughout the rest of the path.
About Mile 7 I started getting side craps and the sun was getting to me. Salt from all the sweat was dripping and burning into my eyes and I couldn't wipe it away because every inch of my body was sweating.
By far the last mile was the worst. My pace slipped, my eyes burned, my side craps came back and it was hot.
Ultimately we finished in a 15.66 pace which I felt pretty happy about. It's days like this that I have no clue how in just a few months I am supposed to do todays path x 3?!?!?
Almost forgot but today a HUGE goal was reached! I finally wore Erik out! He was passed out in the car by 10:00 and he came home, took a shower and a nice long nap... so did I!
Back to the Short Runs
August 21, 2013
So Crea Crea that 4 miles is what I now refer to as a Short Run. I was supposed to run 3 miles yesterday but we went to the movies and it was just too dark to go afterwards. I was easily talked out of going.
Today I didn't want to go either. Let's face it, I NEVER want to go. I HATE running. I really honestly and truly do. It's no fun. Again the first few miles were Hell and I wanted to quit so many times. My mind went fishing for excuses to give up but with Erik by my side I just couldn't do it.
So Crea Crea that 4 miles is what I now refer to as a Short Run. I was supposed to run 3 miles yesterday but we went to the movies and it was just too dark to go afterwards. I was easily talked out of going.
Today I didn't want to go either. Let's face it, I NEVER want to go. I HATE running. I really honestly and truly do. It's no fun. Again the first few miles were Hell and I wanted to quit so many times. My mind went fishing for excuses to give up but with Erik by my side I just couldn't do it.
Seven is Heaven
August 14, 2013
What were you doing at 6:00 am? I was pulling into the parking lot at Cady Way to conquer my longest training to date. My favorite little guy by my side, we stretched and waited for our friends to join us... it pushed us back a little but we got out there and rocked it!
So a rough break down of the morning:
This was my first run in my new running shoes. They were pretty great! The first few miles were rough, I guess trying to convince my legs that exercise is better than sleeping on a tempurpedic mattress. I do not think I convinced my legs or my mind of that. By mile 4 I started feeling great! Really great! Erik and I were singing (when I really felt I should have been grasping for air). We even took a couple opportunities to have one of our signature Dance Parties. We stayed hydrated and I tried GU for the first time. When we got to the end and turned around and made it back to our car... we still weren't at 7 miles so we stopped for a quick potty break and we kept going past our car in the opposite direction of the Cady Way Trail. When I thought we had gone far enough that we would be at 7 miles when we got to the car.... but it didn't work out right. So we kept walking in circles around the parking lot until we reached 7 miles. I was ready to fall over. Erik wanted to run some more and then go play on the playground equipment.... Kids.
We went home and Erik watched cartoons while I took a nap. Afterwards we headed out to Track Shack and bought Erik his own pair of custom shoes and some other running goodies then after a quick dinner at Boston Market we met some friends for a night dip in the hot tub and swimming pool. So necessary after that mileage on my feet.
What were you doing at 6:00 am? I was pulling into the parking lot at Cady Way to conquer my longest training to date. My favorite little guy by my side, we stretched and waited for our friends to join us... it pushed us back a little but we got out there and rocked it!
This was my first run in my new running shoes. They were pretty great! The first few miles were rough, I guess trying to convince my legs that exercise is better than sleeping on a tempurpedic mattress. I do not think I convinced my legs or my mind of that. By mile 4 I started feeling great! Really great! Erik and I were singing (when I really felt I should have been grasping for air). We even took a couple opportunities to have one of our signature Dance Parties. We stayed hydrated and I tried GU for the first time. When we got to the end and turned around and made it back to our car... we still weren't at 7 miles so we stopped for a quick potty break and we kept going past our car in the opposite direction of the Cady Way Trail. When I thought we had gone far enough that we would be at 7 miles when we got to the car.... but it didn't work out right. So we kept walking in circles around the parking lot until we reached 7 miles. I was ready to fall over. Erik wanted to run some more and then go play on the playground equipment.... Kids.
We went home and Erik watched cartoons while I took a nap. Afterwards we headed out to Track Shack and bought Erik his own pair of custom shoes and some other running goodies then after a quick dinner at Boston Market we met some friends for a night dip in the hot tub and swimming pool. So necessary after that mileage on my feet.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
First Real Long Run
August 10, 2013
With any marathon training program, it's no secret that you need to have one day a week with what is called a "long run". If you relate that to other aspects in life, the long run would be like study for your mid terms in colleges.... or dealing with month end if you work in finance or accounting. It's that long dreadful experience that comes more frequently that you wish it did and you are so glad when it's over. The necessity of this ritual it two fold; it measures where you are and strengthens you to prepare you for where you are headed.
So today I got up for my first real planned "Long Run". I met my friend Amanda who has convinced me that speed walking is the way to go to avoid getting too tired and reduce the chances of injury. We headed to Baldwin park. Immediately my monitor started blinking "low battery" whoops. We got a late start and the sun was blaring hot with no breeze. The path wasn't very treed for most of it so the heat was rough. I wanted to get 8 or so miles in but at the 5.35 mark and knowing to keep going at our pace would mean another 45 minutes in that sun just felt unbearable! So after 1 hour, 24 minutes, we stopped.
We averaged 15:70 pace which if I could sustain for the entire 26 miles, would be acceptable. I finished with a protein shake and a video blog entry.... and a trip out to Ormond Beach later in the afternoon for some relaxation.
On the way home from Ormond Beach, Erik had my GPS. I told him to let me know when we were at 26 miles from home. Once we got to that point I started explaining to him that it would take from that point all the way until we get home to equal a marathon. We talked about how much longer and harder it is to run/walk that to sit in a car and ride. We talked about how to encourage people when things are hard and we continued to talk about why I am running this marathon and how I want to show him that even mommies have to work hard and get past difficult things but that in the end with a lot of practice, I will finish what I started. We talked about how he can apply this to math, soccer, basketball, jobs, school, and anything he wants to do in life! Then I marked the 2.5 mile mark so he could see how long he ran last week with his dad. One of the greatest things about parenting is teaching your child the important lessons that help build him into a successful and contributing member of society.
With any marathon training program, it's no secret that you need to have one day a week with what is called a "long run". If you relate that to other aspects in life, the long run would be like study for your mid terms in colleges.... or dealing with month end if you work in finance or accounting. It's that long dreadful experience that comes more frequently that you wish it did and you are so glad when it's over. The necessity of this ritual it two fold; it measures where you are and strengthens you to prepare you for where you are headed.
So today I got up for my first real planned "Long Run". I met my friend Amanda who has convinced me that speed walking is the way to go to avoid getting too tired and reduce the chances of injury. We headed to Baldwin park. Immediately my monitor started blinking "low battery" whoops. We got a late start and the sun was blaring hot with no breeze. The path wasn't very treed for most of it so the heat was rough. I wanted to get 8 or so miles in but at the 5.35 mark and knowing to keep going at our pace would mean another 45 minutes in that sun just felt unbearable! So after 1 hour, 24 minutes, we stopped.
We averaged 15:70 pace which if I could sustain for the entire 26 miles, would be acceptable. I finished with a protein shake and a video blog entry.... and a trip out to Ormond Beach later in the afternoon for some relaxation.
On the way home from Ormond Beach, Erik had my GPS. I told him to let me know when we were at 26 miles from home. Once we got to that point I started explaining to him that it would take from that point all the way until we get home to equal a marathon. We talked about how much longer and harder it is to run/walk that to sit in a car and ride. We talked about how to encourage people when things are hard and we continued to talk about why I am running this marathon and how I want to show him that even mommies have to work hard and get past difficult things but that in the end with a lot of practice, I will finish what I started. We talked about how he can apply this to math, soccer, basketball, jobs, school, and anything he wants to do in life! Then I marked the 2.5 mile mark so he could see how long he ran last week with his dad. One of the greatest things about parenting is teaching your child the important lessons that help build him into a successful and contributing member of society.
Back in Action
August 7, 2013
It's been a while since I have blogged about anything but it's time to get started again.
We are here in Orlando where things left off almost a year ago. Motherhood has come with great triumphs and great challenges. I'm sure all mothers would agree. Some days I never want my little boy to grow up and I want to keep him all to myself as my baby boy. But that can't happen and wouldn't be healthy if I tried. Instead I choose to work to make sure my son grows into a contributing member of society who sets, and goes after his goals. I believe every experience is an opportunity to learn and learn from and it is my job as his mom to make sure he understands that. Some people believe kids should only have fun and they will just turn out fine and that might be fine for their families, but in our family we want to give our son every advantage in life and not leave he successes up to chance. That means that when we see him thrive in something, we encourage him in it. When we see him struggle we teach him through it. When we watch him give up, we don't let him and when he experiences something new, we teach him about the item, action, or location. This is how we parent?
The best way to teach a person, is by action. Erik struggles with Math. It's expected that he is still learning English, so reading and speaking is still difficult, but he is very far behind in math skills. Math homework during the school year resulted in a lot of tears and frustration for both child and parent. So it has been immensely important that we continue to work with him over the summer to help bridge the gap. Any break in the practice has proved to reverse his understanding of math which just proves to be increasingly more frustrating. We keep telling Erik he needs to keep practicing his reading and his math so that he can get to point when he will just "get it"and it will become easier and when he takes a test with confidence and gets an A on that test, he will see the results of his hard work and dedication.
While I work to teach him this lesson, I decided I needed to follow my own advice. I have had the goal of achieving a marathon for many many years. I have such respect for anyone who can complete one, that I want to fall into that category of people I respect. This year I planned to attempt a half marathon in the first of a 5 year Big Bang series of marathons at the Space Coast. I put off signing up thinking I had plenty of time, but suddenly the half sold out and the full was about to. I had to make a decision: Give up and plan for something else or go for the gusto.... I'm not really good at hearing I can't do something, so I decided I am up for the challenge!
Something you should know about me... I'm not a runner. The most I have completed is a 5K which is 3.2 miles.... A full marathon is 26.2 miles. This kind of a jump is only for the clinically insane. I must complete it in 7 hours (in my defense I did look for a time limit and did not find it until I had already signed up and paid for the non refundable, non transferrable race). Also, I hate running. I mean I despise it. I don't get that runners high and I don't enjoy it and it doesn't give me time to think or relax.
This just made my connect to Erik and his math all the closer. We both hate our task, have a huge obstacle to overcome, aren't naturally good at it, and don't get any enjoyment out of it. BINGO.
What's was unexpected was to find that Erik IS good at running. He enjoys going with me. He puts on his MP3 and I put on mine and off we go. He pushes me and sometimes I push him. It works pretty good and I don't know how I will complete the marathon without my little running partner.
As for now, I begin training as a novice runner, running in an experts race. I try to go out a few times a week with different friends who are available and up for the challenge. Follow us as we put our life into action and train for the many marathons of life!
I wrote this when I started to blog but lost the password so had to start again:
July 23, 2013
Trying this out from my phone so we will see how this goes but tonite I intended to register for the oh so scary half marathon in December. However the half was sold out with very few full marathon spots left. What did I do? I registered for the full! I am scared and excited all at once and the next couple weeks are going to be a huge eye opener. Training is going to have to become a huge priority. Right now I am over weight having recently gained a bit of weight back after a weight loss followed but the adoption of our first child.
Help keep me accountable and join me on my journey!
- Dream Big Jenn
It's been a while since I have blogged about anything but it's time to get started again.
We are here in Orlando where things left off almost a year ago. Motherhood has come with great triumphs and great challenges. I'm sure all mothers would agree. Some days I never want my little boy to grow up and I want to keep him all to myself as my baby boy. But that can't happen and wouldn't be healthy if I tried. Instead I choose to work to make sure my son grows into a contributing member of society who sets, and goes after his goals. I believe every experience is an opportunity to learn and learn from and it is my job as his mom to make sure he understands that. Some people believe kids should only have fun and they will just turn out fine and that might be fine for their families, but in our family we want to give our son every advantage in life and not leave he successes up to chance. That means that when we see him thrive in something, we encourage him in it. When we see him struggle we teach him through it. When we watch him give up, we don't let him and when he experiences something new, we teach him about the item, action, or location. This is how we parent?
The best way to teach a person, is by action. Erik struggles with Math. It's expected that he is still learning English, so reading and speaking is still difficult, but he is very far behind in math skills. Math homework during the school year resulted in a lot of tears and frustration for both child and parent. So it has been immensely important that we continue to work with him over the summer to help bridge the gap. Any break in the practice has proved to reverse his understanding of math which just proves to be increasingly more frustrating. We keep telling Erik he needs to keep practicing his reading and his math so that he can get to point when he will just "get it"and it will become easier and when he takes a test with confidence and gets an A on that test, he will see the results of his hard work and dedication.
While I work to teach him this lesson, I decided I needed to follow my own advice. I have had the goal of achieving a marathon for many many years. I have such respect for anyone who can complete one, that I want to fall into that category of people I respect. This year I planned to attempt a half marathon in the first of a 5 year Big Bang series of marathons at the Space Coast. I put off signing up thinking I had plenty of time, but suddenly the half sold out and the full was about to. I had to make a decision: Give up and plan for something else or go for the gusto.... I'm not really good at hearing I can't do something, so I decided I am up for the challenge!
Something you should know about me... I'm not a runner. The most I have completed is a 5K which is 3.2 miles.... A full marathon is 26.2 miles. This kind of a jump is only for the clinically insane. I must complete it in 7 hours (in my defense I did look for a time limit and did not find it until I had already signed up and paid for the non refundable, non transferrable race). Also, I hate running. I mean I despise it. I don't get that runners high and I don't enjoy it and it doesn't give me time to think or relax.
This just made my connect to Erik and his math all the closer. We both hate our task, have a huge obstacle to overcome, aren't naturally good at it, and don't get any enjoyment out of it. BINGO.
What's was unexpected was to find that Erik IS good at running. He enjoys going with me. He puts on his MP3 and I put on mine and off we go. He pushes me and sometimes I push him. It works pretty good and I don't know how I will complete the marathon without my little running partner.
As for now, I begin training as a novice runner, running in an experts race. I try to go out a few times a week with different friends who are available and up for the challenge. Follow us as we put our life into action and train for the many marathons of life!
I wrote this when I started to blog but lost the password so had to start again:
July 23, 2013
Trying this out from my phone so we will see how this goes but tonite I intended to register for the oh so scary half marathon in December. However the half was sold out with very few full marathon spots left. What did I do? I registered for the full! I am scared and excited all at once and the next couple weeks are going to be a huge eye opener. Training is going to have to become a huge priority. Right now I am over weight having recently gained a bit of weight back after a weight loss followed but the adoption of our first child.
Help keep me accountable and join me on my journey!
- Dream Big Jenn
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