A journey of heart & sole

This week was an eye-opener... in many ways. Truths from the week:

• We aren't superhuman.
• Sometimes, rest really is more important than working out or running the 4 miles scheduled.
• Sometimes, life gets crazy - and it's okay to be crazy with it.
• Coffee in mismatched mugs is the solution to all of life's problems.

I missed my friends this week. We all missed each other. I think that's the hard part of there being four of us. Coordinating four schedules to run/work out together is hard. Sometimes we are all here, sometimes we are not.

But for this post - I don't want to talk about how tough our run was this morning. We finished 6 miles...  woohoo - great - yay, we did it! Aside from all of that, I want to talk about these crazy wonderful women I run with.

The four of us were already friends when we started on this journey, some connections closer than others (Staci being the common denominator as previously mentioned). But I think I realized today that this love/hate relationship for half-marathon training has elevated us to a different level of friendship all together. After our run this morning, we met at Southbound for our usual eggs and bagels (separate, please!) and coffee. Did you know that if coffee is served in mix-match mugs, it's much better? Truly. And the conversation that followed? Priceless. This week was rough on all of us, I think. And today, we were brutally honest about running. We don't all love the process of and sometimes it's just hard. We were also able to stop and talk about our frustrations, antsy-ness, dreams and plans. It was much-needed.

That feeling beats any high mileage training run any day of the week.

Well it happened...

And by it... I mean that absolute pure desire to not run an inch of the 6 miles prescribed this weekend. I protested all the way through Saturday when I was able to push the run off until Sunday (thanks Toni!). I protested all the way from pushing the run back from the 8:30 - 9 a.m. run time we agreed on previously to 10 a.m. I tried my hardest to tell Toni we should just walk... She went to the bathroom before we started on our journey and I told her if I was gone when she returned... well, to not think terribly of me.

And I thought about quitting during the first half mile...
the first mile...
the second mile...
the third mile...
And every mile after. But we did it, and kept up a pretty great pace at that.

I love running. I do - but I hate running long distances. Sure, the glory of saying "Hey I ran 6 miles today - what did you do?" is fun. Who doesn't love the sassiness that Staci mentioned earlier? But the tired feeling, the sore ankles and knees and the desire to never move again as your body recoups? That - that I do not love.

But I do it anyway. Why? Because I'm a sucker for a challenge and apparently a glutton for pain and punishment.

For the Love of Running...

With the holiday of love upon us, I feel it is only appropriate to share a few things about the topic. No, I am not going to talk about why I love to run. Who ever said that was a love of mine? Not me. I do it, I don't always love it though. It's probably safe to assume that's true for all four of us.

No, instead I want to share some of the things I love when I run... A top 10 list... Here goes...

10. Stretching. I know this may sound lame, but I love that feeling of stretching out my legs before and after a run regardless of how long we are going. I am also a fan of yoga, which Samantha has referenced. Don't let her fool you, she did great at that class. She just didn't recover all that well...

9. The weather. Not something you can control by any stretch of the means, but something that affects my mood in the greatest way. When there is a bright, sunny day, but still slightly chilly, running can actually be fun for me. Give me hot and humid- 90% of the year in South MS- and you'll most likely get attitude.

8. Friendly waves from other runners. There seems to be an unspoken community among those frequenting one of our running locales. While the only interaction may be a slight hand movement in the general direction of the other while passing, there is that unspoken commonality- almost like you're in the same secret club... Cyclists who yell at you, well that's a whole different story.

7. Getting through the first half mile. If I am going to quit on a run, it most likely is going to happen in that first half mile. That's how long it takes me to think about hitting my stride and until that happens I am pretty much miserable. Once I get past it though, in my mind the worse part is over. Running is such a mental sport.

6. Distance/Pace Updates. I use RunKeeper on my phone. Jessica and Samantha use RunMeter. Regardless of what's being used, they both will give you updates on your distance and pace throughout your run. Last year I didn't use the update function while I ran, and I didn't really improve either. Now I listen to my pace so I know when I need to push harder.

5. Half-way points. Fittingly #5 is about being half-way done. Knowing I've finished half the run is almost like a second wind when I'm running. Every stride after that makes you more than half-way finished and one more step closer to being finished.

4. Post-Run Sensation. Even though you're hot, sweaty, and out of breath, that feeling after a run is like a high to me. I almost have this feeling of, "I don't care what you think about my sweaty clothes, I just ran. What did you do?".

3. Saturday Breakfast. Taking that sassy attitude from #4 straight to breakfast with the girls on Saturdays is a highlight of the day. The fresh bread and crazy yummy omelets while sipping coffee out of mismatched mugs is totally worth whatever long run Saturday brings.

2. DJ iPod Shuffle. When a good song hits the shuffle, the outlook on a run can be changed. I admit, I have too many songs in my playlist, and a good many of the songs do not belong on said playlist. So when a super awesome song comes on after a not-so motivating diddy, my mood changes. I am definitely guilty of letting the songs dictate my speed. A few songs that put a little pep in my step: Slow Motion, Thrift Stop, Paper Airplanes, Everybody Get Dangerous, Anything Could Happen, and Rompe.

1. The Company. I honestly wouldn't get through any of the runs if not for the ladies who run with me. Knowing I can look to my side and see one them gives me the motivation to continue and get better. They make me laugh, call me out when I'm being silly, keep me on my toes, share in celebrations, and always motivate me to be not just a better runner, but a better person. They're pretty much awesome...

So, there it is. My list of things that I love when running. What's on your list? A little VD challenge for you to come up with your own. Let's hear it ladies...

Behind the curve...

Suddenly you look up and see your fellow just4kick runners have posted again and you're the odd-ball out. #Iwillnotfallbehind.

That weekend everyone has mentioned so far when all of us had to solo run: I was at an Alpha Delta Pi leadership conference in Atlanta, GA. Fantastic because I haven't been able to participate in three years (I'm usually in France for work all spring). Awful because it's long, exhausting and I knew I had to get myself up extra early (it's Eastern time over there, folks) to run five.long.miles.ALONE.

I too, had only prepared for 50s weather, it was almost freezing, so to the treadmill I headed. Surprisingly there were several other women getting their exercise on that early in the morning sorority girls...I was lucky to find a free treadmill.

A TV! Well this ought to help the time go by, yes?

No! I quickly learned:

1. Treadmills are awful
2. Gyms - or perhaps just this one in general - make me claustrophobic
3. TVs mounted to a treadmill make me feel trapped, I like to see what's in front of me - even if it's just a mirror, there's that whole time-continuum thing that makes the room "feel" larger, right?
4. You can't naturally control your speed, having to think and move your hand to the controls to slow down or speed up your pace takes energy I'd rather spend on just running
5. There's no wind! Not even the fake kind that comes out of some machines, it got real hot, real fast
6. Nothing changes. BORING!

I started feeling dizzy at mile 4. When the spots started forming in the air around me at 4.5 I stopped to walk it off and didn't last long at that. I needed to sit down quickly and headed to the restroom. 

I failed at 5 that morning. It wasn't for lack of nourishment, but I might have over-carb-loaded the evening before on free bread before my over-priced-and-incredibly-small spinach salad I hate spending money I don't have at conferences.

I realized when I finally made it to the restroom that my shirt was on backwards...could it have contributed to my feeling trapped? And also explain why ladies kept looking at me as they walked behind me?

Overall I gave it my best shot, but did NOT like running without my girls, on that machine. 

Since that horrendous solo experience which I've gathered none of us enjoyed:

We ran four miles outside, on a somewhat hilly route Tuesday morning. Thanks to Samantha talking me through the last mile, I finished at a pace I'm proud of. But I hated it and would not have done what I did without her encouraging me. And I can't help but think I'm behind the curve and will forever be no matter how much training I put myself through - it's painful before, during and immediately after. I start with the group, but then after mile 2 I start to fall behind, and it feels physically impossible for me to keep pace either that or my friends are speeding up, grrrr.

This afternoon we're meeting to run 3 miles on the trace - it was too rainy this morning to go. JUST THREE. Staci said to me, "our goal is to finish under 30 Jess, we can do it". She can do it, I know, and I'll give it my best shot. And then we have to go to dance practice don't ask. 

I will say this, echoing Toni's reflections: the rest of the 23 hours in my day on training days, I feel great...and for that I'll keep on keeping on. 

I also think it will help come race day to have a t-shirt with my name printed on the front for the crowd to cheer me on - great idea Samantha!

Just keep woppin'

Who is the queen of justifiable excuses? Me.

My bed is warm.

I'm really tired.

I can run after work.

It's raining...

I feel a cold coming on.

I didn't go to bed early enough.

I have a long day at work, planned.

If there is an excuse to have when I wake up in the morning, it goes through my mind. MOST of the time - it doesn't work. I drudge out of bed at an unfortunate hour and I change into my workout clothes and hit the door. Some days, however? It does. It totally wins. Last Friday, I skipped AT because my bed was warm and I was TIRED of being cold. This morning? I just wanted to sleep. I will say; however, that it's VERY hard to skip a run or a workout when you know three other people are counting on you. There's also the harassment text messages that are sure to follow when you do skip *ahem Jess*. I am getting to the point where it's just harder (for me) to fathom running more than five-six miles, and the mental battle that goes on each morning while I am putting on my shoes is pretty brutal. I think back to every other person who asks me WHY I choose to get up before the birds and run. Do I enjoy torture? Apparently, but what doesn't challenge you doesn't change you. Yeah, yeah. That's my motivational spiel. Let's move onto better things... like the music that keeps us going.

As Toni mentioned, she added some new music to her arsenal for the Saturday run. I have an unhealthy obsession with iTunes. I can also grow tired of a song pretty quickly - so my running playlist changes pretty frequently (some songs staying and rotating others off after I realize that don't get me moving). Recently, a night at Staci's led to us going through her old mixed CDs. Not mix-tapes, but mix CDs. There is a difference, but we do at least remember mix-tapes. Ask your random 12-year old about what a mix-tape is and they will stare blankly at you - but I digress.

Where were we? The music. Some folks might laugh at my oddly mixed grouping of music, but I love it. No matter how old or new - if it picks up my pace - it's worth it. During our first 5-mile run, Staci asked me why I slowed down at one point... I slowed down because I thought I was going to die - but I told her because J. Dash told me to "Wop it slow." I mean...

The mix is quite a variety of uptempo and fast tempo songs. I need something that gets me up and going... and I also need it to be loud. I am most positive that I will be hearing impaired by an early age, but that's another story all together. See below for my latest playlist! Staci, Jess and Toni might have more to say about what gets them moving... challenge post, perhaps?

It's about 30 songs... Usually it's shorter, but I've lengthened it so that when I play through it on shuffle - I don't run to the same stuff every run.

1. The Man Who Never Lied - Maroon 5
2. One More Night - Maroon 5
3. Wipe Your Eye - Maroon 5
4. Whistle - Flo Rida
5. Blow Me One Last Kiss - Pink
6. Your Body - Christina Aguilera
7. I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphy's
8. Die Young - Ke$ha
9. Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkson
10. I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift
11. Rest of My Life - Usher, David Guetta & Ludacris
12. Belas Finals - Pitch Perfect Soundtrack
13. Trebles Finals - Pitch Perfect Soundtrack
14. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
15. On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons
16. Suit & Tie - Justin Timberlake & JAY Z
17. Wop - J. Dash
18. Sure Be Cool If You Did - Blake Shelton
19. It's Time - Imagine Dragons
20. Addicted - Simple Plan
21. Anything Could Happen - Ellie Goulding
22. Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet
23. Aw Naw - Nappy Roots
24. Hollaback Girl - No Doubt
25. I Feel So - Boxcar Racer
26. I'm Just a Girl - No Doubt
27. Jaded - Aerosmith
28. Rompe - Daddy Yankee
29. Say I Yi Yi - Ying Yang Twins
30. Shoop - Salt-n-Peppa
31. Slow Motion - Juvenile
32. Spider Web - No Doubt
33. That Thing - Lauryn Hill
34. Thrift Shop - Mackelmore ft. Wanz
35. Toxic - Britney Spears
36. We are Young - Fun

Got any good songs? Let us know!

Strides and Setbacks

So this past Saturday, as can be gathered from previous posts, was a sort of scattered long-run day for us ladies. Samantha and I didn’t have to battle treadmills/heat/Al Bundy (yikes!), just the whole getting-out-of-bed on a Saturday morning thing. So we didn’t. We went in the evening. And you know what? It was great! With a new arsenal of running music (Sorry Michael Buble, I appreciate your continuous encouragements of “you’ve got what it takes” but I can only run to mellow for so long…) and Sam to make me keep going, we did 5 miles – with our last mile at the fastest pace yet! That was my first time ever to run 5 miles, and around mile 4, I really did feel like I hit a kind of stride – it felt good!

My body has been actually (weirdly) craving that feeling again, not so much the rolling out of bed, but moving is kind of addicting. I don’t know (yet) if for me that always has to mean running. But running is working, and I like it and how I feel when it’s done.

And that leads into the “setbacks” part referred to in the title. So my boyfriend was sick all weekend, sick enough to stay home from work, and half the people in my department are sick. All with various levels of cold/sinus/bronchitis/flu-like stuff. So I don’t know where it came from exactly, but I can’t breathe, my ears are popping, my brain is doped up on decongestants and cough and headache stuff, blah blah blah. Nothing crazy, I’m not dying, but I’m really annoyed!!!! I’m still working, and I’ve been a beast in the kitchen the last few days (another story entirely. whew.), but I know my body would revolt if I pushed it any harder than I already am (and maybe shouldn’t be. Oh well.)

So I haven’t run since Saturday!!!! Ugh.

I was also planning to join the rest of the crew in the craziness known to as AT downtown this week. Awesome. L But I guess all I can really do for now is do what I have to do, take care of myself as best I know how, and get better so I can get back to it!

So I apologize if this is the most boring/whiny blog post yet (it is) – I blame it on the phenylephrine (and hey – it’s only my second blog post to ever really write anyway!) I miss my friends and am ready to run with everyone again…crossing my fingers for next time, or at least by Saturday!!!

One Is the Loneliest Number...

Well, maybe not always, but when it comes to long runs the title of this post is oh-so-true!

This past week was unique in that our crew of four did not get to run our regular schedule. Samantha missed out on Tuesday due to my pushing her in hot yoga Monday night. I missed Thursday's run with the group due to the fact that I was out of town in Tallahassee for a conference.  In a new city with a 4-mile run on tap, I decided that running would be the best way to experience Florida State University campus. So bright and early on a much unexpected chilly morning, I was ready to run.

Remember how we were introducing hills into our training? As I began my run from the hotel to campus, I quickly realized that my hotel sat on the top of a very, very big hill, we can call it a monster. Getting to campus took no time whatsoever (literally half a mile down hill), but I knew I couldn't forget this would be waiting for me at the end. Being in a new city, I set RunKeeper to alert me at every half mile (I'll get antsy not knowing how far I've gone in a new city), which was super helpful. I honestly did not make a route for this run, just glanced over a map to get a feel for the layout of campus in relation to my hotel. I knew the main street names that would lead me back. I'm proud to say that I only vaguely got lost. Knowing I would eventually find my way back, I didn't panic and pressed on making for a great, fun run. During this run I saw the full extent of FSU stadium, found a peaceful nature trail, made my way down Legacy Walk and completed my 4 miles before ending at the base of the monster hill my hotel sat upon. The extra half mile uphill was just icing on the cake. If you're ever on FSU campus, I would definitely suggest running through-around-by-in-across (and all those other fun prepositions) it-- beautiful campus!

Yes, I know I just described a great solo run. Not all solo runs are terrible. So how does this fit with the title? Well, while I was out of town I missed not one, but two runs with my gal pals. Fast forward to Saturday's 5-miles and I was miserable. After such a great time on Thursday, I was sooo looking forward to a repeat, but the weather had different plans. When I needed to run, the weather wanted to be in the low 30s. Too cold? Yes, when you prepared for 50 degree weather. There was no going out for a run without my cold-weather gear, which I didn't pack. It's Florida, how knew?! So to the hotel gym I went where I was forced to climb upon the dreaded treadmill. Boo! The best I can say is that it sucked. Bad. I was ready to call it quits after mile 1. 1! I knew though I would have to tell the group if I didn't keep going. So somehow, somewhere I pulled out 5 miles at a most terribly yuck pace. Alone in the fitness center, I only had the hum of the treadmill and episodes of "Married with Children" to watch. I'll be the first to say Al Bundy is not a great motivator to run, unless you're running away, which on a treadmill you can't- you're not going anywhere.

Some training days can be great and then the next terrible. I know I wouldn't get far without my girls to lift my spirits along the way and hold me accountable. I would say the best thing about training has been the group. Knowing that someone is going to bust you when you mess up and then celebrate you when you do good. Everyone needs that sometimes. I know I'm not alone in this and that makes it so much easier.