Sunrises

Sunday mornings often come way too early for me. Sunday is one of my long run days and I try really hard to get my run in before church so Ben and I can have the afternoon doing fun things (or work, homework, and taxes). This morning, the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed when the alarm clock went off, especially after doing a long run yesterday. I snoozed for 20 minutes before rolling out of bed. Ben ran the first two miles with me and then I set off to do nine more miles on my own.

After about three quarters of a mile, I stopped briefly to stretch my calves. When I turned around, I was reminded of yet another reason I love running. The sunrise was amazing! I took longer to stretch just so I could take it in. It is in these moments that I am so thankful I rolled out of bed before most of the rest of the world is even awake to get a run in!

Tony

People are motivated to run (and keep running) for a variety of reasons. Even though I am currently training with a goal in mind, each days motivation can be slightly different for me. Often, running is an outlet. It is often a time where I spend a lot of the best time in prayer and in thought. It is also a time where I do not have to think at all and can be completely silent. It is amazing where my mind goes.

On Friday morning, my grandfather, Anthony (Tony) Baal passed away. Although I knew he was declining rapidly, it happened much more quickly than I expected. He was an awesome grandfather who lived a life of service to his family and his country.

Many tears were shed at the fact that he is gone from this world forever. I spent a good portion of the day between my visits on the phone with various family members. At the end of the day, I was still in a funk (who wouldn’t be?), so I decided to go on a run. For some reason (probably because it was cold and dark and I was running alone), I decided to treadmill it up.

I went to the gym for a five mile run. When I got back to the locker room, it struck me that my grandfather is gone, but what had I thought about for the last 50 minutes? To be honest, I had thought about nothing at all, which is exactly what I needed to do. I was more at peace after that run.

Today, I went for another long run alone and outside. My mind went somewhere completely different. Memories of my grandfather came back to me (these often go hand in hand with memories of my grandma, who passed away last year). He preferred to be called Grumpa instead of Grandpa and for a period of time, that was all I remember him responding to.  He is the only person (apart from my grandma) who has gotten away with calling me Becky.

Grumpa owned a choose and cut Christmas tree farm. During the summers, we would go out and help plant trees and place fertilizer. In the winter, we would head up to the property on the weekends and help sell trees. He always smelled like dirt, not in a bad way, but in a way that was unique. His cheeks were always rosey. Grumpa had a very unique walk as a result of two knee replacements and years of damage to them. When he chose to talk about his time in the military during World War II, you knew you had better listen because he always had a great story to tell and you were not sure when or if he would talk about it again.

Grumpa used to get stuck on the couch at the end of the day. At least, he would pretend he was stuck so he could challenge two of the grand kids to pull him up to standing. I don’t think we ever succeeded. Grumpa always had a fire going in his pot bellied stove during the winter and during the summer, he would set up the hammock in the front yard.

Grumpa loved to speak German whenever he had the chance and loved to roll his R’s. The older he got, the more stubborn he became. I remember visiting one time with the whole family, and noticing he had taken his hearing aids out. When I asked about this, he informed me that he sometimes preferred to take his ears out and just watch. He was the best patient (so he said) and would always talk about the beautiful nurses he met.

I remember hearing stories of the trips to the mountains Grumpa would take with my mom and aunts and uncle and hearing about his love of the outdoors. I never did get to go on one of those trips, but I do think of him often when I look at the mountains.

Again, it is amazing where my mind goes when running. I did not get to say good-bye but these memories are worth having and worth being reminded of. Grumpa Baal, may you rest in peace.

Shorts… in January

Today in Denver the weather was an amazingly sunny 60 degrees. Because of work schedules, I have been unable to take advantage of other good weather days this week. When I saw the forecast last night, I decided to “attempt” to run before a memorial service for a friend this morning, but in all honesty, knew I could not resist running in the afternoon.

Running in shorts is incredible. During the winter months, it feels like getting ready takes forever with checking the forecast, figuring out the layers, figuring out the order of the layers, and then finally getting dressed. It is also so easy to forget what my legs actually look like. Needless to say, today, I dressed in under three minutes for my 12 mile run after choosing a pair of shorts and a short sleeved tech shirt.

It is amazing how a pair of shorts and a little warm weather with sunshine can make a twelve mile run alone seem so glorious! I know that tomorrow will likely be back to the layers (I do think we are forecasted for a snow dusting), but for today, I will revel in the remembrance of what my legs look like and will continue to long for and appreciate the all too timely arrival of spring!

The Ordinary

So, it has been a while since I last posted. I have been trying to think about what to write about as life in my running world has been pretty uneventful. Ben is still injured and we had to withdraw from a marathon this weekend for many reasons, including the injury (turns out, it is good we are in town this weekend as there is a memorial service for a friend of ours tomorrow!). I continue to train for the next race (half marathon in April, full in May). We have been looking at 50 milers and trying to make a decision about which one to do. Apart from that, there is not a whole lot new going on.

As I was thinking about this last night during my dark run home from meeting a friend to do a few miles with her, I could not help but think about how much beauty is in the ordinary of every day running. It can be easy to get bored when working towards a goal that seems so far off, but it is in these silent moments that I am reminded me that there is nothing wrong with ordinary!  The fact that I get to put on running shoes and just go is amazing and extraordinary. The exhilaration after most runs (we all have our bad days!) is simply incredible. It is in the ordinary that we see results and are reminded of why we run. It can be so easy to focus on goals that we forget the days where we try to slow down and consistently being faster than normal. There is nothing ordinary in getting home from a run with the dog and seeing him almost instantly go to sleep. It is extraordinary to continue to see friends motivated to run, even when life gets tough.

It is in the ordinary, simple, nothing huge runs that makes us stronger as runners and as people. So, even though running might seem boring or ordinary, I will keep on going and will continue to find joy in the little things and in the time of growth.

Speed work

I

Hate(d?)

Speed work

I was a distance runner and water polo player in high school. Let me clarify, I loved racing the two mile in track. One year in high school, one of my track coaches (who clearly did not know me very well), decided I should be a sprinter, or at least run mid-distance.  I will never forget the time I got back from a training run and he looked at me and said something like “How was the run? Ready for 800 mile repeats? Good!” and sent me off to do what felt like an endless number of reps after I had already completed my workout. It became so bad that I started to strategically place my bag outside of the track fence so that I could return from my run, grab my bag, and wait for my ride in the parking lot. I was always hiding from him! He suggested once that I run the 800m at a race and I cannot remember my exact reaction, but I made it very clear that it was not happening.

When Ben started to run with me, we would occasionally do fartleks. My favorite runs have always been long distance runs. To this day, I need a good several miles to warm up (sometimes 10-12) and then I settle into a groove. Weird, I know. A few training cycles ago, we decided to modify our training plan and use an adapted Hansons-Brooks plan, which, go figure, does include speed work. We decided to do our first speed workout at one of the local tracks. Oh, how inadequate I felt running with Ben (and unhappy my legs were!)! We continued to do speed work and somehow was getting faster and stronger (we also added plyometrics about this time). After several of these dreaded yet successful work outs, including one in which I had some of the most dreadful shin splints I have ever experienced, I ended up injured and side lined for what felt like a very long time!

I never have been able to figure out what exactly caused my injury and have wondered if something I did that night may have at least contributed to my injury. Needless to say, there has been a fear associated with doing speed work specifically. Since coming back from my injury, I have started to notice a general increased speed in the majority of my runs.

This week we started another training cycle and again are using an adapted and slightly different version of the same plan. And yes, it does still include speed work. Ben is still injured, which of course, means speed work on my own for now… which also means I have to push myself. Well, tonight was the first night of speed work, so I looked up my 10k race pace and decided to try to go a little faster than that for my intervals. I debated about using a treadmill or just going outside and opted to run at a park that has 1.5 mile loops.

The run started out a little rough, with some guy mumbling as I ran past (this of course, increased my warm up pace) but turned into an awesome run. I cannot remember the last time four miles went by that fast. I know I have a lot of work to do in terms of speed, but I had such a fun time tonight and even had to slow myself on a couple of the intervals to stay within range. Awesome!

Well, speed work and I might slowly be becoming friends. I am excited to see how this might pay off in the long run and look forward to the next speed workout with less fear (although some still exists) and more excitement. I guess training ones weak areas might not be such a bad thing after all.

The Year in Review

With the New Year practically here, I think it is a fair time to look back on the joys of the year. This year has been a pretty awesome year for us! A lot of really awesome things (and a few challenges) happened outside of running, but since this really is a blog focused on running, I will keep it there.

We have also had a really big year with running. We totaled over 330 miles in races alone this past year. Since the start of 2011, we have completed four marathons and three half marathons (ok, I completed two but set out to do three, more on that in a bit). We successfully crossed the Gore-Tex Transrockies finish line after covering 120 miles in 6 days… and we were still in one place. This month, we completed our first ever 30 mile run (and hit our 5^th marathon distance this year). We set a half marathon PR. We also set a marathon PR at our first marathon of the year and beat it by quite a bit at our last marathon of the year. I also had the opportunity to complete a several races and runs with people who were setting firsts in their own running lives. A handful of our friends started running more consistently and have joined us for training runs, which has been a real joy!

Our training for all of our successes is where a lot of the adventure lies. This year, as part of our training program, we modified the type of lifting we do and added plyometrics, which led to some pretty awesome strength gains. During our marathon training, we added speed work and got back onto a track, which I have not done since high school. I took an entire month off of running and struggled through an injury of my own. That month was one of the most difficult times, yet I learned so much during that time.

A lot of our training runs were on trails this year. I maintain a love/hate relationship with trails as they have a tendency to kick my butt, yet I love the experience. Our trail running enabled us to see so many miles of beautiful Colorado back country. We even ran a 14er this year (as much as a 14er can be run)! We also got to see a lot of Denver as we explored new areas and revisited old areas. My balance was tested quite a bit this summer, as I did experience more falls this year than in my entire time running. Thankfully, none of these resulted in serious injuries!

With all of the joys and hardships, I learned a lot this past year. Through my experience of being injured, I was reminded that I cannot find all of my identity in running. I was constantly reminded to be grateful for things that we so often take for granted- legs with which to run, eyes with which to see, friends we meet along the way, etc. I learned that you can always give a little more than you ever thought to be possible. Runners are a unique bunch of people, trail runners appear to be even more unique. Based on my experience this past year, trail runners tend to be much more friendly and less inclined to leave you when you are down.

I also learned that sunscreen is beyond valuable and body glide really does come in handy. I learned that gaiters are an amazing piece of apparel to add to your gear, especially ones of the Dirty Girl variety. Hats are awesome, sunglasses a must when in the snow. Blisters are a way of life and I will likely never have a full set of toe nails, at least that last more than a month. Listen to people who give advice, especially prior to a race at which you are a newbie and they are not. This can be so valuable! Paying for running shoes at a specialty shoe store is well worth it in the long run. Avon makes an amazing insect repellant that does not sweat off or stink and is perfect on trail runs. Being injured sucks big time, but getting back into running comes with a new appreciation and perspective and is absolutely amazing! Smart wool socks are still my sock of preference. Running with poles on a trail probably takes someone with a little more coordination than I have. I think I have also finally figured out which combination of fuel is just right for me.

I also learned that I need a warm up time in just about everything. I really love long distance running and revel in what Ben has termed “the suck.” It is important to be flexible with schedules as they often change and life happens. Running at speeds that are not comfortable is a good thing to do every once in a while. Beer is still the best post-long run beverage out there. Running with other people is also a good thing to do and allows you to be challenged or you to do the challenging. It is important to remember to look around and enjoy your surrounding while you are running… things can so easily get missed.

Overall, this past year has been a great year for running. That being said, I look forward to welcoming the New Year and all of the new adventures that will be had. Happy New Year and keep on running!!

Jackets... for the furry creatures

When we got Brewer, our 70 pound weimaraner, we thought it was unusual that he had very little hair and would get so cold during the winter months. He was known to shiver at stop lights while running the first we had him. One of Ben’s regular customers heard about this and gave us a bomber jacket that her dog had once used. Yes, it even has the furry looking collar. I am sure we looked like quite a strange bunch while running with a dog in a bomber jacket! Runs were still miserable and people standing next to us at stop lights looked at us like we were abusing the poor guy as he whimpered the time away. We did recently find out that he has alopecia, which explains the general lack of hair.

Finally, we caved and decided to buy Brewer a winter jacket. Conveniently, steepandcheap.com, one of my favorite gear sites (and one that if you are not familiar with, I would suggest that you do so right now!) had a water/wind proof jacket for over 50 % off. We took a gamble with his size and ordered him a Ruffwear Cloud Chaser Soft Shell Jacket.

When it arrived, I could not help but feel that his jacket was cooler than any piece of gear I currently owned. The fit was just right and it does block water quite well. The underside covers enough of his body that he is not completely dirty when we get home. The jacket also has reflective piping that shows up quite nicely in the beam of car headlights as they drive by. The jacket has withstood much time and abuse and is still going strong. Brewer still does whine at stop lights (and when we stop to rest or take pictures when hiking) but it is significantly less!

For those of you looking for something to keep that poor pooch of yours warm during these winter months, this is a purchase neither of you will regret!!