Running Post, 2022 Edition

One guarantee about race photos:  they *will* be goofy.  Finish line happiness right here.

 I ran The Biggest Little Half Martahon last weekend, so that means it's time for another running post!  I know running is not everyone's cup of tea, but if it's any consolation, at least it's not politics :).  This post will have some thoughts on the unique contours of running during covid, and training as an over 40 runner.

Running During Covid:  Don't It Always Seem to Go, that You Don't Know What You Got til It's Gone

This was my first race of any kind for 3 years.  I had planned to run this same half marathon in the spring of 2020, and had worked my way a good way up the training ladder (meaning, doing longer and longer training runs on the weekend), and then covid rolled in and shut everything down.  All races were cancelled throughout America for the rest of 2020 and into the early part of 2021.  

Despite the pause in racing, running was a terrific outlet during covid.  It was really a great boredom and anxiety reliever, especially during the spring and summer of 2020.  Those early weeks, I would go out on the trail by our house almost every night - thankfully, it was never very busy, and it was easy enough to keep a gaiter around my neck in case I happened to run into people.  Running was about the only thing I did outside of the house, and it provided endorphins from exercise, Vitamin D from sunshine, some peace and quiet for this introvert, and a chance to enjoy beautiful nature.  Those evening runs through the canyon were great, even on days when the running part itself was hard.

By late spring / early summer of 2021, races started to appear back on the scene, but there were still problems:  some of the small businesses that put on races weren't able to stay in business after a year of no races, so there were fewer races happening; the numbers of participants and volunteers were (understandably) still very low, and meanwhile cities (understandably) had all kinds of extra rules about masking and social distancing and other covid protocols, so races often got cancelled at the last minute; and you didn't know exactly if and when your own family was going to get hit by covid and then you lose 6-8 weeks of training and your entire fitness base.  I started to train for a few races in the fall of 2021, but for all these reasons, didn't end up running a race.  

Race day outfit!

So it was really, really, really exciting this spring to see races returning in all their glory, with full participation and no restrictions.  The whole ritual of race weekend is fun: picking up the packets; carbo loading the night before, then laying out your outfit; lining up at the starting line with a throng of people, then taking off together at the starting gun; running past the supportive people blasting music or

holding up funny signs; grabbing a water from the aid station and trying to drink it without choking; struggling through those last few miles and swearing you'll never do this again; running the last block as hard as you can and feeling glorious as you cross the finish line; collapsing somewhere nearby until your legs feel capable of moving again; congratulating fellow finishers and just being around hundreds of other people who find this strange, beautiful, torturous race a good time.  Cheers to the Biggest Little Half, and cheers to the return of half marathons!

Running After Age 40

This was my 5th half marathon.  I did the first two in my 20s, and I think that version of me would be shocked to know that I was still running half marathons decades later.  I first tried it out because I wanted to see if I could do it and I wanted to have the experience with my mom (who is an awesome runner with a PR that I am still chasing, and who gave me the running bug!).  I did follow a training plan, but I don't remember giving a single thought to things like what should I eat (other than, it made me super hungry and there were lots of Dairy Queen blizzards), how much should I sleep, or how should I stretch and recover.

Like eating toothpaste style nutrition supplements in the middle of the run!

That's the big difference, running in your 40s - you give lots of thought to all these things.  If I eat fast food or drink alcohol the day before a long run, it's not going to go well.  If I don't get 8-9 hours of sleep, same thing.  (This might've been true in the days before kids, too, but it's not as hard to do before kids :).  As far as recovery:  I stretch my hamstrings now about ten times a day, we have 4 ice packs in our freezer, we have a Theragun ready to go for sore muscles, and turmeric is one of the regular daily vitamins.

The other thing that's different about running at age 41 is that I realize each training cycle where I'm healthy enough to run is a gift, not a given.  God willing, I have decades left of life, but not necessarily decades of endurance running - you don't know when the injury or health issue will hit that brings this chapter to a close.  So it makes me increasingly grateful each year that my body is able to support this effort, and it makes me want to give a full effort on race day.  

Having said that -- this is also a really fun, inspired year to be a middle aged runner.  New female American records for both marathon and half marathon were set this last year --  the half marathon record is now held by Sarah Hall, mother of 4, who achieved the record  at age 38; the full marathon record is now held Keira D'Amato, mother of 2, who achieved the record this year at age 37.   These women give me hope and inspiration that if they can run their strongest at this age / life stage, then many of us non-elite runners at a similar age / stage should also be able to give it a strong go.  So I'm not saying that my running years are necessarily close to over, or even that I'm ruling out a PR in the future.  Just that I'm increasingly thankful for the gift of a healthy body as the years tick by.   (Note:  in the week between when I started this post and got around to finishing, a new record was set in the women's half - but the point still stands.)

If any of you reading this are runners, tell me:  what's your favorite distance to race?  What's your favorite part of the race?  

Reno's Biggest Little Half Marathon

Sweet, sweet finish line

 This last weekend, I ran Reno's Biggest Little Half Marathon.  I've written a couple posts about running before, but going through another training cycle always produces fresh inspiration, so here we go!

Why do a half marathon?

There are a ton of reasons one might have to do this race - here are my top 3:

1.  I've been pregnant or nursing for approximately 7 of the last 9 years, so i fancied this training and race as a declaration of bodily independence.  Kind of a funny way to do it, since a dramatic uptick in exercise makes you tired and sore a lot of the time, makes you think carefully about your eating and drinking and sleeping, and especially towards the end, you plan your entire schedule and slate of activities around it - sounds quite a lot like being pregnant, no?

2.  I wanted to use this race as a way to get back in shape.  I've been telling friends throughout these training months that I'm not a runner, but it's more accurate to say that I'm a former athlete who really ratcheted down the intensity of workouts during my baby years.  Doing a half marathon makes me feel like a legit runner again.  Not the best, not the most consistent, not the mentally toughest - but a runner nonetheless.  And it feels good to be back in the saddle.

My girls dressed "sporty" the morning of the run

3.  I wanted to take the opportunity to role model strength and healthy living for my kids, and particularly for my daughters.  They're all young, but they actually really noticed that I was running more.  Before my weekend long runs, they would sometimes ask to join me and then start running laps around the living room to demonstrate that they could do it.  About 6 weeks into the training, when I was seriously contemplating quitting, Zoey told me that she thought I was so brave and strong for running such a long race, and that was more than enough motivation to keep going for the remaining 6 weeks. 

How was the training?

My training this time around was not as intense as it could've been (i followed this training plan, but with slightly longer long runs at the end).  I chose a minimal miles training plan, and I sprinkled my longer runs with walking breaks.  My goal was just to make it across the finish line, not to achieve a particular time goal.  (Though i would still love to break 2 hours sometime in my life - putting it out there now.) 

I chose the take it (relatively) easy training approach partly because i was not in great shape going into this, but mostly because I wanted this to fit into the rest of our family's life as much as possible.  Kenny did generously give me more hours on the weekend to get in long runs, but I wanted to have enough reserves of energy outside of the actual running minutes to attend to all the other activities of life - kid birthday parties and trampoline parks and hikes, homework and occupational therapy and baths, cooking and laundry and dishes - all the things. 

That said, even with the take-it-easy approach, training for a  half marathon is hard work.  Especially in that last month, you're putting in a full effort.  It feels really good to work hard and accomplish a discrete task, and then it's a relief to knock the mileage back down when you're done.  (Although it also feels a little aimless once the race is over - anyone else feel this way?)

Nevada-shaped finisher's medal

How was the race?

Here are some things to know about the Biggest Little Half Marathon if you're considering running it in the future:

• It's small (this year, there were 336 finishers).  The pros of this are that you can easily find friends who are running it, the course is never over-crowded, and it would theoretically be easier to place.  The cons are that it feels like much less of a whole community event than the races with thousands of runners and there is virtually no crowd support other than the aid stations and sweet family members who come to cheer you on.  
• It's an out and back and it's combined with a 5K and 10K, so this means at various points you will have people blazing by you (but you will also probably get the chance to blaze by other people yourself).  
• It's hilly right in the middle, especially miles 8-9.  I specifically avoided running hills during my long training runs and that was a mistake.
• Reno is at altitude - if you live and train here, that won't be an issue, but if you're coming from out of town, be aware that we're almost a mile high.
• It's a beautiful course - mountain and Truckee River views some of the way, along a lake for another part, through scenic neighborhoods, and starting and ending at the iconic downtown arch - they chose a very pleasant route (other than those darn hills!).  
• It's very well run - lots of aid stations, started on time, lots of good support at the finish, and a sweet finisher's medal. 

Congrats to all those of you who are also training for or just finished half marathons of your own!  What's your favorite half marathon you've ever run and why? 

Day 24: I am Thankful I Pushed Myself When I...

I'm thankful I pushed myself each of the three times I've run a half marathon.  I'm not really a runner, at least not in the same sense as those people who have built running in as a regular part of their adult life.  One one hand, I'm an ex-athlete who used to work out rigorously 6 times per week in high school and college.  On the other hand, I didn't do more than walk for workouts during each of my three pregnancy and post-partum years.  But there are three times in my adult life where I've managed to squeeze in 6 months of intensive running, enough to complete a half marathon each time.  I'm grateful that I pushed myself to do this because it feels really good, physically and mentally, to be in peak physical shape; because it gives you a good baseline of fitness even as you ramp down from the race training schedule; and because it feels like an accomplishment to run 13 miles in a row.  But most of all, I'm grateful to have done it because you realize that, while physical conditioning helps, a lot of the battle in completing endurance races is mental - and this is so much like life.  I think practicing and building mental fortitude under these artificial circumstances helps you with mental fortitude needed for other things in life that are way more important, and I'm grateful for the chance to build up mental strength. 

(Fun fact:  I'm hoping to do another half here in Reno in May.  The small handful of you who are reading these thankful posts can keep me accountable!)

On Half Marathoning (to run or not to run)

<-----This quote is the opposite of how I feel about running.  Nevertheless, every few years, I get the notion that it would be a good idea to sign up for a half marathon.  And after the fact - after the race is over and enough days have passed that i can start walking without a limp - I'm always really glad I did it.

This weekend, I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach.  The Shamrock is a fun, well-run race.  It might be unique in setting:  2/3rds near the ocean, 1/3rd through a military base.  It was fun to see everyone dressed up in green to go with the St. Patrick's Day theme.  If you're into drinking beer during the race, there's an opportunity at almost every mile (i can barely stomach water when i'm running, so no beer on the course for me), as well as a big party tent on the beach at the end serving Irish stew and Yuengling.  The race course is relatively flat and fast, and the parts near the beach are scenic (not so much through the military base).  The weather is a big wild card in March, but we got a perfect day:  50 degrees and dry throughout the race.  I enjoyed this race and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and fast half.

After-race selfie

Here are some of the pros and cons of running a half-marathon:

The impressive finisher's medal

Pros:
- Race day is super fun.  You're there with thousands of people who are pumped about running.  You get to run along one of the most scenic routes in the city while police officers make traffic stop for you.  You get swag (at the Shamrock, we got: t-shirt, running hat, giant finisher's medal, beach towel, beer, and Irish stew).  It's a fun event and if you get through all your training runs and make it to the actual race, you will have a good time.
- It's a good motivator to get in shape.
- It's inspirational to see the various good things people are doing as part of their race -- raising money for cancer research, pushing non-ambulatory family members in jogging chairs, running alongside blind runners as guides (i thought of you, Emily Cropper!).  Not to mention the hundreds of volunteers who wake up at the crack of dawn to help out with the race and cheer on runners.  So much human kindness going on.
- Running a race that's a double digit number of miles feels (to me) like a real accomplishment.
-There are moments in training where you will want to quit.  If you can push past those moments and keep going, it builds your mental toughness.

Cons:
-  While the race itself is very fun, the vast majority of your time will be spent on solitary training runs in preparation for the main event.  (Unless you find a running buddy or you are a 25 year old wunderkind who can do one 6 mile run the weekend before and that's your entire training plan.)  So if you don't like time spent alone, or you find running to be boring / tedious / painful, or you are already short on time and energy...this might not be the best time to sign up for a long race.  Half marathons are very doable if exercise is already a regular part of your life (meaning 3-4 times per week for at least an hour per workout session), but they are still a commitment, and if you don't like running at least a little bit, then this probably isn't the event for you.
- Once you pick a training schedule, it's easy to get obsessive about following it, and then frustrating when inevitable problems come up (illness, minor injury, busyness) and you have to shrink the quantity or quality of your miles for awhile.

This was my first half marathon since becoming a parent, so here are some ways that half marathon training felt different after having kids:

My training frenemy, the treadmill

- This might be a big "duh", but my overall energy level was a lot lower when I trained as a parent as opposed to training before I was a parent.  The weekend long runs actually felt easier, maybe because they were a nice break from the same-every-day home routine.  But the weekday runs, and finding the energy to make it through regular life, got pretty hard as my mileage went over 20 miles per week.  There was one stretch that was particularly difficult - we had 2 weeks of snow days and Kenny was away at a conference for part of that time.  It was *really* hard, after finally getting the kids to bed for the night, to choose to get on the treadmill for an hour rather than just collapsing on the couch with a glass of wine to watch TV.  (Lest anyone feel bad for me due to my (self imposed) (first world) problem of a running schedule, I cut my mileage in half during that week and I definitely still finished the day with wine and Facebook.)
- It was nice to feel like I had an identity other than "mom" during the time I spent running.  Also, it was nice to have a project with a beginning, middle, and end.  (Which is not something that happens a lot when your job is parenting young kids.)
-When running outdoors, I triple checked before crossing intersections (and also tried to make eye contact and exchange waves with turning drivers), as I care a lot more about making it home in one piece and less about looking cool.

These were the tunes on my Ipod Shuffle that got me through the runs:
Black Keys (El Camino), Decemberists (The King is Dead), Jennifer Knapp (The Collection), Guster (Lost and Gone Forever), Beck (Guero), Kanye (Late Registration), LeCrae (Gravity & Anomaly), Trip Lee (Good Life), various 90s / early 2000s hip-hop and R&B.
[I was really hoping that there would be a sequence where the Shuffle played Beck followed by Destiny's Child followed by Kanye, because the Grammies, but sadly that never happened.]

One other random fact about half marathons:  when I was at the end stages of labor and delivery with Joshua, my sister-in-law was running a very hilly half marathon in San Francisco.  Going through some difficult moments of labor, one of my motivating thoughts was, "at least i'm not running 13.1 miles up and down the hills of San Francisco".  Thank you for that, Naomi :).

Resolutions

This is a post about New Year's resolutions.  It's kind of funny to be writing a post about resolutions a whole week into the new year, when some new resolutions have already been dropped, but, in the words of my former landlord, "It is what it is."  Some people don't like the idea of resolutions because they are so often dropped and because efforts towards positive change should be happening continually, not just once a year.  But for me, it's helpful to have an annual occasion to think about goal setting, or i would very easily forget to think about it at all.  Here are a few things I think about when forming resolutions:

• Keep it manageable.  I think this is the very biggest thing for making resolutions that will stick.  It's tempting to set lofty, impressive goals.  For example, last year I really wanted to get back into the habit of running, and I thought (*briefly*) about resolving to run a marathon, because  how awesome would it be to post that finish line picture on Facebook?  But starting from a routine where I was running 0 miles per week, that was an unrealistic goal.  I needed something much more modest, and much less Facebook worthy, if I actually wanted to accomplish it.  
• Think of broad categories in which you want to see self-improvement.  For me, 3 categories that I want to work on almost every year are health and fitness, spirituality, and learning.  So I try to choose a resolution in each category to keep things well rounded and avoid burn out in any one area.  
• Keep it specific and measurable.  This means saying exactly what you're going to do and how often you're going to do it.  So, instead of saying "eat healthy" or even "eat more vegetables", I would say "eat a salad containing 4 types of vegetables, 5 times per week".  
• Think about the flow of your year and plan accordingly.  There are some times of year where it's much harder to get things done, and other times where you have extra time and you can make up lost ground.  For our family, January tends to be an unusual month - we are traveling and out of routine, the kids are often sick, sometimes there are snow days - so I am almost always behind on resolutions by the end of the month and it can be very tempting to quit.  But if I go into it knowing that January is a hard month and I'm likely to be behind at first but will be able to catch up in the next several months, then it's not so discouraging.  The corresponding point is that when I get to months where I have extra time and energy, I have to use those well to make the whole thing work.  

And without further pontificating, here are my resolutions & results from 2014 and my resolutions for 2015:

2014:

1) Goal:  Run 100 times in the year.
 Result:  It was slow and painful going at first, but I accomplished this goal by September and managed to turn running back into a normal part of my routine.

2) Goal:  Read through the Bible.
Result:  This one also proceeded in fits and starts - but I got it done (finishing on Dec. 31 around 5 pm) and turned Bible reading back into a regular habit, which I had not done well while the kids were infants.

3) Goal:  Read War and Peace.
Result:  This was a fail.  I chose to try this book because it's supposed to be the greatest novel ever written, and I slogged through 200 painful pages (out of 1000) - but I just couldn't keep going.  This book was not for me.

2015 resolutions:

1) Work on Strength training by completing the pictured program at least once per day, 3 times per week.

2) Use the Book of Common Prayer at least 5 times per week.  I'm not even exactly sure how to use this book, so this will be a pretty experimental thing and I might follow up with another blog post later in the year about why I made this resolution and how it's going.

3) Take a course through Coursera - There are lots of good, free college courses available online, and this year I would like to complete one.  My first choice is to take something related to Joshua (on genetics or child development), but if those aren't available, then I will probably do something in humanities (hopefully related to literature).  If any of you have done Coursera and have specific recommendations, please send them.

I would love to hear your resolutions, or your best tips on making lasting resolutions.  Cheers to 2015!