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How to Top 2012

I have had one of the most outstanding years this year and I'm not sure it is possible to have a year that is even better.  The little things are what I will remember... For instance this year included zip lining, vacationing in DC, kayaking, fishing, karaoke, trips to Chicago, meeting new amazing friends, building relationships with old friends and lots of love! Sure I was plagued with injury and now I'm spending this final week of 2012 sick but these are not the things I will remember. I should also acknowledge that 2012 has brought loss, tears, mistakes, frustration... but you have to put life into perspective. What is really important? I think the experiences I listed above are what matter. Of course this blog is about my quest to becoming an athlete and here is what I have to say about that; Athletically not much has happened this year. I did my first Olympic distance triathlon, and had some of the best spectators a person could ask for. I also ran a half marathon and

It IS Worth It!

As many of you know I have struggled with injury after injury this year. I'm not going to ramble about it much  tonight because you can read about it here  and here  and here  and here  and here  and here ... I think you get the point. I have been whiny about my injuries this year, and that is only a sample of the posts about being injured: sadly there are more. I was tracking facebook today and saw one of my friends post a quote about how running is hard on your body. My immediate internal response was, uh huh and you needed someone else to tell you that? But my public comment was much more forgiving. Bottom line, running is hard on your body but darn it, it is worth it. Stress is also hard on the body. It doesn't just impact your mind... I was having a particularly perplexing day today and I really needed an outlet, a friend. I posted something on facebook about needing either a workout or a friend. I was lucky enough to get both. One of my friends read between the lines

Joy

Awesomely fashionable! I have come to realize a number of things this past year that I have probably blogged about before, but a reminder is always nice. The most important thing? Don't take life too seriously... I go in waves with technology. My use of social media ebbs and flows based on my mood and I have gotten to the point that running without my Garmin is totally worthless, or is it? It is the Christmas season and quite frankly, I am not much of a Christmas person. The shopping is overwhelming, and people always seem to be cranky. Why? I went to work today with all the wrong clothes for a very cold run. While analyzing the clothes a few minutes before the run, I realized I simply wanted to have fun... Over the last few weeks I have found myself accidentally garminless. In some cases it was because I forgot to charge the darn thing, in others it was because I left my garmin at a restaurant and didn't have the energy to go and pick it up at my friend'

Hugs are Underrated

My regular readers know what can happen when I am at a loss for words on my blog... I decide I am a poet; the quality of my poetry is arguable... Here's one for you that I am calling Hugs are Underrated. Here I sit with little to say Utterly surprising to many but hey Great times have been had over the last two weeks So summing it up means I'd have to pick peeks A trip to Chicago to eat turkey and treats Real friend and family time, nothing beats, and Even some time spent with athletes Utter chaos at the casino celebrating with friends Never a dull moment for all who attends Depending the moment over the last 15 days Everyone had a role in my life that they play Runners included, who gave me some hugs Remembering that our friendships don't end with shrugs Amazingly for me, I ran many miles Today I sit back and enjoy with smiles Everyone who hugged me decreased my need for yawning; so I'll continue Dance like no one is watching

Where did all the Twinkies go!!!

I didn't even realize I liked Twinkies until they were gone. Unless, of course, I want to buy a box for twenty dollars or more on ebay... I have been to the grocery store, Target, UDF, Speedway and other random stores since Hostess Brands took a nose dive. I never had intentions of looking for hostess items but I found myself looking at the Twinkie shelves longingly, wishing I could have just one more. Gone... When I eat, I eat understanding that everything I put into my body will impact my next work out, sometimes favorably and sometimes less so. There is a reason I prefer running on Saturdays. If I run on Saturday morning, that officially leaves Saturday night to eat less favorably and drink some beer all knowing that my body may suffer on Sunday. Take today for example, because of last night my desire to get to the gym for a swim, well, failed me. I had the best night last night; Started with dinner at the local casino, followed by a little slot action, a crappy jukebox, a

Overwhelmed

I have written about five blog posts over the last day and a half but nothing is coming out quite right. Quite frankly this is how I feel: Columbus Zoo: He got me! I know, kinda dramatic. I simply feel overwhelmed. I'm getting back into the swing of running, although being on the road for the past ten days has made my progress come to a screeching halt. Ran some, not enough. Walked at least three miles a day, not enough... I acknowledge that this was a long (but positive) week, I worked too much, stayed up too late every night, woke up early every morning, traveled (and if you know me, you know that flying is extremely stressful for me), got to my car in the airport parking lot to a flat tire that was literally stuck on my car. I didn't know how to deal with a tire that was stuck. I was stumped. Who do you call at 10:30 on a Friday night to give you tips? Luckily I remembered my friend has a mechanical husband. I texted her and her husband called and walked me through

Consistency

I know I spent a lot of time whining on my blog about the fact that I couldn't run for awhile this summer. Sure, I was being a baby but the reality is this... My foot was so bad that it made doing regular tasks very difficult, if not impossible. The final straw was when my friend and I went out to a balloon festival and I could barely walk around without debilitating pain. He simply said to me, do you really want to compromise all of the marathons in your future for this one event? Wow, did that hit a cord with me. Shortly thereafter I found myself at the doctor's office (I should mention I will still squeeking out miles VERY painfully at this point). The Dr. asked me if I was getting my miles in. Yes. He asked me if I was limping while running. No. He asked me where the pain was. Bottom of my foot. He pressed around, I cried and he told me I have a very bad case of plantar fasciitis. Damn it, I dealt with this before but never so bad. He told me that as long as I wasn'

The Student Who Couldn't Pass

Can you believe I am envious of all the runners who ran 20 miles a little over a week ago? Well it's true. Yesterday I woke up thinking I could run again. Knowing better I hopped on my bike but called A to let him know I was going to join him and the others for our typical Monday run. Once again my body had different plans for me. I woke up this morning and almost fell to the ground when I took my first step. I have been in extreme pain ever since. The only relief I had was when I was on my bicycle for about twenty miles. It is so frustrating when you do the homework but you still fail the class.

Conclusion: Life is Good

As all of my regular readers know, I tend to fall off blogging when something is wrong. Well something is potentially wrong. Aside from having some crummy experiences on the trail over the past few weeks I'm feeling injured. Here's the story... Three weeks ago I met my group up for a 14 mile run. Needless to say I was disappointed to learn that the full group was going to be coachless after the first mile and a half. I mean I didn't exactly pay to participate in a training program that promises coaches and end up running coachless for the second year in a row. That was only the beginning of a tough run. Picture from the cavern We ran and watched closely for the turn around point. It never came so we eventually used our judgement and turned around. I then had some stomach trouble. Ended up alone after about 12 miles due to a quick trip to the bathroom. Around mile 14 I saw I was approaching a water stop just to see the water being pulled off the course by the organi

Olympics Say it All

I'm going to let the Olympics speak, for the most part, this week. I don't think there is anything I can say about my training that could even match up with some of the editorial pieces that can be seen while watching the Olympics. Honestly, I was found whining and upset about my run on Saturday. There were many factors that impacted my attitude but when I spent some of my Saturday and Sunday watching the Olympics, I recognized I had nothing to fret about. So many people spend their days taxing their bodies for a living while I do it as a hobby. Rather than beat myself up about my shape, my speed,, I am going to congratulate myself for my persistence and accomplishments. I will not be winning any gold medals, but I have been winning self confidence and sense of accomplishment during this journey. Two Amazing Athletes! One of the things I am most proud of is my ability to take feedback, let it hang out there and own my misgivings. We are all human and there is always a

Flaming Cake

I am posting this picture for those of you curious about the flaming cake: Flaming Cake!!!

I Think I Failed!

Last week, I rambled about the brick workout. I remember talking about how I needed to spend these last two weeks (well now one week) hydrating, eating well, mentally preparing and getting rest.  So here is how I did... First, yesterday was supposed to be my long run for the week. This is where I was going to begin mentally preparing for my triathlon next week. Well, that didn't happen... I suffer from plantar fasciitis on occasion and when it acts up, I take a rest day. So what is the plan? I am going to squeak in 12 miles on Monday evening. Nice slow pace at Sharon Woods three times. I can do this!!! I'm also going to spend about five minutes every day visualizing myself crossing the finish line with a smile on my face... In regards to hydration: Do fruity frilly girly drinks count as hydration? If they do well then I should give myself one big pat on the back. I also learned how to set drinks (and food) on fire! I had plenty of burnt drinks and fruity beverages la

The Brick...

I was telling a friend about my brick workout yesterday. He asked me what it meant to do a brick workout. Well, I'm a technical being so responded with something like this: You do one workout followed by another workout with as little time in between as possible; basically, you kick your own a$$ in a short period of time for fun. Well that did not satisfy my friend and he did his own research. Here is what we learned (paraphrased of course): Some dude from long ago would switch from running to cycling and he coined that type of activity a brick. A brick workout is one that is so tough you want to sh*t a brick when it is over. I have participated in a number of triathlons in the past. All of the triathlons have been sprint distance races and I have always struggled with the running portion of the race. I never trained properly and have been extremely lucky to cross the finish line of all but one of the triathlons I have started.  This year I decided to take the plunge

This Tree is STILL Happy!!!

I was recently reading more of the book 'Running the Edge.' It is one of those books that you have to take your time to read. Well, that is true if you are like me. I actually read the book, do the exercises and then self reflect before moving on to the next chapter. It appears that my self reflection exercise for certain chapters can be quite lengthy. I mean I got the book several months ago and I am just now getting to chapter 3. The most recent chapter talked about self actualization and how very few people reach a point of self actualization. If you asked me what I strive for in life, I would tell you that I want to be self actualized... Anyway, over the last couple of weeks (yes I have missed one week, I think) I have decided balance with my workouts is a good thing. I have not been the best at logging all of my workouts but I know that every time I crash into bed at night, my body is perfectly fatigued from the effort I put into it from the day. In my quest to be a

"And the Tree Was Happy"

I think I am finally ready to deconstruct my last couple of weeks. They have been a blur but totally worth it.  My buddy enjoying life! Anyway, about a week and a half ago I spent a day floating down a river on an inner tube with a couple of friends, I traveled to Cleveland, ran at Sharon Woods for the first time in months (forgot about the hills), rode my bike 36 miles around Columbus in the middle of the night in support of my friends who were running Relay Around Columbus (you can read one friend's account of the event here ), went fishing, walked around one of Dukie's favorite metro parks, etc. It is interesting. We all have indicators of success. Take the children's book t he Giving Tree  for example; In the book, the tree is happiest when he is giving himself to the boy. The boy swings from the tree's branches, carves his initials in the tree, builds a house with the branches and makes a boat with the tree's trunk. The tree basically gives himself to

Writers Block

Yep, I am having writers block. I have plenty of stories that I could share but I simply don't have the ability to put it all into words on a computer screen. All I can say is I spent a lot of hours on my trusty bicycle this past weekend to support my friends who were Relaying Around Columbus. So, yes this is a lame post but I am still recovering from an amazing, entertaining and fun filled weekend full of new experiences, laughter, funny stories and excitement. Here is a picture pre-ride, with one of the many amazing runners:

Why I Love Fleet Feet Columbus

I have finally embraced the idea that I need new shoes. If you recall, I shed some tears over my shoes some time ago but still had not given in to the idea that I needed to upgrade to a model that is currently being manufactured. Stress fracture = Lesson learned. I went to Fleet Feet last weekend, was fitted by the the shoe technician (I feel like they need a good title, I mean subway staff get to call themselves sandwich artists; let's give a cool title to the shoe guys and gals, after all they are there to make our feet happy, theoretically). He gave me two pairs to try on, the first? A pair of Brooks. I shook my head the minute I saw the Brooks box knowing my feet are too wide for every pair of Brooks I have tried. I know a lot of people love their Brooks, they just aren't right for me. I humored my shoe technician and tried them on anyway. Instantly, everything started poking my feet in all the wrong places. Big fail there. The other pair? Mizuno Endurance 11. I took

Oops, Missed a Week

Somehow I missed a week of blogging. My apologies to my faithful readers. All I can say is that it has been an extremely busy week. One that I am happy to say is in the books. Nothing particularly bad, nothing particularly great; just a week. I will be back with my random Sarahisms this weekend. Plan on hearing a lot about my new shoes. There might be ANOTHER new pair in my future. We will see... For now, I just want to update you on a few of my goals: Giant Eagle Multi-Sport Series: I am going to attempt my first Olympic distance triathlon in about 7 weeks. I am totally looking forward to it!!! I think with all the cycling I have been doing, I should be good in that department. I should be up to 10 mile runs again by that point but cross your fingers. I kind of had a panic attack yesterday; not enough swimming lately. I am going to have to do something about that this week. Wish me luck! Not how I planned to train for this event, but my body had different plans for me. Not bad,

My Unconditional Friend

I remember one summer, it was blazing hot on our annual family vacation to Minnesota. It was one of those heat waves that literally took the region by surprise. My dad and I packed up the car for a day trip to the secret lake. This lake was not a lake to be swum in. It was a lake that was overpopulated with Northern Pike and Blue Gill. We had to hike a half mile in to the lake with our shirts tucked into our pants, pants tucked into our socks, hats on our head so as not to get ticks in our belly buttons; all while talking as loudly as possible so as not to scare the bears. This may have been the same trip in which I was reeling in the biggest northern pike EVER when something else hit my line. I was fighting the 'fish' with my pole, the boat was about to tip over from the strength of this fish, my dad and I were getting excited about the prospect of a 50 lb fish at the end of my line. Just as the boat was about to tip, the northern surfaces, attached to the fish was a huge

Love what YOU Love

I just couldn't wait a week to write and share this post, so I guess you can call it a bonus post, or a random rambling about love? I don't know what prompted this post other than the spirit moved me. Perhaps you will find the point, or you can chalk it up to more strange Sarahisms... A picture of someone I love dearly! I very much admire people who know exactly what they want out of life and then go for it. As you already know I love running. I don't need a reason to run, I just do it because I can. I remember an old friend asked me if I would consider doing planks if it was the only thing that allowed me to continue running. My immediate response was no! My tune has changed, I would do anything to make sure I could continue running even if it was the worst homework assignment ever. Why you ask? Because I love it!!! I was recently talking with one of my friends about relationships and the necessity of not settling. I was telling her that crushes are just crushes u

Progress

In the moment! Every step we take will take us somewhere. We get to choose how to step, but we can't always choose the destination. It is funny how we often try and look back to determine what we could have done differently, what choices we could have made that would have brought us to a different place in life. I like to say, as you may have seen on my blog before, that when I find myself saying 'I should have', I try and follow that up with, 'but I didn't'. I try to remember, when I am bummed out about where I am in life, that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Continuously looking back to wish away your life only inhibits you from living right now. Case in point: This past week, while travelling for work, I found myself 'riding' the elliptical in the hotel at the gym. I was doing this daily, as prescribed, knowing the first run was fast approaching! You see, I am not an elliptical fan at all. As a matter of fact, I dislike the elliptical

Prescription

I woke up on Monday morning convinced the doctor was going to tell me to go out for a slow two mile jog to begin my re-entry into running. What I got instead was a rude awakening. I headed to the Dr. first thing in the morning. When I got there, Dr. B. squeezed my leg, poked at my bone and watched my face for wincing. What he got instead was a big fat smile because I had no pain at all. He looked at me and said, with a big smile, that I could start my reentry to running plan. I got giddy with excitement and then he reappeared with the plan! The plan did NOT tell me to go out and run; here is what it said instead... Take a ten minute walk, after two days of walking for ten minutes with no pain, take a twenty minute walk and repeat for two days... I thought, OK, I guess I can handle that, and I kept reading. The plan then told me to use the elliptical for 20-40 minutes a day for 2 weeks... insert tears here... What the heck does this plan have to do with running!!! The doc could s

Grateful

Amy, Andrew, Mandy, Kumar and Lynne (not pictured Rachel, Sue, Laurie and Deb) As I mentioned in my previous post, I have a group of friends who were on the path to crossing the finish line of their first, sixth and tenth half marathon. I joined my running club again and began running with this new group of strangers back in December. What happened when I started MIT was extremely unexpected. I was invited to join a group of MITers who gathered on additional days to run and I found some amazing friends. When I learned that I was not going to be able to run this half marathon with them I found myself extremely sad... So instead of being down in the dumps on THE DAY I found myself at the starting line of the half marathon and was thrilled by the sea of people lined up to run thirteen point one. I was not running but the energy was still brilliant and contagious! Instantly, I was grateful to be down there in the midst of that energy even though I was not running. I did a quick se

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!

Typically I would be participating in the carbo loading that many people are doing today in preparation for their half marathons this weekend, but that is just not in the cards for me this year. Two years ago, this weekend, I was running my first half marathon with my friend's C & J. What an amazing accomplishment! I remember crossing the finish line with tears in my eyes and was greeted by hugs from my sister and other spectators. I was untouchable and thought I could take on the world... After Cap City Half in 2010 (My First) So what did I do? Signed up for the next Cap City Half in 2011. One year ago this weekend I ran another half marathon. I roped my friend J into running this one. I again cried at the end, I think it was because I knew I would be doing the same thing again in the fall with another 13.1 tacked onto the end. However, I once again felt like I could take on the world. Finishing Cap City Half in 2011 So what did I do? I signed up for the next Cap

Measly

Let me start by saying I hope my return to running is 'like riding a bike'!!! I was finally able to ride my bike this week and it felt great! I was pain free for a couple of days so I headed straight for the bike! I feel a little silly about my two little bike rides and my over excitement for these rides but as one of my friends pointed out, I should never discount an accomplishment. I was talking to a friend of mine, who became injured the same weekend I became injured and I was equating my 'measly' half marathon to her big swim! I was also putting a price tag on everything. She scoffed and told me I should NEVER call a half marathon a measly half marathon. I agree! I was trying to rationalize my disappointment over not being able to run the half marathon by putting it into the grand scheme of things, thus the term measly. The reality is, I'm only losing seventy five dollars from that race (the race staff STILL haven't replied to any emails I have sent to

Swimming is Cool, Too...

Because I am unable to participate in my 'first' sport, running, I had to find something else to get my heart rate up and keep some semblance of an endurance base. I can't ride a bike until I'm pain free for a couple of days; still waiting. I can swim as much as I want though. As of today, I have had two weeks run free. At minimum two more weeks to go, maybe four. On the bright side? In the last two weeks I have logged 16,000 meters in the pool and have made six pie varieties (and will make a couple more before the weekend is over). It has been some time since I have spent a lot of time in the pool. When I lived out in Colorado I loved swimming! I was part of a masters swim team with my sister and brother-in-law. We had the coolest coach and some of the most colorful swimming companions. I remember one woman had this long salt and pepper hair that was often the topic of conversation; I remember telling her, way back then, that salt and pepper hair was sexy. Uh, yea

Jumping the Gun!

This is a 'total' bonus post for the week. I highly recommend reading my previous post, to better understand where I am coming from. You can check it out here .  I am not going to go into details but my name and grandma have been used in a sentence TWICE the past two days. Seriously? Do I look or act that old??? I must... Perhaps it is all the pie making! I am a woman of my word (for the most part, we all falter from time to time) and I mentioned in my last post that there was a chance I was jumping the gun with my dramatic flare related to being sidelined! Well, sidelined I am, but maybe for less time than I initially anticipated. The doctor will tell me my plan in three weeks. The overarching goal? The Chicago Marathon!  While running the Columbus Marathon, last year, I was blessed with amazing spectators and also running companions during the race. One of my companions was my sister. Somewhere near mile 25 she took a picture of me STILL smiling. It isn't ofte

Let it Be

My blog needed a picture of me smiling! If you haven't figured it out I am a philosophical runner. Well, actually, I am always philosophical. Or at least I over-think everything. You decide! I haven't received a final diagnosis for my leg, but I do know that, at least, until Monday I am sidelined from any activity other than swimming. I'm thankful I can swim, but am bummed that I can't run. This post may be jumping the gun a little bit (perhaps a little over dramatic, too) but I want to get it out of my system for now! Two things to think about as you read this post: 1) The quote: 'Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all'?  2) Someone once told me that if you break up with someone, the chances that your relationship will work if you get back together are fairly slim; not impossible but also not favorable. I like to relate running to life and in other cases life to running. Because I am currently sidelined from running, a