Couch to ATHLETE!

I am one of the most forgiving/loyal people you will ever find (at least I think so). There are only two instances that I can think of in life that have made me think twice about welcoming someone back in to my world. Both of those instances are from my high school or early college days so I like to think they don't count. I mean I was young and burned pretty badly in both situations. Through life I have been seriously hurt with the best of them. Some of the pain has come from being cut off by people I care about, stood up by friends/dates (ask me about my junior dance sometime, it is quite the story), stolen from and the list goes on. I have lost people that I have cared for and I have also loved without abandon; I have lived!!! Over the past couple of months I have been challenged in ways I never imagined. I have slogged through sadness, frustration, confusion... If you have spent any time with me, though, you know that I have maintained a good attitude while cherishin...

I can be colorful with my language from time to time; I'm going to keep this one clean though. If I knew my audience wouldn't be offended I would use my favorite phrase, right here, to explain what fall back weeks do to my mind... I should tell you that it is similar to how I felt while tapering for prior events. Some words I've used to express my feelings about fall back weeks include slothful, lazy, terrified, anxious and the list goes on. This fall back week is no exception; but there were good outcomes too... Here's the thing. The experts tell me that fall back weeks are essential to recovery and healing while training for any endurance event. OK, so I'm trying to trust the process. I think I have some trust issues though. I like racking up my miles, especially because I'm shooting for 1350 miles in 2012. I don't know how a fall back week is going to help my mileage goal!!! Right now I have to consider what is more important. Is it more ...

I typically like to have a true point before I start writing my post for the week. I am going to fail in that department today!!! Here's the thing, I haven't had a chance to be very inspired this week. I hung out on my couch, knocked out with a cold for many, many hours, while logging other hours watching Ice Road Truckers. Man this show is fascinating. My injured pup! Dukie was attacked by another dog during a cool down walk on Friday. This incident required a trip to the emergency vet, sutures and lots of love an patience. As I write this he is still breathing kind of funny (I actually just took a break from writing and went to the Vet again). I now know the funny breathing was due to the red (now blue) head wrap that was too tight and the return of the cone. This poor pup is having a rough time... And on top of it he is crying a lot, or should I say constantly, because I don't think the pain killers are strong enough. I got home from the vet fairly late on Fri...

Pre-run in dad's hunting hat with lights and ear flaps. Persistence is the key to success for EVERYTHING! I often beat myself up because I occasionally live like a bachelor (I actually am not that bad but it helps illustrate my point). Of course like everything in my life, my ability to keep my house pristine ebbs and flows based on my mood or what is going on in my life. I typically don't stress about little things, as a matter of fact if my friend's child comes to my house I am often heard saying to him (as he spills his milk, drops something or accidentally breaks something) don't worry about it, if it breaks it can be fixed or replaced; IT IS JUST A THING. I guess you can say I am not very materialistic. If you know me at all you know that I function best in controlled chaos. If you look around my office, in my junk drawer or on my counter you may find stacks of mail, files, papers or other items that may seem disorganized. In my mind it is organized. As a ...

This is how we do it! I have been getting a lot of questions about running in the winter. The questions range from the typical 'how the heck do you stay warm' to the rhetorical 'are you freaking crazy?' The answer to the crazy question is: YES, I am crazy, but I already knew before I became a runner. I was talking with a friend last week and she asked me if I was going to run that day (it was something like 9 degrees before wind chill) and I promptly responded with a Yup. She told me that, while she admires my dedication she simply thinks I am down right crazy. My response? I shrugged my shoulders, put on my shoes and ran! And, how do I keep warm while running? Well, what I learned from my first supervisor while living in Maine is this: There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. As I look at my running log, which is where I track my mileage, pace, clothing, temperature, who I ran with, insights from the day (these range from random discoveries ...

I am an athlete! This blog serves a number of purposes. The first purpose is to keep my family, friends and readers up to date on my journey, the second is to share some of the lessons that I have learned through this journey and the final is to maintain some sort of journal for myself to remind me where I came from and where I am going. With that being said this week's post is going to serve as somewhat of an update of several topics that have come up over the last few weeks... Dukie For those of you who follow my blog, you are aware that my dog became critically ill just over two weeks ago. It was one of the scariest moments I have experienced as Dukie's companion. Many people have asked me how the little guy is doing. After weeks of many meds, mushy dog food, stitches and a cone around his head I can safely say he has recovered!!! I took Dukie to the vet this past week to have his stitches/staples removed and the vet was extremely pleased with the incision sit...

I feel like I am stealing topics as one of my friends blogged about shoes this week. The reality is my experience on Saturday necessitates a post about the connection a runner may have with their running shoe. After reading my friends blog I recognized I have an emotional attachment to my shoes. I have been wearing this model of running shoe for about two years now. The reason I initially switched shoes was because the previous shoe rubbed on a bone in my foot and caused extreme bruising of that bone. I switched shoe model exactly one and a half weeks before my first half marathon. This may sound like the worst idea in the world (and it is) but my injury required a different shoe to achieve half marathon bliss. I have gone through approximately 4-5 pairs of running shoes over the last year and a half. Once a pair  molds to my foot and acquires well deserved holes I struggle with retiring them for simple walks with Dukie. Why such a struggle you may ask? My shoes tell my story. O...