A running adventure

I had a half day conference on Saturday morning at Lurie Children's Hospital in downtown Chicago. I also knew that I needed to run on Saturday, and I did some mental gymnastics trying to figure out how I could get it done. I had to leave my house really early, and the thought of getting up at zero dark thirty to run was not appealing to me, at all. I made a decision. I was going to bring my running shoes and I was going to run downtown after the conference. I have never run downtown along the lake except when I'm racing. The more I thought about my plan, the more excited I became. And it was really interesting how things fell into place. The weather forecast? Sunny and cooler along the lake, with highs in the 60s. Fueling? Lunch (free) would be served at the conference. Parking? The hosts offered a $10 parking voucher. It seemed almost too good to be true. I decided that it was meant to be. This run would be my therapy, my positive ending to a very difficult week. 

Like the compulsive runner that I am, I planned this run like I plan for a race. I reviewed the route I'd take to get to the lakefront path. I laid out all my gear the night before. Set my alarm and went to bed early. Getting downtown at 630 am was a breeze. The conference was good. One of the speakers was a sports medicine doctor, and I've heard him speak before. He's quite entertaining. Today he talked about common sports injuries in adolescents. He did make the statement that "marathon runners are the worst patients to treat.". He gave a couple of examples, one of a runner who insisted on running the marathon with a stress fracture in her femur (she finished and then got treated) and a guy who collapsed after the finish line, needing CPR. Once revived, he asked where his medal was. Everyone in the room gasped. Except for me--the runner who ran a race on a broken foot last spring....I chuckled to myself and looked longingly at my bag of running gear on the floor next to my chair. 

Runners, we're different..

The John Hancock building and Water Tower Place

After the conference ended, I headed to the restroom to change into my running gear. I went back to my car to put my bag away, and headed to the street to try and get a signal on my Garmin. Anyone who has run in downtown Chicago knows that this is a huge challenge. The tall buildings really mess with the satellite reception. When I ran the Chicago marathon last year, my Garmin was useless for pacing. After a couple of minutes, I got a signal, and I was off. 

Looking south toward Navy Pier. You can see the ferris wheel. The building to the right is Lake Point Tower.

I headed towards Chicago avenue and looked for the underpass, and took the stairs to go under Lake Shore Drive. I came out on the lakefront path and had to stop briefly to take it all in. What a gorgeous day, and what a gorgeous view. I used to work at the University of Chicago, and drove Lake Shore Drive every day. The view never gets old. I've been a lot of places, and personally, I think there is no more beautiful skyline than the Chicago skyline. My brother-in-law, a native New Yorker, disagrees vehemently with me on this point. To each his own...

I ran south towards Navy Pier. I was shocked at how many people were on the path walking, bicycling, and yes, running. There were Segway Tours. My husband joked that I would get hit by someone riding a "Divvy" (a rental bike)--they're everywhere-- and yes, I had a close call almost right away. The path was under construction, and it was a little confusing but I just kept heading south. 

Running over the Chicago River. The building directly behind me is Donald Trump's contribution to the city of Chicago.

The detour took me up onto the Columbus Drive bridge over the Chicago River. There were a lot of tourist boats going back and forth. Once I crossed the bridge, it was back down to the lakefront. I stopped to take a picture across the street from Buckingham Fountain, and the people that I asked were visiting from Poland. They took my picture and asked me where they could find "the bean". I sent them in the general direction of the stainless steel sculpture and headed on my way towards the museum campus, where you can find the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. I spotted a couple getting married on the grass near the Planetarium. The wind was pretty strong off the lake, and her groom put his jacket on her shoulders. 

Wedding pictures on the lawn of the Adler Planetarium

I kept running around the Planetarium and found myself on Northerly Island. This used to be an airport, called Meigs Field, but was suddenly shut down in the middle of the night by the former mayor of the city. Now it's a park, and there was a concert stage set up. I wondered who was playing there that night. 

Burnham Harbor with Soldier Field in the background

I stopped to take a picture of all the boats in Burnham Harbor. Behind the Harbor is Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears. Behind that, I spied the Chicago skyline and the Sears Willis Tower. At this point, I had run 4 miles, and so I headed back north. My run up until then had been easy and when I headed north, I realized why. The wind, blowing off the lake, was really strong. Running into that wind, my pace slowed down remarkably. I groaned to myself and kept pushing forward, retracing my steps. I found the Chicago Avenue underpass, and headed back to my car. 

My hometown!

I reflected on my run. What didn't I love? The crowds. The tourists. There were so many people along the lake, and a lot just not paying attention to what they were doing--like the bicyclist who almost ran into me. I had to do so much weaving--it was like running in a race! If I did this again (and I will), I'd plan on running much earlier in the day.

Buckingham Fountain

But all that was minor compared to the pleasure I felt running along Chicago's lakefront. I do believe I had a smile on my face almost the entire time I was running. What did I love? I always love racing in the city but today I loved the experience of running along the lake with no goal, no plan, just to run 8 miles and take it all in. I love this city. The skyline? Spectacular. And if you get tired of that, you can always look out at the lake. Even though the day was fairly cool, the boaters were out in full force, either out in the harbors, or just sitting in their docked boats, living it up. 

I also loved that I could do 8 miles in the afternoon. The old me, the "I can only run in the morning me" would have wilted and never been able to do this run. I love how my running has evolved, how I've become so much more flexible. I love how I could eat a turkey and cheese sandwich, and head out 2 hours later and run some killer paces (with the wind at my back, there were a couple of 8 min/miles in there!), no side stitches. This run felt good, physically and mentally. I felt like I could have kept on going past the 8 miles I had planned for today. Don't we all love runs like that?

I pulled out of the parking garage, and saw that if I hadn't had my $10 parking voucher, I would have paid $53 dollars to park there today. And that's something to love.

I'm so glad I took advantage of my day downtown to have a running adventure! It felt so good to get out of my comfort zone. We runners get so caught up in our training--our miles and our paces and it felt great to just get out there and run. And to stop to enjoy the view. What a great way to end the week! 

Have you ever taken yourself on a running adventure? Not a race, just a really fun run?

I'm linking this post with Tara at RunningNReading for her Weekend Update!

A matter of perspective #WednesdayWord

After a run on a beautiful spring morning, I posted my post-run selfie on Facebook. I ran on the bike path, and snapped the picture in front of a little retention pond. Someone commented that it's very pretty where I run. I smiled when I read that because, yes, there are some pretty places to run but where I live, in suburbia, those spots are little oases in the middle of Congestionville, USA. I seek them out. That beauty behind me is really a matter of perspective.

This morning I took these pictures to illustrate my point. I'm standing in the exact same spot for both photos. I turned 180 degrees to take the shots. To the west is a 6 lane highway. To the east, green space. Guess which one I like to use for my running selfies? I usually crop out the high tension wires. If you follow me, did you ever have any idea, by the pictures I post, that I ran along a highway on my neighborhood run?

Most of the time, I don't even pay attention to the highway. When I'm running, it's like it's not even there. I unconsciously choose to focus on the field to the east.

While I ran today, I thought a lot about perspective...in running and in life. This run? My perceived effort was HARD. Even though it was only about 70 degrees, it was really humid, and I felt like I was running through sand. Summer running can really mess with my head, and it's time to pull out some of that mental fitness training I did last summer. I sweated buckets after this run, and I needed to put it all in the proper perspective; this was a great run for the conditions. 

On the run today, I thought about today's run and about perspective. Do you see yourself as others see you? Do the images that others portray--on Facebook, on Instagram, on their blogs--accurately reflect the person behind the images? I like to think that what you see from me is the real deal. I try really hard to be genuine in all my interactions with people--in my real life and in my virtual life. I'm not good at faking it. 

This is a picture of my youngest son from 2 years ago. Looks like he's drinking a beer, right? That's what the lady in the car next to us thought. Ooh, the look she gave us. Too bad, because it's cream soda. Perspective.

But perspective is a funny thing. Yesterday at work, someone told me I was rude, even when I thought I was being polite. (And for the record, my coworkers were as stunned as I was.) I will be the first to admit that I am very direct, and I know this about myself. Apparently this person's perception was different than the rest of us. Being called rude really bothered me, though. I don't see myself as a rude person. How do you change someone's perspective? 

Maybe you can't change how people see you, but you can change how you see yourself. I'm not, by nature, a positive person. My DNA has the gene for negativity. I've worked hard at overcoming that disability. Writing this blog and posting on my Facebook page has forced me to look at life as the glass half full. And that's a good thing. After all, who wants to read someone's self-pity story? Changing my perspective and becoming a more positive person is a personal goal that I've set for myself over the last couple of years. I believe that I've made great strides in this area. 

Until this past week. Life lately has really challenged me in this area and has threatened to send me backwards on my journey to positivity. This week, I've hit more than a few bumps in the road and shed some tears over some unpleasant encounters at home and at work. I had my annual review at work yesterday, and my manager, who is also a dear friend, empathized with me. "You've had a tough week, " she said. 

It felt really good to have some acknowledge that. But she put it all in perspective, as we reviewed the entire year--not just this past awful week. Sometimes that's all you need--someone to tell you they get it. And now I can move on. We talked a lot about how I need to let other people's negativity roll off my back. That I need to stop taking everything personally. Sometimes it's not about me. 

Actually most of the time it isn't about me. 

And that's it. I need to change my perspective. Like in my pictures above, it's all how I choose to look at things.  As Becky said to me today when we talked about this, her new motto for this year is "Good Vibes Only". I swear, she's a coach and sports psychologist all rolled into one. Wise beyond her years. I can choose to look on the bright side of life, or on the dark side. I need to stay positive as I move forward towards marathon #3 and that giant goal I've set for myself.

I have to keep that goal in perspective too. What if I don't achieve my sub-4 marathon? My BQ?

Am I still going to be enough?

If I work hard and stay positive, anything is possible. The body achieves what the mind believes. I've got a coach who believes in me. My friends believe in me. My family believes in me.

Do I believe in me?

I'll continue to take pictures with the pretty backgrounds. I'm going to keep running on the sunny side of the street. 

I can and I will.

I'm linking this post up with Jill Conyers for Fitness Friday! Check out the other blogs!

I'm also linking this post up with Debbie at DebRuns for Wednesday Word! What's your perspective?

Perseverance

It's National Running Day! Do you participate? I like to think of this day as Running Awareness Day. Although if you know anything about runners, then you know that we make every day Running Awareness Day. As I tell people, don't ask me about my running, because I won't stop talking about it!

Did you know that besides being National Running Day, June 3 is also National Chocolate Macaroon Day and National Repeat Day. National Repeat Day? National Repeat Day?

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

It seems that whenever there's a National Day of Something, and there are a lot of them, everyone wants to participate. Especially the good ones. Wouldn't it be great if everyone who started running on National Running Day actually stuck with it? Experts say it takes 6 weeks of participating in an activity to make it a habit. Running is hard, no doubt, but with motivation and a purpose, a lot of us persevere....

Why do you run? What do you run for? What makes you keep running, even when you don't want to go another step? How do you find the time in a busy day to go for a run? How do you push through a tough run in the heat and humidity? In the bitter cold? Do you run in the rain? What makes you train for a certain distance?

How do you do it? How do you persevere?

When you think of a runner, what traits come to mind? Determination? Grit? Dedication? Tenacity?

Perseverance is the trait of a person who continues on a course of action in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. I've written a lot about my biggest source of discouragement. Me. Yes, my biggest enemy is the voice in my head that tells me I can't. Over time, I've gotten so much better at pushing past that voice. Even when Becky isn't threatening me with burpees.

A little bit wet...

Here's the story of a little battle I won with myself last week, on a rainy morning before work:

This morning, I woke up, tired. I didn't want to run.

The voice in my head tried to get me to go back to sleep.

I got up anyways. Made my coffee.

Looked at the weather forecast. Saw the rain coming.

Got ready anyways. Headed out the door.

Tired legs, rain pouring down. Started the Garmin.

Ran down the road. One foot in front of the other. 

Reminded myself to take it easy. No goal, no time for this one. 

Just run.

Wanted to make a pit stop. Pushed on.

Finished up. Glad to be done. Glad to have gone.

No regrets.

Just as I persevere through those tough runs that I don't want to do, that ability to tough it out transfers to my life off the road as well.

After that run, I headed into work for a typical crazy Saturday morning. My schedule was jam-packed with patients. As happens sometimes when I'm facing a tough run, I felt a little bit overwhelmed as I approached the morning. And just as I pushed through today's run, I pushed through the morning, taking each visit one at a time, like I do with my miles. Just as I did with my run,  I gave my all to every patient I saw. Sometimes it would be easy to take a shortcut, to blow off a concern. But the runner in me, who gives her best on the road, gives her best at work too.

I wasn't always like this. In my pre-running days, I'd just call in sick when I didn't feel like going to work. I used to call them "mental health" days. I sure could have used one today. But I would have let a lot of people down. Most importantly, I would have let myself down. And so I went for my run. And then I went to work. I gave my all. I did my best. I left work, feeling satisfied that I did a good job.

Running makes me better at everything I do. Running makes me not give up, even though I might want to.

On the road and off.

We persevere.

How do you get yourself out the door when you don't feel like going for a run? What do you do when your mind is telling you to quit running? And has your strengths gained from running translated over to real life? And are you running for National Running Day?

I'm linking up with the awesome Wednesday Word link up on Deb Runs! Check out what everyone else says about Perseverance! 

Kristen at Jonesin' for a Run has a great linkup for National Running Day! Check it out for tons of inspiration!

 

Lisa at Running Out of Wine also is hosting a linkup for National Running Day! More posts to read for inspiration!

  I'm also linking up with the DC Trifecta: Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia on Friday! The topic is National Running Day!

#RunThisYear May 2015 summary

It's time to check in with my goals and review my progress! May was the wrap up month for all the hard work I did over the winter. I finished up with a half marathon at the beginning of the month and spent 10 days taking a rest from running.  I also took 3 weeks off from CrossFit with Becky. I missed both activities more than I cared to admit! So here's the recap:

A very hot, steamy Great Western Half Marathon

Sub-2 half: I ran the Great Western Half marathon on May 3. It was a steamy, hot day, and even though I had a glitch with the portapotties, in the form of a race volunteer cutting in front of me to go in, I managed to finish with a 1:55:37 and got a 1st place AG award. I didn't expect that, but the woman who originally came in first won the masters' category and that takes her out of the AG awards. Hey, I'll take it! I finished up this spring race season really, really happy with my finish times. PRs and AGs? Heck yeah!

Staying injury free: I continue to be plagued with toe pain in my left toe. I talked with the sports medicine doctor at work, and he agreed that it is most likely arthritis in the big toe joint. It doesn't bother me much to call it arthritis anymore, nor does the toe bother me when I run, but when I'm done, it throbs angrily. I've been icing it after a run and that really seems to help. I think this is how it's going to be for me all the time now. Taking time off did not help the toe at all; in fact, walking really seemed to bother it more than running. It has to be all mechanics, the way I push off when I walk versus when I run. Anyways, I cut my 2 week break short, and started running again. Dare I say that the last week has been much better for me? Could it be that I'm back at the weights with Becky again? Fingers (and toes) crossed that it quiets down for marathon training.

I've also had issues with my tummy; I've written about my battles with IBS aka I'll Be Stopping, and this spring has been particularly challenging for me. No matter what I eat, I've been having problems. This past couple of weeks things have gotten bad for me. A few years ago, I took an antibiotic called Rifaximin, which is used for a variety of GI issues, including my type of IBS. I started back up on a 2 week course, and am already noticing a difference. While this problem doesn't stop me from running, and even though I joke about it, it's certainly annoying! I'm hopeful to get things under control before I start marathon training next month.

Grow the blog: I've had a few exciting things happening with the blog this month! I was approached by Gone For A Run to participate in one of their virtual runs along with other bloggers. Along with that, I was asked to guest host a race recap link up with Jessica of The Silvah Lining! Everything fell into place very nicely, and I'm hoping that Jessica will ask me to guest host with her again. I really enjoyed the recaps and the interaction with some new bloggers who linked up with us.

The book club was a hit this month and my big thrill was of course having my interview with Dimity McDowell. That post was probably one of my most read this month. Dimity could not have been more gracious to work with, and her answers were really thoughtful. She gave me great feedback on my book review as well. She also personally liked my Facebook page, and that was really exciting for me. Fangirl here!

I did have a little scare with the blog this month, tho. Someone spammed my linkup and tried to change my password in InLinkz. That really scared me. Luckily I caught it immediately--InLinkz sends you a message when someone puts their link up--and I took that link down as soon as I saw what it linked to. My dear friend Marcia from Marcia's Healthy Slice talked me off the cliff and introduced me to StatCounter which helps you see where your hits are coming from. It's a heck of a lot easier to figure out than Google Analytics, and for a numbers geek like me, it's really fun too!

Controlling the mama drama: Let's just sum this one up by saying that since the middle of the month, where I had some issues with my oldest (you can read about that here), things have calmed down. No, he hasn't gotten another job, but he's working on something for the summer. He's been much more pleasant since then too, and dare I say that we've actually had some normal conversations lately? You just never know tho, when the rug is going to be pulled out from under you, so I always have my guard up. My youngest son wrapped up his trifecta of sports for the spring (football, rugby, and gymnastics) and now has all this free time on his hands. Let the worrying commence. But summer sports start up soon, and that will keep at least one boy out of trouble. I hope.

Sub-4 marathon: My official training for the Chicago marathon hasn't started yet, but Becky is finishing up my training plan. She told me the plan will be 13 weeks long (last year was 14 weeks) but since I have such a strong running base and we're going to do a heavy lifting cycle prior to that, I should be fine. I'm not worried. I'm in good hands.

What's coming up? I've got a few virtual races coming up (a half in 2 weeks) and a few live races that I haven't registered for but am planning on--a 10k on July 5 and a half marathon Sept 13. I'm also riding in a 25 mile bike ride in July, the Venus de Miles. I'm excited to do that one with my friends Karen and Michelle.  I don't have any running races with them this summer and it feels weird. So this is the next best thing!

I'm thrilled that I didn't have to DNS any races this spring due to injury. But I won't lie--I'm enjoying taking time off training, and just running to run. Sure, I'm throwing in a few speedy runs and virtual races, but this has been really enjoyable. And getting all my wonky body issues back under control is the main goal for now!

Just under the wire!

May Stats: 

Miles run: 77

Miles biked: 48.5

Races: Great Western Half Marathon 1:55:37 PR, 1st in AG

BadAss 5 mile Virtual Race: 40:39 PR

How was your month? Any goals achieved? New goals set? How long is your marathon training plan?

Turn this thing around!

From Alexander and the terrible, no good, very bad day by Judith Viorst

Yesterday was a really bad day that I couldn't shake off. No, nothing major happened in my life. No one died. I only have first world problems. But like Alexander, it was one of those terrible, no good, very bad days. Nothing went right. You know those days....when you're just better off going to bed early and starting fresh the next day? That's what I did.

This morning I woke up early to the sound of my husband snoring, and contrary to what he tells me, no, it is not a lullaby. So I got up early, drank my coffee, and tried to reframe my mood. Cue the violins, or better yet, Warren Zevon.  Poor, poor, pitiful me...

As I looked outside, the wind was blowing, the sky was gray, and it was a chilly 45 degrees. Still in a funk, I needed to mentally prepare myself for a planned bike ride with a friend. It's only 10 miles, I told myself. It's not even a good running day. Pondering what to wear, this runner wanted to bail. But knowing that seeing Karen and riding my bike is just what I needed to turn my frown upside down, I got myself ready to go.

Ready to ride! Brave Karen, wearing her shorts!

The bike ride, Women's Ride Day, was sponsored locally by Spokes bike shop and Specialized Bicycles.

The idea behind the ride is to get women, who might be intimidated by riding in a group, to connect with other women riders and to help them feel comfortable with a group ride. I've never ridden on a group ride before because believe it or not, I feel intimidated by the group ride. Would I be able to keep up with the other riders? Is my bike adequate? Would I be dropped (left behind)? According to this article in Bicycling magazine, women's bike rides are growing because of these concerns.

Well, I had no idea about all this! Karen is sponsored by Spokes, and besides wanting to see her, I wanted to support her. Plus she just got back from a trip to Specialized bicycles in California, and I wanted to hear all about her trip. So I loaded up my bike and headed out to Spokes to meet her and the other riders. There ended up being about 10-15 riders in all, including 2 men--1 from the bike shop and the other from Specialized. The leader, Erin, is a triathlete and yoga instructor. She showed us the proper hand signals to use while riding in a group. We rode a loop through several of the surrounding suburbs, including riding on some very busy streets. I found a much higher comfort level riding on those streets in the group as opposed to riding busy streets by myself. I also realized that I had nothing to worry about as far as being "dropped". I rode up front behind Erin and Karen, and had no trouble keeping up with them. We stopped multiple times to make sure no one was left behind.

The downside to the ride was the wind. The air temperature, at 47, was really cold for this time of year, and normally would have kept me off the bike. But what really made the ride challenging was the wind. There were some pretty strong gusts at times, and it felt as if I was going to get blown over. Even though we only rode 10 miles, that cold wind made it feel like we rode much farther than that. The good thing is that I wore my new 2XU thermal tights (oh the irony of wearing thermal tights on May 31!) and my legs weren't one bit cold. Good to know, if I plan on going on any cold weather rides in the future! Actually, the only body part that was cold were my hands, and that really bothered me. I would definitely need some warmer gloves.

Teri, me, Karen after the ride

When we got back to the bike shop, there was coffee and bagels waiting for us, and mimosas if we wanted. We all stuck around for a while and talked, and one woman started a Facebook group for all of us to keep in touch and even plan future rides. Teri from Reinventitude was also there, which was a nice surprise! It was a really nice morning, and I'm glad I went.

The group pre-ride!

But even though I enjoyed myself, I still felt a little uneasy, a little anxious. On the drive home, I decided that I'd go for that 5 mile run this afternoon instead of tomorrow at zero dark thirty. The temperature at my house was about 10 degrees warmer than it was while we rode our bikes, but it was still really windy. Heck, I rode my bike in that, I figured that the run would be nothing in comparison. I ate a bagel, changed into some shorts, and headed out into the neighborhood.

Miss Morning Runner, I never run in the afternoon, and I had no idea how this one would go. My legs felt good, and I looked down at my Garmin to check my first mile split. 8:15? Ok then. I kept going. The wind, when I ran into it, was pretty brutal, but the rest of the run felt good, especially when I had the wind at my back. Ha! The sun was trying to peek out but it never fully came out. I finished that 5 mile run strong, in 42 minutes on the dot. 8:23 mins/mi. Guess I can't say that I'm exclusively a morning runner! That run put a huge smile on my face, and the endorphins I had been craving were coursing through my veins.

The look that only running can bring.

Running, you complete me.

Do you cycle? Have you ever ridden in a group ride? What did you do this weekend?

I'm linking this post up with Tara at RunningNReading and her Weekend Update! Head over to her blog and see what everyone else did over the weekend!

Runfessions for May

It's the end of May, and you know what that means! Yep, it's time for my monthly Runfessions! Do you Runfess? If you don't, you should. It really feels good. After I put it all out there, I get to start June with a clean slate. And there's nothing better than a fresh start.

I'm linking up with Marcia's Healthy Slice for her monthly Runfessions post and linkup.

So without further ado...

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I am the queen of wasting time. I blog when I should be cleaning my house. Shop online when I should be paying bills. Enter giveaways on other blogs. Some (my spouse) might call it avoiding responsibility. I call it de-stressing. Last week at work, while waiting for a patient to come for a checkup (they were all late that day), I was chatting with one of the medical assistants and she showed me a fun app called My Idol on her phone. Well, of course, I had to join the party and make my own avatar:

Kind of creepy, isn't it? Now I know what I'd look like with bangs!

And made this video:

We laughed until we cried. There's a lot of other options, including Kung Fu, Sexy Back, and a weird one where pills shoot out of a box. Don't judge. My job can be pretty intense, and it felt good to sit and laugh like that. Later, when I got home, I showed it to my husband, but he was not amused. He can't believe that I had time to even do this. But he has no sense of humor. How would you like to work with him? We call him Mr. Fun....

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The Runners World cover contest is making me crazy!  Do you know what I'm talking about? The annual popularity contest competition to be featured on the cover of Runners World has started up this month. My Facebook feed is loaded with people begging for votes. Last year's winners were uber-inspiring. The leaders in this year's contest are accomplished runners in their own rights, but is their story cover-worthy? Who am I to say? I don't begrudge anyone who wants to win. But the begging for votes is kind of wearing on me. Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC posted on this last week, so I know I'm not alone. This isn't the prom. We don't need a king and queen of running. Personally, I'd like to see a masters runner or two on the cover, instead of the hot young flavor of the month that we usually get to see. Show us some real runners. We should all feel good about our running accomplishments. And speaking of that, let's get back to sharing our wins in our feeds. 'Nuff said.

Here, pick me! Cover worthy! courtesy of the Wisconsin marathon

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And just because you now think I'm Mrs Crankypants, I should confess that I yelled at one my neighbors a few weeks ago. I was heading out on my bike for a ride, when I saw the guy who leaves his poopy dog bags by the curb in front of my house. Passive aggressive me wants to pick up all my dog's poop and pour it in front of his front door. But civilized me says to be the bigger person. Anyways, Mr. Poop Bag was walking his dog by my house. As I rode my bike out onto the road, I saw him pick up his dog's poop, put it in a plastic bag, and stuff the bag into the sewer grate along the curb. I was so stunned that the words just came out of my mouth. "What are you doing?!" I asked. He just stared at me. Dude, WTF?  (and no, I didn't swear at him). This is a storm sewer, not your personal dog poop disposal! And isn't that illegal? And it was garbage day too! Put your poop bag in the garbage can! OMG. I thought I'd seen it all with bad dog owners, but this just took the cake. I thought about it for my whole bike ride. When I got back, I called my neighbor across the street, who works for the village. She reported him to the sewer department. I don't know what happened after that but I haven't seen him walking his dog past my house since. I could write a whole post on irresponsible dog owners, and I might, but for now, this will have to do. If you can't deal with dog poop, you shouldn't own a dog.

You won't with this guy as your owner. Grrrrr....

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I feel guilty not finishing a book. Does this happen to you? Earlier this week, I checked out a book from the library by Elizabeth Berg called The Dream Lover. I didn't even check the reviews for it, because...Elizabeth Berg. Similar in style to Anne Tyler, her books are about people and families and lives, and really pleasant, easy reads. This was her first venture into historical fiction and it was awful. I tried to like it, I really did. You know I'm not a quitter, but every night I found myself falling asleep while reading it. Then the next night, I'd have to go back and re-read all the pages I read the night before. That's never a good sign, and about 25% into the book, I gave up. Sorry, Ms. Berg, but this one was a turd. If you need a cure for insomnia, this book should do it.

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Have you ever heard the saying "no good deed goes unpunished?" Last week, my oldest son didn't go to school one day, and I needed to drive my youngest son to school. As we were leaving, I saw one of the neighbor kids walking back from the bus stop. He said the bus didn't come, and I offered to give him a ride. On the way to school, he told me his parents were getting a divorce. It sounded messy, and I offered sympathy, and listened to him talk. After I dropped the boys off at the high school, I drove up to the pretty preserve where there is a limestone path. I rarely run there, but since I was so close, I thought it might be a nice change of pace. About a mile into the preserve, I passed another runner, a cross dresser wearing women's running clothes, a blonde wig, and full makeup. I realized then how isolated I was in the preserve, and even though I knew this character posed no danger to me, it still really freaked me out. I picked up the pace and thought about this the whole rest of my run. When I got home safe and sound, I started getting ready for work. There was a pounding on the door, and I about jumped out of my skin. The person didn't go away, and I decided to see who it was. It was the boy's dad, wanting to "tell me his side" of the divorce saga. He wouldn't leave, and I politely told him I didn't want to get involved.

No more good deeds for me.

And isn't it funny how one incident sets off a whole chain of events! I told my oldest son that if only he'd gone to school, none of this would have happened. So really, it's all his fault...

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What do you have to runfess? 

I'm also linking up with the DC Trifecta: Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for Friday Five! Head on over to see what everyone else is posting about. It's Free Friday!

Race Day Anticipation

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I used to get really nervous before races. I couldn't sleep the night before, even for a 5k. Before I ran a race, there were multiple trips to the portapotty, because my nerves got my tummy all in a jangle.

When I signed up for my first Chicago marathon, I was nervous from the moment I signed up in February until the day of the race in October. That was awful, and as most of you know, I had a terrible race experience. I couldn't get my nerves under control. I learned that day that I never want to feel like that again. Clearly, I've done a lot of work, and am in such a better place now. Yes, I still get nervous before races, but instead of being terrified, I am excited. And that nervous excitement gets me to the start line and gets a little adrenaline flowing in my veins. I get excited to put all the training to the test. And I get excited thinking about crossing the finish line and going home with another medal. I actually like this feeling, and I think it's one of the reasons I like to race!

We have to expect to feel nervous before we race. It's normal. For me, the hardest part about running races is waiting at the starting line.

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What's helped me curb my nervousness is having race day rituals. The saying for runners is "nothing new on race day", and there's a few reasons for that. It makes sense that trying something new, like new shoes or new fuel, can lead to a bad outcome. But there's also comfort in the familiar. Here you are, going to put it all out there on the road, and there's nothing better to calm the nerves than eating the same pre-race meal you've eaten every single time. Packing the same fuel to take with you on the race. Hitting the portapotties before you line up to run. Giving yourself plenty of time to get in your corral and/or line up at the start line.

It's really helpful though, if you have thought ahead and taken care of the little details for your race. That way, while you're waiting for the race to start, you can observe the crowd around you, soak up the energy, and mentally prepare yourself to run.

Even the night before a race, I lay out my race day outfit and pin my bib to my shirt. Of course, I have been stalking the weather for about a week, and have already planned multiple outfits, depending on the conditions. I set my alarm and check it compulsively. My gear is laid out on the kitchen counter, ready for me to grab it and go in the morning. My coffee is in the pot, ready to brew. I review the race course and the location of the aid stations one last time, even though I have looked at this multiple times now and could probably run it in my sleep.

By controlling what I can control, I change my nervous anticipation into excited anticipation. I can focus my energies on the event at hand instead of worrying about all the little details that go into running a race.

Of course, there are always things you have no control over, things that happen that you can't plan for. For example, at a recent half marathon, even though I thought I put enough cream in my chafeable areas, one thing I didn't anticipate was the warm temperatures and amount of sweating I would do. While I didn't really feel the pain while I was running, on the drive home, I started to get uncomfortable, and knew that taking a shower would be painful. And it was. Live and learn, right?

Another time, I was out on a long run up in rural Wisconsin. My handheld bottle sprung a leak, and all my fuel leaked out at mile 5 on a 12 miler. It was hot, and I was really nervous about being without water. I ran by a few homes where the garage doors were open and there were cases of water inside. I just couldn't bring myself to run in and take one though. Finally, I ran by a house where a bunch of hungover people were sitting in the yard. They gladly gave me a bottle of water, and saved me. After that experience, I changed the way I carry my fuel.

One thing you really can't control is the weather. All the best planning, and it could still pour on you. Or the temperature could rise much faster than you expect, and you end up being overdressed. I've had both things happen to me. Now I check a bag with extra clothes to change into in case of the unexpected.

The final preparation that you have to do is to think positive thoughts. None of that "I can't do this" or "what if I don't finish?' Remember that mental exercise Becky had me do last summer? Actually, it wasn't an exercise as much as it was a threat.

"For every negative word or "I can't" that comes out of your mouth, you have to do 10 burpees. No matter where you are or what you are doing. " -Becky

After she said this to me (multiple times, I might add), I'd get the giggles every time I have some moments of self doubt. At work, doing burpees in the hallway? Yikes! And during the Chicago marathon, at mile 23? On Michigan Avenue? I started laughing, and I think all the runners around me thought I was delirious. That is, the ones that weren't laying on the ground, writhing in pain or vomiting! While I felt badly for them, I drew strength from that fact that I was still going. And that I felt pretty good. Clearly, Becky's method worked for me.

Trust your training. You did all the work to prepare for this moment, and now is the time to put it on the road. Remind yourself of how hard you trained. Focus on those workouts that went really well. Think about the miles where you told yourself, "I think I can do this!" And if you don't do this during your training runs, you need to! This mental prep starts with your training.

The most important thing to remind yourself is why you do this. Running is fun! Even though it's hard, and maybe it doesn't always feel fun in the moment. But remember how good you feel when you cross that finish line. Draw on that experience to take you to your next race. And get excited all over again.

 What do you do to prepare yourself for a race? Or any big event? Do you get nervous just thinking about it?

I'm linking up with Deb Runs for Wednesday Word! See what everyone else has to say about anticipation.

And Diatta and Sheila for Workout Wednesday! Another great link up with a variety of awesome posts!

And Annemarie, The FitFoodieMama at Wild Workout Wednesday!