Run AWAY 5K Race Recap!
On Sunday I ran a 5K trail race to benefit the Solid Waste Authority- an odd little race that turned out to be perfect for me right now. One of the reasons I chose it is I figured a trail race would be kinder to my ego- after two years of dealing with my foot issues (and doing no speed work) I knew I would be running slowly. Everyone runs slower on a trail, right? The race was about 45 minutes north of us, at the Renewable Energy Facility. I actually had no idea what this was or that it existed at all, but it turns out we have “the most advanced and cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in North America.” Who knew? Since the race started at 7:30 and we had to pick up our packets, we got up nice and early- 5:20 am- and got ourselves ready to go. My husband had agreed to run it with me, but after he registered he found out he would be working Saturday night, and he didn’t get home until 11:30 pm. There was a teensy bit of grumbling at the early wakeup time, but overall he was an excellent sport. I drank a big glass of water and then sipped on a cup of black tea on our way to the race. Once we were there and had gotten our packets and bib numbers, I ate a banana, ran a mile to warm up, and was ready to race. It turned out this was a perfect course for someone who can’t run very fast, because if ever a race discouraged fast running, it was this one. The trail portions were nothing too treacherous- some rocks and tree roots, you had to watch your step- but the true challenges lay in the non-trail sections. There were some paved stretches that were very uneven- ironically, I rolled my ankle on one of the paved parts (nothing serious.) Not only was the pavement broken, but there were some twists and turns that made it precarious. Then in the middle of the race we encountered the worst running surface imaginable. It was kind of like a concrete lattice, with holes in the center of each grid. It was literally impossible for me to step down without stepping partially into a hole. Oh, and this was the only part of the course that was downhill. It was only one or two tenths of a mile, but still- it was slow going. Then, there were a couple stretches where we ran on a boardwalk over a marshy area. There was a sign that said “Caution! Boardwalk is slippery when wet” and you could see puddles ALL OVER IT. Some people in front of me walked across the boardwalk- I kept running, but I did slow down. My overall pace for this race was 9:04/mile, which is astonishing considering I practically felt like I was running an obstacle race. As a matter of fact, I’m suspicious that the course was a little short- but I don’t know for sure because my Garmin chose this week to bite the dust. Hey- I’ll take 9:04 if you want to give it to me. And I came second in my age group! One of the most exciting things about the race though was that my husband was third in his age group, and it’s the first time he’s ever placed in his age group. He was really happy! We got some pretty cool AG awards… In all honesty, this quirky little race obviously didn’t attract fast runners. But that’s okay- I’ll take an AG award any day! It always makes it more fun when you win something. My foot held up well- it didn’t hurt during the race. I was too distracted to notice it much. It got uncomfortable standing during the award ceremony though- when you’re in my age group, you have to wait a while for your category. On the way home my husband said that regardless of how he placed, he was just happy that he’s still able to be out there running. I thought the same thing during the race- how lucky I was to out there, running on a trail, when a lot of people can’t run at all. So I’m grateful for that. HOWEVER… I don’t think I’m quite at that point yet- the point where I say “I’m old and slow, but at least I can make it through a 5K without keeling over!” I’d like to think I still have some competitive days ahead of me, where I can train seriously for a race and have a time goal. So while I did have fun, it just reminded my that I NEED to get this foot situation fixed, so I can run the way I want to again. Overall, we really enjoyed this event. When I signed us up we were making jokes about running a race for garbage. But I loved the focus on renewable energy and recycling. The trail was beautiful, and even the questionable running surfaces added to the unique quality of this race. We plan to do it again next year! Do you ever run trail races? What’s the oddest race you’ve ever run?
Weekly Rundown- It’s Race Week!
Welcome to the weekly rundown, hosted as always by the gracious Kim and .Deborah. As you may or may not know, I was a little down the week leading up to my birthday and in a fit of insanity signed up for a race. I needed something to jolt me out of the doldrums, so I picked a race I wouldn’t normally choose- a 5K trail race to benefit the Solid Waste Authority. All week long I joked that I was tapering for the race- but the truth is, there’s probably not much I could have done that would affect the outcome greatly one way or another. Let’s see how the week went! Sunday It was my “long” run day, five miles. We had an unexpectedly beautiful weekend- it was in the upper 50s for this run with low humidity. Hooray! Monday I started the day with a 30 minute yoga flow, as always on Peloton with Denis Morton. Followed that with a 10 minute core class with Ben Alldis. I was a little sad when my Crush Your Core program ended because I loved having each day’s class already picked out for me. Now what I’m doing is working my way through all of Ben Alldis’s core classes. They’re all basic core routines with pretty much the same exercises, but doing a different class mixes it up just enough. Tuesday I decided to do something other than Peloton and tried out Marcia’s lower body workout. If you don’t like peppy youngsters shouting cute motivational slogans at you while playing obnoxious music, this workout is for you. It’s quick and hits all the muscle groups. I especially like how she includes lateral banded walks for the glute medius. Go Marcia! I also did a quick core class and pull-ups, and later in the day did a 30 minute yoga flow. It was a Denis Morton class from 7/26/20, and for the first time ever, I HATED the music! One of the things I like about Denis is the music he uses- but this time I disliked it so much, it distracted me from the flow. I made a note NOT to take this class again! Wednesday Because of my foot issue (sigh) I’m only running every other day right now. Since I have a race on Sunday, I had to take two days off in a row somewhere. But now, back to running- three miles and the humidity has returned! Followed this run with another core class, and later in the day did a 20 minute hip focus yoga flow. Thursday Another strength day. I did a core class, pull-ups, and a lower body workout on my own. Sometimes I feel like a class, and sometimes I want to do my own thing. Know what I mean? Friday Started the day with a three mile run. After work I planned to do a core class, but I somehow FORGOT. It was our cat’s second birthday, and my daughter thought we should make cookies for the occasion. That has to be the lamest reason ever to miss a workout- I was making cookies for my cat’s birthday??? It’s not like my cat was going to eat them! I didn’t even eat them. Although, I suppose it’s better to miss a workout and not eat cookies, than to miss a workout and eat cookies. So there’s that. Saturday I’m not taking any chances! The first thing I did was a core class. Then a yoga class, and later in the day did pull-ups. Mysteriously, my pull-ups don’t seem to be getting any easier. Or I guess I should say, I don’t seem to be getting any stronger (It doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger, right?) Well, I’ll just keeping working at it. Sunday It’s race day! Let’s see… my foot is still iffy, I haven’t done speedwork in two years, the race is early in the morning and far away, my garmin is broken, and best of all… it’s supposed to rain. The trails should be nice and muddy! As you can see, I’m going into this with low expectations, which is probably a good thing. My husband is running it with me, so we’ll just try to have fun. Recap coming up on Tuesday! How was your week? Is it spring where you live yet? – It’s full-on summer here. I think we’re getting up to 90 this week! If you have pets, do you celebrate their birthdays?
April (Fools) Coffee Date
It’s the first Friday of the month, which means it’s time for our coffee date, hosted as always by Coco and Deborah. I debated starting this post by saying how my foot feels so much better, I’ve signed up for an ultramarathon which takes place next month. Of course, the next sentence would be… APRIL FOOLS! Yes, that would have been hilarious (?) but I’ve never been into jokes like that. I guess I just don’t like fooling people, even for a second. I know… how boring. Anyway, let’s get started with this coffee date- no fooling allowed. If we were having coffee together, of course I would talk about what I’m reading. I just finished The Maid by Nita Prose. This book took me on a little journey. Although it’s never stated, I assume the main character, Molly, has Aspergers. Now, I have a very close relationship with someone who has Aspergers. I don’t mean to be cryptic, but I really can’t name names. Suffice it to say, I know a bit about this. At first I was chuckling at Molly’s idiosyncrasies. Like when she’s waiting for the detective, she says “It felt like I had been waiting for one hundred and twenty minutes.” Yes, that’s spot on. People with Aspergers take things very literally. They don’t understand it when people exaggerate or make generalizations. Molly would never say “It felt like I had been waiting a hundred years!” One hundred and twenty minutes is exactly what she would say. However, as the book went on, it made me so sad. The way that Molly struggled to understand people, and the way people took advantage of her, saddened me so much that I almost stopped reading halfway through. I know, I know… this is FICTION. I just couldn’t stand the thought of my Aspie going through something like that. Luckily, I forged ahead and all was well in the end. This book is a mystery, and at first I thought the plot line was too obvious- but there is a twist at the end. For a while I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book overall, but then I realized Nita Prose did something not every author does- she made me care deeply about the main character. So in the end it was a good book! Next up- Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. Okay, let’s talk about my foot, for real. For TWO YEARS now I’ve been dealing with a very stubborn case of plantar fasciitis, and a mysterious pain on the bottom outside edge of my foot. My doctor has now diagnosed that pain as “lateral column syndrome,” with a possible subluxation of the cuboid bone. Seriously??? I’ve had ELEVEN shockwave treatments (at $125 a pop) and gotten custom orthotics- all paid for out of my own pocket. Insurance covered nothing. My doctor still believes that he’ll cure this, and says he has a 100 percent success rate with shockwave therapy. One time I told him I hoped I wouldn’t be that person to bring him down to 99 percent, and he actually seemed offended. He looked me in the eye and said “I don’t do 99 percent.” So… unless he’s a pathological liar- anything is possible at this point- he believes he’s going to fix this. I’m starting to wonder when it’s time to cut my losses and seek a different treatment. Injection? Acupuncture? Surgery? All I have to say is… next time my foot hurts, tell me it’s a stress fracture, put me in a boot and say I can run again in eight weeks. That would be GREAT. What would you tell me over coffee? What are you reading now? Have you ever heard of a subluxation of the cuboid bone? (I hadn’t until now, but if you google it, there’s lots of information.). I hope you’re enjoying a delicious beverage this morning!
Just Like Me…
Lately I’ve been making my way slowly but happily through Pema Chodron’s Welcoming the Unwelcome, and I love it. (Thanks again to Nicole for the recommendation!) It’s not a long book but I’m reading one chapter at a time and not rushing through it. This is the second book I’ve read by Pema, and what I love is, although she’s a Buddhist nun, she writes in a very clear, down-to-earth style. You know what I mean… sometimes these spiritual books say things like “Life is a river… it ebbs and flows” or “A cloud never dies.” Okay- what am I supposed to do with that? Or, let’s take Eckhart Tolle. I actually love Eckhart, but here’s a quote from his book A New Earth: “The Subject, the I, the knower without which nothing could be known, perceived, thought, or felt, must remain forever unknowable. This is because the I has no form. Only forms can be known, and yet without the formless dimension, the world of form could not be.” ACK! What??? Let’s get back to Pema Chodron (quickly.) Not only is her writing crystal clear, where everything makes sense the first time through, but she gives examples of things you can do right now to start implementing her ideas. The underlying theme of the book is the importance of overcoming polarization. She says, “There are many ways to talk about the problems of this world, but one way or another, they all have to do with polarization.” And, polarizations begins in our own minds. Pema suggests an exercise we can do called “Just like me.” You go to a public place and look around at the people. Choose a random person, and say to yourself, “Just like me, this person doesn’t want to feel uncomfortable. Just like me, this person doesn’t want to be disliked. Just like me, this person wants to have friends and intimacy.” By doing this you realize that our similarities are greater than our differences. Here’s an example from my own life where I’ve done a form of this exercise. I’ve found that sometimes I’ll begin a massage, and I’ll start to notice the odor of cigarettes emanating from the person’s skin. Outwardly I’m still working hard at the massage, but my thoughts start to go something like this: “Oh, this person smokes. They obviously don’t care about their health. What difference will one massage make? They’re not doing much to take care of themselves.” I’ve unconsciously put them in a separate category from myself, maybe even thinking that they don’t deserve a massage as much as another person. The last time I caught myself in that situation, I instead thought like this: “Just like me, this person doesn’t want to be in pain. Just like me, this person wants to feel good, Just like me, this person has some bad habits that are very hard to break.” I could go on and on. This person wants to be loved, This person wants to be healthy. This person doesn’t want to suffer. I guess the point it, I consider myself to be a reasonably tolerant and somewhat enlightened person- but I can find all sorts of examples of times when I fall into the “us” vs. “them” mentality. I’m working hard at becoming aware of this because Pema says if we can commit to overcoming polarization in our own minds, it will help the world. God knows we need as much help as possible. I know what you’re thinking- “Jenny, the title of your blog is RUNNERS FLY. What in the world does this have to do with running?” Well… I have to do something while my foot heals up! I’ve got extra time on my hands- might as well try to help the world, right? Have you read any books by Eckhart Tolle or Pema Chodron? Do you like books like this? Do you have times where you find yourself falling into an “us” vs. “them” mentality?