Little Red Running Hood

Miles 1123 It was late in the season….. the races were all but over….. marathons and half marathons had been run….. PRs had been made…. amazing wins  and some disappointments filled the run group as we drank a champagne cheers to the end of the season…. and to our groups new Olympic Trail qualifier….how incredibly motivating it is to know that caliber runner…. to train along side … well a few miles back…but….. to see him on the track…. to watch some one win like that…..  it was a good ending to a season well earned and well ran for all of us! I had 1 more race hanging in the background…. it was an end of the season race…. the last of the triple crown series….. the race series I had began the race year with so many months ago…… I was so tired…. so mentally done…. the coach OK'd my idea to sit it out…. take a break…. just enjoy the amazing season I had just completed……. and i almost did….. my body was beat, my mind was spent….. but darn it when your heart is set on an id...

MILES 1043 I had this goal…. when I started my blog almost a year ago….it was something I saw as attainable but never believed I would accomplish…. it was easy to say… and much harder to comprehend. I thought about it for so long…. ran with it weighing heavy on my mind…. I wanted it SO BAD.  I remembered how hard to was to break 2 hours on a half marathon….. how many failed attempts… missing my goal by seconds…. I remember the disappointment… the agonizing times that I just wasn't quite good enough. Almost…. but not quite….. but more than that… I remember the victory….  the day I was good enough…… and once that happened…. my goals only got bigger…. with a mere 153 as my PR… a number that still shocks me in a good did I really do that kind of way……  I set my sights on a 149….. doable…. but not quite in my head.  Although, this journey is teaching me that we go far beyond our cognitive comprehended aspirations when we are lead by the less tangible aspirations of...

Miles 1005.64 WOW! Injury and all and I am over that 1000 mile mark!  It has been a fantastic year.  It is race week again and so everything is crazy!  Gallons of water… moody behavior….neurotic eating… clear the head, freak out…. run like you mean it….enjoy how good it feels… because Saturday the big question is………….do I wan t this to hurt now…. for these 13.1 miles… or later…. when the race is over…..     do you give it your all and push past every ounce of pain and desperation…. do you hold on and embrace the struggle…. allow the pain to wash over you accepting it, becoming synonymous with discomfort and doubt and panic and pushing past all of it….. do you hold on….. keep going….stay strong…. face the agony that may be overtaking your mind and say….. I can hold this and I can keep going.  It's only pain.  And it will not last forever….. but I will take it right now…. for a victorious ending…… or……. do you lose it and suffer after the race…. s...

It was about 7:30 when dusk began to fall on those busy excited humming streets of Chicago.  It was October 10th, 2015 and 60,000 people were awaiting their big moment….. for some it was for that first chance at such a great feat…. for others it was about a personal triumph, for some there would be Boston and even olympic trial qualifications….. It was the night before a world class event…. as those 60,000 waited for a moment in time that would forever change their lives…their chance to cross that finish line into eternal victory…… it was Chicago 2015 Marathon Eve. We arrived in the city around 1pm.  The drive into the city was good….  my Mom and a gallon of water….. and a bag of sandwiches.  We ate and drank and drove and stopped at rest stops from drinking so much water…… At this point I had been living with a gallon jug attached to my hand for almost 2 weeks….. The goal was to finish the gallon early on this day. We arrived in the city and the adventure be...

Miles 857 I have completed all of the training for my 7th full marathon.  I am ready. Right…..?  MAYBE.  I should be ready.  The work behind me, now all that remains is showing up…. toeing the start line and moving forward. Right…. KINDA……Running 26.2 miles is scary as hell.  No question about it.  Undertaking the marathon feat, no matter how trained or experienced you are…. is still…. a monumental task. It is mental, it is physical, it is spiritual.  It takes experience, training and courage. and maybe a fairy godmother….. The experience….. means nothing really…. if you have done 1 or 100…. so much is weighing in on race day….. how you feel…. your mental state…….which will drive your body through this race….. and you never know if you are going to show up as a Venom GT with the skill of A.J. Foyt or a Honda Civic with the hesitation and absent mindedness of a divers ed student…… just because you have done it before…. means nothing. ...

Miles 827 One week ago: The thing that always gets me in a race is the National Anthem…. it's like….. such a sporting event thing to do…. and it kind of  gives you this amazing sense of pride…. like….. I am really doing this…. major sporting event…. and it feels….. really good.  To be that athlete(halflete) in the crowd, taking that moment just before the event begins….. I have been eagerly awaiting this half for MONTHS.  Laying low…… not saying much….. it was my first half in so long.  And I was ready.  I was trained to run a strong half.  And that feeling was amazing.  I didn't even freak out the night before….. BLACK FLAG…… so it was kind of raining cats and dogs… no one could see, we were soaked, drowned rat runners…. it was awesome.  Running in the pouring rain… feeling strong and fast and like I could maintain and PR and it didn't matter that the wind and the rain was beating down on us… or that no music was playing in my ears….. it...

Miles 667 Chicago is less than 2 moths away..... I have put all time goals on hold as I prepare for those 26.2 miles. I love marathons.  And for this..... I am focused on 1 thing. Manage effort. And kick ass.   It has been a long year since last Chicago.  I have had moments when it seems, not only, that I will never get better, but that I am getting worse.... There have also been times where I am flying so high.... Full of running accomplishments and PRs..... I could be happy, sad, mad, exhausted, well rested... yet the run is its own thing.... What happens when my feel connect with the pavement is a different kind of magic everytime..... Magic that feeds my soul, calms my restless mind, and exhausts my energy into a peaceful calm sense of content.  I have ran on bad days, good days, days when all I wanted to do was not run..... Days when I couldn't wait to run.  What I bring to the ground when my feet hit the street is all up to...

Miles 555 + Summer training has almost come to an end… and fall is upon us.  Fall brings a marathon and all of the glory and dedication and hard work that comes with training for a marathon…… it also brings risk for injury…. self doubt…fear…disappointment…. happiness…fear….excitement…adventure… fear…. A phrase that I have been running through my mind is this…. "never let your fear determine your fate." Every tuesday…. when I am afraid the run work out might kill me…..afraid of how good everyone is….or on sat when i fear I may not be able to go the distance…. it is with a deep breath and courage that I show up.  And run along side some of the most talented athletes in our community… well… actually a few miles behind them…. but still…. This weekend there is an 8k ( 5mile) race.  It is the second in a triple series in which I am in 5th place.  In the confirmation email 1 word stuck out…. TOUGHEST…. as in this is the toughest course of the series… omg. OMFG....

MILES 510 Last week during my long run, a strange idea occurred to me.  I am, by nature, risk adverse.  Very conservative,  not into gambling, never tried any thing involving heights, jumping, flying….. I am an obsessive planner and I tend to be boring and monotonous.  I mean, in a REALLY fun way!   And I started to wonder if athletes behave differently.  If their brains are actually hardwired…. in a different way.  Because…. as we have addressed early on… I am a halflete…. normal person wanna be athlete doing all the things athletes do only like a normal person…. sort of half assing it….. proudly… I might add…. but I digress…. Risk seeking behavior has actually been linked to a dopamine receptor gene….. or in simple terms… different brain chemistry… and the idea that stuck in my head…. as I hold back…. pushing at a steady 60% because I have trained myself to always have a running reserve…. maybe all of those people kicking serious running butt are ...

This is out of the box for my usual blog… but I wanted to take a moment and talk about food.  Eating.  Calories.  Those building blocks of energy that we all go in and out of understanding. Everyone diets…. fasts…binges… eats healthy..unhealthy..too little…too much and at the end of it all we are left with about 1000 different theories on what we should eat and why.  Everyone has a favorite supplement… drink…bar…vitamin…. or a favorite eating theory….Attkins..south beach..eat for your blood type…paleo…vegan…there are dietitians, heath coaches, nutritionists…. eating disorders ranging from too little to to much food consumption… and at the end of all of this…. no one really knows what to do and we bounce around trying to get it right.  THIS is what i have learned from it ALL. Calories = Energy=Performace broken down more healthy calories = clean energy = optimal performance = a great, healthy, happy body. When you learn to eat food to fuel your body…. to ...

Yesterday I read something about an ultra that totally motivated me!  OMG I have to run an ultra!  I very excitedly texted a friend about it….. 50 miles omg can you imagine how awesome that would be!   My friend very calmly asked…. what happened to 5ks….  OH yes…. I want to do those too and my 149 half AND someday qualify for Boston and pick up some age group awards in the local small races and…… Whoa I guess I really like to run or something. I ready this other amazing article this weekend….. about being at peace with yourself about your abilities and your limitations….. about understanding the training effect is universal, but everyone responds differently…. everyones body is so different…. we gain speed, endurance, power…. and lose weight at a rate that is unique to our bodies…… and we must recognize and accept this……. Most of my running friends have hit that 149 and are moving on…..I have not. Still far from it.  I am the only friend I know that runs 5ks...