Different Breed

Yikes!  Has it really been nearly 3 weeks since I last posted?  Sorry about that...it's been hotter than hell here in Arizona with temps topping out at 116 degrees so it's hard to blog about running when I can barely run!  As I mentioned in a previous post, the treadmill calls to me this time of year.  I feel like a lab rat on that thing, but my water stays cold, the A/C blows cold and I can usually watch a movie so the good outweighs the bad.  The girls just went back to school, my oldest started 6th grade and my 3 year old is going to preschool 3 mornings a week so I get some freedom again!  You moms know what I'm talking about :-)  With the new school year comes the crowds at the gym.  It reminds me of New Year's because all the moms who couldn't get to the gym during the summer find they now have the time to get a workout in.  I hate to say it, but just like New Year's, the crowds die down after a couple weeks.  I know these women start out with the best intentions, but just can't stick with it.  Why is that?  It's because we runners are a different breed.  I work out 4 or 5 times per week.  My ideal schedule is:  Long run on Sunday, swim Monday, speed intervals, weights and Pilates on Tuesday, Wednesdays off, spin and weights on Thursday, tempo run and yoga on Friday and Saturdays off.  My friends (including my husband) who aren't runners think I'm nuts.  When I run a marathon they say, "Your knees are gonna give out."  To which I respond, "Who cares?  I'm enjoying myself while I can!"  I don't think of them as "haters" they just aren't runners.  They can't get into my mind set.  I agree we running moms are a little nuts but the exercise we do keeps us sane.  Imagine how "nuts" we would be if we DIDN'T work out?  If that makes us a different breed, then thank God for that.

What makes a good running buddy?

If you're anything like me, you need to do your long runs with someone.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my alone time just as much as any other mom, but when it comes to the long weekend run I feel going it alone makes it much more difficult.  Yes, it's harder when you have to keep up with someone faster and yes, it's harder to run when you're trying to carry on any sort of coherent conversation but it's more than that.  Meeting up with someone whether it's a large group or just a buddy makes you accountable.  It's hard to sleep in knowing people are waiting for you!  I'm one of those people who never met a stranger she didn't know.  This is to say, if I strike up a conversation with someone (man or woman - I'm an equal opportunity social butterfly!) I will inevitably ask if they are a runner.  If I'm lucky and they are, I always ask them along for our Sunday run.  It's a great ice breaker and immediately makes people feel welcome.  Sometimes I get lucky and find someone fun!  At any rate, my dear friend Tina has been my running buddy for 3 years now.  I have and will run with others in my life, but for now I am honored she has chosen to spend nearly every Sunday morning with me.  We call running on Sunday mornings our "church" and it feels that way to us.  We do it religiously.  What makes her a great running buddy is that she is always strong and up for anything.  Even when she is sick or run down or just plain tired, she is strong.  When I feel weak, her strength inspires me and this keeps me going.  I don't want to let her down.  She is also VERY easy going.  Nothing riles this chick up!  I've seen her upset, but nothing near the red line I can reach.  She is my travel buddy for races and is quite the minimalist.  She barely packs anything and whenever I ask where she wants to go or what she wants to do she usually leaves it up to me to make the plans.  Some people would be bothered by making all the plans, but I love this about her! She must get something out of our Sunday runs as well because she keeps showing up!  Those are the qualities I look for in a running buddy.  Someone who makes me want to be not just a better runner, but a better ME.  What do you think makes a good running buddy?

10% Physical, 90% Mental

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  I've been dealing with this miserable Arizona heat and not running nearly as much as I would like (do us mom's ever get to run as much as we'd like?).  At any rate, the kids will be returning to school next week (yay!) so I should be back on the horse - or treadmill - very soon!  I have been reading a book called "Run Like a Girl" by Mina Samuels.  It's a lot like "Run Like a Mother" by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell.  I haven't finished "Run Like a Girl" yet but I can tell you "Run Like a Mother" is much better.  I like the fact that "Mother" was written by two friends - one who is highly competitive and the other more relaxed about her running.  I can honestly say I am the more relaxed one in my group.  What's wrong with that is they are all becoming much faster than I!  What I need to do is push myself harder in training instead of complaining about the heat and saying things like "Oh, she's just faster than me.  Lucky with the gene pool."  I've come to learn that when we race it is only 10% physical ability and 90% mental.  Us women love to criticize ourselves.  I reflect on some of the times I have really fallen apart in a race and it is always mental.  I am physically fine, I just cannot continue (or so my brain tells me so).  My last marathon, I simply ran out of gas at mile 20.  Now, you could argue that is because I could have taken an extra GU or drank Gatorade instead of water.  Who knows?  Bottom line is, I wasn't hurting anywhere I just couldn't make myself run any further.  Yet, when I came to the last mile and heard the crowd, I was able to run quickly and with a smile on my face.  What does that tell you?  The 5 miles I walked and complained to other runners how this was so harder than I remembered didn't help me mentally.  What got me through the last 1.2 miles was, quite simply the excitement of being finished and not letting down that crowd.  I need to work on my mental race so I can start keeping up with my friends or risk being left in the dust.