Top 4 Reasons Why I Run

The past few months, I have spent a lot of time thinking "I should really get outside and run some."  The past few months, I have spent very little time actually running.

It's been about a year since I have been on a regular running schedule.  Most of that has to do with Owen - I would much rather stay home and play with him than go outside in the [fill in unsatisfactory weather here].  When we lived in the Boston area, I never felt like I had enough time with him.  We would wake up at the crack of dawn, drive almost an hour to get to the parking garage that was about 9 miles from our apartment, then get home after 6:30 and deal with dinner and bedtime.  I had roughly 3 hours a day during the week to enjoy him.  It wasn't enough and I couldn't bring myself to take 10-30 minutes out of that to go for a run.  Now that we live in Indiana, we have a much nicer balance.  Our mornings are less hectic and our evenings are much longer.  I would not feel guilty going for a short run every now and then.  My problem now is that there are so few places to run.  Sidewalks in Newburgh only exist in neighborhoods.  You either need to drive somewhere to run (which seems ridiculous), run the same mile route over and over and over until you die from boredom, or take your life in your hands and run on the shoulder of some precarious roads.  Put a little polar vortex sauce on top and this is a recipe for zero motivation to run.  While struggling through my first mile in weeks, I tried to list the things that I like about running that might help me get back in the swing of things.  The Oatmeal's list is also very inspiring.  Complete with Kraken slaying.

1.  Running is free.  You can go out and buy expensive running shoes, compression shorts, iPod arm bands, and all sorts of other gear to make running more pleasant/comfortable.  I have been lost in City Sports many times gently caressing the fancy running tights that promise to keep me warm, wick moisture, stabilize, and so on.  But, really, you could also go out there and look like my favorite never-nude:

http://www.tobiasfunke.com/tag/never-nude

There may be some chafing and people might point and stare but the point is you can run in whatever you want.  I don't like the perception that you have to have to have a (large) disposable income in order to exercise.  Crossfit and gym memberships are great if you can afford it, but I think we need to portray exercise and health living as something that can be done with all budgets.  While running isn't always "a favorite" for people, it's great exercise that doesn't have to break the bank.

2.  Running makes me feel better.  We all have days where we feel groggy or lazy or slow.  Running gives me more energy.  I never feel better about running before I run because I have to dress myself, which is hugely inconvenient.  But once I'm out there, I feel good.  Adrenaline is pumping and I'm happy to be staring at something other than a computer screen.  After running, I am usually in a better mood.

There's lots of science that goes in to explaining all of this, but I'm okay with just saying that running makes me feel better.  Unless I'm running on a treadmill.  Then I hate it.

3.  Running gets me outside.  I love to be outdoors, but sometimes it's hard to get myself off my butt to go outside.  Being a former mass transit user, I was guaranteed at least some time outside every day.  We lived a half mile from a T station, so if nothing else, I got a half mile walk any time I wanted to go somewhere.

Now, the only time I'm required to get outside is when I run an errand and have to walk through the parking lot to get to the store.  Especially now that I work from home.  I could feasibly spend multiple days in a row without ever stepping foot outside (this has happened).

4.  There is no number 4.  I just like even numbers.

Hopefully this list will help.  You know what I know will help?  40+ degree weather.  Have I mentioned I don't like winter?

My first official 5K...and other firsts of Owen's

I finally ran my first official 5K since Owen has been born.  It was a Thursday night event, on a flat course through a park.  And I was able to make it happen in what I consider a "reasonable" amount of time. Success!  And then it rained...for almost four weeks straight and now it's pushing 100 degrees outside. Not my kind of running weather.

So instead, I think we should focus on some exciting firsts of Owen's.  He's got his first teeth and more coming.  He's learned to spit and blow raspberries, which was cute at first but between the active spitting and the accidental drooling his shirts are usually pretty soaked.  And just recently, he showed us that he can crawl for real, but it only lasts a few steps.  But he's an amazing army crawler.  Sometimes it takes a lot of effort, but he makes it to his destination with the perfect mixture of determination and brute force.  When he was first learning, he gained his strength by screaming - much like a female arm wrestler.

The only difference between him and the arm wrestler is that he actually succeeded...

Running and Eating - my two favorite things

Owen is a champion runner.  We're starting slow, but our little family brigade is up to 3 miles and counting.  'Tis the season for races and we are ready to start signing up.

All Owen needs is a "Boston Strong" onesie and he will look legit.  

When we're not on the streets running, our lives revolve around eating.  I am fighting off cravings of Wendy's chicken nuggets and Chipotle burrito bowls and we're introducing Owen to fun solid foods.  Rice cereal has been a breeze, but some of the other foods have been a challenge.  Owen loved carrots but carrots did not love him (or his outfits).

And he was NOT a fan of cream of wheat...

But if you're looking for some asparagus, it's that-a-way.

With all this training, this kid's got to get on a runner's diet.  Next we'll try squash and then maybe some sweet potatoes.

Back in the Roundabout

I haven't been running much lately, but don't worry, I have been very busy.  Instead of running, I had a baby!  Yes, I know you can run and have babies (not at the same time, but you know what I mean) but it just hasn't worked out that way.  Maybe a little, but not really.  I ran last year through some of the pregnancy, but it was exhausting and not that much fun so I stopped.  The dogs and I walked while Micah learned to love running alone and with his headphones.

Once Owen was born, I tried to get out there and run but I was a) recovering from giving birth and b) not willing to battle out the ridiculous blizzards we had in January and February.  Instead, I enjoyed all of the firsts that mothers get to enjoy with a newborn, like...

rolling over from the belly to the back (first time on January 21, 2013),

laughing (first time January 19, 2013 - this video shot a few weeks later),

rolling back over from back to belly (first time March 19, 2013),

finding the humor in scary music,

learning to love raspberries,

being dedicated at REUNION church (March 17, 2013),

trying a first bite of rice cereal (which he learned to love...later),

and much, much more.  The first five and half months of Owen's life has been a fantastic blur.  I can't wait to see what else is in store for us.  And now that the weather is better and Owen is old enough to actually enjoy his BOB stroller, we will start running together.  Our family of three will soon be training for a marathon (not sure which) but this spring we'll stick with 5Ks and 10Ks to get back on our feet.

I Been Here For Years

My 64 days and (roughly) 8 hours of no running stretch finally came to an end this morning with the Winter Classic 5K in Cambridge.  Except I didn't run a 5K...I ran approximately 3 miles.  Despite leaving a full hour before the start of the race to get to Central Square which typically takes about 20-30 minutes to get to by the T we got there so late that we had to jump into the race with no bibs and without making it to the starting line.  We jumped in right behind the trailing police car...this was a come back race for Erin, Robbie, and I so we weren't really worried about the technicalities.  But we were able to run the entire course less the section we skipped.  And minus having to stop a couple times to put Robbie's mittens back on.  Oh, and to pick up the shoes and socks he threw off his feet.  Did I mention it was around 30 degrees out while we were running?  Not sure what you're supposed to do with a kid who is crying because he's cold while he is taking his second sock off.  I think he may need to catch up on some Dual Survival because after the crying I saw today, Cody Lundin would not be impressed.

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The ankle didn't hurt when running, but there was definitely some achiness after the race.  Not so much a throbbing pain or anything that even remotely resembled the original injury but a very subtle radiating pain that would slowly fade in and out every once in awhile.  My ankle is elevated as I speak type, but I think I may slowly be getting back in the game.  But don't call it a come back 'cause, well, you know...

The Bourbon Chase October 7-8, 2011

9:00 AM on a Friday

"The Gang Goes to Jim Beam"

It was a beautiful Friday morning as Van 1 from team Fueled by >51% Corn drove from Lexington to the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, KY to begin the journey that is the Bourbon Chase.  They arrived to shots of bourbon lining the bar.  And our full team ended on Main Street in Lexington, KY amidst booths of bourbon and (my personal favorite) Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.

Our team of 12 runners ran this beautiful 200 mile relay course that stretched from Jim Beam all the way to Lexington, KY while hitting all the major bourbon distilleries along the way.  The adventure was filled with laughs, mishaps, and killer tunes (think Careless Whisper).  My van, Van 2, met up with Van 1 at Makers Mark.  We took a quick tour of the distillery where we came across one of the funniest scenarios ever.  As we were walking back to the transition point where our 6th runner would pass the baton...errr...slap bracelet to our 7th, we passed by a warehouse full of aging bourbon and two people locked in side.  Yes, you read that correctly, two people were locked inside. As we walked, the front door was being pounded on from the inside with a guy yelling "Excuse me!  Can you open this door?  We're locked in!"  In between fits of laughter, we informed the imprisoned that the door was padlocked.  One of my teammates answered, "Can't you just go out the way you came in?  How did you get in there?"  The gentleman answered, "It said self-guided tour!  So we came in!  Then they came behind us and locked the door!"  I ran to get someone from Maker's while the rest of my van stayed behind to laugh at them some more.  Well, walked briskly to get help.  I mean, I was crying from laughing so hard so my vision was too blurry to actually run.  After a couple of minutes, Maker's managed to get the door opened and the couple came out safely and in surprisingly good humor. 

 After that, we joined the race.  My van ran its first round with no problems - with the exception of the middle earth-type heat our first four runners had to endure.  

9:00 PM on a Friday

"The Gang Sees an Apparition" 

Our first round ended in Perryville, KY where Van 1 took over again and we left to grab dinner and head to the hotel for a nice 3 hour nap.  I should mention here that my van was unfortunate enough to have Cynthia, my GPS, as our navigator.  Cynthia has never liked me.  I'm convinced she is jealous of my relationship with Micah and is doing everything she can to get me lost for good.  Getting rid of me is one thing, but she put the other runners and our hero of a driver in peril as well which is absolutely unacceptable.  In looking for the hotel, she took us down a very dark, very scary road.  We knew something was wrong so Craig, the driver, pulled into a gravel driveway to turn around and figure out what our next move should be.  We were all tired, a little frustrated, and, quite frankly, afraid for our lives so when Craig said "well, that's a little creepy" the whole van was ready to overthrow Cynthia from her oh-so-powerful spot on the dashboard.  We looked up at the barn in front of us and saw something like this...

...Okay, maybe they weren't flesh eating ghosts...maybe it was more like a cherub angel statue watching our every move from the loft a very obviously haunted barn.  Either way, total creepers. Anyway, where Cynthia cannot be trusted good 'ole Google came to our rescue.  We made it to our hotel with a quick stop at Fazoli's for dinner.

3 hours and a nap later, we were on our way to Danville where we met up with Van 1 again to start our second round of runs.  It was the middle of the night so everyone got to enjoy a nice, cool run.  My van peeps blew their times out of the water, and then it got to my run.  

5:50 AM on a Saturday

"Sweet Allie Loses a Leg" 

I felt great starting out.  I knew Leg 23 was a hilly run, but I was ready for it and got off to a nice steady pace.  About 2 miles in, I heard my van cheering me as they passed.  Not 10 minutes later, I heard more vans coming up behind me.  At this point, the road was narrowed to about as wide as one lane and I was a little nervous about cars passing me.  I did my best to get over as far as I could.  With it being 2AM and about as dark as I've ever experienced, I couldn't see where the pavement ended.  I ended up getting over too far to let the vans pass and turned my ankle.  I got up immediately thinking that I could just run off the pain but after a few minutes running became nearly impossible because my foot was swelling so bad my shoe was cutting off the circulation.  As I ran, my arch got so swollen that my foot was actually convex and I was rocking from my heel to my toe.  Uncomfortable, to say the least.  About 3 miles later, I made it to the exchange point and begged for some ice.  Yeah, I said it, 3 miles.  Hardcore.  Not like I had much of a choice, but I was given the Beast Award for that one.  Here is a scientific portrayal of exactly what happened:

Clearly, with all the snapping, popping and ka-powing going on I was unable to run my third leg.  Luckily, our driver (a very handsome, giving man) ran the final leg for me.  

7:00 PM on a Saturday

"The Gang Finishes"

The Bourbon Chase is beyond words.  Never mind just trying anymore, in just over a year I have triumphed 2 half marathons, 1 full marathon, and completed a 200 mile relay race. What's the difference between try and triumph you ask?  Just a little umpf.  I may not be the fastest but I'm labeling this one as a success. 

Oops, I did it again...

I thought I learned my lesson after the Tough Mudder.  If you came up to me and said "hey, let's go run up and down a mountain," I would reply without hesitation "absolutely not."  Do you know why I would say that?  Because it's stupid.  But change the question to "hey, do you want to do a mud race?" the answer is always "YES."  Because, for some reason, that sounds like fun and not stupid at all. 

The eve before Hurricane Irene (dud) was scheduled to demolish the Greater Boston area, Micah and I ran the Spartan Race for the second time.  Last year we ran this race with a group of people.  It was our first mud race and if you were to take out the 32 hornet stings we endured collectively it was a lot of fun.  You ran up the mountain once, went through a few fairly easy obstacles, and ran back down.  Apparently, a lot of people complained that the course was too easy last year.  It seems the Spartan team took these comments personally.  This year was unexpected and ridiculous.  They took out the "girl-side" of the 8 foot walls you had to jump which was not good for Micah or myself since he had to help me over every single one of them.   The barbed wire crawl went from a nice and easy 5-minute army crawl to three sections of barbed wire about 30 yards a piece straight up hill, split up by 6-8 foot walls you had to jump. In mud and rocks.  As if that wasn't enough, they added obstacles.  One of which required us to take a 5 gallon bucket, fill it up with gravel (1/2 for girls, 3/4 for guys), and carry it up and down a hill.  Why do I pay to do this stuff?  The good news is, this is the first of the three mud races I've done where I didn't get stung.  Isn't it sad that this is the good news?

All in all this was a great race, but I wish I would have been prepared for it.  I expected to drive up to Amesbury, roll around in the mud, and have some fun.  Instead I returned home broken.  It hurts to get up, sit down, and breath.  And I know what you're thinking...the answer is yes, I will be back next year.

On another note, we learned Sota doesn't like earthquakes.  We knew that she wouldn't be pleased about Irene, but this is what we came home to after the earthquake the other day...

There are two windows in this bedroom.  The other set of blinds was completely torn down.  Our guest bedroom looked like a murder scene.  And look at Baxter sitting there like nothing happened.  Worthless.