Ok, so I'm really on a roll today with 2 blog entries before 1:30!
The other thing I know is going to come up as this big, hairy, crazy goal of running a marathon becomes more public is, "Why would you want to do THAT?"
The honest answer is, "I don't know exactly."
But I do know this. There has always been something about the marathon.
I remember a neighbor's dad (Mr. Carling) from when I was growing up. He was a runner. There is a local marathon held on the 24th of July (aka Pioneer Day) here in Salt Lake and Mr. Carling ran THAT. I remember people talking about it in hushed tones. :) He also made really good home made ice cream and in my head I seem to remember something about him and Fernwood's Ice Cream parlor and bubble gum ice cream - but that's not really relevant here.
I also remember hearing about people running the St. George marathon when I was growing up.
I always had a sense of "if I was a runner, I would want to run a MARATHON."
Then, in the late 90's, there was a magazine called "Walking" and it had an edition that was devoted to WALKING a marathon. I tore the training program out and stuck it on my fridge. And even took some slack about it from my husband's friend Dave (a "real" runner, right down to the wiry build!). It stayed up on my fridge right up until I (surprise!) got pregnant and realized that I was NEVER going to have time for that sort of thing and besides, with my dialup modem and AOL I had bookmarked the training program anyway.
What's that? You've never heard of "Walking"? That's because it - and that particular training program - no longer exist. It's a shame, too. It was a great magazine.
Thoughts of much besides new motherhood and teaching were scarce from 1998-2003. And then Ginger (a friend and hero with her huge and lasting transformation of her body) mentioned that she had read "Courage to Start" (or maybe it was "No Need for Speed") by John Bingham and that she was thinking about starting running. I went straight to the library and checked them out. Within days I was being fit for shoes at my LRS (local running store) and trying to figure out how to become a runner.
Once I learned that slow and steady got it done, I was hooked.
Doing a marathon became a matter of "when" not "if" or "why".
So, I've been thinking about my reply to "why would you want to do THAT?" and I think the best approach will be to answer a question with a question. "Why do YOU like cottage cheese?"
Thursday, December 31, 2009
What do boxing, running, and cooking have in common?
My cute friend Brenda and I watched "Julie and Julia" yesterday, having already seen it once before. I love the part where Julie has the bad day at work and then comes home to blog that what she loves about cooking is that even after a bad day, you can come home, mix egg yolks, cream and chocolate together and get something wonderful.
I love that about cooking, too. It is predictable.
But what I love even more about cooking is what I also realized that I love about boxing, running, biking, flying and The Flylady.
Are you ready?
It's the pre-flight ritual.
WAY back when I first got out of high school, I spent a summer flying small airplanes. Mostly Cessna 152's. Before each flight, you have to do a pre-flight inspection. There is a checklist and you walk around the plane checking the pitot tubes and tires and fuel tanks and the like. After you've done it 10 or 20 times, you have your own little routine and rhythm established. And while you are going through that little routine you get your head ready, too. You have to be present when you fly - and a good pilot in a small plane uses her kinesthetics and intuition together with the know-how in her head to have a succesful flight. The pre-flight inspection becomes the little bubble where you leave the world waiting and step into the possibility of the flight ahead.
As I was untangling (yes, Damien, I know I'm supposed to wash them in a pillowcase so they don't tangle up that bad!) my handwraps and getting them rolled up, I was thinking about the ritual of wrapping one's hands. While there isn't a lot of variability in the how-to of hand wrapping, it is still a very unique and individual ritual that gets you out of your everyday life and into the physical present-ness of your upcoming workout.
It's the same with having your run/walking gear all laid out and getting it on and getting your shoes laced just right. I mean, there's really not a lot TO putting on your shoes, but when you are going to be run/walking for 5+ hours, you really do need to get it exactly right for you.
Another thing that cooking, boxing, running, flying, etc. all have in common is that there is always a feeling of accomplishment when you are done. This is not to say that there can't be burnt food, bad workouts and scary flights. Of course there can. But there is still the "war story" that you get from that and there is still an incredible satisfaction (and learning) in that.
I love that about cooking, too. It is predictable.
But what I love even more about cooking is what I also realized that I love about boxing, running, biking, flying and The Flylady.
Are you ready?
It's the pre-flight ritual.
WAY back when I first got out of high school, I spent a summer flying small airplanes. Mostly Cessna 152's. Before each flight, you have to do a pre-flight inspection. There is a checklist and you walk around the plane checking the pitot tubes and tires and fuel tanks and the like. After you've done it 10 or 20 times, you have your own little routine and rhythm established. And while you are going through that little routine you get your head ready, too. You have to be present when you fly - and a good pilot in a small plane uses her kinesthetics and intuition together with the know-how in her head to have a succesful flight. The pre-flight inspection becomes the little bubble where you leave the world waiting and step into the possibility of the flight ahead.
As I was untangling (yes, Damien, I know I'm supposed to wash them in a pillowcase so they don't tangle up that bad!) my handwraps and getting them rolled up, I was thinking about the ritual of wrapping one's hands. While there isn't a lot of variability in the how-to of hand wrapping, it is still a very unique and individual ritual that gets you out of your everyday life and into the physical present-ness of your upcoming workout.
It's the same with having your run/walking gear all laid out and getting it on and getting your shoes laced just right. I mean, there's really not a lot TO putting on your shoes, but when you are going to be run/walking for 5+ hours, you really do need to get it exactly right for you.
Another thing that cooking, boxing, running, flying, etc. all have in common is that there is always a feeling of accomplishment when you are done. This is not to say that there can't be burnt food, bad workouts and scary flights. Of course there can. But there is still the "war story" that you get from that and there is still an incredible satisfaction (and learning) in that.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Book Review
My books came today. The first is "Training for Mortals" by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield (the link to it on Amazon is over there on the right side). I like it! It has about 10 pages of intro materials, basic running and nutrition and then a John Bingham essay (I'm kinda miffed that he's leaving Runner's World since he was one main reason I started subscribing - ok and I didn't really like that he left his wife and married this Jenny chick - but I do like their running advice).
After you get past the intro materials, there are these logbook pages. Sorry for the bad picture. It was just a quick snap.
So for each day you record your exercise, and those little boxes on the bottom are for your grains, fruits, veggies, proteins. There's an inspirational quote at the bottom. Finally, a log book that tracks the kinds of things I want to track! So, it's definitely a keeper.
The other book I bought was "The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women" (again, a link on the right). It is a fun, cheeky narrative about the author's first marathon experience. So far I have read Chapter 1, The Decision. It is another keeper, although I will probably pass it on to my friend Jen when I'm done and encourage her to pass it on. It reads a lot like "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" - cheeky and irreverent with some great nuggets of information mixed in. I took a cursory look at the training program that is written up in it. I'm really glad that I don't have to settle on a training program until the end of April!
I had a Facebook exchange with Angela about the pace for the Top of Utah. And it's true that the course support is over at six hours, which means a 13:45 pace at the slowest. Now, in the pre-PF (plantar fasciitis) days, I was running a comfortable 12 minute pace. I also know that from a stamina standpoint I am good for 5 hours. But, if it gets to be closer to the race and I know I won't make the 6 hour cutoff, I will just have my family run SAG for me (and anyone else) and finish anyway. :)
After you get past the intro materials, there are these logbook pages. Sorry for the bad picture. It was just a quick snap.
So for each day you record your exercise, and those little boxes on the bottom are for your grains, fruits, veggies, proteins. There's an inspirational quote at the bottom. Finally, a log book that tracks the kinds of things I want to track! So, it's definitely a keeper.
The other book I bought was "The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women" (again, a link on the right). It is a fun, cheeky narrative about the author's first marathon experience. So far I have read Chapter 1, The Decision. It is another keeper, although I will probably pass it on to my friend Jen when I'm done and encourage her to pass it on. It reads a lot like "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" - cheeky and irreverent with some great nuggets of information mixed in. I took a cursory look at the training program that is written up in it. I'm really glad that I don't have to settle on a training program until the end of April!
I had a Facebook exchange with Angela about the pace for the Top of Utah. And it's true that the course support is over at six hours, which means a 13:45 pace at the slowest. Now, in the pre-PF (plantar fasciitis) days, I was running a comfortable 12 minute pace. I also know that from a stamina standpoint I am good for 5 hours. But, if it gets to be closer to the race and I know I won't make the 6 hour cutoff, I will just have my family run SAG for me (and anyone else) and finish anyway. :)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Top Ten Moving Memories of 2009
This is inspired by the entry of the same name on Coach Jenny Hadfield's blog.
In no particular order:
1. The Nike Women's Half Marathon. I was sick and I was six months post-surgical and I felt awful during the race. But I did it - all 13.1 miles. And I actually felt really good afterwards - especially compared to how I felt the previous year.
2. Sunday Mornings. The aforementioned Jen and I have established quite a routine of Sunday morning fitness and coffee. I love it. It holds me accountable to getting out and doing and it is so great to have "girl's time" at Starbucks after.
3. Biking to school. With my change over to Bell View I am close enough to walk and/or bike to school. Most mornings we drive since it's the boys and I and all our stuff, but for those days before school started it was great to hop on my bike and ride over to work.
4. January long walk. In January, before the whole bad pap thing, I was out for a long walk in the cold. The weather was icky. Rest by Nevertheless came on my iPod. It really spoke to me and I cried and pushed myself physically and had a great mind-clearing workout.
5. The boxing gym. Finding a new workout is great. Finding one that my son likes, too, is even better. C needs a good off-season something to do. He's definitely got the "big boy" tendency like me and his dad - so if I can keep him active when he's not playing football it will be beneficial to him. It's a small gym so it's like being part of a community. The workout is fun and the time goes by fast and before I know it I'm soaking wet with sweat!
6. Katherine. At the Nike WHM I was ready to give up at the 10 mile mark. If someone had asked me if I was ready to quit I would have said yes. Then I got a call from my friend Katherine who had finished and was walking back along the course looking for her mom and friends. She came out and found me and walked me a good mile or so - enough to get me over the hump and ready to finish. They were all there at the finish line, too. It was so wonderful having support - especially since I was having a total pity-party about not feeling supported.
7. New running shoes. I'll spare you the long story, but let's leave it at this - I am SO glad to have a new pair of running shoes and to discover that the reason my old ones felt small was not that my foot had grown or that Brooks had changed their pattern. (Yes, my shoes were the wrong size.) It's great to start 2010 with happy feet!
8. Ventura Beach, CA. So, I was pretty hammered when I was at the beach with the boys in July and spent most of my time just sitting on the beach blanket. Why is this a moving memory then? Because it inspired me to NOT be that person next year.
9. Cycling with Sherri. A teacher friend and I met up a few times to ride our bikes together. I especially liked the time we rode along the Jordan River Parkway and stopped at the Naborhood Bakery after! It was fun to do something other than the "out to lunch" thing with someone.
10. Being the person that other people ask for advice. When I look at myself in the mirror and see the reality of the extra pounds, it astounds me that people ask for my advice about fitness related questions (e.g. bike trails, gear, training programs, race advice). In my life after teaching (20 years from now), I would love to be a wellness coach or something like that. It is really rewarding to help people find fun in activity!
So, that's my 10. Will you share yours? And if you don't do it here, at least let me know where to find it. :)
In no particular order:
1. The Nike Women's Half Marathon. I was sick and I was six months post-surgical and I felt awful during the race. But I did it - all 13.1 miles. And I actually felt really good afterwards - especially compared to how I felt the previous year.
2. Sunday Mornings. The aforementioned Jen and I have established quite a routine of Sunday morning fitness and coffee. I love it. It holds me accountable to getting out and doing and it is so great to have "girl's time" at Starbucks after.
3. Biking to school. With my change over to Bell View I am close enough to walk and/or bike to school. Most mornings we drive since it's the boys and I and all our stuff, but for those days before school started it was great to hop on my bike and ride over to work.
4. January long walk. In January, before the whole bad pap thing, I was out for a long walk in the cold. The weather was icky. Rest by Nevertheless came on my iPod. It really spoke to me and I cried and pushed myself physically and had a great mind-clearing workout.
5. The boxing gym. Finding a new workout is great. Finding one that my son likes, too, is even better. C needs a good off-season something to do. He's definitely got the "big boy" tendency like me and his dad - so if I can keep him active when he's not playing football it will be beneficial to him. It's a small gym so it's like being part of a community. The workout is fun and the time goes by fast and before I know it I'm soaking wet with sweat!
6. Katherine. At the Nike WHM I was ready to give up at the 10 mile mark. If someone had asked me if I was ready to quit I would have said yes. Then I got a call from my friend Katherine who had finished and was walking back along the course looking for her mom and friends. She came out and found me and walked me a good mile or so - enough to get me over the hump and ready to finish. They were all there at the finish line, too. It was so wonderful having support - especially since I was having a total pity-party about not feeling supported.
7. New running shoes. I'll spare you the long story, but let's leave it at this - I am SO glad to have a new pair of running shoes and to discover that the reason my old ones felt small was not that my foot had grown or that Brooks had changed their pattern. (Yes, my shoes were the wrong size.) It's great to start 2010 with happy feet!
8. Ventura Beach, CA. So, I was pretty hammered when I was at the beach with the boys in July and spent most of my time just sitting on the beach blanket. Why is this a moving memory then? Because it inspired me to NOT be that person next year.
9. Cycling with Sherri. A teacher friend and I met up a few times to ride our bikes together. I especially liked the time we rode along the Jordan River Parkway and stopped at the Naborhood Bakery after! It was fun to do something other than the "out to lunch" thing with someone.
10. Being the person that other people ask for advice. When I look at myself in the mirror and see the reality of the extra pounds, it astounds me that people ask for my advice about fitness related questions (e.g. bike trails, gear, training programs, race advice). In my life after teaching (20 years from now), I would love to be a wellness coach or something like that. It is really rewarding to help people find fun in activity!
So, that's my 10. Will you share yours? And if you don't do it here, at least let me know where to find it. :)
Monday, December 28, 2009
working out
Today was a great workout at Bressler Boxing with Damien. I warmed up for 20 minutes on the bike, did three rounds of the speed bag, and then a bunch of rounds hitting mitts with Damien. I'm not sure how many rounds we did, but I was definitely sweaty at the end! And it was a good hour at the gym.
I remembered today that when I was watching the Biggest Loser: Where are they Now? that one of the past contestants had said that they were told that they would need to workout hard at least an hour a day to keep their weight off. That is an area that I am working towards.
I remembered today that when I was watching the Biggest Loser: Where are they Now? that one of the past contestants had said that they were told that they would need to workout hard at least an hour a day to keep their weight off. That is an area that I am working towards.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Getting Company!
I'm SO excited! My friend Ginger - who has successfully lost 70+ pounds and kept it off and now works as a personal trainer in addition to being a Navy wife - is going to come do the race with me! She lives in GA and I haven't seen her in five (I think) years. Ironically, or maybe perfectly, we met back on America Online on a diet buddy email list. So, 14 years later, here we will be!
In other, yet similar, news my friend Jen (pictured below at the Nike Women's Half Marathon this past October) is also in. And maybe her sister Meredith. Jen and Meredith and I all went to high school and college together. Jen ran the half in 2:40, so if I can just stay paced with her I'll be in GREAT shape!
I also think we have Jenny - a former coworker of mine and Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire - joining us.
On the other hand, my family (read: sisters, BILs, and parents) think I'm insane and have NO interest in joining me. Although I MIGHT be able to convince my middle sister Katherine to come run the 5K.
I walked for an hour in the cold today, too.
All in all, a good day (except for the argument with my sister and BIL, but that's a different topic and not one that I'll blog about since it's really just between us). :)
In other, yet similar, news my friend Jen (pictured below at the Nike Women's Half Marathon this past October) is also in. And maybe her sister Meredith. Jen and Meredith and I all went to high school and college together. Jen ran the half in 2:40, so if I can just stay paced with her I'll be in GREAT shape!
I also think we have Jenny - a former coworker of mine and Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire - joining us.
On the other hand, my family (read: sisters, BILs, and parents) think I'm insane and have NO interest in joining me. Although I MIGHT be able to convince my middle sister Katherine to come run the 5K.
I walked for an hour in the cold today, too.
All in all, a good day (except for the argument with my sister and BIL, but that's a different topic and not one that I'll blog about since it's really just between us). :)
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Boxing Day
Every year when people start wishing a happy boxing day I have to google what it is. You can go hit up this wikipedia article if you need a reminder, too. :)
I ordered 2 books today:
Training for Mortals by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield
The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women
Thankfully they will both get here before Christmas break is over so I will have a chance to devour them before going back to school. The one is a training log, with "inspirational messages".
I have about 18 weeks before I will officially start training. I am going to clean up my nutrition a bit and try to get detoxed off ibuprofen as I think I'm starting to get some stomach upset from it. When I eat clean I can tolerate a lot more exercise without getting sore. This is a good thing b/c my shoulder and knees have not been loving my rigorous boxing gym workouts.
I also dusted off my Jonathan Roche interval training stuff so I can start working a bit on just overall speed and cardio.
It was excited today to get a message from a virtual friend, Angela, who is also turning 40 this year. She was so kind and offered up all kinds of support - including my favorite method of communication (texting!). Thanks, Angela!
I had a great, smack in the face, moment today that confirmed for me that I am on the right track. I was organizing some pictures in iPhoto and when we got to this one of me with Bill Nye the Science Guy taken in March 2005 (before the plantar fasciitis and weight gain).
Cman says, "Wow, Mom, you looked really good!" Notice the past tense. Time to make it the future tense, too. :)
I ordered 2 books today:
Training for Mortals by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield
The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women
Thankfully they will both get here before Christmas break is over so I will have a chance to devour them before going back to school. The one is a training log, with "inspirational messages".
I have about 18 weeks before I will officially start training. I am going to clean up my nutrition a bit and try to get detoxed off ibuprofen as I think I'm starting to get some stomach upset from it. When I eat clean I can tolerate a lot more exercise without getting sore. This is a good thing b/c my shoulder and knees have not been loving my rigorous boxing gym workouts.
I also dusted off my Jonathan Roche interval training stuff so I can start working a bit on just overall speed and cardio.
It was excited today to get a message from a virtual friend, Angela, who is also turning 40 this year. She was so kind and offered up all kinds of support - including my favorite method of communication (texting!). Thanks, Angela!
I had a great, smack in the face, moment today that confirmed for me that I am on the right track. I was organizing some pictures in iPhoto and when we got to this one of me with Bill Nye the Science Guy taken in March 2005 (before the plantar fasciitis and weight gain).
Cman says, "Wow, Mom, you looked really good!" Notice the past tense. Time to make it the future tense, too. :)
Friday, December 25, 2009
It's sinking in....
So, it's one thing to put out there on the www that I'm going to run a marathon in 260 days. It's another thing when the people in my real life start talking about it to me! (I think I liked it!) :)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Inagural Post
It always feels so strange to start a new blog. It's like back in the day when I was growing up and would get a new journal for my birthday or Christmas. I always felt that there was some sort of obligation to introduce myself to the new pages before delving into the nuts and bolts of typical every day. So I guess it makes sense to start this blog in the same way.
I'm Jen and this is the journey to my 40th birthday.
I don't know where to start my biography but it seems like admitting to being an "adult-onset" athlete is a good place. Growing up I played tennis and swam, but in high school I turned to the arts, and in college I turned to slacking off and gaining lots of weight. My senior year in college I learned to love exercise - mainly things like aerobic classes and walking on the shoreline trail near the U. campus.
In 2003 I discovered running and threw myself into it, no matter how many times I read the cautionary tales in John Bingham's "No Need for Speed" and other similar books. This resulted in pretty much every overuse injury there is (except a stress fracture, thank God), including a year-long stint with plantar fasciitis during which I regained the 100 or so pounds that I had previously lost.
My feet have been in pretty good shape for the past 2 years. I walked the Nike Women's Half Marathon in October 2008 and 2009.
I am easily 100 pounds overweight.
It will be no small feat to get from here to the Top of Utah marathon starting line (much less the finish line in 6 hours!). But, for the past two years I've telling myself that for my 40th birthday I wanted to be in the best shape of my life. When I discovered that the Top of Utah is actually ON my 40th birthday, I decided to take the plunge, make the commitment and GO FOR IT!
Join me? :)
I'm Jen and this is the journey to my 40th birthday.
I don't know where to start my biography but it seems like admitting to being an "adult-onset" athlete is a good place. Growing up I played tennis and swam, but in high school I turned to the arts, and in college I turned to slacking off and gaining lots of weight. My senior year in college I learned to love exercise - mainly things like aerobic classes and walking on the shoreline trail near the U. campus.
In 2003 I discovered running and threw myself into it, no matter how many times I read the cautionary tales in John Bingham's "No Need for Speed" and other similar books. This resulted in pretty much every overuse injury there is (except a stress fracture, thank God), including a year-long stint with plantar fasciitis during which I regained the 100 or so pounds that I had previously lost.
My feet have been in pretty good shape for the past 2 years. I walked the Nike Women's Half Marathon in October 2008 and 2009.
I am easily 100 pounds overweight.
It will be no small feat to get from here to the Top of Utah marathon starting line (much less the finish line in 6 hours!). But, for the past two years I've telling myself that for my 40th birthday I wanted to be in the best shape of my life. When I discovered that the Top of Utah is actually ON my 40th birthday, I decided to take the plunge, make the commitment and GO FOR IT!
Join me? :)
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