All too often I think we get into this rut where we feel we have to either blaze some trails or run for three hours straight. This is particularly true if we are prepping for a race: we either want to improve our speed or go further, and in either case we get lost in the rush of maddening, dizzying prep. We go out to run and we feel bad if they are slower or shorter than we wanted. We focus only on the end goal – that big race – and not all of the time that goes into it.

This is particularly true if we are in the middle of training. The beginning is exciting! It’s new! I’m going to run a 5K/half marathon/full marathon! Woo hoo, let’s go train!

The end of the training is exciting. Race day is coming up! I have to prepare! I can do this!

Middle of the road? Tough. Even Dean K agrees in his new book 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days. You aren’t close enough to run the race but the idea is no longer new and exciting.

This happens during our regular runs, too. We push too hard, or we take it all too seriously, and we forget:

Running is fun.

Have you forgotten? Going for a quick run can be exhilirating! You can:

• Listen to birds
• Snoop on the neighbors
• Sing along to great music
• Enjoy the sunshine
• Get some fresh air

You don’t have to push yourself; you can just be one with the run! (Now, what a motto that is!)

If you are waking in the morning dreading that jog, if your legs are like lead and your mind filled with running dread, stop!

Take a rest day (it’s really okay to sleep in every once in a while! it is! ) Don’t push yourself all of the time or you’ll burn out. If you need a day off, take it! And your next run will be even better, promise!)

If you aren’t completely burned out, then do the next best thing to taking a day off: Take a day without the watch. Don’t pace yourself, don’t mile yourself to death, just go. Go as far as you want. Stop and smell some flowers, talk to the neighbor, stop to watch the ocean. I used to do this when running in Cali on my long days – stop and watch the sun come up. Not too many people get to experience this beautiful sight, and most runs you don’t ‘have the time’. You do today!

Run somewhere new. Get in the car, get out of your neighborhood, and go somewhere nice/different/interesting/new. Some of my favorite runs are those when we are traveling. I’ve run to the Alamo (tried to run inside, but the guard stopped me – only walking in the Alamo, please!). On some days when I am bored I drive over to the beach and run. I’ve run in the mountains, along city streets, and down country roads. If your are bored with your routine, change it up!

Run your same path only backwards. Now, you can literally run backwards – there is a guy in my neighborhood who does, and he has passed me (enough said!). But you can just change the route scenery and go the other way. Face it: You probably always run the same route the same way. If you go the other way around you’ll be looking at things in a new light, and it might just take that boredom away.

What do you do to make your runs more enjoyable when you are feeling burned out?

Today’s Run:

Why did I post this? Legs were lead this morning. Should have tried to do 4.5 at a 8:30 pace but, alas, it was not in the cards! INstead I did 3.5 miles at around a 9:30 and then did some sprints. Momma needed a break! I’m glad I didn’t pressure myself.

Now, off to the gym with baby in tow. Supposed to have a fun class for tots. I’ll report back!

Have a great run today!

Back in my youth I was a cheerleader.

Well, I say cheerleader but I was actually the mascot.

It was a bear. Large, furry, hot, hairy, grizzly type bear. If I had a way to scan a photo I would; perhaps I will do so in the future to show you just how horrendous this costume was!

We cheerleaders (i will always be a cheerleader and not just a bear!) had a cheer about effort. Don’t recall how it goes (probably couldn’t hear all the words behind that furry suit) but I remember we did all the same.

This morning as I ran I considered the comment I heard not too long ago but someone I know about running. They said, to this effect, “I could never do that.”

I also know that people consider embarking on a running or workout program but the same thought inches through their mind. “I can’t. I could never.”

Truth is, they are saying ,”I won’t.”

Running, like experiencing life, is all about Effort. You get what you put out there in the universe. If you want to have a life filled with couch and TV, with ‘what ifs’ and ’should I have’, then that is the life you will lead.

If you want to have a life filled with journeys and experiences and “I dids”, then you put forth effort.

Where are you in life? Are you watching it go by from your post on the sofa, or are you out there running with it?

If it is leaving you behind, why? Why are you not out there running?

I think of life a lot. I think of how each day appears to go faster than the previous day and then it is gone. It’ s not a bad thought, though it may seem morbid. I believe it pushes me to realize each and every day that life goes fast, and unless I put forth some effort in enjoying it, soon it will be gone and I will have been left with dozens of experiences lost, never to be had.

I wrote a post about fear for Allbusiness recently. In it I stated that in order to tackle your fears you have to break the task that is terrifying you down into small steps.

If you are afraid to start running, for whatever reason, break it down: Do a short walk, followed by a short run, followed by a short walk, etc . . . until you have gone for 20 or 30 minutes.

If you are afraid to tackle a marathon, or a half, or a 5K, break it down. Do short practice runs. Build slowly over time. Count each day you run as an accomplishment.

If you are afraid to begin any type of workout program but you want to lose weight, break it down. What can you do today that will help? Walk for 30 minutes and cut out one snack from your diet. Drink more water before eating, eat more fiber, throw in some veggies with your dinner. Break it down.

It is all about making the effort. You will get nowhere if you don’t try. And even if you don’t reach the finish line, at least if you put forth some effort you’ll have one hell of a ride along the way!

Take it from this bear!

So, I did it!

I PRed at 53 and change at today’s Dolphin Days Race on St. Simon’s Island!

I don’t know my splits because dummy me didn’t realize I could do that on my Garmin until just now – show my pace for each mile, argh!

But I do know my first mile was at 8:26 and my average was 8:31.

Can we say woo hoo (woo hoo)?

Let me hear you say woo hoo (woo hoo!)

This was the smallest run that I have ever participated in.

In fact, it was so small that right before someone shouted, “GO!” they said, “We are missing four people. We’ll wait until they get here before we start.”

I would say there were about 50 participants total. I really loved that about the race. Usually people are pushing and shoving and racing to get to the start, to the front, or you are tripping over the slower people who don’t realize you should start in the back if you aren’t going to go fast.

Today it was just about 50 people mingling around, commenting on the cold weather, waiting for someone to yell START! People knew each other; many run together in a running club that I’m going to look into. I used to fear running with others, but now that my speed has improved I think it may be kind of fun.

The start line was just 10K Start spray painted in blue on the side of the road! 

It was frigid cold but of course once we began I didn’t notice. My headphone batteries went out at mile 3, which I thought might be bad. I do better focusing at speed when I have pumping music going on in my ears, and I didn’t even get to hear the Proclaimers sing, ” I would walk 500 miles! ” before the batteries died.

But it turned out fine. Instead I focused on finding that pace that didn’t totally take my breath away but that made me breathe harder and feel some kind of burn. That on the edge pace. Then I would fall back a little, doing about 8:40 for a half mile, and then push to do 8:20 or less for a stint.

At one point one of the girls I rode with to the race passed me, and we ran elbow and elbow for about a mile before I pushed on during one of my sprints. She came in right behind me by a few seconds and took fourth in her age (the next age category is pretty damn fast!)

Overall woman came in at 46 minutes. 46 ! In awe.

So the pushing hard made me wonder this:

Why do they say that you should be able to hold a conversation while running, and that if you can’t hold one you are running too hard for your ability?

I considered this for a while on the run as my lungs somewhat burned. Seriously, if I were able to talk normally, or hold down any type of conversation, wouldn’t that mean I wasn’t putting as much into it as I could?

When I am running hard, I don’t feel I should be able to talk. I shouldn’t be hyperventilating, of course, or so out of breath I think I might have a heart attack (at least, not until that last half mile to the finish line!)

I suppose some people are better at fast running while talking. I don’t get into it. Maybe that’s the solo runner in me. I would prefer to hear nothing or my music than someone trying to talk to me during fast paces.

If they are talking to me, then I am feeling as though I have to respond, and that’s just not something I really care to do while pushing myself to go further and faster.

And I always think, “If you are talking you aren’t going fast enough.”

Anyhoo . . .

The run was gorgeous, past the marsh. I saw a blue heron right beside us in the marsh and quite a few other birds. There were very few spectators and three drink stands serving water, but it was so cold I could barely drink. Two girls stood on the side of the road bundled up. One saw me coming and yelled, “Are you my mommy?”

I focused on the race during the run, my speed, my heart rate, and the girl wearing black and pink in front of me. I knew when we got close to the finish line I wanted to pass her. That was my goal.

I also had a silver haired guy in front of me for a while that I wanted to keep in sight. He had an easy stride, I would say he was doing about 8:20, so for me it was a little faster than I go but definitely someone on whom I could focus. He came in a minute ahead of me I’d say.

Afterwards the two girls I were running went on to do another 5, as they are training for a marathon. I did two more, but quite honestly I had run so hard for the race that I wasn’t into it and thought it would be a bad idea on my knee. So I ran about 1.75, then hung around and cheered on the kids that were doing the mile fun run (some of them in 6:20!)

I took second place in my age division; first was a minute faster at 52 something. We didn’t stay around for the award ceremony because they still had to do the 5K and we were ready to go by that point. I hear I may get a medal in the mail though – now ain’t that something for someone who started off after baby 2 running 10:30 miles?

My second speed accomplishment in racing was last year’s 5K at 8:20 miles. I am stoked I was able to go only ten seconds slower for an entire six miles during this race, which really proves the work I have been doing on speed has helped.

This makes me wonder how much faster I can go in the future. Can I hit 8 even? What about 7s? Right now it doesn’t seem possible, but if you had told me a few years ago that I’d be in the 8:30 range I would have laughed, rolled my eyes, and said, ” Only in your dreams!”

Hope all of your runs are good runs today!

Gearing up for the 10K tomorrow, and then the girls and I are going to run a bit further. I want to do ten. It will be the first time I’ve broken double digits since I injured my knee in Disney marathon last month. I can’t wait! I hope that it goes easily.

Today I worked the core and arms. Skipped leg work since I have the race in the AM. Have to figure out where to sneak that in a few times a week. Maybe Tuesdays and Sundays would work.

Then I spent the morning playing with the young one. We colored, played Barbies, hide and seek and doctor. She is a blast! Sometimes I wonder what goes through her head while we are playing.

Today’s Fun Fitness idea: Work out at home with babe there!

I had a good time today doing my workout with her. I would do some core work on my ball and then we would put her on it and roll her around. I’d do some bicept curls and then we’d put her on the mat and pretend her dolls were going to sleep. I like working out at home on Fridays, but I have a tough time getting mybutt in gear Friday mornings since I don’t run.

If you want to work out at home cheaply you can purchase;

• a stability ball
• yoga mat
• some weights
• a band
• jump rope

Start with some side crawls and jump roping to get the blood going. Older kids might like to do this with you!
Move on to a mix of core work on the ball and weight work. I will post some great exercises next week, I am out of time today.

While you work out, have the kiddo work out with you! Make a game of it. Today I did the core work on the ball and then would put her on the ball and roll her back and forth. Or we would roll the ball back and forth. It was a lot of fun.

In between bicep curls and tricep dips we colored and played barbies.

So, off to get some things done around the house. I am hoping to do the 10K in 54 minutes. I should be able to; I did it earlier this week. Then we will run another 4. Yikes! Hoping my knee holds up . . .

Until then, happy running!

PS Active Women’s Network is up and running. To win a great core workout book, check out the giveaway on the front page.

The goal of the site: To get women who are active together! So, join the forum, post a little. We will be meeting up for a race this winter somewhere . . . details to follow . . .from 5Kers to marathoners, if you want to get together with a great group of active women that is the place (ok my commercial is done, air time is over, back to the previously scheduled program!)

I woke up this morning to rain.

Not just any old rain. I’m talking torrential downpour filled with thunder and lightning. (I’ve since heard there were tornadoes – hope everyone is okay).

I almost rolled over and went back to sleep but I knew I had some work to do and I had hoped to get in at least a 4 miler. I wanted to do my 10 mile run today since I’m racing on Saturday, but more on that in a bit . . .

I stepped outside at first. It was raining, but I’m tough, and I like the rain, so I headed out to run. Then the thunder boomed and lightning struck so I dashed back inside.

I plugged in the laptop and started to work. After a while the rain subsided and I took off. Along the horizon lightning flickered, but it was far off, and I figured if the chance of being struck by lightning is only 1 in 280,000 and the lightning was not close so I was pretty much assured at beating the odds.

Hey, I needed to run! And yes, I beat the lightning.

Do you run in the rain?

I did 4 miles at a slower pace, somewhere in the 9s. My knee was hurting last night and I want to run fast on Saturday. I figured a good slow run was what the doctor ordered. Tomorrow is my core/arms/legs day, my day of cardio rest, and I’m ready for it.

Speaking of the race on Saturday, I am going with two ladies I run with occasionally, each of whom are training for summer marathons. They want to run the 10K and then go further, so I am going to do my ten miler on Saturday IF I can keep it up after running faster than normal in the first six. I would like to do ten, though they are going on to do 12 or 14.

In other news . . .

Piggy Cupcakes!

Looking for a great way to entertain the younguns? Make some piggy cupcakes! This idea came out of the  Mom and Me Cookbook by Annabel Karmel (it’s only eight dollars and change on Amazon, great buy!) This is such an awesome book for those of you with young kids who enjoying cooking with mom (hint: great Mother’s Day gift if you are seeking one!)

This is what they should have looked like:

We baked cupcakes, then let them cool, and then my daughter learned that red and white make pink!

After the icing was ready, we iced our piggies and this is the outcome:

Being the ex-teacher that I am, this was used as an entire lesson! I had the girls make pigs out of construction paper while they baked. We counted the marshmallows and practiced addition while doing so. My youngest did her shapes with the ingredients.

And then when done of course they ate one!

Morning Runs . . .

So this is my question today: Do you run in the morning and, if so, why. If not, why not?

I am a morning runner and have been since I started. I have never been able to get it together enough to run in the afternoon or evenings. I ‘m just too tired (even pre-kiddos!)

I was reading 8 Minutes in the Morning to a Flat Belly by Jorge Cruise and he said something that I totally believe. He said that you can say you aren’t a morning person and that is why you don’t exercise in the morning but there really is no such thing as not being a morning person.

I believe this because I was the same at one time. I believed that I could only do things at night, a night owl, and I stayed up late.

Then I began working and had to get up early. And I realized when I started to run that if I did so in the early morning hours I enjoyed the solitude and I got it done.

That’s the thing – studies have shown that most people who exercise in  the AM hours are more likely to get it done than those who do not. I have heard statistics up to 75% of morning exercises keep up their programs! This is phenomenal.

In Cruise’s book he states a study from the University of Leeds that says women who exercise in the AM are more likely to feel less tense and more content throughout the day. Now there is a reason to get out of bed!

This morning I almost slept in. I heard the rain and thought, No way I’m going out in that. Then I realized that the rain may stop. I also knew that if I passed over the opportunity to run if it did stop I would feel worse all day than if I crawled back into bed for another hour.

How can you make up the lack of sleep time? Go to bed an hour early. Seriously, your body will adjust. If you are a ‘night person’ now, you can switch that around.

You’ll also have more energy throughout the day if you workout early.

And what do I really love? The fact that when I spend time focusing on my arms in the morning, I can wear short sleeves shirt and look great all day (okay, call me vain, whatever, but you know I love my sculpted arm look!)

SO the benefits of running in the AM:

• more energy all day
• feeling more content
• less tense
• getting it in before you start the day
• having a great set of biceps in those summery blouses

totally outweigh the only negative I can see:

• missing an hour of sleep

which, as I said, can be made up if you go to bed a bit earlier each day!

Happy Running!

Not a lot of time this morning. I’m finishing up an ebook project for a media company in New York and hope to have it done today. I doubt the girls will sleep much longer so . . .

Just a reminder: Though running ROCKS!, never forget to also focus on strength and flexibility.

The best fitness regimine you can do for your body includes three items:

• strength
• flexibilty
• cardio

Alot of times as runners we become fixated on going that extra mile or making our runs faster. There’s nothing wrong with this, but we should also be incorporating the other two components of physical fitness.

Flexibility helps us with balance and to injury prevention while strength helps protects us from osteoporosis while making us stronger. Strength training not only assists us in losing weight but it makes us less prone to injury and, hey, it makes us look hot in bikinis!

If you haven’t started a strength and flexibility component to your workout routine, make it a point to do so. You can focus on strength just a few days a week to see the benefits. Flexibility can be done daily – practice some yoga moves before bed or when you first wake up. Stretch after running when your muscles are warm. Take a class if you are unsure of how to stretch without injury. You’ll see benefits in a few weeks, so get going!

My run today: 4 easy miles, averaging around 9:20 or so. My knee was a little sore last night after two days of speed and distance combined and I want to run tomorrow at least 6 so today I pulled back some and it was good.

The 10K is on Saturday. I’m hoping to do it in 54 minutes – we will see!

Now, off to get that book done!

Happy Running!

How does this picture make you feel?

If the answer is calm, good job!

If. however, the answer is anxious because you 1) know you need to destress but 2) just can’t seem to do it, then this post is for you!

Whether you are a mom who runs marathons, a dad who runs 5Ks, or a single gal trying to lose a few pounds or simply lead a healthier life, chances are at some point or the other (like right now!) you are under some stress.

Hey, it’s a fact of life, one that we will never entirely defeat.

We can, however, learn to understand that we are under stress by recognizing the signs and then work on a way to at least eliminate some of the tension in our lives.

Are YOU stressed out?

If you look like this each morning, I would have to say yes!

Not sure? Take this fun little quiz to find out!

What are some classic signs of stress?

Screaming at the spouse because he’s left his clothes in the middle of the floor yet again is not a sign of stress, but locking him out of the house because he had to work late again and dinner is cold could be.

Playing princesses with the girls-not a sign. Dressing up like a princess and screaming at the Starbucks clerk, “I said call me Princess Kathy and give me another shot of espresso!” could be.

Other signs?

Headaches, tension in our shoulders and backs, injuries, depression, a sense of never getting anything done while running at 100 miles per hour every single day – all of these and of course more.

I get the twitchy eye when I’m tired or stressed, and I’m also prone to those nasty little mouth ulcers. I can always tell when I’m run down, which is good because it is as they say a sign.

The bad thing? I don’t always listen.

I was reading my Yoga Journal the other day and the editor’s letter struck a chord with me. She was talking about moving, and how it was one of the most stressful events that one could tackle. Though I didn’t feel stressed out during our cross country move, I can look back now and see I was. My eye was twitching so badly I had to wear sunglasses so I wouldn’t be accused of winking at everyone I met, and I could barely sleep at night, even though I was exhausted.

If you find yourself under a lot of stress, these tips may help:

• Slow down. If your body is telling you that it is tired and needs a break, give it a break (I posted about this earlier as well). This doesn’t mean eliminate working out from your loaded schedule, or sleeping for three days in a row (though hey, if you can get that many winks do it!), but it does mean taking some time to just recharge.

• Cut out the caffeine. I think we (meaning java lovers) have a tendency to rely more and more on coffee the more stressed we get. Of course, this makes it harder for us to get rest when we need rest, and a lot of caffeine will also stimulate our bodies, which can cause even more stress. Try to at least cut back on the coffee intake until you are feeling better, or at least until you stop looking like this:

• Get more sleep. Seriously. Skip a workout if you need to, go to bed at 8 PM, don’t take work home, and tell your family that you are beat. You need to get rest in order for your body to recharge. If you keep running yourself on empty for too long you’ll crash, and that’s not good for anyone-y0u or the people that you love.

• Try to keep exercising. Numerous studies have shown that exercise makes us feel better – so don’t give up your daily runs unless you are so beat you can’t get out the door. If that is the case, try cutting out a few sessions each week, but do try to keep up with some. It may be that once you are out the door you feel great upon getting the heart pumping.

Saturday’s run:

I did 8.5 miles today – I think.

Pace? Unsure.

Why? Garmin, my love, which I thought was charged, was not! I got about .84 miles in and it said batteries low and I heard that awful galoop noise and the watch was black. Ah well. Sometimes it is nice to run without  a watch. My knee felt strong, and it felt great to get closer to double digits, FINALLY! I’m dying to go 10, which is funny since 10 seemed so short a while ago.

Anyone know of any good races in June, July, August? I’d like to do one marathon in the summer months and then either Palm Beach in December (probably, so mom can go) and something again in the latter part of winter, maybe LA or, even better, San Diego’s rock and roll marathon. I wanted to do this last year and couldn’t recover in time from Surf City (which, by the way, I heard was a gorgeous run this year-after last year’s rain!)

My Romantic Valentine’s Day Plans

Now, off to the tax guy to figure out the best way to do taxes for my businesses. I’ve had two issues: my marketing company and the new personal training business.

I have not been as organized as I’ve needed to be with keeping track of expenses, which means i can never really claim anything because i don’t have receipts to back what I am saying. So, I am hoping for some good tips on this as well as some information regarding estimated taxes so I don’t get hit with a whopping bill at the end of each year.

Happy Valentine’s Day, running moms, dads and single people! Hoping that you get lotsa love today from your spouses or your children or your pets or yourself on this (ridiculously over advertised) day. I’m sure hubby and i will crack open a bottle of Cab while we watch our home improvement shows tonight. Woo hoo! Romance is NOT dead when you turn 39 25~

Take care of yourself, and sleep if you need it!