Yoga on Monday? What is Going On?

Labor Day - A day to recognize the American worker who has done so much to move this country forward also known as 'the end of summer'.

No work for me today, yeah!  No TRX either, boo!

I started out my day with an 11 mile run.  It was awesome, I mean really awesome.  I just ran and enjoyed every step. The flags are out in our little down town and it looks sweet.

Downtown Westerly
Oh yeah and the intersection of chaos.
I'll have to get a better picture, later.

When I crossed the bridge into CT I noticed an area marked off with some yellow cones and some writing in chalk on the sidewalk.  The area was marked where one of the bikers that once hung out on the bridge used to park.  He is gone now.  This was a very nice memorial for him.  May he rest in peace.  

Parking Spot!

Memorial

After cleaning up, stretching, icing my knee and foot, catching up on FB, and sending my mom a knitting pattern,  it was time to tackle the lawn.  I haven't edged in years, I felt the need to edge.  It was another well spent two hours of my life.  It looks fantastic.  Hubb said, "Holy cow, that is amazing"

Before

After

I think it is a fitting way to honor the house.  Today, 13 years ago, is when we closed on this house.  It is also when Hubb asked me to marry him. *swoon*

The Westerly Community Yoga center had classes today, WOOT!  So I got my yoga on.  Hand stands were the pose we were building up for.  Heidi builds the class like my graduate school program was build, you take classes (do poses) in a particular order and the capstone course (pose) uses each of the elements you learned.   I can get my hips up over my shoulders over my hands, so I'm on my way to a full handstand, when the time is right.

The head should be hanging between the front paws, but you get the jist!

My run was great, the weather was great, I felt great, it was just great.  I was so loving it and the whole experience reminded me of why I love to run.  I was running, I was lost in my thoughts, I was enjoying the scenery.  Edging was great, I mean really look at the results, I love it when I can see the results.  Yoga never disappoints.

My stats:

Not too bad.  Getting a little more consistent in pacing.

Same old same old!

 

My pace is starting to even out!!!  Mile 4.25 is where the little spur is off to the Greenhaven Marina facilities!

Sincerely,
Beth, who is totally feeling the running vibe, hell the whole being ALIVE and loving it vibe!

Sharing Meals and Discussions

A long time friend of Hubb is in for the long weekend.  They've been off catching up on what is going on in their lives and I've had a bit of a chance to chit chat with him.  We all went out to dinner last night.  Late, like we didn't eat until after 8.  I was tired from my run yesterday and both guys agreed I looked exhausted, thanks guys.  So they let me lead the conversation.  Nice, the tired girl gets to babble...

Sage - Running

So we talked about running, or rather I talked, they listened and offered some opinions on things that have been bugging me.

A few months back in a locally written publication on running "Level Renner"  (yeah, take a minute and study the title, see what it is?  nifty eh?)  SO anyhow it is about old school running in New England and the writers write on the talent in the area and there are a few opinion pieces.  I find it interesting and inspiring and one article just ticked me off (read: made me think) I just had to talk about it. The article in Issue 8 July/Aug 2012 ( Page 22 "Taking the Race out of the Run" article).

Gizmo and Sage - Running

I want to be PERFECTLY clear I have total respect for the Level Renner magazine, the publisher, the contributors, and the articles.  They are well written, insightful, helpful, and inspiring.  What I love about other people's opinions, even if they irk me, is the simple fact they make me think.  Something or someone that can get me into the "whys" of my own thought process and belief process is freaking AWESOME.

Diesel and Gizmo - Running

The article in a nut shell was on how finisher medals are ruining the sport of running, that there has to be a winner and not everyone can be the winner, so why does everyone get a medal?  EJN makes fair points on the medal upping the cost of the race.  He notes, he doesn't disdain the finisher medal as it represents the time he took to train for the race.  He also makes a not so nice points about 'tourists' in races which is what I think I zeroed in on.  As I look at my bulletin board with all of my race bibs, and my three finisher medals pinned to it (my race bibs all have the time, date, race name on them - can we say geek?) I wonder, what difference does the finisher medal make?  To me, not a bit of difference.  What difference does the finisher medal make to someone else?  Well my conversation with Deb yesterday sussed that one out.  Remember Deb, the woman I met up with on my run back to Watch Hill?  The cancer survivor?  She said that there was such a thrill when she finished the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon and they put that medal around her neck.  To her it signified (eeriely similar to EJN) what she had accomplished.  She a cancer survivor, completed a 1/2 marathon and was given a medal by a princess.  This, my dear reader, nearly brought me to tears when I was running.

Jax - Running

So fast forward to pizza out with the boys last night and my blathering on about running and this subject of finisher medals came up and this article and my insecurity over runners who are faster than me thinking I'm not a real runner or worthy of running the same races as them.  Well, really, there are qualification only races out there  Boston Marathon, Gansett Marathon, to name two local to me.  So anyhoodles, both Hubb and his friend said that there are 'wackjobs in every passion' Hubb runs into them with his business, with his latest hobby of RC planes, his friend runs into it with furniture making and with wood carving.  In the span of 90 seconds these guys made me feel a lot less like a 'tourist' and more like a real competitor.  So yes, I have a passion for running, and no matter what the 'wackjobs' opinions are I belong and shouldn't feel insecure.  Thanks guys!

Gus - Running

Today was a long past due brunch with two gal pals.  We met at a swanky resort on the Long Island sound and had brunch and chatted for the better part of three hours.  I also got to deliver some Vernors to one friend and had both of them tell me if my feet looked fat in these new shoes.  My feet did not look fat in the shoes and they were both wicked jealous of the shoes.  Yes, guys, feet can look fat in shoes.  There was no "Margaret Thatcher" going on with my pretty red patent Joan & Davids with a cute bow on the toe box.  Guess which shoes I'm wearing on Tuesday!

Diesel - Running

One of the things we chatted about was my run with Deb yesterday.  I run by myself, I train by myself, this is a very singular inwardly focused thing for me.  Part of my running insecurity is why I don't tend to run with people, and I am just not used to being with people when I do things.  My passions have all been very single user focused, knitting, yoga, reading, see not really a group activity sort of thing... Although each lends it self to have some group components, but not a mandatory thing to be in a group.  Anyhow, I griped a bit about not really wanting to run WITH someone, but yet I found the conversation refreshing and it didn't bother me, but still I was having a lousy run and wasn't sure I wanted to run with someone.  Both my gals agreed that she just plopped into the middle of my "me time" it was OK for me to wave her off when I did, and either one of them would have waved her off sooner.  I do think she is very much accustomed to running with someone, as she belongs to a running club and goes to 'track practice' while I run on my own and run hills and do speed work on my own (which apparently takes discipline, who knew? it was on my schedule so I do it, I didn't think I had a choice).  Again, in the span of 90 seconds my feelings were justified, perhaps validated is the better word?

Jax and Gus - Running

It truly is amazing what the ability to just talk through something with someone or two someones who know you and what makes you tick brings such clarity to a situation.  It is OK to feel the way I feel.  I never want to harm or hurt anyone, and there is this ever present fear of disappointing someone or hurting their feelings that compels me to, well, not just say or do what I want.  Interestingly enough, in the end, like with Deb, I really learned something and got to meet a really inspiring and wonderful person.  Had I just said "Hey, not in the mood." I probably would have kicked myself for being mean and self centered.  Instead, I did learn something about someone else and about myself.  Or is this the optimist in me making silk out of a sows ear?

Sage - Running

Sincerely,
Beth, who's dogs have taught her sometimes it is fun to run alone, and sometimes it is fun to run with someone.

Sometimes You Just Have To Walk

Anywhere5K's status was "Sometimes you just have to walk", what ever my witty post title WAS going to be it is long gone and this is now the title for today.  I think it is rather appropriate considering my 13 mile training run this morning.  I got a bit of a late start, seems both Gus and I were having tummy troubles so once mine got sorted, and Gus finally took a Tums.  It is really hard to explain to a dog that this will make you feel better.  I had to crush it up and put it in peanut butter and I put it in too much peanut butter with probably exacerbated the tummy issues.  Poor guy something is just not sitting right with him.  I knew what MY problem was and I required me to get a 30 minute later start than I planned on...

I decided to run the Surftown Half course, starting in Watch Hill and running through Misquamicut and Weekapaug and back to Watch Hill.  I figured parking in Watch Hill would be easier.  They have spaces with a 2 hour limit and I'd be back in 2:30 or less and I was starting around 7:30 (which turned into 8:15). Never the less I'd be gone, hopefully, before prime beach time.

Route

Normally my long run is on Sunday, and since I have a three day weekend I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to run long twice, meaning a Saturday and a Monday run.  Running is a mental sport and a physical sport.  I need to get used to running on Saturdays.  Mostly I need to get out of my own mind.

Got my self all parked and situated and basically knew where I was going to be going.  I lost the little street listing I had jotted down last night but basically remembered where I needed to go.

As I approached Misquamicut I saw this interesting tree, for all of you who have lost or left beach toys or other things at the beach, this seems to be where they end up.  Well those that don't end up as general trash on the 'trash islands' forming in our oceans.

Debris Tree?

About this time I noticed I was not on my route alone another woman runner, just a bit faster than me.  Not much mind you, so I had someone to pace with (read: try and keep up with) for several miles  This was nice because I was getting into the boring part of the run along the beach.  Wait, that sounds wrong.  This was along the straightaway that I would see twice, so boring in that aspect.  Exciting in that all the beach goers were walking to the beach and driving to the beach, so it was fairly busy.  Quite a few runners and bikers out  and I was running in to the wind, which is nice and cooling.

I got a little turned around in Weekapaug and should have went right when I went left then I would not have gotten turned around.  Alas, these things happen. Interestingly it did not skew my mileage.  I had lost sight of  woman runner and didn't know if we were on the same course or not and thought well I'll go left and up and around this loop and then back on to the boring beach road.  I also figured there would be some shade in the neighborhood (there was) and then it would be nice to be along the ocean before going back on boring beach road.   I didn't go far enough down, I recognized a street name and thought, oh that is where I need to turn. I should have went 1/2 block further and I'd of been where I needed to be.  In any event, back over the Weekapaug breachway and stopped to get a bottle of water, to replenish, I was at the half way point and thirsty.

All of a sudden I hear voices behind me, eventually they catch up.  Woman runner and another woman runner.  They say HI and woman runner says I saw you in Watch Hill.  I said that was where I was heading back to.  We were all on our weekly long runs.  The two woman went ahead for a while then the other woman decided my pace was better so we ran together and walked together.  At one point I just said, I am not feeling this, go on ahead.  She was happy to walk and talk with me for a few minutes and we  picked up the pace again.  Her name is Deb.  She hails from Baltimore and is training for the Baltimore Half.  She will also be running Surftown in two weeks, hopefully I will see her again.  I asked how long she has been running and why she got into running.

Deb is a breast cancer survivor, double mastectomy, after three tries they could not get clean margins.  She said she had never had much of a chest and that was just heart breaking to loose what little she had.  Cancer just wasn't going to win.  One of the medications she is on to keep the cancer at bay is known to cause a 10 pound weight gain.  She was adamant she was NOT going to gain that 10 pounds and she was going to run again.  Well she did NOT gain that 10 lbs, in fact she lost 20.   She is mid 50's, you'd NEVER know it by looking at her.  I'd peg her at mid 40's like me.  She said she got into running halfs as the training wasn't as demanding as it was for the 100 mile bike rides she used to do pre-cancer.  As she talked, and we ran, it was nice.  She said she ran a Disney Princess Half and loved it.  They run it before the park opens and were able to run through the castle to places no one is allowed to go.

The whole conversation gave me chills.  How wonderful.  She was NOT going to let cancer beat her and she was NOT going to let the 'cure' cause her to get fat.

I spied a C-Store and really needed some Gatorade and bid her a fond farewell, congratulations on her victory over cancer, and hoped to see her again in a couple weeks.    That Gatorade never tasted better.  I walked a bit got my gumption together and ran more.

This was NOT my best training run ever. Instead of chalking them up to junk miles I worked on form and landing more mid foot and keeping my posture straight and leaning at the ankles a bit.  I will not kick myself for my lousy pace or for walking.  It was what it was and I did it, end of story.

After I got to my destination I saw Woman Runner and said "You are a beast!  Go Girl!"  She said "4 more miles".   I said "You can do it, you are awesome!" and swigged my water and hobbled to a shady spot to try and stretch my legs.

Stats:

Splits

So maybe not my fastest run. But not as slow as I expected.  166 minutes = 29 WW points! Did someone call and ask if I wanted to go for pizza tonight?  I do believe Hubb just rang with that question.

Elevation

HR

Pace

 I need to review the "Player" to see what happened where, but you can see there isn't a lot of consistency after mile 7.  Is this a factor of it being Saturday?  Late Start?  Heat? Tummy issues? Mind games?

Sincerely,
Beth who's bad training run, really wasn't bad; when is a run a bad thing?