Muddy Trails and Sunshine

Shoe du jour, post run

The temperature hadn't quite yet gotten up to where it was supposed to be today, but I was eager to get out on the trails.  So I donned my shoes of the day, my Adrenaline ASR 7's, which love the muddy trail grabbing, layered myself in my cool weather getup, grabbed my IPod, and my Garmin, (and oh yeah, my cell phone, I can't forget that, have to have that in order to take pictures) and headed out the door.  This time with the addition of one of my favorite running skirts thrown on over my running pants to keep my ample padding aptly padded!

Just as I'm driving to the park, the sun begins to make a bit of an appearance.   This thrills me to no end and I am very hopeful it will decide to stay out and warm things up a bit during my run.  As I pulled in and parked, I noticed something orange on the speed limit sign, then after looking for a moment to process everything I was seeing, I realized  I just had to capture it in a photo.  The first thing I had noticed was the bright orange sign indicating there is currently a trail race run going on and I'm thinking I'm either going to get run over or going to be blocking someone else's way on some of the narrower trails.  But, I am here to run my trails today and I'm not going to let a little thing like that stop me!  The next thing I noticed was the big mound of snow in front of the sign, but you can't see that too well in the picture.  I was pretty happy about that.  That meant there would be some pretty good mud on the trails today.  Yay!  Then I looked at the speed limit and saw in all caps just below it that they 'enforced' the 20 mph limit.  I'm thinking to myself, 'gee, I hope that isn't the minimum limit, because I certainly can't hit that!' Then, if you will look closely, you will see the bike trail is just ahead.....straight UP!

I'm here, I'm dressed appropriately, IPod songs are selected, Garmin satellites are located, cell phone, ID, and keys are zipped in my pocket.  Ready, set, START MUSIC/START GARMIN, Go!  What a perfect day for this.

The trails were perfect, with the right amount of wet and mud, but with enough support in them still, so as not to suck your shoes off your feet, um, well...in most places.  The temperature was great, a little nip to the air still, but perfect with all the added layers.  And I never did run into any of the trail racers.  In fact, I pretty much had the trails all to myself for my entire run until I passed another runner just at the very end of my run.  My legs felt like lead today and it took awhile for my lungs to warm up on some of the hills, but after I got going, it was a great feeling run, no leg pain and I felt very strong when I was done.  Today's goal was a two mile trail run and that's just exactly what I got in.  Right when I finished, the sun decided to make a bigger appearance than previously and I was quite certain this was for my specific enjoyment.  It started slowly, a little small, then continued to grow and shine through as the clouds parted a little at first and then a little more until, through a great big opening, a giant sunburst, just for me!  As if to say 'Wonderful job today! I'm proud of you!'  I closed my eyes and turned my face toward the sky and took a deep breath and smiled and thought, 'I'm proud of me too.'

 

And now, back by popular demand...

SUNSHINE!

 

 

 

 

 



 

NEEDING SOME SUNSHINE?

Have you ever been sitting in a plane waiting to take off and the weather outside is just dismal?  I mean, it is dark and cloudy, you can even feel the oppressiveness weighing down on you.  But, once you take off and you’re soaring high, you rise above the clouds and voila!  There it is, this great big beautiful ball of light!  And all around for as far as you can see is a sea of puffy white clouds awash in a bright gold and white light, so bright in fact, that you even need sunglasses!

Depending upon where you currently reside, there is a pretty good chance that right now your days are shorter, colder, and grayer.  It can be very difficult to make yourself choose to be in a good mood when you are in desperate need of some sunshine.  I personally find the short gray days very hard to take for extended periods of time.  Occasionally, a cold, rainy, dismal day can be a nice and cozy change of pace if you’re in the mood to cuddle up with a good book and a hot cup of tea, (the key word being ‘occasionally’).  But when you hit a long patch of unrelenting dreary days and you’re just not feeling it, then it is time to make your own sunshine.

Following are a few ideas on what you can do to make or get some sun back in your winter days.  Some are simple and inexpensive, some are a little more extreme and can cost as much as you are willing to spend:

Ø  Organize some of your favorite summer songs on your IPod/CD player, lock yourself in your house alone, crank up the music and dance!  Dance with abandonment, like a wild person, just feel it and have fun

Ø  Buy some full spectrum lighting bulbs and pop them into a few or as many lamps as you like

Ø  Hop in car or book a flight and spend a couple of days somewhere warm, sunny, and coastal

Ø  Go to a local tanning bed (use your goggles and only spend a moderate amount of time in a bed, do your research)

Ø  Put on something bright and cheerful (especially if it’s your day off – how about flip-flops and an old Hawaiian shirt? Your favorite bikini?  ;-)

Ø  Remember the smell of your favorite suntan lotion or oil? Coppertone? Hawaiian Tropic? Get a bottle of that and put some on after a shower, close your eyes and enjoy the smell

Ø  Turn on every light in the house (but don’t leave them on forever!) or if you are in a position to do so, open every curtain in the house, open a window

Ø  Put on some happy tunes and take the dog for a walk or go for a walk yourself but be sure to put on a pair of your brightest orange or rosy sunglasses to give the appearance of sunshine ;)

Ø  Go buy a big, bright, beautiful sunny flower or a bouquet of cut flowers and enjoy their beauty and fragrance

Ø  Find a local or nearby greenhouse and go spend an hour or two, take pictures, loose yourself in the moment

Ø  If you want to do something a little more extreme and are in a position to do so, pick a room in the house to go all out on…paint and go crazy, bright sunny whites and yellows, paint a scene on a wall….ocean, blue skies and bright sun, or light bright greens, throw some sand on the floor, put tract lighting in and make it full spectrum bulbs, set up your favorite beach lounge chair, oil up, put on the sunglasses and find some nice beach and ocean sounds music to listen to on your IPod or CD player.  Be sure to pick some quiet time and close the door, do NOT take your cell phone or computer in that room, it is not allowed!  Throw down a blanket and have yourself a picnic, then stretch out in your lounge and enjoy your ‘sunbathing’.  Maybe next time invite a friend or a date for a picnic lunch and a day ‘at the beach’.  Have some fun with it and use your imagination.  You can always paint over the walls and vacuum the sand later.  ENJOY!

Please feel free to share some of your ideas, I would love to hear how you make your days brighter.

Note:  A large quantity of people do suffer from something known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD).  This is a very real disorder and can range from a simple pain in the rear to being quite serious.  I am attaching a link from the U.S. National Library of Medicine NIH National Institutes of Health with more information on the subject.  If you think this sounds like something from which you are suffering, please make an appointment with your Doctor.  The two of you can discuss the best available treatment options for you specifically. 

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seasonalaffectivedisorder.html

How many of these have you used?

2 Weeks Of Play Equal 1 Mile Of Pain!

Let's start by shouting, 'HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!'

Today is the first day of the 2012 Running Streak - Every Damn Day! (EDD) challenge or 'event' extended by 'I <3 to run's' facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/256988917695076/).  This is a goal you set for yourself, by yourself, with friends or with a group.  But you choose how long you want to embark on this streak of running every day.  The only real rule is that your daily mileage must meet the minimum of at least one mile.  BUT....if you are just beginning a running program and you really, really think you want to run EDD (not recommended if you are just starting out), then shoot for your running program's requirements and not a full mile.  Your goal for the day may be less than one tenth of a mile, then run your one tenth, but not more.  I would encourage you to try making the remainder of your mile a walk, (and this includes your running program's rest days in between your running days) but only if you are ready.  If you are not there yet, don't rush it! You could do more harm than good, both physically and mentally!

I personally have been pretty much vegging out and enjoying the last couple of weeks with NOT running and NOT workouts!  I've done some walking, but for the most part, I have been a NOT athlete!  Sometimes it is good and important to take breaks and my leg had been telling me it was time for a break.  This was good, and my leg has reaped the benefits of this rest period.  But, that doesn't mean you stop eating right, it doesn't mean you stop moving all together!  I have been spending way too much time on my butt and making far too many poor choices with my eating.  All which would be fine in moderation, but in combination, butt plopping, sugar snarfing, and exercise avoidance are a dangerous mix! If you do not have or set a goal for yourself, it is far too easy to slip into this as a way of life.  Be sure to set that goal date of getting up off your butt! 

I chose today as my goal date for many reasons.  Number one being that the EDD running streak began today.  By the time today rolled around, I was more than eager to get moving again!  I woke up to blustery winds and pouring rains outside my bedroom and decided it would be a one mile, treadmill kind of day.  I got up and dressed, took care of the pets, drank a protein drink, and then headed upstairs to my treadmill for my one mile.  Somewhere during my morning pet care, I had gotten one grain of kitty litter in my running shoe.  Now, I am usually a bit more like the princess in The Princess And The Pea story when it comes to anything getting in my running shoes, but for only one mile.....I should be able to handle it.  After all, this was going to be a breeze.  (Remember?  Not too long ago, during your half marathon training, you were actually starting to be relieved when you had a 6 or 7 mile training run scheduled?)  Shoot!  I should be able to pump out a one mile run at less than a 12 minute pace.  After all, it's 'only one mile'.  HAH!  Isn't it amazing how long it takes to get in shape as opposed to how easy and quick it is to become out of shape?!

I estimate I usually take about 2000 steps per mile, sometimes more, sometimes less.  But with my stride staying fairly consistent in length on the level surfaces, it is generally pretty close to that.  That was today's count.  2000 steps.  I should be able to do that in four Nickelback, When We Stand Together's.  Maybe less, I'm extremely eager to run today! 

I began with a quickie walk just to loosen up, but not much, it was 'only one mile'.  I quickly forgot about the grain of kitty litter once I began my run.  There is NO way this treadmill's speed is accurate!  I am way faster than this, and especially if I know I'm 'only' going to run one mile!  That's okay, I just need to forget about the pace and just concentrate on getting my one mile in.  In addition to the added weight increasing the resistance in every step, I was already so out of shape from lack of movement and eating crap food.  I realized this was not going to be 'only one mile', this was going to be 'one whole mile!'  By the time I had gotten through the first three quarters of this whole mile, I had completely forgotten about the giant kitty litter boulder in my shoe, and I was entirely too distracted trying to decide whether my lungs were going to blow up before or after I had my heart attack to even notice any type of leg pain!  Last quarter mile, so I should be good, but after hauling my concrete shoes filled with wet cement for that first three quarters of a mile,  I did need to back off on the pace even a little bit more.

DONE!  I did it!  I had to run to the sink and splash myself with cold water.  I was dizzy and lightheaded, I felt nauseous, but my leg didn't hurt!  And my breathing did recover quickly (I guess I hadn't lost it all yet).  My pace was about that of my half marathon pace.  Not quite what I had expected or even hoped for today, but it's a good beginning and I have met my goal!  And as I sit here typing this, there is a nagging little tug at the back of my mind.  Get these shoes off!  That giant kitty litter boulder is driving me nuts!

Just look at the size of that thing!