Never Give Up

A Family Affair

I have an amazing husband who is a tremendous athlete. He's positive, fast, and strong. I cannot tell you how helpful it is to have another marathon runner in the house. We eat the right foods together, we run together when we can (he is a LOT faster than I am), we schedule races together, and we push each other.

Jona's thinking of entering the City of Oaks Marathon in early November, putting him running 26.2 three weeks after me. I breathed a sigh of relief when he mentioned it today. It will make my training that much easier, that much better. Having this running business be a family affair feels pretty good.

Running on a Budget

Great article from Runner's World. Tough times for many Americans ... but keep running!

Running on a Budget
Coach Jenny, I was laid off a few weeks ago and find that my running has been a life saver. I know you know this but it really helps keep me positive, focused, and hopeful. My question: Do you have any tips for ways I can run on a budget? I know it is a rather inexpensive sport in comparison to others, but races, gear, and apparel have found their way into my budget every year and I'm looking for ways I can cut back but still enjoy my running life! - Janet

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your job, Janet. But I'm happy to read that you are continuing to run. It is a very effective way to deal with the stresses of losing your job and it can really help you cope while you work your way through this valley. Thank you for sharing with us. I have a feeling there are a lot of other runners out there who are going through a similar experience. Here are a few tips that can keep you running on a budget. I'm hoping others will post their ideas as well.

Make a plan. Like training, it is just as important to make a financial plan (budget) for the year. By doing so, you can find ways to reduce your living expenses and carve out money to preserve your running career. Plus, when you put things down on paper, it is easier to see what you have and develop a plan.

Use your running shoes only for your runs. Mark the date you purchased and started to use them on the inside of the shoe to keep track of the mileage. You will get more mileage out of each pair and they will last longer. Put a freeze on buying new apparel and gear. All you really need is a good pair of fitted shoes (and bra) to keep running. Everything else can wait until you're employed again.

Buy local. Avoid running in old shoes, as it can increase your risk of injury which can cost money down the road in medical bills. Create a relationship with your local running specialty shop and talk to them about your situation. Ask them about deals they may have on returned shoes or upcoming sales. You may be surprised at their willingness to help keep you running. Most store owners are in it for the passion and want to help.

Run local. Identify one or two target races for the year and consider running local events. Talk to the race director about volunteering and bartering for your race fees. Many directors need help organizing the event and at expos and packet pick-up. It's the perfect way to support your local running community and continue to race!

Join a club, training group or running specialty store. Most stores offer free weekly group runs. You may have a small upfront fee to join the clubs and training programs, but you'll benefit from months of group training and other perks like networking with other runners for possible employment opportunities.

Join a charity training program. Many charities like Team in Training and Team McGraw offer a comprehensive training program for endurance races, travel, and hotel in exchange for raising funds for their cause.

Finally, don't be afraid to talk things through with your family, friends, and running buddies. You never know what may come of the conversation and it sure helps calm the soul. Hang in there, and keep running.

Happy Trails,
Coach Jenny Hadfield

Spin Class

Tuesday evening meant spin class this week and I went super early to make sure I got a seat. The gym has been C.R.A.Z.Y. these last few weeks with everyone and their New Year's Resolutions attending the gym. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that everyone is working hard and getting in shape, but man, I'd like a parking spot, k?

So I'm in line to get into the class, the door opens and in we all go. I'm a second row kinda girl so I grab my spot, set my seat and handle bars, throw my towel across the front of the spin bike, and start warming up with about 10 minutes to go before class started.

So in walks these two little girls, and by little I mean little. I shall call them Blondie (B) and Miss Brunette (MB). There's an age restriction of 12 years in order to be upstairs so I'll assume they turned 12 that day. B and MB were decked in their Pearl Izumi spandex and clipless cleats, ready to go. And when I say ready to go, I really mean ready to go. By the time class had started B (who sat next to me) was already dripping sweat onto the hardwoods. I was honestly impressed.

20 minutes into the class, the instructor announces that we're going to climb. Climb, climb, climb. This is after 10 minutes up out of our seats at a pretty intense level, which I assumed was a pretty awful climb. Apparently not. So this climb required that the weight got progressively heavier equalling four full turns from where we already were. I'm cursing the instructor silently as I watch B turn the weight dial all the way around ... twice. Her little frame struggled as she pushed all of her weight to get the pedal around one revolution. GEEZ.

The class continued and I finally got into a rhythm. B and MB sailed their way all the way through the class. I was just amazed at the athletic grit these two little girls had at such a young age.

As frosting on the cake, after the class finished I went downstairs to pick up my sweatshirt and car keys in the women's locker room, and who did I see waltzing her way down to the pool in her TYR swimsuit, swim cap and goggles? That's right. MB.

Jona and I talk all the time about how our kids are going to be ATHLETES. After Tuesday night, I think no differently. While some may think otherwise, I think those girls have been given such a gift. For the rest of their lives I can imagine that they'll be lean and healthy, strong and happy. I was certainly inspired.

Nutrition Tips

Ya, I don't know about that gummy candy (Maren, Molly ... back me up on this) but this is an awesome video from Runner's World. But really, I could probably cut back on the gummy bears. Seriously. :)

Now only if my tummy looked like this ... v

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid416421194/bctid5986191001

Just Run

marathon runners

So I was doing a 20-minute cardio yoga workout in my living room this morning, and this is how it went:

Instructor: You should be feeling pretty out of breath by now.
Me (thinking): Um, not really.
Instructor: Unless you're a marathon runner.

Awesome.

first lady of the marathon

Check out Paula Radcliffe's impressive record:

• World record for the marathon: 2:15:25
• World record for the 10K: 30:21
• Half Marathon: 1:05:40
• 17 Olympic medals, 9 gold medals

The rest can be found here. Her races are so inspirational, and her perseverance despite her injuries keep me motivated.

I will be thinking of her running ahead of me on race day in New York on November 2nd. If that's not inspiration, to be able run the same course as her, then I don't know what is. Now if I could only meet her ... :)

20 (20) miler report

HA. i didn't get lost, no worries.

i woke up at the ungodly hour of 6am and looked out the window only to see it was pitch dark outside. where have i been the last few weeks? in bed, of course. maggie even thought it was early. she didn't even bother to look at me when i got out of bed. so i ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and went back to bed to wait for the sunrise.

around 7 i hit the pavement. there's always that moment right when you start when you think "holy crap, i've got 20 miles to run" ... "1/2 mile down, 19 1/2 to go" ... "geeeeez, that's a long way". and let's not lie here, it is a long way. shoot, in cali that's like running from sunnyvale to san carlos; in utah, salt lake city to draper; and in nc, cary to chapel hill. my problem is that i've let that thought run away from me. (ha). in my past races and long runs, i have felt so overwhelmed by the effort, and then have consequently broken down. it's been very frustrating.

today, like my 22 miler a few weeks ago, felt so different and i can't explain why. perhaps it's the audiobook on my ipod, or literally saying out loud "you CAN do this" or the new song i HAVE to listen to while i'm chugging up a long hill. nonetheless, i finished and i'm feeling so dang good about it.

what's next? 13.1 next weekend in san francisco at the nike women's marathon, an 8 miler, and then the new york marathon. geez. i can't wait.

this running thing has really changed my life. what i did this morning, though hard, gives me a huge sense of accomplishment and pride. i highly recommend it.

toot toot

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/v1/html/milestones/print_certif.html?id=1022944584&region=us&language=en&locale=en_us&dateFormat=MM/DD/YY

Nike+ just told me I hit the 500 mile mark...and that's just the runs I use Nike+ for. Go me! :)

spirit of the marathon

i think i'd be doing all of you "love to run" readers a huge disservice if i didn't let you know that the spirit of the marathon is now available for preorder on dvd and will ship on october 7! i just ordered my director's signed copy (at no extra charge) this morning. cannot wait. click here for more details.

inspiration

welcome back, lance.

running slows the aging clock

Check out this article from the Stanford School of Medicine! Just another reason to keep up running for our entire lives...

“If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.” --James Fries, MD, emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study’s senior author.

remember

maybe your new mantra?

how did you get started?

in maren's last post we had a question in one of the comments from sarah. she asked whether or not our group had ever thought about running for charity. i can proudly say that most of us have run for charity in the past and would absolutely consider it again. it prompted me to write about why and how i started running, because it was a charity that started it all for me.

jonathan and i moved to california in the summer of 2003 and the only person we knew was my uncle who lived in the city thirty miles away. after a few months of missing family and struggling to start a piano studio, i found myself in a much too early mid-life crisis at 21 years old. i was bored and depressed. driving in the car on a cold january afternoon, i heard a radio advertisement for team in training, an organization dedicated to raising funds for the leukemia lymphoma society. they also happened to train average people to run marathons. i attended an information meeting, cut a check for $100, and had officially signed myself up for the midnight sun marathon in anchorage, alaska. if i can truly confess, i had NO intentions of running a full marathon when i signed up for the program. i thought it was a good idea, i just didn't believe i could do it. slowly but surely, the fitness and determination came, and my life was changed.

having the motivation to run for cancer patients is a powerful one. fundraising for cancer research and patient care is also a powerful motivator. running with people who are working towards that same goal is exhilarating. i am forever indebted to this organization for changing my life in more ways than i can count.

we saw beautiful places (monterey bay: 20 miler)

i met lifelong friends and developed lifelong friendships
i now have memories that will last forever

(jeni and me at the finish of our first marathon in anchorage)
i ended up mentoring for the program the next fall; these five girls ended up raising over $33,000 for cancer research that season

we ran in honolulu together, december 2004

after that year long experience, i was hooked to the sport. i asked any girl that came within the four walls of my home or church if they wanted to run a marathon with me. i was addicted to the long runs, the chats, the "runners high", the PRs. all of it. i honestly can say now that i am a RUNNER and it is part of who i am and who i will be for the rest of my life.

so i want to know, WHY did you start?

need some perspective? try deena kastor's blog

oh deena kastor, how i love you.
this woman is a machine, a world class athlete. and while her running resume is incredibly impressive, her personal approach to running is even more inspiring. ok, to my point. it has been so hot here in raleigh. pounding the pavement in 80 degree humid heat (at 6:30AM) is to put it bluntly - HARD. but then, i read deena kastor's blog this morning about her training for the beijing olympics. check this out:

Here in Mammoth, I am getting better Beijing preparation than I anticipated. With the multiple fires in California we are getting a good supply of smoke in our usually clean air. My eyes have been burning throughout the day and I can only imagine that my lungs are getting a little color to them as well. It will be nice to get to Eugene for some cleaner air.
This picture (see above) is Mike and I training at 9000 feet altitude. Lake Mary is one of the most beautiful places we run but we are not appreciating the views here. We ran a tempo run and then 12 X 400. I call this workout a SCREAMER because I really feel the burn when trying to run fast after depleting my glycogen in the tempo run. I am overdressed in the summer heat to prepare for the heat and humidity of Beijing. This is just another day at the office here in Mammoth Lakes.

geez. and i think i had it rough on my four miler this morning ... :) thanks deena!

gearing up ...

last year, i wrote a post on my other blog regarding the marathon. top 10 reasons why you should run one, in fact. the fall marathon has definitely been on my mind as of late, so i thought it would be appropriate to repost the top 10 here. funny side note: when jona read my top 10 reasons, he asked me where i found them. apparently he was underestimating my blogging abilities. :) I WROTE THEM silly!

anyways, here it is. top 10 reasons why you should train for and run a marathon.

10. Endorphins: noun: any of a group of endogenous peptides (as enkephalin and dynorphin) found especially in the brain that bind chiefly to opiate receptors and produce some of the same pharmacological effects (as pain relief) as those of opiates. Translation: you feel good, less pain. Yes, the "runners high" really does exist and it really does feel good. Get over the 3 to 4 mile hump and you'll know what I'm talking about.

9. Bigger heart: Because your body needs to pump more blood to get more oxygen to those hard working muscles, over time your body adapts and your heart beats more efficiently (greater volume of blood per pump) and actually becomes larger.

8. Nice legs: Yes, running builds strong muscles. Remember to stretch.

7. Therapy: To me there is no better stress reliever than to go out on a late Friday afternoon, pop in my iPod (or not) and get rid of the work week. Running allows me to do something for myself and work out my thoughts.

6. Lose Weight/Gain Weight: I've had friends who have lost weight running, but also gained weight. It's a fact: muscle weighs more than fat. Shed the fat, gain the muscle - you're going to weigh more and look toned.

5. Slow Down the Aging Process: Runners are less likely to experience bone and muscle loss as they age.

4. Amazing Places to See: Because of marathons, I've been able to see Alaska, Hawaii, San Diego, Sacramento (actually a fabulous race), the California Redwoods, Napa Valley, Los Angeles, and Highway 1 in Big Sur which we had all to ourselves. You now have an excuse to travel.

3. Courage: There is nothing like accomplishing something you never thought you could. We're not going to lie, running 26.2 miles is hard. But if you learn to take heart and do something hard, you'll never feel the same.

2. Bragging Rights: Running 26.2 is a serious accomplishment. Celebrate it. You really get to learn what you are made of. I always make it a point to wear my finish medal and go through the medal detector at the airport when I'm flying home. :)

1. Camaraderie: I have had the privilege of running with some of the most amazing women I know. This is truly the reason I run. It's selfish. I love my girlfriends and being able to spend time with them and share in their lives is it for me. Experiencing the running ups and downs together and having fun while doing it makes it all worth it. Get out together and make it a team effort.

spirit of the marathon

thanks to the crazy life for this referral ... i cannot wait for this thing to come out on dvd. it will be watched before every race i run. and for anyone who asks, this is why i run.

encore

you must all go see this movie! spirit of the marathon is showing one more encore presentation on february 21. you know i will be there, again!

Spirit of the Marathon

running has changed my life

i didn't quite know how to start the blog until i went and saw the spirit of the marathon tonight with jona in raleigh. this film, directed by jon dunham, chronicled six athletes training for the 2005 chicago marathon. he did a superb job of capturing the spectrum of runners that undertake 26.2 miles. deena kastor was featured as the elite womens marathoner, and while her marathon was astonishing and her training tireless (the woman consumes 5,000 calories per day to keep up with her training regiment), what was more inspiring to me was her humanness, her approachability. she was someone who i believed could make an amazing friend or neighbor. she reminded me that anyone can run, maybe not like she can run, but that anyone can achieve what is their potential personal best when they work hard and are determined.
i run for many reasons. i run for that potential personal best. i run for that feeling of accomplishment. i run because i can. i run because there are people like deena kastor who inspire me. running has taught me to work hard, to play hard, to invest in people, and to dig down deep and challenge myself. the spirit of the marathon reminded me of that. it took me through every single last emotion i have ever felt while training and racing. and to be honest, every single last emotion i have ever felt has been entirely worth it, because it has strengthened my will, forged friendships, and deepened my willingness to say "i can". it may sound trite and unecessarily nostalgic, but it's absolutely true: running has changed me as a person. it has allowed me to grow and discover a part of me that i never knew i had until i tried.

so, to start off this running blog, i want to know how fitness and running has changed you. why do you run? what motivates you? many of you have motivated me and dragged me through many miles. why do it?