Mickey, Here I Come!

I wanted to post a few days ago, but I did not have the chance. I am officially registered for the Disney marathon in Janauary!! I decided to do it right when the race openned to make sure I did not change my mind! Now my goal is to find someone to run it with me. Though I have many family and friends coming to support me, I would love to have someone to actually help get me through. Let me know if you are interested!!

I have heard from many who have been reading and some have shared stories with me about their goals. Some have already started their journeys as runners. Congrats to all of you and good luck. Stick to it! For those who are pondering starting for the first time or are wanting to get back into running, go for it. You won't regret it. Set some small goals or sign up for a race to get started on the right track. And remember, running might not be for everyone, but everyone needs some physical activity to keep your body at it's best.  Make it a priority.

Clearing the hurdles Part II

Whenever somebody asks me about our kids, they always say “I bet they keep you busy!” Of course they do, just as anyone who has kids knows. I am aware that this will only get worse as they get older and involved in more things too. Thankfully I can take them to the YMCA with me and they LOVE it. Makayla is usually upset with me when I go to pick her up from the nursery even if she has been there for 2 hours! I don't have a job outside of our home, so I can run in the morning when they are at school most of the time. The obstacle for me comes when they are sick and we need to stay home and I use that as a reason to be lazy or just can't fit it in because I am taking care of them. In these circumstances, there just isn't much you can do. The kids and family have to be taken care of especially when they aren't feeling well. On the other hand, I don't think that it is wrong to use time for yourself to exercise or spend time doing what you love or to take care of yourself. I am so thankful that my husband is very understanding about that and lets me do whatever I need or want to do. Hope he will feel like that when my 2 hour runs turn into 4!

The day of Gasparilla I blogged about how heavy my legs felt and I was not kidding. Until a week ago, they seemed to feel the same way and I was even suffering from tingling in my legs that would occur during exercise or at any time of the day. My legs felt like they were asleep and that is not good when trying to run. After talking to a few people, I thought that maybe I had pinched nerves and that still may be the case, but after getting a great massage on Sunday, I feel much better. I hope that feeling lasts and that it is the only injury that I have to deal with. I don't have much advice on this subject, but I know that you have to listen to your body. This goes with being sick too I believe. Our bodies need time to recover sometimes and if we don't let them we could miss even more.

What has fear stopped you from doing? I think my biggest fear is usually of embarrassment. What if I can't do it? How bad do I look compared to all those other people? And then there are other fears like the gators in the water throughout the trail (some of them are huge) and the animal noises in the bushes. You may laugh at that, but I seriously have a hard time with those. I get over my fear of the animals by making sure that I am near someone when I am running outside. Then they can hear me scream. By the way, if you are ever attacked by an alligator, poke their eyes or stick your hand inside their mouth and pull on the thing hanging down from their throat. Yes, I have done some research! As far as my other fears, some of them will always be there, but some I can control. My running coach always reminds us that we are not comparing ourselves to others, but to ourselves. As long as I am improving, then I can be happy. I have tried to get over the fear of not being able to do things by determining to just try. The more you try new things, the easier it gets to try new things. And then you get stronger and some of those new things don't seem so bad anymore.

My husband was contemplating joining me at the marathon in January. He thought about it for about 34 seconds the other day and then remembered that he does not like running (those were his words). He thought it would be nice to cross the finish line with me but did not want to have to run the other 26 miles!! Sound familiar? He brought up a very popular obstacle: “I don't have time to train {for a marathon}”. In this case, he's probably right. Both of us training at the same time would probably not be good for our family, but this is what I said to him, “The problem isn't that you don't have the time, but not wanting to use the time you have.” See, by writing this blog and hoping that some will follow it, does not mean that I want you all to run a marathon or even a half or 15k, I just hope that you are using the time you have to accomplish your goals. Even if you only have a few minutes a day to work on your goals, make sure you are using that time wisely.

I just wanted to add a little note here about those that have been following the blog and leaving comments. I am thrilled that you have come along to share this experience with me. You are a blessing!

Clearing the Hurdles Part I

Obstacles come at all of us at different times in our everyday lives.  We struggle financially, spiritually, emotionally (especially us girls) and physically. Since we are talking running here, we'll call them hurdles. I've been thinking about what hinders me from running my best at times as well as what hinders others I know and I thought it would be good to discuss how they can be conquered. I know I don't have the answers to all of these problems so I am hoping that my readers will give their input and share struggles that you face as well. As they say, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery! This may take a few posts since there may be many, so I'll start with one or two today.

The idea for this post popped into my head the other day because I failed to overcome one of my worst struggles.....SLEEP. I really think that the issue was being tried, not laziness, but some may use these interchangeably. Saturday morning I was supposed to get up and get around 9 miles in, but I never even did one. Since I did not have a “running date” with anyone besides my husband (I will not call him an obstacle, but he has no problem sleeping instead of running =), I decided to sleep in after having stayed up late working on a few cakes.

So that's the problem, what is the solution? The thing that gets me through usually, though it did not on Saturday,  is remembering that getting my workout in gives me more energy, not less. Even yesterday I wanted to relax (nap if I could) instead of going to the gym. I had to talk myself into it knowing that I would actually feel better if I got some exercise in, and I was right. Don't get me wrong, the days I do a longer run, I usually need a nap since my body has not quite adjusted to those distances, but for the most part, exercise makes me feel good.

I know a lot of people who use the excuse that they don't have enough energy to exercise. Well guess what? You never will if you never do. Others say, by the time I get home I am too tired to workout. How about getting some exercise in and then sleeping like a baby that night??

Another hurdle for me is boredom. I do a lot of different workouts at the gym including running, spinning, swimming, Pilates and other classes, but there are still days, especially running days, when I get bored. Most of the time that happens when I am on the treadmill or running by myself outside. The solution should be simple for this one, but “easier said then done” I would say.

The best solution for me is to have a running buddy. I love to run with friends or my hubby. There is always something to talk about, someone to push you, and someone to make sure that you make it back alive! I know that there will be days when I will be running long distances alone, and quite frankly, that scares me!

Mixing up the routine is another obvious solution. Trying different classes helps at the gym, but when it comes to running, different routines are needed as well. There are days for long distances, days for speed work, and and days for cross-training. Mixing up my music helps a lot too and scenery is sometimes necessary as well. A few weeks ago I got to run out near the beach instead of the usual trail, and it was great. Six miles felt unusually short because it was so different.

Even as I write this, I can think of so many more obstacles that I face at times. My next few posts will be about some of them including time, pain or injury, taking care of the family, fear, money, and others that you or I think of along the way.

Define Your Terms

The title of my blog is obviously a play on the title of a famous movie, but I thought that I better define my terms and relate them to my experiences to help us all understand the purpose of all this. You'll notice two different colors of print. The black are my own words and the blue belongs to the definitions found at www.dictionary.com.  I have chosen only the definitions that I thought related best to my blog.

Di-a-ry
–noun, plural -ries.

1. a daily record, usually private, especially of the writer's own experiences, observations, feelings, attitudes, etc. 

(DAILY???? really?? who has time for that? If I wrote everyday, then when would I run?)

2. a book for keeping such a record.

(we live in 2011, so I think a newer version of this definition would also include a blog)

3. a book or pad containing pages marked and arranged in calendar order, in which to note appointments and the like.

"I always say, keep a diary and someday it'll keep you." author unknown

This is what I am hoping for!

Mad

adjective-
1. mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented
2. enraged; greatly provoked or irritated; angry.

4. extremely foolish or unwise; imprudent; irrational

5. wildly excited or confused; frantic: mad haste.

6. overcome by desire, eagerness, enthusiasm, etc.; excessively or uncontrollably fond; infatuated: He's mad about the opera.

7. wildly gay or merry; enjoyably hilarious: to have a mad time at the Mardi Gras.

I have not decided yet which definition was the best to describe what I am doing so I left all of these. I guess you can choose for yourself =)

 
 Run·ning
–noun

1. the act of a person, animal, or thing that runs.  (Thanks for clearing that up!)

2. managing or directing: the running of a business. (shameless plug for my business here....www.CakesByNadia.weebly.com)

3. an act or instance of racing: the 113th running of the Kentucky Derby.

–adjective

6. galloping, racing, moving, or passing rapidly. (I got a good laugh out of this one! The only time I am "passing rapidly" is if I see a gator somewhere on the trail.)

8. creeping or climbing, as plants: a running vine. (or as in hill training or "hills")

9. moving or proceeding easily or smoothly. ( Another chuckle!  If you have seen me "running" you might call it something else!)

 Run

verb, ran, run, run·ning, noun, adjective

–verb (used without object)

1. to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground. (Glad this definition is here. I know, at least at some times, that I am going faster than walking)

2. to move with haste; act quickly: Run upstairs and get the iodine.

3. to depart quickly; take to flight; flee or escape: to run from danger.

6. to go around, rove, or ramble without restraint (often followed by about ): to run about in the park.

7. to move, roll, or progress from momentum or from being hurled, kicked, or otherwise propelled: The wheel ran over the curb and into the street. (at mile 25, I am hoping for either a hill to roll down or for Mickey to push me to the finish line. Definitely could have used some of that at the end of the Gasparilla the other day.)

Wom·an

–noun

1. the female human being ( distinguished from man).

2. an adult female person.

4. a wife.

5. the nature, characteristics, or feelings often attributed to women; womanliness. (I wonder if "womanliness" includes blowing your nose into the grass or spitting?)

8. a female person who cleans house, cooks, etc.; housekeeper: The woman will be in to clean today.

( My husband would love this one!)

9. women collectively

  So, I hope this helped clear some things up for you, or maybe it confused you even more. In simple terms, I have a major goal that I want to accomplish. I am hoping that keeping a blog will help me and others to finish what we have started. I am a runner and though I  am not fast, I am at least moving!! Maybe your goal is just to get moving. You don't have to "move with haste" or be "wildly excited" or even "run" at all, you just need to start. (and you don't have to be a woman either)