Sunday is long run day for me. Some thoughts from this morning's 19-miler:
1. God, I am lucky. Seriously, I was thinking those exact sentiments for nearly the entire 19 mile solo sunrise run this AM. Lucky that the kids are home, safe and snug with daddy. Lucky that they are probably having an absolutely blast alone with daddy -- doesn't happen to often as he works long hours and it isn't rare for an entire day to pass without these three daddy-lovers getting a chance to see their amazing father. Lucky that my legs are healthy. Lucky that my body is healthy. Lucky that I can run 19 miles.
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| A very happy boy with his Daddy at a Getty Kid's Concert last night. |
2. I love Hoka's. One day I will write much more about Hoka's -- my running shoe of choice these days. For now I will keep the story short. I wore minimalist shoes (sandals, to be exact). I changed/corrected my form. I re-taught my body how to run, literally from the ground up. I put my miles in. I am now a fore-foot striker. Then I increased my mileage, started racing, ran speed workouts weekly, got a calcaneous stress fracture. I was lost, I was depressed, I was embarrassed, devastated, miserable and many other words. Then my husband got me a pair of Hoka's. I have managed to score 3 free pairs now from some lucky work and friend connections and man, are they amazing. Yes, they look and feel very Frankenstein-ian at first, for a week maybe, but the extra cushioning and padding and support is incredible. They are actually a maximalist shoe, encourage proper form and have enabled me to run healthy, long, relatively high-mileage weeks (up to 50 mi/wk these days) pain-free and with very little joint fatigue after even 19 miles of pounding. Hoka's are amazing. I love them. I will write them a more proper ode later. : )
3. I wish I had a stroller + kid with me. Running with kids is more fun. Kids make life fun. They make everything a little more challenging, a little longer, a little more effort, but a LOT more fun. And stroller running also means they carry my water. It may seem silly, but I'd chose pushing a stroller with 1, 2 or 3 kids any day with my water loaded in the stroller trunk over running solo and carrying my own water. I hate carrying my own water, but alas it's part of the game.
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| Not a HOV (high occupancy vehicle) this week. With Adara in Kindergarten now, the triple is no longer fully loaded for afternoon runs. |
4. Running in the heat is treacherous. As an exhausted mother who has been sleep deprived for 5+ years now, who rarely sleeps through the night and is lucky to get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep (and I know, it could be worse because it has been worse, I've paid my dues), I abhor the idea of waking up to an alarm. My kids are early-risers, typically up before 6am. They are my alarm clock. But with the heat on full power these days, I have been setting my alarm every Saturday night for 5:30am. And oh, is it worth it when I am out the door before 5:40am and back from a 19-miler before 8:30am and the temperature is only 80 degrees. I'll take it.
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| Sweating it out. Backyard/naptime play. |
5. I love marathon training. Mostly, I love long runs. I love the feeling that I am about to go out there and run further than I have ever run before. I get a rush from the knowledge that my body is being pushed to some new limits. Mostly, I am constantly amazed and inspired by the body's incredible ability to go further, push harder, respond positively without breaking down and while achieving amazing feats. (Sorry for this wacky formatting -- I suspect my computer may be overheating as it's acting a bit wacky at the moment and is refusing to align this paragraph correctly!)
6. Most days I cover more mileage running than by car. My mom gave me a little Fitbit. I put it on each morning and go. I rarely check the data, often forgetting for weeks on end. Sorry, Mom! One day I'll take full advantage of all the Fitbit apps and tools. For now, it serves an entertaining accessory to me. It always makes me smile when I get all 5 lights flashing before I have even reached the middle of my run. Five flashing lights signify that "You have reached your goal" or taken as many steps as the Fitbit program recommends per day. Today I reached my daily step goal before 7:00am. I suppose I should look into re-calibrating my baseline. One day! Ha -- as I sit her typing, an email alert just popped up with a message, "You've walked 30,000 steps today!" I guess that's cool. I still do not run with anything more than my Fitbit, handheld water bottle and a few Gu's. I don't run with a watch (I just get too time-obsessed and start racing myself) and for the same reason I don't use GPS, running computer, smart phone, music, iPod, or anything besides my own two legs. I love running for the pure joy and fun of it. Too much gear takes that away for me. Google maps or mapmyrun does come in handy pre- and post-run for determining exact mileage.
7. Running is fun. Simple as that, running is fun. Like nothing else, it leaves me with a deep sense of peace. Overcome with happiness, gratitude and love. 19 miles complete and I am ready to face the day, face the kids, face the world and all its ugliness, all its depression, sadness, stress and injustice. Ready to be my best and be the change. In my heart I believe that is all the world needs each day, it is all we can ask of ourselves: To be our best.
That's it for now. This pink pool beside me is calling and I am ready to join my girls for some baby pool swimming.
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