The Beginning Of a Dog-Running Era - A Tribute To Indy

He was so small when I first saw him.  He followed me around and wouldn't leave our sides.  He woke me up with a paw on my chest every morning at 3:00 a.m. and I'd pick him up and run him outside before he had an accident.

We would walk around our cul-de-sac and every time we passed our house he would stop and sit completely still as if saying, "I'm not moving.  I've walked enough and I'm not going any further."  As you can see in the picture below (manual photoshop credit goes to Carter) he really just wanted to lay down and snuggle.  Cutest....puppy....EVER.

Our first dog.  As a puppy he wasn't wild and crazy.  He's always been fairly tame (unless you count the 28 chocolate cupcakes he ate, or the bannister he chewed off).  He was very true to his golden retriever-ness.  Noble, happy, loving, and stoic.

As he grew, his stamina did with him.  We would walk an hour every morning.  Speed walk because the vet said large dogs shouldn't run until they're around 9 to 12 months old.  At 10 months old I thought we'd give running a try.  The puppy energy in him was very happy to run.  We started with a few miles, slowly increasing to five or six.  By the time he was 1 and a few months old he was full on marathon training with me.  That was 2009 and we haven't stopped since.

Dr. Indiana Jones Herklotz was and is the best companion (in running and in anything else) anyone could ask for.  This is a picture of him as I write.  On the floor next to me.  He's 7 now and has shown some signs of wanting to slow down but pushes through and is always waiting by the front door in the morning, ready for our next adventure.  If I had to guess he is hoping for a deer kill, a run in with a fox, a squirrel or raccoon chase, a trail to sprint on off leash, a friend to run into, a river to jump in, a tree branch to grab and chew on (all things have happened in the years we've run, and most likely will happen again).  Wherever our feet take us, he remains my constant partner in running...in life.

Here Comes The Sun

Training for a race involves a weekend long run.  The summer heat can make a long run not so pleasant so I try to leave as early as I can.  Getting up at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it does have it's advantages.

Today's sunrise was brought to you by the color pink.  The sunrise is the beginning of a new day.  The opportunity to start fresh.  A chance to tell someone you love them.  A chance to forgive, a chance to hold on, a chance to let go.   A chance to start working toward your dream.  A chance to finish your goals.   A chance to heal.  A chance to help.

If you haven't been up to see the sunrise in a while, do it.  Get out.  See it alone and really appreciate to yourself that you're alive, or share the sunrise with someone you love and talk about what you will do on this new day that will make it better than the one before.

Here comes the sun and with it the chance for excitement, peace, laughter, fulfillment, change.  Savor every moment.

Comfort Zone

Thermostat must be just right....not too cool not too warm.  Weather to go outside must be just right....not too humid, not too cold, not too windy, rainy, snowy...etc etc.  Must sleep 8 hours at least to be rested, can't get up too early.  Food can't be too spicy, coffee isn't fresh enough.  WHERE IS MY SMART PHONE!!!!??????  Everything has to be comfortable.

After running the Richmond Marathon in 2012 I was at a table talking with some friends.  My performance in the Marathon was ok, I think I finished in 3:58, but it wasn't where I wanted to be.  I wanted more.  I told my friends this, and one of them said "The only way to get better is to get out of your comfort zone."  Wow did that change everything and what a difference some perspective makes.  That race was my 9th Marathon I think.   Each one of these marathons was the same story, I trained the same way.  A few runs during the week and two months before the marathon, I'd throw in a weekend long run.  That's it, nothing else.  But I really took what he said to heart.

I started to run longer distances, log more miles during the week.  I incorporated speed work into a couple runs a week.  I put myself on a clean diet to lose weight and gain speed.  I really got out of my comfort zone.  The workouts were hard at times, but the most challenging workouts gave this huge rush of accomplishment.  And, what do you know, by my next Marathon, 10 months later, I improved my time by 25 minutes!

It's easy to get caught in your Comfort Zone, no matter what you're doing in life.  And if you stay there, you may be ok, you may get through, but will you ever reach your potential?  Will you ever understand your own strength?  Will you ever really feel ALIVE???

One Foot In Front Of The Other

A few years ago, I ran this Marathon that is tagged as "The World's Toughest Road Marathon".

https://vimeo.com/55475468

That's the video description and video of the course.  Over 7,000 ft. of elevation change in 26 miles and three mountains to run up.

I was intimidated to say the least.  Will I be totally miserable running up these mountains and not be able to finish?  How badly will it hurt?  Will I be able to control my breathing while going uphill?  I talked to a friend about it a few days before the race and he said, "just put one foot in front of the other.  Don't think about the mountain you're climbing, just think about each step and stay calm."

It's easy to look at a big task and be afraid that it's too much.  When you're looking at the bottom of a mountain and thinking, "wow, I have to climb this and two more AND run 26 miles total" it can seem so stressful and overwhelming.  But, what if we just stopped looking at those big mountains and mileage, and just put one foot in front of the other.  I had trained for that run, I was physically ready.  I had put the practice in to be able to complete it.  So, if all prep work is done, then mentally, just take apart the big challenge and complete one step at a time until you finish.

Don't get caught up with the 20 pounds you have to lose or the big project at work you have to complete or the kitchen remodel that has to be done or the house that needs to be cleaned or the promotion at work you want.  Just keep moving to your goals by putting one foot in front of the other.  Don't stop, keep going.

The Wall

About 11 years ago, I decided to run an 8K race in Fair Lakes.  The furthest I'd ever run at that point was 3 miles.  It's hard to believe, but I was really nervous to run a 5 mile race and wasn't sure I could finish.  Almost makes me laugh now just thinking about it.

I got to 3 miles that day and it felt like I couldn't run anymore.  I'd told myself that I had to finish so I stuck it out and about a mile later something happened.  The tired went away, the pain was gone.  I felt like I could run forever.

I talked to my Dad about that experience and he said, "that was The Wall and you broke through it."  That was a big concept for me to grasp.  So, let me get this right.  You are moving along and pushing yourself and all of the sudden it feels like you can't move any more.  You want to quit.  You start doubting your ability and your confidence starts to fade.  But you see the goal you want and you keep going regardless of how much it hurts.  You move past what you Thought your limit was and you discover that The Wall wasn't your limit at all.  That you're capable of more than what you thought and if you keep going you'll get to the finish line.

That was one of my first life lessons running taught me, not THE first.  That story is for another time.

New Blog Post, New Mission!

It's been a long year, that's for sure.

I meant to keep the run blog going, but got caught in a rut and couldn't get out.  Most of you who have read my blog know already that the Tuesday after running/swimming/biking in my first half Ironman - which was also the Grand Finale of a huge racing year for me and my other running feet, my amazing furry running partner was hit by a car and killed.  That was June of last year, and it does make me sad to say that I really never recovered.  

June 10th marked the one year anniversary since that awful day and I look back at the pictures and posts from last year's blogging and cause and all the positive emotions and memories that were created by those experiences and I want that feeling back.  Not just for myself, but for my other running feet and all the people who supported us.

So, what better way to get out of this rut than to tell the world, or at least my world, about what has happened in the past year and how I plan to take those tragedies that have occurred and turn them into my motivation to be stronger than ever.

The challenge is simple.  Running has never been an issue so not challenge there, but consistently sitting down to write about it has.  My relationship with running is probably one of the most important relationships of my life.  Running has been my best friend, my worst enemy.  Some of the best moments and worst moments of my life have happened while running.  Running has taught me lessons I apply to life.  Running has gotten me through break-ups, depression and anxiety (I'll go into that at another time), brought my closer to friends, hurt me and healed me.  So, with all that said, the challenge is to make sure to write about it every day until June 10, 2016.  The second year anniversary of Shorty, my beloved running partner, dying.

Victories are sweet….Defeats are agony

Yesterday morning I thought I had nothing to worry about.  I woke up, grabbed my gear and got into the car ready to run my final marathon for Zachary and everyone who has supported 10 Races for 10 Years.

I arrived at the Start juuuuuust before the race began.  The rain and wind made travel a little slow.

I put on a long sleeve shirt over my tank top and went to the start.  The gun fired and we were off.  I felt great.  The first 6.5 miles there was a tail wind at my back and I was averaging just what I wanted, about a 7:40 min/mile…maybe a little faster.  I felt so good I took off my long sleeve shirt and ran in just my tank and shorts.

We turned around at that point and headed back in the direction we came from and the headwind hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was the first female runner and wanted to keep my lead…just as I did the last marathon I ran in November.  So, I pushed through the headwind, and the pouring rain, but started to get cold.  After 10 miles, my hands started to numb and I began to tense.  Getting to the half-point, a woman shouted to me "you're my first female marathon runner!".  That was a fun support.  I thought, I can push through the cold!  I am on pace to finish the same time I finished my last race, I got this!

After 13 miles though, I lost feeling in my hands and by the time I reached 14 I found it hard to take in a breath.  I also felt a sharp pain under my knee that I've never felt before.  So at 14 1/2, I ran off the course and stopped.  Not wanting to scare anyone (and to be alone in my defeat) I ran a back road back to the school where we started.  The 1 1/2 miles distance I could normally run in my sleep was agony.  I was freezing and I wasn't going fast enough to keep my heart rate up and keep myself warm.  Not to mention the feeling I had of letting everyone down who have supported me, of letting Zachary and his family down.  I was stronger than this.

I got in the car and felt defeated.  I've run 14 marathons and have finished all 14.  I looked in the mirror and my lips were totally purple.  Looked down at my purple hands and couldn't believe that it ended like it did.

Once I got home, though, I changed into dry clothes, and thought, this is not over.  I have to finish what I started.  Fortunately Carter had a birthday party at the Lifetime Gym, I had to pick him up at the end.  I drove to the gym and jumped on the treadmill.  After running a mile, the pain below my knee was unbearable.  I was so upset.  I stretched it and rolled it for half an hour, went back on, and started again at a slow pace.  I ran for an hour…still falling short, but running about 6 miles, but it was all the pain and fatigue from that morning would allow me, given that I still had a full day of events ahead of me.

So, in total, I ran 23 miles for Zachary yesterday.  Each one of those miles brought something new to it.  My Dad, who's birthday was yesterday, told me that the reason we are here is to learn.  I've learned so many times when to keep pushing, to not give up.  I learned today, when it's time to stop.  The next lesson I will learn is how to go from all the wonderful things that have happened to me and my running this year, to what happened yesterday, and then getting back to the feeling of VICTORY.  I started my first of these five marathons in June and I will have another race, a half Ironman, in June this year.  I want this to be my final race for Zachary, to end MY part of this adventure on a high note.

We will hold a family/friends/community 5K this Sunday at 4 and I look forward to seeing you all there.  I consider this event to ALSO be a victory.  Everyone coming together in honor of Zachary and his family, in support of Child Abuse Awareness Month, and to raise money for Marley's Mission.

Thank you for everyone who has been a part of this year.  You have made all of this worthwhile and I wouldn't change it for the world.  Stay tuned!