Articles in August, 2011, Page 2

Fear Factor Recasting – Overcoming the Fears We Battle

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Cait — 2 Comments ↓

Cue Joe Rogan. So I am bringing you this post as a major alert: CHECK OUT DIS CHIC CHICKPEA…do it now!! Haha, now I usually try not to bust out the all caps in multi-word format that often because it is annoying, but Amy over there posted a poem she wrote that really is too amazing to ignore.

It’s about fear. It is ever-present but needs to be pushed out of our lives. She really puts it best, but it also got me thinking about fear and so now, as always, I can’t just shush-up and will ramble on with my two cents.

I think pushing fear from our lives in sort of like an ongoing battle, you shove one out the window and the door knocks with another. Sometimes I think it’s almost impossible to avoid opening the door, or I guess rather the door gets thrust open against your own will. So then, it’s up to you to rid yourself of the intruder.

There is also the little fear spectrum, or rather a speedometer. Worries and fears sort of blur together in my mind sometimes, and it’s a matter of placing a particular worry/fear on that odometer. Is it running at a 4 minute mile pace or is it walking at 20 min/mile pace? Sometimes it looks like a speed demon but when you stop and actually clock it, it’s going much slower than you thought. Sort of like that red sports car vs. the cops thing.

Amy’s poem also comes at really, a perfect time for me. I’ve got my own little knock-knocks on the fear door and actually, should I be completely truthful they’re already sitting in my lounge sipping coffee. I don’t like to really admit some things, I like to either be positive or make enough jokes out of it that I laugh it off, but then again I don’t like to lie or feel like I’m being a hypocrite either.

I would sort of feel like a hypocrite if I posted up this amazing poem about giving fear the finger and then not put the disclaimer that I’ve got my own fears and worries. I’m not sitting in an empty room, I’ve got Fear Nasties too. But, I also have other people in it besides fear and worry. Those people are there to help me oust Nasty Thing 1 and 2 out the window. In some cases those people are actually battling against the very same fear as you.

Our Fear Nasties Graveyard

The tough thing I’ve learned is that those ‘good’ people are sometimes hard to find, the Fear Nasties can really crowd the room and the ‘good’ folks can get buried in the back. Here are the sticky points: 1) Identifying there ARE actually other people in the room besides you and the fear dudes 2) actually believing that they are there (yes, this is another step) 3) reaching out to them and saying you need their help and 4) actually getting the fear thangs out the window.

The Fam

Getting back to the fear speedometer, if the things are more just worries, sometimes you can take a step back and realize that you’re making them ‘faster’ than they really are in your mind and if you start thinking more rationally or logical you can come up with some sort of solution. If there IS no solution than your solution is that whatever it is may be out of your control, so the best you can do is accept that it is out of your control, then distract yourself until the thing works itself out or you learn something new about the situation. Push it out of your mind as best you can.

Lots of my ‘fears’ are actually just my over-worrying. Fear in my mind is more gripping, heart-stopping, or it’s an enormous weight that is pressing down on my chest. Fear seems shorter, or like a climactic eruption. Worries to me are the slow build…I think they can lead to the gigantic fear eruption as the weight just builds to a point where it feels like it’s crushing you.

Worries are more my problem. I’ve briefly brushed on that fact that I’ve got OCD where I made fun of myself, and if I told you all of my worries I’d laugh right along with you as I said them out loud. But laughing them off inside is far harder, and it’s a matter of forcing myself to discredit these worries. Of course I’ve got actual ‘real world’ worries too, like we ALL do…and there are becoming more of those, so that adds to my lounge room of folks with Starbucks cups.

As I again catch myself in an epic ramble, I don’t want to make this too personal, my intention was to identify that this particular poem is something we should all read, digest, then read again. Because it’s a reality check: do you want to keep living with Starbucks sipping, uninvited, fear nasties with a speed rating taking up space?

I know I don’t, and I know I’ve pushed plenty out of my room before with the help of the other ‘good’ people in the room. I think the digesting part for me has also been admitting that there will always be new fear/worries or whatever knocking on the door, some of them the very same worries I already pushed out before, and I need to really listen when they start knocking. When the knocking gets louder, barricade that d*** door and if the door bursts open anyways, rally the troops, open the windows, and get to chucking!

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away I Picked Up Some Racing Tips

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Cait — 6 Comments ↓

Okay, I sort of feel wonky about doing this post because it’s been about a zillion years since I last actually raced. But I was talking with some friends of mine and the whole subject of race tactics and such came up. That, and I know that a lot of my bloggy friends have big races coming up or they are training for, so I thought it might benefit a few folks out there to offer up some things that I’ve learned along the way. There is way too much to go on and on about regarding races, so I’ll probably have to make this a topic to return to again later. (Look there, every now and again when you come here you might actually be able to take something of worth away…haha)

Fire up those quads...

*Run the tangents: this one might some sort of ‘basic’ or ‘duh’ but I’m not kidding you that it took me forever to actually really apply it. One reason was because I just didn’t think about it or figured an extra few steps couldn’t really make all that much difference, but it adds up. There is a reason that you’ll see people hugging the curves or in a road race cross to the other side of the street to run as close to the little taped off markers as possible; there is also a reason why on the track you usually want to pass someone on a straightaway so you can go around them without running extra distance. If you’re going to focus on something during a race, look for the shortest routes to get to the end; this adds up even more the longer you go and if it comes to the finish line and you see you missed a PR by a few seconds, do you want to be kicking yourself in the bum thinking you could have beaten it if only you didn’t run a few turns too wide?

*Slap yourself into focus: it’s easy to let your mind wander…guilty (moreso though just in everyday life)! But whenever I am in a race or a hard workout I don’t tend to wander, the pain usually tries to take my focus. 😉 But really, you don’t want to be caught in mindless wandering, that will usually lead to the legs slowing down and you might not even be aware of it. So if you catch yourself starting to drift, slap yourself back to the moment, look at the person in front of you and key off of them. Stare a hole into their back and don’t let them get any further ahead of you, instead catch up to them, try to pass, and if you do, then look for the next person in front…pick people off one little bugger at a time. 😉 haha.

*Chuck the baggage: I see more and more people going gadgecized. It’s like before heading out for a run or race they are plugged into more things than NASA. Granted I’m maybe too ‘outdated’ but sometimes it’s good to ignore the garmin, the watch even, and just race off of feel. This is good for a few reasons; one, you can freak yourself out if you feel great and are clicking along but look at the clock and think, “Holy heck, I’m way ahead of pace, am I going to blow-up?” This can mess with you mentally and sometimes cause you to slow down when you’re on the verge of a breakthrough race. Second, constantly checking on your pace isn’t always necessary, as you become more experienced you want to be able to be in tune with your body and ‘know’ what paces feel like.

I don't even think I spy a watch on any of them...do you?

*Still, splits help: wow, so now I am going to contradict myself because there ARE times when the watch is playing to your benefit! Examples: giving you a clear warning you may be going out too fast, a nice kick in the tush if you have mentally checked-out and slowed down, are hitting target pace and a motivator to keep doing that, and there are other instances. The thing is, the clock has its time (horrible pun, sorry) and place, but in the end YOU are the one out there and how you feel is going to trump whatever the clock does say. So if looking at the splits is only going to stress you out or you’re having a bad day and the legs just didn’t show up, then the time can be a little defeating and better to just get through the race at that point.

Bwahaha...we've all been there.

*Hold dem horses: this one was mentioned in the last but it deserves it own because it’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make…going out too fast. We are all guilty but trust me that bootylock crawl to the finish is our only reward. Race day excitement makes it easy to get sucked into this but an experienced racer knows that even if that adrenaline makes the early mile pace feel much easier, it will catch up to you trifold. They say for every second you go out too fast the first mile, you’ll end up slowing down by at least 10 sec’s by the end…trust me it might be even more than that and it will certainly feel much longer. Trying to ‘get ahead’ and under your pace thinking you’ll get a ‘cushion’ by doing that will actually work against you…much better to pick it up and get faster as you go along, all about those negative splits.

Those are just a few tips and hopefully they might be of some use for you. I also want to bring up that there are benefits of ‘bad’ races or workouts and also how you can mentally come back after those…all jabber for another post as this one is getting mighty lengthy!

1) What’s one of your racing tips?

2) Do you have a funny story of you making an obvious racing blunder?

For awhile I used to not run the tangents because somehow in my mind I thought it might be ‘cheating’ or like I was trying to run less than the ‘real’ distance. Stupid, I know. The race directors measure the course gauging off of the shortest distance marked by cones (read: the tangents) and on the track, so long as you’re not crossing that white line you’re golden. 😛

3) When your mind does wander when you’re running or racing where does it go?

I get song lyrics stuck in my head, which can work to my benefit sometimes. I also get random words or phrases stuck in my head; when I was taking Spanish in high school there would be times where I’d honestly keep thinking ‘la luz’ in my head.

Seven Links to Runnerpeeps and Some Things Shouldn’t be Cooked

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Cait — 6 Comments ↓

Hello writer’s block. I have no idea where this post will go, nor something funny to open with…not that I ever really am able to open up rather quippy. So let’s see where this stray brain will lead us…

I'm sunk...no inspiration...

We’ll start with this: the running world is crazy small, I mean it’s dinky. I say this because it seems like every runner somehow, some way knows a person, who trained with so-and-so, coached so-and-so, or something like that. Forget the whole Kevin Bacon thing, I think there should be something like a seven links to Bill Squires. Don’t know who that is, Google, baby. 😉

I say that because I was talking on the phone with one of the coaches getting her team the Runner’s Training Log I’ve made and we kept hitting points in the conversation with, “Wait, you know them, did you know that they used to be coached by so-and-so and so-and-so was the person who used to coach me back in the day!” or “Wait, you know that person, oh my gosh, my runner friend works with them managing all these races.”

It’s cool because even just out and about in ‘real life’ (runner life world is far better btw…haha) you bump into a runner and chances are somehow, some way you guys are connected through the WWRT…World Wide Runner’s Trackwire. Try it, it’s fun…maybe it works like that in bloggy world? Who knows…

Next up, I’ve been meaning to say this but keep forgetting….there is this road close to my new place named: Dick Cook. Not even Dick Cook Road or Street…every time I pass it I smirk. How immature am I? Then again, what a tempting appetizer that sounds like, no?

I’ve just started working on a new project so I just finished doing some 1950’s style moms. It makes me wonder if I would have really ‘lasted’ back then. I mean, sports for girls weren’t really there and there is no way I could live wearing poodle skirts and the like back then.

Though I know I couldn’t really cut it as a ‘rebel’ bad girl either…I don’t like tight leather pants anyways. Nerd? Maybe, I mean I know I’m a dork but maybe I just wouldn’t be smart enough to make the cut. So where the heck would I fall? Would I just be the really weird girl no one would even talk to because I just somehow still managed to find running and spent my free time running around? Did they even have treadmills back then? If so, did they go faster than 10 min/mile pace?

Insert random Boston Terrier fist pumping like Snooki...I made this for my sis when she got her new puppy. 🙂

I guess that’s it for this chick for now. I’m out! For those who care, do you even need to ask if I ran today? 😉

1) Do you notice that the running/fitness would is funny small? Do you have an example where you stumbled upon a stranger who’s really not a stranger thanks to so-and-so?

2) Who the heck comes up with street names? I wonder sometimes. What’s a funny street name you’ve seen?

3) 1950’s, where do you think you’d land amongst the populous?

4) What are people listening to these days? What’s the last song you heard?

I was in my sis’s car and it was Taylor Swift. But my roommate has some crazy old song on that I i don’t know who it is; I don’t know if I should count that because it’s not exactly my choice to have it playing…

Running Skirts — Crossing a Thin, Frilly Line?

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Cait — 21 Comments ↓

Happy Saturfarts to all! I hope you are having a great weekend thus far, and for those that raced do feel free to brag on your fine selves, I want to hear all about it!

Today, I think I finally need to bring something up. I hope it doesn’t offend any of my lovely lady bloggers because I think it’s something that may be a little touchy subject. Running skirts.

Okay, let me start off by saying that since they’ve been around they’ve become more and more popular and I’ve seen lots of people wearing them and my tolerance for them has grown as such. I actually will go out and state that I’ve seen pictures of some friends wearing them and they do look cute, but here is my dealio with the whole running skirts thang.

When they very first were about to come out, I was working at the Nike World Headquarters up in Oregon and so I saw the wear testers doing the whole testing and fitting then first. Right away I said to a very good friend of mine (he’s a guy and shares my snarkness…we were probably twins separated at birth and a couple of years removed) “What in the heck is that??! What are they doing…those are the stupidest things I’ve ever seen…I hope they don’t actually start selling those things. I swear if those things take off I’m going to flip my top!”

Well, they did hit the stores…they did take off.

Here was my line of thinking, hear me out. This tomboy sort of saw them as yet another attempt to ‘girlify’ our sport. Here we go through all these great pains to be seen/treated as equals and now they go and bring back the skirt? I mean we already have to fight and scour shelves for any article of clothing that ISN’T in a pink or similar color palette.

On the competitive scene, girls already get plenty of flack over the fact that yes, we will forever run slower than the guys, but dang it that’s genetics and women pros are still stellar and deserve the same level of respect. They put in the miles (albeit generally less overall than the males but again that is mostly due to body composition…and if you totaled up the amount of actual time spent running versus miles the gap is even less), bust out the repeats, and can be just as gritty as the dudes. There have even been college/professional level coaches joking that, “Eh, it’s just the women’s races, they don’t count all that much.”

So that’s where I saw the skirt as a bad direction for our sport. I will admit I did cringe when I saw a few professional ladies even wearing and talking about liking the running skirt. I dunno, that’s just me. I haven’t ever worn one myself so maybe I’m not giving them a chance out of just principle and being a dorkette….that and the fact that I don’t even own a normal kind of skirt.

I’m also super picky about running shorts, so there is the comfort issue. I think the skirt part would only keep getting bunched up and ‘eaten up’ by my thighs and that would annoy the heck out of me.

So am I just being way overly feminist about this issue, girls? Like I said, in the years since I’ve seen more and more people wearing them, some of them friends, and I don’t hold it against them necessarily, but I still don’t ever see myself donning one of those running skirts. That’s just me.

1) Running skirts, have you ever worn them, where do you stand?

It’s sort of funny that I pick THIS topic to go on a rant about, particularly since I’m not one of those people who tend to go all overboard with reading into social things and women’s rights. Haha.

2) If any guys are reading this, what are your thoughts? Do you think running skirts are stupid or do you think they are ‘cool’ or whatnot for ladies…obviously you might not want to wear one for other reasons.

3) Anyone race today, if so how did it go? If not, what was your workout?

Love affair with my treadmill today (a bit over 9 miles) followed by ab and core work.

Mary Decker Slaney’s Birthday and Bringing ‘it’ to the Track

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Cait — 5 Comments ↓

So today I think I need to start with a little tribute to one of the most amazing female runners…it’s Mary Decker Slaney’s birthday today and I was reminded of this by a FB friend who posted this AMAZINGLY inspiring 3000 meter race from the 1983 World Championships.

Toonicized 1984 US Olympic Trials 1500m

Now, I’m a bit too young to have been lucky enough to really watch her races when she was the she-fire on the track, but growing up my mom made it clear that Mary was one of ‘those’ people. The people that to us distance runners, are true idols. Who, to the common mainstream public, may be their Kim K’s, Justin B’s, Harrison Fords…you get the picture. I’m also lame because I’m grappling for the ‘right’ kind of celeb to parallel to our distance running idols but am coming up short.

I’d like to think of Mary as more than a few notches above a Kardashian, so maybe a Jennifer Anniston or Reese Witherspoon, you know, more like an American Sweetheart type of thing.

I did this cartoon version of a picture that was taken by my photographer friend, Bill Leung, when he was there to witness the duel between Mary and Ruth Wysoki at the 1984 1500 meter US Olympic Trials. (A duel where Ruth actually made quite the upset for the win!) So in the real picture the photographer on the side wasn’t in it, that’s my little Bill tribute…hehe.

Anyways, Mary was one of those child phenoms that never burned out before hitting the pro circuit. She raced with guts, of course people are always quick to say ‘this and that’ about people, there are no shortage of negative commenters around, but there are no shortage of fans either. Regardless, I don’t think anyone, after watching races like these can argue with the fact that she is an inspiring and amazing athlete.

I did have the very fine pleasure of meeting and dining with Mary and her husband, and it’s so funny how runners have that duel persona. You can be gritty and fierce as heck on the track, but then cross the finish line and in ‘real life’ be the nicest person around. I’d say it’s more of a stark contrast with girls especially…though, don’t get me wrong because girls can be plenty catty if you catch the wrong set of ‘mean girls.’ Haha.

It's GO time...

My point was, even if it’s your best friend in a race, fire the gun and in competitive situations it’s every man for himself. Some people can argue with me there, “You shouldn’t try to beat your friends,” “Be nice,” and things like that. And if you are going into a race planning on just doing it for fun, then that’s fine, and in that instance it’s not necessarily a ‘race’ between you two.

But when you’re putting it all on the line, and in cases where you really are fighting for the win, the place, I don’t think it’s mean or rude to separate life on the track from that off the track. In fact I think you’re only doing a disservice to the sport and your competitors if you don’t give it you all. (There are always exceptions, if you’re there to pace a training partner to their PR or something like that, I’m not a total heartless jerk…lol.)

I’ve been perfectly happy warming up with my friend (it eases my nerves to have them there actually…I know some people are the opposite and don’t like to talk), knowing full well they too want the very same place as I do in the race, and really I’d have been really pi**ed if they played the ‘nice’ card and ‘gave’ me a win. It works both ways, if you beat someone you want to beat them at their best, not some charity case. So when the gun is fired, it’s ‘go’ time.

However, once the line is crossed, that is when the true signs of sportsmanship should be shown. That’s when the ‘nice’ runner emerges and you congratulate people if you did wind up the winner, and you put on a brave face if you weren’t. You hold it together if you had a horrible race and if you’re going to cry or throw a fit try to put a lid on the worst of it until you get somewhere by yourself. Because we all have those days, those disappointments, and in fact that’s where it can be a real blessing to have a friend/training partner that was in the race who you can cool-down with and talk to about it…because they’ll get it.

And here wraps up another long tangent filled post…I started out by wanting to wish a Happy Birthday to one of my running idols. I’d take that meeting with Mary and her husband (Actually that guy is hilarious!! He’s a stellar field event athlete in his own right and can actually rip a phone book in half too…so funny to see them next to each other with Mary being so slight!) over any ‘normal people’ celeb any day.

1) Who is one of your running idols?

2) Who is one of your any kind of idol?

I admire and respect a few people but not necessarily famous ones.

3) Race day, I know people race for many different reasons and so depending on the reason I think the ‘rules’ or protocols are different. When you toe the line do you take your friendships with you, or is it understood that it’s every man/woman for themselves but once you cross the line you’ll happily cool-down with a competitor?

Quick Crawl Out of the Cave, Running Memories, and Juk

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Cait — 3 Comments ↓

Hey there friends!! I appreciate that you guys haven’t abandoned me while I’m totally lame-o and not being able to comment as much as I want/need to, they say those who don’t leave you during your snotty/poopy pants moments are the keepers!! 🙂

And do know that this whole situation is just plain not gonna fly for this sista so I’m working on it. Back on track here, let’s see, so I really appreciate that feedback I got on the whole training log and the motivational quotes. I do think that for those who use their blog as their training log that is a nice little double-whammy punch, and I think that whatever keeps you accountable is awesome!

In doing this whole thing, (side note, this project has been taking up most of my time for the past days, but I can’t really complain about spending my time surrounded by all things running can I?!?!) I realized that one of the most fun things to do is to go back and reread my old logs. I don’t keep a diary (I have tried many times, but after about a day or two the days become sporadic and drop off into Never Never Land) but a training log I’ve been consistent with for years.

Even when I was a gimpy bum and all I could do was the arm-bike Krankcycle, I still wrote it down. Partly out of habit, but also because I still think that documenting stuff is useful, I did have a ton of rehab shiznit. But every now and again I stumble upon my old log books and I get sucked into reading the days. I laugh, because some workouts or races I remember so vividly, that even though there are no pictures I can see it in my mind.

Oldie....Photo Credit Bill Leung

I don’t keep photo albums and I don’t scrapbook. Mostly because I really suck at remembering to take my camera wherever I go! But I can write about running/working out all day. The entries aren’t really much more than a line or two, unless it was an AWESOME run/workout for whatever reason, but those two lines are usually enough to document the day, stamp that memory.

I have some really funny moments, a few that still give me that little rush and happy dance feeling, some really sucky ones, and a few that make me cringe still to this day. (TMI warning…ya, altitude also does a number on my gurgly guts, I have a track workout that seriously the recovery was dashes to the bushes on the side.)

So when I find those old suckers it’s my little walk down memory lane.

Possible Cover Mock-up

Jolting back to the here and now, I’m working on a cover for this sucker, and what the heck I’ll ask for some feedback. This one is for obviously Granite Bay High School, but I’m doing others for different teams/groups, and so that portion will be different.

Actually, because I’ve spent so much time on these, and there really are a lot of articles, tips, quotes, trivia, art, etc. that anyone who is getting into running or starting out might enjoy and benefit from, I’m thinking of offering them up here. If you, or anyone you know, (running teams, groups, and the like), might be interested in purchasing one, drop me a line or leave a comment and we can chit chat. 🙂

Other than that, gosh I’m boring today, so I’ll end with a little cartoon. This one, the story is that my Dad makes this soup called Juk. Does anyone know what that is? I think it’s some kind of either Chinese or Hawaiian soup dish, but he seriously loves this stuff to no end. I don’t like it, but that’s me. But the thing is that to make it u need a turkey carcass, it’s gross but he always asks people for theirs after Thanksgiving. So that’s the story behind this one…oh, and my dad’s name is…duh, Joby. 😉

1) What are some foods that a person in your family is ‘known’ for?

2) How do you ‘walk down memory lane’ if you do it? Photo albums, home movies, diaries, etc…heck, even I see people on Facebook doing it with albums on there!

3) How do you know a friend is a keeper?

It’s totally true, it’s the people who are there with the sh** starts to fly!

4) Would love some constructive crit over the cover…tear it to shreds peeps! 😉

Bummin on no Froyo and Training Logs are A for Awesome

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Cait — 11 Comments ↓

Do you see it? It’s my curmudgeonly, scowly look of utter disappointment. Why? Well, for reasons that I can’t fully explain (one, because it’s a long backstory and telling it might wind me up with one of those cyber-faux pas where the thing you write about gets back to people you don’t want it to…second, because it’s sort of ridiculous to the amount you might not really believe me) I missed out on a chance for a real, live, in the flesh froyo date with Margs!!

Margs, you may recall has shot to worldwide celebdom for her role in TO YOGURTOPIA WE GO (how many times am I going to link that fairy tale, well for the time it took me I’m gonna milk it for all it’s worth…haha) and I was excited to learn that this SoCal living bunny was bopping around my neck of the woods for the weekend. But thanks to crazy events we weren’t able to make it to froyo bliss. 🙁

Don’t try to get all smart and figure you’ll pester Margs for my lame reason, partly because she’s got WAY cooler things to think/talk about than me, and second I pulled a Men in Black move and her memory is partially erased. I will say I was happy we at least did get to phone chat, and I hope my fast-talking chipmunk voice hasn’t left her deaf in addition to having a memory fugue.

Why so late a post? Sorry folks, internet still wonko on this side but I’m able to mooch a quickie blog post off of the internet at my parents’ house.

Next on the agenda, so I’ve spent quite a lot of time these past few days working on a project for my old high school’s cross-country and track teams. It’s a running log, something I think is not just really fun to have so you can look back on and track your progress, but it really is important to keep. Why you ask? I’ll tell you…

Even if you aren’t necessarily training for any big race, logging what your workouts are and what you’re doing can keep you on track and motivated to actually DO your workouts, you can reference it when you are feeling sore/sluggish/overly tired and look back at previous weeks’ workouts to figure out why. If you wind up injured you can look for signs of overtraining, then later should you come down with another injury you can look back to what you did then and do your best to cross-train and stay in shape.

People write all kinds of things in their logs, to varying degrees of detail, some people write how much sleep they get, when they feel sick, if they changed a workout their reasons, how they felt in their workout, replay a race, of course PR’s…the color of their poop…just kidding, just wondered if you were still with me. But all of this is useful and important info…oh, and making notes of when you switch out for a new pair of shoes so you remember to change them!

Anyways, anything I do I like to try and make it unique or at least a little better than the bare bones, so I have included lots of articles, quotes, and so forth. So I got to thinking, if I were back in high school, what would I have liked to read about, learn, or hear tips on? I put in things about stretching (when to do it/dynamic vs. static), mental ways to trick yourself into believing that it really doesn’t hurt as much as it does, things on goal setting, refueling right and such.

I think one of the best quotes I’ve ever gotten was from a coach whom I respect to no ends is this: “Stay the course.” Ya, there are tons of other quotes that I really like and are classics, you’ve got Pre’s quotes and other words from legends that are longer and more colorful, but I like this simple one because it is so true in running and in life.

In running, there are ups, downs, sideways, and stallouts. But what separates those from quit or lose their love of the sport from the people who are runners into geriatric years are the ones who just simply keep doing it. They know and accept there are going to be tough times that suck, but getting through those makes the sunny periods all the more special.

Sucks to be that dude.

In life, it’s the same thing, and we all get dealt some shiznit, but you just gotta stay the course. I’ve said this to myself tons of times, and not going to even try to lie, usually when I’ve said it I’m: 1) on the verge of a mega-girly-style breakdown and about to cry…one time that comes to mind was when I was on this horrid stair gauntlet climber cross-training and had been injured forever 2) fuming at the mouth because I’m SOOO irate at whatever 3) feeling so hopeless I have nothing else to do but just hope that things will in fact get better. So for me it’s not even about necessarily always believing at first that staying the course is the right thing, but knowing it’s the ONLY thing to do.

Wowza, so didn’t mean to turn this post into a preachy thing, really I tend to just sit down and type and see what spews out. Winding back to the training log I’ll ask you guys some questions:

1) Do you keep one?

I do, and now it’s a habit, I mean I tend to do really the same sorts of things (I know I need to mix-it up, really I do!) but I guess you can’t fight a habit.

2) What is a piece of advice you would have liked to hear about running/working out when you were younger?

3) What’s one of the best pieces of advice you’ve ever gotten?

4) Can’t end sappy, what is one the funniest random quotes you’ve heard? And do feel free to take it completely out of context!

This one leaps to mind because it just happened, and I’m blanking at the moment. I didn’t want to post it because I don’t want to seem like I’m a perv, but this was said dead-pan and in total seriousness by my mom: “I don’t know what a cat penis looks like, I’d have to Google it.” Later common sense took over and the realization set in that *duh* if you Googled that you’d definitely regret it!