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!
I am such an IDIOT.
I thought you either disappeared or decided to hate me. But hen I just discovered that I am a complete moron and forgot to add your new site to my blog list. I was the where in H-E-double hockey sticks is Arty Runnerchick?!?!?! And here you are. And here I am…catching up on your life.
I DO keep a training log. I like to have it written and I am also signed up with Daily Mile so I can track everything I do. I love seeing my progress. I guess I’m a visual person and need to see that I am improving or progressing in some way!
I wish someone would have told me how important rest was/is in a training schedule. I used to refuse to take a day off because I wouldn’t have as many calories burned and therefore couldn’t eat. Yeah crazy, I know. Now I am so much happier when I have that one or two days to recover. My body thanks me!
I’ll have to think about the quote…I can’t compete with the whole cat penis thing right now!
i would NEVER hate u or un-follow u!!! haha…but i’m glad that u realized that was not the case and so happy to see u back popping by! i’m sure part of the reason was my own quasi-MIA status!! ugh, don’t get me started!! i’m a visual person too, so i gotta see it baby!! oh, and i think amy’s quote from woody allen is one that may top mine! 😉 much luv girl and know i’d never abandon one of my fav canadians! 😉
This is a great post. I think recently I have realized that I am appreciating the moments where the lessons I am learning (in running or otherwise) can translate beyond the moment and toward the rest of life are those that are most important to me–they are the ones that stick with me the longest. they are the ones that I WANT to remember.
I was SO great about keeping a training log in the beginning of the year and then I got injured and it hurt to look back at how far I had come. It felt like I was just slipping further and further back. But I realize now that is not true and I am hoping to get back into one. For now though my blog has been kinda my training log. That way…I know its there but its not all on one page where I can compare and compete with myself. If I want to go back to a certain day though and just remember that…then there it is. I don’t know…it works for me right now!
been missing you here in blog world and on twitter! hope everything is going okay with you!
thanks for all of the incredible insight in all of your posts. I always find that I learn so much from your blog and really look up to you because I feel like you have a lot of knowledge to share with the rest of us 🙂 Thanks for being you!
oh my gosh, julia, this comment honestly made my day/week/month!! i’m so happy that u feel my ramblings are of worth, and you know sometimes we need to hear that, so i greatly appreciate it and u KNO that the exact same sentiment is going straight back to you! the post about your family today was dead on, i’m dealing with the same thing in seeing my own lil bro and sis getting older…crazy!!!!
Awww it IS too bad we couldn’t hang out! Next time…next time…:)
Btw I did 1000s today! Yeah they were on the treadmill but they kicked my butt in a good way (6:11 pace, 1.5% incline, 400 m walk/jog rest). You are totally right about 1000s feeling way harder than 800m!
You’re the only person I know who I can write my workout as a comment and I feel like it’ll be interesting to you :). haha.
umm, u KNO that i’m the girl who is overly interested in anyone’s workouts so always leave me comments!! 🙂 great job on the 1k’s!! and ya, that extra 200 is like a horrid kick in the @$$!! haha…also, great job on the pacing! i have to say that doing ur tread work at 1.5% is prolly closer to ‘outside’ workouts so doing it at that grade will help translate better when u start trying to predict race pacing. i kno .5% difference can’t seem like much, but i kno that 6:11 effort of today is worth even more than the (i think it was 6:09 u did for 800’s but at 1% grade…again, why do i recall ur paces like a stalker…i swear i’m not a creeper it’s the photographic memory!) last treaddy run. keep it up girl! 🙂
I keep a training log of sorts in the front of my diary every year where you are supposed to add up how much you spend every month (like I’m going to do that, I don’t want nightmares!) so I use that space much more efficiently for keeping track of kilometres etc.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given? Hmm, probably from one of my patients who turned around and counselled me (role reversal much?) just before the half marathon. She said just live in the moment. You can’t change what happens next so just be present and enjoy the now. Love it.
My favourite random quote has to be Woody Allen ‘life is a sexually transmitted disease’. Can’t really argue with that 🙂
HAHA….okay that quote is the best, i’m so gonna steal it! and i’m the exact same way, i don’t even want to take a peek at tracking my expenses, i kno i’m poor, leave me alone! 😉
Awesome blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your design. Thank you
Hello! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to take a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Great blog and fantastic design.