Posts in the Motivation Category at , Page 26

Are You Faster Than a Cow?

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Cait — 4 Comments ↓

Okay, so did that get your attention? And so are you?

Nahh, I actually just wanted to post up a design a made for a local training group who took part in the Urban Cow road race.

But it got me thinking about runners coming in all shapes and sizes. At this point, can I make it VERY clear that in no way am I calling ANYONE a cow!! How about to even things out I’ll even go out on a limb and call myself a monkey because I have a huge mouth and when I smile, I generally look like this…

Now that we’ve gotten that aside, back on topic. Yes it’s true, that if you were to look at the Kenyans, Ethiopians, and other top long distance athletes many of them are lean. I will also say that when you’re running that many miles, the calories tend to get torched and any fat is burned right off.

BUT, that is not to say that if you’re a runner you have to be skinny. The reverse it true, just because you’re slender that doesn’t mean you’ll be an awesome runner. And I’d like to get away from the term skinny, models are skinny…what I call skinny-fat. They are soft, they don’t have muscle tone and sometimes when they walk they got the jiggle going on.

Models tend to be soft...courtesy of not eating or exercising...lol.

Runners can be lean; you’ll see the muscles flexing as they propel themselves forward, the tendons may show but you see them in action.

I’ve been wasted by runners who are still lean, yes, but they are larger than what one would typically coin ‘runner tiny.’ They may get power out of any extra junk in the trunk, their quads are not the same circumference as their calves and they are able to tear up mountains and blast a strong finishing kick.

I’ve seen runners who prefer to wear two sports bras because they are blessed with a chest and still able to throw down as many miles as the flatsy-patsie posse. Conversely, I’m not ashamed of my negative A status.

I know female runners who are able to bench-press more than the super lean runner guys…I also know runners who may have ‘chicken wings’ yelled at them but who are deceptively strong and could belt out push-ups like none other.

I have friends who have nicknames like ‘The Tendon’ or ‘Bone’ but I also have ones that love taking part in the Clydesdale Mile challenges.

We are the tiny masses, we are the larger clans, we are the lean, we are the muscular, we are the non-jiggly thighs, we are the ‘I can run more miles than you…na, na, na, na, na!’ armies, we are runners and we are proud.

We can all be faster than cows (of the bovine variety, remember I’m not calling anyone names here!)…because all we have to do is tip them over and sprint away. So remember, that no matter in what way, shape or form your awesome legs come in, just keep them moving and you are a runner…be proud of that status. 🙂

1) If you were an animal, what would you be?

2) What is one running related feat you are proud of?

3) What is one non-running accomplishment are you proud of?

4) How would you outrace a cow?

For the Days it’s Not all Rainbows and Gumdrops – Getting the Run in Regardless

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Cait — 3 Comments ↓

As much as we all love something, even running, there are going to be ‘those’ days. We all have them and anyone who tells you they’ve never had a single flickering moment of not wanting to shoot out the door for a run is straight up lying.

Art: Cait Chock Designs

Professional athletes have them and all levels between; but you know what the difference is? The pro’s, well they have no choice because it’s their job, but the people who are dedicated runners regardless: suck it up and lace ‘em up.

Sometimes you just have to force yourself into the action, and thankfully once you’ve been at it long enough, if you start going on auto-pilot the body takes over. The even better part is that 9 times out of 10 once you get past the first mile or so the endorphins take over and what can start out as a dread-fest turns into a great run.

If not great at least you get ‘er done. The trick is just getting going. Sometimes it’s a trick of tricking yourself:

• When I’m tired or I know the upcoming run will be admittedly painful (as in I did a harder run or longer run the day before) I remind myself that this run is just a sick and twisted ‘reward’ of a good job yesterday. I also remind myself that the goal is just to recover and chuck pace out the window; just get the miles in.

• If I’m just tired, I make a deal with myself, “Cait, okay, if you don’t want to run the full distance, just do 4 miles.” That’s kind of my ‘bare minimum’ I’d be happy with distance, anyone can gut out a half hour. Then, when I make it to 4, “That wasn’t so bad, just make it to 6 miles.” At 6, I do the same thing and by the end I get the full run done. Just lie to yourself, it’s for a good cause.

• During the run it can be tempting to cut out, I usually work in 2 mile increments bargaining with myself, but when even that seems too much to bite off I tell myself to just go 5 minutes more…etc.

• Still stuck needing a kick in the tush to start? I remember that the first mile usually doesn’t feel like walking on clouds, but after that things pick up a lot.

• I remember why I run; how it makes me feel, and that I’m very lucky to even be able to do so.

• I like to eat…at lot. ‘Nuf said.

• I know that while I have days where I may not exactly want to start a run, I can’t think of one single time where I’ve finished a run and regretted it.

• I have this beast called Guilt that lives in my head. If I skip out it honestly is not worth putting up with his nagging.

I may not be gearing up for any race, but a lot of people work well off of having something to keep them accountable. This can be an actual race, in which case you know that if you want to do your best you need to stick to your training.

This can also be a team. If you have people you are going to meet up with or are checking in with, you don’t want to let them down. Finally, having a preplanned training program also works wonders; that way you know what you need to do.

Anyway you take it, know that we all have those ‘meh’ days but remember that what separates the wanters from the wishers is the doing. So, if you’re reading this and stalling, working through the inner dialogue of ‘to run or not to run,’ take this as your friendly push to get going…just do a mile and see how you feel from there. ☺

1) When you’re having a ‘meh’ day, how do you get yourself going?

2) How long does it take you to ‘get into’ a run?

It usually takes at least a mile for me to not feel like a geriatric.

What Has Running Taught You?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

What running has taught me:

It’s okay to be a royal, sweaty mess if it’s for a good cause.
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth putting in the effort. If it’s not, move on to something that is.
Even when you think you’ve given everything you can and there isn’t anything more you could possibly leech from yourself, if you dig down deep there is a little more.
Sometimes things just plain suck…but that doesn’t mean they break you. It means you can acknowledge they suck, but then deal with it. As a great man once said, “If you’ve got an issue, here’s a tissue.”
That last one sounded a little harsh, but we need to be a little harsh with ourselves sometimes…that’s what keeps us motivated.
BUT…after that we have to be positive. If you can’t find the smile, fake one. After a while it will start to feel a little less fake.

Running and training are two separate entities. Training hurts like a beast, it will make you feel like you want to die come that last interval…but in the end it is that much more rewarding.
When all else may be going to H-E-double hockey stick, if I’ve gotten in a good run for the day, I feel like I accomplished something. I love this quote from Dathan Ritzenhein: “And I realized that I like training, I like to be fit. I like the everyday satisfaction of having done something that most people can’t do. It was something I missed a whole lot. So I really do enjoy the training. I don’t particularly like it when I’m out there doing quarters (400s) and it’s super hard, but I like the satisfaction of having done it every day. That’s what sometimes separates people who always run and always train and people who maybe move on in life and do something else. I think I’m a lot more likely to be someone like Joan Benoit (Samuelson), who keeps going forever, just because I actually really like it, as opposed to someone who stops and never runs again.”
It’s fun to down unholy amounts of Pop-Tarts in one sitting and make people jealous. They can have all the high fructose junk they want too if they run for it first. 😉

Running keeps me sane.

Art: Cait Chock Designs

In all honesty, running has given me so much in all areas of my life. People have said it’s a selfish sport, and I suppose it may be at times, but it has made me a better person and I do my best to help others when I can. So maybe in the end us runnerchicks and runnerdudes aren’t selfish…as for being a little crazy, well, that’s another issue.

1) What has running taught you?

2) Has running affected the outcome of another area of your life?

Definitely. There have been a few times I would have just melted into a puddle of goo and given up had running not made me a tougher person.

Let’s All Have Cake and Bring Your iPod Too

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Cait — 2 Comments ↓

Today it’s all about Cake. To be more precise, it’s about music, sorry chocolate cake you also deserve a few special days to call your own but today’s not it.

My all time favorite running song is Cake’s ‘The Distance.’ Cut to me looking like a total idiot belting out…”[S]he’s going the distance…[s]he’s going for speeeeeeed…” I almost can’t help myself every time I hear it. It’s got a power over me.

Though I do contain myself if others are around...I do have some shame.

I actually don’t listen to music while I’m outside running, I never have, and I don’t plan on starting. But that’s mostly because I’d rather be able to hear what’s going on around me and lingering accident-issues there.

BUT, if I’m on any kind of stationary machine I’ve got to have a distraction. TV or music help the time pass. So now, can listening to loud, uptempo music make those sweat sessions more productive (along with a lot less boring)? Though, if I can say so myself, I’m going to go with a resounding, duh?!

I’m sure anyone who’s compared doing: a gym cardio session with nothing vs. a gym cardio session when the gym is playing the best of Michael Bolton vs. a loud, invigorating, pump-up song can tell you all you need to know.

But because we like to back stuff up, let’s get all sciency, and put on our lab coats. I was a little surprised that it seems there are mixed results/opinions out there. I found a really great article that sums it all up by Dr. Len Kravitz, PhD. But I’ll paraphrase:

There is probably a gap between lab studies and then actual application. Further, the people they are testing on present a lot of variables: how in shape are they, how ‘hard’ to they perceive hard, etc.
Out of the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, in 1991 Copeland, B.L., & Franks, B.D. found conclusive that people on a treadmill were able to go longer with faster, loud music than the slower easy listening variety.
Again from the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, in 1990 a study published showed that a pulsing beat upped cardio performance; they cited the reasons might be simply because of mental perspective. Obliviously if you’re able to listen up and let the music ‘make you sweat til you bleed’ you might be moved to up the ante.
Finally, further studies indicate that listening to louder, fast music while lifting weights can actually allow you to lift more and improve strength.

So, if you’re still with me: if you’re stuck inside bring along some fast music. I will also say, having a stocked iPod works wonders in terms of motivation to get to the gym in the first place, if you’re having a ‘meh’ day.

1) I now throw it to you, what’s your favorite pump-up song?

2) Do you listen to music when you run outside?

3) Did you race at all this weekend?

The Super-Secret Miracle to Getting Better…

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Cait — 14 Comments ↓

You want to know what it is? I can sum it up in a single word. Eleven little letters…should I continue to taunt you?

Consistency.

Wow, what a shocking and crazy, insane secret, huh? After all that build-up it may sound anti-climactic, but it’s true. If you want to get better at anything the secret is practice; but you can’t just practice ONLY when you want to or feel like it.

There will be days when it will feel like a grind, when your body is sore from past efforts, when it’s too hot, when it’s too cold, when there are gale winds blowing in all directions. When there is a slight breeze blowing slightly north by northwest and there is a hangnail on your right pinkie toe.

If we only ran when it felt like we were walking on clouds we might get in a run or two a month. Scratch that because if you go that long without training those random runs will feel like a slap to the face and feel like junk. That slap to the face is where most people get in trouble; they plan to ‘start running’ and those first few weeks leave them sore and then they just stop. You have to get over the hump. But I digress.

I just finished an article in the July/August Running Times, they profiled a few different coaches/athletes and at the end they asked them all for a piece of advice. Most of them were just reiterations of one thing: consistency is key. I’ll toast to that.

If you’re the kind of person that has to have an actual race you’re shooting for, you can’t only train for a few weeks/months right before a race and then stop cold, only to up that ante when another ‘must do’ event crosses your path. Or you can, but if you want to improve that will be a difficult road to take.

The body works on tearing itself down and building it back up. Muscles get stressed, recover, and then allow you to do more. Get faster, go longer, all that good stuff. Cardiovascularly you want a strong aerobic base, and that is something that only consistency will grant you. The speed and that may come back quicker, but that aerobic capacity isn’t something you can fake.

So put in that pracitce, put in those miles, put in the training. That’s what also makes you strong, separates the wanters from the do-ers. You don’t have to make all of those days running either; in fact you shouldn’t if you’re new or injury prone. That’s where our friend cross-training comes in. But if you want to steal that super-secret, miracle to getting better…it’s getting sweating and getting it done….consistently.

A Century-load of Motivation

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Cait — 5 Comments ↓

If you’re feeling tired in a race and cave to sneaking a peek behind you, if you see this man behind you it should act as a swift burst of motivation!
100 year old marathoner
(Image Source)

Fauja Singh, at 100 years old, recently set the World Record for being the oldest person to complete a full marathon. This was done last week in Canada’s Toronto Marathon. (Actually, what’s really cool is you can read a first person account of Singh’s journey because the rocking Christina ran alongside him for a part of it, so go check her story out!)

You see, that’s where I want to be when I’m 100. Actually, let me correct myself; I’ve said many a time in regards to the ever-increasing life-expectancy: “I only want to live as long as I can still be ‘me.'” Read that as: I can still run and relish in snarky, sarcastic humor.

So, IF I make it to 100, I better still be kicking and living in sweating running clothes…just saying. So, to those who feel they can’t do something and set limits on themselves, take a look at Singh. What I find even more incredible about his story is that his FIRST marathon wasn’t run until the spry age of 89. You see, it’s never too late to turn to the ‘running side’ and become one of us crazy masses. It also proves you should keep challenging yourself and setting new goals, step out of your comfort zone.

His time for this century-aged marathon was 8:11:05; interesting to note that in completely the Toronto Marathon he also established the records for 100-agers in the 100 meter, 5000 meter, and five other distances along with the 26.2 miles. His sights are ever looking forward and up next is of course the grand-daddy of them all: The Olympics.

Juuuuuust hold it…he wants to be a member of the torch relay for the London games. 🙂

1) How old do you hope to be?

2) Do you plan on running/being active up until that last sleep?
You bet, if I can’t I may just go senile.

3) Most inspirational thing/person/quote/etc. that you’ve seen or heard of lately?

4) Do you have a current goal you’re working towards right now?

Pillars of Support – Do You Believe it Can Happen?

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Cait — 10 Comments ↓

Who do you tell your hopes and dreams to? Who do you feel comfortable putting it all out there, saying something that you know may make you sound totally insane, crazy, off-the-wall, even egocentric?

When there is something niggling in your mind, a far-reach; do you actually voice that little hope, the dim glint that lurks in the back of your brainspace? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, would be my honest answer. Do I sound like a politician or what?

I think in life we always have those things we ‘wish’ would come true, would like to see happen, and they change over time. Along the way the plausability of such things also gets shifted into perspective. This can be a good thing, I mean there is a point where you don’t want every kid to believe they can in fact be president, it’s not possible, and you don’t want Little Jimmy to fall into a fit when he comes to that realization.

Though to another degree you don’t want to live a life where you have built your own glass ceiling. So it’s a matter of deciding just how much a certain goal or thing means to you. Then it’s probably smart to have at least one place of support where you can voice what’s rolling through your brain to; they can then help you decide if it’s worth plunging full bore into. But choose that support system wisely, and also remember that in the end you have to do what’s right for you.

Who is your pillar of support?

I’m seeing this a lot lately with some various training groups; many people don’t think they can actually run. Think they will never cover a 5k distance, never be able to complete a full 10k without walking. But I want to tell them that your mind is often your biggest limiting factor. Don’t look too long at the place you want to end up; instead take one step ahead and focus on taking the next step.

I guess this also is running through my mind lately because I’m now able to hang around and see one of the people who has been one of my biggest pillars of support. She was a person who helped keep me sane and hopeful after my accident and she was also a safe sounding board. I vented, I updated her, I told her all the crazy things that were rolling around in my brain and she didn’t judge. When I told her I’d cut off my leg and get a prosthetic if that’s what it took to get back to running she listened and understood. She didn’t tell me I was an idiot; though she told me that she believed it wouldn’t come down to that, but if it did she’d be right there backing me up.

Pillars of support. We have to believe in ourselves if we are ever able to do anything but I also have lived a lot by the ‘fake it til you make it’ philosopy, and a part of that is finding a person that YOU trust so much and believe in, that if they tell you they think it is true or can happen, then I take it as fact and go forward. That’s how it was in the past with some of my coaches; if they told me I was capable of running such-and-such, even if I may not have had full faith in myself, I had more than full faith in them and so I forced myself to believe. From there it usually happened.

Find those pillars and then never let them go. Finally, make sure to be just as strong for those pillars when their time comes. So, do you voice that crazy, insane, maybe-I’m-loco thought?

Flies Stink and an Epic Length Post on the Benefits of Bad Races

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Cait — 10 Comments ↓

Flies, what are their deal? They are attracted to all things refuse, decaying and dirty then at the same time feel like it’s okay to roll around in said filth and THEN come schmoozing up on me and my food? How wrong and to coin an annoying blonde haired child, “How rude?” (Stephanie was always my least favorite Tanner.)

I know we’ve all heard urban legend that the second a fly lands on anything it throws up, and so I ask, is that true? If so then I’m covered in sh** on top of being annoyed.

There are other ‘flies’ in life, the flies at the office would have to be those people that buzz around eavesdropping and then spread any juicy tidbits they pick up. Pretty much the same people would be flies at high school, only those flies are a hybrid with mosquitoes because they are out for blood. High school is a blood sport.

Being ticketed for a broken taillight could be a life ‘fly’ because unless you get tipped off by a friendly person watching you from the back, how are you to know? Ooooh, this is fun, so I’m going to keep going. Okay, how about going on a first date, you’re walking along on the beach thinking you’re all cool and romantic and BAM seagull poop lands right on your shoulder? True story, happened to my friend who shall remain nameless only a few weeks ago…so sad, he just started dating again and look what happened. 😛

I guess nothing to do but deal with those flies and swat them away the best that we can. Bad races and horrible workouts are obvious flies. Necessary evils that come with the territory. Heck, bad days in general, but when it comes to running and working out we ALL have those fly days…sadly sometimes fly weeks. Fly slumps. Been there, let’s not look back through those scrapbooks.

BUT, fly races can be good things:

*The Learning Tool: After you finish, mop up those tears, or wash out that mouth, and think. Could there be a reason that you had a less than stellar performance? Did you go out too fast in the beginning or make another obvious racing tactic blunder? Did you go too hard, too close to the big day? Did you not really prepare the way you should for the race? Are you overly tired? Races are like check-ins and if something’s not working then find a way to fix it.

*You Underestimated: Did you go in with an off race plan or maybe no race plan at all? Racing on the fly can be sort of liberating, but you still want to go in with at least some clear goal or tactic. If you knew certain people were in the race, or if you are on a cross team and you were hoping to beat a certain team, did you underestimate your competition? On the flip side, did you underestimate yourself? Did you hold back too long, maybe you should have surged on a certain lap, closed a gap sooner, made a decisive move? Planning mistakes happen, again, use them as a learning experience and be better prepared for next time.

*The Off-Taper: When you taper for a race that means you intentionally cut back mileage, the days leading up are easier. Tapering is a tricky science, all about finding the right balance between doing enough so that you are sharp and ready to go and not doing too much. Look and see if maybe your tapering was a little off. Tapering usually leaves people feeling like they have way too much excess energy and sometimes we have to force ourselves to not do any more than we should. On the flip side, you don’t want to do nothing or take out all fast running, which will leave you feeling sluggish and slow.

You got problems if THIS guy is beating you...

*Overdistance, Underdistance: Was this race ‘your’ race? I mean if you’re a miler and you go run a marathon, you may need to go in knowing that, “Hey, this race is going to be more of a challenge for me than the person who genetically is predisposed to running longer, marathon type distances.” The same for the marathoner running a mile race; it’s great to run a range of races but base the results off of you personally as a runner. If our marathoner runs a decent time FOR THEM in a mile race but comes in dead last, they need to be sure to keep things in perspective.

*Training Through: Did you train through this race? That means was this race not exactly ‘a really big race’ in your training program but instead one along the road to your ‘big goal’ race? This happens a lot for high school and college runners who have to go through league or prelim meets. You can’t rest up for everything because you’d never get in a solid block of training, so for many of the smaller meets you’ll go in without tapering and while you still may put forth your best effort, your legs have that extra workload in them and won’t be as fresh as when you eventually do taper for the big day. This is a big mental thing though because for some people these off races put doubts in their mind and they become afraid that come their ‘big goal’ race they will still feel flat. So you have to stay confident and know that come the big day you’ll be rested and ready.

*Something New: Trying something new on a race day isn’t something you should do. The pile of cheesy nachos an hour before the gun will bring you your own just desserts. In times like these, get through the race and let’s hope it’s a lesson learned.

*New Training: Anytime you go with or are transitioning to a new training method, program, or coach expect that to get results you’ll need to wait through the adjustment period. It takes a few months, yes months at least, to fully adjust to something new and see the results you want. Expect that, and if you really believe in the program stick it out and give it time. That said training philosophies and techniques are VERY personal and if something doesn’t click after an acceptable period of adjustment, reassess. Make sure anything you are doing you fully believe in, running and racing is mental, you have to believe in what you’re doing to make it work.

*Gut it Out: Making it to the finish line despite knowing that you’re having a bad race is one of the best ways to improve your mental fortitude. It’s a mind game. If you were to drop out and stop after each bad race, you run the risk of getting into a very bad habit. There are times when the smart thing to do is drop out, you don’t want to risk an injury, but I’d say for the majority of the time you should stick it out to the end. Why? It’s all mental, if you don’t force yourself to finish when it hurts and sucks too many times, you start to give yourself that ‘out’ and that ‘out’ becomes way too appealing any time a race or workout hurts…and running does hurt. 😉

*Test of Character: Lose as gracefully as you can, or if you don’t meet your goals give yourself an hour, maybe a day/night of wallow, but then get sane and productive.

*The Flies Gotcha: Look, sometimes there are just no reasons for bad races or bad days. The clouds align and they are stormy. To be honest, having exceptional races are a rarity, having good races you’d like to be the ‘almost’ majority, most of them are middle of the road or you at least hit some expectations, but there are plenty of fly races. Bad races and bad days come with the game. You do the most you can to swing the odds in your favor, but at the line it’s all in dem legs and dem legs can be moody like a menopausal woman.

1) What are other flies in life?

How about getting maybe 4 miles into a long run and already scoping out a place for a bathroom plot?

2) One good thing about bad races for you?

3) Worst bad race memory?

The one that instantly comes to mind was when I was running a 10k and through about 4 ½ miles stoked that I was underpace and on track to run a time I REALLY wanted. Crazy how much difference a lap or two can make, I CRAWLED in those last 5 laps. That race was one of the times I wanted to DNF soooo bad…but I didn’t. Haha…that last mile was horrendous!

4) Speaking of, did anyone race this weekend, how did it go? I’m hoping that this post didn’t reopen any fresh wounds. 😉

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?

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!