Category Archives: running

The Running Nightmare Zone: True stories to give you chills

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Some things are so scary they can only be real…true tales of running nightmares!!

This story comes by way of a runner in Minnesota. You know, one of those states that actually gets REAL winter weather. No, the scary part isn’t the snow, wind, or temperature reading. That’s just freaking wrong.

With all the advancements we’ve made in the world, running and otherwise, one would think we’d have solved this whole ‘power outage’ issue. I mean, c’mon, we’ve landed on Mars. But I digress.

Minnesota. Dead of winter. Night. Running outside is clearly not an option, unless you want to wind up with frost bite on your nose and unconscious from slipping on black ice. Treadmill it is.

WHAT?!?!? Power issues, FIVE BLOWN FUSES?!?! What is a runner to do? Enter the Running Nightmare Zone. This quick-thinking runner, in what can only be described as a true Running MacGyver moment, rigged up the treadmill off of a remaining circuit and…
treadmill running in the dark
…got the treadmill working. No lights, no problem, that’s what a flashlight is for.

The runner was quoted, “You can take a lot of things away from me, but my sanity won’t be one of them.” AMEN!!!

Scary.As.All.He##. Stay safe, stay sane, stay running, My Friends!!

**Names have been omitted to protect the traumatized 😉

1) What’s one of the craziest situations you’ve been in to get your run on?
I’m actually embarrassed to say…it’s crazy.
2) What’s a true running nightmare tale you’ve lived through?
3) What’s the last scary thing to happen to you on a run?
Just this shady looking dude I passed, it was dark, I definitely ran wide and picked up the pace.

Runner’s Strip Cartoon Movie Shorts: Hill Repeats

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Because we’ve ALL had those prickly bush fantasies in the middle of a workout or race. “I’ll bet hucking myself into that tangle of nettles will be a LOT less painful than what I’m doing now.”

hill repeats cartoon running movie

It may not always be a prickly bush, but the mind certainly has a crazy way of looking for any excuse to get you to stop running. Fighting those ‘excuses’ and telling yourself to IGNORE that whiney voice inside your head is something ALL runners deal with. Constantly.

We know that complainer, that voice telling us that we can’t, will always be there. We start every race and workout aware that the time will come when the pain sets in, but we ALSO tell ourselves that we CAN push much further past what that whiney, compliany, snot-nosed little voice tells us.

Run mentally tough…abstain from hucking yourself into that prickly bush. Well, at least until you’ve gotten through all the repeats, then, well, do what you will. 😉

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Be a GAMER: How to be confident going into workouts and races
Master Your Nerves: How to use pre-race nerves to your advantage
More posts on mental toughness HERE
More Runner’s Strip Cartoon Movie Shorts HERE
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1) What was your last ‘prickly bush fantasy’?
A bush.
2) What are some other funny thoughts/fantasies you’ve had during workouts or races?
3) What has become the best way for you to stay mentally tough during workouts and races? What’s your most-used tool?

Please Don’t Lick the Merchandise

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Don’t worry, if your local donut shop has an ‘You lick it, you buy it’ policy, CLEARLY they aren’t familiar with runners. We’ll lick it, we’ll lick ALL of them if you force our hand…errr, foot??
runner licking donut
It’s kinda cold outside, what with winter and all that, but get your run on, blast the heater, and crack open those pints…errr, half-gallons?? 😉
runner licking ice cream
Yes we’re runners, yes we’ve earned it, so if we want to lick at will…well, we will!! 🙂

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Certainly we love to dream and drool about all the glorious tasty delights we’ll be entitled too after those runs, BUT we also make sure to fuel ourselves up right. Eat to perform, right!??! Tips on all that HERE

Motivation to get your run on HERE…then you can hit the donut shop.

More laughs? Cartoons and comics HERE
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1) Are you a sweet or salty kinda person?
I dream in cakes and sugar.
2) Last food you ‘day dream/ran dreamed’, and looked forward to post-run?
3) Go-to healthy post-run snack?
Cottage cheese and a muffin.

The Woes of a Being in a Relationship With a Runner

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I’m sure it can be a little tough for spouses waking up to a cold left side of the bed…”Sorry Honey, out running.” Being in a relationship with a runner may mean pleading out of weekend plans because they’ve got their long runs, races, workouts, and whatnot. All night ravers and barhopping don’t exactly work well into the training program.
runner spouse pains
Air-drying our running shirts and tights across the banister, cupboards full of protein bars and Gu’s…the oft empty refrigerator. “Sorry Honey, I got hungry!!” That’s runger for you.

Certainly the friends and loved ones of a runner may suffer, they may not ‘get it’, they may not harbor ANY desire to worship the all-mighty mile, rock a Garmin tan so burned into your skin it lasts through winter, or not bat an eye about wearing ‘short’ running shorts in public. “Seriously, they’re not even that short.”

The thing is though, TRUE friends and TRUE loved ones may not always ‘get’ our running quirks habits but they will support us regardless. Some have argued that running is a ‘selfish sport’ and in some ways it may appear to be. But I will always argue that any selfishness is absolved so long as:

1) Every running KNOWS how lucky they are for any support they get.
2) Always thank those awesome people waiting at the starting line or watching your kiddies (or doggies, or plants, or comic book collection) so you can go for a run.
3) Running makes you a happier, more productive, better you.

Any runner who does that, not only DESERVES their running ‘me’ time but shouldn’t feel any ounce of guilt. Even if they’re dodging out of the marriage bed in the wee early morning hours and their spouse is left to spoon with a pillow. You’re not cheating…you’re a runner. 😉

1) What are some ways that you are lucky, what pillars of support do you have in your life?
2) How do you thank your awesome family or friends who think you’re crazy for this running thing but support you anyways?
3) How does YOU running make you a better person and how does that benefit your supporters?
Umm…if I didn’t run no one would want to be around me…fact. 😉

Sunday Morning Running Inspiration

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With running, actions will ALWAYS speak louder than words. Though if we put some words to those actions…
[click to enlarge, but please contact me if you’d like prints! 🙂 ]
running to win text
In case you missed last Sunday’s Morning Running Inspiration

1) What are you grateful for this Sunday?
2) Take a minute and dedicate at least one mile of your run to a friend, person, or injured running NOT able to run today. Who are you running that mile for?
3) What is one line of text you’d add to this picture?

Endorphins: Picture a world that much sweeter

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Trust me, there is something special about those endorphins…more powerful than even speed goggles. EVERYTHING just looks and feels better with a brain full of post-run endorphins. Those problems feel just a smidgen less monstrously terrible, food tastes better, even that neighbor you hate is slightly more tolerable. The world is just a better place after you’ve got your run on.

Now, certainly endorphins have a shelf-life…gosh, dang it! The answer though is simple…get up, run, get your endorphin shot, go to bed, repeat.
life is better on endorphins
Living the life of a runner is like being in one of those revolving doors. It’s not a stagnate state, it’s ALWAYS moving. Tomorrow wipes the slate clean, and you have to start that run all over again. Some people could see that as a negative, “Dangit, I worked by butt off yesterday but when I go to bed I’ve gotta get up and do it all over again.”

Wiped clean, but not erased. Let’s look at the many positives of living in the running revolving door:

* Injures pass: Stuck in the middle of an injury it kinda feels like that door is stalling out…maybe it’s broken and you’re trapped in injury purgatory FOREVER. But time passes, injuries heal, and eventually you get back to your runs. Then savor them.
* Training accumulates: When tomorrow wipes the slate clean, it HARDLY erases all that hard work put in. This is the beauty of training cycles, the runs and hard workouts build upon the next, so that revolving door is more like an escalator. Riiiiide it, baby. BUT…it only goes up if you stay consistent in moving through those doors, you have to be consistent with your running and putting in the work.
* Bad races are wiped away: There will always be days that bring you bad races and horrible workouts. Can’t avoid them, the good news is you can LEARN from every off performance and after that, shake off the crappy run and get moving towards the next AWESOME run.
* ALWAYS another opportunity: Perhaps the most wonderful and motivating part of the revolving door is that there is ALWAYS another run, race, day, workout, waiting. So even in the most down times of your running, take a shower and set your sights on tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that…and just keep running.

So if you’re reading this in brilliant HI-DEF, magni-color vision…you must have gotten back from your run. If the world is looking a little grey, though, you know what you need to do…

1) List another benefit of tomorrow always ‘wiping’ away yesterday.
2) Name another major perk of endorphins?
3) Last lesson you learned from a bad day?

Running Shorts in Winter

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So you remember how just a few days ago I was saying how running during winter can really suck?? Weeeeeell…that’s not always the case…
running shorts in california
I honestly DO feel bad for all you running out there in states that actually DO have winter weather. Snow? Sleet? Hail? Crazy-@$$ wind?? It’s not fun stuff…but it does certainly make you tougher. I mean within reason, no use running outside just FOR the torture, sometimes running on a treadmill is the smarter choice. If it allows you to avoid a potential injury and if you’re needing to run faster than outdoor conditions may allow. So treadmills ARE training tools that have their place.

That said…I’m not going to lie. I’ve run in snow, I’ve run in sleet, hail, and into crazy winds that blew me to the side. But *please karma don’t come back and bite me on this for writing the next line* not this year. So I’m going to REALLY enjoy wearing my running shorts.

The other *perk* of being a runner?? #stronglegs #awesomelegs
awesome runner legs
1) Treadmill running? How often have you been hitting the treadmill the winter?
2) What are some of your favorite treadmill workouts?
Longer repeats or tempo runs on the treadmill…doing 400’s or 200’s sorta freak me out because when the belt gets going I’m afraid I’ll get spit right off! 😉
3) I wear running shorts in public….
anywhere I can.

Underestimate Me: Confidence is malleable, believe in yourself through it all

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Running as an underdog rocks. Being an unknown is easy, and it’s just as fun to shock people. But shock wears off and then expectations can start to build. The thing is, EVERYONE has failures, set-backs, off-days and that’s when the critics start. The underestimating.

Dealing with nay-sayers comes in running and it comes in life. The thing is, you can USE those crappy words to your advantage. Let them underestimate you, let them think you’re not capable. Flip all that crap into motivation to prove them wrong.
underdog story
The times you get into trouble are when you start to doubt YOURSELF. Everyone have doubts, those moments of weakness, but the key to keeping those moments fleeting is by looking within yourself and believing. Believe in your abilities and your goals. Much easier said than done, certainly…kind of like saying running is just putting one foot in front of the other and then go really fast.

The mind is quite tricky, it can fool you into believing you can’t. But you can also fool IT…it’s all in how you think of it. Confidence comes in waves and it’s malleable; to get to the point of BELIEVING in yourself you sometimes just need to fake it ’til you make it.

Everyone has doubts, the people who achieve their goals do two things:
1) They set goals with passion. It has to REALLLLY mean something to you, because you’ll have to work your @$$ off to reach them.
2) They refute their doubts. When you catch your mind slipping, “I don’t think I can do this” you need to refute that, “H*ll yes, I’m doing this!” It’s not a question.

Of course goals can change, and there is a difference between being totally delusional and just confident in yourself. Certainly. Sometimes you have to be flexible and wise enough to know when the current course for your goals isn’t working and THEN you adjust. Just like with a training program, you need enough flexibility to know when to change the workout, tweak the plan.

But with confidence, you can’t let others shake you. In fact, once they start to underestimate you and your abilities…you’ve once again become the underdog, do you not? And everyone knows being an underdog rocks! 😉

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Confidence at the starting line of a race or workout is imperative, read my post HERE on how to be a gamer.

Sometimes expectations feel like pressure, but they shouldn’t. THIS POST is all about handing pressure.

Posts on how to set goals with meaning HERE
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1) When has been a time that you’ve been an underdog?
2) When was the last time you’ve dealt with nay-sayers? How did you prove them wrong?
3) When you’re having a ‘low confidence’ moment, how do you push to refute your doubts and believe in yourself?
Honestly, it’s SUPER hard, and everyone struggles. You refute even when you don’t believe it in the moment, and it’s okay to seek out the support of others who believe in you. And in those ‘lows’ remember that your confidence comes in waves and you need to just make it to that next ‘high’.