Photos from the Mud Run

It took so long for them to get the photos up that they decided to just offer them up for free! Anyway, here's a few more photos from the day.

10k!

I set out earlier this year with a goal to train for and run a 5k. Well I surprised myself and my first race was Saturday - the South Lyon Book n Trilogy 10k!

I reflected on much of my weight loss journey during this event, in ways I never expected. Warm up before the race was led by Jazzercise (who I really credit as the activity that helped me lose most of the weight and made working out fun). Then as I passed the 5 mile mark (which took what seemed like forever, to the point I was wondering if I'd missed it!), I was inspired by a guy in his 50s, who had to be over 400lbs, walking the 5k route, long after others had finished - he kept going. I understand the determination and effort (as well as humility) it took for him to show up and do this event, and it propelled me on to the finish. And now looking to the future, I'm so excited about my path to become a certified health coach and work with people to help them create happier and healthier lives for themselves.

My total time was 1 hour 8 minutes! That worked out to an 11 minute mile. A good pace for me, better than both of my past longer runs, so I was happy.

I was also thrilled to be able to share this experience with Thad (who finished in an amazing 49 minutes!) and my friend Jobi, who has been so supportive of my running. It was their first 10k race too!

Thad and I, ready!

Me and Jobi before the race

I did it! Signed up for a Race!

I officially signed up for my first race event this week! It's a 10k that is local here in South Lyon and benefits the local library - Book'n Trilogy. I had mixed feelings about choosing this event to support with my dollars because it's not even a library that we can go to (we are in Lyon Twp so our library is different). There's some seemingly political issues surrounding the history of why other libraries in the library system let us use theirs but SL doesn't, and instead they charge $100/family/year for Lyon Twp residents. Yes, I know we pay lower taxes, and yes, our library is tiny and doesn't have as much to offer, but in the spirit of the philosophy of why libraries exist, it bothers me! Anyway, Thad pointed out that it still supports a worthy establishment, and he is of course, right.

The date is May 19th - 4 weeks from yesterday! I feel confident I can run 10k since I did a couple weeks ago with Stephanie, so I'm not panicking about it. I did have a bit of a walk break at mile 4 when I did it though, so I do need to do a structured training program to be sure I don't overwhelm myself the day of the race. My pace is slow, and for the most part I'm okay with that. Today I did a 'long' run of 4.15 miles and my pace was an average of 11:30.

The part of me that isn't okay with that time is the part of me that just wants to already be the fit person I wish I was. I know I am being hard on myself. Thad reminds me that I spent many years of my life pretty much sedentary and obese. I don't want to be that person. I don't want to be the one people say, oh look how far she's come, or she did/looks pretty good, considering. A year ago I think those comments would make me feel good, proud of what I've accomplished. Now I just feel like I should have come further in the past year than I have. I know I'm being impatient with myself. But really what I want in this whole journey of mine - to just be normal, to be healthy, to be fit. The crazy thing is that on one hand, I really want to just be 'normal' - where people I meet new would never guess I had been so heavy and lived such a different lifestyle, and keep that to myself as my past - and then on the other hand, I enjoy being able to help and inspire others and in doing so, share my story. How can I somehow be proud and shamed by the same circumstances? I guess it's the lifelong story of wanting to fit in and not have my weight be the first impression someone has of me and define their perception of me - along with a view of the person I believe I really am inside who wants to share and help others find some inspiration that may help them change their lives.

Good Form Running

Thad signed us up for a free workshop at a local running store in Brighton, Elite Feet - it follows the "Good Form Running" program. I wasn't really sure what to expect, and started to get a little nervous as some of the attendees came in all dressed in their best running gear, looking terribly official! What was I doing there? I'm barely able to call myself a runner at this point!

It was an excellent class, taught by the manager of the store, Mike, who clearly has a passion for what he does and an interest in learning more and sharing it with others. After an introduction to the main points of Good Form Running, he took us outside to the alley to run and film us. Then he had us take off our shoes and run barefoot and filmed us again. After that, he had us count our strikes with our right foot for 10 seconds (he timed us).

What I learned about myself - I think I have pretty good posture and arm position, but I need to work on leaning forward a little more and striking with my midfoot. I of course did better barefoot with that because your body automatically adjusts - which is why the whole trend in barefoot running. (no, I'm not taking up barefoot running, but I may consider more minimal/transitional shoes at some point). I run a little too much with a heel strike, but not as much as some of the others in class. It was also nice to see people there that had come to 2 or 3 of the workshops and had improved over time with their form. The ideal goal for strike count is 180 in a minute (left and right total). Most of those in class had 13 like I did, except a few (including Thad) that had 15, which is the goal. I was fascinated to learn that 180 does not depend on speed whatsoever, but on height of knee as it comes up and goes back. He showed us videos of a 12 min mile and a 5 min mile, both with 180 strikes. Really interesting stuff! A metronome is what would help to get the right # of strikes, and I understand there's an ap for that (of course there is!).

So, I need to keep all this in mind and work on adjusting my form a bit, then I'd like to go back for another workshop and see if it's improved. Thad really enjoyed the class and learned a great deal about his posture too. This has been another fun thing to do together :)

6.2

Who would ever have thought? Definitely not me! Today I ran with Stephanie and did a total of 6.2 miles, basically a 10k! I honestly never thought I'd be a runner. I never liked it. Even after losing all this weight, I had never even run a mile straight until the past several months. My first real exposure to running was the bootcamp I did last August, and I remember feeling pretty good about my ability to run, something I was hesitant about going into it. Still, Only 3 months ago I set myself a goal for the year to run a 5k, with the thought in my mind that I'd need to train for weeks to do it. Apparently not. Last Sunday I ran a 5K+, this Sunday I basically ran a 10k! unbelievable! A special thank you to Stephanie, my yoga + running friend who really gave me the confidence that it was something I was capable of doing in the shape I'm in now.

Last night Thad and I were at our friends Angie and Steve's for dinner and a movie. We ended up watching an interesting and inspiring documentary, called Spirit of the Marathon, that profiled both elite runners and new runners of all ages, training and running the Chicago marathon. One of the key things that really stood out for me is how so many of them talked about how running a marathon changed their lives forever, how the sense of having accomplished it opened them up to the possibilities in life - i.e. if they could do this, they could do anything they set their minds to. I found it especially interesting because I've had friends talk about how running is such a mental exercise. All of these sentiments led my thoughts right to yoga actually. I really feel that that is the impact yoga has had on my life.  I honestly credit being able to start running like I have with both the physical and mental training I've developed in my yoga practice.

Now I've had people telling me I should train and do the half marathon (Detroit in October). My hesitation is whether I want to devote that much time to running, when at the same time I really feel I want to further develop/focus on my yoga practice. Although running more often might help me with those last pounds I can't seem to lose!! So, I'm at a 'we'll see' point I guess. Either way, feeling pretty proud of myself today!

Run!

I know, I always said I would never be a runner. I guess I'm just proving the 'never say never' cliche'! Last weekend I didn't get up early enough for yoga and so decided to go for a run. I ran 1.36 miles and walked probably another mile before/after. One of my goals this year was to run a 5k so I've been talking about looking at finding a race to make a goal.

Today I went to Kensington to run with a friend from yoga. Her pace is similar to mine, but she's training for a half marathon. I figured it might help me push to run further. I was a bit nervous about going and being able to run very far, so I skipped yoga this morning, I didn't want to be worn out for the run. Thad of course tells me I'm being too hard on myself, but that is really nothing new. Anyway, the run was great - perfect weather in the 60s, a slight breeze, and a route I'm very familiar with since Thad and I walk it often with Izzie in the summer. I did a total of just under 4 miles (not sure exactly since my GPS screwed up on my phone), probably 11:30-12:00/min miles. Apparently I'm in better shape for running than I thought I was, and it's even a hilly route. Felt great to have done this - I guess I can easily do a 5k! :)

If it works out, I'll try to make this a regular Sunday thing!