Bittersweet Sixteen

"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out;

it's the pebble in your shoe." -- Muhammad Ali

I am the queen of excuses when it comes to health and fitness. Did I work out today? No, I worked overtime. Did I run today? No, my shoes aren't fitting right. Did I cook dinner? No, I didn't have time. As a New Mexpat hailing from the great Land of Mañana, who would I be if I didn't put today's tasks off until tomorrow? 

To give credit where credit is due, I've done 1,000X better than the Becky of three years ago. I've done 1,000,000X better than the Becky of the 5 years previous to that. But am I doing better than this time last year? Am I improving? Yes... and no. And while I'm giving credit where credit is due, I'm 100% to blame for all of it.

Tomorrow is Day 1 of a 16 week training plan I've developed and plan to use to prepare for my next big runDisney race (Lumiere's Challenge during the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend). Unlike my last runDisney half marathon, I don't want this race to be only about running/finishing. I want to train harder - train better. I want to get my diet in check. Food as a fuel, and not as a companion or anti-depressant. Running supplemented with strength training to make my runs more efficient, not running as a replacement for strength training. 

I am not so naive to think that I can do this alone. A 19.3 mile race weekend is a big deal for me; it's likely the closest I will ever get to running a full marathon. I don't want to hurt myself, nor do I want to look forward to the event in fear. I know I can do this, so now I need to prove it. 

Of course, I'm still super self-conscious about both my speed and my body. Both need improvement, but this time I'm not going to naively think that I can overcome either by myself. I recently re-enlisted the help of my personal trainer/friend to ask her for a fitness plan with my runs in mind. We had our first session last Friday, and I was super pleased with it. Tomorrow is our lower body focused session, and I can't wait to see what she brings me this time. 

The next 16 weeks are going to take more discipline than I applied for my half marathon earlier this year. It's going to be difficult, so I may need your help. But... I'm looking forward to it. Onward and upward!

Until we meet again...

Becky

Win Some, Lose Some (Shoreline 10K)

"Will you look back on life and say, 'I wish I had,' or 'I'm glad I did?'" -- Zig Ziglar

Another month, another race. I can't believe I have participated in six races in seven months. This time last year, I had completed... zero. Who am I? Haha.  

The race started early on Sunday morning. It was gorgeous outside - cool, but not uncomfortable. The marine layer was lifting early, and the race crowd was light. And the smell of the sea... oh, to be so lucky to start every day with the smell of the sea!

The course was an out and back similar to the trail I train on at home. I'll be honest with y'all... I didn't plan on a fast pace or running much in general. This race was much more for my soul than my ego, and I wanted to keep it that way. Unfortunately, the 10K was the race that the most competitive of runners decided to run. (Seriously... the 5K was mostly walkers, and the half marathoners seemed to have the full gambit - elite and slow runners like me. The 10K? All the fast runners!). Alas, we took it easy and enjoyed the sights along the coast and the 2 miles of wetlands. Ego be damned!

The ego took a bit of a hit, however, when we hit the 10K turnaround and realized we were at the back of the pack. We weren't last, but it was close! My friend and I picked up the pace considerably for the last 4.5 miles. I'm glad we did. The marine layer lifted unseasonably early, and the sun was starting to beat on our faces. 

The last three miles were not my favorite. All three races ran the same course (with the only difference being the start time and turnaround points). As I mentioned before, the 5Kers had a lot of walkers, and there were some beastly half marathoners who easily lapped some of the slower 10Kers like me. Our paths collided around these last few miles, making the already tight and narrow course even more crowded. Additionally, the trail we were on was not closed to the public, so the guests from the nearby hotels were also crowding the trail as we neared the finish. 

Alas, we waded through the crowds and we finished! My favorite race MC was there to congratulate us by name at the finish line. (I can't believe I typed that... who has a favorite race MC? Apparently, I do! Thanks, @TheRunMC!) The after party was a bit busy but cool. Our relatively inexpensive race got us coupons for a beer (good beer - Firestone Brewery!), tacos, açai bowls, and organic açai energy drinks... all free! My friend and I opted for the açai bowls, and I grabbed an energy drink for later. As tempting as a free beer is... 9am is a bit too early for me to start drinking something so heavy!

So to answer the question a lot of you have asked... how'd it go? I loved it. I didn't put myself under pressure to do well, and it gave me time to just enjoy being there... with my friend... enjoying the morning. I love racing. I really do Focusing on racing and pacing, however, has been less fun. The recent "streak" taught me that if you force me to do it, I won't enjoy it. The Disney races, while fun, have so much pressure on pacing that it makes me nervous. I know I can do it, but I start to doubt myself every time. These smaller races are better fit for me, I think... We'll see. 

If you find yourself in Southern California, I highly recommend the events hosted by Elite Sports California. The races are small, but fairly well run. I know I'll look for more in the future. I have another race in the Ventura/Oxnard area in December, and I can't wait. Maybe I'll run into you there? :) Have a healthy week, y'all!

Cheers!

Becky

Fall Seven Times, Get up... Late?

"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire

to do things - you don't have enough goals." -- Lou Holtz

We finished it. Kaitlyn and I finished our 30 day streak of running and walking at least one consecutive mile each day as part of the "Streaking with the Cool Kids" challenge. I'm so proud of her. Kaitlyn managed to rack up an impressive 50+ miles over her 30 day streak during long, hot summer days, and yet she rarely complained about it. Seriously proud of the kid. I'm going to miss her!

Me? Well, I'm another story. During our 30 day streak, I managed to "only" get 54 miles in. This wasn't Kaitlyn's fault. It was I that was more likely to suggest a shorter route or complain about the journey. My pace was out of whack. I'm slow as it is, but the last 30 days were terrible. I'm slower than ever, tighter than ever, and I feel more out of shape than I have in a very long time. And we won't even talk about my diet... yikes!

I have no one to blame but myself,  you know. I made excuse after excuse for sleeping in when I should have been up early for a run. I skipped workouts after work. I bought dinners out when I should have cooked, using my niece as my excuse to treat myself. I drank soda (gasp) after two months of abstinence. BAH!

My mom and my sister picked up my niece over the weekend, and I'm an empty nester once again. It's time for me to get back on track - I have literally no excuses to fail. I have a 10K this weekend, and I'm not looking forward to it (ok, ok... I might be looking forward to my hotel on the beach). I hope to get a respectable time, but it's not looking good!

Why is it that one change can throw me off so severely? What am I doing wrong? Ugh - truly a work in progress here, folks. There are a few people who I look to as inspiration on this journey. I don't tell them that, but maybe I should. I feel bad if/when others tell me that I have inspired their own fitness journeys. I'm so not worthy of that... but I'd like to be. Here's hoping that the next four months before my big race in November go better than the last four. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!

Until next time...

Becky