A Recipe for Love...of Running

     On the walls of my office are pictures from coaching my first running group this past fall. One of the members at the gym made a comment that I looked super happy in all of them especially for having just finished a half-marathon. He's not wrong. Even in a sweat soaked shirt, no make-up, and a bird's nest in place of where my ponytail started...I wear the biggest smile, which is a testament to how much I truly love running.
    Mornings like today remind me how that happened. After 6 years of serious running, I can honestly say I have only experienced a runner's high maybe twice. I don't run because I enjoy pushing myself, making myself vomit in exertion, or other things you hear from athletes. I like to run because stuff is pretty and my best friend is awesome. 
     Kaycee and I both have a great appreciation for the environment. To the point that I get super depressed during winter because I miss my running routes. Yes, I know winter running gear exists and it's not that bad once you get going...but it's not the same. 
     The places we run are so pretty and the conversations we have are always part weekly best friend update, part therapy session, and part just whatever weird $%*! we can think of. Our culture tends to associate food with conversation. "Oh hey I'll be in town this weekend, we should get lunch!" is an all too common statement. Why not go for a walk? There's plenty of research on the benefits of walking both physically and mentally, adding stimulating conversation only makes it better. You meet to talk anyway, why have food as a distraction?

But I digress...as a Master's of Public Health student, it's easy for me to go into cultural rants. Therefore, since Thanksgiving is coming up and everyone's talking about food... I give you My Recipe to Fall in Love with Running:

• 2 Parts GOAL
• Start with a goal. Whether it be a race or something else. Set a date and, most importantly, make a plan. There are plenty of training plans on the internet and some are actually legit. Whatever you find, allow yourself freedom. There's a fine line between not training enough and over-training, but the balance is there if you're realistic with yourself.
• 1 Part PRETTY ROUTE
• Ever heard of Frederick Law Olmsted? Most people know him for designing part of Central Park in NYC but, he also designed our park system in Louisville. We're fortunate for this in that we have safe places to run that are also absolutely gorgeous. Today's route went through one of those parks, the historic water reservoir, and this one street with dream house after dream house ( I'm also obsessed with HGTV just fyi). I know these places might not always be convenient or available to people in other cities but find a place where you can get lost in the ambiance, not in the struggle.
• 1 Part BUDDY
• Running with Kaycee is great for our Long Slow Distance (LSD) runs. Not only is it a great way to catch up (we're both very busy don't cha know) but it is an excellent way to pace. We know if we can carry on a comfortable conversation, we're right where we want to be.
• A dash of TUNES
• I love Kaycee, but sometimes it is nice to run solo to clear my head. On these days, my iPod is my savior. If you can afford something like a Spotify premium account, you'll always have new an exciting music to keep you motivated...and to cover up the sound of your own exhaustion, otherwise known as breathing.

It's not one of those relationships that hits you immediately, it develops over time. Slowly but surely, you realize how much you can't live without it, how much you need it in your life, and how much a part of you it truly becomes.

~Kirstin 

     

Embracing my inner granola-loving hippie

I'll be the first to admit that I have weird health problems. And I probably sound like I complain a lot about them, but the past few days have culminated into something wretched, so here I sit in a mixture of lavender Epsom salt and baking soda to detox.

You would think that being in the health field that I wouldn't buy into "natural" remedies, but I've been helped by a few. Just because something hasn't been researched to death, doesn't mean that it can't be helpful to some people. Maybe it isn't financially sound to research baking soda in a bath because that stuff costs $0.40 a box. So in desperation, I am willing to try something because I've mentioned these spells to my doctor before and they think I'm crazy or want to do an MRI, which is expensive.

I've been fighting a cold and a massive acne breakout for the past few days and using my Neti pot like a good girl, but yesterday, my skin revolted against me. It hurt to move, for my skin to touch my clothes, and every nerve ending from my neck to my knees was on fire, to the point of madness. It was better this morning, so I figured I would keep our long run date because I always feel better after a run when I have a cold. Not only did my skin pain come back with a vengeance, but last night's mistake in the form of a burrito also reared its ugly head.

So far, the only differences I notice is feeling a little sweaty and my skin pain calming down. The burrito is still gurgling, but hopefully that passes soon. I'll update later.

Update:

I feel very mellow and better overall. Maybe my nervous system was just amped up and I needed to chill, but my stomach, throat, and skin all feel better. I don't know exactly how it all works, but whatever, I feel better and I'm going with it.

-Kaycee :)

Post-Race Resolutions

I prefer to make my resolutions at the end of a major race, instead of at New Year's. My New Year's resolutions have never held up longer than a few weeks.

   At the end of my first half marathon in 2011: "I'm going to run a marathon next."

   At the end of my first marathon in 2012: "I'm never doing this again."

   At the end of my second half marathon (and Kirstin's first) in fall 2012: "I need to train way more consistently."

   At the end of my third half marathon in 2013: "I need to focus on recovering."

   And finally, at the end of last week's half marathon, the fourth one for both Kirstin and me: "I need to start acting like a real runner and get my butt in gear to get faster."

I always fall apart toward the end of training. This race, I held my training together fairly well because I joined a running group and kept up with my strength training, but I didn't push myself on any of my runs. And while I felt the best that I have ever felt during the race, it was my slowest time, not even faster than my third half when my electrolytes got out of whack and I spend the last four miles of the race woozy and the next two hours vomiting anything that went into my stomach. But that's another story. 

I know that I've never been a fast runner, but a person would think that after 4 years, I would figure out how to get faster. I've always let that voice in my head say, "It's okay, go ahead, you deserve to walk. You're working hard." Or, "Go ahead and take today off, you've had a long day."

So, today marks the start of ignoring my own laziness and making myself keep going. This morning I ran 4 miles without stopping, and while it wasn't as fast as I would like to be, it was faster than I usually am, even with hills and it being the coldest morning of the fall yet. It's time to push.

-Kaycee :)