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Running Makes Me Happy

Posted on May 1, 2013
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I have been addicted to running, and working out in general, for a few years. The anxiety starts to set in and grumpiness raises its head when I can’t get my workouts done – whether it is because of absolutely crazy busy work, travels or sickness. Right after my Chicago trip, or actually already in the Windy City, I got a cold. And I don’t think I have ever been so sick in my life. In fact I was very close to call my Doc for some Tamiflu to get rid of the crud but eventually just sucked it up, and kept flying on my business trips. Flying with a cold is pretty miserable experience, by the way.

Obviously, all that sneezing, coughing, and constant nose blowing meant that training was definitely out of the question. Not that I would have had a whole lot of energy for it either. And the longer the cold was bugging me, the more annoying annoyed I became, not only for being sick but also for not having my daily dose of endorphins. When I finally got out for a little jog on Saturday, another on Sunday, and real workout on Monday, my life is back to normal. Running is my happy place.

“One late afternoon, after swimming in a lake, he began to jog around to ease his chill. Soon enough he found himself running for the sheer exhilaration of it, across the moor and toward the coast. 

The sky filled with crimson clouds, and as he ran a light rain started to fall.  With the sun warming his back, a rainbow appeared in front of him, and he seemed to run toward it. Along the coast the rhythm of the water breaking against the rocks eased him, and he circled back to where he had begun.  Cool, wet air filled his lungs.

Running into the sun now, he had trouble seeing the ground underneath his feet, but still he rushed forward, alive with the movement.  Finally spent as the sun disappeared from the horizon, he tumbled down a light hill and rested on his back, his feet bleeding, but feeling rejuvenated. He needed to reconnect to the joy of running, to get away from the tyranny of the track” – Neil Bascombe: The Perfect Mile

Oh boy, how I enjoyed my 4 miles in 32 minutes. I hardly even got sweaty, and was running with a big smile on my face. The cough is almost gone, I don’t sound like a dying sea lion anymore. I’m thankful for being healthy again. Happiness is often about small things… And the running saga continues also on other fronts. I have quite a few races and charity events lined up for the summer – some for pushing my own limits, some running together with my Personal Training clients, and helping them to reach their goals. This weekend Jason and I also signed up for a Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon – the race is run after summer. Hubby is one of those really lucky ones who doesn’t love running and have a deep passion for it but he still excels at his fitness tests without any strict training. And yes, I am jealous …

P.S. The R’n'R race was his idea – this time I didn’t nag about signing up for an event.

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New Year’s Resolutions and Exercise Videos

Posted on January 10, 2013
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Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to be healthier, to get into shape in 2013? Hopefully your fitness endeavor is still going strong when we are 10 days into new year. Even if you feel discouraged, keep going for another 20 or so days – after that it will get a lot easier. We usually need to stick with a new fitness related behavior for  4-6 weeks until it really becomes a routine that is easier to maintain, and sometimes even addictive.

While I wholeheartedly promote healthy lifestyle – eating low-fat, quality food, exercising on purpose and for necessity, there are some fitness trends that make me shake my head. Exercise videos. Home workouts are absolutely awesome for the busy people who don’t have an access to other kinds of fitness facilities and need ideas for an effective fitness programs but at the same time they should know what they are doing, and be in a decent shape already. The discouragement of fitness routines easily comes from pain and agony caused by workouts – either in the form of post-workout soreness after doing too much too soon (there is positive post-workout soreness too, though) or injuries.

Especially the new fitness enthusiasts would greatly benefit from group lessons with a real instructor, or a few hours of Personal Training. In these real human connections, a trained professional can show the correct, safe movements. Did you for example know that in a forward lunge your front knee needs to be lined up with the heel, and a little bit behind the foot when the front knee is at a 90-degree angle? If the knee leans over your foot, there is a good chance to create patella injuries. Patella (or any knee) injuries are a real pain, literally, to recover from. And they  are also frequently seen among overweight exercisers.

So if your goal this year is to get into shape and shed extra pounds, and it has been a while since your active workouts, check with your Doctor that you are good to go before doing anything. And if the Doctor finds any restrictions that you should be aware of, make a note of them. Then, start working out in a safe environment on group classes or consult a professional trainer or fitness knowledgeable friend to get started. This will save you from unnecessary pain, and helps you to stick with the fitness routines. After all, there is nothing better than a great workout.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” (Jim Rohn)

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The inspiration for this blog posting came from my discussions with fellow Personal Trainers who I have recommend to some of potential new PT clients during this post-Christmas personal training season.

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48 Miles

Posted on January 1, 2013
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Six days before the end of 2012 I realized that my total running mileage for the year was 952 – 48 miles short from 1,000. While I didn’t make a resolution or a plan to run four digits, the idea of breaking 1,000 sounded suddenly awesome, tempting, and – most importantly – doable.

So I made a plan and kept racking my miles up: one day I ran 12 miles, another day I hit the asphalt (or snowy roads) twice…. While in Boston this past weekend, I managed to get my “missing mileage” down to 14.66. Not a big deal, I could have run that almost-15-miles on one day. However, this time the nature decided something else. I came down with a cold, and flight from Boston to Anchorage via Chicago was longer than long, thanks to my throbbing headache and aching muscles. Advils became this girl’s best friend on that flight, right after the ice cream that United kindly served as dessert.

On Monday morning I had a hard time to get myself out of the bed, and while the running shoes were calling my name, I had to give up and total mileage of 2012 is 985.66. Could I have pushed myself through? Probably. Would it have been worth it? Not really. I’d rather start to chase my goal of 1,500 miles by being healthy than suffering from a prolonged cold.

Cheers for the happiness, healthiness and new running goals for 2013!

Running in along Charles River Basin (Boston, MA)
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Flooded trail run in Alaska on Dec 27, 2012 (and likely a source of my cold – already my Mom taught me to keep my feet dry and warm…. didn’t remember it on this run)
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Health Check

Posted on July 29, 2012
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Sports injuries…. Oh boy what a week. Apparently Ironman success doesn’t come without some battle scars already in training. It has been an eventful week on my athletic department….

First I and my bike collided so badly that I ended up to getting a giant bruise on my thigh. Then a couple of days later, thanks to doing way too many bike/run brick workouts my toe nail decided to give up and peeled off. Lastly I then got a blister on my heel. And sunburns in Alaska.

But I am still anxiously waiting for my run in the morning. With a new running team.

I’m writing this in San Francisco, hanging out here for work this week. Since I love to be a social butterfly with other athletes, I tracked down local running clubs prior my trip, and have new running buddies for every day during my stay here. Tomorrow morning meet-up is for semi athletes, running pace 7-7:30 min/mile, or according to the leader of the club, “sometimes even less”. Hopefully I have a great running day tomorrow. Or hopefully it is a short run. Updates to follow either through my blog or maybe I make to the newspaper headlines by been the runner who passed out after two miles.
Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with a picture of my bruised thigh. I’ll save you from the grossness of my poor toe, at least for now….

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MilSpouse (first) Friday Fill-In #72

Posted on June 1, 2012
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Hello June! It’s time for a new MilSpouse Friday Fill-In… Hard to believe that it really is summer now. At least if you look at the calendar. We have had a few chilly days here in Alaska lately, and I am truly hoping June comes with sunny, warm days…

But let’s check out this month’s questions! Thank you to Wife of A Sailor - once again – for hosting this lovely tradition of getting to know fellow MilSpouses.

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed? The weather… while we had a bunch of nice, sunny days, there were too many gray and rainy rays. After such a long, snowy winter it would be great to have looooong summer!

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in May? Last month was another wonderful month in our life. I had my university commencement, we had a great Memorial Day weekend in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, a fun trip to Colorado ….

3. June includes the first day of summer… what are your plans for the summer? Quite a few Alaskan adventures: long backpacking trips, bear photography at McNeil River…. maybe a few trips to Lower 48 as well, in addition to my business trips.

4. Do you use the services on base (gym, financial planning, family services, daycare)? And if so, what’s your favorite one? Yep, I do, and love them! I am a real gym rat and work out on post once, sometimes twice a day. I also stop by at the library every once in a while, eat at DFAC when I am too lazy to cook lunch or breakfast at home… We also use the veterinary clinic on post for minor stuff such as vaccinations and dental cleanings.

5. What are you looking forward to in June? Sunshine! And our McNeil trip. I am also hoping that my schedule slows down a bit: recently it has felt like I am working 24/7, and at the same time I am running out of hours all the time. That being said, I also look forward to getting back on track with my Ironman training. I have been slacking like no tomorrow for past 2-3 weeks, thanks to all travels and about a million deadlines that hit me like a steam train. I hope to get my weekly biking miles over 200 miles/week, and running miles to 60-80 miles/week in June, and if not adding, at least keeping them there.

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