Fresh Air

We journeyed to Mount Rainier National Park over the weekend for lots of outdoor exploration with friends.  This is my favorite type of exercise.

 

 

 

That last one is my favorite photo.  My friend's six-year-old daughter, Adelle, was sooooo happy to frolic in the majestic scenery that surrounded us.  She and I have a lot in common!!  ;)

This is How I Roll

My hamstring still hurts. Almost all the time. It’s like a constant aching—when I’m sitting, when I’m standing, when I’m moving, and when I’m sleeping. Just when I think it’s better, it finds some way to remind me that it is still not happy. Sometimes, I worry that it will never be the same.

I hope to finally pull it out of this state of constant rebellion. I’ve now discovered two new best friends that seem to be helping: the foam roller and the Tiger Tail. I stopped going to PT and other appointments because it started to get very expensive and time-intensive, but these tools help me to treat my hammy on my own. I’m also trying to be good about doing exercises and stretches that help it. Here are videos that help you understand the wonders of the foam roller and Tiger Tail:





Keep your fingers crossed that they will continue to help me make great strides in getting my hamstring back to its normal, content, productive self!

The Running/Living Balance

June provided for a flurry of activity.  We moved into a “fixer-upper” home; celebrated several birthdays (including my own); traveled to Pullman, WA (Moscow, ID) for my cousin’s wedding; headed to Long Beach, CA for the National Jump Rope Championship and a visit to Issac’s family; and kept a calendar full of events.  With so much going on and so much celebrating to do, it was difficult to rigidly adhere to my marathon training plan… But I tried my best!

I brought my running shoes with me wherever I went and found myself racking up mileage in unique settings—like on a hotel treadmill, down the Palouse Trail, and along the Long Beach waterfront.   However, I still managed to miss several of the runs that were scheduled on my calendar.   =(  I also slept-in on lots of “super-early run days,” as I was just too tired to drag myself out of bed when the alarm sounded.

Yet, July is a new month!   I have a newfound commitment to completing [almost] every mile on my plan from now on.  I know that life happens, and I’m not going to let marathon training entirely consume my life. But I feel refocused and reenergized as I continue onward and upward!  It should be a nice balance of fun/torture/personal improvement/personal fulfillment. 

Shore Run = Fun

Here I am enjoying a
post-race water and banana.

The photo finish.  Once again, I felt
the need to treat it like a victory.

Running in an organized, sanctioned fun run certainly beats the monotony of running alone.  There’s the excitement of running with 1,000’s of other folks; you get the challenge of zigzagging through the crowds of people on the course; you usually receive an awesome technical shirt (or at least a t-shirt); and you support a good cause with your entry fee.  It’s a win-win situation!

The latest fun run on my list is the Shore Run, a 10K (6.21 mile) race to benefit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.   I probably do not need to give a full report of my experiences throughout the 6.21 miles, but here are my stats: pace= 8:31 per mile, place= 19th out of 82 in my gender/age division, place = 90th out of 501 female runners, and place= 253rd out of 865 finishers.

I really enjoyed the Shore Run, and I hope that many more fun runs will be in my near and distant future.

I Beat the Bridge!



A pre-race photo

Can you spot the banana?

Sunday, I went on my first official run since the infamous hamstring pull just over 7 weeks ago.  I was a bit nervous beforehand, yet was pleasantly surprised because (although my leg was tight and sore) I did not experience much pain.  Halleluiah!  It was a nice way to get the momentum rolling as I transition into a more rigorous running schedule.

We participated in Beat the Bridge, a charitable fun run to support type 1 diabetes research.  The 8K(which is just under 5 miles) course was relatively flat and even included a few gradual downhill sections.  This was my kind of race! 

The objective of the run is to cross over Seattle’s University Bridge before it is raised (which is only 20 minutes into the race and approximately 2 miles from the start)—causing runners to be stranded on one side of it.   I am happy to report that everyone in our group had surpassed this point with ample time before the bridge was drawn.  My only goal had been to “beat the bridge.”  Mission accomplished.

My stats for Beat the Bridge: pace per mile= 8:29, place in my division= 73 out of 581, and place out of all female runners= 349 out of 2,745.  I certainly wasn’t #1, but I’m not complaining!

Issac passed me at mile three, and I knew I wouldn’t see him until the end of the race.  In fact, he was so far ahead of me that he had enough time to film this video of my dramatic crossing of the finish line:

 

(Just look for the only runner who has her arms up in the air.  Not sure why I always feel the need to treat each finish like a victory.  I guess I’m a firm believer in acting like a champion, even if you’re in 349^th place).

 

I’ve decided that I now have a new goal: Beat the Issac.  It’s highly unlikely that it will ever happen, but I have high aspirations. 

And now that I have determined that I am physically capable of running in a safe and responsible manner, I will continue hitting the pavement and cranking out the miles as I prepare for more enthralling fun runs in the near future…

Pondering Protein

When I recently informed a personal trainer that I was vegetarian, he expressed a great deal of concern for my well-being.  He reported that he is “100% certain” that I will “damage” my body as I continue to increase my weekly running mileage, and that I’ll eventually lack enough energy to get through the day.  I’m fairly sure his strong statement was motivated by his desire to persuade me to buy an expensive monthly supply of protein powder from him… But it got me wondering: What exactly does protein do for me?  How much protein do I need?  And, most importantly, how can I ensure that I’m getting the correct amount of it to properly fuel my body? 

I’ve found a lot of amazing resources online, and I feel reassured that I am not an unhealthy person for sticking to plant-based foods.  The No Meat Athlete and Runner's World offer great lists of staple foods that I am trying to eat each and every day (which you can find here and here).  I may succumb to powders as well, and I’ve decided that I’m OK with that.

It is my hope that such efforts will help me to feel as though I have endless energy!

“Jump” Right In

This weekend, I competed in a competitive jump rope tournament-- along with 9 kids ages 10 through 17 on the team that I coach (and lots of people of all ages from Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Canada).   This was the first jump rope tournament in which I’d participated since “retiring” from the sport in 2001.  I have recently spent a lot of time on the sidelines coaching, but I decided that it was time to “jump” into the action.

Let’s be honest.  My performance was not stellar.   I had not really practiced; my hamstring hurt horribly bad; my shirt tackily flailed about in my freestyle routine (I swear I’d tucked it in!); and my speed scores were definitely below my PR’s.  But there’s something to be said about putting yourself out there and going for it!   I hope that my jumpers gained something from watching their coach get in front of a panel of judges and give it her all as they are often forced to do; it’s certainly not easy. 

I had fans in the audience.

This is me in 30-second Single Rope Speed.   (The video starts with some pre-jump rituals.  Those were a joke).  I completed 144 jumps in 30 seconds—not bad for an “old” lady!


This is my Single Rope Freestyle routine, filmed from the back (lovely!).  I messed-up on my very first trick by completely missing a rope release (a trick that involves throwing the rope and catching it.  My rope fell directly to the ground).  Luckily, it did not become a complete train wreck!

 

If you think I’m bad for jumping with a recovering hamstring, you should watch this video of a guy who competed the entire day with a broken foot.  You will note that he completes everything (back flips and all) on one leg with his other leg in a bright yellow cast suspended in the air.  AMAZING… and slightly disturbing!

 

I got first place in all of my individual events! Granted, I am now in the 30+ age category, which is not very competitive. In fact, I was the only participant in freestyle, and some of the competitors that I beat in speed events were in their 50’s. But winning something is always nice! I cannot remember the last time I got first place in anything… so I’ll take it!! =)

Jump rope is an incredible tool for physical fitness—coordination, muscular strength, cardiovascular strength, flexibility, endurance, etc.  I hope to keep it up as I age.  Perhaps someday I’ll be competing in my 50’s and 60’s as well.