April 16, 2013 · 8:35 am

Hope shines brighest even in the darkest moments.

“If you’re trying to defeat the human spirit, marathoners are the wrong group to target.” – Mighty Brighties

Like the PrayforBostonrest of the world, I’m still trying to process what happened yesterday.  Whether you are a runner or not, this is sickening and heart wrenching.  On a day that is typically filled with joy and happiness to end so tragically.  I’m short on words today and I hope that you all share your feelings, emotions below so that we can process this together.

I was asked yesterday if I would still run next year. Of course I will.  Darkness will not win. I, like many runners, will go through the stages of sadness, anger, hurt, and then restoration. I will run to honor the victims and their families.

Honor those who fell yesterday and rise up strong in our community today.

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April 5, 2013 · 9:01 pm

You know you’re a runner if…

Runners definitely share some odd traits and I felt the need to start listing them out! I’d love to hear from you all so please share yours below….

1. You frequently have a Garmin watch tan line on your wrist from February to December. Hotness.
2. You have multiple Excel spreadsheets of your training plans.
3. You once hated other people wearing compression socks; but now find yourself owning them in multiple colors. Same could be said for fuel belts.
4. Your kitchen pantry is filled with an abundance of either: GU gels, shot blocks, gatorade, or power bars.
5. You hold on to your old pair of sneakers for no real reason.
6. You have holes in your sneakers from your big toe.
7. You’ve lost a toenail or two.
8. You secretly stalk active.com for new races; as if they’ll just post one today for tomorrow.
9. You spend a Friday or Saturday night prepping for your long run by shoveling enormous amounts of carbs in your mouth and going to bed at 9:30 like an old lady.
10. You plan your workouts a week in advance and when you cross off a workout you feel like you just cured cancer.
11. You think its cute when people ask about your “jogging”.
12. You keep snacks in your car or gym bag…you never know when you’ll need to fuel for an impromptu run.
13. You stalk the weather to plan out your weekly runs.
14. You’re always hungry (rungry).

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March 28, 2013 · 8:41 pm

Post Marathon Blues

girlskipping

What I felt like the 48 hours following the marathon.

I was on cloud 9. Loving life, proud of my accomplishment, bragging, rewarding myself for my Boston Qualifier.  I was excited when anyone asked me how the marathon went. I’m pretty sure I squealed a few times, or at least I did in my head. I was at a good place not worrying about my next race, not worrying about a taper. All I was focused on was being proud of my accomplishment. And recovering. I knew I needed a few days to let my body heal. I let myself eat bad food and be a normal person for a few days.

birthdaygirlcrying

What I felt like a few days after the marathon.

Then a few days passed.  And I found myself missing my training schedule. Missing the daily accomplishments as I crossed runs off my list.  I was missing looking forward to a race and getting anxious/nervous about it.  To most non-runners, they think I’m crazy. Maybe I am, but I actually missed being in training.  I couldn’t just jump back in because I had injuries that needed to heal. I had to let myself recover or I’d be injured for a while and really out of commission.  My body needed to rest. And I knew if I tried to push it, I’d just end up disappointed in my workouts.

At almost 2 weeks since my Boston Qualifier Marathon, I decided I need to let myself be OK with not training year round and that taking a break is normal.  I’d typically jump right back into training for my upcoming race in May (half marathon).  This time however, I decided to make it a fun run. I’m not going for a PR or to win any race categories. I deserve to run a few races a year that let me enjoy the run. So that is how I plan to cope with the post marathon blues: to let myself enjoy running and take it easy this summer and not let running overpower my life. I’m looking forward to a fun run. And will try to make the most of my free time by doing more yoga, pilates, and spin.

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