Zen Runners

Oh, how I wish I could be a zen runner.  Those people who get their shoes on and just leave the house, with never a thought about taking a watch, music, gps or other "necessity" ....they do it purely for the run, with no need to analyze, dissect the pace/distance/altitude, or the need to be distracted at times.  The run is their high, regardless if its 2 miles or 20.

I will never be a zen runner.  Its simply impossible.  Type A personality here, and while I love the idea of zen running, I fear that my personality would never embrace the  simplicity of zen running.  I have a strong desire for data and analytics (something my current profession very much utilizes).  I love being a Type A, but for running, I wish a Type B personality could fit me comfortably.  The person who is not nearly as competitive (in every facet of life), but if they are, its not something that takes over their lives.  My husband...Type B.  If he "thinks" he ran around a 5k, thats good enough for him.  If he "thinks" it was around 30 minutes, he's ok with that.  Of course, I question this pace and distance...but it doesn't really matter to him.  He is simply glad that he got out there.  No accollades or timers or pacers needed...no "analytics" are required after a run.  Just a run.

Oh, being a zen runner represents such freedom, and yet, the Type A in me finds so much strength in the analytics.  Is it possible to be both?

I "collect"

I can't help it, and maybe I don't want to stop!  I remember when I was a child, I was a girl scout (the whole brownie and junior girl scout thing) and I absolutely LOVED collecting the badges from projects that I earned.  I thrived on it.  I remember delving into the book o' badges to see badges would be "low hanging fruit" for me.  See, if I knew I had to do 4 things and I've already experienced 2, let's knock those others out and get...that....badge!  And yes, I still have my girl scout sash somewhere!

I suppose collecting the bling from races is similar.  I don't much care for the shirts (except maybe the Florida Road Race Series) and most of the stuff at the expo I typically don't use...but its the bling that I like.  Just looking at it is satisfaction of my effort.

Half Marathon Statistics and Trends

Since 2003, the half-marathon has been the fastest growing road race distance in the U.S.  Just the increase in the official "finishers" is surprising:

1990	303,000
1995	420,000
2000	482,000
2004	612,000
2005	658,000
2006	724,000
2007	796,000
2008	900,000
2009	1,113,000 (record high)

With the introduction of the Tinkerbell HM, the expansions to the RNR Half Marathon series, as well as trend in the Divas Half Marathon and Nike Women's Half Marathon series....its easy to predict that this distance will continue to be the "it" distance through the next decade, especially for women.  In fact, just a few years ago, women were the minority and women are now overwhelmingly the majority.

The Sarasota Half Marathon recently announed that 67% of the early registrered runners were female.  By the look of the RNR St Pete Half, this percentage seems accurate as well....seems like the half marathon is quickly becoming a female-only club!  But what is equally interesting is the fact that given the huge increase in new runners, the median time for women has only slipped a tad, during the same period.  One would presume that if you have this flurry of non-runners entering the sport, the median times would reduce dramatically!  Not so...so maybe the new runners are truly pushing themselves more than in the past?  And yet, men's times are being negatively affected as well (even their representation is actually reducing)....but I have no explantion for that, except that maybe men are tending to push themselves more to the marathon (as this is the only distance that they have a clear majority in now).

I think the reduction in times is nothing to be ashamed of...if anything, its great!  Decades ago, if you were not an elite (or aspiring to be an elite) athlete, you simply didn't run.  A marathon course would never be open for 8 hours!  But now, with the mass influx of new runners into the sport (eg people like me!) it seems that the focus is getting people out there and being active, and to compete against themselves with more comraderie to their fellow runners.  Even the 5k has seen tremendous growth!  At one time as well, you only saw gizelles run the 5k, and now all shapes and sizes run.  True, as a country we still need to focus on obtaining a healthy weight, but at least our muscle/bone/cardio strength is improving as a nation!  So, even if you are not perceived to be "fit", you join races now!  Its a great trend, especially since we are seeing obesity strike the young now...and we have to curb this current generation from handing their souls to McDonalds!

Other half-marathon “boom” facts:

• In the past decade (2000-09), U.S. half-marathon finishers have grown from 482,000 to 1,113,000, a 131% increase; the 5K, the most popular distance, is a distant second with a solid 40% growth over the same period.
• Since 2002, more than 20 U.S. half-marathons annually had their inaugural running.
• Twenty of the top 30 largest U.S. half-marathons (greater than 8,000 finishers) are less than 10 years old or rebranded.
• In 2009, there were a record 17 U.S. half-marathons with 10,000 finishers or more; in 2000, there was one.
• The half currently has the largest female percent (57%) of any U.S. road distance; the percent flipped to a female majority in 2005, and by contrast, in 1985, the female percent was less than 20% in 13.1 mile races.

The source for all of these statistics can be found here.  But, if you read the details, please share with us any insights you have gained....what puzzles you?  What statistics surprise you?  Is your view of running in line with the numbers?

At what point do you become a non-beginner?

Of course, when you first start running, you are a novice...you've never tried to run, you've never made it farther than your own block, you simply don't know what you are doing. But at what point, have you graduated from novice/beginner? I suppose this is a philosophical question, as everyone will have their own opinion...but a few things to consider are listed below:

• You are not a beginner when you do not think of yourself as one.
• You are not a beginner when you go on a group run and are finally offering guidance to another! 
• Beginners are on a mission to get better...but then again, we always find a different meaning of "better" so maybe we are always beginning something!
• Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher are just beginning to compete in internationally-ranked marathons....so I suppose even amazing runners can be considered beginners!
• When someone calls you 'a beginner' with that tone after you comment on anything running related....and you start defending yourself, you are not a beginner.
• You pick up a new goal and select a training plan (eg your first half marathon) and the beginning of that training plan has you taking a step back from where you currently are, then you're not a beginner.
• When you continue running, even though you have just peed a little in your pants (or maybe a lot)...you are a runner.

Do you have anything else to add to this list?  When did you consider yourself no longer a beginner?

Time to Look Back to Look Forward

I feel that I've been very chatty lately, and quite honestly its simply because there has been so much going on!  But, even in the midst of all of this chaos, I'm just grateful to be where I am right now.  I'm fitter and healthier than I have been since before the kids were born.  I'm on my way to looking the part as well.  While I sometimes dread the first few steps, I love the feeling afterwards of completing a run that most people would never even attempt.  I love the sense of accomplishment.  I love how proud I am of something that completed.

As a mother (or a father for that matter), initially, our entire existence is just trying to "keep up"  ...keep up at work, make sure the kids are taken care of, make sure the house isn't destroyed by said kids, make sure the dog has food, and the list goes on and on.  Its so easy to put our personal obligations (to ourself) last.  It takes no effort.  It takes no sacrifice.  Its easy to NOT do anything about your own health and welfare. 

But, when you ignore it for too long, thats when it matters most!  You are a better mother, wife/husband, boss, workers, person when your own health needs are taken care of.  You sleep better.  You are less stressed.  You are more hopeful.  You are more patient.  You are so much more of "you" when you are healthy.

While I have more going on these few months than I will in the next year, I can honestly say, I feel better and less stressed than I was even 2 years ago.  I get no "rest" time.  I watch no television anymore...there is simply not enough time to dedicate to a non-purposeful activity.  I use my time more efficiently for things that matter...and those things that matter make my life better.

Cheers to those who work every day to making sure that they are the best that they can be!

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The compassionate runner....in all of us.

At the Princess Half, there was a women who fell and broke her shoulder pretty early on in the race.  There were several runners who stayed by her side for a good 30 minutes until they she was taken away in an ambulance.  They risked not making the minimum time.  They risked being passed by the dreaded balloon lady!  30 minutes is a considerable time in an event hat has a strict cut-off...and yet, they did it without hesitation.


You know, this type of compassion is typical of runners...more so than any other sport. While we are all out there to compete, we are truly competing with ourselves, since the 99.99999% of runners will never be 1st in a half marathon and have no expectations of that. So, we have the benefit of waving to others while we run, nodding our heads as a greeting, and being nightengales on the side of a road, as in the case of the Princess half...because we are kindred spirits towards each others' successes, not obstacles to each others' success.

Half Fanatic #1954...Here I am!

I'm in! I qualified for "Neptune" status.


This is what you get by joining the club:

• We have an interactive members only web site.
• You can add and delete your name to up coming races in the Race Calendar.
• You have your own page you can add your Half Marathon history to.
• You have access to members only Fanatic Bulletin Board.
• You get your race count tracked in the Fanatics Asylum ( Score Card ).
• You can purchase Member only Half Fanatic race singlets and other merchandise.
• You get discounts on certain races around the country. Check out the Discount Forum on the Bulletin Board.
• You will have access to an online Fanatic Newsletter highlighting Members races.
• If you would like to send in a brief race report we can add that in to share with others.

and more importantly, I can put a cute little icon on my website :)

I run...but does that make me a runner?

Strange. I have no problem telling people that "I run" but I still have issues with saying "I'm a runner" as it identifies me with a group I'm not quite sure I "fit" with yet.

Even now (as I think I should have learned by now that my vision is NOT true), I envision "runners" as these svelty people who glide across pavement. I'm certainly not svelte. I certainly don't glide. Now, while I've been told that my gait is good for runners, I see myself in every marathonfoto pic and it looks like I'm simply walking. No svelte gliding present there!

See....I still don't think I "fit" in. I suppose I look at every group run I am involved with, and while I'm not a whale, I am typically the most pudgy of the group. Maybe this "fitting in" is getting worse as a result of our new restaurant eating habits....but I suppose its been there all along, but just feels stronger now. Maybe I feel that since I finished a half marathon, this thought should have dissipated? I really did think that after i finished it, I could say "I'm a runner". And, while I have that oval "runnergirl" sticker on the back on my SUV, I'm still not sure I identify with it. I try. I really do try. But, getting over your own vision of yourself is hard.

Its easy to lose weight, relatively speaking...but very hard to see yourself differently, even with running attire on that makes you look the part. Until you know you feel the part, you are spending so much energy to convince yourself...now, eventually, my mind will give in and accept it. But that hasn't quite happened yet.

Seems so contradictory since I know I've come so far, doesn't it? I'm lightyears ahead of most people out there, and I am so far removed to the non-physical person I was. I know I've earned the title of "runner" and yet my mind doesn't agree.

I'll just have to get over it, I know.

My Shopping Addiction

I admit it...every single time I am in a running store, I find the desire to get yet another pair of running socks. This time it was a pink pair of Injinji toe socks. Mind you, this was several days ago and I have yet to wear them.

What is up with this desire? Maybe I dreaded last summer so much that I need to find ammunition to beat the unbearable sweaty feet dilemma that will peak in just a few months? Running in Florida definitely puts a different spin on things, especially in the summer. Just imagine 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity and even an easy non-breazy 5k run. You are sweltering from the heat. Even now, I know I will be donning the singlets in just 2 or 3 months....but its the darn feet that get me the most. I swear the sun penetrates its heat directly through my shoe.

So, in anticipation of the hot humid weather coming up before I blink an eye, I will buy socks....in hopes of some day not having sweaty feet :)

More Modest Before Running?

When I first attempted to run as part of the C25k program, I committed to capris. Mind you it was early summer in Florida, but the summer here (even early summer) is still brutal. Why would I wear capris? For mere modesty! I hate my legs...especially my inner knees (definitely my worst feature and I have no idea which parent gave me this natural inner knee fat, because their knees look normal!).

It took me a good 10 weeks before I ventured into something shorter....namely running skirts. 10 weeks! I swear I look back on that and wonder why the h-e-double hockey sticks I would ever wear something so HOT (of course, most capris are black, and a few are dark grey) in the summer here in Florida!

So, I've now come to accept that my legs are still not that great although I am beginning to see more muscle tone and less fat covering my bones down there.....but I needed something cooler. Would you believe it? I now mostly where skirts with a 4" inseam. I never would have done that before! Sure, its for comfort...but I now wear shorts every weekend, which shocks my husband (as I've never worn shorts outside of the house before in front of him...yeah, my inner knees are THAT bad). But, its ok now..I don't care. I have a better appreciation for what my legs are capable of doing, and while I still don't like my inner thighs/knees, I accept them now more than ever before....and if that means people have to see more of my leg than they would prefer, so be it.

Motivation Hint

Put your running clothes on the moment you feel the motivation lacking....just sitting around in your running attire will make you feel silly, so you just HAVE TO go for a run!

How short is too short for men's running shorts?

I completely stole this from someone on Daily Mile (so I cannot take the credit), but I loved the logic in this one!

The length of the leg should match your running pace. i.e. 10min/mi- go for the long 10" shorts. 9min/mi, 9" shorts. 8min/mi- 8" shorts. etc. The faster you run- the more appropriate the shorter leg length.

Really makes sense to me...new runners feel insecure showing so much more skin, so they go for longer apparel (I did at first as well...stuck to capris even though it was damn hot!). Now, the more serious you are, you tend to be less concerned with what non-runners think of your apparel, so you are more willing to flaunt your lack of modesty since it suits your sport and go with the shorter shorts that simply make running more comfortable.

Who Inspires Me?

Those that seem to do it all....not those people on magazines or those that seem to do one thing extraordinarily better than anyone else on earth....but those people who take care of themselves, work full-time (if you don't, its hard for me to relate) and take care of their family. Those are the ones that just seem to balance everything well, and nobody is left wanting, especially their own mental health.

I feel like I'm much better at this since I've started to exercise regularly. Sure, I'm busier than hell! But, I feel like every moment of my time is valuable now....and its a great feeling.

Just getting outside helps the mind...

Doesn't it? Funny since we got outside to run thinking that we would just help our body :)

A Runner's Week

Isn't it simply strange that a runner's week starts on a Monday when everyone else starts on Sunday? :)

Don't Compare...or should I?

So, I was at a party last night. And the mother of a new freshman cross-country runner was there (she's been running for about 6-8 weeks now). We are both running our first race together, just by chance. She weighs about 110 pounds, and is lean...she's got great form, from what her parents have said (per the coach), and the father expects her to finish in under 30 minutes. Well, I asked the mother earlier how well she's doing and of course, she gloated, which I expected (after all, why wouldn't she be proud). I mentioned that I wonder how I will do at the race, and she came straight old and told me to not bother competing against her daughter.

First, I know she has youth on her side....and she's carrying NO weight. I know she will be faster than me, but I honestly wanted to know how speedy she was. So, I took it to mean that I shouldn't bother as I'll never be as fast as her daughter. I took this as a slam on my ability, but then again they have never seen me run...or know how well I am determined to stick to it. I can only think she is looking in the mirror when she said that. Well, I am NOT her. I'm trying to get back into shape. I'm pushing myself harder than she ever has (at least since i've known her). I'm not overweight anymore like her (well, just a tad, but pretty healthy I think). And...why shouldn't I try to compete with her? Sure, she's 25 years younger than me. So what?

Maybe her off-hand remark wasn't meant as anything more than not to compare myself to anyone....especially the youth. But, quite honestly, it pissed me off!!! I've worked so hard since April on running. I've been consistent. I've been focused. I've educated myself on so many things that I had no knowledge of. I'm eating properly, with the right nutrition and making really good decisions most of the time. So, is it completely out of the question that I could never be as good as a young runner? Ever?

An "Ah Ha!" Moment

I was running the other day, and all of a sudden, I realized that my legs were just moving and falling into rhythm like they have never quite done before...I felt warmth throughout my entire lower body, from my upper thigh to my heel. It simply felt like every single muscle/joint/bone was working in sync. I must say that this was quite nice to feel. Sure, it was still effort...but I never really felt like this before while running....perfect biomechanical movement, at least for me. Thats the only way I can think to describe it. Every lower body movement just worked and create this incredible flow of movement and I could feel the strength and power in every muscle, moving like a machine thats been well-oiled.

And, last night when I ran, I felt the same thing...it was very much like an "ah ha" moment for me. I just hope that the whole run will eventually be like that!

Hmmm....no need for tunes?

For the last few runs, I've preferred to go when its started to get dark but not yet pitch black. I also prefer to run in the middle of the road, which seems to be less cambered and no cracks to encourage falls! This requires me to run without music. Surprisingly, I've enjoyed it. I'm surprised at how little noise my feet make when touching the ground....really, its like I'm running in stealth mode! Well, except for my loud breathing :)

How do you know when you are a runner?

When you don't like being called a jogger :)

Spreading the Noise

So, as I mentioned before, I started running using an iPhone app. I love the interface and actual program as it was overwhelming on occassions, but not insanely so. Most people who start to run somehow already know how to run an entire 1/4 mile without panting...well, that was NOT me. So, I needed something that started me from the absolute beginning...and this did the trick. One additional feature that I liked was the fact that it posted my completed workout onto Facebook. Now, normally, I could care less what auto-posts to Facebook, but I did like the accountability of this feature. I know that if I stopped having it auto-post, I'm sure someone would have called me on it...and I didn't want that. Also, my friend Jane was doing the same thing, so as she would finish a run, I would "like" her status update and she would do the same for me...felt like you were not out there all alone. Actually, it felt like I had my own little running club going on, but still felt that I could run and look foolish without anyone watching :) Best of both worlds, right?

After I finished the initial 5k program (which took me 9 weeks + 5 weeks of nothing due to my stress fracture + 3 weeks of do-overs since I had to step back and almost start over again after my stress fracture), I found out that someone was seriously considering it due to my auto posts! Of course, I was encouraging...I know she probably felt like me...kids...busy...work...weight. I encouraged, and she took the bait!

Kari started running with her step-son (he was afterall interested in going out of the cross-country team once he started high school anyways), so she wasn't in this all alone. She is officially on week 3. So, I emailed her and asked her how everything was going...

She has already seen a difference between day 1 and day 2 of this week's training, and her stamina is increasing steadily. She thanked me for getting her motivated, and that she had no idea that there was a mini coach in her phone, or else she would have held onto her old excuses. She even has a couple other friends that have been running for awhile now, but it always seemed so easy for them. Now she realizes the empowerment and accomplish is a push enough to keep them going!

Now, that just made my day!