Running With Your Dog

I generally don't like to run with my dog because I worry about running too far with her and causing us to have to walk; she's a big girl. She is a 90 lb black lab named Daisy and is super smart. So I hadn't tried to run with her since temperatures were in the 70s and back then she would often just decide to stop while I have her leash around my rist. She's a big girl so when she stops, I stop. So I decided to give running together a rest. Another thing that bothers is running with the leash, I try to unleash her when no one is around because she is very good about staying close to me, but there is a 4 foot leash law in Columbia, so if I see someone I put her back on just in case.
Recently I taught Daisy to bring me her leash when we are going for a walk. Today I was headed out the door for my run and Daisy brought her leash to me before I could get out the door. So I decided to try taking her fora run again. Luckily it was a great idea this time! She did so well, we ran 4 good miles together and she was the one pacing! I think that fact that it was 30 degrees out made her feel a lot better than in the warmer weather. So lessoned learned, don't take a black lab in the heat unless there's a lake, they do much better running in the cold. It is always nice to have a running companion furry or not, and running tires her out way more than her usual walks do, so now she sleeps!

Turkey Day Race

For Thanksgiving I went down to Sarasota, Florida to visit my family; it was amazing being out of the cold for a week. Every year I look for to running a turkey trot, growing up I always ran a turkey trot in Elmhurst, Illinois. Usually they are 5k and cost $15-$20 and the money goes towards helping to support local food pantries. Well I found a race in Bradenton, Florida on the Bradenton Runners Club website that I really enjoyed, it was a Turkey Day 5 miler. It was a very interesting race that was really just a fun run that had about 400 runners. The Bradenton Runners Club was in charge of it and instead of a registration fee they had everyone bring food or drink to share. It was an awesome idea, I brought apples, some people brought muffins, power bars, gatorade, even doughnuts, although because there was no entry there was no t-shirt, I didn't mind I don't need another t-shirt anyways, but if you like race shirts then this is not the type of race for you. That runners club really had their act together though and had a really big following with lots of highschool and college runners there. The day was a success, I came in 17th with a 32:48 time and I even won a poinsettia in the post race raffle. Only later that day I way over ate and nearly made myself sick. I sure was glad I got that run in so I didn't feel nearly as guilty for eating so much. Long live the Turkey Day morning race!

5K

I ran a 5k today, it was a fun little food fundraiser for local charities called the feeding 5k. It was pretty darn cold today with a brisk wind, but all in all I enjoyed it finishing in second place. On Sunday I will meet up with the local running club for a long run that involves a lot of hills and some delicious coffee and bagels afterwards. I love running, but in the cold weather it sure does give me the sniffles.

Oh Life

So I was in desperate need of some running partners so I started attending Columbia Track Club workouts. It is not like professional training or anything, it's just a bunch of people getting together for a painful ritual if running. This is probably the most useful thing a runner can find, a running group. Whenever I am able to pack run I learn to pace myself so much better and to improve my speed at the same time. It is amazing and I love it. You can actually feel yourself getting better, even though it hurts, there are other people doing the exact same thing as you at that same moment who are enjoying it just as much as you are; I know it's a sick ritual, but I love to torture myself. There is nothing more satisfying than working yourself to your limit and achieving exhaustion...I believe that goes for almost all aspects of life...

With running groups like this I believe there is so much opportunity for runners of all abilities to join the group and improve themselves in anyway they see fit. You see this isn't some ultra competitive league that your in anymore. This is a world of people doing something for themselves, for their health, for personal glorification and satisfaction. Whether 400lbs or 140lbs, join a group, be friendly and introduce yourself, because I have always found these groups welcoming to all people, there is a pace setter for everyone. Team work is how the world has developed to what it is today and the best way to develop yourself is through the help of other individuals.

This is just my opinion on personal experience of course, there are factors in groups that can destroy an individual; factors that many people have experienced that are unpleasant. I, however, believe in the general good. In general find a group or organization out there is becoming more and more accessible, so I encourage everyone to find people with similar goals and help each other to reach those goals; motivation baby!

Thursday and Windy

I hate running into the wind, it always feels like I am not going anywhere. It is also getting colder and the short amount of time in Missouri in which we have perfect running weather is almost up; oh how I miss Chicago sometimes. I am lacking motivation to do a hard workout still, so I have basically been going for long runs, in this wind today it will probably feel like I am moving a half mile an hour. In other news I will be running the Cranberry Crawl this weekend in Columbia, it's pretty exciting.

Races

If anyone from Mid-Missouri happens to read this blog, upcoming races are as follows: XCX - Cross Country Xtreme Saturday, November 15, 2008, 9:00 AM start at Midway Sandbar 6401 Highway 40 W, Columbia, MO, Sandbar is behind Midway Travel Plaza Columbia, MO 65202. To view some info on the race and others go to http://www.offtrackevents.com/xcx.html.
This weekend there is the Cranberry Crawl 5K/10K Saturday, November 08, 2008, 08:00 AM Central Missouri Food Bank 2101 Vandiver Dr Columbia, MO 65201. http://ctc.coin.org/ is the columbia track clubs website if you are ever look for events.

Races

It has come to my attention that I do a poor job of searching for and finding races on the internet. My soon to be father-in-law always is able to find all these small races all over Missouri just by searching on the internet. So from now on I will begin trying to post Mid-Missouri upcoming races as I find them or here about them. If anyone would like me to do the same for their neck of the woods, feel free to let me know I will post. I really like supporting local races because they are generally a lot of fun and they are usually for a good cause.

Pacing Workout and Nutrition

I think today because my legs still aren't fully under me again I will run an out and back six miler, with the back being about a minute faster. I like those sort of workouts to work on my pacing. To me it is very important to be able to know about what mile time you are running at any given time. It will help you immensely in races, know your body, it is essential especially in races over 5k.
In regards to nutrition, the main thing I try to focus on is self control and not putting too much crap in my stomach. Yes, allow yourself desert or some junk food every now and then, but make it a treat. If you never eat the stuff, then someday you might give into a craving and the train may fall of the tracks because you've denied yourself for so long. I don't eat amazingly healthy, like all organic stuff or by making myself intricate meals, I just make sure I get a generally well balanced meal as often as possible. In general just avoid the stuff you know is bad, don't calorie count, just stop eating when you are full, not stuffed.

Workout

Today there will be a splended 8 mile run that will begin my training towards my next race. I think my recovery is over after this year's Chicago Marathon. I took a full week off, then eased back into running with several easy four miles the next, and this week I am builing up mileage slowly again. Always do weithlifting to help avoid injuries, I also found swimming to be an excellent way to take care of my back especially.

Motivation That Has Worked For You

In my brief story I made the point of showing that I needed motivation, a challenge to set forth for myself that I could not back down from. I did that by registering for a marathon and as a result I have given myself something that I can truly be proud of. Small accomplishments kept me going through the training period. I would set goals for myself such as being able to run a 6:00 minute mile or be able to run over ten miles in a day by a certain date. I am not a great runner I just really enjoy doing it, its simple and I use it as a way to meditate and relax. Let me know some of your stories out there and your thoughts and ideas on running?

The Why

This page is for all running types from beginner to elite. You can use this to tell stories of races and workouts or to share diet and motivation plans. It is to help runners connect with others for sharing tips and ideas on anything involving getting in shape and running.

Running and Motivation

I am from Glen Ellyn, IL which is one of the west suburbs of Chicago. I went to the University of Missouri - Columbia and my running career has since been full of 5Ks, 10Ks, and four marathons. Running has been a part of my life since my big sister took me to a park district race in the third grade. It was only a three-quarter of a mile race, but I fell in love with the challenge of overcoming my brain telling me to, "stop you fool it hurts!". I would continue to run in high school and discover the team aspect of the sport and the relationships that develop between runners despite the very individualistic nature of the sport. I would go to college and play a lot of baseball during my four years, putting running on the sidelines. It wasn't until the end of my junior year in college that I realized I needed to bring running back into my life. I had gained over 20 pounds since high school and could barely huff and puff out a 7:30 mile. I first tried running just to get in shape, a few mile here, some slow-fast halves there; I was lacking motivation. I needed something to drive me, to give me no choice but to run, so I decided to give myself the painful goal of finishing the 2006 Chicago Marathon. By just signing myself up and paying the fee, I knew I had just found a way to recommit myself to a sport that had long since left my life. I knew I couldn't drop out of the race, everyday I would look at the calender and have a little panic come over me, and everyday that panic would grow. That panic got my butt outside to run no matter what the weather. By signing up for something so significant to me I totally altered my life. Running got my life on a schedule, it helped me drink less, it helped me lose weight, it motivated me to eat better, and it made me happier. I was finally paying closer attention to what I was doing to my body. I am not saying that I became a health nut, but I did begin paying a lot better attention. All this change and knowledge about myself has stuck with me since then and after finishing the 2006 Chicago Marathon in 3 hours 38 minute I went on to complete 3 more marathons; St Louis 2007, Chicago 2007, and Chicago 2008. What once was used as a weight loss/get in shape tool, has once again become a passion of mine. Although, I still can find it hard on certain days to give myself motivation to get out there and run; it is a very highly mental sport that can be difficult to overcome. I guess the trick for everyone is finding their own motivating factor and looking themselves in the mirror or at the calender to remind themselves of it daily.