Chocolate Milk is a Life Saver!

Going into my senior year of college I thought I knew a lot about healthy diets since I'd been running competitively since the seventh grade. Well, we got a new coach for crew that year, Derek, and I learned I didn't know everything. 

If you've never rowed before I'll be the one to tell you that it makes every single part of your body hurt. Fingers, toes, back, legs and anything else you can think of...ouch. We were instructed to drink a minimum of 100oz of water a day, but who doesn't know how important staying hydrated is? Once our winter training, erg season, kicked off we not only hated practice but our bodies hated us. That's when we got the secret. Chocolate milk and yogurt within 30-minutes of a hard workout. I know, call me crazy, but it works. Something about the sugars and proteins help your muscles start to heal so they don't feel so bad later, and the chocolate makes you feel better right away. It's amazing how great it works. I drink chocolate milk after most of my runs these days. If I lift I go for more protein and either drink a protein shake or a green smoothie.

Who knew one of the best "kids drinks" would end up being the best after work out treat.

Running is my Friend

Running, running, running...what on Earth would I do without running? 

Today I put my emotional running to the test. I got bad news this morning about my "other family." Grandma passed away after a battle with cancer. I'm always the rock, so few people see me cry. I immediately started formulating my road trip to Harpers Ferry and DC, what would make every one cheer up the best, and how I was going to handle my own pain. The pain that is so familiar to me, but it never gets easier...

This afternoon I took advantage of the clouds and lovely 75 degree weather. I danced around the house and jogged up and down the stairs gathering my "supplies," aka my watch, shoes and bandanna. I clipped on Orangie the iPod and got my run started with "This is Why I'm Hot." At first I thought about how my shins hurt, then the tears started to flow. After three or four minutes the tears stopped. I ran harder and faster than I have in weeks. I met a great dane that was terrified of me. We're the same size, so he's just a wimp. I thought about how much I love Caryn and her family, and how Grandma is now in a better place and not sick anymore. Then the sun came out, it was like some movie director was following me. I was inspired and did another look around the pond in the back of my neighborhood, and even tried my chances with the great dane again (he ran away and "hid" behind a baby tree). On my last laps someone's sprinklers had come on just in time to cool me off, and the smell of all the freshly cut grass kept me going. As I clicked through trying to find the perfect song to do my final sprint I took a deep breath and kicked it in. I left every last bit of sadness on the road. After all, we should celebrate her life.

To me, emotion drives me in all aspects of my life. My top 5 runs ever have been happy, sad, depressed, excited....a little bit of everything. The road and I have become friends over the last 11 years, and I think we're going to stay friends for many more years to come. I'm glad that it doesn't get upset when I lay serious emotion and thoughts out there.

8 Steps...to Running

When I was in sales one of the classes I learned was called "The 8 Steps to a Successful Day." I don't think anyone has ever done one for running, so I changed a few things around so that the steps apply to running. 

1) Have a winning attitude - You have to have a winning attitude to achieve your goals. Without the winning attitude getting to the end of your street can be a challenge.

2) Warm Up - I can't stress enough how important it is to warm up before you go on a run. Some say jog a half mile, and others focus on stretching more. Personally, I warm up my muscles a little bit my jogging or dancing around the house, and then I stretch. You don't have to do the same thing everyday, spice things up. Yoga or WiiFit are other great ways to get warm and lose before a run.

3) Be comfortable - Comfort is key, especially when you're just getting into running and when you're racing. Comfort ranges from your socks and shoes to your sunglasses. My high school cross country coach even had the awkward "make sure you're wearing the right kind of bra" conversation with us. Everything is important. You don't want blisters or other injuries just because you wanted to look good in your matching outfit. Trust me, how you look doesn't matter at the end of the day.

4) Be Prepared - Being prepared covers everything from sunblock (yes, wear it) to warm or cool enough cloths. If you have asthma or other health conditions have an ID with you just in case if you're going on a long run. In cold weather make sure you have a hat and gloves, and in hot weather sun block and a hat/sunglasses to block the sun. 

(Race Prep is a whole different ball game that I will come to on a different day)

5) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate - This should be an obvious one, but it's something I know I struggle with...so I know other people struggle with it too. No matter how hot or cold, sunny or rainy hydrating is the most important thing you can do for your body. If you're in the Arizona in the summer then you HAVE to drink way more water. My crew coach in college told us 100 oz is the minimum amount of water athletes should be consumed. 

6) Maintain a positive attitude - Maintaining the attitude will get you through your training from start to finish. Weather is a pretty big challenge to over come, but once you build up a strong mental game you'll be passing people like crazy. I play games to get myself through tough weather challenges. I ran a half marathon in the rain, and I told myself that the rain was worse for everyone else and that it was just there to keep me cool. For every race I ran in high school I ran into a head wind, and convinced myself that everyone else had to deal with it but me (and to this day, wind doesn't bother me).

7) Focus on breathing - As a former asthmatic this is a very important step for everyone to focus on. There's the classic "breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth" line, and that works for some. For others it's a matter of running enough to build up stronger lungs, like me. Breathing is more important than how fast you're running, so give it some thought. The oxygen will not only keep you from passing out, but it makes your muscles happy too.

8) Know your goal, and have a plan for getting there - Your goal can be anything from wanting to lose a few pounds to wanting to run a marathon. Start with something attainable. You're not going to wake up and be able to run a marathon if you haven't been training previously, and you aren't going to lose 20 lbs after 5 or 6 runs. Set an attainable goal, and have a plan for getting there. For big goals, like a marathon, through in mini goals along the way like a 5k, 10k and/or a half marathon. Achieving little goals on the way to a big goal build your confidence, and you'll crush your big goal.

Running: lost in thought

This morning before the temperature even hit 70 I hit the road. In July you'd be crazy not to take advantage of such nice weather in the mid-west. I decided to stray away from my typical neighborhood loop, and put my running mix on shuffle. I figured a long run never hurt, and today was the perfect day to have one.

Through the course of my running I actually got lost in thought, and got lost in the neighborhoods I was running in. Normally that would freak me out...but today it was the most relaxing experience. I had no where to be, didn't know where the next turn would take me, or what song was coming up next. I thought about how I'd coach cross country if I was ever a coach. (I decided coaching a team in the midwest would be much easier than coaching a team in the south west) I also thought about how I needed to go on these runs more often. I felt like I was back in Dayton for a part of my run, St. Louis for another, and actually in Greenwood for another...everything felt so comfortable and right. Since I was so at peace with myself even my muscles were relaxed. I more than doubled my previous running time, and didn't even have the urge to walk. 

Running is how I come back to peace in my life. I have a relationship with my mind, my body, my shoes, and the road. The relationship is so intimate and I want nothing more than for everyone to experience how great it is. As I've said before, running isn't something that's easy to get into...you have to give it more than 5 minutes. Give it two weeks, and see how much happier and balanced you are in your life.

Doors Close and Open

Over the last year I've had so many doors open and close in my life. I graduated from college (Goooo Dayton Flyers), had the greatest internship in the universe (Go Reds!), moved...a few times, and left jobs and relationships (romantic and otherwise).

Sometimes doors are little doggie doors, the flaps that whoosh and you don't really notice. Other times doors are huge and elaborate, and they take a lot of effort to close. Today I closed on of those huge doors in my life. All the stress that came with it brought on a migraine, a bad mood, and a lot of negative energy. I must admit, that was my first migraine in about 3 months, and the last one had to do with that door as well. This door needed to be closed because the door (that's what we'll call her) tried with all her might to control most aspects of my life from how I organized my own room to how I spent my precious free time. I always felt guilty about something and avoided the house as much as possible. I'm a very free spirit, so you can see how this would be a very negative experience for me. After spending two weeks away in Phoenix (21 hours away if you don't stop driving, ever) it was decided that I needed to move out...good call since it was so convenient. Today was the trip to St. Louis to gather all of my stuff that was poorly packed and sent to my Aunt's house for keeping until I returned to the midwest.

So, upon returning home with the half of my stuff that was left in St. Louis I was left with a mass of insanity. So with all that negative stuff how was the door closing positive to me? Well, now that the door is closed I get to clean up and organize my life in the comfort of my home. I have the support of my incredible parents, my amazing sister, and my loving dogs. Just by hanging up my cloths (finally from the move back from Phoenix) and throwing out a few things I feel so much better. I was on the phone and cracked up because Joe said "you're doing all of this unpacking just to pack it all up again." It's true, a door always opens when a door closes. I do plan to make the cross country trek back to Phoenix in the near future. 

With my hugh negative door closed, now I can open up a new huge door of opportunity and happiness. I am really looking forward to actually doing something for myself. Here's to closing doors on the negative, and opening doors on the positive. Don't let anyone dictate how you spend your life. 

"I've got my life, and it's my only one" - Kanye West