Ever since I started on the new and improved Weight Watchers, I've been following this blog by WWs' CEO, David Kirchoff. I really enjoy it. Like everyone else who works for WW, Kirchoff has lost weight on the program, so he understands what his clients are going through. He also happens to be a good writer, and a man after my own heart in many food and exercise-related issues.
Case in point: Earlier this week, Kirchoff posted this entry, writing about how he does better at exercise when he takes group classes because the presence of other people kicks into his competitve drive. I totally get that. I wish I could say that I push myself just as hard when there's nobody watching, but it wouldn't be true. Even though I'm not enough of an athlete to compete with most of the people in my races and exercise classes, I still go much harder when there is some element of competition involved. A few examples from this week:
Thursday: Having finished one multi-week torturous cycle of activities in Boot Camp, our instructor Kate started us on something new. She divided the whole class into teams and had us compete in a series of timed drills and relays. Losers had to do extra pushups. It was SO MUCH FUN. Everyone got way into it- by the end, there was definitely strategy happening. It was so much fun that, for perhaps the first time in that class, I actually forgot how hard I was working. Good times.
Saturday: I joined a shockingly large number of people at my gym for a special 90-minute "endurance day" spin class. Our instructor Bill (who also teaches my Group Power class) put together a St. Patrick's Day-themed ride, including a video tour of Ireland, Irish music, and a leprechaun hat that he actually forced himself to wear for the whole 90+ minutes. In case you were wondering, 90 minutes is a lot of spinning. There were definitely a couple of points where I felt like packing it in. In this case, it was less competition and more just group spirit that kept me going. The room was packed and people were having a genuinely good time, which made the time go by much faster.
Sunday: My friend Jaquisha has been doing a "hibernation to 5K" training program for the past 6 weeks, and today she "graduated" by running her first 5K race. She invited friends and I decided to go (a) to cheer on my friend, and (b) to try again for a sub-30 minute 5K. (My previous best was 30:16, set last month.) My PC classmate and former fundraising partner Katie C. came too, along with her running buddies Erin and Amir. Having Katie, Erin, and Amir there was a real blessing for me. They set a challenging pace and having them around kept me motivated to hang on to it (which was not easy). When we got to the finish line, I had to do a double-take: 27:19! Better than I ever imagined! Then, as the icing on the cake, we got to cheer as Jaquisha crossed her first (but certainly not last) finish line.
Before I sign off, I also need to send a HUGE congratulations to my friend Scott, who completed his first Half-Ironman yesterday (1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike, 13.1 mi run) in a staggering 5 hours, 38 minutes. That put him in the top 25% of all finishers, which is pretty unbelivable for a debut at that distance. What's even more remarkable is that I saw Scott, just a little over a year ago, when I was running the B&A Half-Marathon for the first time. Scott was running the full marathon that day, and we ran together for awhile, chatting about both having turned 30. We both complained about gaining weight and slowing down; Scott mentioned that he had not finished a marathon in under 5 hours since his 30th birthday. Just a few months later, Scott did his first sprint tri and suddenly morphed into a super-athlete. He followed the sprint with an olympic distance, in which he finished within the top 100. Somewhere in there he lost what looks like at least 30 pounds. Then, in October, he finished MCM in under 4 hours. Now, he's got the half-Iron under his belt and he is gunning for the full Ironman later this year. That is a total transformation in just a hair over a year. Incredible!
Showing posts with label running buddies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running buddies. Show all posts
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
No such thing as easy: B&A Trail Half-Marathon 2011
As I mentioned in my last post, this weekend was my second running of my first half-marathon: the B&A Trail Half-Marathon in Severna Park. I completed three other halfs in 2010 as well, but I never beat my B&A time of 2:24:05. So, I went into this year's race with one goal: beat my 2010 time. The B&A course is almost totally flat- probably the flattest course I've ever run. Thus, if you are going to set a PR (personal record), this race is a good place to do it.
Going into the race, I thought that I could easily knock five minutes off my time. On the whole, I run faster now that I did last year at this time. More importantly, I ran into two issues in last year's race that I did not anticipate repeating. First, I violated one of basic rules of racing: don't try any new foods the night before a race. My penalty for breaking this rule was at least four bathroom stops over the course of the race. I won't do that again! Second, Val fell down, hard, during mile 12 of last year's race. Being the warrior that she is, she got up and finished, despite a black eye and some seriously wounded pride. Between the bathroom stops and helping Val up, I figured that I lost at least 5 minutes in last year's race. So, all I had to do was eat something bland the night before and watch my step and I had a 2:19 finish time in the bag, right?
Turned out, it wasn't so easy. This is one of the first races that I entered with a specific time goal in mind, and probably the first time I really kept track of my pace throughout the whole race. My plan was to do what I should have done during the Parks Half-Marathon back in September: keep a steady pace until at least mile 10, and then step it up at the end if I could. I ran the 2010 race at an 11-minute/mile pace, so I needed to stay a little ahead of that throughout, and then give it whatever I had left in the end.
The first half of the race felt pretty easy. I was keeping the pace without difficulty; in fact, I probably felt better in miles 4-6 than I have ever felt in a race. After the turnaround, though, it got tougher. By that point, Val (who is recovering from a knee issue) had fallen behind me, so I was on my own, rallying my inner cheerleader to keep going. Around mile 9 or 10, I slipped off pace a bit. So, at the point when I had planned to speed up, I was fighting just to stay on pace. Fortunately, I was able to do it, and I changed my goal to just holding pace until the end. When I reached the end of the trail, which is almost the end of the race, my watch showed me at 2:16. That was enough motivation to speed up and race for the finish. When I crossed, the race clock and my watch said 2:20, but I later found out that my chip time was 2:18:55. So, in the end, I knocked off a hard-fought 5 minutes, 10 seconds.
At the finish, I met up with several Striders friends and witnessed some major accomplishments. Solomon from our marathon training group beat his previous best time by 27 minutes. My friend Jen knocked 9 minutes off her previous best time, and has improved by 25 minutes in just two years. Val's friend Marie, who was running her first half, kept a pace of 9:50 for the whole race. (To put that in perspective, my best 5K pace has been 9:46.) Despite her injury and missing several key long runs, Val managed to finish in just under 2:30.
Going into the race, I thought that I could easily knock five minutes off my time. On the whole, I run faster now that I did last year at this time. More importantly, I ran into two issues in last year's race that I did not anticipate repeating. First, I violated one of basic rules of racing: don't try any new foods the night before a race. My penalty for breaking this rule was at least four bathroom stops over the course of the race. I won't do that again! Second, Val fell down, hard, during mile 12 of last year's race. Being the warrior that she is, she got up and finished, despite a black eye and some seriously wounded pride. Between the bathroom stops and helping Val up, I figured that I lost at least 5 minutes in last year's race. So, all I had to do was eat something bland the night before and watch my step and I had a 2:19 finish time in the bag, right?
Turned out, it wasn't so easy. This is one of the first races that I entered with a specific time goal in mind, and probably the first time I really kept track of my pace throughout the whole race. My plan was to do what I should have done during the Parks Half-Marathon back in September: keep a steady pace until at least mile 10, and then step it up at the end if I could. I ran the 2010 race at an 11-minute/mile pace, so I needed to stay a little ahead of that throughout, and then give it whatever I had left in the end.
The first half of the race felt pretty easy. I was keeping the pace without difficulty; in fact, I probably felt better in miles 4-6 than I have ever felt in a race. After the turnaround, though, it got tougher. By that point, Val (who is recovering from a knee issue) had fallen behind me, so I was on my own, rallying my inner cheerleader to keep going. Around mile 9 or 10, I slipped off pace a bit. So, at the point when I had planned to speed up, I was fighting just to stay on pace. Fortunately, I was able to do it, and I changed my goal to just holding pace until the end. When I reached the end of the trail, which is almost the end of the race, my watch showed me at 2:16. That was enough motivation to speed up and race for the finish. When I crossed, the race clock and my watch said 2:20, but I later found out that my chip time was 2:18:55. So, in the end, I knocked off a hard-fought 5 minutes, 10 seconds.
At the finish, I met up with several Striders friends and witnessed some major accomplishments. Solomon from our marathon training group beat his previous best time by 27 minutes. My friend Jen knocked 9 minutes off her previous best time, and has improved by 25 minutes in just two years. Val's friend Marie, who was running her first half, kept a pace of 9:50 for the whole race. (To put that in perspective, my best 5K pace has been 9:46.) Despite her injury and missing several key long runs, Val managed to finish in just under 2:30.
After everyone finished, we gathered for some photos and snacks inside:
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| Myself, Val, and Marie. |
I had a slice of pizza, which was probably the best pizza I have ever had. Then, I spent the rest of the day wrestling with the usual insatiable hunger. I wish I could say that I satisfied it with apples and bananas, but I actually went with a burrito and a milkshake. Fortunately, the hunger has abated today, so I might be able to salvage this week food-wise before my Wednesday Weight Watchers check-in.
Congratulations to my friends and all of this year's B&A runners. See you in 2012!
Monday, February 28, 2011
The running prom.
It might seem a bit contrary to my personality, but I have always loved proms. By "prom," I mean events where a group of people with something in common put on fancy clothes and go to a big party. In high school, it was the senior prom. In college, we had Brecon Prom (ask me about that in a less public forum...). In seminary, we had Spring Fling, aka: the Div School prom. Since my seminary graduation, I have been seriously missing an annual occasion to put on a fancy dress and tell my friends they look fabulous. Last year, my friend Jaimee came to my aid by hosting a prom to celebrate her 30th birthday:
This year, I got to go to the running prom: the Annapolis Striders' annual awards banquet.
As a non-profit worker and perpetual student, fancy dresses and banquets are not usually within my budget. Fortunately, this event came with a perfect justification: my Ironman award! As I mentioned in my year-end wrap up (12/13/10), I completed all 8 races in the 2010 Striders' Champ Series, which earned me an Ironman award, to be presented at the annual banquet. Winning an award for running is not something I ever imagined myself doing, and I have no idea if/when it will happen again, so I was sure as heck going to pick it up!
I had planned to wear my current "weddings and fancy events" dress, pictured below, to the banquet:
I love this dress and I always happy to wear it, but Anthropologie (aka: my greatest temptation) had other plans. Back in the fall, they sent me an email with this dress in it:
As soon as I saw it, I knew we were meant for each other. Still, I resisted for several months. Finally, just a week before the banquet, my resolve cracked. I decided to "just stop in" to the Annapolis Anthro store and try the dress on. Alas, when I arrived, I could not find it. I decided it wasn't meant to be and took a couple other things into the dressing room... where I found the "last ones" rack. There, on the rack, was my dress- the last one in the store- in my size. When I picked it up, the salespeople acted like we were at the SPCA and I was adopting their favorite puppy: "You're buying that dress? We love that dress! We're so excited for you!"
So, Saturday evening, I put on my new favorite dress, went to Mom's house for a quick photo shoot, and then headed to the banquet. During the cocktail hour, everyone played a game of "try to recognize your running friends out of their running clothes," which was really fun. I found Val, and we all sat down for dinner and the awards.
They announced the Ironman awards first, beginning with the person who has completed the whole Champ Series for the most consecutive years: 25! I was beyond impressed with the 25 year veteran, as well as the handful of others who have won for 15+ years. Think about it: these folks have managed to make it to 8 races, spread throughout the year, in distances ranging from 1 mile to 16.3 miles, for 15 years or more. That takes some amazing fitness and determination. In the end 50 people ran the whole Champ Series this year- the biggest group ever! Once we all had our awards, they assembled us for a group photo, which you can view here. As I walked back to my seat, Val snapped this photo:
Then, they moved on to the big end-of-year awards. At this point, I got really excited, because I knew a secret: Val was a winner! Our running coach Susan nominated her for the annual Phoenix award, which honors a runner who came back from illness or injury. Val could not be more deserving- she ran through battles with obesity and breast cancer, then came back from a major fall in September to finish MCM in October. Naturally, she won. Susan gave me and a few of Val's other running buddies the news a couple months ago, and we all launched a campaign to get her to the banquet. I thought for sure that she knew something was up, but she could not have been more surprised when Susan presented the award:
Watching that presentation was easily the highlight of the evening, and I thought the excitement was over afterward. Then, to my surprise, I got to watch another friend honored: Susan won the award for Volunteer of the Year. Again, the award was very deserved: Susan shows up on Saturdays 2/3 of the year to coach both half-marathon and marathon training, she runs the Junior Striders program, and she probably does a million other things I don't even know about. Oh- and she happens to have a family and a full-time job. I was so happy to see her get recognized for all of her hard work!
At the end of the night, I headed home to hang up my new "weddings and fancy events" dress and display my award:
All in all, the running prom was a great reward for a year of hard work. I'm already looking forward to next year!
 |
| The birthday girl and I. Note: this is my actual senior prom dress! |
As a non-profit worker and perpetual student, fancy dresses and banquets are not usually within my budget. Fortunately, this event came with a perfect justification: my Ironman award! As I mentioned in my year-end wrap up (12/13/10), I completed all 8 races in the 2010 Striders' Champ Series, which earned me an Ironman award, to be presented at the annual banquet. Winning an award for running is not something I ever imagined myself doing, and I have no idea if/when it will happen again, so I was sure as heck going to pick it up!
I had planned to wear my current "weddings and fancy events" dress, pictured below, to the banquet:
I love this dress and I always happy to wear it, but Anthropologie (aka: my greatest temptation) had other plans. Back in the fall, they sent me an email with this dress in it:
As soon as I saw it, I knew we were meant for each other. Still, I resisted for several months. Finally, just a week before the banquet, my resolve cracked. I decided to "just stop in" to the Annapolis Anthro store and try the dress on. Alas, when I arrived, I could not find it. I decided it wasn't meant to be and took a couple other things into the dressing room... where I found the "last ones" rack. There, on the rack, was my dress- the last one in the store- in my size. When I picked it up, the salespeople acted like we were at the SPCA and I was adopting their favorite puppy: "You're buying that dress? We love that dress! We're so excited for you!"
So, Saturday evening, I put on my new favorite dress, went to Mom's house for a quick photo shoot, and then headed to the banquet. During the cocktail hour, everyone played a game of "try to recognize your running friends out of their running clothes," which was really fun. I found Val, and we all sat down for dinner and the awards.
 |
| Running buddies! |
They announced the Ironman awards first, beginning with the person who has completed the whole Champ Series for the most consecutive years: 25! I was beyond impressed with the 25 year veteran, as well as the handful of others who have won for 15+ years. Think about it: these folks have managed to make it to 8 races, spread throughout the year, in distances ranging from 1 mile to 16.3 miles, for 15 years or more. That takes some amazing fitness and determination. In the end 50 people ran the whole Champ Series this year- the biggest group ever! Once we all had our awards, they assembled us for a group photo, which you can view here. As I walked back to my seat, Val snapped this photo:
Then, they moved on to the big end-of-year awards. At this point, I got really excited, because I knew a secret: Val was a winner! Our running coach Susan nominated her for the annual Phoenix award, which honors a runner who came back from illness or injury. Val could not be more deserving- she ran through battles with obesity and breast cancer, then came back from a major fall in September to finish MCM in October. Naturally, she won. Susan gave me and a few of Val's other running buddies the news a couple months ago, and we all launched a campaign to get her to the banquet. I thought for sure that she knew something was up, but she could not have been more surprised when Susan presented the award:
Watching that presentation was easily the highlight of the evening, and I thought the excitement was over afterward. Then, to my surprise, I got to watch another friend honored: Susan won the award for Volunteer of the Year. Again, the award was very deserved: Susan shows up on Saturdays 2/3 of the year to coach both half-marathon and marathon training, she runs the Junior Striders program, and she probably does a million other things I don't even know about. Oh- and she happens to have a family and a full-time job. I was so happy to see her get recognized for all of her hard work!
At the end of the night, I headed home to hang up my new "weddings and fancy events" dress and display my award:
All in all, the running prom was a great reward for a year of hard work. I'm already looking forward to next year!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Papers, panic, pasta and prayers.
Hello, friends! I am writing this from my current location under a pile of books and papers. As I may have mentioned before, the week before my marathon of running just happens to include a marathon of homework, church meetings, family stuff and a variety of other distractions. All of this is leaving little time for panic (except about schoolwork) or blogging (boo!).
My toughest assignment is due at 4:15pm today, so I am down to the wire, but I do want to take a minute to say a big thank you to the Noodles and Company in Columbia, MD. Katie and I had hoped to hold a fundraiser there this week, but all of our work got the better of us and we were not able to pull it together. We were worried that the Noodles people would be angry, but instead they offered us free pasta for our carb-loading week! So, tonight, after Katie and I both turn in this *&%$*# paper, we will be off to Katie's for a pasta party with our awesome running buddies. I can't wait.
While I have nothing else original to offer on the blog today, I had the opportunity yesterday to give a short reflection on my training/fundraising experience before one of my classes. Most of this material is recycled from other blog posts, but I thought I would post it anyway:
Marathon for Murray reflection, 10/27/10
Kelly and Sloane died on a Friday. I didn’t find out about it for a couple of days because I was busy writing a sermon about Mark 5: 21-43.This is the story where Jesus heals a woman who has been suffering hemorrhages for 12 years and also revives Jairus’ young daughter, who has just died. I really struggled with this sermon. Personally, I find the miracle stories difficult because they make me wonder why we don’t see more miracles, and why we see so many good, faithful people suffer and die.
To find a way to talk about the text, I thought about what we mean when we say the word, “miracle,” and I decided that we usually think of miracles as instant, wonderful solutions to our worst problems. Then, I looked back at the Bible story, and I realized that these healings were not instant, wonderful solutions. The people in the stories had to work hard and suffer a long time before their problems were solved. Even then, the solutions they received were quite different than what they originally hoped for.
Ultimately, I wrote:
“I think that the good news of today’s text is that miracles aren’t always simple or immediate, but they do happen. The people in today’s stories have to make long and difficult journeys in order to receive healing, and it might not happen exactly as they want or expect it to. Given a choice, I’m sure that the woman with hemorrhages would not have endured 12 years of sickness and lost everything she had before finding a cure. I’m sure that Jairus would have chosen for his daughter not to get sick and die in the first place. When that moment of healing comes, though, none of that matters. When these people finally feel the healing touch of Jesus, they forget all the struggle and pain, and simply feel awe and gratitude for the miracle they’ve received.”
That Sunday morning, I was getting ready to go and preach this sermon when I turned on the TV and learned that Kelly and Sloane had died. I drove to the church sobbing and I had no idea how I was going to stand behind the pulpit and talk about healing and resurrection. The one thing that got me through it was something that one of my preaching professors in seminary told me. He said that we should always preach the message we most need to hear. The morning that I gave that sermon was the truest expression of that lesson I can imagine. I needed more than anything to believe that healing from the kind of pain so many were experiencing that day could be possible, no matter how long or what form it took.
In the days after Kelly and Sloane died, I thought a lot about what I needed to learn from those losses. I kept coming back to how much Kelly had experienced and accomplished in only 40 years. I was 30 at that time, and I thought about what I would want to do if I knew I only had 10 more years. I decided that I needed to stop holding myself back and push myself to try new things and be as excellent as I knew I could be.
On the anniversary of Kelly and Sloane’s accident, I went to a memorial mass in their honor. Kelly’s husband Sean spoke about how he and his daughters are coping. He admits that they are still struggling, but he said that the thing that gives them hope is learning about all of the ways Kelly and Sloane have impacted and inspired others. I knew exactly what he meant. When I made my resolution to push myself, I was thinking about my personal and professional lives. Running was the furthest thing from my mind. But, as I learned from the Bible story, healing often comes in unexpected ways. I don’t have adequate time or words to explain the blessings that have come into my life since I decided to run this marathon in honor of Kelly. I can only say that it has been transformative, and I don’t know that I would have done it without Kelly and Sloane’s inspiration.
So, I want to leave you with the conclusion of that sermon I gave a little over a year ago. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t sure I believed it at the time. But I believe it now:
“As we sit here [today], I’m sure that each of us is need of some form of healing, whether from physical disease, mental illness, emotional pain, spiritual emptiness, or any number of other hurts. I’m also sure that, at one time or another, we’ve all wished for a miracle. The good news of this text is that it might not happen immediately or exactly how we want it, but if we persevere, believe, and support one another, our own miraculous moments of healing will come. Sooner or later, our faith will make us well. Amen.”
My toughest assignment is due at 4:15pm today, so I am down to the wire, but I do want to take a minute to say a big thank you to the Noodles and Company in Columbia, MD. Katie and I had hoped to hold a fundraiser there this week, but all of our work got the better of us and we were not able to pull it together. We were worried that the Noodles people would be angry, but instead they offered us free pasta for our carb-loading week! So, tonight, after Katie and I both turn in this *&%$*# paper, we will be off to Katie's for a pasta party with our awesome running buddies. I can't wait.
While I have nothing else original to offer on the blog today, I had the opportunity yesterday to give a short reflection on my training/fundraising experience before one of my classes. Most of this material is recycled from other blog posts, but I thought I would post it anyway:
Marathon for Murray reflection, 10/27/10
Kelly and Sloane died on a Friday. I didn’t find out about it for a couple of days because I was busy writing a sermon about Mark 5: 21-43.This is the story where Jesus heals a woman who has been suffering hemorrhages for 12 years and also revives Jairus’ young daughter, who has just died. I really struggled with this sermon. Personally, I find the miracle stories difficult because they make me wonder why we don’t see more miracles, and why we see so many good, faithful people suffer and die.
To find a way to talk about the text, I thought about what we mean when we say the word, “miracle,” and I decided that we usually think of miracles as instant, wonderful solutions to our worst problems. Then, I looked back at the Bible story, and I realized that these healings were not instant, wonderful solutions. The people in the stories had to work hard and suffer a long time before their problems were solved. Even then, the solutions they received were quite different than what they originally hoped for.
Ultimately, I wrote:
“I think that the good news of today’s text is that miracles aren’t always simple or immediate, but they do happen. The people in today’s stories have to make long and difficult journeys in order to receive healing, and it might not happen exactly as they want or expect it to. Given a choice, I’m sure that the woman with hemorrhages would not have endured 12 years of sickness and lost everything she had before finding a cure. I’m sure that Jairus would have chosen for his daughter not to get sick and die in the first place. When that moment of healing comes, though, none of that matters. When these people finally feel the healing touch of Jesus, they forget all the struggle and pain, and simply feel awe and gratitude for the miracle they’ve received.”
That Sunday morning, I was getting ready to go and preach this sermon when I turned on the TV and learned that Kelly and Sloane had died. I drove to the church sobbing and I had no idea how I was going to stand behind the pulpit and talk about healing and resurrection. The one thing that got me through it was something that one of my preaching professors in seminary told me. He said that we should always preach the message we most need to hear. The morning that I gave that sermon was the truest expression of that lesson I can imagine. I needed more than anything to believe that healing from the kind of pain so many were experiencing that day could be possible, no matter how long or what form it took.
In the days after Kelly and Sloane died, I thought a lot about what I needed to learn from those losses. I kept coming back to how much Kelly had experienced and accomplished in only 40 years. I was 30 at that time, and I thought about what I would want to do if I knew I only had 10 more years. I decided that I needed to stop holding myself back and push myself to try new things and be as excellent as I knew I could be.
On the anniversary of Kelly and Sloane’s accident, I went to a memorial mass in their honor. Kelly’s husband Sean spoke about how he and his daughters are coping. He admits that they are still struggling, but he said that the thing that gives them hope is learning about all of the ways Kelly and Sloane have impacted and inspired others. I knew exactly what he meant. When I made my resolution to push myself, I was thinking about my personal and professional lives. Running was the furthest thing from my mind. But, as I learned from the Bible story, healing often comes in unexpected ways. I don’t have adequate time or words to explain the blessings that have come into my life since I decided to run this marathon in honor of Kelly. I can only say that it has been transformative, and I don’t know that I would have done it without Kelly and Sloane’s inspiration.
So, I want to leave you with the conclusion of that sermon I gave a little over a year ago. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t sure I believed it at the time. But I believe it now:
“As we sit here [today], I’m sure that each of us is need of some form of healing, whether from physical disease, mental illness, emotional pain, spiritual emptiness, or any number of other hurts. I’m also sure that, at one time or another, we’ve all wished for a miracle. The good news of this text is that it might not happen immediately or exactly how we want it, but if we persevere, believe, and support one another, our own miraculous moments of healing will come. Sooner or later, our faith will make us well. Amen.”
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Some amazing women, and a reminder to watch what you say.
I am still battling my annual fall cold, as well as a poorly-timed deluge of school work, but I dragged myself out of the house last night to visit some amazing ladies from my church. All United Methodist churches are supposed to have a chapter of a group called United Methodist Women. My church had a very active group when I was young, but it fizzled out many years ago. Then, just a little over a year ago, some terrific women got it going again. Now, a group of 20-40 women gets together every month for wonderful social and outreach activities. My crazy schedule prevents me from going as much as I would like, but I get there when I can, and I never regret it. They are such a fun, energetic, interesting, and spirited group!
Last night, the UMW generously took up a collection in support of my marathon fundraiser. Not only is this wonderfully supportive to me, it also really honors Dr. Murray. Dr. Murray was all about women coming together and pushing one another to do amazing things. One of her pet projects was a summer camp called GirlsUp, where pre-teen girls build self-confidence, leadership skills, and citizenship. Fortunately, the camp has been able to continue since Dr. Murray died, and you can learn more about it at http://girlsup.org/.
Speaking of amazing and supportive women, I got an update from Val earlier today. Unfortunately, its not good news. She has a sprained ankle, needs PT, and may not be able to run the marathon. Please send her prayers, positive vibes, healing energy, and whatever else you can muster! I know how badly she wants to run this race, and I frankly can not imagine doing it without her.
Val's situation is where "watch what you say" comes into play. For the past several weeks of training, I've told numerous audiences that I'm not sure I'll ever run another marathon. I love running, but the long distances and training time are really wearing on me. In fact, I told several of the ladies at UMW last night that this marathon may be my one and only. That was an okay plan when I knew I would be doing it with Val. Now, I know that I can't train with Val all these months and not run a marathon with her. So, if Val isn't able to do MCM, it looks like I'm in for another one. Next time, I'll keep my thoughts to myself!
Last night, the UMW generously took up a collection in support of my marathon fundraiser. Not only is this wonderfully supportive to me, it also really honors Dr. Murray. Dr. Murray was all about women coming together and pushing one another to do amazing things. One of her pet projects was a summer camp called GirlsUp, where pre-teen girls build self-confidence, leadership skills, and citizenship. Fortunately, the camp has been able to continue since Dr. Murray died, and you can learn more about it at http://girlsup.org/.
Speaking of amazing and supportive women, I got an update from Val earlier today. Unfortunately, its not good news. She has a sprained ankle, needs PT, and may not be able to run the marathon. Please send her prayers, positive vibes, healing energy, and whatever else you can muster! I know how badly she wants to run this race, and I frankly can not imagine doing it without her.
Val's situation is where "watch what you say" comes into play. For the past several weeks of training, I've told numerous audiences that I'm not sure I'll ever run another marathon. I love running, but the long distances and training time are really wearing on me. In fact, I told several of the ladies at UMW last night that this marathon may be my one and only. That was an okay plan when I knew I would be doing it with Val. Now, I know that I can't train with Val all these months and not run a marathon with her. So, if Val isn't able to do MCM, it looks like I'm in for another one. Next time, I'll keep my thoughts to myself!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Walk it off.
"The Biggest Loser" started its new season on Tuesday, but Katie C. and I have been channeling trainer Jillian for a few weeks now. Over the summer, we realized that we would be in the same section of Psychological Testing this semester. This is the second of two statistics-based courses in the Loyola MS program (PhD students do more), and a source of great anxiety for many. As a (very) general rule, people drawn to human services professions like counseling are not the most mathematically-minded people, and many have not taken a math course in years. Thus, the stats classes tend to be the sites of numerous student freakouts and meltdowns, which consume valuable instructional time. Inspired by the summer fill-in show "Losing It With Jillian," Katie and I decided that we could improve the stats experience by tapping into our own inner Jillians. So, when a student starts to freak out, we could stand over his or her shoulder and shout things like "Walk it off!," "Be in it to win it!," and "Don't say 'can't' to me!" When the whole class starts to lose it, we could lead them in some quick jumping jacks or push-ups to blow off steam. The prof hasn't called on us for this important job yet, but I find myself thinking these things whenever I'm confused, stuck, bored or annoyed in class. I can tell Katie is doing it too, because I sometimes see her chuckling to herself during the tougher moments in class. So thanks, Jillian. This problem set's for you.
On a totally unrelated note, I had one of my new favorite dinners last night: spaghetti with bacon and eggs. This is slightly adapted from a Real Simple recipe (available at http://www.realsimple.com/) and it is great for both pre-run carb loading and post-run recovery. Just watch your portions and don't eat it every night if you're trying to maintain or lose weight. I don't think its Bob-and-Jillian approved.
Ingredients
1 box whole-wheat spaghetti (For me, this is enough for 4-6 servings. If I'm cooking for just myself, I make the whole box and save the leftovers for later in the week.)
About 1/4 cup canola or olive oil, and 1/2-3/4 cup grated Parmesan (This is enough for the whole box of pasta. Again, I make it all and save it.)
2 slices turkey bacon per serving
2 eggs per serving
kosher salt and black pepper
Directions
1.Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return pasta to the pot.
2. Toss pasta with the oil, the Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook bacon in a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
4.Wipe out the skillet and return it to medium heat. Crack eggs into it and cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny.
5. Divide pasta among bowls, toss each serving with 2 strips of crumbled bacon, and and top each serving with 2 eggs.
Super-easy and delicious! The best part is, if you only cook for 1 or 2, you wind up with enough leftover spaghetti to make this at least a couple more times (and believe me, you will want to). Enjoy!
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Arbutus 5K, 5/1/10
This is Val. I met Val on January 2, 2010, when we both went out on a freezing, windy morning for the first day of this year's Annapolis Striders half-marathon training. On that first run, Val introduced herself and told me her amazing story, which involves losing 89 (!) pounds, beating breast cancer, and taking up running in her 50's. This is a lady who can do pretty much anything.
Val has been my most regular training buddy since January. We made it through the B&A Half Marathon together, and signed up for the MCM on the same day. On top of that, Val decided to take up the challenge of organizing her own race: a 5K to benefit the Arbutus 4th of July parade, which her father puts together ever year. Anyone who has ever organized a race knows that its no small feat, but Val pulled it off in a matter of months. She found sponsors, got shirts made,
had a course measured, and got 105 racers to sign up.
On May 1, I drove up to the Arbutus fire hall for the race. As soon as I arrived, I felt like I was in the final scene of the kind of movie where all of the people from a small town pull together to achieve the impossible. And if this was a movie, Val was the star. Everyone I talked to had a story about how Val had touched their life. I don't have an easy time meeting people, but all I had to do was say Val's name, and I had instant friends.
Val and I both had the goal of finishing the race in under 30 minutes. It was the first time I've ever set a time goal, and it felt attainable. I did a 5K in about 31 minutes in January, and I'm in much better shape now than I was then. I started out confident, but within a few minutes, I got hit with two H's: Heat and Hills. Val had warned me that "nothing in Arbutus is flat" and she wasn't kidding. Between the hills and the near-90 degree temperatures, I was struggling by the end of the first mile.
As we approached that first mile mark, Val and I were toward the back of the running back, with the walkers behind us. All of a sudden, I heard Val say "Oh no!'" and then she started yelling "Turn around! Turn around!" Apparently, the volunteer who was supposed to mark the first turn on the course had abandoned his post. Thus, all of the runners ahead of us (30-40 of them) missed the turn. Ultimately, they ran about 1/2 mile too far before they figured it out.
Val and I turned where we were supposed to, and all of a sudden, we were in a place I've never been before and will probably never be again: the lead. For the next 1/2 mile or so, until the folks who missed the turn caught up, Val and I ran together in 1st and 2nd place. Every spectator we passed knew Val, and they all screamed and waved. Some of them (including Val's husband) went nuts because they thought we were actually winning. I felt like a celebrity.
In the end, Val and I missed our time goal by seconds. I came in at 30:22, and she was just a second after me. At the awards presentation, Val made an announcement about the course mix-up, and everyone took it in stride. Thanks to the small field and the mix-up, Val and I both placed second in our age groups. When Val got her medal (presented by her adorable dad), the crowd literally went wild.
The sub-30 5K can wait. I was happy just to be sidekick to the first lady of Arbutus for the day. Thanks, Val!
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