Endurance

Lately, I've been reading Kristin Armstrong's book Mile Markers:  The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run.  One of the themes that she returns to over and over again is Endurance.  We run to get stronger, to get in shape or stay in shape, to achieve goals, to push ourselves to become better, to do things we never thought we could do, to force ourselves out of bed in the morning, to socialize with friends, and to prepare ourselves to deal with life as it comes at us.

Running can be tough.  We wake up at 5:30 (or earlier) in the morning, put on layer after layer of clothing, and trudge out the front door into negative degree weather.  We run on ice and snow, in the rain, in the wind, we get hurt, we get tired, and we push ourselves right to the edge.  And of course, these things make us physically stronger and they make us better runners and healthier people (minus the injury part, of course).

In the last few years, I have run 4 half marathons.  Nearly all of the training has been fun and totally enjoyable.  But in the difficult moments, when I wanted to quit and walk home or step off the race course, I learned a few things about myself.  I learned that even when I don't want to, I can squeeze a couple of extra miles out of myself.  That when my legs hurt and my lungs feel like they're going to pop, no matter what my head is telling me, I can keep putting one foot in front of the other.  I have learned that sometimes it is important to pace myself and other times, I should run with reckless abandon, giving it all I've got in that very moment, running with joy and freedom - no matter what consequences I might face 3 miles later.

And I have also learned that, not matter what, I can endure.

Running 13.1 (or 6.2 or 26.2 or 50) miles doesn't open up some portal that makes pain hurt less, but it teaches a person that the pain won't last forever.  It helps a person understand that he or she can endure a heck of a lot more than they once thought possible.  It has made me realize that sometimes when life gets tough, I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other - that I can put one foot in front of the other.

Running has helped me understand what it means to endure.  To me, having endurance means having the ability to get through a difficult semester and finish with my GPA intact, along with my sanity.  It means having the ability to support a friend or family member, even when I don't think I've got much gas left in my own tank.  It means facing the loss of someone I love from my life and knowing I'll be a stronger person for it.

It is a special thing to learn that you can endure 2+ hours of physical pain and cross the finish line with a smile on your face, just as it is comforting to know that you have the ability to deal with the things life throws at you and at the people you love.  However, I'm sure Kristin Armstrong would agree that we as runners often do not come to these realizations all by ourselves.  If we are lucky, as I undoubtedly am, we find ourselves surrounded by others who endure right along side us.  We are in the midst of people who understand our pain and offer to help shoulder the load for us when we need it most.  They take us out for drinks, for coffee, and for a run and they teach us what it means to be there for each other.

Blogs for Dogs (and Cats...)

Hi all,

Things have been a little nuts (as usual) in my life and also somewhat lacking for inspiration.  The school year is over (thank GOODNESS!) and I have taken a much needed break from all things school related.  I'm getting back into the swing of things this week, with papers to revise and preparations to be made for the Bangladesh trip coming up in August.  I wanted to take a quick minute, though, and tell you all about something near to my heart over the last few days.

You have all no doubt heard about the tornadoes that have been ripping across the midwest over the last few days and the devastation they have caused, particularly in Joplin, Missouri.  While I am lucky to be safe and sound at home in Nebraska right now, Joplin is only about 4 hours southwest of Columbia and I have a few friends at school who grew up there.  The entire state of Missouri has reached out to help the people of Joplin and I heard from a friend on Twitter yesterday that there are actually too many volunteers at the moment (what an amazing problem to have!).  While I worry about the people, I know they will be well taken care of and not soon forgotten by the state and the country.  However, the humane societies and animal shelters are currently overflowing with pets who have lost or been separated from their owners.  A fellow Missouri blogger (Brie Fit) has set up a registry on Amazon.com to help the Joplin Humane Society care for these animals.  (I encourage you to read her blog post here:  http://www.brie-fit.com/2011/05/blogs-for-dogs/)

The pictures the Humane Society has posted of some of the lost animals are absolutely heartbreaking.  I feel for the animals, who must be scared and stressed, as well as some injured, I'm sure, and also for the owners who can do nothing more than hope and pray that their beloved pets are being cared for.  I can only imagine that if I were in their shoes, I would be beside myself with worry about Nellie.  

If you want to help, you can find the registry here:  http://tinyurl.com/blogs4dogs  Any little bit helps.  I forked over $30 of my own to send some cat food.  

You can also make a cash donation here:  http://www.hsmo.org/news/disaster-response-team-2.html  The Humane Society of Missouri has sent in disaster relief teams and needs continued monetary support.

Thanks for indulging me and reading this entire post (assuming you're still reading...).  Now, go and give your pet some extra love and attention.  

For My Mom

It's Mother's Day and I am in Columbia, finishing up the semester (aka chained to my desk).  I'm missing spending Mother's Day with my mom, so I thought I would do a little tribute to her here.  If I could, I would shout it from the top of a mountain.  But I don't have a mountain...

My mom has been so much more to me than just a mother.

She has been my best friend.

She travelled literally half way around the world to visit me.

 (we look a little related here, don't we?)

She has picked me up when I am low.

She supports me and pushes me to pursue my dreams.

She has been the rock for our family, day after day, for almost 30 years.

And she believes in us, even when we have a hard time believing in ourselves.

She is also a grandma.

 (with one VERY large hand, apparently...)

And my sister is a mom.

To a very lucky, and very CUTE little guy.

And I feel like the luckiest daughter, sister, and aunt in the whole wide world.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  And Happy Mother's Day to my Mags.  Here's to many more years of going on vacations together, laughing (and probably crying) together, and you listening to me blather on incessantly about things that don't matter to anyone but me.

Love, Katie

A little something

Ummm...  It's a little sad when, on April 17th (almost 18th), I can open my blog homepage and see literally EVERY post I've written this year on the same page.  Possible culprit:  busy semester.  Other possible culprit:  only inspiration coming from anthropological literature and have decided not to numb your minds with theoretical blather.  You're welcome.

I'll be back soon, I promise.  In a short 3 weeks, my life promises to hold at least 7 days of absolutely no school work and a whole lot of R&R.  Now...  I just have to survive for three weeks...

Until then, I have a lot on my plate.  On May 1st, I'm running the Lincoln Half Marathon (expect a pre-race post).  I have several homework assignments, a final paper, final project, and final exam to do.  I also have some visitors coming this weekend.  I'll give you a hint:

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

I hope you're enjoying some lovely spring weather wherever you are!  Talk to you soon...

Running Solo

Greetings from my couch.  I am on Spring Break and have managed to avoid turning on my computer for the last 5 days and it has felt really good.  I had a nice relaxing few days at home and now am trying to avoid thinking about the fact that I accomplished very little today.  I'm trying even harder to avoid thinking about all the work that lies ahead of me in the next four days...

So, in the spirit of avoidance, I thought I'd write a little about running.  I'm training for my 4th half marathon, 3rd Lincoln Half Marathon.  Overall, I think training is going well, however, it is a very different experience this time than it has been in the past.

Things that are different:  scenery (I'm living in Missouri now, which is quite a bit different-looking from Nebraska), hills (I no longer have to drive to find hills - I walk out my front door), timing (in the past, most of my workouts were done in the mornings, except on Tuesday and Thursday nights, while this year most of them are done after noon), mileage (I'm running less mileage during the week, but it seems to be working out well).

The most important difference, though, is that most of my training this year has been done on my own.  For the last two years, I have participated in a running class designed to prepare people to run a marathon or a half.  The class is run by Ann Ringlein (aka the running guru of Lincoln, NE) and includes scheduled group runs every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for 4 months.  The class is inspirational and motivational and, along with my fabulous running group, provides a girl with an enormous amount of support.  Knowing you have a knowledgeable group of people to learn from, and knowing that 5+ people are waiting for you at 6am on a frigid January morning offer a sense of security and assurance that have motivated me to keep coming back for more (hence, my 4th half).

I was seriously concerned about training on my own this time.  Would I be able to fit weekday runs into my already busy schedule?  Would I be motivated to do them without someone waiting at the trail to hold me accountable?  Was I even capable of completing a 10+ mile run on my own???  And would I be able to reach a new time goal in the half this year without the support of all of those fabulous people?

The answer to the first three questions is YES.  I have managed to schedule my time during the week in order to be sure to fit in at least 10 miles of running (usually on 3 days) and a day of cross-training, plus my Saturday long run.  I'm certainly not motivated to roll out of bed at an ungodly hour, but I make sure to get my runs in later in the day (although I still go early on Saturdays).  And I have done a lot of my long runs by myself, which will soon include a couple of solo 12 milers.

It is a lot harder and not quite as much fun to fly solo all the time, but I'm making it work.  In fact, I find myself running a faster pace most of the time because I'm usually in more of a hurry to finish the run, plus, I am not talking during the run, so I'm able to go a little faster naturally (breath not used talking = breath saved for running).  It should actually be noted that my running is done solo by choice.  Columbia has a great running community (so I've heard), but most of the time, I find my running time to be an excellent opportunity to get some thinking done and generally clear my mind.  Plus, they meet at 5:30.  A.M.!!!  No thank you.

As for whether or not I'll be able to meet the very challenging (to me) time goal I've set for this year's Lincoln Half Marathon, I'll just have to wait and see! I managed to finish last weekend's 10 mile race just under my goal time, but it was really hard and a slower pace than I'll need to run the half marathon in.  I'm hoping my training plan will prepare me to run as fast as I need to and hoping that within the next few weeks I'll have a very good idea as to whether or not I think my current goal is realistic.

Are you training for anything?  How's it going?  Have you been doing most of your running on your own or with friends?

My Happy Place

Although I am really enjoying my classes this semester, I am definitely starting to feel that middle-of-the-semester bogged down, can't see the light at the end of the tunnel feeling.  And it's happening a little early this time.  It probably has a lot to do with the fact that the amount of weekly homework is more than a little overwhelming, evidenced by the fact that I have spent countless Saturday nights this semester at home doing homework.  Go me.  That's ok.  I'm learning a lot.  And I'll appreciate a little break at the end of this semester like never before.
But...  Every now and then, I have to close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and go to my Happy Place.  I'm sure you could all easily guess what that is:

Let's just say it involves me, the beach, and a good book.

So, when I start to feel stressed or overwhelmed, or whatever, I have a cup of Lighthouse Cafe coffee in my Sanibel Bean coffee cup, and think about the sun and the breeze and the fine white sand.  And for a few minutes, all is right with the world...

What's your Happy Place?

p.s.  Mine has some serious competition:

                                                                                    

A Slippery Slope

So, lately, I've been having all of these ... well ... thoughts.  Or maybe I should call them fantasies?  Except that they're based on reality...  so let's stick to "thoughts."

They creep into my head while I'm running.  I'll be struggling during a tough part of the run then, all of a sudden, a great song with a heavy beat pops on and the thoughts begin.  One, followed by a RUSH of adrenaline.  Then another.  Then, before I know it, I have a full-blown story line going on in my head.  And I find myself nearly sprinting, running as fast as I can, feeling absolutely on top of the world.

I'm talking about volleyball, of course.  That's right.  I have been having volleyball fantasies while I'm running.  All of the great players I have been on the court with in the past are there with me in my thoughts and every great play is being replayed over and over again.  And I feel alive.

I miss volleyball.  Running and I have a good, solid relationship (minus the fact that I'm not all that good at it).  Running keeps me in shape.  It allows me to set goals and go after them like I used to do with volleyball.  Running has been there for me when volleyball hasn't.  But it just isn't the same.

Volleyball and I are soulmates.  And I miss my soulmate.

It's a slippery slope, my friends.  I've been mentally cheating on running with volleyball for the last couple of months now and it's only a matter of time before I cheat for real.  I don't want to break up with running.  I just want to have a little extra-curricular fun every now and then.  Is that SO wrong???  :)