10k on the 10th Virtual Club Run Race Report

God looked down on Cavegirl as she got ready to run.

Her tooth was chipped.

Her Bondi band was animal striped.

Her legs were hairy.

Her sausage shirt was tight and sleek.

He smiled and said,

My Cavey child, you are really working hard on this Cavegirl thing. :D

I have looked down on your world and many Cavepeople are moving today.

Many have already said they would not have done this.

And not only are they moving, they are happy.

They are confronting fears and negative thoughts.

They are countering with good things about themselves and their lives.

They have heard about your club.

You have done a good thing, Cavegirl.

You have made a great plan for yourself, too.

You have worked hard to confront your own fears and doubts.

This has not gone unnoticed.

And like the day I first gave you the club,

today you will have the run of your life.

It won't be easy, but you will have it in you.

I gave you the club, but you do have to carry it.

Cavegirl ran like she had never run before.

She ran away from sabertoothed thoughts that normally had claws and teeth.

She ran and ran and ran.

And every mile made her smile

even with the jagged tooth.

Her legs were hairy but they mostly were just strong.

Her heart beat wildly but she knew she had it in her.

Her sausage shirt even stayed in place.

Cavegirl decided that sticky fingers from gu would not bother her.

She laughed and smiled when He gave her a puddle to wash them.

She rejoiced at the beautiful day and He gave her clouds when it got hot.

When she stopped for a quick break,

her miles still stayed under 12, and she smiled.

And just for today, He allowed NO ONE to pass her.

People were only allowed to run toward her and be friendly.

Cavegirl escaped the sabertooth.

She lived to run another day.

She could care for Caveman and snuggle her cubs.

When the cubs asked if she got last, she just smiled and said,

no, mom won today.

Cavegirl realized she always has the club.

She just has to remember to carry it.

It might not be easy, but she has it in her.

11:19

10:58

11:39

11:27

11:42

11:33

2:14

6.2 miles ~ 1:10:55 ~ 11:26 pace (PR)

Wishing you all particularly cavey runs. Let me know when you have finished and posted your report by posting on my blog. Look for a full race report sometime Monday. Thanks, everyone!!

Race Prep for 10k on the 10th

Have you:

g picked a 6.2 mile route (or how you might do your split if you are doing another race?)

g chosen a sexy Cavey outfit?

g picked up a sabertooth tiger necklace?

g chosen a hawt primordial pacer?

g let the body hair grow?

g thought about what your caveman name is? (sorta like your stripper name?)

g got your club ready?

Well, all I really need is for you to email me your time once you've run and posted a race report (nothing elaborate required but I will link to your report). The baubles are just for fun and growing your body hair is really at your own discretion. :D (no pics of this please!!) I do want to leave you with some thoughts.

The background on these virtual races is that I ran a HM last October and then struggled to keep motivated. 8 on the 8th of December was just an idea to put a made-up race on the calendar to keep me/us training - it came out of a suggestion I made to Vickie. We were joined by about 50 or 60 wonderful bloggy friends and the virtual race was born. We've also done 9 on the 9th: Sweetheart Shuffle. We had some really Lasting Lovers among our Romeos and Sweethearts. 10k on the 10th: Virtual Club Run is virtual race #3. I hope it gets you out there or gives you a break in the training or just something fun to look forward to knowing that many of us will be out there together.

The club and all of us uniting are the main inspirations for this race. I discovered my "club" one day when negative thoughts started flowing during my run as they often can, and I was successful at beating them back one by one. I emerged a little stronger that day mentally and feeling like a toughie Cavegirl carrying a club. Of course I picked one with a really cute outfit to depict this. :D Millions (or maybe a few of my most loyal readers) have carried the club running, biking, to the pool for laps when the baddies threatened to ruin their workout. Cavegirl has also been spotted on occasion. hee hee

Please keep the club in mind and use it whenever you need it. (as you can see from my blog, I believe that this can spill into other areas of your life and is one of the things that I am constantly working on. I'm thrilled to have so much help and support both at home and with bloggy friends) I'd love for you to celebrate during this race -- the power of the mind to be positive and combat the crapola that we can come up with -- and when the club fails, the power of your blogging buddies (your other club) to pull you up outta the muck. CAVEPEOPLE UNITE!! Y

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Speaking of bloggy friends helping you out. I've had two miserable runs this week and was a little concerned about the long run. I had a fantastic run with Amy and Art on Friday. 12.1 heavenly miles. Amy picked us out an old RR Track trail that has been paved. 12 miles of flatness. The forecast was ominous but somehow we got a window of perfection. Not only that, the considerable wind was behind us the entire way. We decided it felt like the hand of God. The conversation was lively as usual and we had a blast. (except for the bastard gatorade bandit who raided one of our drops.) Amy even arranged for her Hub to be on call in case one of us (read that me) needed a sag wagon (our cars were 12 miles away!!) Thank, Jim! We all made it and for me it was record time. Thanks for one of my most favoritest runs!!

I'll have to tell you next week about the package I got......

I'll check in this week from Harvard if I have time. Hope to get some runs in while I'm there.

March Stats

Nice improvements but they can not come at the expense of weight training. I can see where I need to improve my focus. I know this doesn't look like much to a lot of you, but this is where I am and it isn't on the couch. :D It's supposed to hit 57 in a few hours - oh joy - I'm hoping to run for two hours later today.

Sounds like there is a lot of interest for a 10k on the 10th of May - see previous post. (YES MAY, this is actually meant to be put on the calendar as an incentive and get you out the door doing some training for the next few weeks). It's too bad Nitmos can't figure out how far to run or what day. I should make it more clear. :D

As always, I'm pleased and humbled that you will get out and run with me. Hope we have some creative CAVE PEOPLE. I'm already thinking about resurrecting my outfit.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Thanks, everyone, for all your support. I am feeling quite a bit better. The truth is, it wasn't about running at all, it was about personal stuff. I think I may have confused some of you on that. I wish I could be as positive and die hard, never give up even after failure, on the personal stuff, like I am on the running. For some reason, the metaphorical club and beating back bad thoughts with it has worked well for me on the running stuff, but really, I just like being a runner (yes, I actually said that I am a runner!) and love to talk about it, love the sense of accomplishment and like to share it (stalk) with all of you. Many times I have run because of all of you, you keep me going.

The club we have built and all your support and encouragement mean a lot to me. Several of you mentioned wanting to be "in my club," or "going clubbing." It was cracking me up, and I really appreciate your support, especially on non-running related personal junk. Maybe we should start some sort of virtual official club? Any ideas? Cave People Unite?

Anyway, I'm working on the positivity and better attitude on the personal stuff, but I can get pretty down. I've at least hit the bottom and am started back up the other side. The first good sign is when I start joking about it.

You can turn painful situations around through laughter.

If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.

--Bill Cosby

I found this website http://www.despair.com/ after someone used it in a recent seminar (please don't think I was googling "despair" -- it wasn't quite that bad!) It's a take on those motivational posters. Here are a couple that made me chuckle.

I hope you are laughing and not thinking I am being a downer. :D

The truth is, failure is just information on what doesn't work. I look at my bad runs like this all the time - it was bad, oh well, what can I learn? Pick yourself up with a bit more information and try again. And as a friend told me when I really needed to hear it, "there is always hope." Thanks, friend. And thanks to ALL of you!

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Now, regarding the running, I'm not exactly sure what is going on. I did a 5 miler last Saturday and while it beat me up in the snow, I was fine. After 5 on Wednesday, however, I am the sorest I have been in months. Any thoughts? I ran pretty slow, not sure why I am "race sore". I was hoping to do a 10k neighborhood race on Sunday, but now I'm not too sure...

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This reminds me. I think someone asked me about that 6 word meme. Me in 6 words? Holy cow. I found this somewhere and decided to steal it for my own. It pretty much sums me up.

Some Hits. Some Runs. Some Errors.

Tri Watch

I DID IT.

I FINISHED MY FIRST INDOOR TRIATHLON.

Swim .25 mile ~ 8:00

Bike 10 miles ~ 37:46

Run 3 miles ~ 30:30

AMY IS THE BEST TRI PARTNER EVER and we have stories to tell !!!

I ROCK

Thanks for the attitude everyone! My spirits are buoyed a bit. You people are simply the best. I carried you with me today. It was a joyous run.

I did 8 miles today.

I ran for 1 hr and 41 minutes.

(If you care about the pace, you'll have to do the math for yourself AND you're probably reading the wrong blog.)

I. ROCK.

Some Advice for New Runners

This post written to link to the Runner's Lounge Take It and Run Thursday. Topic: Basics of Running.

I don't know that I have a lot of great advice for new runners. I am a new runner myself, one that is terribly slow, one that falters, one that still struggles both with motivation occasionally, and with physical things that can keep me from being someone who can run daily. However, I did train all summer and complete a half marathon, maybe I learned a couple things that I could share.

Don't look too far ahead on the schedule, take one day at a time and have faith in the plan you have laid out. Not all the runs are going to be fun, and some will even get you down, but if you keep on the schedule, it will get you there in the end. You won't believe when you are doing 3 and 4 milers that you will ever be able to do that 10 miler, but you will. Eventually you will. I did it. You can do it too!!

Keep telling yourself that the crappy runs make you stronger. Also, try to figure out why it might have been crappy. Mine were usually due to not being hydrated enough. For some reason it seems to be something that can slip my mind or get minimized. I learned that lesson over and over. Crappy runs will happen, you need to be prepared for that. If you are in it for the long haul, you will have to learn what you can from them, then put them behind and move on with a positive attitude. I often went back to Bingham's Courage to Start whenever my attitude faltered. Having something like this that makes you feel good about why you are doing this can be very helpful.

Bring your club along to beat back the uglies when they occur. This is my metaphor for handling the negative thoughts that seem to be inevitable. I don't know how I'll do Sunday's run, I must have been crazy thinking I could be a runner, I'm sure I'll be the slowest person at the race, and on and on. These will probably happen (although I am pretty negative so maybe I get this kind of thing more than most people) and you will need to combat them on the fly. Counter with the week's mileage or your latest blood pressure reading or the fact that most people are home on the couch or whatever it takes to beat those bad boys back.

Core work and cross training can make you a stronger runner. I didn't take this advice very well and learned that with a weak core, I had lots of aches and pains and it might even be the reason I had injuries. I kept hearing it over and over from doctors, advanced runners, books, etc. It just isn't something that got me very excited to do and took me awhile to "hear" but I've finally decided I have to take this seriously. It's so easy to get caught up with the running and the advances you are making, and you CAN run without doing this, I've just decided that doing it makes more sense for me.

Remember why you are doing this. I wanted to be a runner and improve my fitness and try to build myself a great healthy body. It's easy to get wrapped up in races and schedules and get down about being so slow. I am one of the slowest people out there and sometimes that can be really hard to swallow. There aren't too many things that I am this bad at! :D However, I have to remind myself that my mission here isn't to win or even to be fast. I'd love to be, but it doesn't seem to be happening. But, I am running, I am improving fitness, and I am building a stronger, healthier body. Those all sound like successes and it's important for me to keep that in mind.

A Good Reminder

Before I set some goals, some things to think about. My gift to you from Anthony Robbins.


Each New Year brings change:

• New Commitments to your health.
• Renewed dedication to the people you love.
• New focus on how to spend your time.

These changes can sometimes feel frustrating, if not overwhelming at times. As you work to accomplish more in less time, don't lose sight of that you are in this world for a reason -- a magnificent one. Remember you set the rules for yourself. You are limited by nothing. It's time to create a masterpiece. It's time to celebrate and give more of yourself.

The 12 Tenets for Conscious Living in the New Year. You may just ponder these or one could change your life.

Live a life of service.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others. Mahatma Ghandi

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
We need lots of love to forgive but we need much more humility to ask for forgiveness. Mother Theresa

Be Kind.
Life is short, but there is always time for courtesy. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be Remarkable.
Shoot for the moon. If you miss, you'll land among the stars. Les Brown

Seek Unity.
Interdependence is and ought to be as much an ideal of man as self sufficiency. Mahatma Ghandi

Strive for Wisdom.
Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant

Be Grateful.
When you are grateful, fears disappear and abundance appears. Tony Robbins

Think Critically.
The world we have created is a product of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking. Albert Einstein

Be Brave.

You must do the thing you think you cannot. Eleanor Roosevelt

Be Humble.
Do you wish people to think well of you? Don't speak well of yourself. Blaise Pascal

Be Creative.

A creative person is motivated by the desire to achieve not by the desire to beat others. Ayn Rand

Be Present.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. Anne Frank

Just Do It

Mile 1 - 12:30

.25 - walk

Mile 2 - 12:15

.25 - walk

Mile 3 - 12:10

.5 - walk

On My Way to Regular Runner Girl

I did 60 minutes of running yesterday ~ 4.85 miles ~ 12:22 pace. I had wanted to go further because I am nervous about the HM. My feet are still hurting and my last long run was 10 miles two weeks ago - I haven't done much over 5 since then. And, none of them have been very good (I'm thinking I needed quite a bit of recovery). However, my hubby wisely talked me out of it, pointing out that the last long run on the full marathon schedule is about 8 so I shouldn't be out there trying to knock out 8 the week before the HM. I'm not sure what I would really do without his voice of reason. Well, I do know what I was like before him, and it wasn't pretty.

So anyway, I say I'm nervous and he gives me the speech that I needed to hear. This isn't his speech, but my sort of take home message: The point of all of this was that I am now a regular runner girl. Nothing sporadic, no taking weeks or months off. The races help to keep me motivated but they really are for fun. If they are going to stress me out and make me half sick, they probably aren't worth it. Let's face it, were not talking trying to BQ, or win, or even win my age, we're talking A VICTORY IS THAT I AM OUT THERE and ICING would be a FINISH. This is really true - I decided to make a list about this.

• A few months ago my longest ever long run was 5.4 miles
• I have run 346 miles since the onset of planned, regular running
• I have run several 8's, 10's, and even 12 and 14 milers
• It's been about 22 weeks if I count the pre-plan runs to get me ready - and only a couple of missed runs due to Headcold Hattie and my feet implosion
• I have had major foot issues but continued to run and modified my goal of a full marathon without tears or foot stamping (well, that would just be too painful!)
• I successfully completed my first 10 mile race and was not last
• I put in the highest 6 week activity period I have ever logged on the company wellness site

I will either finish this HM or not, but these bullets will still be mine. I will still be well on my way from Nonrunner Girl to Regular Runner Girl.

Tomorrow, I get to meet up with some Lounger's for a victory lap around Grey's Lake in celebration of the opening of the Runner's Lounge. I'll make sure to have a full report. Heck, maybe I will even bring my camera :D

Towards Happiness

Here are four habits that longevity experts say are at the heart of a sunny disposition—and that you can adopt, too. (an article on MSN Health today)
I edited this to meaningful excerpts and phrases. Hope you will try some of these!

1. THEY WORK THEIR CELL PHONES
Just talking on the phone to a friend has the immediate effect of lowering your blood pressure and cortisol levels... Our research shows that having good long-term relationships provides as many physical benefits as being active or a nonsmoker. Make the effort to connect with the friends you already have. Call now, and before you hang up, schedule a lunch date—personal contact is even better.

2. THEY EXPRESS GRATITUDE (WITHIN REASON)
People who write about all the things they are thankful for are optimistic about the upcoming week and more satisfied overall with their lives... They also feel physically stronger. It's hard to be bitter and mad when you're feeling grateful...

3. THEY'RE RANDOMLY KIND
Do you perform five acts of kindness in any given day? That's the number of good deeds that boosts your sense of well-being and happiness... Your karmic acts can be minor and unplanned - giving up your seat on the bus; buying an extra latte to give to a coworker. You'll find that the payback greatly exceeds the effort.

4. THEY REAPPRAISE THEIR LIVES
Yes, you can rewrite history—and feel better about yourself in the bargain. Set aside a little time each week to write about or record—or even just mentally revisit—an important event in your past. Reflecting on the experience can reshape your perception of it, as well as your expectations for the future...

It's helpful to look at the bad times as well as the good. Perhaps now that a few years have passed, you'll be able to see how that breakup or failed job opportunity opened other doors and finally forgive yourself—and your ex-boyfriend or would-be boss. Even if a memory is painful, it's good to work through it. If you can come to terms with past events, you'll be better able to handle tough times down the road. So be honest, but also go easy on yourself. Remember: You are the heroine in this tale.
I need help on #2 and #4. This first step is admitting you have a problem. :)

Walk with some short easy jogging intervals with 5 work friends - 65 minutes.
Girlie Pushups - 20
Plank - 37 count



To all my race-bound friends, have a great weekend !! :)

Beating on Hattie

Thanks everyone, for all the support you've shown me through my last post. You are certainly helping me believe and live the words that I wrote! I am just taking a day or two at a time, seeing what each day brings, and planning accordingly.

Yesterday I covered 6 miles. It was pretty ugly and hot and I still didn't have any energy. I was definitely still feeling like a phony (what happened to the girl that did 14 not too long ago?) I don't think there was much improvement over the last 4 in my conditioning, other than the simple fact that it was longer. The best part was that I made the Gatorade really, really cold!!

After a couple of hot, yucky miles, I took a hit of Gatorade. I kept drinking and thinking how awesome it tasted. I drank a ton! It tasted so good, I swear, I could not stop. Maybe if it tastes that good and you can't stop, you are dehydrated??!! I walked most of mile 4 but did get myself together enough to jog again. I was pretty sure Hattie still had a hold of me, but at least I could laugh at myself about the sudden Gatorade addiction.

Then today, I headed out for more punishment. The first mile was....different. Not fast, but steady, and I had energy. Maybe that b*tch, Hattie, is loosening her grip. I did 4.35 UNINTERUPTED MILES. Well, until my husband interupted, but in a nice way -- he found me near the end and had some ice cold Powerade. That'll work. I flexed my muscles for him as he pulled up - not quite Maria Sharapova (yes, we are all disappointed that isn't actually me in the picture) -- but this is huge. I finally had the energy to get my club out and deal Hattie a blow up side the head. She hasn't gone down yet, but she's weaving and seeing double.... I think maybe I could be on the way back. That is WHERE I AM TODAY.

I started thinking, maybe slogging through these ugly runs when I didn't have much energy will actually making me STRONGER?? Also, I think it may have been good for me to get some shorter runs in while adjusting to the orthotics. Tomorrow I plan to rest and hope to do a longer run on Saturday, a true shoe test that I have been wanting to do for a week now. Looking forward to it...

I Am Where I Am

I am not having a very good couple of running days, in fact, I no longer feel like an imposter, now it is more of a phony. Head Cold Hattie has apparently zapped me good. Yesterday I set out to do shoe test # 15 or whatever it is and only made it about 1.75 miles. Today, I set out again, this time 4 miles, but lots of walking and wondering if I have lost all my fitness in this short of time or does Hattie just zap you that hard? Or maybe I've lost my mental toughness to run through it? I can't even run far enough to have a good shoe test at this point.

So, I am left wondering exactly where I am and what this means for the upcoming marathon. Rather than continue the bawling and whining, I decided to do something about it. I am going to post something that could help me, if I choose to let it, and maybe could help someone else, too.

I am reading The Courage to Start: A Guide to Running for Your Life by John "the Penguin" Bingham. Even though it is about starting, it really is full of lessons about running in general, running for life, attitude, changing our definitions of ourselves, etc. Tons of Life Lessons, really, if you let them be. I highly recommend this for anyone who is starting, recently started, running regularly, questioning their commitment to running, basically any runner would probably enjoy this book. Look at me pretending I am part of the crowd. See, it's already good for me....

So the Penguin says something like this:

Runners everywhere want to be better. However, all of us are SOMEWHERE. WHERE YOU ARE IS WHERE YOU ARE. You can choose to accept and decide where you want to move toward or you can just berate yourself for being where you are. In fact, if you don't accept where you are and seek only to improve, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Moving our bodies is a good thing and for the most part we know this is the right thing to be doing. There is joy in this in the beginning, "I am actually doing it, I just ran X miles".... etc. However, the joy quickly fades and we get caught up in the "how far SHOULD I be going," "how fast SHOULD I be." According to Bingham, setting the stage for failure starts with "SHOULD".

He also talks a lot about the transformation from activity to lifestyle. {paraphrasing} For running to be a part of your life, it must become a part of who you are. For better or worse, being a runner must be part of your definition for yourself. There are no expectations that we can meet other than those we set for ourselves. Running can teach us that if we let it. Running can teach us to accept who we are and challenge who we are at the same time. Running can teach you how to be all of who you are. Each step will take you further from the expectations of everyone else and closer to yourself.

So here goes, don't I really want running to be part of my lifestyle, part of me? More so than stressing over this marathon? I want to be a RUNNER more than I want to run the Des Moines Marathon in a few short weeks. So, I am somebody with some foot issues, still to be worked out, who has also had a cold. Today I managed to do 4 miles. YES, 4 MILES, eventhough I've had a cold and had no energy and it was really hot out there. I choose to think that's great, and I choose to keep making running part of my lifestyle. THAT's WHERE I AM TODAY.

I Needed a Feel Good Post Today

Has everyone made their Fairy Double?

My other supporters, besides my sweet hubby and my marathon fairy, are my little guys. They wait on the porch with gatorade, usually still in their PJ's, and yell, "Go, Mom!" This picture was taken a couple of weekends ago while waiting for Dad after his long run.

Sometimes, when I am unusually slow, they yell for me hoping I can hear them where ever I am out there! They also fight over the gatorade so we have started making a bottle for each of them to hold. There is nothing like the feeling after 10 miles of torture to round the corner to cheering, seeing them run down the driveway to greet me, and screaming, "MOOOOM, Good job running!!"

Oh yes, 4 miles on the treadmill today, new NEW BALANCE shoes, my fastest 4 miles ever. 48:08 ~ 12:02 pace.

Running With My Club

3 miles in the books ~ 33:47 ~ 11:15 pace.

10:57 ~ this is techinically in the TEN's!!

11:06

11:41

Decided to go out and see if I could pick up the pace. Feeling really good after the weekend and it's only 3 miles. I suprised myself with a pretty good stride (well compared to my usual shuffle) and the first mile split made me really happy. (That reminds me of my two year old who seems to announce all his emotions right now, "I'm happy, Mom!")

I left the iPod home and just let the thoughts flow. It was absolutely amazing to me the negative things that just come to you. I have been working on and reading lots about these negative scripts that run through my head, about running and other things too.

"Marathon? What in the world were we thinking?" "IF I finish, I will surely be LAST." "Wonder if anyone will come cheer for us, I will probably look like death and either fall apart or collapse if I see anyone." "I will never make 10 this weekend." blah, blah, blah.

I actually felt like I had a club and every one that popped up, I beat down. It became almost comical as I imagined myself beating down the uglies.... I countered with: the health benefits, the fact that I haven't missed a run in weeks, the fact that my BP was 98/60, the fact that I ran 8 miles, the fact that I just ran a mile in the TEN's. I had to trail off some, but I didn't care. It felt like a decent clip and more importantly, it was a great run mentally. I was super winded but recovered quickly and had a mile walk home.

Two notes to friends ~ Patty, I tried high-fiving an innocent and unsuspecting old man walker. I startled the crap out of him when I yelled, "high five" in a total tribute to you and positivity and silliness. He understood about a step too late and we both said, "ooooohhh". He did think I was silly and actually felt bad for not obliging. I still thought it was pretty funny. I think I will try an earlier warning and maybe a younger subject next time! :)

Brian ~ Thanks so much for saying the "impressive" part was the steady pacing. No one has ever called my pace or pacing or anything related to my running "impressive". Clearly you still need hydration, man. Just kidding. I REALLY appreciated this!

Good Running and POSITIVE SCRIPTS - or at least go out armed with a club!! :)