Shhh....do you hear that?

It's your running shoes calling you! 

I know how hard the winter may have been on some of us.  It usually involves running on treadmills (gross), supplementing with other forms of exercise, running outside in the cold and wind, or doing nothing at all.  Winter is hard for a lot of runners.  There are those few that seem to not even notice the change of seasons and run no matter what, but for the rest of us, Winter sucks.

But Spring is on her way!!!  The days are getting warmer.  The sun comes up at a decent hour.  The streets aren't covered in ice.  It's time to get out and run!

I got myself a treadmill during the winter and I've used it, but not as much as I should have.  I really hate treadmill running.  Doing just 3 miles on them nearly bores me to insanity.  That and I find it almost impossible to find my pace on those contraptions.  But, it's been good to have the option of running inside.  I did Zumba too and abs exercises, but nothing really takes the place of running outside. 

If you've been like me during the winter, running hasn't really been at the forefront of your mind.  School schedules, work schedules and holidays just mess stuff up.  And if you're like me, you may have been feeling unbelievably guilty about it all.  During the summer, I was running 4-5 days a week.  During the winter, maybe 2 days a week and some weeks not at all.  It made me mad to be honest. 
But all of that is behind us now, right?  Well, sort of.

The thing about winter is that we don't run like we do in the summer.  Whatever activity level we had in winter becomes our new normal.  When the warm weather shows up, it may prove rather difficult to get back into the higher level of activity and let that become our new norm. 

So I'm going to suggest, as I've done in the past, to sign up for a race!  There's no motivation like being responsible to a racing event.  You put the money down.  People are expecting to see you run.  It's gets you up.  My brother recently invited me to be on his team for the To Bone and Back Relay race.  So my first race is set!  It's June 23rd.  I have until then to get back to being able to run 5 miles in a decent time and do it all on rolling hills.  Am I motivated?  You bet I am!  Not only do I have to be responsible to the race but to my teammates as well.  People are counting on me to do my part and run a good leg. 

Now I can still run 5 miles, but I bet I'd be really slow.  And hills?  Forget about it!  So I've got me some training to do.  But running with a goal in mind is SO much better than running without one. 
I've also asked my mom to run a 5k with me toward the end of summer.  So I'm now responsible to her as well.  I'm excited!

So answer your running shoes.  Get up and go!  The running season is here and it wants you to partake once again in the thrill of running and competing.

Now that the school year is coming to a close and my own work schedule gets to slow down some, I can, once again, be that awesome blogger you all love so much.  You do love me, right?


Happy running!!!

Holy Bad Blogger, Batman!

It's been OVER a month since I last posted.  Almost every single thought I've had in the last 2 months has been about my ward's Christmas party that I was put in charge of.  Add tutoring an ever growing list of students to that, and you might not be too surprised at how often I've posted on this blog as of late.  With the Christmas party over and done, I'm back to this blog.  I don't really know what to write.  As far as running goes, I can count on one hand how many times I've been running in the last two months.  I have been exercising though.  I knew that running would be hard to do because of wicked time constraints, so I broke out my old Crunchless Abs videos, which I LOVE.  I've also been to a few Zumba classes, I sprint, literally, between errands to try and burn a few more when I can.  I'm on the hunt for a cheap treadmill too.  Although I hate treadmill running, I need to just realize that when it's not summer, this is what I have to do.  It's not about the winter, it's about how absolutely crazy my life becomes as soon as the first leaf falls.  I do have a spare 30 minutes every once in a while and that's just enough time to get a decent workout on a treadmill.  The hunt continues. 
I did go to a winter running seminar.  It was great and got me really pumped to go winter running.  However, I really don't have the time to run outside, so my pumped attitude rapidly declined.  But then I remembered something from the seminar that I could do.  They talked about winter being a time to maintain and to tone.  So that is what I'm doing.  I am maintaining the muscles I grew over the summer by doing things like my Crunchless Abs videos, which by the way do way more than just abs.  One workout with those videos and muscles you never knew you had are aching.  I'm maintaining my stamina and my cardio fitness by doing Zumba.  So as soon as I get my treadmill, I'm going to work on my pacing and my speed.  So it's all good. And somehow, I've even dropped a few inches and gone down a pant size. 
Winter is winter and being pressed for time is being pressed for time.  I can't change my circumstances, but I can work around them.  That is part of my running story.

Have You Seen What's on my Desk?

Once again I'm late for Monday Motivation.  This post isn't really meant to be motivational, but if you want it take it that way, then great! 

So my days and weeks are getting much more full.  I have a calendar on my fridge to help keep us all in line and it seems as though the majority of the days are full to the brim.  It's either one of my two jobs, or Arik has a meeting, or Rachel has a thing with school or another Ward Christmas Party planning meeting (got put in charge of that a few weeks ago).  It's always something.  This week is the worst.  I have something every single day of the week and most days, more than just one something.  So where do I fit in running this week?  That's the thing.  I don't.  I can't go early mornings anymore because the lack of sleep was really getting to me and I have no opportunites for naps during the day.  I have 4 kids with me at all times during the day, so no go there either.  And even if I could get someone to watch the kids, I need to use any spare moment during the days to work on lesson plans for the kids I tutor.  I normally can't go after Arik gets home because I usually have to head straight out the door to a tutoring session or straight back to my computer to work for 4 hours on my other job.  I can't go after work because by that time it's pitch dark and I don't go running in the dark without a partner.  So what do I do?  Well, I'm too stubborn to quit, so I've had to get creative.

While I haven't been running a lot, I have been active.  I can squeeze in Zumba on Thursdays right after I finish tutoring and Mondays too if I don't have to work.  I can also squeeze in either Zumba or running on Saturdays right before I have to do work on my other job.  I can also usually squeeze in a run on Wednesdays after Arik gets home (not this week though).   At home when I'm cleaning, I move much faster to get my heartrate up and I try and do things to work the muscles.  When I get a spare moment (very rare) I break out my resistant bands and do some strength training.  I also watch what I eat more carefully.  I'm not always good, but I try to make sure the portions aren't crazy, that I eat frequently to keep up my metabolism, and that what I eat is actually healthy.  Lastly, I'm on the lookout on Craigslist for a treadmill for $100 or less.  I hate treadmills, but I'd rather run on a treadmill than do nothing. 

Looking ahead, I know that my days will simmer down a bit and I'll have more opportunities to go running.  But let's face it, the rest of the year is nothing like summer.  Summer is this wonderland of available time and nice weather and few committments.  But for the rest of the seasons, I just have to suck it up and get done what I can. 

In the stage of life that I'm in right now, everything is working against my ability to keep my body in shape.  But young children and multiple jobs won't always be my life.  One day my kids won't need me to be with them all the time and I can say, "I'm going running.  Rachel, you're in charge."  Or I can come home from my one and only job and get in a quick run before dinner. Summers are still the best time I have to really be a consistent runner and so I have that to look forward to as well. But right now, this is my life and I'm going to do the best I can and try not to get too mad about how hard it is to fit in running.   

My mom always told me to do the best that I can and if I'm doing my best then that's enough.  She was normally referring to school.  Nowadays, I apply that to my life in general.   I'm doing the best that I can and so that just has to be enough. 

So I guess if anyone else is experiencing this kind of thing, I'm trying to say, just do your best and that's enough. 

Keep at it and happy running!

Monday Motivation......on a Tuesday

Okay, sorry this is a day late.  But I think it's well worth it.  I've been struggling with motivation lately.  Well, first I struggled with finding time to run (the school year is crazy for me) but then when a window would open up, I struggled with motivation to go and the increasingly cold weather wasn't really helping.  But I walked out the door to go get my oldest from school and the wind was biting.  It was cold cold.  And I got mad.  I got mad at the stupid weather and my time constraints and I got mad that these things were making my decisions for me.  So I went looking for some motivation and found two things.  One was I looked at my most recent post from the Zombie Chase.  At the end of the post I mentioned that I have shaved 10 minutes off of my 5K time.  I realized that I wanted to shave off ten more and that wasn't going to happen if I stopped running.  So seeing my progress over the summer and seeing a new goal gave me new motivation.  Then, I found a video from youtube that I found quite inspiring.  So that is the motivation I will share with you guys.  Hopefully each of you will see your own progress as motivation too.

Enjoy!!

Zombie Chase 5K

Me and Jana before the race. 

So Friday, I competed in my very first Zombie Chase.  Judging from the name of the contest alone, you can imagine the setup.  Some runners, namely the survivors, get chased by other runners known as the zombies.  I was a survivor.  I chose to be a survivor because the thought of being chased sounded like fun.  It brings back the childhood exhilarance of being chased by your dad who was bound to catch up with you and tickle you until your bladder gave way.  Thankfully, none of the zombies tried to tickle me, but you know what I mean.  I met up with a former co-worker and current friend of mine, Jana Fuller.  We haven't seen each other in a very long time as we've both been busy having and raising babies, so it was super to see her again and even more super to be running a race with her.  We got to the start line and were told that we would have a one-minute head start at which point the zombies would be unleashed. 

This is the survivor with the bat and cigar.

So we start off.  I think I started off at a pace a little faster than normal, but I was going to be chased, so the adrenaline was already there making my legs move faster than I perhaps wanted.  Jana and I were passed by other survivors who took their role very seriously.  One man was decked out in army gear with 6-inch hunting knives strapped to his belt.  Another survivor ran with a duffel bag, a cigar, and a baseball bat.  I don't entirely understand the cigar part of his get-up.  Jana and I were dressed as normal runners.  We didn't even think to dress like these guys.  Then other survivors just dressed up as whatever.  It was a Halloween event after all.  One dude passed us in, I kid you not, a sports bra and a mini-skirt.  He actually had the physique to pull it off, but I'm sure glad the wind left his little skirt alone. 

This is the gentleman in the sports bra and mini skirt

Then our one minute was up.  A bull horn sounded the uncaging of the zombies.  I didn't know what would happen should a zombie catch up with us, but then one did and he just kept going.  And then another one went by and then another.  So apparently they weren't going to "tag" us or slap a zombie sticker on our back, we were just trying to beat the zombies to the finish line.  One thing I did realize about the people dressed as zombies is that they signed up to be a zombie because they knew they were fast.  Even with the delayed start, zombies zoomed past us left and right.  And there were a vast array of costumes to behold.  At some point I passed the zombie Michael Jackson from Thriller all decked out in true Thriller fashion.  Some zombies looked as though they had turned into zombies right after prom.  Others looked just looked gross and thoroughly decayed. 

Michael Jackson look-alike

These ladies win the award for the best zombie make-up

As Jana and I ran on, I realized that she was definitely faster than I was.  I was working harder than I ever have in a 5k.  I kept up with her for the most part, but the last mile I fell behind.  But my goal was, and has ever been, to not stop running.  Slow down...sure.   But stop?  Never!  So I eased up a bit to catch my breath, but I did not stop running.  The tendon in my foot that bothered me in the Nite Lites race started acting up again.  It feels like something is ripping and it always makes me run a bit awkwardly and more slowly.  But when I had a half mile left, I had my breath back and my foot was fine again and so I picked up the pace.  About 200 meters out, I started to sprint.  The final turn into the finish line was on a dirt road with tire rivets and I prayed I wouldn't bite the dust as I was going as fast as I could.  I ran past the finish just as the clock said 26:49.  My last 5k was 3 minutes longer than that, so I definitely beat my best time!  Jana finished about a minute or more ahead of me.  I think she said her time was 25:30 making it a personal best for her too.  I told her that beating my best time was all due to her.  I wanted to keep up with her and so I ran harder and pushed myself.  So I thanked her for the motivation. 

Zombies waiting to come get us

From my first 5k to this one, I have shaved off 10 minutes from my time and I'm thrilled about that.  I did the math and during this race I had a 8:27 mile.  I'm mighty pleased with that and I hope to improve even more with each run.

It was a fantastic last race of the season.  While I'm going to keep running, I'm done with races until spring.  But any time you can run in a novelty race like this, do it!  It makes the run more enjoyable and the memories of it even cooler.   It would have been a bit cooler had we actually been running in the corn maze that was there or if the zombies would actually do something if they did catch up with a survivor, but it was still fun.


UPDATE:  After the final results were emailed to the runners, by actual time was 26:30! 

Jana bookin' it to the finish

I was running much faster than this picture makes me look, I promise.

After the race with the kids.  The boys had pretty much decided that they were done with this silliness.

Monday Motivation

With running, the more you do it, the better at it you are.  Not just in running faster or longer, but in your form as well.  Soon your body will take on the runner's stride and runner's physique.  And the more you run, the better the chances that you will NOT be one of these runners.....

Happy Running!!!!

Winter Cometh

First off, my profound apologies for not posting a great deal as of late.  My schedule has reached new heights of insanity, so I'm still scrambling to get everything to have it's place.  So onto the post...

As many of you have noticed, October is bringing winter our way much faster this year.  Fall looks like it'll be shortchanged this year and the snow will reign supreme in a few short months.  So where does that leave the runners?  Do you run in freezing temperatures and over ice and snow?  Do you shell out the big bucks for a gym membership?  Do you obtain every workout DVD made in the last year and set up shop at home?  Do you stop running altogether, afterall, isn't running a summer thing?  It's a challenge I have faced at the end of every summer.  A few times, I was largely pregnant during the winter and so running was kind of pushed aside for those reasons alone.  But here I am, winter beating on my door, I'm not pregnant, and I'm thinking, "What should I do?"

Well, against my natural instinct to stay warm and cozy in my cute, little house, I'm going to try running in the winter.  Given the fact that some winter weather is just not runnable (if that is a word), I intend on backing up my running with a pilates video I have and possibly Zumba 2-3 nights a week.  That's my plan.  I do not want to lose everything I did over the summer to some jerk named winter.  By golly, I'm going to stay in shape, in running shape to be exact, and when the warm weather comes back, I won't be starting over because I never stopped.  I know it will be hard to run in the winter, I know that finding time is going to be even more difficult, but I'm going to try and do my best.  If nothing else, I want to accomplish the feat of just staying in shape throughout the winter.  It seems like every year I go through this roller coaster of being in shape and weighing less in the spring and summer, and then winter comes and I pack on a few and get out of shape.  NOT THIS TIME! 

So I highly recommend that if you live in an area where winter really is winter and not just slightly colder than summer, you need a winter running plan.  Whether it's finally getting a treadmill or a gym membership.  Or whether it's workout videos and quick jaunts down the street and back whilst you're covered head to toe in Gortex (warm coat material).  Make a plan, because add the holidays into winter, and you're about a hop, skip and jump away from temptation city. 

If you do have a winter plan, share it with me.  Comment here or email me at annadurfee@yahoo.com. 

I plan on getting a whole bunch of winter running clothes and I promise that on my first cold run, I will take pics of the getup. 

Happy Running!