Running Rots Your Brain

First of all, I've been terrible about updating this thing. I have lots of good stories to tell you (including how Al Gore became my new BFF). I just can't seem to make the time to write them all down! But, starting today my goal is to write at least one post per week. We'll see how it goes.

To kick things off, let's rewind to the end of April and I'll give you some  thoughts regarding my first half marathon and running in general. It's going to be bullet list style because I just can't bring myself to write a proper paragraph bullet lists are fun!

• Nashville is an encouraging city. Tons of people lined up along the route to cheer the runners on. Some had drinks and fruit to give out (which were in addition to the official race stations). Bands set up along the route to contribute to the party atmosphere (again, some of the bands were officially part of the race, but several others just set up and played). Lots of people held up entertaining signs like this one. The funny ones were so much more motivational than the sincere ones - not sure what that says about my personality...

• If you're going to run, Nashville is a pretty place to do it. Granted, there are hills. Lot's of hills. But there are also magnolias. Lot's of magnolias and they smell fantastic right now.

• You many not think you can run, but you can. I saw several inspiring runners that day. One guy had two prosthetic legs. Another woman was wearing a shirt that said "Lung Cancer Survivor". And then there's me. The girl who had a stroke with a hole in her heart not only finished 13.1 miles but also beat her goal time by 31 seconds. If I can do it, so can you. Seriously. No more excuses. 

• Running rots your brain. I don't really like running. I like finishing a run, but I don't really enjoy the whole process of running. I'm pretty sure that the runner's high they talk about is a form of brain damage brought on by oxygen deprivation. And that's probably why I've already signed up for my next event - The Nashville Color Run! If you're in the Nashville area, come run it with me and if you're not from around here, look for a Color Run in your neck of the woods!

Double Digits

So...I started running.

More specifically, back in January, I signed up for the Music City half marathon. I'm not sure why. It must have been in a moment of temporary insanity. I was probably caught up in all of the post New Year's resolution hype. You know, when you feel compelled to jump on the band wagon of self improvement?

I immediately regretted my decision.

Had I been smarter, I would have picked a less hilly place to do my first half. Like Florida. Or my couch.

Nonetheless, I was registered and what's more, I posted it on facebook.

I was locked in.

So, I started training.

While I do go to the gym regularly, I've never been a runner. As I came to find out, there's a big difference between going to spinning classes and being a runner. I had some serious toughening up to do. (Although I will say that my spinning and body combat classes gave my cardiovascular conditioning a good head start).

Those first few runs were pretty painful. My feet hurt. My ego hurt. I was terribly inadequate. How was I ever going to run 13.1 miles if I couldn't comfortably run 3?

And hello? No one told me there would be blood blisters!

Begrudgingly, I kept at it. More out of fear than anything. The fear of failing miserably on race day has kept me somewhat on track with my training. I've definitely had to refocus my efforts a couple times, but it seems to be working out ok.

Yesterday, I hit ten miles. Comfortably.

I still don't love running, but I'm finding things that I like about it.

For one, I like the tangible progress. I'm getting better and I like the feeling of accomplishment.

I also like the treasure hunt. I enjoy looking for little bits of treasure on my runs. Without fail, I always see some kind of cool flower or bird. Now don't get me wrong, flowers and birds aren't huge running motivators. But they are nice little bonuses.

And so is something like this. I didn't notice it the first time I ran past it. Admittedly, it's hard to miss. But I did. I blame complete and utter exhaustion.

It's nestled in between some very exclusive subdivision. It makes those subdivisions look very out of place. You can read more about it here.

Running is still hard for me. I'm starting to think that's the point. You know it's going to be hard, but you do it anyway. I can tell that my legs/feet/lungs are getting stronger. I can also tell that my brain is getting stronger. I'm finally making progress in the battle to turn off the internal dialogue that questions why I would ever run for sport. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that your brain is the weakest part of your body. But, it's toughening up too.

The race is a little over three weeks away and I'm actually looking forward to it. Kind of. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, if you have any tips or encouragement, I would love to hear from you. I'm also always looking for good songs to add to my playlist. What do you listen to that keeps you going?

Last Night and Today

A couple totally unrelated things for today:

1. M&Ms make my child crazy. It's not the ingestion of the M&Ms but the managing of them that turns her into a lunatic. She has shed many a tear over who gets to hold the bag and how many are in the bag. Last night she got mad at me for saying the word M&M. Apparently, she was the only person allowed to say it. I wish I would have had the video camera rolling as she spun around with fire in her eyes and shook her finger at me while yelling "No Mommy!"

2. I am profoundly out of shape. I went to the gym last night and really pushed myself on the treadmill. It wasn't horrible, but I know I have a long way to go if I want to run this 10K in May. On a positive note, I got new running shoes. I actually went to a running store and got fitted. They make a huge difference. This is the kind I got. Love them.

3. This is what I am doing at work today. I dissect out these tiny blood vessels from a mouse and then thread them onto these ultra tiny hollow glass tubes that are surrounded by liquid. Then I tie them on with threads that have been unwound from a surgical suture - these are the threads that make up a suture (a whole suture would be way too thick). Then I add chemicals to make the blood vessels contract and relax. All of this work has to be done under powerful dissecting microscopes. I have steady hands and I'm pretty good at manipulating very small things. I haven't found a use for this skill outside of work, but I'm sure one day it will come in handy.

Computers, Challenges, and Dead Deer

I'm liking the random thoughts/bullet point format of my posts this week. So, I'm going to keep it going today.

• Sometimes it takes me more than one try (like 2 or 3) to correctly identify and fill in the letters on word verification things. I'm not a computer. I swear.

• I successfully completed day 2 of my 10K training. I stepped it up a notch last night. I'm a little sore today. Part of that is due to the fact that I need to get some new running shoes. But the other part is because I am not used to challenging myself physically (or otherwise). Last night as I was running, I was trying to remember the last time I challenged myself in any area of my life. Sadly, it was probably 5 years ago when Rob convinced me it would be a good idea to do an 80 mile bike ride with him. I say sadly because it's been 5 years since I have really done anything that has made me uncomfortable - that has been outside of my comfort zone. This needs to change. The 10K race will be a good physical challenge. Now I need to find things to stretch other areas of my life.
• Rob is working 3rd shift for the month of January. It's going to be an adjustment for all of us. His first night was eventful. It included drugs, guns, and a dead deer in the back of the police cruiser. That's all I can say about that.

How I'm Wired

A couple thoughts for today:

I did my first training run (I use that word lightly) last night. I may have bitten off more than I can chew. But, I'm going to stick with it. I can do this. I may not like it, but I can do it.

Secondly, I heard this song on Sunday and it's been in my head ever since.

I've heard it many times before, but this time, it really pierced my heart. Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to eternity

These lines hit me like a ton of bricks. These are all things I've been praying for and here they are in a nice little chorus.

I have always had a thing for music. In middle and high school, I would sit in my room for hours reading through the song lyrics and liner notes of all of my cds. I never quite understood why I was so obsessive about music. I figured that it was because I started playing music at a young age and I had just grown into a music snob of sorts. But over the last few years, I've started listening to more worship music and it has become clear to me that God uses music to get through to me. He can tell me things over and over again, but when I hear it in a song, for some reason, I just receive it better. It gets downloaded directly to my heart. So, now I know why I've always been obsessive about music. I was made to. It's how I'm wired. Can any of you relate?

Monday Morning Update

Well, it's Monday and we're back from our vacation which means back to work for me and back to baby school for Harper. All things considered, we had a pretty good morning - meaning no major meltdowns from either one of us. I don't really have a proper post for today, just some things that are on my mind this morning. Here goes.

• Yesterday, I committed to running a 10K with my friend Allison. I am not a runner. I think running is silly. Furthermore, I don't really like to ride in a car for 10K, much less run it. I'm pretty sure I can do this, but I'm also pretty sure I'm not going to like it. I'm going to the gym tonight to start training on the treadmill.
• While I was in Florida, I read this book. It was really good. Here's a synopsis: God and sex go together. You can’t separate the two because this physical world is intimately linked to deeper spiritual realities. And so, in order to make sense of sexuality, at some point you have to talk about God. With beauty and unusual insight, Sex God explores this connection. Yeah, it's a book about sex and God but it's also about what it means to be fully human. It talks about how we really miss out on the life that God intends for us because of how we make connections with some things and choose not to connect with other things. This is a book about sex, but as I read it, I thought about just about every other aspect of my life. I would encourage you to read it. I think I need to re-read it.

• It was snowing when I walked outside to start my car this morning. I like the snow. It makes the 17 degree temperature slightly more enjoyable.