the adventures of wander woman

I went to Huntsville, Texas. Was supposed to be my fifty mile run but the blasted plantar fasciitis still isn't better completely. And now I'm not sure I want to do one. But that could change.

I didn't wander. Saw this sign and it kept me close to the aid stations.

Steve did great. Five and a half months after back surgery. Eleven weeks of training. He killed it. 26:31:41. And a full on sprint at the finish. Not "I just ran 100 miles" sprint, a "working out with Marquis" full on sprint.

Very proud of him. Very tired. Huntsville is 65 miles this side of Houston. Long drive.

training update

I'm starting to run again this week. YAY! The feetsleeves I got for my plantar fasciitis have worked. A pair of $50.00 compression socks with a weird heel with no toes in them. Plus kinesiology tape when I work out. Has done wonders. I also think the rest right away when it started hurting helped.

I have several marathons and even a few ultra marathons I'm looking at. April I'm thinking I will attempt a 40 mile at Clinton Lake. Steve is running a 100K there, there are lots of runners, lots of distances, and I've run there before, even though it kicked my tail. This one...

And then if I stay healthy Steve said he would run the Lunar Trek 100K with me in July. That was the night run I turned from 22 miles into 25 ish.

We are still working out with Marquis three times a week, hour sessions and plan to continue forever. It has done wonders for me and Steve. I like being strong and healthy.

So here's hoping to staying healthy and relatively pain free!

seven weeks out and....fail

I dropped my registration from my first 50 mile attempt this weekend.

Since the Turkey Trot November 17 I have developed plantar fasciitis (again). Not sure exactly when, but I ran a long run with Steve two weeks ago and it bothered me.

I babied it and felt better and last Saturday ran a longer run with Steve and it killed me all week. So I didn’t run at all other than in my workouts with Marquis. Yesterday I sent the email dropping out of the race.

Today my feet feel better than they have in a month.

I still plan to take two weeks off from running to make sure they are healed. I have kinesiology tape and a foot sleeve I’m wearing to insure I get them well.

I’m getting new running shoes this week before I start running.

I was pretty disappointed. And then today as I looked at all the races coming up that I can do that I hadn’t registered for because I didn’t know how long it would take for me to feel better my spirits lifted quite a bit.

I’m going to sign up for a couple of races in the spring.

My first attempt at an ultra is now going to be April 20. It’s a 40 mile race, not a 50 mile. I still intend to try a 50 mile this year. I have my training plan worked out and I will be taking better care of my feet to avoid this problem as much as possible going forward.

I will also keep track of how many miles I put on my shoes. I think I need to replace both my street shoes and my trail shoes for safety sake and start keeping a log.

i get by with a little help from my friends

today is sheila's birthday.

everyone needs a friend like sheila.

when i told her i was going to train for a half marathon she didn't laugh or belittle me or say i couldn't do it. she asked for my training plan and ran with me.

that was over 4 yearsago.

last month we ran our 4th half marathon together, (i don't know how many races total we've run together and separate, it's a lot). when i wiped out at mile 13, she came to help me up and check on me to make sure i was okay.

three weeks later when i was at her house we were talking about it and she laughed. describing it. how i was so excited to be finishing. how it looked like slow motion. how i jumped up and kept running. she laughed so hard she couldn't talk.

yep, everyone needs a friend like this.

a friend all in for the crazy stuff, yet compassionate and caring when you're down and ABLE TO LAUGH HER BUTT OFF AT YOUR when it's all said and done.


happy birthday sheila!

the adventures of wander woman

life is an adventure.

everyday there is something to be excited about.

someone to love.

something to do.

this week totally got away from me. it was crazy busy and whitney and were both sick and just so much stuff going on.

we had two meetings/parties/lunches with two local running organizations this weekend. food was good, and we love the people in our running community.

i ran the turkey trot for the fifth straight year. my plan was to "stay" with steve, he's been running for a week after 3.5 months off for back surgery. we got to mile 2 in seventeen minutes, a pace i cannot maintain and my strategy of staying with steve went out the window and i went to "plan a" which is always the same, finish and feel okay when you get done.

per usual, time was consistent with what i always run, attitude was consistent (meaning i had moments i loved and moments i hated and moments i wished i'd never started running) but when i saw steve at mile 9.5 come back to finish with me it made my race. such a happy girl when that happens.

with the 30 days of thankfulness i see on facebook i've had moments where i've thought about what i'm thankful for this month.

it has varied from the altruistic

thankful for my healthy kids
thankful for my job and benefits


to the extremely shallow and selfish

thankful for the diet coke in my refrigerator
thankful for my kinesiology tape
thankful for my dvr
thankful for two cars

i have a very blessed life. i'm very aware of that. very thankful for that. i just wish i could always be that way, and not have my moments of selfishness, self pity, self absorption, well, you get the idea. always will be working on that.

mostly, i realize that i love my life. i'm generally very happy. that is in addition to the joy i have with jesus as my savior.

Turkey Trot 2012

now i'm going to go sit on the couch and watch the music awards with steve.

have a great holiday week!

12 weeks to go

some days i think there is no way i'll be ready and some days i feel very good about the race and myself. i had both those this week.

I didn't get to run as much or as far as i would have like to this week. but today's 6 mile run was one of the best i've had in a while, i was able to pick up speed on the uphill with at five miles and was able to sprint the last 4 blocks, even after the hill.

i also had two of the hardest workouts with marquis yet, one was a 30 minute session in the sand pit. it included throwing medicine balls, sprinting with resistance bands, pulling tractor tires and flipping tractor tires.

all in all, i feel stronger than ever.

and i got to run with steve for the first time in 4 months. he's released to exercise and is so happy about that. a little pain in his back, but he was able to log a 4 mile run and a 6 mile run. i'm pretty happy about that.

training update

i am loving this weather. perfect running weather.

i had a couple of tough work outs with marquis, i'm loving getting to work hard. i love getting stronger and faster. i love the stress release.

i'm hitting the point in my training plan where i run a lot of miles. longer runs on wednesdays, sundays are longer. lots of miles a week, lots of time spent. and i like it.

i'm trying to be careful and stay healthy. that's my biggest goal, that and getting stronger.

never give up

this made me laugh.

paired with this one

i had a tough workout today with marquis, but i love that, i love being able to do things i couldn't do a month ago, and i like feeling stronger and healthier (heck, i'm invincible)

it was a hill workout. the hill is .02 of a mile and a pretty steep grade. it included lunges up the hill, high knees with holding at the stop of the jump, squats and jumps to the top of the hill, and squats are my biggest weakness, hardest thing for me to do correctly.

up the hill like i'm skiing, back pedaling up the hill, backward jumps, and bear crawls and other assorted torture, .81 miles of bliss.

we ended with high knee sprints up, jog down, and 10 burpees (decreased by one each sprint) in between the hill sprints. originally he said 7 times, switched to 5 and then said 5 and we'll see. i did the first sprint so well and knocked out the 10 burpees like a pro. turned and headed up the hill, sprinting, knees high arms pumping and thought...i'm gonna die. next time bottom of hill i did the 9 burpees, all the way down to 5. six reps. thought i was gonna pass out at that point.

i am so much stronger, faster, focused, and my belief in myself to do hard things? just continues to get stronger.

i'm a unicorn...

15 weeks to go

15 weeks sounds so far away and yet so close, especially since i didn't run at all this weekend. the week went good, training and all but this weekend flew by and i didn't accomplish all the things i wanted to.

whitney had her sub-state volleyball tournament. we won our first game but lost the second so we don't advance to state. i saw on facebook that everyone elses kids did in volleyball and cross country. i just have to say to that, i'm very proud of my girl and how well she played and the character she displays on her team. (and the one play against washburn rural, defending state champions and number one ranked team in the state where she slid ribs first into the corner of the wooden bleachers with her arms over her head to protect it AFTER SHE MADE THE DIVING PLAY AND KEPT THE BALL IN PLAY made momma nervous, but proud.)

she's glad the season is over. i'm glad the season is over. training gets a lot easier, no practice, no two games a week, no tournaments. and she has decided to take this season off from playing club. she's tired. and she wants a job.

we made a spooky tutu for kelsey for the pommies routine this friday at the football game. it turned out great, very zombieish.

and later this week we are making simba and nala tutu's and manes for whitney and kelsey for halloween. so much fun.

back to training...

i haven't shared my 50 mile goal outside of us. just here on my blog. haven't told my family, unless they read this. haven't told friends, unless they read it here, you get the idea.

i chose the one in texas on an easy course and while i know a few people running there, maybe 6 out of 750, i did this on purpose. i want success at my first attempt. and i figure no matter where i do it, i have to do it on my own.

steve has told me that if i pick a hundred mile next fall after his heartland 100 early in october he will run it with me. we have found one he wants to run as well in december and i'm seriously considering it. will wait till after the 50 mile in february before i decide anything further than marathon distance next year. i have to do the training and finish the race on my own power, but company would be nice.

we both have a lot of races on our wish list race calendar next year, everything from two 4 milers i want to run again to 100 mile races and every distance in between. i'm very excited. hope we both stay healthy.

lessons from the trail part 16 – falling down

i fall down more than i would like to when i’m running. i would like to never fall down at all.

in south dakota I fell climbing up the mountain. big gash in my leg pouring blood and a bruise that went knee to ankle and the whole outside of my leg. steve was in front of me and since i didn’t yell, he had kept climbing. when we were on our way down he noticed it and checked to make sure i was okay. but he didn’t see me fall, and had i been wearing long pants, i could’ve hid it, at least for the day.

sunday when i ran with sheila i fell. that’s an understatement. a friend of mine, lori, was at the corner at 13 miles. i was walking a few steps with sheila, getting ready to turn the corner and bring it home, looking good for the finish line. lori yelled she wanted me running cause she wanted to take a picture. so thinking i’m feeling pretty good, i take off. and as i go into my happy I’m finishing big smile for pictures i overdo the hopping and skipping and stub my toe and it’s downhill and i can’t right myself and i wend down hard. HARD. skidded on my hands, elbow, knee, hip and then rolled over and sat up. lori runs to me, helps me up, sheila is there worried about me, lori goes on ahead and gets this picture.

i’m laughing at myself, while taking mental inventory of everything that hurts, hurts bad enough i’m not even embarrassed yet, even though i did note all 100+ observers of my humiliation watch me get up and sprint toward the finish. (the sprint was mostly because i could not wait to put this experience and everyone who witnessed it behind me.) i’m actually bruised worse than i am bleeding. but we finish. and the right side of my body is banged up. i was so close to the finish line.

i can’t help but compare this to my spiritual walk and the metaphorical “falling into sin”. when i wipe out into the pit of sin even if no one witnesses it doesn’t change the fact that i did it and there is blood and bruised, hurts and wounds and repercussions to deal with. even if there is no visible sign it still happened. but I can cover it up. make it right with god, and no one ever has to know. i have sin like this. it’s between me and god, and i’m glad everyone doesn’t see it.

there are also those sins that everyone witnesses your colossal wipeout; face first, skidding on your hands and knees, running shoes over elbows trying to right yourself but knowing as you go down in front of everyone that there is no hiding it. even jumping up and moving on, you know you can’t yell “i’m okay” and have anyone believe you.

along with the pain of falling is the humiliation of being seen and everyone knows. i have noticed how people reacted to my wipe out.

lori ran to pick me up.

and then ran ahead and took this picture.

sheila was behind me and ran to pick me up and has checked on me 3 times since then to see if i’m okay.

some people looked away
some laughed
some clapped when I got up
some have shared their own falling down stories with me (there's been a lot of these)


this parallels how people have acted toward me in times of spiritual falling

some ran to pick me up and checked on me, regularly
some looked away
some knocked me back down
some threw salt in the open wounds
some laughed and mocked
some have cheered and clapped and urged me on

falling down/getting knocked down in life is inevitable. getting back up is a necessity. i can do that. i can also pick up others who have fallen as i definitely know what it’s like to fall and fall hard.

what a weekend

saturday steve and i volunteered at the heartland 100. this is one of steve’s favorite races and he deferred his registration till next year. we were at an aid station at 42.5 miles in and then it was 57.5 miles on the way back to the finish. we had a great time. we waited on runners, feeding them soup, sandwiches, crackers, cookies, candy, filling water bottles, popping blisters, taping feet, digging in bags for new socks, shuttling runners who quit back to the finish line. it was a wet, rainy, windy, stormy day. steve was actually not disappointed to volunteering instead of running.

this is the race director’s 11 month old cutie playing in the mud, gotta love moms like this.

this is the first place runner. He was a cutie too. i love that this picture shows the way the sky looked, the muddy country roads that this race is run on, and the runner making his way down the street to the aid station.

sunday i ran the prairie fire half marathon with sheila.

we were as miserable as we looked here crossing the finish line.

i had forgotten how hard asphalt is. the street is harder than sidewalks and much harder than trails. the pounding tore my hip flexors up, and my feet were feeling it. but after a shower, a sandwich and a nap, i felt almost good as new.

in my ongoing personal war against comparison, myself included…

i hate this poster.

i know a lot of people find it moving and inspirational and motivational.

quit comparing yourself to people who are sitting on the couch. if you want to get better, faster, stronger, try chasing after the people who are out there doing it better and faster and more often. train with them. ask them questions. get advice.

and feel good about yourself for what you are doing, not because you are doing something while millions of americans sit on the couch and get lazier and unhealthier. it shouldn’t matter what the rest of the world is doing.


QUIT COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHER PEOPLE AT ALL!

you are special. you. the way you are. regardless of what others say. regardless of how you feel about yourself.

fearfully and wonderfully made. that verse is about you, you know. wonderfully made. SPECIAL!!!

fast or slow
thin or thick
blonde or brunette
rich or poor
married or single
young or not as young
career woman or sahm
successful or struggling

you. YOU - are special.

dissatisfied

this is a follow on to my previous post about sharing too much via social media.

i canceled my pinterest account. i found myself looking at things and wanting things and wanting to make things and spend money on things that i never wanted before. and don’t need. and probably don’t want if i’m really honest.

for example, i have a great black peasant skirt. i saw something on how to wear peasant skirts and immediately took mental inventory of what i had and what i would need to buy (or borrow from whitney) to copy the look.

two problems here. I DON’T NEED NEW CLOTHES. I DON’T WANT TO COPY A LOOK MILLIONS OF OTHER WOMEN ARE COPYING. and i have some awesome clothes in my closet. (note – i’m wearing my black peasant skirt with a 4 year old orange running chics sheer tee, 75% off orange satin ballet flats and steve’s levi’s jean jacket circa 1988 as i type this).

i also see on pinterest women planning weddings when they aren’t close to being engaged (or even dating). and dressing children they don’t have. i believe this is dangerous, leading lots of women (besides me? or am i the only one that struggles with this?) into dissatisfaction in their lives as well. some dreaming and wanting is okay. but at some point LIVE AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU ARE NOW. if i was a guy dating a girl and I looked at her pinterest boards and she had 100 pins for her wedding and 179 of baby stuff it would probably freak me out.

i loved the humor boards until i came across several that were off color, down right raunchy, full of foul language, and the ones about teaching or created by teachers with typos and misspelled words just about send me over the edge.

and my dissatisfaction continued when i looked at facebook. you know about my love hate with facebook. i saw it. the much despised post “my husband just bought me an espresso maker (fancy name and picture). i’m so spoiled”. gag.me.with.a.spoon. (you can take a girl out of the 80’s but can’t take the 80’s out of the girl). and i don’t know the story behind the espresso maker. maybe she had been asking for one for a while and he finally got it for her. maybe he was tired of running to starbucks to get her espresso fix for her. or tired of watching the kids while she went. maybe she already had one and it was broken. maybe she was just publically thanking him because he’s the most awesome husband ever. not mine to get worked up over (but i did).

i ask steve why he doesn’t spoil me. he asks, pointedly, “do you want an espresso maker?” NO. because if i did, i could have one. he’d buy it for me or let me go buy it for myself. i realized that by this definition, i am spoiled too. he never tells me no. we just work it into the budget.

i changed my facebook profile picture to this one.

because i would rather have this all day long and twice on sundays instead of an espresso maker or any other expensive gift. a weekend out of town together, a race, a hug at the finish line. when i registered for my first race, a 10 mile in 2008 he registered too. and when i got to the 9 mile mark he had finished his race and come back and was waiting for me and ran the last mile with me. he’s done this more than once. ask me how I know he loves me and how he spoils me? this is one of many examples i can give.

this is not just a “brag about my husband” post. this is me looking at the kind things he does for me. the ways he shows me he loves me. he speaks MY love language, not someone else’s with espresso makers.

how quickly i can become dissatisfied with what i have, with my life in comparison to others. wanting more. wanting what others have. wanting validation from people that shouldn’t be able to speak into my life. steve is special. he is good to me. i don’t need presents, i just need him. and lots of races.

social media. i have to make sure that i get this right for me. i’m not telling anyone else how to manage their social media and how to live. it’s just a cautionary tale of the impact it can have on my life. and my continued search for the correct boundaries.

training update

three workouts a week with marquis. he continues to kill me. about halfway through our second set of exercises he is having to pull me up off the mat. 40 minutes, i get water breaks for about 2 minutes between sets. 6 minutes of breaks. he told me he intends to mix it up so i'll stay sore. YAY!

i can tell a huge difference in my legs. the four miles at the monster dash the other night were easy. the trail was a piece of cake. uphills, downhills, i was able to run without slowing or adjusting my pace or feeling it. i was very pleased with how i felt. along with stronger, i am recovered from the marathon. the shrnrm 3.87 was really hard because i was still dog tired.

after an easy week, this is the start of the first push week, 20 miles this weekend.

and a bonus picture from friday night...these are the monsters that jumped out of the trees to scare me while i was running.

there were 184 runners. i was 100. 61 of 122 females. smack in the middle. it all depends on the race and the registered runners. sometimes i feel fast and accomplished and sometimes i feel out of my depth. but it is always fun.

the adventures of wander woman

night run...

the monster dash 4 mile run at el dorado lake was a fund raiser for the el dorado high school drama department. the kids from the drama department were hidden on the trail in costume with props and jumped out and yelled and chased us. they are way less scary then mountain lions and snakes so i was fine. it was at the same place the storm the dam half marathon is held, and i kind of like that race too.

it started at 7:30 friday night. it was already dark. there were probably about 100 people, 90 in costume. yours truly was not, but only because i ran out of time to make a batman costume. there were not many headlights or flashlights which led me to assume (i soon found out i was right) that the majority of these people were not 1. trail runners, 2. runners, 3. night runners.

creepiest race shirt ever.

i actually started passing people at .52 miles in. which you all know from 3 of my last 4 races this is a switch. we ran paved roads through the camp grounds and some bike path. about two miles in we veered towards a wooden bridge and i was happy, my favorite portion of trail out at the lake. there was a line of 25 people in front of me. i know, because i counted as i passed them. i had two things on my side they didn't. i had run the trail before, several times, and i had a headlamp.

we hit pavement for about a half mile and right before we headed back into the same loop of trail three women i had passed the first time through went in right in front of me and immediately began walking. i asked to pass them, and they courteously moved out of my way. 50 yards down the trail i hear them behind me and so i asked which side they wanted to pass me on. she says, neither, we want to share your headlamp. so they stayed right on my heels and i yelled, LIMB, ROOTS, ROCK, DUCK (not the animal, the action) until we came out of the trail and hit pavement and then they ran on ahead.

at the finish line there was water, which is normal, and pizza, cookies and beer which is not. there was also a scary movie that would be shown in the amphitheater.

i didn't get my picture taken at the finish line, i veered in from the side. but dressed in black tights, black tee shirt and a headlight, i would've been hard to see. so here is a selfie.

anneshia is spending the weekend with us. took her to the race. steve said she cried when i ran off. forget how different life is for a 3 year old. when i crossed the finish line she was waiting there with steve and she says, gigi, you're fast.

the costumes and ghosts didn't bother her, the big spiders were fine, but she didn't like the creepy skulls.

training

18 weeks away. I realized yesterday my feet don't hurt anymore since the marathon.

3 training sessions with Marquis. Such hard workouts, two of them i negatively impacted other workout as women stopped to watch and cheer for me. Gotta tell you I loved that. Couple of sore muscles. Alright, more like all of them.

Looking forward to a full week of running. Fallback week of four 4 mile runs and 1 eight mile run.

I love getting into a new training plan/regimen.

funnest race ever

just a few pics from the shrnrm3.87. it's an annual event, if you are a local, you might want to check it out next september. i had a great time.

some people look really cool when they jump, i look like i'm going to attack hannah.

last place got the tunnel, made me feel like a star

and steve won a (recycled) award for the "happiest volunteer".

shrnr3.87 memorial run

tonight i ran my 6th race of the year. 2 marathons, 1 22 mile, 1 half marathon, 1 5k and 1 3.87 mile run. it was a benefit for the leukemia and lymphona society put on by one of steve's ultra running friends, his first ultra running friend, scott. he is a team in training coach and is just all around awesome.

i showed up with the other 40 or so runners, it was very low key, no bibs, no official times, no winners...

these are all runners. no one is there to run their first 5k or marathon. and a comfortable pace for them is way in front of me. i stayed with the second half of the pack for the first mile and then i watched them pull away from me. i slowed down, they didn't speed up. this was the point when i realized that at their pace i would be out of gas at about 3 miles and the last .87 would be difficult.

i putt putted along enjoying the beautiful evening, watching that last runner in the white tee shirt get further and further ahead and when i turned the last corner to head to the finish line i started to pick my pace back up. i was running to 1515 north rock road and when i got to 1945 north rock road i figured i could go pretty much all out for the last 4 blocks. i was making good time, feeling good and i see a greent tee shirt heading my way.

memorial man himself scott came out to run the last block with me. he is running the two races steve had to roll his registrationst to next year for, next weekend and three weeks later. i finished, we went to scott's house for dinner and to hang out with other runners for an hour.

awards were hilarious. finishers medals were donated from all the races in wichita previous that were left overs. i now have a 2008 marathon medal for a race i didn't run. they gave a canine award to rowdy the border collie, best jump award for one of the picture areas, and second place finish awards because no one wins first place.

i told steve on the way home last place isn't fun. it's kind of demoralizing. the finish chute i got to run through with everyone making a tunnel for me and cheering was cool, but it was for last place. but we talked about how if i stress out about getting faster and making it about beating the clock, beating my past times and beating others i will take the fun out of it. i'm working with marquis again, at least while his future is undecided. i want to be stronger and faster. but it's not going to consume me.

i will work to get stronger and faster, but will make sure i continue to enjoy the sport of running.

because it is fun. like this. kinesiology tape to match the running skirt.

i will ramp up training for my ultra over the next couple weeks. once i hit running 20 miles for my long runs, i run two weeks long with a third week fall back. i get up to two 28 mile training runs with 16 mile runs on the sunday following by the end of training.

i need the weights and the cross fit training to build strength as well.

i could also lose a few pounds to get to "racing weight" and that would help. we'll see how it goes. i'm nervous, excited, and a little tired thinking about it. first week back after the marathon and week off was rough. weights were hard, running was hard, cross fit with marquis was hard...

but if it was easy everyone would do it.

too much???

this week i enjoyed reading blog posts on the topic of social media and sharing too much. am i guilty of this? should i keep more to myself? share more?

i have pulled way back in the last year. i’m faithful to my blog, but that’s about it. and you know, it’s mostly about running…

i protect my children. i protect my husband. i’m pretty open about me, but it’s my life. i don’t share things that would embarrass or hurt my kids. i try to do the same with steve, and if he’s told me certain subjects not to talk about, i don’t.

i have some thoughts on the subject of social media, but I won’t link back to one of my favorite blogs to participate in posts about social media, even though it’s set up for that, because then other people who don’t already read me might find me and i write for us. always willing to welcome new people, but i don’t go out to drag them here. they have to find me.

i was most interested in the posts about comparison. comparing yourself to others via what you see on social media. it can really make you feel like everyone has it together but you. or the opposite, you can feel pretty good because some people are a real train wreck and willing to share way too much.

i had a day last week where i logged onto facebook and in direct response to everything i saw wanted to post this as my status

“i did not work out today. i fixed frozen lasagna and bagged breadsticks (which i burned) for dinner. i forgot to buy 12 things at the store. it’s 11:30 p.m. and the 3 dozen brownies i’m supposed to take for the volleyball tournament fund raiser tomorrow are just coming out of the oven. there are no clean towels for showers.”

yep, the “i made 14 pints of jelly from berries i picked in my own backyard”? can’t compete. everyday workouts at 4:45 a.m.? not this girl. cornbread from scratch? why??? the jiffy mix is $.50 and with enough butter or dunked in chili you can't hardly tell the difference.

and pinterest - i have a pinterest account. primarily so I can read (stalk) the funny posters that cate pins. and her sister brenda. seriously follow both of them just for that. i can’t handle the perfect houses, the crafts that always turn out right, the recipes that require more than 5 items. i do use the occasional recipe, and lots of workout/running stuff, although every picture from every workout i’ve seen has been fitness models, no real women and can't compare to that. i actually most like pinterest to let my wonderful, creative, exciting, fascinating friends do all the homework for me when it comes to recipes and patterns and humor…thank you all very much.

Twitter – i’m just not clever enough. or exciting enough. it’s too fast paced for me. can’t keep up.

facebook – last weekend i ran a marathon. i shared one beautiful picture with the marathon's page and nothing else. but all the pictures from the fotog were posted. and he’s great. and the pictures of me were unflattering. i loved the ones from the glow run, remember i shared those? pink skirt, black shirt, i thought i looked good.

but i didn’t look good in these marathon pics. awkward angles, least flattering but most comfortable running clothes i own. sports bras are unflattering, and then i strapped a camelback on that didn’t help me look better. i ran for hours (and hours), i was sick, it was all uphill or downhill which made me hold myself at odd angles, the capris and gators made my legs look short and my calves look huge…get the idea? but i didn’t untag myself. on purpose. because when i only post the pretty pictures, i feel dishonest. when i only talk about how well i did, it’s a lie.

i love social media. staying in contact with long distance friends and seeing pictures. tracking my friends when they are running races to see how they are doing and how they finish. i love to read blogs. amateur writers have some of the best stuff to say.

social media is like anything else in life. it should have boundaries. i don’t have a set of boundaries, but i try to be aware and cautious. there are things that i should keep more private and areas where i only paint myself in a good light. but a lesson was learned for me earlier this month when i came across a file folder where i had printed some very upsetting blog posts and emails that had been sent to me. they had been taken down/deleted, but i still had the paper copies. what you say one time in the virtual world is out there forever.

that's what i think about most. whether it lives in someones mind or on paper or just on line, it's out there.

here are my unflattering pictures.

they are on facebook, not from me, and the hawk 100 website so i guess a third place isn't a big deal, right?

lessons from the trail 15 - the finish

i'm proud of these. my finisher's medals. i have even run a few that don't give medals. (it doesn't mean i didn't finish).

sometimes you get injured or too sick to finish. it does happen. i'm not knocking people who don't finish a race. i have heard that it's habit forming. quitting when it gets hard. i've also heard it hurts. that a dnf (did not finish) haunts you. there is a saying in the running world, dead last is better than dnf. i've had one dead last (or 11th place). and i prefer dead last to dnf. always.

i realized this week you can buy a race bib and a race tee shirt. you can register get the tee shirt, the race packet and all the swag without a lick of training or stepping to the starting line. and for this race, it was a really cool tech shirt.

but you can't buy the medal. you don't get the medal till you cross the finish line.

i wear my tee shirts, but i didn't earn them. and earned this medal.

my medals are in a drawer in my vanity. i don't wear them, no one sees them. yet they mean more to me than the tee shirts. i know how hard i worked, the training miles, the painful steps, the mental conversations in my head to earn these. i look at these medals and i remember the race and the stories that go with it.

finishing. finishing strong. that's always my goal

the growth physically, mentally and spiritually i've gotten from doing the hard things, from finishing is noticeable.

this was better than the medal at the finish line

2 timothy 4:7 i have fought the good fight, i have finished the race, i have kept the faith.


i like being a finisher.