Why I Run

Wanted to get this posted sooner but have been traveling for work a bunch. Got a few more ideas brewing, so more blogs will soon follow.

Anyway, I thought a post about why I run would be good as I start this blog.

The simple answer is because I love it.

You probably want more than that, right?

I've been running on and off for about 6 - 7 years. I started when I lived a few blocks from the beach. Running on the beach in the mornings was awesome and i think that helped cement my love. How can you not love something when you can do it and watch the sunrise over the ocean and dolphins playing.

I guess I started because I was trying to lose weight and one of my good friends was a runner.

Really I don't remember thinking any specific reason, just that I wanted to run and be a runner.

And I fell in love. In love with (in no particular order):
- the feeling of accomplishment when I am done, especially after a hard run
- the improvements I see in my fitness
- my legs looking great; I had a co-worker who called me Legs because they look so good (RIP Fred, you are missed)
- the running community, everyone is so supportive no matter how fast or far you go
- the time I get to think & process; I run alone and I like that, I refer to my running time as my meditation time
- racing! I love the excitement, the bling & swag, the sense of pride when I cross the finish line, especially if I set a PR
- being outside

If I really dug in and thought harder about it I could probably come up with a dozen more.

I love running!

What do you love about running?  Or your favorite activity.

A pain in the neck...

...and no, I'm not talking about Tim :-)

Last week I was traveling for work. When I travel I try hard to stick to my workout routine, so I bring my running clothes and I bring workout DVDs for my cross training/strength days. Unfortunately the DVD I brought last week was an older one and it wouldn't play in my newer laptop. Instead I went with plan B which was to go to the facility fitness room and use the weight machine there. I had never used it before and thought I did ok with it.

But, later that afternoon my neck started to get stiff and sore and by bedtime that night I was in a lot of pain. Luckily the next day was our last day so I was heading home. By the time my flight landed at 11pm that night I was in so much pain that I called Tim and told him as soon as I got home we were going to the ER. Turns out I had pulled a muscle in my neck which then cause muscle spasms.

I spent the next 3 days spaced out on pain killers and muscle relaxers...not a feeling I enjoy.

Today I am feeling much better, and finally went back to working out. Went for a nice, slow run, and I can tell I haven't been active for about a week and a half, but overall it was great to be out there again.

Traveling again the next two weeks, but this time I'll test my DVDs before I leave so I don't have to use unfamiliar equipment.

On the 50 by 50 front I've been having fun looking for races to do. The Iron Girl 5K is coming up in a couple of weeks and I'm really excited for that one. I can't wait to run it again, bridges and all.

There are so many virtual runs with cool medals available I need to be careful and not sign up for too many - LOL. I'm sticking to one per month, and if there is an in person race avaialbe I'll do that vs. virtual. I like the concept of virtual, I like helping out charities and getting the swag, but I also love the excitment of an in person race.

Happy weekend!

Getting Started

Here we go...

Earlier this month I turned 46 and decided that it would be awesome to run 50 races by my 50th birthday. Hence this goal, FB page and blog were created.

Guess I should start at the beginning...well, not the total beginning, that was 46 years ago :-)

As I was approaching 40 I began to take control of my health. I joined Weight Watchers and started working out and found a love of running.

As often happens lots of life changes occured and I got off track and gained weight back. I also started getting headaches and found out I got exercise induced migraines.

Fast forward to January 2012 and I decided it was time to get serious again about my health. I went back to Weight Watchers with full committment and started exercising again regularly.

May 2012 I started running again and this time was determined to keep running and meet my goal of running a half marathon. Two things helped me greatly with running longer distances and avoiding migraines.

First, I take magnesium each day, it works much better at controling the migraines than any perscription meds my doctor had me try.

Second, I started following Jeff Galloway's run/walkmethod. I run 2 minutes and walk 1 minute. And it's been great for me.

Since last May I ran a 10K, a couple of 5Ks and this past February I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I had hoped to finish in 3:30 (even with run/walk I'm still a slow runner, and I'm ok with that) and I actually finished in 3:25. Considering it was hot and HUMID I was very proud of that finish time.

And now this new challenge has been born. I love to run, but having a race coming up makes it even better, so I'll be set for the next four years.

Yesterday was officially run #1 for Run 50 By 50. It was a local St. Paddy's Day race and I set a 5K PR finishing in 35:41 :-)
 
The 50th race will be the weekend before/after my 50th birthday in some fabulous destination where the man, Tim, and I can have a great vacation.
 
So that's the background for this blog. While it was born out of a running goal chances are really good that I'll end up talking about a lot more than running here.
 
I think this is going to be an amazing journey and I'm excited to live it and share it.