Oh, Were There Other People At the Race?

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Ahem. Thought I might peek out from behind the wall of self-involvement that is my life and offer a shout-out of congratulations to a few friends who nailed the 5K on Saturday.

Barefoot Josh, after coming off one of the hardest marathons in the country and a half-marathon following that, laid down the law at Saturday's race and ran an 18:56. For those of you who run, you get it. For those who don't, this is in the "Holy Crap Batman!" category of awe. Also some great pictures of the race on his site. 

Iris also set a PR and can no longer claim to be a back-of-the-pack runner. She keeps setting PR's right and left and is getting faster at every race. 

Lots of Blueliners at Saturday's race. I believe Will, Bobby and Michael all set PR's as well. Not sure if my friend Marty set a PR, but he ran a good race. Likewise, my neighbor Royce who is recovering from knee surgery beat his stated goal by 5 minutes. 

And there were several kids out there who killed it. I passed a nine-year-old at the first mile marker and I had to up my tempo to do it. I love their energy!

So apologizes for not offering kudos to all my wonderful running friends in my first post. As always, each and every one of you inspire me in different ways. 

Cheers,

Dena

 

Those Damn 5K's

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Hey look, I'm running!This morning I ran the PTI 5K on the Runway with the goal of running under a 22-minute 5K. I remained haunted by my last 5K in which I came in just a few seconds over 22 minutes, a scenario that could have been avoided if I hadn't walked for 10 seconds with less than a half-mile to go. 

Physically, I was pretty sure I could nail under a 22-minute race. Mentally, I don't do well in these short races. I get to a point where I'm uncomfortable and I just... quit.. It infuriates me even as I'm doing it. "Keep running!" I tell myself. "Slow down if you need to, just don't quit."

So once again, there's good news/bad news. The good news is I exceeded my goal. Best case, I was hoping I could run a 21:45. I ran a 21:37, which is just under a seven-minute/mile pace. I came in second in my age group and was the seventh female finisher overall. 

All of which would make me quite proud, IF I HADN'T WALKED 3 TIMES DURING THE RACE. 

That's right, you heard me. Not once, not twice, but three times! Loser. I stopped for water then two times in the last mile I stopped for about 5 seconds each time and caught my breath. 

Did I need to? Not really.  I just knew it would feel better to stop, so I did. Somehow, some way, I need to figure out how to push past the pain and keep going. I'm not sure how to do that other than to (gulp) keep running 5K's.

On the bright side, with every race I run, I break down a new mental barrier. A year ago or less I would have scoffed at the thought of running under a 22-minute 5K. Now I think I'm capable of running close to a 21-minute race.

If I can get the mind-thing under control. 

You know what this means. More 5K's.  ACK!!

Cheers,

Dena

What's the Plan, Stan?

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I'm working on becoming less of a planner. And by "working on" I mean "taking no action other than hoping things turn out the way I want them to." Still, it's a start. 

I live by a plan. I really don't understand how people get by in life without them. It's not that I write down every moment of my day (well, not always), but I typically either review my calendar at night or first thing in the morning and at least make a mental note of what my day looks like. The problem is that if something new pops up--even something fun--I'm often reluctant to let go of the mental plan I had for the day and adjust to make room for the new thing.

Here's an example. Yesterday was beautiful and a friend texted me early to see if I wanted to get in a quick easy run that afternoon. Just to be out and enjoy the weather and each other's company. 

Sounds fun, but wait. Running was not in the plan. I'd already biked that morning. My legs had their workout. So no, no running. Can't do it. It's not in the plan. 

An hour later, I'm staring out at the sunshine thinking how nice it would be to be out there running in it and it occurs to me how stupid I am. This isn't about "exercise." This is about enjoying life and what it offers in the moment. It's sunny. It's pretty out. I have a great friend I get to spend time with. I get to enjoy being healthy and appreciate the fact that my life is set up so I can take off and enjoy an afternoon run. Throw the play book out the window and just go.

So I did.

I need to do that more often. I'm easily freaked out by things as simple as I planned to start my morning writing time at 7 am but now it's 8:30 and oh my God, the day is ruined. Calm. Step back. Readjust. Pull up your big girl panties and just deal with it. 

Can you see the free spirit in me taking over already? Almost there....

Cheers,

Dena

Bikram Yoga Review

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Made it out alive. That's the key point to remember in all of this. I'm alive.

Attended my first Bikram hot yoga class last night. Right before class, I was talking to BFF Trisha who asked if I was going to the class alone or with someone. 

"My friend Amy is going with me," I said.

"What's she like?" 

"Tall, blonde, pretty, about 24 years old." 

"Really? Maybe she's super flexible too so you both will have so much in common!" 

You can see why we're friends. =)

So. Class. Not so bad. Really. I'd expected my breath to be taken away by the heat, like when you enter a sauna and can feel the embers scorching the back of your throat. Walking into the bikram room was nothing like that. Warm, yes. But sitting still on our mats before class, it was almost comfortable. 

Of course, that didn't last long

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