To Wave or Not to Wave

I'm sure you have seen it before...waves on the road. A motorcycle doing the "low five" wave to another, a Jeep driver nodding and steering wheel waving at other Jeeps. There are these little "cliques" on the road, but one that relates more closely to home....the running/cycling wave.

Every morning I get into work with my coffee, grab The Wall Street Journal off the ground and mosey inside. Usually take a quick peek for a few minutes through the paper for any headlines, then toss it on my bosses desk. Today there was an article that caught my eye.

Some wave, some nod, some smile and some just don't acknowledge you at all. Now let me say I am guilty of all of these. Sometimes I wave, many times I will smile and nod as people pass by, and others I am just to damn zoned out to notice what is going on. I have always had a "poker face" when it comes to running, the kind that Heath Ledger would have said "Why so serious" to.

I know that I am more guilty of the "poker face" during races, but I have been trying to be better about it. It has nothing to do with not enjoying what I'm doing (I love running, no dispute there), I just get crazy focused and driven, and I'm honestly okay with that. BUT I am trying to smile more while running, take the time to look around see the sights and the passerbys...I love competing, I love this sport, I love the running/cycling community-- and I want others to see that too.

Last night running on the canal path, I went by quite a few different people and got about 50% waves/nods/smiles which is probably my normal percentage. Some sort of acknowledgement is nice, after all we are out there doing the same thing at the same time....but to each his own. Like I said, I know I don't do it 100% of the time and I don't expect everyone else to either.

There are times (more often with cycling than running) that waving isn't exactly feasible (flying down a hill, dealing with traffic, etc.), and you most likely wont see someone wave while they're in the middle of a hard interval/tempo or hill repeat workout while running. But other times, maybe nod or smile or even muster up the courage to wave, I promise it won't kill you.

Acknowledging another runner/cyclist may seem small but it might be just the boost they (or you) need. In races we have signs and crowd support which help us push when we get tired and lack motivation, but what about training runs? We spend 90% of our time training and 10% racing, yet all of the attention gets put on the racing support. This is where sites like DailyMile are nice, because you get feedback on training (and racing) from fellow athletes which can reinforce all that training and hard work you are doing. Think of smiling/nodding/waving on the roads like your training cheer squad, your in person DailyMile "motivation".

Where do you stand on the waving spectrum? 

Do you smile and nod (I do this much more than waving)? 

Or do you do nothing at all?

Thoughts?

5k, 20 miler, Monster Trucks & more!

Oh boy was this an eventful weekend! Top it off with losing an hour, lets just say there are 2 extra shots of espresso in my latte this morning (and that may not even be enough).

Friday: Typical, worked 16 hours between both jobs, came home and crashed.
Saturday: up early, had a 20 mile run with a 5k race in the middle of it.
Saturday Night: Monster Jam Monster Truck Rally with my Fiance, his brother, sister and her man and their 4 year old son (Hence the reason we were going to this....)
Sunday: Baby shower for my sister (I made a great running themed gift!!)
Sunday Night: Went to the Rochester Auditorium Theater and saw the musical "Book of Mormon", then dinner out

Saturday's run was a 20 mile 5k sandwich, not typical way to get 20 miles in, but either way I got the miles in and that's what matters....It's not like I break all of my long runs up like this, not many of them at all actually. But it was important to me to do the race in my hometown to support a program I used to be a part of, and still get my training miles in.

This was the first time they have done this race, and it was to benefit the soccer program at my Alma Mater. For a first time race it was very well run, and had 202 people finish the race! It was great to see so many people I know, and see so many people becoming more active. The winning male time was 17:14, and I took it for the females in 20:00. Not a PR for me, but I was super happy with this time, as it is my first race of the year. Training the way I have been is paying off. I may be dysfunctional at best with my training, but obviously hard work pays off.



Pre-race run: 6.68 miles @ 8:13 average pace
Race: 3.1 miles in 20:00 (6:27 pace)
Post-Race run: 10.6 miles @ 8:03 average pace

Total: 20.4 miles @ 7:51 Average Pace

 Me and a group of wonderful ladies from my hometown who have taken up running....(I am 2nd from Left)

While collecting my award for winning, this was my "oh hey" when the guy on the left called my name and was like "wait, Laura Anderson who I used to coach in soccer when you were little", hence the "oh hey that's me" look, everyone got a kick out of it, he kept saying "you're all grown up, and fast...you always could run circles around everyone on the field"

Moving on....Saturday Night

Saturday nights festivities, you know the monster trucks and the family time and food.....I have never been to a show like this before but I have to admit it was entertaining. Most importantly it was great to spend time with my "future" family, even though I already think of them as family. J's nephew is the cutest little 4 year old ever (I'm not bias...), and I spent most of the show with him on my lap as he was mesmerized by the trucks. For the record, if you like people watching as much as I do, grab a ticket for one of these things, we were surrounded by a plethora of different kinds of people (not that this surprised me)

 When a 4 year old asks you to put on a race car hat, you must kindly oblige. Oh, and I ate cotton candy for the first time in 20 years....

And....now to Sunday

On Friday I posted  that I had my sister's baby shower this weekend and that I was making her a RUNNING THEMED BABY SHOWER GIFT, so to my running friends, you should appreciate this. Again this was not the only thing I got her, but this was her non-boring gift ( I got her the car seats and stroller...things she needs, and need to keep my little nephew to be, safe). My sister and I have an odd relationship, we love each other and will always be there for each other no matter what though.

 I made onesies (color printer, and iron on transfers)

"First steps today, 26.2 tomorrow", "my mommy & aunt are faster than you" (with a picture of my sister and I from a race), "Who fartleked", "Mommy's future running buddy", "Daddy's future cycling buddy", "When I am cranky I take a nap, when mommy is cranky I send her for a run"...also made a few that said "I love my aunt" (duh.)

"Race Bibs" (Clever, I know!)

"Race 4 Huggs" (Hugg is my sisters last name), Diaper Dash and the bib # is their anniversary, A medal, Go green 5k, Pumpkins in the Park 5k (My sister and I always do this race together), I <3 to run, Boston 26.2 (My sister qualified a few years ago but didn't go because she was in fertility treatments), and Baby Steps 5k.

 This was the "Baby Race Kit" that I put together for my sister.

Bottles (Hydration), Baby Food (GU), Sneakers, Ice pack, Baby cereal with vitamins in it (Carbs and supplements), Bib's and pins, Diaper Rash Spray (Because no one likes Chaffing), all of the onesies I made, Finish Line says April 2013 (When she is due).

What would a baby shower be without Cake? Folks, I know some people say they wont eat cake because they are runners, let's be serious I eat cake, I run, I eat some more cake and I seem to be doing just fine. So get off your high horses you non-cake eaters.

Sunday Night

The show was incredible, funny, crude and very entertaining. I laughed through the whole thing, and also laughed at watching people's reactions to things. But here is the thing, folks it was created by the same people who made "Southpark", what did you expect, sunshine and daisies? Some people were clearly not amused (It mocks religion, and well...everything else under the sun), I get we all have our beliefs, but you have to be able to have a sense of humor and laugh at things.

So my first 20 miler of the year/ this training session is done, and it was on a great weekend. May have been an unconventional way to do it but the fact is I got the miles in and had a wonderful weekend. I call that a success.

What did you do this weekend? Did anyone race or do anything fun??

Weekend on the move!

Whew! Now that the weekend is over hopefully I can settle down a little bit. Don't get me wrong I am not complaining and saying it was a bad weekend, just saying it was a very active weekend. My life is hectic with 2 jobs and everything else. Now that the move is over and I can check that off of my to-do list, maybe I can get some more wedding planning taken care of.

Friday: 6AM workout, worked at office all day, worked at restaurant all night, finally home around midnight.

Saturday: Breakfast in bed, then packing and cleaning at the apartment ALL DAY, finally got some food and  saw 'A Good Day to Die Hard' in the evening to take my mind off of moving.

Sunday: Early Wake up, worked on packing all morning, then parents and H2B came to help move everything. Lots of heavy lifting of furniture, boxes and totes (Does this count as cross training??) A few trips back and forth from apartment to house, and we were just about done with all of the big heavy stuff. Got some lunch and then dove into unpacking. Finally got to the gym at 5:30 for my 16 miler.

Finally moved in!!

For the last few months I have been living between my apartment and J's house, finally the days of packing bags for overnight, and rushing around between places in the morning is over!!!! (-Insert huge sigh of relief here-) I still have a few things to take care of at the apartment (Cleaning, and move a few last things), before my lease is up Thursday. Now that the move is over it's a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders, it is going to make a lot of things much easier. BUT there is one exception....my life is going to be very cramped for the next 2 months. We have 5 people living in the house, 1 bathroom. Let's just say I will be happy when May 1st rolls around and we are down to 4 people in the house, and then I will also finally have a place to have all of my things (Currently 90% of my things are in the garage). But overall this move is great, finally living with the H2B and not having to deal with things in 2 different homes. Obviously most excited about finally being with the man a lot more...being able to come home to him :) There are other great perks about this move, ones that affect my running and training. #youknowyourearunnnerwhen you think about each decision as it pertains to training.....

1. The house is in a lot better area than my apartment was. My apartment was at a main intersection and the roads were NOT suitable for running. The house is in Cobb's hill, so now I can step out the door and have wonderful places to run. I run these streets all the time but now I don't have to drive to get there :)
2. Gym in the basement! Growing up we had a good amount of fitness equipment in the basement and I loved it. In college I had to walk to the fitness center, and all 3 of the apartments I have lived in I didn't have any cardio equipment( I do have some weights and such). Now I finally have a mini-gym in the house again!!! Treadmill and a bike and weights in the basement! This probably makes me sound lazy, and makes it sound like I am wasting my 2 gym memberships I have; but the fact is, it's a lot easier to work around a crazy schedule when you have the option of anytime workouts at home.  It is harder to make excuses like the gym is closed when I get out of work, or things like that. I fully plan on using my gym memberships, but having the equipment so easily accessible is going to really help my training.
3. Less time commuting between places, means more time to work out! When scheduling workouts for the week I have to take into account time to get to the gym, and my apartment to get ready for work and things like that. Cutting commute time and time running around packing bags is going to give me more time to spend at the gym or outside running.

1st 'Longer' Run of this Training Cycle

83 days from today I will be running marathon number 5, granted I am not shooting for a PR, I'm still trying to take training seriously (um, yeah 26.2 miles is a long way, and it does require training). Yesterday was my first longer run of the cycle, 16 miles done (next week 18 with Hollie!). I wasn't sure how this run was going to go, for a few reasons. First of all this is the longest run I have done since the marathon in November, and 2nd moving heavy things all day before running 16 isn't ideal. All that said, it went awesome. I originally was going to run outside in the afternoon, but the move took a while, then lunch needed to settle in my stomach (Dim sum is not the best run fuel), and I wanted to get some unpacking done. I decided to hit the gym for my run. Finally got on the treadmill around 5:30....without my headphones! They were packed somewhere and couldn't find them, I was very nervous about 2+ hours on the mill without listening to TV or music, thankfully I only had to last an hour. My wonderful H2B came to the rescue and joined me at the gym bringing me headphones, and also filled my water bottle so I didn't have to get off the mill (He's a keeper!). 

• 1st hour 7.51 miles (Starting pace 6.8 mph finished at 8.1 mph)
• Quick reset the mill (Shuts off after an hour)
• 2nd hour 7.8 miles (Starting pace 7.3 mph finished at 9.0 mph)
• [had a younger fella get on the treadmill next to me during 2nd hour, he tried racing me...it was funny...he kept checking me out too...until John came and brought me my headphones and water...too bad he was on my right, it was harder to flash my ring at the dude....when he got off the mill finally he acted like he won because he finished before me...ummm dude I was in hour 2 of a 16 mile run and you just ran like 5 miles...Kiss my ass]
• After the 2nd hour I still had 0.69 miles to hit 16, I thought about skipping it, but then said screw it and restarted the treadmill for round 3, 5 minutes later I was done with 16 miles whew!

WHEW!! 16 sweaty miles on the treadmill...DONE

Overall the run felt great, very sweaty being in the gym on the treadmill (they really need more fans in the Cardio room at the JCC)...mentally I needed that run to boost my confidence for this training cycle. My body has not been put through this in a while so I'm pretty sore and tired today. Slept in a little instead of working out this morning, I just needed the rest. No injuries or anything to complain about, just a little twinge in my left calf that I have been fighting for a few weeks. I really love getting back into training and longer runs. The feeling of pushing your body and feeling so exhausted when bedtime rolls around. I know who else loves me being back into training...my calf sleeves and compression socks..we spend so much more time together in training :) [for instance, compression socks, with dressy work shoes, under my black work pants...]

Welcome back to the world of training, where calf sleeves are normal, running laundry increases, food gets inhaled, and you fall asleep faster than Forest Gump after running across the country.

Bust through Boredom

Today's post is inspired by today's Dailymile #Dailymission 

#DailyMission :Do you have a secret for turning a boring long run into something at least a little more fun?

First off I have to say many of the things I am going to list are things I do during ANY run to keep myself occupied, not just on long runs. And secondly, you may laugh at some of these, or think that I am crazy but it works for me and you never know, it may work for you too....

1. Bring a friend along...DUH! One of the easiest ways to beat boredom in any run, especially long runs is to run WITH someone.... even if they only run part of the run with you, even if you don't talk at all....having someone there can really help! FYI having a friend there makes people watching and making fun of things you see, that much better! Laugh together! You could also pretend to be criminals running from the cops together, or spies chasing someone, just saying that you have an imagination and you should use it.
2. Make a kick ass playlist...music is a great motivator and the right tunes can keep you going even when things get boring or tough. Randomly scatter in some crazy upbeat songs, mix in some oldies (we all have them stashed away, you we know you know all of the words!), play songs you know you can get lost in, sing all the words and forget about the miles passing you by.
3. Sing & Dance to said 'kick ass playlist' : The amount of times I have gotten busted jamming to tunes while running is astronomically high. Every time I get caught I laugh too, because I am not embarrassed, I may not be the best dancer, but when I dance when I run I am pretty sure I look like I am having a seizure. That is my public duty, to make people laugh when they see it. Brighten someones day who see's me, they'll brag to their friends about it. My playlist making skills have gotten very good, and I love putting songs on there I know all the words to, usually I'll sing and beebopp in my head, but it eventually starts coming out of my mouth, or at least humming the tune. Name the following songs, they're awesome throwbacks to run to, because we all know you know the words and you'll forget all about the fact that your leg is cramping up.
1. "What you wanna ball with the kid Watch your step you might fall Trying to do what I did Mama-unh mama-unh mama come closer In the middle of the club with the rub-a-dub, unh No love for the haters, the haters See me on the fifty yard line with the Raiders Mad cause I got floor seats at the Lakers Met Ali he told me I'm the greatest I got the fever for the flavor of a crowd pleaser" 
2. Night Creatures Call And The Dead Start To Walk In Their Masquerade There's No Escapin' The Jaws Of The Alien This Time (They're Open Wide) This Is The End Of Your Life
3. Take me home tonight I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light Take me home tonight Listen, honey, just like Ronnie sang Be my little baby, oh, ho, oh
4. You're playing so cool Obeying every rule Deep way down in your heart You're burning yearning for Somebody to tell you That life ain't passing you by I'm trying to tell you It will if you don't even try You'll get by if you'd only Cut loose, footloose
4. Chase cars: yes, I am serious. I run in the city a lot more now than I ever used to. So I will see cars at stoplights, I'll make a goal to beat them to a few lights down. They have to stop at all the lights or get stuck behind other cars so sometimes you can actually beat them. Or there have been times I changed my route to follow a car (this is on main roads, not back roads or anything), make them think I am following them, then back off and turn around...messing with people can be quite fun. Don't do this unless you know the roads though, don't get yourself lost or put yourself in a bad situation.
5. People Watch: I LOVE LOVE LOVE people watching. If I could sit in the airport or at the mall and people watch for hours I would. Some of the things people wear, and some of the things I see people doing are just beyond me. Pay attention to your surroundings when you run. Notice the houses that still have Holiday Decorations out from a few months ago, I totally saw a house with Halloween decorations the other day!! Wacth the people on the streets, the crazy outfits you will see or the random people talking to themselves. When you are running on main roads, running or standing at a light take a moment to look at the people in the cars around you, I make a point to catch people rocking out in their cars, Jimi Hendrix wannabees with their air guitars, or the steering wheel drummers trying to be Ringo Star or Mick Fleetwood. 
6. Plan a fun route: the route for your run can make all of the difference, sometimes being in the middle of nowhere can be nice, but when you are going to be out there for a while, seeing people and having things to look at can help. I love running through some of the artsy or busier districts in the city, plenty to look at, people to watch, and also, more opportunities for water fill ups or potty breaks (necessary things on long runs). I also have learned to love looped runs. Break a long run into a few smaller loops, maybe do a few different loops, or just do one loop a few times. I found that breaking my 20's into a 10 mile loop twice was a great way to break things up, and the 2nd loop always felt so much shorter than the first!
7. Count things: Count the number of red cars you see, or the number of dog walkers you pass, count anything, helps pass the time. For the record, I count my steps when I am going up a steep hill, it takes your mind off of the struggle and helps you get to the top faster! It's like counting sheep to fall asleep, pick something to count to help you finish the run.
8. Play with your speed: Altering your pace every once in a while is great to help make things more interesting and it will actually help your muscles too. On your long runs you don't need to make it anything drastic like mile intervals or something of the sort, but switching gears every once in a while can be helpful. Even if it's every few miles, pick it up for a minute or so or a few street blocks, push it a little more and give your legs a chance to stretch out then settle back into your planned long run pace. Changing things up a bit can help keep your mind and your legs fresh.
9. Plan something in your head: Most people do their long runs on Saturday's or Sunday's because it's naturally when they have more time to be out on the roads for a few hours. I like doing mine on Sunday for a better reason, that gives me a few hours to plan my week out, map my schedule in my head, plan my to-do list, and get ready for the hectic week to come. Sometimes I lose myself in miles by even planning out what I will write for my run-recap when I get back.
10. Visualize your big race day: When I am finding it difficult to get in the groove, I flip through songs until I find a good upbeat power song that I love, and then I visualize myself crossing the finish line of the race I am training for. For example, in the fall I was training for the Marshall University Marathon that finishes on the goal line of the football stadium(They pass you a football with about 20 yards to go so you can cross finish line/goal line with the ball..TOUCHDOWN!!!). During my longer runs, I kept visualizing my touchdown dance when I finished. Would I do a 'Moss moon' or a 'Lambeau leap', or perhaps Stevie Johnson's notable TD dance mocking Plaxico Buris, One of OchoCinco's many celebrations, or I could stash a sharpie in my Kinvara and autograph something like T.O.....the possibilities were endless. But it proved to be a great way to distract me during runs, I was visualizing the finish line, and every emotion that goes along with it, very powerful way to motivate yourself. (for the record, when I did cross the finish line in November, I was so overwhelmed with my huge PR and BQ that I mentally blanked and forgot the dance I was going to do, and simply spiked the football and yelled "hell yeah", not the most creative, but damn it felt good! Unfortunately you can't see the spike or hear me yell, but watching this always makes me smile, I use it as motivation to keep getting better...)