Running for Life

I really began running in 2003. I had just lost over 100 lbs over the previous year.

Before losing that weight I had always been at least a little over weight my whole life. I think the highest weight I got to was about 270 lbs. It would have been pretty difficult to hoist myself off the couch and just start running. So I started out walking and biking. Once I got closer to my goal weight I started doing Pilates and doing very short runs...or jogging really. And by short I mean down my street and back. And that was with walking breaks. Each day I would go just a little further than I thought I could go.

In 2004 I decided that I wanted to start to train for the hardest race you can run...a marathon...ok a 100K is the hardest race I can think of, but you get the idea. I picked the Chicago Marathon because it takes place in October so the weather usually isn't too extreme and it is a pretty flat race route. I trained all of 2004 following the training program from 2 books. "Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide" and "How to Train for and Run Your Best Marathon". These at least gave me a clue as to what to do to be successul in attaining this goal. The problem was, I wasn't wholely following their programs. I didn't run in any smaller (5K, 8K, 10K etc) races prior to the goal of the 2004 Chicago Marathon. I did a little too much cross training (aerobics and biking) and not enough running. I didn't weight train enough. And I think I just tried to do too much too fast. Needless to say, I got a pretty bad stress injury the 3rd week of September 2004. I couldn't run the Chicago Marathon because of it. I was pretty devastated. I had worked towards that goal with all I could muster for 8 months. I think I had told everyone and their mother that I was going to run the Chicago Marathon. So I was embarassed on top of it.

Then Caleb and I went on a 6 month backpacking trip in Europe from November 2004 to May 2005. Upon returning to the states we got married in Madison, WI in June 2005. Caleb started his undergrad degree in Mechanical Engineering in Fort Wayne, Indiana August 2005. I basically did not run most of this time. We were constantly on the move while in Europe and I didn't have my running shoes with me.

2006-2007 we spent a year in Houghton, Michigan. Caleb participated in a national college exchange program to Michigan Tech University. I did a little running while we were there. Mostly in the spring. During the blustery winter I finally really learned how to snowboard because we lived only 2 miles from a ski hill. LOVE the snowboarding. We did a lot of mountain/trail bike riding while we were there. Michigan Tech has a number of extensive rough terrain and jumping trails for bikes. It was so awesome. That area of Michigan is so beautiful. Living there was like being on vacation all the time.

June 2007 we headed back to Fort Wayne, IN so Caleb could finish his degree at IPFW. I didn't really run during this period. In November 2007 I went out to Salt Lake City, Utah to work for the Sundance Film Festival. Caleb stayed in Indiana so I was out there by myself. So after work for the day I would have a lot of free time. I had put back on some extra poundage between 2005 and Fall 2007 so I was feeling the need to work out again. I started to run again in December 2007.

Upon wrapping Sundance I returned to Fort Wayne in the spring of 2008. I decided to run the Madison, WI Half Marathon in May 2008. So I started to really train again. This time I did a lot more weight training and was consistent in my running schedule and really watched what I ate. I also ran a couple of build up races. I ran the Mastodon Stomp 5k here on the IPFW campus in April, I ran the Shipshewana 4 mile trail run, and the Warbird 6 mile run (Fort Wayne, IN).

I completed the 2008 Madison Half Marathon race in 2 hours 26 minutes. It was truly a wonderful day!!! I did start to feel extremely fatigued around 10. 5 miles. I stopped to walk about that time for about 2-3 minutes. Then as you get closer to the finish line there are more and more people out there to cheer you on. The people cheering really does help! My mom, step-dad Dewey, my sister Makenna, my husband Caleb and my dog Atticus all came to cheer me on at different points along the route and our friends Rick and Meg met us at the finish line. That support was greatly needed and appreciated :)
I felt so good about attaining that goal. It is also the best shape I have ever been in my life. I felt really prepared to run that race. Some people told me that I probably wouldn't be able to walk the next day, but I felt great after the Half Marathon. In fact I ran the next day just for fun. Gosh, who would have believed I would say and do that?

I started planning for the next race right away...maybe even the Chicago Marathon that fall........then June 2008 came along. This is when I found out I was pregnant with Finn. So I stopped running. I was concerned that being an older (36 yr old at the time) mom so I didn't want to take any chances with a miscarriage.
I had Finn January 29, 2009. I had to have him by C-section because my water had been broken for more than 24 hours and I wasn't going into labor and Finn had turned breach slightly. I had no idea what major surgery a C-section is. It took me a couple months to start to feel myself again.

I didn't really workout and definitely didn't run again until Fall of 2009. We got a jogging stroller so I could go out with Finn and the dog, Atticus. I didn't get serious about running about until December 2009. That is when I registered to run the 2010 Madison Half Marathon again and get a better time. I found out with all this running jazz that I am a die hard goal setter/attainer. Running in races keeps me motivated to continue to strive to be a better runner and athlete overall. So I have been training pretty religiously this time. February 20th I ran in the Fort Wayne Fanny Freezer 5K. This isn't a huge race, just for fun. But it did give me an idea where I was at endurance wise with my training/performance. It is worth noting that a 78 year old, blind man did beat me by a good minute. So that ought to keep me humble :)

I think running is way more of a mental game than a physical feat. My mind will give out way before my body does. Everytime I think I can't go any further, I do. So I have learned to set a goal and then push myself a little bit past it. This has helped me just in life. That mind frame, for how strict it sounds, has actually made me a happier person. Running now means freedom and fun to me. I can't live without it.

Now that the weather is getting nicer I can start to run outside more and more. I will try to keep up with this blog daily so I can get a feel for how my runs are going and what I can do to improve my time and how my body feels during and post the run.

Yesterday I ran from the IPFW campus, over the new bridge, through Johnny Appleseed Park, down Spy Run to where it meets Lafayette and then back. The first 15 minutes was a little rough. My left calf was giving me grief. Then I felt great the rest of the run. It was a beautiful day! This is the longest training run I have done so far since December. I ran a little over 4 miles.

I decided today to run in the Nutri-Run 5 mile race here in Fort Wayne on March 27th. I signed up for the Crazy Legs Classic 8K in Madison, WI to be run on April 24th. I will also run in the Mastodon Stomp 5K on May 2nd here on the IPFW campus. Then on May 30th I run the Madison Half Marathon again!