Winter Running

I’m embarrassed.

I’m from Iowa.

That’s not why I’m embarrassed.

I’ve been living in California for the last 20 years and I am now a total wimp when it comes to the cold.  There was a day in college when us Iowans were thrilled because the temperature was up to 45 degrees! Half the campus grabbed bottles of baby oil and laid out on the hill overlooking the pond to ......sunbathe!!!

I’m not kidding. It was the first ‘nice’ day in six months and we thought it was hot out!

Now if the temperature drops below 60 I only want to crawl under a thick blanket on the couch and watch re-runs of Drop Dead Diva. 

So when I needed to go for a ‘run’ in the COLD RAIN on Sunday, I caught myself whimpering.

My Iowan friends would be so ashamed! They would’ve said, “What is WRONG with you! It’s gorgeous out! Let’s go!” And they would’ve ran outside in their shorts and t-shirt. Crazy Iowans!

I can always spot a tourist from back East in the winter time. Not because they have a camera around their neck. But because they are the only ones in tank tops and shorts with their winter white legs glaring at us.

I envy them.

I wish I felt the same about sub 60 degree weather. It would be so easy to get my runs in if I were like my friends back East.

But no. I have to cajole, manipulate and trick myself into getting out there.

So first I had to convince myself I had the right clothes. I had winter running clothes. So no problems. But then I couldn’t find my fleece lined running tights. Oh no! I’ll be way too cold if I wear unlined leggings!!

Well, I have a warm long sleeve running top and I’ll wear my cool Nike Women’s Marathon rain jacket to keep me dry. Then I decided I should cover my head. Even though the sun wasn’t out, covering my head will keep me from getting wet and will keep my core temperature up.

So I told myself, I’ll wear my NWM’s “Finisher” running hat. (A Christmas present no less). That way as cars drove by and wondered why the hell I was out there on a cold rainy day, they could see the bright pink “F-I-N-I-S-H-E-R” and know: “Ah ha!” They’d think to themselves. “She’s one of those crazy people! .... Nutbar!” Then they’d drive to their nice warm house.

So my self-badgering worked and I hit the pavement. Because, unlike Nike will have you believe, it’s not about “Just Do[ing] It”; it’s about doing it even when it’s hard.

You  may understand the need for this internal struggle in order to complete an hour-long running session in such ‘tough’ conditions. But this was for a short warm up which would last 20 mintues....top.

I’m a wimp.

I’m embarrassed.

Part 5: The Inspiration Dinner

We were told to show up early to the dinner because the line gets long. There are close to 5,000 TNT athletes alone, not to mention the coaches and other volunteers. So the dinner is held at a convention center nearby. We had to wait outside until they opened the doors. I found out quickly why they wouldn't let us wait in the lobby. They were building a gauntlet.

From the moment you stepped foot in the convention center, you were in a gauntlet of cheering people. You had to walk through two thick rows of people cheering, clapping, yelling, ringing bells, blowing horns. It was just CRAZY!!!!

The dinner was on the lower level but you couldn't take the escalator because it was lined with more cheering people. So as you crested the stairs you could see the lower level and there was a SEA of more cheering people! 

Those of you close to me know I am not shy! But the energy and just the number of people and the fact they were cheering for us just got to me. I ducked behind Kris and let him lead me down the stairs. Within a few seconds however, I heard Kris exclaim, "This is wrong!". Then he grabbed my wrist and pulled  me in front of him and made me go down the stairs first!

I was doing pretty good keeping the tears at bay until I spotted this one guy on the right bank of the escalators. He was particularly enthusiastic and was leaning as far as he could over the railing and screaming and pointing urgently at the sign his was holding. I read it and it said, "I am a survivor because of you". That just did me in. That's why we trained for 5 months. That's why we sacrificed our time and our families. It made a difference to that man. And there are more out there like him.

Sorry, I was shaking when I tried to capture this picture. 

I made it through the rest of the gauntlet and made it to the dinner table. We ate dinner and waited for the inspirational speeches to start. I knew one of my top three running heros had spoken at a TNT dinner in the past. I mused about how awesome it would be if he happened to be the speaker at this dinner. He wasn't. He was the M.C.!

John Bingham walked out on the stage!!!! I couldn't believe it! He is the man that convinced me I could run! In his books "No  Need for Speed" and "The Courage to Start" he taught me you don't have to be built like a runner or even fast to run. In fact, he started the "Penguin Brigade" which are runners who 'waddle'. I am definitely a penguin!!! And lastly, he convinced me it's never to late to start. He truly introduced me to one of my greatest joys!! And there he was .....introducing another one of my top three running heros: Joan Benoit-Samuelson!!!!! OMG!!!!!

Joan Benoit-Samuelson won the gold medal in the first ever women's Olympic marathon in 1984.  That was the first time women were allowed to run a marathon in the Olympics. Can you believe it???? 1984!! That's barely 25 years ago!

For the majority of the twentieth century it was widely believed that women shouldn't run long distances. Besides women not being encouraged to be active and athletic, many people (even doctors) thought women would ruin their chances to have children if they ran too much. There was widely held fear that women's uteruses would jiggle out of their bodies!!




Kris and I had read this some where early on when we had started running. In fact, we would routinely joke about it. I'd come in from a run some days and say:

"Wow! That was a tough run!!"

Kris: "Did you jiggle your uterus out?"

Jill: "Yeah, but it's ok. I picked it up and put it in my waist pack."

Kris: "Thank goodness you didn't leave it behind like last time. Took us for ever to find it!"

And so on the banter would continue.

I just can't believe the ignorance that was prevalent back then.

So there I was listening to the woman who snatched the gold at that first women's marathon. And not only did she take the gold, but she pulled ahead of the competitors early in the race and kept the lead the whole way! And she is one petite woman!

Joan Benoit-Samuelson is not your tall lanky runner type. She isn't any taller than I am. I was encouraged to see someone my height tear up the marathon course. Who says you have to have mile long legs to be a good runner? This gave me more encouragement.

Something else that is encouraging to me is that Joan and my other top three running hero (Katherine Switzer) is that they are over the age of 50 and are still running. Joan had finished the Chicago marathon barely a week before and she ran a solid sub-3!!! It cheers me to think I'll be running for years and years to come. I'll be happy if I 'run myself into the grave'. Ha ha.

After Joan spoke, John Bingham got back on the stage to give encouragement especially to the first time marathoners. He gave us some tips on what to expect. He said to be prepared to, at some point on the course, to look at our running partner and think "I wish you would just SHUT UP!"

Me and my running partner Cindy

I couldn't imagine that! My running partner and I enjoyed each other's company on every run. Even the 20 miler! But I had heard about those times where you just get agitated and everything annoys you. I think you get that in every endurance sport as I had experienced that on several of my long distance rides too. Our coaches called those times the "dark places". I was hoping to avoid those places the next day.

As we made our way back to the hotel after the dinner, I noticed I was getting more and more anxious about the race. I was breaking racing commandment #4: Manage Your Fear. There was a million things that could go wrong and attempting the longest route I'd ever done on an unfamiliar course was scary. Until I told myself, "This is just another long run with the team." The moment I put it in that perspective I instantly calmed down. After all, I had done a long run with the team a million times with no big tragedies. 

I had nothing to worry about.......

OMG! What Have I Done??

Well I finally signed up for a marathon. But not just any marathon. The Nike Women’s Marathon in SAN FRANCISCO!!!!  

San Francisco is my favorite city to visit. So that was cool. Then I found out that for a day and a half before the marathon there is a “Spa-expo”. Yeah. Not just a fitness expo as is typical before big sporting events. But a Spa-expo. Free manis, pedis and massages. Oh yeah! 

And, because I’m traveling with Team in Training (TNT) I get to be one of the first ones to hit it! Look out!  

If that isn’t enough, every finisher get a Tiffany necklace!!!! And guess how you get the necklace? SF Firemen dressed in tuxedos stand at the finish line holding silver trays stacked with blue Tiffany bags each containing a finisher’s necklace. And they hand them to you as they cross the finish line. 

So that totally sealed the deal. It’s comforting to know that there will be many medically training firemen at the end of the race. I expect it’ll take at least two of them to carry me away from the finish area and to the TNT tent. I also expect to sit in the ice bath for at least 5 hours before my legs will support me again. I have no idea how I will make the celebratory dinner that night. But I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. 

Actually, there were a few forces that brought me to the marathon. First, even though I’ve been running for a couple years, I haven’t been improving that much. So I thought I’d find some local people to run with. I had no luck finding anyone in Santa Maria. I know there are other people who run in Santa Maria but apparently they aren’t looking to for people to run with. So I thought about getting a running coach. But alas, I could not find any running coaches in Santa Maria.

So, I knew I wanted to complete at least one marathon in my life. I also knew that TNT provides coaches for their team members. And you have running partners every weekend. Plus the fact that they raise funds for a great cause made it a ‘no brainer’. 

So I signed up. 

Of course now I am scared to death! What if I can’t keep up with the other runners? What if I can’t keep up with the training schedule? What if I get sick or injured? What if so much training makes me cranky and Kris starts to hate me??

But so far so good. Of course training hasn’t officially started. I am just running to keep my fitness up until the official first week which begins May 15th. 

Wish me luck!

Please feel free to make a donation. I have a long way to go and every little bit helps. Also, pass my info to anyone you think may be interested! Thanks all!