Running in Iowa... More Than a Run. It's an Adventure!

This picture was taken during my first run in Iowa this week. It was 37 degrees when we started and snowing (the wet, heavy kind of flakes). Wind was present but not unbearable.

My husband and I set out together, but as usual, we went our own paces and met up again at the end of the run. We basically ran the same route. So I knew he was experiencing the same kind of conditions I was.

Neither of us saw another soul out in this weather. Only crazy people run in weather like this. (Ok, I saw one man on my way back in who was running with his dog. But as he passed me, we caught eyes and I could tell he was crazy. He had 'the look'.  His dog however, was quite sane and was just happy to be out).

 The course was an out and back. On my way back, I could feel the temperature dropping. The snowflakes were dryer but were falling more densely. Visibility was deteriorating and the trail was getting slick. I wasn't sure if I should speed up and try to get in faster or slow down so I wouldn't slip on the icy trail. My feet told me to slow down. But I was ready to get back in!

I thought how the people driving by in their cars must think me obsessed. I wished they'd just think of me as 'hard core'. :) I don't mind tough conditions running. Whenever you complete a course even when it's hard you gain mental strength. You build confidence by knowing you have finished something that would have caused others to quit. You also practice your on-course problem solving. You never know what odd surprises will come up during a race. So when you run training courses under unusual or unexpected conditions, you practice making on-the-fly adjustments and thinking of ways to keep going and finish any way. This is a good skill to have.

This year will be my first year running Alaska. I don't know the course or the weather. So I kept telling myself that this run is good practice. (No, I don't expect it to snow in Alaska. But if the weather is less than pleasant, I can take it)! :) And when my husband met me and ran me in the last quarter mile, I had a great feeling of accomplishment knowing I stuck it out. Oh yeah, and the endorphins were great too!

Hi. My Name is Jill and I’m a Big Girl Athlete

I’ve posted before that I haven’t considered myself an athlete for most of my life. Mostly, because of my body size. I don’t look like an athlete. But there’s no denying that I am. 

My trainer mentioned the other day that a friend of hers (who happens to be a big girl) gets frustrated when people act surprised that she’s an athlete. I see where she’s coming from. I mean, you don’t have to be tall and skinny to be an athlete. I can totally understand someone getting frustrated that someone assumes they’re not an athlete because of their size. Don’t judge a book by its cover. (You should read me first. I have a great plot line; and a surprise ending!) 

But I happen to enjoy watching the surprise on peoples’ faces when they find out I run marathons. It kind of fun to watch the expressions pass over their face as they: size me up, try to decide if I’m joking. Then the eye brow raise when they realize I’m not, followed by the smile of awe that a big girl can run marathons. 

I like breaking people’s stereotypes. But even more, I like being an example of what people can do. After they say, “Wow.” I say, “Yeah, I love it. So what do you like to do?”

Rarely, do I get the answer of, “I run too.” Or any activity for that matter. I do sometimes get, “Well, I wanted to start running  but....” But I find it odd that I don’t know a lot of people who have a passion for an activity. 

Why do I care? I don’t care so much what people do with their time. But when you have a passion for something, you don’t want others to miss out on the joy you experience. You know what I mean? Like, if you are really into stamp collecting, then you want others to know how fun it is because you are sure they’ll enjoy it as much as you do. 

Of course, not everyone will enjoy stamp collecting. But it’s hard to understand that when you are a hard-core philatelist. 

So it’s hard for me to understand why other people aren’t into regular activities either. People will tell me they don’t have time, they are too old, too fat, they have kids, etc etc. But I keep thinking if they knew how good it makes you feel and how fun it is, they will make time for it, not worry about their age or weight and they would take their kids with them to enjoy the activity too. 

I know it’s hard to move from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one. But for me, it was just about finding the activity that made me feel good. The trick however, is to give activity a fair chance to hook us. After listening to me expound about the joys of endorphins for about the millionth time, a friend of mine went to a cardio class. He came back and told me, “I don’t know what you are talking about! I sweated for an hour in that damn class and the endorphins never showed up!” 

My husband and I chuckled. Endorphins usually don’t show up the first day. The first day your body is just trying to survive this new assault on its status quo. It doesn’t know what is happening or what to do about it. It’s not until you repeat this process several times that the body realizes you are going to keep doing this crazy thing. So it better do something about it. That’s when it starts pumping out the endorphins. That’s when you get hooked. 

It’s like budging a boulder downhill. It takes a lot of effort at first. But once you get it rolling, there’s no stopping it! 

So go out, try something. Give it a good push! 

And the Winning Photo Is......

At the beginning of each marathon season, my husband takes my 'promo shots'. These are the picture(s) I use on my letter, cards, website etc. It's sort of 'branding' for each season. This way, my donors can easily identify my various communications as marathon related.

This is the first year we chose an 'action' shot. I like it because most people know I run with my dog. So I like that the picture shows that. Isn't she a good looking dog?!

We went to the beach. So I had to wear my '5 fingers'. I don't train in my 5 finger shoes. But I love walking in them, and if you're going to the beach there is no other shoes to wear. They are great! It's like getting a foot massage as you walk! You can feel the little mounds of sand, pebbles, etc as you walk. But you have a rubber sole so you aren't getting cut etc. Best beach shoes EVER!

Anyway, kick off is today which means I have to get serious about the running schedule. And I still have orders for four beanies to finish. (I'll post pics of my new ones on craftsvscancer.blogspot.com as soon as I can). So I'll be too busy to get into any trouble for awhile. :)

I'm curious to hear what other people think of 5 finger shoes if you have them. Do you use them primary for walking or are you full-on training in them? Let me know.

PS. Here is the non-action shot we chose for this season. Once again, Heather steals the shot! :) What a cutie!