The Upside to Injury

Over Thanksgiving break I discovered the problem to why my knee has been bothering me so much lately: I have chondromalacia. Or, in simpler terms, "runner's knee." I'm supposed to be taking it easy on the running, and doing a lot more stationary bike workouts and yoga, to strengthen and loosen my muscles around the knee, giving it a rest. But, I am allowed to run once or twice a week, if my knee isn't hurting that badly. Today was my running day. It didn't matter that it's the week before finals or that I've been working overtime or that it was 34 degrees this morning when I woke up at 5:45. Nothing was going to keep me from my running day. I told myself I wasn't going to push myself and just run an easy 5k. But, once I was out there, I couldn't stop. I was singing along to my music, I was saying hello to every runner I saw, I was smiling at everyone and everything. At one point I even started laughing. I probably looked insane, but I couldn't help it. I was in love with running this morning! While I know being injured is never fun, it's helped me to really love running again. I don't get to run that much lately, so when I finally get to my running day, I'm wanting it. I'm craving it. I'm needing it. The upside to being injured is that you stop taking your body, and your sport, for granted. You learn a new respect for both, and in turn, once you heal, you have a new-found respect, desire and devotion to both running and yourself.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love to eat, and I really, really love to eat Thanksgiving food. My dad is an absolutely incredible cook, so the massive feast he prepares for today is simply outstanding. Last year my stepmom and I participated in a Turkey Trot 5k road race, but today we're making up our own tradition. Instead of joining the masses and running in a race, we're heading to the trails behind the house, with the dogs, for our own leisurely run. I absolutely love running with my stepmom and the dogs (or the "racing team," as we've dubbed our group). There's no music, or roads, or crowds. It's just us and our four-footed friends, running through beautiful woods, and talking. It's the only time where it's just the two of us, and through running together, we've formed a bond that's unlike any other we've had previously. We've become the other's confidant, therapist, comedian, and friend. Today, I give thanks for my stepmom, Michelle. She gave me the confidence to run, the desire to keep going, and the companionship on the trails. She's entirely changed my life for the better, and I couldn't be luckier than to have her in my life.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember to give thanks to those special people in your life.

Overcoming Obstacles

I was watching one of my favorite shows the other day, and there was this fantastic line that really stuck with me: "Life is going to kick you down more times than you can count. Don't kick yourself down." This past month has been really hard for me, personally. It's basically been one big month of suck. But, through it all and feeling at my lowest, I was determined to not let life entirely drag me down. I threw myself even more into work and school, oftentimes being out of the house for 16 hours a day. I worked weekends, I applied (and got!) a part-time internship. But what really kept me feeling mostly okay, was running.
Getting up at 5:30am after going to bed at 1am isn't fun. And it's even less fun to go run outside, or walk to the gym, in 30 degree weather. But once I'm running, everything else stops existing. I can be free from heartbreak and stress and anxiety every day, even if just for a 5k. And that attitude, that freedom, stays with me longer and longer as the days go by. I'm not yet getting through an entire day without feeling life trying to kick me down, but I'm getting there. Life may be really, really hard at times and be determined to kick me down to my lowest of lows, but I have the choice to go down or not. I have the ability to keep going, to keep my head up, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Because, really, that's how I'm going to make myself okay. If you just keep moving, eventually everything will all make sense again. And running supplies that; the more you realize that you have the ability to overcome physical obstacles, you realize you have the ability to overcome emotional obstacles, as well.

Gloucester 7 Miler

Yesterday, my friend, stepmom and I all ran in the Gloucester 7 Miler race. It was the most beautiful course I've run on yet; right along the beach and throughout the absolutely adorable and picturesque town. I've been worked up (obviously) about the race for the past week or two because I've been having trouble lately getting past 2-3 miles. After a lot of advice, I believe I might be lactose intolerant. So, while this is slightly depressing considering my love affair with cheese, it was also really positive; I avoided all dairy 24 hours before the race and was able to do the 7 miles sans problems. Well, minus the normal wear and tear :)

The three of us did really well in the race! My stepmom said she even "took it slow" so she could look at the course. Granted, for her, taking it slow was running 6:50's and coming in second in her age group. Did I mention that the world record holder for the female 10k ran this race? And won, naturally. They flew in some of the fastest Kenyans to participate in this inaugural event. It was so exciting, being able to run the same course as these world class athletes. My dad made an excellent point: "Running is the only sport where the professional athletes compete with everyone else." You don't see Red Sox fans allowed on the field to play along with the pros. It's true. Running is a sport for everyone, because everyone and anyone can do it. It was extremely inspirational to see these world record holders crossing the same finish line as you, albeit even if they did it in half the time ;)

Hiatus from Blogging

So I've been majorly slacking lately. Not on running, but on writing about running. I wrote constantly before the 1/2 marathon, it was a motivating force to get me through those long and exhausting training runs. But after I crossed that finish line (!!!), I stopped writing. Maybe I needed a break from the long runs and the writing, but nevertheless, I'm back now.

My solemate/running partner, Cat, and I have a 7-mile race coming up in a week and a half. I've been running M-F with one of my coworkers ever since the 1/2 Marathon, and I set my PR in a 5 mile race a few weeks ago. Cat and I haven't really gone running much since our 1/2 Marathon in the end of June, but that's changing tonight. We're going to go back to Castle Island and go running and then get our traditional ice cream together. We're determined to continue our "training runs and ice cream," even if we're not really training for a specific race. Sometimes all you need is your solemate, ice cream, and an open road.

Boston 1/2 Marathon

IS TODAY!!! this is it, folks. This morning, I'm a runner. But around 8:30am, I'll forever be a 1/2 marathoner.

13.1. Because I can!

13.1 Boston Playlist (probably more music than I need)

1. OMG - Usher
2. Alejandro - Lady Gaga
3. Shut It Down - Pitbull
4. Bulletproof - La Roux
5. Hotel Room Service - Pitbull
6. Dynamite - Taio Cruz
7. If I Knew Then - Backstreet Boys
8. Balla Baby - Chingy
9. Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz
10. Take It Off - Ke$ha
11. Don't Stop Believin' - Glee
12. 13:44 Moth Short Story
13. Straight Through My Heart - Backstreet Boys
14. Tik Tok - Ke$ha
15. Fire - Joe Budden & Busta Rhymes
16. Starstrukk - 3O5!3
17. Replay - Iyaz
18. Take You There - Sean Kingston
19. Empire State of Mind - Jay Z & Alicia Keys
20. Take Me Back - Taio Cruz
21. Beautiful - Akon
22. Keep You Much Longer - Akon
23. Memories - David Guetta
24. 21:11 Moth Short Story
25. Bigger - Backstreet Boys
26. Hit the Floor - Twista & Pitbull
27. Right Round - Flo Rida
28. Troublemaker - Akon
29. Top of the World - Pussycat Dolls
30. Bye Bye Love - Backstreet Boys
31. Solo - Iyaz
32. Fire Burning - Sean Kingston
33. Eenie Meenie - Sean & Justin Bieber
34. All of Your Life - Backstreet Boys