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Races: Traverse City Bayshore Half Marathon
It’s Monday afternoon, Memorial Day, and although I’ve just now begun to move on to those tedious and slightly depressing “end of the weekend” chores… (you know – laundry, groceries, making a decision about whether to vacuum or try to keep “not seeing” the tumbleweeds of dog fur for another few days), I am nevertheless still basking in the happy glow of what was a really phenomenal race weekend. I almost didn’t get a spot in the Traverse City Track Club’s Bayshore Half Marathon. By the time I got wind of the race, it had already filled to capacity. I was listening to the Runner’s World podcast and editor,…
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5 Ways to Beat the Excuse, “I Don’t Have Time to Exercise!”
This isn’t a lecture. I’m one of those people. I’ve used that excuse on myself and to complain to friends, family and coworkers. I’ve used it to justify my slow race times and the muscle tone (or lack thereof) in my arms. And I never feel good about it afterwards. Instead I feel resentful about all the other responsibilities taking up my time! “I don’t have time” really means that I don’t have the a) energy or b) equipment or c) preferred time of day available to exercise. I know energy is a MAJOR factor for me. I have claimed hundreds of times that my job doesn’t leave me time…
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Why I’m Embracing Running Now More Than Ever
I have no idea why, but I recently became re-enchanted with running. Running has always been there. It’s been in the background of every day and every week for many many years. I would look at my calendar and give top billing to the things that I thought were most important – school, and then eventually work. Because (unless you’re a professional athlete) they are supposed to be the most important things, right? And then I would try to fit running in around those things. I used running to burn calories and “stay healthy” as an obligation rather than as a separate practice with its own goals and redeeming qualities. I…
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Unplanned Rest Days
I blame winter. I like to say that if I lived somewhere else – either somewhere warmer, or somewhere with more daylight hours, I wouldn’t suffer this temptation. I have no way of knowing whether that’s true since I’ve only ever lived in Ohio, but I’m aware that it’s a sorry excuse. I’m talking about the temptation to skip my workout and take an unplanned rest day. You know that little devil on your shoulder. The one who doesn’t show up until around 2:15 p.m. when he just pops his head in and leads with some seemingly benign comment like, “How you feeling? Has this been a long day, or…
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The Weekend Long Run: The Beginning
I was in the fifth grade, and as is the case with most fifth graders, I had very few responsibilities eating up my free time. So after school, I tagged along with my dad to track practice. I knew that my dad was a runner, and I knew that he coached the 7th and 8th graders, but that was about the extent of my awareness of track and field. I quickly learned that track season in Ohio begins at a time of year when the best adjective to describe the great outdoors is “dreary,” and that this would not be used as an excuse to stay inside. The evenings were, more often…
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The View From the Back of the Pack
I dealt with a harsh reality this week. Let me begin by acknowledging some harsh realities I’ve already been privy to. 1) I’m not the fastest runner in the world. 2) I’m not the fastest runner in Ohio. 3) I’m not the fastest runner in my own household. 4) Ok, let’s face it – I’m almost never the fastest runner in any group. I’m usually not the slowest either. Until this week. I hadn’t been to our running club in well over a year, but after bumping into a few other runners at a race, Dan and I felt inspired to rejoin the group. Let me tell you what, January…
