3rd Annual Run the Plank

Immanual Lutheran, St. Isidore, and St. Peter collaborate to sponsor a great race and raise funds for local Macomb County charities = A-MAZE-ING!!!

As I've said before, this was the first race I ever ran in 2012.  Last year, I had a big PR, so naturally I was looking forward to accomplishing the same this year! Am I right??

...until I didn't get in nearly the training required to do it.  Spine pain and muscle spasms kept me off the track and on my a$$.

I'm not going to lie here, and I'll preface this with I do feel totally ashamed of my thoughts here:  I knew people were going to beat me that had not beaten me before, and that was almost as painful an idea as not PRing.  BOOOOO!  I know, what a brat.   I had even recruited co-workers to this race, spreading the word about what a well organized and fun even it was (which it totally is, consider it for next year).  I was so stiff that I conceded and told my husband I would just walk it with him and my 4-year-old daughter.  While he was welcoming the company, he supported my trying to run it, reminding me it's about being out there and being mobile, not about beating my time or others'...blah, blah, blah.  In my heart, I knew he was right.  With prayer and medicine on race day, I decided to just run whatever I could, and use it as a launching point for training again.  Long story short, I PRd and was beaten by the people I knew would.  I was only relieved that I had beaten my last year's time so that I could say I met my goal, and inside focused on the fact that I was officially behind now.  Isn't that terrible?! My goodness...

So, there it is.  I'm STILL struggling with focusing on myself and my own journey, and not qualifying it against others', even when I meet my own goals.  Tell me I'm not the only one who does this.  And tell me how long this nonsense lasts in training and some ways to expedite getting over it!  ;P

"Up North" runs

I was lucky enough to be in Traverse City last week and got a couple runs in "up north."  Wow, just wow.  I saw on Michigan Runner Girl's blog a pic of a trail she was on near the old State Hospital, so my niece, nephews, husband, and daughter went on a hunt to find it...what a reward for us!

We actually found this trail, among others, and spent hours running through it.  It was a great time and a great run! 

One thing I was hoping to find on this vacation, was that spot in my soul that appreciates the hard work I put into running and training, and being grateful for it, instead of...constantly comparing myself to others.  I've talked about it here before, so you know it's an ongoing struggle for me.  I wouldn't say I found the spot, buuuut...I'm definitely getting closer... ;)  

One morning I got up to run, got my dog harnessed and leashed up, Garmin sats connected, annnd...the leash snapped, dog ran away, and I had to carry her 55 lbs back 1/2 a mile... I returned SO CRANKY! LOL! I hadn't felt like getting up anyway, and just wanted to sit back with my family, wake up with coffee while staring at the beautiful lake.  Instead, I hopped on my Twitter feed and looked to some of my regulars for motivation, inspiration, and no-excuses to not get back out there (@michrunnergirl, @acurls, @DETwomenshalf, @epicraces, @mileposts, @themotherrunner).  I did it! Ran 4 miles around Wolf Lake in Baldwin, MI, and was back in time for family breakfast cook-out!  It felt really awesome, as I know you can imagine.  It felt like I literally made hurdles that run, too: 1) getting back out there after making a short jaunt and necessary return, 2) fighting with my inner self to stop comparing myself every second and cadence of my run to others, and 3) just looking around, enjoying my scenery and the fact that I'm still able to be out there.  As the weather warms, my propensity for relapses and flare-ups has been increasing, creating barriers to improving my time, which also gets me down...  I have to be happy I am still able to be out there, and this weekend, I was! :)