the.purest.form

**This post was originally written July 19th and then accidentally deleted from the site. Thanks to a faithful RSS feed subscriber, I was able to recover it. Enjoy!**

In a recent NPR story on All Things Considered, anthro professor Dan Lieberman calls running the "purest form" of exercise. I love the sound of that.

Pure.

It sounds so unadulterated. So untethered. So "uncut."

Running is pure. It's freeing. It requires little more than a pair of running shoes and sometimes not even that at all. There is actually a throng of runners who subscribe to the "barefoot running" method. It makes my feet hurt and my shins cry out just thinking about it. But apparently, my head has it all wrong because the "experts" say that barefoot running is actually more natural and is, thus, safer and less prone to injury. I've never tried it--I overpronate according to the running store where I buy my shoes and I fear twisting my ankle or developing tendonitis because my ankles aren't well supported. But then I wonder if the shoes just aren't the culprit. I mean, stability shoes, non-stability, light-stability--have the mere use of shoes caused us the need to "correct" the ways that we run? Would running barefoot from the start put us all on "equal footing" (pun intended)?

Running barefoot is actually more efficient than wearing shoes, according to Lieberman who studies endurance running as a unique human ability. Running barefoot actually causes you to land on the balls of your feet (too painful to land on your heal), which not only protects that part of your foot but also transfers energy into your foot ligaments and Achilles tendon thereby acting like rubberbands--giving you a bit of a "spring" in your step. Again, pun intended :)

Listening to this story (and here it is in case you'd like to read or listen to it http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128626037) made me think of how we tend to make things so much more complicated than they are--like exercise for instance. Is an elliptical machine the purist form of exercise? What about rowing without going anywhere in the gym? Or walking in place on a treadmill? Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking gyms. My gym is certainly key in keeping me fit. But at what point in our lives did we need gyms to keep us active? Why does "working out" have to feel just like it sounds--like work? What would happen if we gave ourselves over to "the purest form" of exercise and just ran, or skipped, or jumped, or danced, or just moved forward in our daily lives? What is it that keeps us from being energized and moved by the world around us?

Ok, ok, I know that time and busyness and schedules and kids and families and jobs keep us from just getting out there and just moving. I know that, ironically, the discipline of the gym may actually be what keeps some of us going back (b/c we can "schedule" it among the other busyness of our lives). And I also know that some of us are actually really good at enjoying life and getting fit while doing so, that we aren't all tied down to the gym. But it's worth thinking about.

I think one of the reasons running is so popular is that it doesn't tie you down to the gym or any one place. You can run anywhere, at any time, shoes or no shoes. You can run on hills on flat ground on trails on dirt on pavement. You can run around your neighborhood on a running trail in a park in the city in the country around a lake on the beach. Anywhere. Any time.

That's what makes it so pure.

So--what is your favorite form of "pure" exercise? A hike? A bike ride? Walking your dog? Playing tag with your kids? Gardening? Yoga?

I'd like to know :)

Happy trails!

just.listen

So, I recently had a post here about running--the purest form of exercise--and running barefoot--the most natural way to run--based on an NPR news story I recently heard: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128626037.

I accidentally deleted it...argh! For those of you who were unable to read it...the gist of it was this: Running is said to be the purest form of exercise and many believe that barefoot running, because it is so natural, is the best and most pain-free way to run. As a runner who overpronates and relies on stability shoes to correct that pronation, I speculated that perhaps the mere contstraints of shoes have created in us the exact problems we need to correct with our running (just a thought?). The post went on to discuss how workouts at the gym (the elliptical, the rowing machine, the treadmill) seem to me the most unnatural way to exercise (you don't go anywhere!). I wondered at what point working out became such a disciplined activity--less "pure" and just another thing we have to schedule in our lives. This is not me knocking gyms at all, as my gym is what helps keep me fit. It was mere thinking about what if we truly gave ourselves over to "pure" forms of exercise? What if we just ran, or lept, or jumped, or danced--without fear, without distractions (perhaps as a way to find balance with all of our daily distractions), and just let the world move us forward?

Perhaps that's a lot to mentally unpack in such a shortened summation, but alas, I didn't want that message to get lost :) It has really touched me this week on my runs...and even during the 2 rest days I allowed myself this week. This morning's 5 miler was the best run I have had in a while, and I believe it felt so good because I let myself get off my schedule for 2 days. I took an unintended rest day and listened to what my body needed--not what the schedule told me to do.

Today's post is a combination of the deleted one and the message that hit me this morning as a I ran:

Listen to your body. Listen to your heart. Let the world move you. When you need the discipline of the gym, use it. When you need a schedule, follow it. But when you just need to rest or you just need to play, do it! That's how you stay healthy :)

Happy trails!

once.a.runner

Ah, I love it when I hear other people talk about running for the first time! An old friend recently messaged me on FB to let me know that after reading Molly Barker's blog, she was inspired to buy a new pair of running shoes and hit the pavement :) LOVE IT. Another dear friend emailed after one of my blog posts (marathon.mommas) to tell me more about how her husband and young daughter have started running together...and how she has found peace and joy in running as a mom. That's awesome.

I love hearing this stuff because it reminds me of how powerful this sport is--because it transcends the title of "sport." It's therapy, meditation, fitness, peace of mind, togetherness, goal-setting, competition...so many different things to different people. And it's one of those "I could never do that" that becomes "I never thought I could do that...but I can!" Talk about a confidence booster.

I was out on a short run this morning (45 minutes)--with my new triathlon training schedule, I don't run longer than an hour on any given training run (geez--not so long ago, the idea of a 45 minute run was not at all "short" in my mind!). The sun was beating down and I could hear the cicadas, the "sound" to me of summer, of "heat." I think that sound alone made me feel even hotter than I already felt on this run. I was panting, sweating, and within 20 minutes wanted to just stop, turn around, and start walking home. But I didn't. I kept running. Because I had set a goal, I was training, and this 45 minute run was on today's schedule. Today was the day I ran because I had to, not because I wanted to.

Today's run was one of those runs that I want all "new" runners to be aware of--there are those days that you run more of obligation than out of love for the feeling of your feet hitting the pavement or the wind "blowing through your hair." I have actually been having more of these days than normal lately because of the heat and humidity (this is one of many reasons I was never a runner growing up in the South!). I actually read a very helpful Runner's World article about this recently--the battle that all runners face with the heat--that made me at least feel better about days like this when it feels like my legs are 90% lead.

It's days like today that I keep running because I am reminded of that feeling that I got when I stepped over the threshold of "running is miserable" to "running feels good" (even if I was running at 11:00 minute pace!). I still remember the first time I ran for a consistent 20 minutes without stopping to heave up my lungs after only 8 minutes. I remember completing my first 5K and how proud I was to have "run" the entire thing! I remember the first time I crossed a half-marathon finish line. I remember crying the second time I crossed a half-marathon finish line and knew I had just run a 14 minute PR.

I remember.

It's on days like today--hot days. sleepy days. days when I'm "squeezing" in my run before other obligations--that I find inspiration in those memories, those emotions that pushed me past my ability to run for 8 minutes into that realm of actually deeming myself "a runner." When I first started, I would hesitate to call myself a runner thinking, "I like to run, but I'm not very fast. I've never run a race. I can't call myself something I'm not. I might offend the running community." Now that I've pushed myself past that 11:00 minute mile, now that I have signed up for and completed races of different lengths, now that I have started integrating actual "workouts" into my running routine--I feel very comfortable calling myself a "runner."

But, I should have started calling myself a runner a long time ago because, honestly, it doesn't take much. A pair of running shoes. A desire to get out there and pound the pavement at a quicker pace than my daily walk from the parking lot into the office. An even crazier desire to do this more than once. That's a runner.

So, to my friends. You are a runner. No matter how fast you go, how often you do it, whether you enter a race or not, you are a runner.

I will warn you--it's addictive. You may not feel like signing up for a race now, but at some point it will hit you that it's the best way to celebrate this newfound freedom. Don't get caught up in the numbers. 11 minutes. 10 minutes. 9...8...7...6...wherever you fall on the spectrum, you're a runner.

Happy trails! :)

rest.day

blerg. I.hate.rest.days.

Every training schedule includes at least 1 rest day per week. It's necessary. Your body needs a complete day off to recover, to rejuvenate, to prevent injury, even (sometimes) to prevent burnout. But like most runners, rest days just make me feel lazy.

Today wasn't supposed to be a rest day. I have been following my triathlon training schedule pretty consistently for the past 2 weeks, even adding in some extra strength training with pilates and a body pump class at the new gym I joined, and today (Happy Independence Day, America!), the gym is closed thus forcing me to forgo my scheduled half hour swim. I could have done it yesterday, planned to do it yesterday, in anticipation of this, and yet I had no desire to swim and bike yesterday. None. I settled for the regularly scheduled run instead.

And this morning, as I sip my coffee, spending some quiet time in prayer before heading out to worship, my mind keeps wandering to the fact that I shouldn't be resting today. And yet, I know that this is exactly what my body needs. That perhaps yesterday's lack of desire to swim and today's forced barrier to swimming are merely reminders that the body does indeed need rest. (or just a reminder of how much I hate swimming laps! ha!).

Since joining my new gym (needed a pool for this whole triathlon thing), I have upped my exercise routine a lot. No longer just a cardio girl, I have dedicated myself to pilates and other strength training workouts. My body is wonderfully sore and feels great. I also know that in order not to risk injury, I need to let it rest, and I have not let it fully rest in 7 days. Even God took a breather on Day 7 ;)

And so, here I am, preparing for my day, struggling with that challenge that faces all runners (all athletes I imagine) and writing about it so that maybe I can process it more healthily :) Days of rest are good. They allow our bodies to take a breather, to get some down time, to recover from the stress of pounding the pavement or contracting those abs. We all need days of rest, from a lot of things--from work, from our daily routines, from the stress that comes with housework, paying bills, looming deadlines. Even when we are doing healthy things for our bodies and our minds, we still need to take a break--and those rest breaks are just as healthy as the physical and mental benefits we get from our workouts.

I think I just need to hop on here and write this to wrap my own head around it. I want to embrace today's rest day and enjoy the day as it unfolds. It's a gorgeous day that will be filled with all that fun that comes with celebrating the 4th.

So, in honor of today, I will rest...and not feel guilty about it :)

Happy trails!

marathon.mommas

I love Runner's World. Every time it comes in the mail, I devour it. I'm not normally a magazine kind of girl--give me a novel any day over pages of glossy articles. But when Runner's World comes, it's a whole other story.

I read it because no matter where you are on the running spectrum--a newbie, a penguin, a sprinter, a marathoner, or an ironman--there are articles, advice, inspiring stories just for you. Each time I read an article, I get the itch to pound the pavement, especially if I have taken time off recently or it's just been too darn cold or hot to do more than run 2 or 3 miles on the dreaded treadmill.

Runner's World also knocks me off my complacent butt and pushes me to go harder, stronger, faster (for me). No, we aren't all 4:30 minute milers. No, we aren't all sub-4 hour marathoners. And many of us (including me) have no desire to be. I simply have the desire to push past my 10 minute mile and run just a little bit faster. When I first started training for half-marathons, I thought my goal would always be to "just finish." But 4 halves and numerous interval trainings later, I have managed to run a PR of 2:05 and now have the desire to run a sub-2.

But interval trainings and sub-2 half marathons aside, I think the most inspiring articles I read in Runner's World are the stories about the moms. The single moms. the working moms. the married moms. the overweight moms. the non-athletic moms. moms with 2 kids. moms with 8 kids. The moms who run. The moms who run marathons. The moms who get up at 4:00 am to run their long runs, then come home to make breakfast or pack lunches and see their kids off to school.

I have been thinking a lot recently about becoming a mom someday. And while there are many things that both excite and terrify me about being a mother, I think one of things I am most fearful of is, "How will this impact my running?" My body is going to go through so many physical changes in pregnancy. And, once the baby is born, I won't have the luxury of running "when I feel like it." My time will then be split even more--beyond the things I already juggle--work, volunteering, running, time with my husband. There will also be this amazing, beautiful little being needing and wanting my time, to even greater degree. And I will, of course, gladly comply :) And while that seems like the most amazing thing to occupy my time over running, I am still fearful.

But, then I read about these women, and I think, OK, they aren't superstars. They don't have super powers. Well, back up. Any mom is a superstar in my book. Moms are amazing beings who are stronger than I can even imagine. But what I mean by that statement, is that these moms have just as many challenges facing them as I will as a mom (some more than others of course)--so it's not like there is this special antidote to the challenges of life that makes them even more capable of training for a marathon than me.

Or maybe that special antidote is running itself. Hmm.

Running is definitely a disciplined sport. Which is probably what attracts me to it. And as a mom, while flexibility is key, having a disciplined approach to life is also key. Juggling, multi-tasking, anticipating--these are all things that moms must master. Perhaps running actually helps with this. Perhaps that's the great irony. While running does, in theory, take time away from family--just like any other activity--at the same time, perhaps it's the one thing for many of these women that gives them the "me time" they need to be the best parent, the best partner they can be.

So maybe I don't need to fear this. Sure, my body will change. Sure, I'll have to adapt to those changes. But the time that I am so worried about--I am sure I'll learn to re-prioritize and figure out how it all fits in. I also have a very supportive husband who understands what this sport means to me and will certainly help me navigate that time commitment.

I've rambled on for a bit, but suffice it to say, running mommas truly inspire me. To me, they are giving their children such a gift by taking the time to focus on their physical (and mental) health. What strong, confident, inspiring role models they certainly are to their children. And as those children get older, what a great past time to share together. I look forward to running with my children someday--from the time they are in strollers to the time they are running alongside me. I already have visions of this, and that makes my heart sing :)

Happy trails,

blogger :)