Today’s Reason: The Movies

Run, Forrest, Run!

There’s something kinda strange about me and if you know me in real life, I think you would agree- when I find something I really like, I don’t easily let go and even start to identify with whatever that thing may be. Some call it obsession, I call it passion.

One of my first loves was radio, and I listened constantly as a kid, enjoying every genre of music, knowing all call letters and the on-air schedules of all my favorite DJs. I grew to also love singing, dancing, anything purple, red wine, fine dining, and then eventually- you guessed it- running.

I originally went to college to study acting and at USC I had to start working full time in order to afford such an expensive school yet found no money leftover for head-shots nor any time leftover to audition. I then decided go the academic route instead and when I got into film school, my absolute obsession with all things cinematic began…

… but if you think this post is about running movies in general, you’re wrong.

Today’s Reason: Boston

As soon as I woke up on Monday morning, I started up my lap top, placed it on the stove in my kitchen, and began making my kids their school lunches while I watched the Boston Marathon. The elites were about an hour and a half in and on their way to victory, I was cheering on Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan and explaining to my children the importance of Boston and how much the event means to all running kind.

Just hours later, friends began texting me about the explosions at the finish line and I just couldn’t believe it… came home, turned on the TV and there it was, the horrifying images of this unbelievable tragedy… my heart broke and the tears came.

I haven’t really been able to find the words to describe how I feel- as a runner, marathoner, spectator, and American. But today, I will try my best…

Today’s Reason: The Long Run

I was out with a friend for dinner last night and she asked me, “How did you figure out you loved running?” And I really had to pause to think about that… I told her it all began for me 6 years ago because of Oakland Adventure Boot Camp, or really, in the absence of it.  After I started going to the gym and stopped going to boot camp, I kept challenging myself to do what my boot camp trainers had challenged us to: run the entirety- all 3 miles- of Lake Merritt.  That seemed SO HARD to me back then!  “Justholdonasecondhere- you want me to run, without stopping, all the way around the whole entire lake? It’s so big! Who does that?! 3 miles?!?!?! No way!!!!”

Despite how daunting those 3 miles seemed to me at the time, I kept trying and trying and trying to propel my body around that lake 3 or 4 times a week, every week. I’ll never forget the moment I finally accomplished my goal of running the whole entire lake- I was elated and so proud of myself that I went ahead and signed up for my first 5K race in April 2009 and for about a year, that 3 miles was my long run.

Today’s Reason: Accountability

Over the years, several people have said to me that they dislike it when people post each and every work out they do on Facebook.  And, a few years ago, I would have agreed with that! I used to think to myself, “Exercising is a necessity, it goes without saying that it’s something you have to do every day! I don’t update my status with ‘I breathed oxygen today, people, woo hoo!’ so pipe on down with all the ‘Hey, Internet, I worked out today yay me!’ posts. Geesh.”

I’ve since changed my mind.

I never used to really share my running endeavors on Facebook until I started racing and of course, social media just loves a hey-look-at-me-and-my-finisher’s-medal picture.  When I would share, I would do so somewhat sheepishly, unsure if Facebook friends would see it as a self-absorbed ego trip. In my want to post and write and talk about running without any judgement whatsoever, I went ahead and started this blog.

Today’s Reason: Travis Dow

In memory of Travis Dow: November 3, 1971 – November 4, 2012

While I was well aware that my dear college friend, Travis Dow, had been diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma earlier this year, I am still shocked and heart broken to learn that he finally lost his battle.  Travis was a truly amazing person through and through, a generous soul, a stellar talent, his smile contagious- plainly put, a Good Man.

I joined Team in Training last May to raise money and awareness for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and upon learning of Travis’s diagnosis, added him to my personal list of honorees, sending him a very loud “shout out” and moment of silence before each and every run.  While he was never aware of that, he was certainly always on my mind whenever our coaches would talk to us about the pain and ridiculousness that is cancer- I would think of Travis, and hope and pray for a cure.

Kate’s Ultramarathoning Awesomeness

Kate crossing the Finish Line of her very first Ultra Marathon!

I met Kate my very first season with Team in Training and it was very easy to get to know her as she is one of the sweetest, kindest people I know.  Plus, she is an amazing runner- very speedy, very willful.  A few months after that season concluded, Kate (as well as a handful of other TNT buddies) told me that she had decided to join Team in Training’s Ultra Marathon team to raise funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while getting ready to run her first 50K race.

Wow, I thought, that’s freaking crazy- 26.2 seems fine enough but you go girl with your 31 miles of hilly trails!

Kate started ultra training in February and completed the Skyline 50K race one week ago today. I am so very amazed and inspired by Kate’s accomplishment that I had to interview her to find out more about this crazy thing called Ultra Marathoning, and here is what she said…

Today’s Reason: Reasons

Ugh, I feel so out of shape right now.  I was gone for 6 weeks of vacation, I’ve been back for 3 weeks and am hitting (most of) my work outs no prob, yet running still feels very hard and my short runs, even 3 miles, are littered with walk breaks.  My stamina and endurance have more than suffered due to my sloth and bacon eating tendencies while on vacation.

(And whose fault is that???  Yeah, yeah, yeah…)

Nevertheless, I am trying to be very easy on myself- I maintain that I am still mentally traumatized from the San Diego RnR Marathon and am reassuring myself that I will get back to where I was, slowly but oh so surely.  In the meantime, I sure miss the ease I had on the road… I miss the confidence I had in the distance… I miss my athletic self.  

Today’s Reason: 20 Miles

I’ve fallen behind blogging about training for my second marathon but I’ve been totally keeping up with my plan and 26.2 #2 is now just 3 weeks away!  <gulp> This past Saturday was our final long run of 20 miles (which I had to cut short at 18) and leading up to it, I was nervous but hopeful and oh so ready to prove to myself that I could do it.  And you know what?  I did it.  And it was truly amazing.

Today’s Reason: Speed (or lack thereof)

I initially started to write a race recap today but feel the need to share/vent about an incredibly embarrassing and somewhat troubling event that happened yesterday…

For all the running I do, I don’t really focus on my speed too much.  Sure, I’ve had some flukes where I was completely taken by surprise by my fast(ish) pace, but nothing consistent.  In training for the marathon, for me, it’s about accomplishing the distance and track practice is more about pace work than speed work.  Since joining Team in Training last May, I have been attending Thursday morning track practice led by Coach Al and Coach Kim.  Due to lack of attendance, that track session was cancelled last month.  I was then invited to Coach Al’s Speedy Demon track practice on Wednesday mornings.  I thought about it, put it off, thought about it some more, and put it off some more… I mean, just the name Speedy Demons sounds intimidating!

13 Reasons Why I Love Running

“Laura, you haven’t blogged for quite a while- what happened?”  You may be thinking.  I’ll tell you what happened.  I got sick.  Then I got better and got sick AGAIN. I am currently sick.  I will probably still be sick tomorrow.  Being sick sucks, especially when you’re a parent but it’s even worse when you’re a runner.

I have not had the capacity to do dishes, laundry, get groceries, cook or play with my kids for 5 days now and have been unable to go for a run in 7 days.  Honestly, I’m more upset about missing my runs that I am about the lack of clean underwear or food in the house.  Not being able to run has reminded me of all the reasons why I love running… here are 13.1 of them: