Highlights to my day-

          There is NOTHING more exciting to my morning than having my own home-made tea. This one has mint leaves, blueberry leaves from my garden and slices of ginger. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then drink the entire thing, which is about 2 cups worth.  

My first crop! 3 tomatoes, not ready yet though....can't wait to have them. I also have chives, beans, kale, lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, mint, cilantro, peppers and mint growing in my garden. 

Someone in my neighborhood got rid of some crib sides and guess who got them? I created a triangle with them over my strawberries, which keep being eaten by wildlife. I need to cover them now with some thin material so that bugs and birds don't get to them. I also used some recycled some wood Nora had me buy last year for a woodworking project she was going to work on but never did to hold up my many bean plants. I am not crazy about beans but with the shady gardens I have been dealt I am willing to grow what wants to grow, and it seems like beans want to grow here. 

4am committments

                4:00am wake ups....They have been tough to commit to this week, especially. I am an elementary school teacher and this past Monday the kids came back to school from summer vacation.  Twice I chose to stay in bed (caved) and did the mental gymnastics while in bed, cuddled up to my partner pillow, as I lay fully awake, trying to maneuver the day at hand and see where else I can possibly fit today's training, if not this morning. What happens after is even more torturous than being yanked out of a warm, cozy bed at 4am. The consequence, if you may, is a day-long bout of pure guilt that lasts all day long, not to mention loss of sunny disposition I normally carry when I do get that workout done. 
            Today while reading the latest copy of UltraRunning (Sept. 2016 edition) there is this article titled The 4:30am rule. One line stuck out to me,

            "If you have no choice, anything is possible. When the alarm goes off at 4:30am., literally or figuratively, get up and take action. You committed ahead of time, and whether or not you feel like doing it in the moment doesn't really matter if you're working towards something aligned with your higher purposes in life. 4:30am moments happen all the time, and the more you follow through on previous commitments when push comes to shove, the easier it becomes to do it regularly."

Speed miles hoorah!!

      I have been super worried about the 14minute/mile restriction on the Marine Corps Marathon; I do not want to be pulled off the course and be unable to finish the race. The last ling run I did my average was pretty slow. I asked the runners on the Women's Running Network on Facebook and got several good suggestions, most of them had to do with doing either speed drills or hill work. Yesterday, when my lungs were all stuffed up, I sped walked uphill on the treadmill for 4 miles. Today, I ran 6 and the last two were finished in 18 minutes! Not sure how accurate the miles on a treadmill are, but I was smokin'.....it was one of those runs that felt absolutely effortless. 

I treated myself to a few figs after my run....only a few. They are way sweet....you can't really have too many. 

I have been experimenting with putting more greens in my juices.....this one has peppers, bok choi, celery....and for sweetness carrots and one beet. It was a bit too bitter so I blended the whole thing with one banana. 

      Not sure when I will have time to read now that school is starting up again....but I cannot wait to dig into it tonight. I wish I was one of those people who could read while running on the treadmill....since I cannot possibly pull that off without losing my balance, falling and breaking my neck, I choose to listen to comedians. Today I enjoyed Jim Norton.....anyone who can make me laugh through the drudgery of the first few miles is worth listening to....of course, for me to like him he's got to be super crude and boarding inappropriate. 

Runner's World Front Cover Contest

Hey all! I just entered the contest and if you feel like it, would you please vote for me? Thanks. Here is the link...If you are a runner and want to enter the contest the link below will also take you there. 
http://covercontest.runnersworld.com/entry/339/http://covercontest.runnersworld.com/entry/339/
also find other runners and rad about their stories on twitter....just search #RWcovercontest

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR MeMPH

HOW DID YOU START RUNNING?

I started running the week I noticed I was 38 and just knew I could not run a block without getting winded. I had also gained a lot from my two pregnancies and needed to lose some of that extra weight. I no longer run for weight loss, but had gained confidence, tons of leg muscles and a true sense of peace and happiness that only running daily could provide.

WHAT IS THE PERSONAL RUNNING ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?

I completed a very tough and technical 50K in West Virgina mountains even before running one marathon. Now I have completed 2 marathons, 3 halves, 1 50K and I am due to complete 2 more marathons in the fall. But what I am most proud of is the new way I see and relate to my body. This c-section scarred curvy mommy body has gotten me through so much.....I can truly say I have a very loving and compassionate relationship with my body.

WHY IS RUNNING IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Running is my sanity, my daily triumph, my mood adjuster, my problem solver, my special all-around friend. Running has brought me so much happiness, I can see myself running until I am an old, old lady. In fact, I aim on breaking Harriette Thompson's 91 year old record someday.

Want to Hear More Narratives from Back-of-The-Pack Runners

              I am tired of running's obsessions with speed. For once, I'd like to tune into my favorite running podcasts or open my running magazines and not have to hear/read an interview with some super speedy 18-something year old. Instead, how about interviewing a person like me, someone who got into running a bit later, but that is committed, curious and yes, slower. I know for a fact that an interview with a person much more like me would make me more inspired, and more interested to tune-in in the future. 

               It's not like I don't understand this fascination with speed. On days I go faster than my typical slow pace I am ecstatic and the feeling of strength and invincibility I feel are unmistakably addictive. But, I also have this need to internally celebrate the fact that I even get out there at all. Perhaps my disinterest in this top 1% running speed-freak 'anomalies' closely parallels my general disinterest in famous people, celebrities and pop stars. I guess you can safely say I am not the 'star struck' kind of girl. I strongly suspect and am starting to believe that the narratives of those in the back of the race as just as interesting, if not more interesting. 

Gripe about images of women in running magazines

               

    Come on....we're in 2013 and still we have waifs dominating the pages of magazines and catalogs!! Seriously, at my last half marathon most women running resembled my curvy body, than a size 4 body; but still we see women with bodies we hardly see in real-life depicted in these fitness magazines. I am a very fit person and I would like to see my body reflected in these magazines; not just for its political nature but for the mere fact that I find it hard to imagine what MY body would look in something I may want to buy. I was flipping through Athleta yesterday and as much as I love their clothes, there is NO way I am dishing out 60+ dollars on a piece of clothing that may or may not work on my body....why can't they find some stunning, fit curvy woman to model clothes and that way the people like me can actually see what they might look like in those clothes and buy with more confidence. I decided I will email my concerns to every company that pisses me off....one way to do it would be to do it publicly thorough maybe Twitter, so their 'followers' will be able to see these opinions being expressed and would allow others to re-tweet the message. Would love to hear what you all think?