Running 4 Your Life

As I began to reflect on last Saturday’s 50K trail race, I wondered what I could say that would be of interest to anyone else. I thought of the giant redwood forests, the hundreds of stairs, the “steep ravine,” the view of the Pacific Ocean. But it’s kind of like - you had to be there.

31 miles is a long way to run, and it takes a long time to do it (or at least it took me a long time to do it), and a lot of things can go through your head when you’re out there on the trail alone. Only 51 people finished the 50K, so for the most part, I was alone on the trails for the last 12.4 miles - with the exception of a few other runners here and there.

During the race, I stayed pretty focused on what was going on at the moment. I have to admit that I had a couple of rough spots and wondered whether I was up to the challenge of tackling the second trip up the Dipsea Trail. But I had those thoughts for only a moment. I KNEW I was fit enough, and I never allowed the possibility of not finishing to enter my head. Og Mandino’s words became my mantra: I will persist until I succeed.

In everything I’d read and everything I’d been told, I knew that if I just accepted that there would be some rough spots that they would pass, and I’d get a second wind. And, it was absolutely true. I made it back up the mountain, and in the next two loops, I felt a renewed energy.

I think we all face rough patches from time to time, and if we just keep going despite the difficulty, we will make it through and come out of it stronger as a result.

Running this race was probably the hardest physical challenge I’ve experienced up to this point in my running life - probably the hardest physical challenge period. But, I know that I will have harder races and bigger challenges. And I’m excited about them. It’s exhilarating to test yourself and see what you can really do. And, I know that this is just the beginning of so many more wonderful, challenging experiences.

A couple of nights ago, my running group had the end-of-the-season’s get together. End-of-the-season doesn’t mean we stop running or stop getting together. For a few weeks, we’ll suspend formal practice. But soon, we’ll be back out there together to begin our winter running groups. We’re all still running and training for something.

Our gathering was a time for people to share their success stories with the group and acknowledge those who helped them reach their goals.

• Amber shared with us her accomplishments and how she got through the rough patches and crossed the finish line of her marathon with the help of her new friend Chele.
• Joyce shared with us how she reached her goals in events she’d never done before.
• Paul shared funny stories of  going the “extra mile” and expressed gratitude to his running partners and coaches.
• Machelle shared her personal story of weight loss and getting on the path to health and wellness.
• Sue shared with us her personal story of how Donna, her running partner, literally saved her life.

This is just a sampling of the stories we shared. Everyone has a story. Every race has a story. And, people (especially runners and walkers) love to get together to tell their stories.

Six months ago, I knew only a handful of people in Boise. I had lunch with Steve, the “head” of a local running/walking group and offered to help coach. He didn’t know me at all, but he decided to take a chance on me and allowed me to join his other coaches in a successful program known for its dedicated, knowledgeable coaches.

Runners are welcoming folks. At our end-of-the-season gathering, I looked around at all my new friends - just since I had joined the group 6 months ago - and I was filled with gratitude.

I’m looking forward to getting back on the path with them very soon…and hearing more of their stories.

Joy Johnson reached her goal for this year’s New York City Marathon - she won her age group, and she shaved nearly an hour off last year’s New York Marathon time. She ran a 6:05:57 - that’s a 13:58 pace.

At 81 years old, Joy is going strong and training to run more marathons. If you or anyone you know has ever said, “I’m too old to run,” take a lesson from Joy. She is an inspiration to us all!

Congratulations, Joy!

Born on Christmas Day in 1928, Joy Johnson, a marathon runner, lives up to her name: She is a true “Joy.” I met Joy at Dick Beardsley’s Marathon Running camp about 4 years ago when she first came to camp. She has been a “regular” ever since, and both the coaches and returning campers look forward to seeing her every year.

Joy is running the New York City Marathon on Sunday - for her 21st consecutive year…and she’s going for the age-group win (80-90 age group). She has been putting in extra miles - 50-55 miles per week - and adding speed work to try to lower her time.

Joy is an inspiration to anyone who has ever had a dream…to anyone who ever doubted that they could accomplish a monumental task…to anyone who has ever worked hard to achieve anything.

I am so fortunate to know Joy, and she has certainly added much “joy” to my life. I’m rooting for her on Sunday. And, no matter what she runs, she will always be a winner to me.

She was recently interviewed for the Wall Street Journal - the article is in the paper today. Read the article in today’s Wall Street Journal.

Frank A. Clark said, “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”

Like most things in life, there are peaks and valleys. And, if we can just weather the valleys, we’ll make it to the summit. As I embark on my ultrarunning series, I like to keep this in mind.

My first race in the series is coming up on November 15 - a 50K (31 miles) in Stinson Beach, California. It is a trail run on a challenging course along the Pacific coast. Throughout my running history, I have not been a trail runner. Living in Chicago for mosts of my running life has not afforded me the opportunity to run on trails. A gorgeous lakefront yes, but trails no. And, since the marathons I’ve run have been road races, even in the past year in Boise, I’ve trained mostly on asphalt running paths.

New adventures bring new challenges. Most ultramarathons are run on trails - trails with lots of hills. So, that is my new challenge. Last weekend, I ran the Royal Victoria Marathon in Victoria, Canada - on roads. Most of my training was on roads for this race; however, for the past couple of months, I have been introducing trails up to about 6 miles. And, with a trail run coming up in a few weeks, I have been putting in short trail runs on a regular basis.

Yesterday, I ran 10 miles in the hills on trails, my longest trail run to date. It was challenging to say the least. But remembering that if I could just get through the rough patches, I would make it to the summit, I succeeded and felt great afterwards. Notice I said, “afterwards.” There were patches where I didn’t feel so great during the run. But I am getting better every time I go out there.

There were so many highlights of that run, but one of the bonuses of running that particular path was seeing the gorgeous fall leaves. I ran on a trail I haven’t run before, and I thought about all the people who will never see the beauty I saw yesterday - either because they are unable to hike those trails or they are unwilling. I ran along the top of a ridge above a gulch. Besides seeing for miles in every direction - which was so cool - I saw the trees below in the gulch. Every shade of color you can imagine - it looked like the photographs you see on travel brochures beckoning travelers to come see the fall colors. The beauty took my breath away (or it could have been the uphill running and the altitude).

I am so fortunate to be able to run in the first place, but doubly fortunate to have the foothills and trails to run on here in Idaho.

Yesterday, I literally experienced the peaks and valleys in my running. And, everyday we experience figurative peaks and valleys. And, as we weather both the literal and figurative valleys, we get stronger everyday. I’m excited about taking on new physical and mental challenges, and I’m already enjoying the process.

Running experts generally agree that we have two “fast” or “target” marathons in us per year. That usually translates into a spring marathon and a fall marathon. We train roughly 4 months for a marathon, run it, then have a few months of recovery and maintenance before we start training for the next one. This holds true if we are shooting for a time goal or trying to qualify for Boston.

So, we pick a specific marathon and gear all our training towards that race. But, as “they” say, anything can happen on race day…or “on any given Sunday…” It could rain, snow, or be burning-up hot. You could get sick the week before the race (which is not all that uncommon). Maybe you peaked too soon in your training. Maybe you left your best “race” on the running path. So much goes into training for a marathon and having a good run come race day. Many many factors can contribute to less-than-perfect race day conditions.

For those of us who are not genetically gifted to be able to go out a qualify for Boston every time we run a marathon, we put all our “eggs in two baskets” - that is,  two target marathons per year. And, when we don’t run the race we think we should have run, we can be a bit hard on ourselves. This has happened to me more than a few times.

After a number of races in which I have been disappointed, I have learned that it’s not always about the time - it’s about the experience. That’s not to say that I cheerfully exclaim, “Oh well, I didn’t make my time; that’s ok, maybe next time.” No, it’s hard to go through 4-6 months of intense training only to miss a time goal. Most of us can’t just go out and run another hard marathon next month.

But what we can do is ask ourselves, “What is the opportunity in this?” How can I continue to use this training, this high level of fitness, to help me reach my goal?

First we must acknowledge our achievement. We just ran another marathon - 26.2 miles is a long way. And, it is not an achievement of the weak of body or spirit. Then, we must let go of the disappointment of not achieving our time goal. Let it go and move on.

• We must press on.
• We must maintain our fitness.
• We must hold on to our positive attitude.
• We must set new goals and make new training plans.
• We must pursue our goals with tenacity and courage.
• And, We must KNOW that we WILL succeed.

October 2003 - Dublin Marathon (Dublin, Ireland)

October 2008 -  Royal Victoria Marathon (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)

Five years ago, my husband Mark walked the Dublin Marathon (his 7th marathon) in a back brace (recovering from a herniated disk) with his 68-year-old mom (her first marathon).

Last Sunday - just 2 days ago - Mark completed the Royal Victoria Marathon (8th marathon) - 5 years later.

When he got home from Dublin in 2003, he decided to leave his job and start his own company. Stinson Brand Innovation, Inc. was “born,” and the demands of starting and building a successful business took precedence over exercise and marathon training. And, along the way, he had pretty much decided that he would probably NOT do another marathon. He did, however, have time to fully recover from his back injury.

All that changed last year when he decided that it was time to do another marathon. His training started off strong, and he chose the Royal Victoria Marathon to be his “comeback” race. Again, the demands of work kept him from getting in all his workouts, but he persisted and focused on at least getting in his long mileage on the weekend. He did 2 half marathons and one very challenging 10-mile race over the summer and was ready to take on Royal Victoria.

Sunday’s race was a huge success, both physically and mentally. The marathon has a way of reminding us that a race of that distance requires lots of physical training, and often on race day, we find ourselves saying, “I probably should have gotten in another workout during the week.” Admittedly, Mark was reminded of that fact on Sunday. Nevertheless, he persisted and had a great day!

The challenge of a marathon is hard enough on the body, but without the mental fortitude, it is almost impossible. Mark may not have had “optimal” training for the past 6 months, but he had the tenacity to finish strong.

I am so proud of Mark for finishing his 8th marathon (8th in ‘08) and for getting back on the “running path.”

Even better though…I heard him say only a few hours after the race as he was doctoring a couple of really nice blisters, “Next year when I do another marathon…”

Check out Mark’s view of his marathon experience in the Oct 12 blog post at http://brandinnovator.blogspot.com/

Last Sunday’s City of Trees Marathon could never have happened without the help of the many volunteers along the course. And, most volunteers are folks who are either athletes themselves or a family member of an athlete. Most likely, they have been in a race and on the receiving end of the service the volunteers provide.

Being a volunteer is also great way to watch a race. You get to see the dedication and determination of all the athletes - from the beginning to the end. Although all athletes appreciate the volunteers, it’s often those athletes at the back of the pack who need and appreciate the volunteers more than ever.

In my experience as a volunteer/supporter, I feel like the athletes give me more than I give to them. They inspire and motivate me, and I continue to be awed by their accomplishments.

My friends at Boise RunWalk had an aid station around mile 20 - generally a pretty tough point in the marathon. And, I can say with certainty that their cheerful encouragement helped many athletes push through this rough patch. Cheers to the mile 20 Boise RunWalk volunteers! You are the best!

George Sheehan said, “Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.”

I saw that courage and determination two days ago as hundreds of athletes gathered to run the Boise City of Trees Marathon and Half Marathon. I had the good fortune to be a spectator this year for this monumental task.

Two of my friends from Chicago came to Boise to participate in the events, and many of my friends here in Boise ran as well. We couldn’t have had a more perfect day for running. I managed to make it to several spots along the course to cheer them on and even get a few photos through the window of my car.

Whether you are running 13.1 or 26.2 miles, it is a long way to run. And, completing a long distance event takes months of discipline and practice. Making it to the starting line is an accomplishment in itself, and I applaud everyone out there.

Special congratulations to Ann for completing your first marathon! And, to Joan and Roz: Thank you for coming from Chicago to visit me in Boise to run in this event. Congratulations to both of you on running a great race.

Courage, determination, will…George Sheehan uses these words to describe success. Add to those discipline, persistence, encouragement, mental and physical toughness - and you are describing Joan, Roz, Ann, Kit, Matt … and so many others. Congratulations to all the City of Trees athletes!!!

Wow! What a whirlwind it has been over the past couple of weeks. I haven’t posted in over a week. I have found myself “stressing” over so many things to do and not enough time to do them…until I took a dose of my own medicine. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

I have spent the last week prioritizing - with the first priority being helping my daughter move to L.A. Good news: she’s all moved in. She flew to Boise to buy a car here, and I drove with her to L.A., helped her get settled, and flew back. For those few days, I was without a computer - which was kind of nice in its own way. What DID we do before we were “connected” 24-7?

So, now that I’m getting back on track - taking one bite at a time - I’m heading to Mumbai, India for 10 days - part work, but all fun. I will have my computer with me, and I plan to post to my blog as I discover the many wonders of a new place.