Let's get this straight right from the start. I am 52 years old and up until I turned 50 years old, I never saw myself as a runner. In fact, I would make jokes saying that the only time you would see me running was chasing children down Brighton (the road in front of the school where I am an elementary principal).
I turned 50 years old on February 6, 2020. Just a little more than a month later, the Covid pandemic hit, and a month earlier, my mother passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 66. I was at a crossroads in my life. I was overweight, overtired, oversad, and over it. I had lost many loved ones the previous five years and I came to the realization that nearly half of my life was over if I were to make it to my goal age of 103 years old. I was deeply contemplative about losing my loved ones, studying their life choices, their health and looking at a sick and unhealthy version of myself in the mirror.
I was changing many of my nutritional habits (based on research) and I had made a commitment to working out regularly. I had been going to Orange Theory for about six months when the pandemic hit, causing that to no longer be an option. What was a 50 year old, trying to get to a healthy version of herself supposed to do?! I did the only thing I could do. I starting running. We bought a nice treadmill that came in super handy, but I also began running on the Trolley Trail near my house. I started out telling myself, "I will do this Orange Theory style. I will walk fast for a base pace to that pole, then I will run at a push pace to the next pole. Then I will do a 30 second sprint and after that, go back to my base fast walking pace."
I kept challenging myself to run farther and pretty soon I could run a mile without stopping. Before I knew it, I could run three miles without stopping. At that point, I was hooked and I joined the Kansas City Running Club. I figured I had a lot to learn and could use some company on my runs. I signed up for training and track practice. I will never forget my first track practice. I was so embarrassed. People were lapping me like crazy. The voice inside my head told me "You are never coming back here! You suck and who do you think you are to join a group like this?!" Then Principal Casey came out and said, "Really? What would you say to one of your students or teachers who talked like that?! You would tell them that comparison is the thief of joy and that you are not comparing yourself to others! You are here to learn and grow and to get better!"
In October of 2021, I ran my first Half Marathon in St. Charles, MO. There were many obstacles along the way, including runner's knee, but I finished with a great time and lots of smiles! I definitely was ready to do it again!
I ran through the winter and began training for a spring half marathon. This time it was Rock the Parkway in Kansas City and I improved on my time. I was so excited about this that I begin to wonder if I could pull off a marathon. I visited with some of my friends who had done marathons and got mixed reviews. I was warned about how much time and commitment was involved with the training. I decided to train as if I were doing a marathon, reserving the right to do a half marathon instead. I didn't make a public announcement. That was too much accountability! LOL! And quite frankly, I didn't want any pressure.
I began doing work outs by Sally McRae --- an ultra runner that was a former teacher. She inspires me so much! You must check out her podcast! I read all the books I could get my hands on about running! I LOVED Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor, Eat and Run by Scott Jurek and Steve Friedman, The Plant-Based Ahtlete by Matt Frazier, Running Your First Marathon by Grete Waitz and Gloria Averbuch, Running Your First Ultra by Krissy Moehl, Yoga for Runners by Christine Felstead, Older, Faster, Stronger: What Women Runners Can Teach Us About Living Younger, Longer by Margaret Webb, and Chasing Excellence: The Remarkable Life and Inspiring Vigilosophy of Coach Joe Vigil by Pat Melgares.
The books fulfilled my quest to understand and got my brain involved in the process. Next was getting my body in the best shape possible. My training schedule included strength workouts three mornings a week before school on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. I did a group run on Monday nights that were generally 4 miles long. I did my track workouts on Wednesday nights that included all kinds of drills and new terminology I knew nothing about prior! Thursday morning I got up before school to run three miles with my neighbor and dear friend, Anne', and Saturdays were dedicated to my long runs. I tried to make Sundays a day of rest and yoga!
As the mileage increased, this became very challenging. I had to set aside 3-4 hours on Saturday for running and then would often go do a Cherry Bomb show in the evening! Sometimes this just did not work out and I would have to get a long run in on Sunday which really threw everything off! I was deeply grateful for the many Running Club members that offered to run with me so I could get all my miles in! Huge shout outs to Anne' Erickson, Nick Pettit, Mark and Ben Stallbaumer, Mike Faulconer, Maya Kamen and Elizabeth Campbell. I can never thank our coach enough! Brett Guemmer has taught me so much, and though he has coached Olympic runners, he never made me feel "less than." He always took time to visit with me and answer my plethera of questions, helped me to set goals, and even cheered me on during my marathon via my Garmin!
My nutrition was vital to my training and I had NO idea how important this was, especially for the race! I have been following a whole foods, plant-based diet for over 2 1/2 years now! My body LOVES this and reacts well! While training, I paid special attention to my gut health and besides drinking my protein rich, green smoothie, I added a wellness shot of turmeric root, ginger root, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and honey/dates. This was incredible for inflammation and my immune system. Ok - so now the one thing that had to go...all alcohol. My body did NOT like this for running! AT ALL. While I have enjoyed some since the race is over, I am contemplating if there is really room for it in my life. It negatively affects my sleep, which is CRUCIAL for recovery and the bottom line is, it is just poison, no matter how much I enjoy it! Ugh!
Speaking of sleep - this was vital for my training. If I did not have adequate sleep, those long runs were brutal. I valued my sleep so much that I had to make a temporary bedroom downstairs so that my hubby's snoring would not keep me awake. I didn't like it...it felt weird. That also meant Friday nights were not that exciting! LOL! Watch a little TV, without at drink (Friday's are Whiskey Friday around here), and go to bed about 9 pm so I could get up at 4:30am in order to be ready to run about 5:00 or 5:15 am.
All of these pieces came together to set the stage for my training, however, the most compelling training happened with my mind. The mind/body connection is absolutely fascinating! And that, my friends, is for part 2 of this blog!
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