Birthday Girl. 45..Simple thoughts

Todays my BIRTHDAY!
The best part of turning 45 is a NEW AGE GROUP! That's way more exciting than the doubled gray hair, old beat up hands, dimpling legs and lets not forget the crows decorating my eyes.

For this 45th birthday, I am going to give it to you in 45 thoughts. Not in any random order and with little rhyme or reason.

1. "Perhaps the BUTTERFLY is proof that you  can go though a great deal of darkness, yet become something beautiful."
2. God Blessed me this birthday with a remarkable sunrise over the Lakeloop. 
   
3. I had a amazing day, starting out with 10.5 miles of trails with my tribe. 
4. Andy shocked me and threw me a surprise birthday party at Hilltop on Tuesday night.
   
    
5. I was OVERWHELMED with all my friends who gathered together to LOVE ME. 
6. December has never been a good month for me. 
7. Lacey snuck into my house and decorated it with balloons and goodies for my birthday.
8. "I closed my mouth and spoke you in a hundred silent ways." RUMI
9. I gained 2 lbs in the last week...Eat more cookies!
10. My mother died on December 8th, I miss her and our tomorrows we should have had. 
11. For my birthday, I had to go to the girlie DR, so not cool. 
12. Kris sacrificed her kids concert to be with me on my birthday, traveling about 50 miles.
13. My brother called me and like a lil sister I still get soo giddy hearing from him. 
14. Rain RUN, BRRR, I smelled like a wet dog getting off the trails. 
15. "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. The verse Lacey had engraved on my Yeti Mug. 
16. I think I'm changing my favorite color to PINK, a dark deep pink. 
17. My abs still hurt from doing core yesterday, chasing my 20 year old 6 pack. 
18. We found the cutest lil ducky in the woods today, we brought him out of hiding, stuck him in a tree to be the WATCHER of the Woods....creepy.
    
19. I celebrated my birthday on the 22nd for my first 18 years of life!
20. Training is no joke, every week is a new struggle, a new discovery of sore muscles and I'm trying to convince myself I am a Rockstar. 
21. Trail running in the rain is a slide fest for this clumsy girl. 
22. Claudia showed up looking like a brunette Barbie doll to run, she was gorgeous. 
23. Rachel passed out early Christmas goodies, Neck Gaiters, so AWESOME. 
24. "I seem to have run in a big circle, and met myself again on the starting line." Jeanette Winterson
25. I got weighed today, 104lb
26. Blood pressure 108/70
27. I had a steak for lunch and Andy made me Mongolian Beef for dinner...that's a lot of BEEF!
28. SMARTWOOL socks are the BEST WINTER running socks, thank you Lacey. 
29. Anita Maria Cook, my maiden name, My fathers name was Gonzales but he wasn't on the birth certificate..My mom didn't want us to all have different last names since we all had different dads. 
30. Thursdays are my long run day, for now, till next year, then most days will be long run days.
31. Decembers Race is New years Resolution run in Flint, 5k, 3 miles of suckfest. 
32. I was so PROUD of myself this morning, I ate a banana before I ran, Big responsible birthday girl. 
33. My girlfriends Shiela and Holly are taking me to see Aladdin for my birthday.
34. We  had 2 house fires growing up, I don't have any photos of birthdays growing up.
35. "Perhaps we should love ourselves so fiercely that when others see us they will know exactly how it is done." Rudy Francisco
36. I raced to the trail this morning just to get the sunrise over the lake, I was breathless and enamored. 
37. I am taken back by how many people have reached out to me through texts, FB, and calls to wish me a Happy Birthday, I feel very very special and not special-ed like normal!
38. I was grateful for a new day today. JOY comes in the morning. 
39. My grandma's birthday was Christmas eve, we used to celebrate our special day together. 
40. I thought maybe I should be running 45 miles today, but it was a fleeting thought. 
41. I asked for a new Garmin but then reminded myself I was very grateful for the one I had. 
42. At 45, I still dance around the house like I'm Paula Abdul. Dancing makes my heart giggle.
43. January 1st, I am going back to good eating habits. No more cookies...not soo many...
44. Running hard two days in a row, learn how to run sore. 
45. "At 45 I am still quirky, goofy, obnoxious and not always the easiest to love, but I will love you like no other if you give me the chance, I won't enable you or steal from myself but I will try to love you in all you are made of the best I can."

ANITA~

Taking the High Road

"In this life we are all just walking up the mountain and we can sing as we climb or we can complain about our sore feet. Whichever, we choose, we still gotta do the hike, I decided a long time ago that singing made a lot more sense." Anonymous 

Most of us have misfortunes that we never saw coming. A life unexpected. We tread up these mountains in life grumbling and complaining about our misfortune and series of unfortunate events.

Most of us have been hoofing up this mountain of life and we really have not traveled that far, not far enough to rest soo long on the pity pot the way we do.

We feel battered and tired, often finding ourselves discouraged. When we look at the route we have traveled rather than seeing how much we have overcome we sink inside ourselves feeling our pain.

Sore, beaten. discouraged we struggle to really find that "High Road".

I am SOO grateful for those friends of mine that always lead me down the "High Road".

That's the road that is still climbing upwards, we are still sore and hurt from the path behind us but the company around us is encouraging, supportive and they too have trudged the same path.

The "High Road". The road that lets go of bitterness, resentments, expectations, that is a heavy load to carry on our journey up that mountain.

Philippians 2:14a “Do everything without complaining and arguing..." 

As we climb on, find your happy pace, don't quit.



RUNDOWN: 
At 3 am, I had found myself tossing and turning in bed for hours. My body was screaming, everything hurt. 
I overdid it again at the gym. 
I didn't do that much to explain my suffering. 

I ran a 5mile tempo run, 3 miles at a 10k pace and you would have thought I was going to keel over. WOW! It hurt, but it felt so good to finish when every mile your body is trying to convince you to quit.
I stretched, rolled, did core, and squats and lunges. 

OH OH OH...and I took my socks and shoes off and went old school. The Bag. The snap across your bare feet as you throw a roundhouse to it, warms me. 
SNAP! Again and Again. "Arms up Nita, bring it in tight.." I could hear my old coaches "NITA, don't chicken wing..." 

Next I knew I was sweating, breathing heavy and looking at red knuckles. This guy comes over to me, "HEY, HEY, I have gloves, here, here, use my gloves." He wouldn't take no for an answer. It felt wonderful. 

Sore...Every fiber in me hurt. 

This morning I knew I had to go out sore. No excuses. 
I met the girls at Holly Rec, hoping and praying for an easy FUN run. I didn't tell them how sore I was, I wanted them to run however they were going to. 
10 miles on the trails. 10 miles through snow, ruts, slippery leaves and honestly perfect winter weather. I slipped a couple times, even twisted my ankle once but its all part of training. 
One mile at a time. I was tuckered at mile one. The hills felt like a death sentence. My legs were cursing me. 
But together we did it. We laughed, took photos like we used to, told ridiculous stories and encouraged one another. 
The High Road. 

Training in the Winter trails. 
**In the winter, wearing more of a rugged shoe is better if you are a little concerned about traction. A more ridged sole with more stability. I wear the Brooks Cascadias.
If you are a lot concerned, add some micro spikes or Katoolas.

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." Edward Abbey

Anita~

Competing with Kindness

Last week, I was laying back in a bed getting my eyelashes done.. Spoiler Alert...I have FAKE Eyelashes and LOVE them. 

"Lena" my gal and I overheard a couple ladies talking. Lena responds quietly to me "Women should lift WOMEN up, we should be encouraging each other..." 

It is TRUE ladies. 

• We should be complimenting not criticizing. 
• Building up not tearing down.
• Listening and less speaking. 
• Caring and less cold.

I know for me how I feel when I get hurt or misunderstood by another lady. I often think "We are supposed to be on the same team...." 

I am far from perfect and some times insecurity trips up my best intentions leaving me guilty and more insecure. (Just being honest, I am sure none of you struggle with this...) 

Running is a competitive sport. Even my running friends compete silently with one another. We do this harmlessly but we do this. 

We compare training and secretly look at each others race results with no harm. 

I was once at a race where a guy asks me my name and says "Yeah, I know you, you are "______" arch nemesis." I didn't even know this gal. 

It wasn't intended to mean but rather a little friendly competition. 

I found myself playing the COMPETITION Game today. 

I am a competitive person. But not in a mean way, I won't Nancy Kerrigan you at a race. 

I went to GAC after dragging myself out of a pathetic state of laziness. 

The BEST part of having a gym membership in Michigan during the winter you can wear SHORTS or a SKIRT! 

TIME not DISTANCE. 

With about 2 miles in of trying to count my laps, my miles and focus on my splits, my mind was ready to explode. I decided to change it up and go by TIME. To run harder for 1 hour focusing on my splits not my mileage. 

**TRAINING TIP: New runners this is a great way to start running and not get discouraged. It is also a way I train for my ultras. Training hours on your feet helps to prepare you for the time you will be running. Running mileage can not prepare you for the unknown hills, roots, rocks, terrain or elevation that can make a 50 miler feel like a 100K and last that long. 

Back on TRACK..literally! Somewhere around mile three I came alongside a new gal running a good clip. I gently passed her.

She didn't like that. She quickly passed me back!

That's the problem passing people, you better keep your pace or they will pass you right back. I was now accountable to that pace. I had to HOLD IT. But she PICKED her pace up to pass me. 

MY THOUGHTS went like this:

"Oh yeah...you just had to pick it up and blast past me...."

"Ok, Ok, I got this...Steady, I just have to put myself on auto pilot..."

"Tuck in behind her, stay with her..."

"Keep up with her, let her do the work, stay with her Nita, don't let go..."

She was running very steady and strong , averaging a 8:10min.mi. 

I felt good, and I needed the push. Closing in on about 45 minutes she started to slow back, I had to pass her. 

"Your doing GREAT, hold on." I encouraged her. 

She was startled. "Thank YOU, You are doing great too." She then tried to keep going, but she fell behind me.

"Stay WITH me, let me pace you, your doing great, you were holding a steady pace in the low 8's."

And she agreed and tucked in behind me. We exchanged some encouraging words as we ran. Both of us strangers but connected through competing kindly. 

Sadly she fell off, but when I finished, as she passed me she turned around gave me a high five and huge smile, "GREAT job, thank you!" she hollered. 

December CORE Challenge..#Morecore

I felt so good. Soo good I did another mile and a half of pick ups, hitting the straights. 

Sometimes you don't know what you are chasing, you don't have the patience to figure it out but running backwards is not an option. 

I kept the faith, encouraged by another, making it up as I went. 

Worked hard:

Ran 7miles ISH..@ 8:10min/mi

1.5 miles with pick ups

Stretch, core and roll. Tuckered

“If you win through bad sportsmanship, that’s no real victory.” Babe Zaharias

. 

Practice what you Preach.

"No matter how good you get you can always get better, and that's the exciting part."    Tiger Woods

The age of 45 is fast approaching. The gray hair is easily corrected, much easier than the wrinkles and dimpling skin.
I have calmed down over the years, not much but noticeable to those who knew me 20 years ago.

Athletically, I have slowed down. I think it is more painful to see my body slowing down more than wrinkles and gray hair appearing.

2018 I really let my training plateau.

QUANITY vs QUALITY.
Ultra training uses this thought foundationally.
This is where I went wrong:
I ran a lot of miles in 2018 BUT I never ran my trail miles intentionally.
I JUST RAN and Ran and ran....

I rarely did speed work.  I could have done speedwork on the trails or the backroads to best train for my trail ultras but I seldom did this.

Its ironic, I coach my XC kids better than I coach myself. I have multiple different training runs I would use for them but I rarely exercised this in my personal training.
"Practice what you preach..." FAILED.

Part of the QUANITY is not putting too much emphasis on speedwork.
Speedwork needs to be done "consistently and appropriately.." Hal Koerner
Tempo Runs are some of your best forms of speedwork but even those are not recommended but every 7-10 days.

Looking forward now. I will add in gently more QUALITY but intentional and carefully. I have a tendency to break easy.
I have put myself back in the gym.

Rolling & stretching ...practice what you preach Anita

CORE strength is instrumental in Ultra training. As of right now, My abs are so sore I can hardly breath without them hurting. I keep touching and looking at my tummy, my sore tight abs feel like they look like LL Cool J's 8pack but after peaking I am sadly disappointed!

The Training for 2019 has begun. I am pumped to see what next year will bring. (I have a few ideas..)We will save that for another day.

RUNDOWN:
Where: Holly Rec.
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 1h 4min.
The trail was in pretty good shape. A few spots the mud had frozen over leaving deep ridges in the trails but we maintained a very steady pace.
We ran consistent, climbing most of the hills, just slowing down and tackling them.
I felt really good as we finished up, I wanted to do another loop but then I said to myself "EH, December is my down time, I am not training for anything..."

So I headed home...KINDA

I turned unto Hess Rd towards Holdridge. Sure enough, there was Andys truck.
I pulled in and headed backwards on the trail.
I of course got lost, retraced my route and tried again. About a half a mile in, I spot a bright yellow jacket coming down the path.
I do what I do so well, I JUMPED in front of Andy and YELLED "ARRRGH!"
I scared the S**!#  out of him!
It was so fun!
I got my pay backs, that half a mile back, Andy was so pumped on endorphins I could hardly keep up, he took out of the trail like a bat out of the bad place!

My new "Gnome" Beanie by Headsweats. REVERSIBLE. 

Collision:

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough we must do." Goethe

I am not sure what you are training for. 
Maybe you don't work out or run BUT you can still TRAIN. 

• Do some self inventory. Where did you fall short this year? Were you like me, just settled into a safe place? 
• Where do you want to be next year? What do you want to work on? How do you plan to train? 

Setting goals gives us optimism. Something to look forward to. Set Goals that make you SMILE. That excites you. Share them with someone special in your life, you may even encourage them to come along side you. 

Tea Time: Tonights tea, Tazo Wild Sweet Orange 

Anita~

Remember to Smile.

Monday...gloomy, cold, wet...Smile Anyway.

I thought about my sweet mother today while I was running.

My mother was a beautiful, beautiful woman. She was kind, loving, and would help anyone to a default.
She had a lovely smile.

Sadly, my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer in her early 40's. A benign tumor the size of a grapefruit with porcupine quills. It rested on a nerve behind her ear. The nerve was severed and my mother was left with paralysis, never to smile the same again.

My mother struggled smiling ever since. As teenagers we would always gauge my moms countenance to know what mood she was in.

As a single mother she had a lot of struggles. Just raising me was a struggle in itself.

I LOVED when my mother SMILED.

I thought about my sweet mother.
How hard it was for her to smile.
How she hated how she looked when she smiled.

But how much it meant to us to see her SMILE.
It filled us. It made us warm, happy, genuinely happy.


RUNDOWN: Collision: Smile

Proverbs 15:30 “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health."

It took everything in me to crawl out of the fuzzy blanket and set my coffee down.  

My body was sore from the 10 miles with Lacey yesterday. 10 miles of hills, we finished our last mile at a sub 8min/mi. 

Yesterdays run had me so stoked I was whistling Dixie all afternoon...

My whistling turned to whining when I had to get up to run this morning.  

I went to Holdridge to run. 

West loop w/ the tech loop then over to the north loop.

I put Sirius XM in my ears. I have a love for Alternative music, Alt Nation was playing its top 18. 

I wasn't really smiling. 

The trail was wet and slippery. I wanted soo bad to run without stopping. Run all the hills, keeping my pace steady. 

The first mile my body was sore and tight. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. But I knew that I had to set that first couple miles. My first couple miles help to determine my pace for the next few. 

As much as I was struggling, I was determined to keep up with my goal. The hills came. 

I was dreading "The WALL". It is the worst of the hills. 

I began to talk out loud. And sing out loud as I faced that dreaded hill. 

"Get up, steady, Come on NITA..." 

I DID IT! I was heaving, my heart was blowing up like a crack head, my ears were ringing and my legs were numb. BUT I DID it. 

I SMILED. 

It was the first time I realized I was smiling.

It was such a genuine smile, that is when I thought of my mother. 

I have so much to smile about. SO much to be thankful for. 

Sometimes, ok, a lot of times I get after myself because I am ALOT of energy and people don't always like my energy, my boldness, my straight forward attitude. It has stole my smile a lot the last week. 

I was SMILING. In that moment I reminded myself, I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE. 

I am made in HIS image. 

I am His Daughter. 

He LOVES me.

He gives me my security. 

He Created me.

He Gives me my identity.

And I SMILED.

He gave me these legs to conquer. My heart to fight. My mouth..I am still trying to figure that one out!

"Thank You God, Thank YOU.." Humbly, I thanked God. Giving him the Glory. 

That SMILE felt soo good across my face. 

I thought of my mother, Oh how I wish I could see her smile again. I smiled thinking of her smile. 

RUNDOWN: 

Distance: 6.76

Time: 1:06

Pace: 9:46min/mi

I ran the whole time...EXCEPT for when I heard a shuffle behind me. I looked down and quickly stopped. Running without a leash, a pitbull. I didn't freak out. But I wasn't happy to see this dog WITHOUT a leash. Or any DOG. 

I was again grateful that I was safe. Again, I SMILED. 

“Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things.”

Anita~