Listening to your Inner Coach

Today they were calling for storms around 11am. I had a plan.
Drops boys off at schools at 8 and RUN!
I was going to do my long run today. Because we went out of town for Labor Day weekend my mojo has been all messed up.
I was trying to talk myself into 18 miles. I was trying to stay positive and convince myself how awesome it was going to be. That I would just run for over 2 1/2 hours letting the wind blow my hair and smile runners bliss all the way.
IT WASN"T WORKING!
Even trying to prepare myself laying out all my stuff and all the psychological crap I was feeding my mind I was freaking out!

It was a solo run. I was going to be  listening to the voices in my head.
I was going to have to Coach myself and ignore the cries of "Wimpy Nita".
The Battle between Powerful and Powerless.

**RUNNING TIP #1 IGNORED.
"If it Feels good DO NOT speed up!"
The first 8 miles felt amazing. Coach Nita said "Slow DOWN"
I did not listen.
I should have listened.
My tank was starting to drain pretty fast in the humidity around mile 10. I had to make a detour to moms house as I was about to pee my pants. I drank my coffee a tad to close to my run and my bladder was nagging me. It just stinks being a girl. 2 kids and it feels like you are going to pee your pants. But when you run to the bathroom, dropping your drawers before you have even entered  only to TINKLE...Really? What is that? I thought it was going to be like opening the flood gates and this was IT? Shoot I might as well just peed my pants, no one would have even known!
While I was there mom handed me a bottle of ice water. It tasted so refreshing. This was the first drink I had tasted on my run. It was glorious!
But I had to go before it started to rain.

I was starting to whine.
"UGH, its so stinking hot. My whole face is sweating and stinging."
"How much longer? How much farther? AM I there YET?
"What's that? A new Pain? Great!"
"Hmm, Haven't felt that before, it feels like a giant turd hanging from my tail bone, I wonder what that means?"

The the Inner Coach interupts.
"Shut up and RUN."
"Take a drink, eat a chomp, and relax."

That sounded like a plan. I had stopped at home and gotten my water bottle filled with ice water. I can not even explain how that cold crisp water tasted as I swallowed it. It was like water given to me from heaven. It tasted like water from the Garden of Eden. I felt my tank slowly filling again...for a few moments.

Then the voices start creepy up again...
"I ran to darn fast the first half, I gotta walk."
"Is my ankle numb? Is that normal"
"This Sucks. I hate long runs."

The Inner Coach barks back.
"Yup, You took off too fast, So walk. Give yourself 1 minute walk breaks every 11 minutes."
"Pick up YOUR FEET..Your shuffling."
"Slow Down. Relax. Breath."
"Your almost there. Maintain."
"It doesn't have to look pretty, it just has to get DONE."

And with that I listened to to the Inner Coach. Failure was not an Option. There was no short cuts out there today. There was no one to cheat but myself.

TODAY'S MISTAKES.

• I took off to fast and bottomed out at the end.
• I did not hydrate properly last night so I felt fatigued faster on my run.
• With the humidity I should have drank sooner that I did. I was behind the gun with hydration and it took its toll on me.
• I ran altogether to FAST. Long RUNs should be ran 1 minute SLOWER than marathon pace. 

Ultimately, I listened to my Inner Coach. But there were still those nagging voices of pride and pouty that were heard also.
I am Thankful for those that prayed for me on my run.  With all the mistakes I made it is a wonder I finished. With sweat dripping in my eyes, random aches and pains throughout the run and overall fatigue God worked a miracle in my run...Because of Prayers.

My favorite Recovery Drink! Lowfat high protien and full of YUM!

THE RUNDOWN:

Distance: 18.01

Time: 2:37

Pace: 8:44

QUESTION: Ryan Hall dropped out of the Marathon for the Olympics at mile 10 with hamstring pain. Many people were upset because they believe he should not have ran it. People thought that if he knew he was injured he should not have ran it and let someone else have that spot. WHAT DO YOU THINK? DO YOU THINK HE SHOULD NOT HAVE RAN???



Anita

Running in Sand. Farewell

 Family Vacations can be made out to be like pink butterflies and fluffy blue skies. But you should know me by now, I try not to paint pictures that are not true. Yes. we had a great time but when it went south is went ugly. We are not one of those cute families that never bicker, who have kids that hold each others hands and compliment each other with love and affirmation. I wish. 

My BOYS : My Life

 "The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." - Erma Bombeck

We get along with nit picking, instigating, aggravating and teasing one another. We love each other but we are tough on each other. Yes, there are many smiles and lots of laughs on vacation but we also deal with that other crap too! That's just how we roll. Keeping it real.

Unfortunately, Andy brought his shoes but did not do any running. He is pretty messed up from the CRIM.
So all my runs were solo.

This morning was my last run at Silver Lake. I was exhausted getting up. The past 4 days of physical activities have taken its toll on my body. Every day has been jammed with sun, sand, bikes, dunes, swimming, go carting, Frisbee and the list goes on. I just had to give my farewell run to the Dunes.

It was a easy 3 miler. Simple with smiles and running towards the sun and sand one last time.

Rather than running towards the lighthouse I chose to run towards the sand dunes. This run was going to be short. I was lucky to be able to get in 3 miles. It is just a little over a mile to the Dunes State Park so I headed there and thought I would just add miles if I needed to.

That mile was under my feet in what seemed liked minutes. Suddenly I was looking at this sandy mountain. I pondered  "Should I run up there... with my shoes on? I will be getting sand out of my shoes for the next 3 months."YES!
Running with my shoes on is a totally different experience. I missed the sand between my toes and the nakedness of my feet in the elements but my BROOKS were loving the experience. They were thanking me!

THE RunDown:
Distance:3.01
Pace: 10:42
Time:33
I did a lot of stopping and going. I was not in a hurry. HURRY?? To leave all this?? Noo way. 

I have been thinking about getting some feed back from you all. I want to try and get some discussion going. Sometimes we have questions we want to ask and sometimes we are curious about things and want to know what people think about our thoughts. 

QUESTION??? What is your favorite Distance to RACE? Are you a 5k-er, 10k-er 13.1 or do you like the Marathon?? 

The most popular race is the Half Marathon. Is that Your Favorite?? I really like the Half...But I had a Great marathon in the spring..So good I am signed up to do it again in the Fall!

Anita

The Lighthouse

Lighthouse were designed to show the way or warn of danger.
The bible calls Christians to be a Beacon. To help show the way to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

My Lighthouse Run. 
I was really looking forward to my morning run today. I woke up like clockwork at 7am. My body is unfortunately programmed to autopilot at this time.
After killing time with a cup of coffee I got dressed quietly and headed out the door towards the lighthouse.

Leaving the boys sleeping I felt no guilt in my glory.

I thought yesterday was a magnificent morning but just when you think things couldn't get better...

(NOTE to self.. Never settle for good. There is always something greater waiting for you. I just told this to my niece. She is wanting to settle on good and thinks that might be all there is. And good is good but what if there was GREAT?")

As I ran towards the lighthouse the temperatures were a little warmer and the sun was a lot brighter. And as if the conditions were not perfect I was even running faster. I am on vacation so I do not want to empty the tank running tough. I want the runs to be fun and enjoyable. Vacation is not about work for me. Not even when it comes to my running.
Running on vacation to me is about new places and new experiences. It is the adventure and love of running that I fall back in love with the sport.

I ran straight to the lighthouse with a grin that turned to a big cheesy smile the closer I got.

The scenery was beatuful. The Lighhouse was as awesome as I remembered it.

I took a couple pictures and headed back towards our hotel.
As I passed the Port A Johns and kept running I got thinking "Yikes, I really think I may pee my pants!"
I did not want to turn around so I started looking for a Pit Stop!

While searching for a potty hideaway I found a trail to take the boys on a bike ride to.

This is the path I found on my run..that we turned into a bike ride.

I was so so grateful for the opportunity to run. To see the things I get to see. All the places my Brooks can take me. If these shoes could paint a picture or tell a few stories!

Hitting the Dunes!

There is so much life to live. There is so much to see and experience. God has given us these incredible bodies that are capable of way more than most people ever tap into. We instead abuse, beat up and neglect our bodies. So sad.

We can enjoy our ice cream more after a few miles!!

RECEIVING the BLESSING. Being a Beacon
So we went go carting and there was a family parked next to us but their hood was up. There were 3 kids, 2 woman and a man pouring water into his radiator. We asked what happened and the sand dunes took his Durango out.
After riding the go carts we came back to our truck and noticed he was still there with his family. Upon talking to Andy we decided to ask them if we could give them a ride to their camp site.
They were so thankful. We left the guy back to wait for the tow truck but took the ladies and kids to their campsite.
After we dropped them off Alec says "God will bless us for doing something nice."
Andy smirked.
We headed to the Icecream shop "Trisha" (a high school friend of mine) recommended. Unfortunately,  there was NO parking...But this guy let us park in his driveway....Alec says "See, God Blessed us."
We got to be the beacon for someone who was in distress and when we needed a hand someone reached out for us as well. So Awesome. Be a Light, lend a hand, Bless someone and you will be Blessed.

The RUN DOWN:

Distance: 6

Time: 51

Pace: 8:22

Anita

Silver Lake Sand Dunes

  Isaiah 40:12 - Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

Silver Lake Sand Dunes is one of my most favorite places to vacation. I love the sand, the sun, lighthouse and the people watching is a 10!
My morning run had full potential to go bad on so many levels.

• Not feeling good, my allergies are at a all time high.
• My belly was not happy with my food choices last night.
• I couldn't find any good music on my ipod
• I couldn't find satellite on my Garmin.

But no matter what the aggravation, irritation or thorn in my side I knew I just needed to run.

It is a 3 mile run to the Lighthouse on Lake Michigan. That was the goal but it was a bit farther than I thought so I went to the first  parking lot and turned around.

Lake Michigan. I ran here and turned around

The run is beautiful. I was not the only one who was taking advantage of this 65 degree sunny morning. It was like running a race there were so many people running, biking or walking. 
 
The air was warm and the sun was bold and bright. I ran towards the lighthouse and the farther I got the less populated it got. As I got deeper into my route and closer to Lake Michigan the trees got more dense.
I saw less of what man created and welcomed the beauty of what God created.

The smells, the sounds and the scenery painted Gods Glory all around me.

Everything in those moments, in those miles saturated my every being. I felt nothing but gratitude. I ran for those who can not. I gave thanks for the legs and the power God gave me. We have so many blessings.

So much we take for granted. Live every day to the fullest. Never take life for granted. Remember those who wish they could and YOU CAN. So Do!

Good night Silver Lake

RUNDOWN:

Distance: 5:69

Time :47

Pace: 8:16

Anita

Responsibility.

re·spon·si·ble/riˈspänsəbəl/

Adjective:

Having an obligation to do something as part of a job or role. Being the primary cause of something and so able to be blamed or credited for it.

I woke up this morning not feeling so good. I started sneezing yesterday. This morning my throat was itchy, my head was pounding and I just wanted to put the covers back over my head.  Do you ever have those days when you just do not want to do all the things that you HAVE to do? Today I HAD to do 17 miles. I Had to get my long run in. But I really didn't want to. I really didn't feel like it. I really didn't feel like doing anything but crawling back in bed. RESPONSIBILITY: There are those things in life we just have to do. We procrastinate, postpone or even make excuses to why we don't have to do them. But when we do them..IT feels SOO good. We feel productive and responsible. I just had to get those shoes laced up. I had to get up and get moving. 17 miles, 2 1/2 hours of running. Does that sound like something you look forward to doing?? Some of you may get all geeky about running that long. NOT ME. Especially when I am running that alone! But I did. I got it done. I dressed up, laced up, fueled up and SUCKED IT UP! "We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are - that is the fact."Jean-Paul Sartre   Wisdom from God guides us in health.   “Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:21-23 Be careful with FEELINGS. Feelings will steer  your HEART and sink your ship! You often hear people say "Follow Your HEART". I am not a believer in that. This morning my heart wanted to stay  in BED! Last week my heart wanted to trip that girl running when she cut me off around the curb. And tomorrow my heart will want me to do or say something that might not be so wise yet again.  There are things we HAVE to do regardless of what our feelings say about it.  I am so glad I ignored my feelings and did what I knew I had to do and that was get that 17 miles DONE! Guard your Heart. Check it, protect it and connect it with His WORD.  BTW: TO THE GUY YELLING AT ME RUNNING THIS MORNING: THE ONE POINTING TO HIS HEAD AND YELLING AT ME THAT I WAS "CRAZY IN THE HEAD". ( I THINK HE WAS ANGRY BECAUSE I WAS RUNNING ON THE ROAD) Here  ya GO!   Rundown:  Distance:17.01 Time:2:30 Pace: 8:47 FOR FUEL ON MY RUN I DID NOT USE CHOMPS- I USE JUICE PLUS AND IT WAS PERFECT. REAL NUTRITION, REAL HELPFUL WHEN YOU ARE NOT FEELING REAL GOOD.  How responsible were you today? Did you get your RUN IN??? Did you have excuses?  Let's hear about it! What is your favorite Excuse? Anita

Beat up but not Knocked Down!

 . "We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth." 

Andrew Murray

My entire body feels like it went through the "Tumble Dry" cycle. I am wiped. Tired and sore. Beaten,bruised and scraped.
But surprisingly through all my whines my knees are not cursing me. Maybe it was that last ice pack I put on them at 9pm. Or maybe it was hydrating good or the Motrin or maybe it was just answered PRAYERS.

 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Mathew 21:22

I was sending a lot of prayers out yesterday!

I did not feel like a million dollars this morning but I did get up at 6:30am wide eyed. I was thankful my ankle and knee were not sending out stress calls. But the rest of my body reminded me of the torture I put it through the last couple days.
My back was sore, my arms were heavy, and my calves and legs were tight and achy.
But I felt good enough to run with "Courtney" despite my throbbing conditions. "It would probably be good to loosen up the body and do a few miles" I told myself. I felt pretty beat up but I was not down for the count.

She met me at my street. "Courtney" was running 11. I was going to do 7miles with her. Somewhere I should have turned around  sooner but instead I ended up doing 9.5 miles with her.
We did not run hard. We ran at a conversational pace and even added in some walk breaks. Just because I run does not mean I can THINK. If you follow my blogs enough there are countless stories of me getting lost, adding to many miles or not enough miles because I have calculated wrong on the run.  I have even given wrong directions to strangers because the my heart rate blocked the brain activity or something.
It is like my brains are left on the pavement or they just fell out and I trampled over them on the run.
But today I did it again.
Poor "Courtney" she was the victim this time of my bird brain calculations! I turned her long run of 11 into over 12 miles!  
I felt horrible. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out what I had done. It was like as soon as my heart rate came down my brain turned on. I felt so bad all morning.

Funny thing how God answers your unspokens. I was getting my errands done with the boys directly after our run and cleaning up. I had grocery shopping, and school shopping to do. I thought we should maybe go into MC Sports. I had a good excuse at the time to go in there and it wasn't to buy milk! The boys would had flagged me on that one.
And LO and BEHOLD..guess who comes up behind me as I am shopping on the clearance rack..."Courtney"!
She was walking without a limp and looking really cute and chipper. HA..God was answering a prayer with a picture! She was good. Oh the relief.

“Prayer is where the action is." John Wesley

I believe in the power of prayer. I believe God cares for every detail of my life. Every hour, every moment ,anywhere and everywhere I am. 

DO YOU?

Anita

Detroit Merrell Down and Dirty 2012

I did not sleep hardly a wink all night. The clock ticked painfully minute to hour. At 2 am I got up and took 3 Ibuprofin and 4 Juice Plus hoping this may help. Running the 10 miles at the Crim did not leave my body feeling too prepared for another race.

Before MUD!

In just a few hours I was going to be doing the Merrell Down and Dirty 10K obstacle race at Kensington Metro park. I knew as I counted down how many hours till I had to officially get up I should have not gotten that Vanilla Latte at Starbucks.  I just folded to the fact that I was going to do a double race with no sleep and I was going to have to suck it up and sleep later.

With all my gear and clothes laid out I left the house at 5:30am sharp. The only thing that I was leaving behind was my family. Team Harless was going to sit this one out. Andy knew I was meeting "Sarah" out there and asked if it was OK if he went to church.  "I am a big girl, I will be fine hunny." I responded with a some reserve.

Stopping at Tim Hortons I got my coffee and was getting pretty pumped.

It was still dark outside as I pulled into the parking lot where the volunteers motioned for us to go.
In my big girl pants I headed down to find registration. I was hoping "Sarah" would be there early but she looked like she was going to be getting there closer to the race starting. "Sarah" asked  this guy to sign up and it was looking more like they were going to be hanging together.

My name wasn't in the roster but the race coordinator typed in my info and quickly found me.
BIB 534.

After pinning my bib on I just stood around, alone and feeling kinda awkward.

I tried to look confident as I looked around for someone I might know. And after some time I did find someone...FRITZ! The guy I had just met at the CRIM from DailyMile yesterday. Even though I had barley spoke to him I made my way to say "HI". He was talking to a woman about 20 feet away.

It did not take long for me to get introduced to his new friend "Jackie" who also ran the Crim and was coming out here to conquer yet another race less than 24 hours later!

Merrell Hamster Wheel..Where I fell in love with their Shoes!

It was nice to know that we had our own little "Crazy Club" going on running back to back races!

The race started at 7:30am. By the time we headed to our corral we had met up with 2 others that they knew.  Now I am totally a people person and I was in my element. I was not sure if we were all running together or what we were doing. I decided to just see how it went.

The gun shot and I jumped from the sting of the boom in my ears.
This was a trail run. It was hot and steamy out and we were all smiles not sure what to expect.

The course was intense to say the least. If the "Bradleys" did not kill me at the Crim this course was gonna send me to near death!
The obstacles were similar to the Warrior Dash. We climbed walls, Rope challenges, Balance beam, water and of course mud crawling.
I stayed with them till the balance beam and then I slowly moved out on my own.

There were so many steep hills to climb down and back up. running solo I had to listen to my own voices. As I approached mile 3 I came on a steep decline with trenches and rocks. I thought about something "Fritz" had said. "You can't run it afraid." Well that seemed easy enough.  So down I went. I tried to relax my body and legs and not be afraid. My knee started yelling at me. "Be afraid, Be Afraid!"  But it was my ankle that decided to hate me as it twisted and cracked coming down that evil mound of insanity.

No time to stop, I can assess the damage on the run. Catching my breath I thanked God that I was not hobbling. I asked God to give me strength in my legs and power in my steps. I needed him to plant my feet on solid ground and help me run with power and safety.

That was just one of many of those hills. The trails were covered in sand, rocks, trenches and even horse crap! Dodging horse dung was an obstacle in itself!

I came to one obstacle where you have a Army guy making you stop and do 20 SOLID push ups. Down I went. I rocked out the first 10 but had to put my arms on pause. These two guys came in right behind me. As I was struggling with number 15 they got up to go. "WHAT, the crap is that?" I thought! I heard the one guy say, "I don't know how many I did, I lost count." I thought " You lost count?...Like to 5?!" UGH. I knew I was going to hunt these to countless dudes down if it was the last thing I did!

Out of breath and feeling like Jello I got up and tracked those two knuckle heads down. If they run like they count I could "COUNT" on catching them!
Now this was fun, my own little game. It wasn't to far before I found them. SEE YA, You just got passed by not only a chick but a chick that did more Push Ups then you AND knows how to count past 5! Boo YA!

About mile 4 I was feeling pretty warmed up. MR. Tye Dye yells in my ear, " I don't want to pass you because I promised myself I was not going to run this and have anyone pass me." He stayed behind my shoulder cautiously waiting to make his move then he did it, He passed me with his Tye dye shirt wrapped around his neck.
I laughed to myself and yelled "Go Get em, Tye Dye, but keep looking behind your back I am coming for you."

We came out of the woods and made a couple turns then like a Giant looming over us was a massive hill. It was grassy and steep. I saw "Tye Dye" up ahead struggling. I attempted to run up but it was in vain. People were running a little and walking alot. I followed slowly closing the gap between me and "Tye Dye". At the top I came up on his right. "Here I come Tye Dye, Don't let me pass YOU!" I yelled.

What comes up must go down! And down we went. I could hear him yelling at me and making his way back again. Our path ended in the water where we had to do a lap through the water then bog in the mud. He caught up here and passed me again!

The water was refreshing but really slowed me down. My shoes were heavy and sloshing. I could really feel my quads rebelling against me. I had mud weighing me down and slapping me in the face from my hair.

 A little over 1 mile and we were done. I was having so much fun.  I hunkered down and made my legs move. Through the signs I made my way along the path. The Race was very well marked and had many volunteers guiding you and assisting you with all the obstacles.

I might be small and to some look "fragile"  but I can hold my own. I did those obstacles like the big guys. The Army guys would come to help me but motivated by a combination of pride and endorphins I would conquer the obstacles solo and probably stupidly!

The end was there. There were several signs motioning where to go. It looked like a lot of walls. Good Grief. The first wall challenge I tackled with little dificulty. But the second wall challenge was going to be the gonna bury me.  The wall was sloped and about 15 feet high with a rope hanging over. The rope had knots every couple feet. I thought I got this, we just climb up the wall... NOPE!!! You could not use your legs! You had to PULL yourself up on your belly or your knees. My hands were wet and sweaty and so was the rope.  I went up on my knees and was praying I was not going to loose my grip and fall back down. Up Up and over I went and searching for the FINISH in between heavy panty and loose arms..

People were everywhere. The music was ringing in my ears and there was the final mud pit. "DOWN, Down, You have to get on your belly and crawl under the ropes in the mud." They yelled.
 I nuzzled into the mud and crawled my way through. By the final rope I had mud dripping in my eyes and saturating every strand of my hair.

MERRELL DOWN AND DIRTY FINISHED!!!
Even though I knew I was done I could not see where I was going there was so much mud in my face. Patiently waiting for my sight to return I had the urge to spit. With masculinity I spit and was as  mortified as the people next to me by the thick chocolate spit ball that escaped my mouth. "UGH"

This was a great race. One I would do again. I found "Fritz" and the rest of the clan. We all looked filthy but it made our teeth even whiter as we were all smiles!

We took pictures, filled out drawings and got in the Hamster Cage. I have never tried on a Pair of Merrell's. I tried them on and FELL in LOVE! I have been asking for a pair for a couple years. They were light weight yet snug. They just hugged your feet in all the right places. A little touch of Love.

I really wanted to get home to my family. I looked everywhere for "Sarah" I kept checking my phone. She never called. I gave my "Burger" tag away to one of the people we met. I looked at this guy sitting down with the huge burger with ALL the fixing. INDIAN GIVER! I turned back around and said "Never mind, I change my mind I want my burger!" Laughing He gave it back and we all got in line. They had fruit bowls, several different bags of chips, and soda or water and green tea. They also had hamburgers or Veggie burgers. I was so impressed! I never stick around for my free food. I couldn't pass this up.
With my new friends we sat on the ground still covered in mud with my muddy shoes and socks as a centerpiece and we ate, laughing and talking about running another race together.

"Sarah" text me half way through my burger. She and "Hayden" already left. They were eating breakfast at the "French Laundry". I hope they were eating outside. Even after my lil shower at the race I had mud  coming out my ears and smelled less than desirable.

RUNDOWN:
Distance: 6.2 miles
Pace: 9:40
Time: 1hr.02
My knee were hurting, I twisted both ankles and the down hill really abused my knees. It sure was fun though!!!
Iced the knee, 2 hour nap and doubled up on my Juice Plus.


Anita