Get it, girl

There's this poem that I read to my students at the beginning of the year, you know, that time when we're all in the awkward getting-to-know-one-another phase.  I hate ice-breakers, but writing - I like.  Nothing but pure emotion scribbled in a spiral notebook, a safe-haven, where frustrations, triumphs and inadequate thoughts are hidden from the brutal confines of the "real world." 

Trust yourself.  Believe in your words - they have a purpose.  My lecture becomes somewhat of a sermon, students looking bewildered, like "What the hell, Miss?"  But then we read.  We read passionately.  And all the sudden, we unlock the doors to our hearts and let the feelings flow with our pens. 

Today, a students whined, "When are we going to write stuff like we used to write?"  For once, I was speechless.  Almost.  I blamed it on the strict curriculum.  Teaching to the test.  I placed blame on everything but myself.  But I knew I was the one who had failed them. 

"Get it, girl."  A quote from a poem a student wrote back in September.  I didn't get it anymore.  Or perhaps I just forgot that I had it?

So I went for a run.  Alone.  And I thought about what I had "missed" with my students.  I thought about the areas of my life where I "get it" all the time - is that possible?  Does it happen? 

I didn't come to a conclusion.  But I'll get there.  And in the meantime, I'll be content with the aspects of my life that, for the time being, I "get."  Because life is too short to over-analyze - that I get.

Keep right on going

That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going. - Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump, albeit a fictional character, was a self-motivator.  Or perhaps all runners, despite age/gender/ability, have that determined gene lingering somewhere inside their brain, perhaps nestled snugly against the one that thinks marathon training is "fun."  (It is.)

"Keep right on going."  Forrest did it (in corrective shoes, might I add).  Yet, if I'm saying that running is a metaphor for life (and I am), then one knows that there are twists and turns.  And perhaps even that race where you throw up Gatorade once crossing the finish line.  But somehow, despite all of life's curve balls, you manage to put one foot in front of the other.  And breathe.

So on a particular frigid morning, I layered on the dry-fit, laced up my Brooks and stepped outside, Mother Nature's blustery wind slapping me awake.  I made a spontaneous decision right there on my stoop to run only 3 miles, or however long I could withstand the feeling of windburn on my face.  As I pounded the asphalt on the Schuylkill River Banks, I thought.  I thought, as I tend to do on runs, about life.  My so-called tumultuous life.  It's not that bad.  In fact, it's great.   I've been down.  I've been up.  I've built up walls - who will knock them down? Go faster.  Slow down.  Take the high road.  Take the road less traveled.   Be honest, but not too honest.  Say what you feel.  Watch what you say.  Be careful.  Be mindful.  Always be on the look-out. Don't look back.  Look ahead.  Never give up.  Don't quit.  Keep going.

Keep right on going.

"Ruin is the road to transformation"

Yes, I chose to title this post based on a quote I heard in the sappy movie, "Eat, Pray, Love."  Some Saturday nights are best spent in the comfort of one's own studio apartment ordering movies and drinking red wine.

While there have been numerous times where my life has felt as if it were in "ruins," the one thing that has always helped me transform into something greater is running.  Aside from all the stringent training that can sometimes be overbearing, running gives me a certain balance.  Problems don't seem as impudent after a run.  My head becomes clearer, my feet become lighter, and all of the day's worries are forgotten, even if only for the time it takes me to run 5 miles. 

This is not to say that running cures all the ruin in one's life; however, it can transform you in ways that no amount of therapy or prescription drugs can.  Plus, the word "run" is in the word, "ruin," which proves my point entirely...

While I'm transforming my body into pre-marathon training mode, my weekly mileage continues to increase.  Here are this week's stats:



Julia Roberts makes yoga look so easy...

Monday: 3.5 miles on the treadmill, average about 8:00 pace; weights class for one hour.  My normal instructor sprained his ankle, so we had a substitute for my total body conditioning class.  It was still a great workout, but he repeated the same circuit three times, and I got bored.
Tuesday: Did 45 minutes of yoga.  I always feel great afterwards, but I still hate yoga.  I've thought about going to a "real" class, but at $15 a session, it's hard to justify the money when I can do it free at home.  Or at my gym...ughhh...thinking about yoga makes me tired.

Wednesday: A snow day from work! Got outside for a 4 mile run, then went and bought some of my favorite Balega running socks (which now come in cute colors!)

Thursday: Beer runners! Having missed my bus, I sprinted like a bat-out-of-hell to the opposite end of town, caught another bus and barely made it in time to meet some friends.  Overall, a bitter cold 8 miles.  However, the delish beer at the bar afterwards made up for all my hard work. 

Friday: DAY OFF. 

Saturday: Took my new Nike Lunar Elites out for 6 miles.  Not a great shoe, and a rather painful run at a 7:50 pace.

Sunday: Another day of yoga...30 minutes was all I could get through.  Seriously, does anyone have tips on how to enjoy yoga?  I desperately need to do it...my limbs are very un-Gumby-like.

Week Total: 21.5 miles

I'd like to get a base of 30 miles before I begin marathon training in early March.  I'm still debating on whether to run 3 days a week or 4 days during my training.  Which marathon programs have you used and found successful?