Dear Blog

Posted on May 31, 2011 by

Hi! We met a few times back in the first part of 2011. Do you remember me? I’m your writer! I know, shocking. You have a writer. Who apparently thought that this Web space just wrote itself. Oops, my bad. If it makes you feel any better, I used to wonder why my maid didn’t clean my digs until I realized…oh yeah! I’M THE MAID!

I guess you could say I woke up and realized: I miss my blog. And while I know there’s no excuse for me not showing up to the blank page, I feel like I should tell you how I’ve been spending my time: working, running, visiting with family, hanging out with friends, attending writing workshops, and watching really junky reality TV. Oh, and I totally did some laundry in there. And in the middle of all that living, I got focused on setting really high (read: perfect) expectations on my written work. All the writers I know do this to themselves from time to time, so at least I’m in fabulous company, but I’ll just admit to you right now that I got myself all kinds of stressed out over the details: sweating over word count; agonizing over titles; and strategizing approximately how many minutes a day I should devote to writing. Which totally squeezed the joy right out of it. Thus, I became the Emily Dickinson of the blogosphere. She’s still a writer, but no one has seen her in a really, really long time.

Thank goodness I have friends. Because a wise friend listened to me moan and groan about missing writing and how perfect I thought it needed to be and how I wasn’t sure I could devote 59 minutes and thirty seconds on the fourth Tuesday of the full moon…oh yeah, right. So my friend cut me off after about five minutes of this wallowing. And she came up with a brilliant plan: What if I just chose to write imperfectly? No expectations, no stress, just the pure joy of trying to do one of the things I love to do. So I’m taking her advice. I make no promises, dear blog. There will be no word count or writing time goals. I’m leaving all that behind. I’d rather just tell the truth however many words it takes and however long it takes me.

Love,

Your writer

Posted in Writing | 2 Comments

Will Run for Office Supplies: 3M Pre-Race Report

Posted on March 10, 2011 by

When I ran my first half marathon, I didn’t write about it until two months later. Now, I’m writing about races I did a month and a half ago. I’m betting some day I’ll be able to write about them closer to the time, you know, I actually run them. But I’m a rookie runner and a rookie blogger. I’m still navigating how both fit into my life. So, here goes…the January race.

January 2011

Time moves as fast as the sands in the Pictionary timer  my brother and I used to flip-flop over and over to cheat while we played the game. But this isn’t a game of win, lose, or draw back in my parents’ den; it’s the first month of 2011 and all the New Year promises I’ve made to myself are fading from shiny “oh, that is a fantastic idea,” into “oh, that’s a lot of work.” We’ve had a post-holiday rush at work, and to top it all off—the very last day of the month is my birthday. Even though this means I’m about to be older, I’m pretty excited about the upcoming festivities. My birthday falls on a week day, which also means it’s pay day. Pay day is always sweet, but pay day on your birthday? Somehow it just feels like a gift. And I’ve got plans; I’m gearing up for some fun. But if I’m really honest, I have to admit–I’m scared, too.

At the end of last year, I felt a stabbing pain in my heel the day after a simple run. When I couldn’t shake the pain away, I saw a doctor. His diagnosis? Plantar fasciitis or a stress fracture. Neither is good news for a runner. I decided to get a second opinion. This time, I saw a doctor specializing in sports-related injuries. He said I was on the cusp of plantar fasciitis. He began working with me, and while the therapy was brutally painful, the heel pain disappeared. Through my therapy, we also found some IT Band issues, and we’ve been working through them, too. So here I am, going to therapy twice a week, doing some exercises on my own. But I fell behind the mileage pace of my running group, so I started training solo. Even for someone like me, a real loner, training alone is not always easy or fun. Especially on a nearby trail in the cold gray mornings of January. And for two weekends in a row, I ran a sloppy six mile run in the mist and rain. Gross and slow, to sum up how it went. Gross and slow. Which was depressing. Sure, I was relieved to be back, so to speak. Back from the heel pain and able to run at all. But with each run on the treadmill in my friend’s gym, or out between the mud puddles of the trail, I was getting more and more worried. This was not a New Year’s resolution to work off that holiday pie (although I need that in my life). This wasn’t just casual huffing-and-puffing my way through a workout routine. January 30 I was signed up to run another half marathon with my friends, and each passing day was hurling me towards the start line. It would be our inaugural race. It was the first one for the calendar. But could I do it? Had San Antonio been some sort of ordained miracle fluke?

The day of packet pick up, I tried not to think about anything, really. Rebekah and I went to 3M and grabbed our information. The line was short, which helped me not get so nervous standing there, thinking about what was going to happen tomorrow. And the goodie bag was incredible. 3M makes some amazing products, and we were definitely given a ton of great stuff in our bag, including Scotch cleaning pads, a pair of safety glasses, wipes for car washing, and Post-It notes. Good thing I’d do anything for office supplies.

We ate a pre-run meal at Rudy’s, complete with lean protein and carbs a la potato salad.

I went home and tried to sleep. Mostly I just worried.

Posted in Half Marathon, Running | 1 Comment

Austin LIVESTRONG Marathon and Half Marathon Runner Tracking

Posted on February 19, 2011 by

If you’ve got an iPhone, you can follow along with our race progress using the free Austin Marathon app. The app will ask you a couple of questions, but once you get past that, it’s no big deal. We’ll cross a couple (at least) different timing recorders, but you never know, there may be a delay in when you’ll receive an update:

Austin Runner Tracking

Posted in Running | Leave a comment

Bathrobes, Flashlights, and the Hill That Shall Not Be Named

Posted on February 18, 2011 by

One day a week, my running group meets at a high school track. During this practice, we focus on shorter, faster runs (well, as fast as I can muster at 6:00 a.m.).

On another day though, the group runs in a nearby neighborhood. This practice focuses on running a longer distance at whatever specific pace you’re trying to work towards. My first neighborhood run was terrifying. You see, I don’t read maps very well, and I consistently get lost in Austin, even though I’ve lived here seven years. And while there are all kinds of fancypants GPS tools that might help me, I don’t run with anything like that; I only have an $8.00 Target stopwatch.

So, when the coach gives us verbal directions about which neighborhood streets we’re supposed to turn on, I begin to sweat. Sure, the rest of the group will be running the same course, but they’re all significantly faster than me. There is no way I’ll be able to see them out there in the big, scary neighborhood. I listen carefully to the coach’s instructions, and then I repeat them back to myself over and over as I head out. The group takes off, and we all settle into our different paces. Most of them disappear into the dark of the early morning, but a couple of girls are actually still within my view. I begin to relax…I figure at the very least I can wander around in the neighborhood until I find my way back to my car. About the time I relax, though, the course gets hard. Really hard. This particular neighborhood is full of hills, one in particular that I’ve slogged up before. It’s such a quad-burner, lung-buster of demonic pavement that I tremble when anyone mentions the street name where this particular hill calls home. Therefore, I’ve dubbed it “the hill that shall not be named.” And while I thought I was getting off easy because the coach didn’t mention that particular hill, little did I know that this neighborhood has given birth to identical triplets. So I’m not on the infamous “hill that shall not be named,” but I’ve managed to meet her evil twin sister. And then later, her other evil twin sister. When I ran that initial hill many months ago in a different training group, I counted mailboxes to keep my mind off the pain. But it’s too dark for me to even find the mailboxes this morning. I do notice a beautiful house with a big bay window. Lucky for me, the bay window is curtainless, standing there wide open and stately, showing off a baby grand piano. I can’t decide what looks more luxurious, the rich black piano or the piano stool. I keep going. It’s too early to ring the bell, invite myself in, ask to sit a spell on their bench.

I start scanning the street for anything else to keep myself preoccupied when I see her: a woman, wearing a blue bathrobe, rolling her trash can out to the edge of her driveway. I can’t tell for sure (it’s still really dark), but I think she’s walking in her sleep. And I realize: if someone you love offers to push the trash out to the edge of your driveway at o-dark-thirty, you should seriously thank their sleep sacrifice so that you can continue on snoring, under your covers.

Closer to the end of the run, I’m feeling some fatigue. Mostly because my coach told me I couldn’t walk more than one minute at a time, so I’ve spent some serious time jogging on those evil twin hills. And that’s when I see it: a couple of humans and a dog, out for the earliest morning walk, maybe ever. (I don’t have pets, can you tell?) The humans are carrying a glo-stick, lime green in color. And funny thing, their dog is wearing a matching one around its collar. I chuckle. Why, in the middle of winter, do those people already have their Halloween costumes on? It’s not until later in the day, when I’m showered and dressed and full on breakfast and typing away in my cube do I realize: Those aren’t Halloween decorations, moron. Those are flashlights to make sure they don’t lose their dog in the dark.

I’m assuming for the rest of the training group, it was another day in the neighborhood. For me, it was some sweet, small victories. I didn’t walk for more than one minute. I didn’t stop and sit on that baby grand piano bench. I didn’t disturb that trashy-carrying, bath-robe-wearing, sleep-walking nice neighborhood lady. I didn’t accidentally yell out, “Trick or Treat!” to the humans and the dog. I found my way back to my car. I ran my tempo run faster than my warm up mile. I went up those hills. And I even kept a few runners from the group in sight. Someday, some grand day, I will run right along beside them.

Posted in Running | 7 Comments

“Enjoy the run. It will go by faster than you think.” Austin Marathon Interview with Cary

Posted on February 17, 2011 by

As we gear up to run the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, I thought it would be fun to interview some of my running buds.

Friends, meet Cary:

Rocking a trail run

I met Cary back in the late ’90s when we both went potluck on dorm assignments and ended up together at Texas Tech. We lived together for a couple of years during undergrad, and we had some hilarious good times together! Now we’re all grown up (well, Cary is, at least), and we both we live in Austin. Without further introduction, here’s our virtual interview:

How did you get into running?
I’ve always run off and on over the years, but started running more since I moved to Austin. Running is a great way to get outside and enjoy the outdoors while getting exercise at the same time.

Why do you run?
It’s a great way to spend time working out ideas in my head and seeing the beautiful outdoors. I’ve done some runs in towns where I’ve traveled and it’s a great way to see the sights of a city.

How many times have you done the Austin race?
This will be my second time to run the Austin half.

How are you training for the Austin race?
I’m running about 2-3 times a week and doing cross training or yoga on the other days of the week.

What’s the one thing you have to have when you’re running (e.g., I don’t leave home without my handheld water bottle. Ever.)?
It really depends on how long the run is. Simpler is better for me. I usually don’t need anything for short runs, but make sure I have my handheld water bottle, body glide and ipod for long runs.

What’s your best piece of running advice?
Enjoy the run. It will go by faster than you think.

The Austin Marathon is highlighting 26 charities. Are you running for a particular charity? If so, what can you tell us about your charity?
I’m running for the Hill Country Conservancy. This great group works to preserve land in the hill country and help landowners keep their land in agriculture production or open space to provide conservation value to our beautiful hill country. They are also working to develop the Violet Crown Trail, a regional trail system, that will begin at Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park and wind more than 30 miles south into Hays County. Imagine the runs you can do on that trail!

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I’m hoping to meet up with Cary at the Austin race. And if she wants to pose with me at the finish line so we can flash the camera our signature Guns Up, it won’t hurt my feelings. If you’d like to get involved, please consider donating to the Hill Country Conservancy.

Posted in Runner Profile, Running | Leave a comment

“Don’t listen to the voices inside your head – just keep going.” Austin Marathon Interview with Leah

Posted on February 16, 2011 by

As we gear up to run the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, I thought it would be fun to interview some of my running buds.

Friends, meet Leah:

Leah cheering on Dan at last year's Austin Marathon.

I met Leah through a local running club, Tough Cookies. We started talking out on the track because we were at a similar pace. Then, Leah volunteered to do the Oklahoma City Relay with Rebekah and me last year. And the rest, they say, is history. After our inaugural run we’ve done two half marathons together. She’s the only person on earth who has ever jogged 13.1 miles right beside me. After you experience that with someone, well, you’re destined to be best of friends. And I can honestly say, without a doubt, if it were not for Leah, I would never have crossed the finish line in either of those races. Without further introduction, here’s our virtual interview:

How did you get into running?
Well, I don’t know that I am INTO running yet:)  I am INTO stretching after a
long run, and feeling good about fighting the urge to stop running, but I don’t
know if that qualifies as INTO running.  I am definitely into music, and
shopping, and hanging with girlfriends, so “running” allows me to do all of that
without having to justify the costs to my husband!

Why do you run?
All of the above, and because my dead relatives can’t.  Morbid as it sounds,
I’ve lost a lot of loved one to preventable diseases like cancer, alcoholism,
and heart disease, and I know that if they had it to do all over again, they
would make healthier choices, like running and exercise.

How many times have you done the Austin race?
Well, this will technically be my first time doing the race; however, attending
as a spectator last year felt like I was running the race: (1) making signs and
puffy painting shirts the night before, (2) up at 4am, dressed in layers
(including beanie, gloves, and long johns), (3) runny nose because it’s so
flipping cold, and (4) running all over downtown to keep up with my
husband.

How are you training for the Austin race?
Funny you should ask.  Given that I am a Training Manager at work, and my
nickname as a child was Cruise Director, you would think at the very least I
would have a training plan nailed down.  Truth be told, I currently wait for
text messages from running partners to get me going.  I have this calendar
pictorial coming up though, so I really need to kick it into high gear!

What’s the one thing you have to have when you’re running (e.g., I don’t leave home without my handheld water bottle. Ever.)?
Besides Whitney Bates!?  Kleenex

What’s your best piece of running advice?
Don’t listen to the voices inside your head – just keep going.

The Austin Marathon is highlighting 26 charities. Are you running for a particular charity? If so, what can you tell us about your charity?
Leah also supports her husband, Dan, and their contributions to the LIVESTRONG Organization.

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I’ll be running side-by-side with Leah during Austin. And if she wants to carry me up the hills, it won’t hurt my feelings. If you’d like to get involved, please consider donating to the LIVESTRONG Organization.

Posted in Runner Profile, Running | Leave a comment

“I got into running because of my dad.” Austin Marathon Interview with Dan

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

As we gear up to run the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, I thought it would be fun to interview some of my running buds.

Friends, meet Dan:

Conquering Emma's Revenge

I met Dan because he’s my running partner, Leah’s, husband. We’ve all done several races together, and Dan is so fast, he usually finishes his race, and then he comes and finds Leah and me out on the course. I know I’m getting close to the finish line when Dan finds us, so I’m always glad to see him appear on the course! Without further introduction, here’s our virtual interview:

How did you get into running?
I got into running because of my Dad. I remember running on the
beach and doing “fun runs.”

Why do you run?
I run because I like it. It gives me time to push myself physically.

How many times have you done the Austin race?
This is my 2nd Austin marathon. I have done several other races in
Austin proper.

How are you training for the Austin race?
I am training obviously by running :) I am following a Runner’s
World Magazine intermediate marathon plan.

What’s the one thing you have to have when you’re running (e.g., I don’t leave home without my handheld water bottle. Ever.)?
I have become attached to my ipod and my Nike + that plugs into it.
If one or both aren’t working, it affects my workout.

What’s your best piece of running advice?
My piece of advice is don’t give up no matter what and hydrate.
There is nothing that makes me want to quit more than cramps. Walking
is better than quitting.

The Austin Marathon is highlighting 26 charities. Are you running for a particular charity? If so, what can you tell us about your charity?
I raised $500 for the Livestrong organization. This is the first
time I have attempted to do any fundraising like this. I think there
was over $200,000 raised for this marathon by those fundraisers.

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I’ll be cheering for Dan as he runs Austin. And if he wants to finish and run back and tell Leah and me how awesome the finish line is, that won’t hurt my feelings, either. If you’d like to get involved, please consider donating to the LIVESTRONG Organization.

Posted in Runner Profile, Running | 4 Comments