Challenging Stereotypes, One Teenager at a Time

We've been back in Hawaii for a couple weeks and attended a 4th of July picnic yesterday.  I had a really funny exchange with a group of young people.  The mom (J) of 2 of the girls (A and K) is a friend of mine.  While I was sitting in my lawn chair, J came by and said, "Come with me."  We headed over to the group that included her daughters, another young woman and a young man.  I didn't catch his name, but for the sake of this post I'll call him KIAT (know it all teen.)

J said, "He doesn't think middle aged women are active.  Tell him how many marathons you've run."  I held up the number four and that's when things got fun...

KIAT:  Well running's not really hard...
Me (laughing, and not really insulted):  Really?  Lace 'em up then, let's go!
KIAT:  Um....
Me:  How old do you think I am?
KIAT:  44  (okay he's my new BFF!)
Me:  You missed it by about a decade...
Me:  I've also hiked the Grand Canyon, kayaked the Napali Coast, and mountain biked on Mt. Etna on Sicily.  Should I go on?
All:  Yes!
Me:  My husband and I hiked Yosemite, that's where he proposed.  And I ran Tantalus on Sunday.
A to KIAT:  Do you know where Tantalus is?
KIAT: No...
A:  I've walked it, wow!
Me:  My husband rode 42 miles on his bike this morning.
KIAT:  Okay, I'm impressed with you guys
Me:  He also raced Haleakala a couple weeks ago (post about that coming soon!)
KIAT:  Okay, okay, I was wrong!

I walked away laughing.

This whole conversation made my day!  I laughed the whole time because I love it when people underestimate me and dozens of women just like me.  I also realize that he could have been talking about dozens of women I know, my age and younger, who do fit the stereotype.  My own Mom was like that.  She spent all her time taking care of her family and putting herself last.  I wonder if she'd still be alive today if she had spent even 30 minutes a day focusing on her health.

It's a balance that each of us has to find.  We can't neglect our families, but we can't neglect ourselves either.  I will always believe we're better wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters when we're taking care of ourselves. 

Do people ever underestimate you?  Do you struggle with balancing family life and taking care of yourself?

Weekly Review and Turkey Trot Plans

Two weeks post-marathon and I am feeling great!  This is the best I've done after a marathon.  I know I keep saying this, but cross training really makes a difference!

Right now we have seven family members signed up for the Mexico Beach Turkey Trot.  Pops (Les's dad) is 83 and has been walking faithfully on the treadmill.  The youngest is Les' nephew, Reece, who is 14.  He ran cross country this Fall and is speedy.  So I won't be the first family member to finish, but I certainly won't be the last.  I'm the only female signed up at this point, so at least I'll win my division in the family!

Frazz was spot on this morning:

My workouts went really good this week:

Sunday - ran 5.01 miles in 52:46, 10:32 pace

Monday - ran 2.02 miles in 27:31, 13:37 pace
This run happened after I signed Les and I up for the Turkey Trot.  "I need to run," my cycling husband proclaimed!

Tuesday - rode 12.59 miles in 1:19:37, 9.5 mph
This was a trail ride, my cycling husband got his revenge for Monday's run.  We saw lots of evidence of cattle on the trail and about 2 1/2 miles up saw a group of five.  They were grazing peacefully and never even mooed at us.

Wednesday - rested

Thursday - ran 7 miles in 1:23:40, 11:57 pace
I did a trail run for the first time in about six weeks.  I stopped my watch and took pictures along the way.  It was a beautiful morning!

Friday - ran 3.1 miles in 31:57, 10:18 pace
I did just a little bit of speed work during my second mile.  I've never raced a 5k before, so I don't know what kind of pace I'll be able to do next Thursday.  I'm not sure I really care.

Saturday - rode 9.43 miles in 52:24, 10.8 mph
Santa Ana winds are back!  It was 69 at 6:00 this morning and this was a tough ride!  Crosswinds and headwinds the entire time.

Total
Running  17.13
Cycling  22.02
Total  39.15

That Time I Tripped On the Sidewalk (Again)

The Insomnia Monster has been back this week.  I haven't had a good night's sleep since Saturday and I'm really tired.  I had 4 miles easy on the schedule, so since I was awake anyway, I headed out while it was still dark out.  My legs were feeling pretty good, while running by the golf course I thought, "It's really dark right here.  I need to be careful so I don't trip."  Not one minute later I was on the ground!

This has happened to me more times than I care to remember!  I've written about here and here and here.

I sat on the ground just shaking my head for about a minute then got up.  My hands were scraped up a little and my right knee was hurting but no major damage.  I was less than a mile from home.  Decision time: turn around and go home, walk, or try to run?  I walked for about a minute then started running again.  I didn't feel too bad so I continued on.  I took a couple of walk breaks but finished with 4.2 miles.  Good enough!  I'm also glad that I had a bone density scan last year and know that my bones are healthy!

So, during this training cycle I have:

• Gotten a huge blister on my foot
• Been attacked by bugs
• DNF'd a long run due to GI distress
• Had a tight hamstring and cramped calves
• Been rained on
• Experienced slight heat exhaustion
• Fallen down and skinned my hands and knee

Everything that can go wrong already has!  Bye bye, Murphy!  You've done your damage, now I'm gonna rock my marathon!!  Either that, or I'll miss the bus to the start like I dreamed about the other night...

Friday Funnies!

This blog is in serious need of reviving.  I think of lots of things to blog about while I'm out running or cycling, but come home and get busy doing other things.  I'll do an update soon, but I thought these were really funny this morning...

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the first time in a LONG time, I slept until 8:00 this morning!  No Turkey Trot for me.  I've been training hard and I'm planning on doing my long run tomorrow, so I snuggled in and slept.

Marathon Training with Roger Fox

I saw this series of comic strips on Foxtrot last week and thought each one was hilarious!  If you're not familiar with Foxtrot, the strip revolves around the daily lives of the Fox family, composed of parents Andrea (Andy, 42) and Roger (45), and their children, Peter (16), Paige (14), and Jason (10).

 

Bad for You?

Saw this cartoon this morning and thought it was cute!

How far are you running this weekend?

Yep

Splish Splash!

It has been raining like crazy this week!  We've received almost an inch of rain already this month and it's only the fifth!  Boo hoo, I know, so sad when many across the country are dealing with another snow storm.  I took yesterday off, but decided to chance it this morning.  We are selling our car today, so this was my last chance to run up Tantalus.

Of course Murphy's Law for Runners was in full effect:

The rain will start to fall about 5 minutes into your run, and stop about 5 minutes before you finish.

That is exactly what happened!  I was soaked.  But after a few minutes, it didn't matter anymore.  I was drenched completely, so I decided I might as well keep going! I didn't have a lot of time, so I went up three miles before turning back towards the car.  

Rain or shine, I'm gonna miss this view!

Creatures of the Night

I realize running in the early morning, especially in the Fall, can be a little frightening.  It's still dark at almost 6:00!  The town we live in, Simi Valley, is regularly ranked as one of the safest cities in America.  Violent crime is low, but I know there are still creeps in every city. 

With that in mind, I headed out for my run at 5:07 this morning.  I ran in well lit neighborhoods and I did not turn my iPod on until it was light out.  I wanted to be completely aware of my surroundings.

It was about 6:15 when I had my one scare of the morning.  I was running along, had my iPod on, was starting to feel pretty good, when something ran in front of me.  I thought it was a very large rat until it turned around and I saw a face that looked like this:

A young possum!  He was the ugliest thing.  I screamed a little as it stared up at me with its beady eyes.  I quickly got away from him, then I had to laugh.  I've seen everything from deer, coyotes and bobcats, to rabbits and squirrels, but that little possum gave me the biggest scare yet!

The Voices in My Head

It started last night after I picked up my packet...

What in the world are you thinking?
Ummm...
26.2 miles!  That's a long way.
Well, yeah, but...
What makes you think you can finish this?
I've been training for it?
Yeah, and how fast have you been?
Fast enough...
What if you bonk?

It was enough to give me heartburn! And lose a lot of sleep last night.  I turned the voice of Negative Nancy off.  Here is what I know:

I have trained for 17 weeks to finish this marathon.
I know it will be hard.
26.2 miles is a long way.
But I have run 18 miles.  I have run 20 miles.  I have run 22 miles.  I have run over 600 miles since the first of the year.
I have gone through two pairs of shoes and the ones I'm wearing have about 30 miles on them.  Enough to be comfortable, but not worn out.
I trust my fueling strategy because it is what I have done for over 600 miles.
I am not trying to beat anyone.
The only medal I'm trying to get is my finisher's medal.
Yes, I want to run my best and finish in under 4 hours, but if I don't it's not the end of the world. 
I will finish.

This is my final post until after the race.  Don't forget to enter the contest to guess my marathon finishing time... because I AM going to finish.

This Little Piggy

This little piggy ran tempo
This little piggy climbed hills
This little piggy ran marathon pace
This little piggy ran LSDs
This little piggy lost a toenail
and cried, "ow, ow, ow" all the way home!

I guess it was inevitable.  I've run over 500 miles since the first of the year.  Something had to give.  The toenail on my left middle toe appears to be the victim.  I'll spare you any pictures, it's not a pretty sight.  For now, it's still there, but I know from experience it's going to come off.  If I can just keep the other nine for the next 20 days I'll be happy.

Friend or Foe?

I run by a golf course several times a week.  There is a large pond with ducks and geese.  Without fail, there are always geese hanging out on the sidewalk.  As I get closer, there is one that tucks his head and charges straight at me.  I don't slow down or change my course.  He never gets too close, but he starts honking and pretty soon the whole group is making a bunch of racket!

Yesterday morning I decided they weren't trying to attack me or protect their territory - they were cheering me on!  It's all in how you look at things.

Wordy Wednesday - Bingo Wings

Today's Wordy Wednesday comes courtesy of Les and really has nothing to do with running!  He read this term online and had to share it with me!

Bingo wings is a slang term for flabby arms – also know as saggy arms, bat wings, and just plain fat arms. When you raise your arm to call out BINGO and the skin under your arm waves around along with your hand, and continues waving after your hand stops – you have bingo wings!