I Don't Like Running

Well, I may have done something very stupid the other day. This being said - here's the back story...

I got inspired at my last Weight Watcher's meeting. The topic of "activity" came up. (WW doesn't like the word exercise for some reason.) My meeting leader basically said we become active for one of two reasons. Reason 1: We actually like the activity we do, i.e., dancing with some Zumba, relaxing with some yoga, hitting the trails on your bike, etc. Reason 2: We don't necessarily like the activity, but we like the reward. I guess I never really thought about it that way. I realized the reason I bike: I like it. The reason I run: I like the reward.

The other integral event in this story, the Tallmadge 5-K Memorial Run. I'm used to going to races to watch the Viper run. But this run was different, a friend of mine who popped out a baby less than a year ago ran. She wasn't a runner, she hadn't run before her pregnancy, she just did a couch to 5k program. She ran, she finished and she was very happy. It reminded me of how I felt when I started running - the sense of immense accomplishment from hitting one mile for the first time, then TWO and so on... Something inside of me was stirring, my word - was it MOTIVATION?

After all this my head was wondering, "Could I run a half-marathon?" I never thought I could run a 5-K, but I did. I bounced this idea off Viper, he had nothing but the utmost confidence in me. That's when I realized - "If he thinks I'm so damn able, then let him be in charge of this whole endeavor!" Hence, a coach is born.

So, this is where I am. I am in Akron, with my man, coach, Viper (Note: We are not married, we live in sin. Hopefully, this will change. ;-o ) I have no real idea why I'm doing this but I just feel like I need to do this. I will run the Akron Half Marathon and I will finish. Damn skippy.

I leave you all (and myself) with some happy words of motivation from Marathoning for Mortals.

Who you can be doesn't depend on who you have been.

And a cute pic of Dobson.

Jiggles

Erm...

Yeah....

So... um.... right.

I don't really know where to begin. I got a new job to supplement the teaching and it's been taking up a LOT of my time. Life has been, well- life. It's been crazy and a bit overwhelming. My enthusiasm for any kind of activity has seriously waned.

So what now? I purge. (Not barf.) And look to you (the blogging community) for support and advice.

First off. Feeling jiggly. (Not as in Jell-O Jigglers) I've always been a curvy lady. Usually my curves are just right, nice and feminine and I feel good swinging my hips in a well fitting pair of jeans. Not so much of late. My most recent runs have taken a toll on my ankles and admittedly - when I get out there I just feel jiggly. I feel like I'm moving in slow motion (I'm slow - but not that slow), and it's like my my body is just a mass a rippling fat rolls. Now, I know I'm exaggerating, but ladies I know some of you can back me up on this - sometimes it really does feel like that. Ya know? A recent trip to the scale and a panic attack over an ill fitting pair of jeans induced me to take some serious action. I am now enrolled in Weight Watchers (I've done it before, so I know it works) and I've lost 6 lbs. to date! :-D I am ready to attack the beast that is hunger and emotional eating. I want the jiggles to go away.

Secondly. I don't really want to run. I feel big and slow, I feel like I need some other form of activity to hold my interest for now. I have history with my super awesome mountain bike and a well worn tennis racket, but my motivation is - ZERO. I need help, I need to find my enthusiasm. Someone please challenge me, give me some great motivational speech, threaten my, call me names - ANYTHING!

I thank you in advance for all of your help.

Seriously. I need help.

Thanks!

"Ouch, my ass hurts."

So, where have I been? Working 2 1/2 jobs. I am still teaching two art history courses, but I recently have been hired by the US Census Bureau as an enumerator. To add to that hot mess, I just recently did some intensive interviewing for an office manager/reception position. I got the job, wooohooo, and that starts full time on Friday. So, needless to say between teaching, enumerating (gotta love the gov't - why can't they just say "counting?") and interviewing, things have been kinda nuts.

But this weekend I finally managed to get a run in - and for some crazy reason I thought trail running sounded like a good idea. The Viper, Martini and I hit up O'Neil woods on Sunday.

Now, I have to preface all of this by admitting that I got my woods/trails mixed up. There are so many different woods and trails in our area, I honestly though we were going to a trail that I had hiked before -- I was wrong. It wasn't until The Viper informed me that we were driving with Martini, since he didn't know where the trail was, that I realized, "Oh shit - I've never been to this trail before." And about a half a second after that realization The Viper continues to inform me that "Martini says this trail is really hilly." If Martini thinks it's hard - then damn - I'm screwed. This is the guy who actually places in races and stuff. I was already worried about slowing the boys down, but now it was inevitable. But being quick on my toes, I decided that Dobson would want to come. I could blame my ridiculous pace on the dog! :-D

We got out there, Martini lights years ahead, and The Viper, Dobson and I began to run. I like the feel of the dirt under my shoes, so much nicer than pavement. The trail seemed nice enough at first, then - THE STAIRS. You try holding onto an eager 60 lb puppy while running down a seeming never ending series of staircases. I did not like this portion of the trail - running down stairs sucks. But then things leveled out, the scenery was nice with a babbling brook to boot. I had to seriously pace myself and walk when I needed to, but I was determined not to flake out, I had to really try. Going back uphill was a bitch. The hills were steep and at times gravity really pissed me off, but I ran up every hill (though the last being so steep you're practically forced to walk near the summit.)

I did one loop, was grateful for The Viper and his encouraging words. After some much needed hydration I sat in the grass with the Dob and relaxed. After another loop with Martini, The Viper joined me in the cool grass. We waited for Martini.

I felt good about myself, I got out there and really worked hard. The entire car ride home was I was reveling in my accomplishment until I started feeling twinges of pain near my ass. Odd, I thought. I got out of the car once home and the first words out of my mouth, "Ouch, my ass hurts!"

Today, the ass not so much, but my calves sure are screaming.

Finally

I got out there. Finally I sucked it up, laced up the kicks and ran. It's a beautiful morning here in Akron so I figured best to take advantage. Not to mention, if I want to train for my first 10K in June I need some base mileage to start out with.

My plan was simple, gear up, listen to some tunes and run for about 20 minutes. I know this doesn't sound like much, but I've never ran distances of more than 5 miles, so I wanted to take it nice and easy. I chose a route around the neighborhood that took me up and down a couple of small hills where I got to see some great architecture and soak up sun. I contemplated taking Dobson with me, but decided I needed this run to be just me and my tunes.

I love running with music, it keeps me motivated and I find if I sing along it helps me keep my breathing in check. It always amazes me how much a song can do for my spirits when running. So I have decided to share what is currently on my ipod shuffle with you!

Coldpay - Viva la Vida (note: I ALWAYS start every run with this song. Just gets me going!)

Duffy - Mercy

Katie Perry - Hot N Cold

Taylor Swift - Love Story

Steve Perry- Oh Sherrie

Kevin Rudolph - Let it Rock

Cake - The Distance

Weezer - Hash Pipe

Estelle - American Boy

Jimmy Luxury and The Tommy Rome Orchestra - Cha Cha Cha

Gwen Stefani - Now That You Got It

Pussy Cat Dolls - When I Grow Up

Metro Station - Shake It

The Go-Go's - Our Lips are Sealed

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

Tegan and Sara - Walking With A Ghost

Gwen Stefani - Wind it Up

I normally just let the shuffle do its thing. I've been know to dance while running, I just about always get a chest pump in and it's not unheard of to see me running with my hands in the air just getting down. What can I say, I like to dance. :-D

Rosalie Recommends!

I have decided that I need a weekly installment for my blog. Every Wednesday to spruce up your mid-week hump day I will post a Rosalie Recommends! In this weekly blog I will include five items I find worthy of discussing.

The first item will relate to running or biking in some manner; don't expect these items to always be traditional, I'm going to take a lot of liberties here!

The second will have to do with food. I love food, I love to cook and I love to eat - I just want to share the wealth.

Item no. 3 will relate to shopping - perhaps a good cheap find or something I just realized I absolutely couldn't live without.

I like to read so the fourth item will be a book recommendation. There's only one problem with this - I have a tendency not to finish books. I'll get about 3/4 of the way through... then .... well.... I hope to recommend books I've read all the way through, but I make no promises.

And for the final item, it's anything goes!

So enough of the explanation, here's the blog!

Rosalie Recommends!

1. The Sports Authority Outlet

You can find some great deals on running apparel here. Shorts for $5, shirts for $10. I've never had any shipping or billing issues. The only caveat - shop fast. I've put things in my shopping cart that are gone by the time I check out!!

2. Mayonnaise

So yeah, I love mayo. If it were socially acceptable, I'd dip my french fries in it. I know it's not the healthiest, but since it's one of my favorite condiments, it had the be the first food I recommend. I've even been known to make my own. Need a recipe, click here. I like it on pizza too. Now before you all go running to hurl in buckets - I'm not the only one. If it's good enough for Bill Rodgers it's good enough for me!

3. Crown Bindery

I love to plan and be organized. I have always had a super hard time finding a planner/organizer the suites my needs ... but not anymore! These organizers are amazing. You can make them work just about any way you need them to. I highly recommend for all of you super organized freaks like me out there!

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book might not be for everyone, it's in the metaphysical section at Borders, but it's one of my favorites. When I need to find focus I turn to this book. It's calming and inspiring - just makes me feel like life is going the way it is for a reason. It's short and a fast read, so give it a look see.

5. Taco Bell Bean Burritos

I love Taco Bell, I could eat it nearly every day and not get sick of it. (And no, I don't put mayo on my burritos.) The bean burrito really is a thing of beauty, so tasty and so good. Now before you go knocking fast food, just consider that the bean burrito really isn't that bad for you. At 370 calories, 10 grams of fat (3.5 saturated and 0 trans fat), 11 grams of fiber and 14 grams of protein, you just can't beat that with a stick! The only downer, 1,270 mg of sodium, so don't go overboard with the burrito goodness!

I hope you find my recommendations helpful, and at the least - interesting!

I Have a Plan

I bought a new pair of sunglasses yesterday, spring must be on its way!

I finally feel as though I am emerging from my dark hole of Byzantine hell and I'm getting the itch to be active again. Wooohooo! Dobson has gotten more walks in the last two days than he has in the last few weeks combined, and when I see the runners and bikers speeding past I have the urge to be out there like them. This is monumental as up until now my only urges have been for McDonald's, shopping and redecorating.

With this renewed spirit for outdoor activity I have devised a plan, kind of. I have desperately missed my bike, so I was thinking to get back into shape I would do nice short bricks on the towpath. I figure the first time back out, I'll take it super easy - 4 on the bike then run 2. This isn't based on any method or Runner's World article, it just seems like something I would enjoy and something that won't kick my ass. I don't want to feel discouraged the first time back in the saddle. Then I'll up the miles from there!

The ultimate goal: The Jim Klett Memorial 10K. It's not until June 19th, so I have plenty of time to get my ass into gear. I will devise a plan at some point and keep all posted on my progress!

It feels good to have a running goal again! (Let's just see how good I feel 20 minutes into my first long run :-P )

I'm Not Dead

I'm not dead. I'm just writing. The thesis goes to the advisor and readers tomorrow.

The Viper has bribed me with jewelry, haircuts and trips to etsy.com to get this thing done. What a wonderful boyfriend.

I don't know what running is, I don't know what exercise is. I only know things Byzantine, liturgical, "provincial" and to the general public, simply all things boring.

I'll be back. Soon - I hope. But not before some serious boozing.

Wish me luck because I know I'll need it.