That Girl Runs

Have you ever been in a yoga class where no one has expelled toxic fumes loudly?

Or where an older gentlemen or lady has not showed up in baggy shorts only to present their junk to the world?

Me neither!

Now, I am certainly not of the prudish kind but when it comes to my ujjayi breathing the last thing I want to breathe in through my nose is the gas flowing freely from someone’s orifice  and the unobstructed view into some stranger’s nether region certainly does nothing for my vinyasa flow. 

Or maybe I should just concentrate more on perfecting the Scorpion by going more inward…

Oh well, there is always next week!

Today’s Running Tip: Take Yoga!

Yoga is a wonderful cross training for running as it realigns the body and releases tension from connective tissue. The musculoskeletal realignment comes from stretching and an emphasis on proper posture.

As a result you gain more flexibility (misaligned muscles are stiffer and less efficient) and reduce your risk for injury . In addition the continuously striking of poses that resemble leg lunges, squats, pushups, handstands, and the like strengthen your muscles and after 30 minutes of these movements, you know you’ve gone through a total-body strength workout. And better overall strength can only help your running. ~ Source: Runner’s World

1. Barack Obama

2. Salty Oats Cookies from Kayakcookies

3. Jess, sending me said cookies

4. Core Central with Rose

5. the weather forecast for SoCal

Today’s subject in the Runners Lounge is the Marathon. The Holy Grail of running! Anybody can be a runner but not everyone can call themselves a marathoner. Even with the growing popularity of marathon running only about 1% of Americans will ever run a marathon in their life time. 

On August 5, 1984 my dad and I sat in front of the TV in our living room in Germany and watched as American Joan Benoit won the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon in a record time of 2:24:52. A mere 14 minutes into the race the woman from Port Elizabeth, Maine had pulled away from the pack and gained a lead that only widened with every mile. No other runner chased her, assuming that Benoit would eventually crash in the increasing heat and fall back into the pack again. But by mile 19 Benoit had extended her lead to two minutes and none of the other runner ever caught up with her. The picture of the lone woman in her white cap would become the indelible image of this historic race. The roar of the crowds as Benoit entered the Los Angeles Coliseum was unforgettable, even to this day. It was on that day that I told my dad that one day I wanted to run a marathon myself.  And even Swiss competitor Gabriele Andersen-Scheiss, suffering from crippling heat exhaustion by the time she entered the Coliseum did not scare me off.

I was on the Track Team in high school but my specialty were short distances up to 800 meters. When I moved to the States in 1987 I started running longer distances on a daily basis. At first just around the circle of the street I lived in Chester Springs, PA. After I moved to California the following spring I started running longer and longer every morning. My life at the time was all but confusing and the daily run gave me solitude and kept me sane, something I looked forward to. I kept this daily routine up all through my time in Cupertino, my four years of college in Munich and my years back in the Bay Area (after I had returned to the country I had come to love and consider my home). But with all the mileage on my shoes, I never raced. The daily runs were my “me” time and it never crossed my mind that I should challenge myself in competition. 

All this changed in 2003, when my then 16 year old stepdaughter signed up to train for the Honolulu Marathon with Team in Training. At the time she committed to this she was recovering from her second Stem Cell Transplant and by the time she left for Hawaii she was exactly 10 months post transplant. She walked the marathon with her mother and finished in just over 9 hours. It was at that moment when I decided I was going to sign up for a marathon myself, something I had wanted to do since I was 17 years old and had now found my first hand motivation and inspiration for. I had done a couple of Century Rides in Tahoe with Team in Training but it was definitely time to attempt the ultimate running goal: finishing a marathon. If my stepdaughter could follow through with this what could possibly me excuse? Exactly!

I trained for the 2004 Los Angeles Marathon and to say it was humbling would be an understatement. During the 16 weeks of training I had set a goal to finish in the Boston qualifying time of 3:45:59, certainly an achievable finish time based on my times during the training runs. I trained during the winter on the California Coast with morning temperatures in the lower to mid 40s and fog. I was well prepared for the distance and speed, but not for the heat wave that came upon Los Angeles the morning of the marathon. As we lined up for the start the temperatures were in the mid 70s (in the shade) and we faced what turned out to be the second hottest L.A. Marathon with temperatures around 97 degrees at 10am. People were literally running until they dropped and when I reached mile 18 I had forgotten all about my time and only wondered why Pheidippides had not collapsed at this low point. My one and only goal was to finish. I did eventually cross the finish in what seemed like forever, almost 45 minutes over the time I had had in mind when I lined up at the start. The disappointment was huge, I had no idea what had hit me. In retrospect I realize that my goal of running a 3:45 had been way too lofty, especially with the heat factoring in. If I had talked to my coach that morning he would have told me to slow it down. But, I was a rookie in every sense of the word, going out way too fast instead of adjusting my minutes/mile to the temperature. Looking back I believe though that even without the heat factor I would not have run a 3:45. No matter how much you train or how prepared you think you are, your first marathon is like nothing you have ever experienced.

And I don’t mean this in only a negative way, not at all. The sense of accomplishment matches no other. And there was not even a moment of doubt that I would attempt to do this again. In fact the moment I crossed the finish line and gathered my thoughts I had already decided which marathon to run next: the inaugural Nike 26.2 in San Francisco the following October. My goal this time was a bit more realistic and achievable: finish under 4 hours.

The Nike was tough due to the hilly terrain, but it was a beautiful course and helped me get the hang of running 26.2 miles properly. And there was no question I was going to do this again. By the time I ran my third marathon the following spring in San Diego I had finally gotten into the art of racing, pacing myself and finishing strong. I finished in 3:31:35, well within Boston qualification time and felt nothing but pure joy. I knew then that I would do this for as long as I can. I did make use of my finish time in San Diego and ran Boston the following year, an experience like no other (and subject for another post). I LOVED every mile of this legendary race. In 2007 I went back to San Diego and ran a PR. I had become a marathoner for life!!!

Unfortunately I had to take a break from training and marathoning last year due to a serious car accident but next month I will start training for San Diego. I cannot wait!!! And I hope to see many of you at the start and finish line!!!

After the long winded introduction here is a short summation:

Run a marathon because you can!

Run a marathon because it will humble you as a runner. In a good way!

Run a marathon because it is the induction to the Hall of Fame of the Few!

Run a marathon because you will get a free shirt!

Run a marathon because you will want to do it again and again!

Today’s Running Tip: Run a Marathon!

“Befitting its Greek roots, the marathon unfolds as a classic drama, carrying equal doses of comedy and tragedy, euphoria and agony.” ~ Josh Clark for Cool Running

1. Barack Obama

2. Brad Pitt

3. Kevin Spacey

4. Gwyneth Paltrow

6. Weimeraners

Yesterday marked once again that time of the year, you know, the time where every woman finds herself suspended on a plastic chair with her feet hooked into metal slings, covered only by a cost saving paper napkin. And as always it was awesome! Now don’t get me wrong, I honestly don’t mind going for my annual check up, never have. In fact my very first OB/GYN was my best friend’s dad in high school. So clearly I don’t have any hang ups showing my private side. 

The OB/GYN I see now is partner in a Comprehensive Women’s Clinic and came highly recommended when I moved to the city I live in now. The first time I went for my check up with said OB/GYN three years ago my appointment was scheduled for 3pm. I left the building at 5:30pm! And it had nothing to do with my running late! In fact I got there at 2:55pm and was asked to take a seat in the waiting room. By the time my name was called I could have read half of the Einstein biography, if only I had brought it with me. And I don’t know about you but the thought of picking up the complimentary magazines in the waiting room that date back to 1998 is something I totally refuse. So I passed time by staring at other women in the waiting room and watching their toddler wiggle in their seats, wrestling with their ever more frustrated mothers. I was finally led into the exam room by a friendly nurse around 4pm. After the initial blood pressure check and exchange pleasantries between total strangers in a room filled with gynecological equipment I was left to my own devices and slipped into the preverbal ”gown”. Although “gown” is not exactly what comes to mind when I unfold the crispy waffle plaid paper throw. And there I sat…and sat…and sat…and sat…and sat…and sat…and sat…AND SAT! I am not even kidding! Did I mention I had not brought a book? But even if I had, the murmur from the room next door would have been too intriguing for concentration. It sounded like a party was going on, literally. A party I was not invited to. A party not fit for the girl in the “gown”. With socks on her feet. As seconds turned to minutes, turned to quarter hours, turned to half hours, many a times I considered just walking out of the room and run through the back nurses station in my  paper-mâché outfit. Only the logical thought “She must be coming into the room any minute now” kept my bare behind glued to the exam table. I thought that thought for 55 minutes by which time I was delusional from the dizziness that one thought replaying over and over in your mind causes. She did give me a half hearted apology about a first time ultra sound for a first time mother but I DID NOT CARE (apologies to all first time mom’s being excited about seeing their baby for the first time, but, I WAS IN A STATE).

I almost did not go back last year but I am all for second chances. And guess what? It went seamlessly and smooth as a bebe’s bottom. I was in and out in 30 minutes.

So, I did not give it another thought and booked my third appointment for yesterday. Three is a charm after all. What could possible go wrong? What? At first it all seemed so promising. I was called into the back within ten minutes, weighed (is it just me or does everyone want to take off their shoes before stepping onto that scale? Even though I have been the same exact weight for decades I still want to strip down to the bare essentials when I get weighed!), went for a last chance pit stop and followed the nurse to the very last exam room in the hallway. And when she opened the door and we stepped into the last room to the right we could both see our respective breaths… It was literally freezing. The nurse even let out a silent “burrrrrrrr” under her frozen breath and shivered. I almost lost all my ability to think clearly as I only imagined facing another marathon session of waiting, paper napkin clad. She tried to make a joke when she pulled out the “gown” and explained how to put it on properly but I was not laughing. Not one bit! In fact all funny business was off the table as I tried to figure out how to keep myself warm enough to escape without hypothermia or worse: frostbite! I literally kicked her out the room hoping that the sooner she left the sooner I would be attended to.  But not before making it clear that I expected to be seen within five minutes or she would have to explain a patient walking the hallway with her “gown” hanging open. This time I had even brought a book but since I had had no idea I actually needed gloves I could not turn the pages. My demanding demeanor (at this point I could care less what impression I leave behind) must have made an impact as seven minutes into my solitary confinement (yes, I checked my watch) there was a knock on the door and the Mrs. OB/GYN hesitated to enter the room (I am thinking the nurse warned her about the temperature, or lack thereof). She immediately started to rub her hands together and uttered “Wow, it’s cold in here! There must be something wrong with the air conditioner!” You think?! Maybe the blueish hue of my knees gave it away, maybe the icicles forming on my freshly groomed (yes, I do tend to them before I visit the OB/GYN. You don’t?) bits about to be inspected under a halogen lamp (some heat at last), or maybe it was the violent shiver of my feet in stirrups. The thought alone of moving and exposing myself in such arctic conditions was almost more than I could bear. But in the end I braved the temperatures if only to get the heck back into my clothes and out into the warm hallway.

I cannot wait for next year. Maybe then all the odds will be in my favor and I get the room that houses the furnace. I will be dancing in my birthday suit, gown, schmoun!

Today’s Running Tip: Watch for Frostbite!

When running during the cold winter months pay special attention to your fingers, toes, ears, and nose. They might feel a bit numb at first  but should warm up a few minutes into your workout. If you notice a patch of hard, pale, cold skin, you may have frostbite. Get out of the cold immediately and slowly warm the affected area. If numbness continues, seek emergency care.