That Girl Runs

• when the inside of rubber gloves get wet
• a roll of toilet paper with only one sheet left
• blindingly low sun slight
• sweat on gym equipment
• the dried out peanut/almond butter at the bottom of the jar
• dog owners who ask if their dog can say”Hi” to Nelson
• unpacking the car after long road trips
• dirty windows
• Californian drivers when it rains…
• waiting for the doctor to appear in the exam room
• wing nuts
• people who immediately repeat the only German phrase they know when they find out I was born and raised there, usually “Wie geht’s?”
• the way the volume goes up during commercial breaks
• emptying the mail box after vacation
• scratches on DVDs
• sore losers
• people who talk in cinemas, or take their old shoes off, or chomp open mouthed on Starbursts
• drunks
• when David chews ice cubes
• having to wake up after falling asleep on the couch at night – in fact it irritates me so much I hardly ever do it
• onion fingers

* courtesy of Meg

Today’s Running Tip: Irritated? Take a run!

It is amazing what a run can do to clear your mind after minor and major aggravation! So slip your feet into your running shoes and head out into the fresh air!

1. Barack Obama

2. friends who stay for more than just a few days

3. my volunteer job

4. 2 Buck Chuck

5. bananas with peanut/almond butter

The Nobel Peace Prize! I cannot remember when in recent history it had made so many headlines as it did just a few weeks ago when the Committee in Norway decided that President Obama was worthy this honor. How great is it for our Nation when our President receives the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE? And what does it say about how he is being perceived in the rest of the world? It is so great in so many ways and we can all be proud as Americans. After all, it is moments like this one when I am reminded that I made the right choice when I decided to become an American citizen, giving up my German citizenship in the process.

What does this have to do with running? Well, in today’s Runners’ Lounge, the Early Runner Chelsea asks the following question:

You’re on the Selection Committee for the Nobel Prize for Running.  Who would you nominate for the winner and why?

It could be an elite or a beginning runner….a courageous ordinary runner in your community who inspires you…. or the local running club leader, race director, or running store owner who gives tirelessly back to running. It could be the senior runner in your community who knows no age limitations.

You decide.  Who do you think deserves to be recognized for enriching and advancing the experience of running for others?

The person I would nominate is not famous, at least not on a national or international level. But he is certainly well known around Santa Barbara’s running circle. Meet Wally M.

Wally is my former coach and one of the unsung heros of the local running world. He is one of those people who is gentle, yet forceful, always making you feel as if you are in charge of your training but really just pushing you to the next level.

I met Wally in early 2004 while I was in the middle of training for my first marathon with Team in Training. Wally became our coach that spring and his knowledge and wisdom made me realize what was possible for me as a runner. He never tried to pretend that runs would be easier than they were and he had warned me that the fist marathon would be humbling, no matter how experienced of a weekday and weekend warrior I had been and how many years I had put onto my soles. But he said this with a gentle smile and never once instilled any doubt in me that I could do this. Of course he was right. The first marathon more than humbled me but because of my great experience training for it and being coached by Wally I knew the moment I crossed the finish line that I would do this again and again.

Wally continued to coach me through all of my subsequent marathons and always tailored my personal training plan even though I was still running with Team in Training. I received weekly emails with my daily training details, emails I keep and follow to this day. One of the highlights of my running life with Wally was traveling to Boston together and lining up at the 2006 Boston Marathon start line with him. There we were, at the beginning of every runners’ dream. We ran the first 10 miles together but eventually lost sight of each other as Wally started to experience some pain in one of his legs. He slowed down while I continued. Boston turned out to be a disappointing finish for Wally but for me it remains the best marathon experience so far.

In Santa Barbara’s running community Wally is well known as he helps organize all local races and is the timing guru. He has his timing office all set up in his dark blue VW Van – The V Wally – where we, who are friends with him can always store all of our extra belongings. Showing up at a race start to see that van always calmed my pre race jitters immediately and made everything feel so much better. Just as long as Wally was there and I could leave my extra gear in his van not much could go wrong. And if I did not run the race myself I always helped out with setting up and the timing itself. Life was good.

I don’t see Wally this much anymore but whenever I do I know I am in for a good day. Running or not!

Thank you, Wally, for making me realize my potential as a runner and taking me to a new level!

Today’s Running Tip: Honor your local heroes!

They might not be famous, but anyone who supports you in your running efforts deserves recognition! After all they make it possible for you to explore your passion!

Destiny is not written for us, but by us! ~ Barack Obama

Let us never forget what we, who helped get this man elected, felt that night one year ago! Some of us might think he is not doing enough, not getting change accomplished fast enough. Our attention span is short, our patience already running out. Never forget the state our great nation was in when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Remember the hopefulness all those who voted for him shared, the tears we shed when the polls on the West Coast closed at 8pm Pacific Standard Time and all news channels called the election for this man. A man of great promise, a man that personifies dignity, calmness, and deep thought. A man who will not be pushed into making rash decisions. A man who might try our patience with his deliberate approach to policies that could potentially change the course of our history. A politician admired near and far. A president that received the Nobel Peace Prize in his first year in office solely for what he symbolizes for us and the rest of the world. Think about it! Don’t forget the promise! The excitement we all felt! The hopefulness we shared! And continue to support this man, a president who has been facing and will continue to face one of the toughest challenges in world history.

We, as a Nation as a whole can and should all be proud of what happened that night one year ago today!!! The majority of us made the right choice!!!

Today’s Running Tip: There will be no running tip today!

The past month started off on a very solemn and sad note with the passing of Adrienne on the morning of October 1st. Her death was the final paragraph of the last chapter in her brutal journey through cancer treatments. Some  of those so called “therapies” were so harsh I would not wish them on my enemies, if I had any! The last chapter of that journey, the last six weeks of her life, can only be described in terms of absolute emotional turmoil. We had known for a long time that we would have to face the inevitable one day but had always hoped that it would be later rather than sooner. Adrienne’s treatment options had become more and more restricted over the years and her cancer more and more aggressive the last ten months of her life. Her story of survival started 13 years ago at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California, where she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on Thursday, December 12 – a bright and crisp winter day. The following week, after extensive tests and scans at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, we found out that she was Stage III out of IV, with tumors that reached all the way from her clavicle to her upper thigh. Looking back it really can almost be considered a miracle that she had survived this long.

Adrienne was laid to rest in San Jose next to her grandfather who died from lymphoma in 2000. It was a beautiful sunny day in the Bay Area. Some of my best friends and running buddies from Santa Barbara came up for her service. They had gotten Adrienne through the Santa Barbara Team in Training Chapter where she was an honoree for a couple of seasons. I will never forget that they came to support David and I on this day. After a fairly short and sweet service we all went over to the grave site which happens to be located just across the street from the fairgrounds. And on said day the fairgrounds hosted a Mexican fiesta with mariachi music blaring across the road – so loud that no one could actually understand what the rabbi was preaching. Now, some would have gotten upset or even offended by this, but in our case it could not have been more fitting. Adrienne had always had a nerdy sense of humor and while I was listening to the blaring music I could not help but picture her standing in the background, watching the scene and giggling.

Putting Adrienne to rest after all this time brought the proverbial closure for David and I and we have been settling into our new “normal”. A “normal” that means missing Adrienne every day and keeping her memory alive. A “normal” that means that we will never get over the loss of her, but rather that we are slowly getting through it. Her incredible story of survival had touched many lives and we want to make sure that her death will not be in vain. David and I have a few ideas we are exploring. Stay tuned! The hardest day since Adrienne’s death was the day her death certificate came in the mail. Receiving a piece of paper that documents the death of your daughter is something no parent should ever have to deal with. And it is very strange to see the record of Adrienne’s passing in black and white. She will forever be 22. A life lived to its fullest, a life of unimaginable potential, a life cut too short!

After we got back from the Bay Area I came down with a cold. Not surprisingly after weeks of sleepless nights and emotionally draining days. I was happy that I got over it quickly and was back into my running routine after taking a couple of days off. Since fall has finally arrived in the desert as well the mornings have been getting cooler, and – I have to admit – quite beautiful. Not that I will ever get used to the season of change into winter but I am trying to embrace it more. It has been hard going to the gym on these glorious desert mornings and I have been running outdoors exclusively this month.

I missed posting September numbers but am ready for October stats:

Shortest run: 5 miles

Longest run: 10 miles

Average speed: 7:38 min/miles

Strength & Endurance: 3 hours

Weight Training: 3 hours

Yoga: 4 hours