In Honor of Sherry Arnold - Virtual Run

I know I owe you a race report from Tinker Bell but first, I need to get the word out about something that is so important to me, and my fellow runners, all over the world. There has been a heartbreaking event among the running community that shakes me. I love to get up and run in the mornings, even in the dark, the cold, and sometimes a little rain may not stop me. What happened to Sherry Arnold stops me in my tracks, makes me take pause, and feel just a little less comfortable being out solo. I used to run with my German Shepard (mix) but now I carry mace... I'd like to say it makes me feel better, but it doesn't. The events that transpired on January 7th, 2012 were senseless, horrifying, and shattering to so many. Like an earthquake shaking lives from sea to sea, it has rocked our sense of safety and leaves me questioning why things like this happen.

So now what? What do we do? The only thing we can, continue doing whatever we can to honor a life taken from this earth, doing what she loved, run. February 11th, I will be running in honor of Sherry Arnold, wife, mother, teacher, runner, so many things, and yet stolen from her were the things she will never get to be, like grandmother... It breaks my heart, even though I have never met her, so many of us leave the house in the morning, never even contemplating there is a slightest chance we won't return safe and sound.

If you feel this loss, and want to join me (and MANY others) in honoring her, visit Shut Up + Run's Blog post with all the details on how you can do just that.

Remember that life can be so unpredictable, always tell those you love, that you love them, every chance you get... My thoughts and prayers are continuous for Sherry's family. I pray that she will be found and laid to rest properly, and justice served to those responsible for this heinous and such unnecessary act. 

If Confidence Fits...

Lately, I've been thinking about what confidence means to me. Confidence has always been something I have struggled with. I often wonder why it is I would question my own abilities to do anything. It was more of an issue when I was younger, and yet I have always wondered why am I afraid to fail? It's crazy because deep down I know I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. It's that evil doubt that creeps into my mind and starts making me question myself. I have proved this time and time again (not to toot my own horn by any means) with each challenge that comes to me, or I seem to find myself a part of, I come through. I may not always be perfect, I do stumble, and there are times where I fall, but confidence isn't about never failing, it's about getting back up and trying again.
How successful can someone be if they never fail?
I would say in the past year, I have done things that I just didn't think I would be able to, I do fear the unknown. I feel anxious and scared to try new things, go places I never have and get involved in situations where I may just not be the best. It reminds me when I used to tell my son, You can't quit because it's hard, you have to learn from the experiences of trying.

In the past year, I have run distances I once thought were too far, completed a sprint triathlon (which included an ocean swim), knowing I'd likely be last, and was determined to do so much more with my running than just show up, I was going to do good work, and benefit someone besides myself. If you ever wonder what it is you are meant to do in life, don't think of it as one big thing, but maybe a bunch of little things that scare you...

"I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else.
I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be."
~ Ken Venturi
So how does one gain confidence? I guess the first step would be to determine why it is you think you cannot do something, then do it anyway. If you tell yourself you could never do, see, accomplish, then you will be always be right, 100% of the time. I never thought I'd run a half marathon, or complete a triathlon, or an 8+ mile obstacle run. I never thought I'd want to, but it was more likely I feared that I would fail - so it was easier to avoid it by simply denouncing the notion that I wanted to even try.


"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each
experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face...
we must do that which we think we cannot."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt  

So here I am, while this post was started days ago, I sit in the Atlanta airport, waiting to board my flight to Anaheim, CA. I will be meeting new people, seeing Disneyland for the first time in my life, and running my second half marathon. I know I will have fun, once I am there. I am also thinking about leaving my family for a few days, and I know they will be fine, I will miss them. 

I am confident that this experience will be so wonderful. I am confident that I will enjoy myself and I a confident that I will be bringing home some pixie dust for my little angel. Anyway, confidence is not something easily gained, but seemingly easy to lose. We have to see a situation, be realistic in our goals and expectations, and celebrate our little triumphs and collect them within ourselves...that is how I think confidence works, we have to build it through experiences over time... sounds like a math equation huh? 

 

Winter Run? It's 60 Degrees!

This is my 5th year doing the North Myrtle Beach Winter Run, but this year instead of the 5k, I opted for the 15k. I specifically remember last year feeling like the people who chose to run 9.3 miles were probably at least twice as crazy (if not 3 times!) but then again, last year this time I was 8 weeks postpardum. I really can't believe how fast time flies, another year already?

I admit, I was a little nervous, this was my first 15k. In the wise words of my dear friend Sarah, "Hey you will PR today!" - that was like music to my ears! She was right, my first 15k means my best 15k time…But I was nervous for 2 reasons, 1 - I haven't exactly been training for the Half I have next weekend. Tsk Tsk…I know. 2 - I didn't want to hurt myself before the Tink 1/2…. Since I haven't run more than 5 miles since my last Half in October, all I could think about was twisting, rolling or pulling something major. That and I guess you can say, I kinda suck at the long run. I know, I know, I need to train more, I need to figure out the whole hydration and nutrition thing, I am definitely not the best role model for distance running, or maybe any running… Maybe I will pledge to try harder, and really work on a training plan or at least the sticking to it part.

I was pretty excited to see that Mother Nature was going to take it easy on us this year. Usually it is freezing or raining, or worse - both! This year, it was overcast, breezy and about 60 degrees! I almost didn't know what to do…run with the jacket or without? Where would I put my gummy lifesavers? I can't wear my arm sleeve for my iPod, in case the jacket has to come off… see I don't have these issues with a 5k!

I figured it all out, iPod is clipped to my sports bra, gummies are in my jacket pocket, and I will just tie it around my waist when I was getting too warm. My attire for today was driven by my latest Schwaggle purchase from PRO Compression - I had to choose between purple and lime green, decisions, decisions… Lime it was! I love these socks, there is something about running in compression socks… My calves didn't cramp or feel tired…love, love, love.

Now, lets talk hills (which again, I am in Myrtle Beach, so it's not like Mt. Everest) - I wasn't expecting any change in elevation but at 1.3 miles in and again at 4.5 miles, I was shuffling up hills. It was crazy because even with hills, I felt pretty friggen awesome. I was so worried that I would crap the bed halfway in but I didn't - I just kept telling myself, you are half way there, no problem, its just 3 more miles, you are doing great, you got this… When I hit Ocean Blvd I was greeted with what felt like tropical storm force winds. At first the run was breezy but nothing to severe. As if the last 1.5 miles wasn't going to be challenging enough, here are the headwinds from hell. YAY! My time took a nose dive, but I just had to keep pushing through it… I remember when I ran my first half back in October and I was struggling so bad around 8 miles; my shoes, my foot, my spirits were just not 100%. I honestly think this race has helped me realize that I can do this, and it's not as hard as it was before, it can only get better from here.

In other crazy running mom news - I registered for the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon. So this will make my race schedule 3 Halfs in 28 days! Half Fanatics here I come!!!