12 days til the next race

I trained with Tamara, Nicole, Tiffany and Emily today. It was probably one of the most effortless running experiences I've had so far this season. Surprisingly, my feet didn't cramp up and my ankles didn't act up. What made the difference was 1. the dynamic warm-up 2. being conscious of my form and stride and 3. hot yoga (and possibly the cup of green tea).

As I was walking down the stairs at the Tai-Li Market, I missed a step and my left ankle popped. It hurt so badly but it seems to be fine. I think the Universe heard me as I was screaming in pain and begging for my ankle to be okay. I have only 12 days before my next 5K race and I cannot get injured.

I will be registering for this race tomorrow or Tuesday, St. Patty's Day Run in Tacoma, March 13th.

Me, an athlete?

Today, I went to a nutrition and injury prevention workshop put together specifically for the H4C team. The two professionals were Isiah Coles, trainer to professional runners and athletes, and Julie Starkel, nutritionist and a clean eating guru. As I listened to the two of them, I had a profound respect for professional athletes and the amount of practice, discipline and commitment they have. In two hours, Isiah and Julie overwhelmed me with a lot of important information but barely scratched the surface of what it would require for me to perform and achieve the goal I set for myself. (I'm getting a little dizzy just thinking about.)

Here are some takeaways that I'd like to share for those of you who are beginners or re-beginners, like me:

Nutrition:
1. Stay hydrated, (2.5-3.5 liters of water for women my size)
2. Eat 5-6 small snack daily containing both carbs and protein. (ALWAYS eat breakfast with an hour of waking up.)
3. Plan & Prepare: take the time to shop, plan and prepare your meals.
3. Take multi-vitamins (Especially B Vitamins, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc)
4. Caffeine can increase performance (No coffee though)

Injury Prevention:
1. Do a dynamic warm-up and active stretches before training and 30 second static stretches after the race
2. Do NOT put heat on swelling, always ice inflammation within the first 72 hours (ice massage: freeze water into a paper cup, tear the cup an inch or two below the ice and use it to massage injuries)
3. Incorporate weight training (strengthen muscles), circuit training (2-3 set and only 5 moves) and cross-training (swim, bike, cardio-machines)
4. Injuries are an athletes worse nightmare! (But it can be prevented.)

I'm really excited about implementing all this into my training and into my life. I should just register myself for a full-marathon in December so that I can take care of myself like this all year round. This is why I love training season!

First H4C Team Training

This Saturday, Team Humanity for Children (H4C) had our first team training at Marymoor Park in Redmond. We started with a 15-minute warm up led by our team leader, Emily Jennings (which made a big difference). Some ran 3 miles and the rest of us did 4 miles.

The last time we trained as a team was last year when we trained for the Inaugural Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. After running with Tamara, I forgot how much I enjoyed waking up early on a Saturday morning where I am able to spend at least an hour with good friends. Tamara and I ran four miles and during those four miles we were able to catch up on Life. These are the moments that matter. The moments when you learn something about a friend that you thought you knew everything about, including those conversations that change your life. This is one of the reasons why I love running.

This year, I will be training with different groups while scheduling running dates with individuals, however I am really excited about running by myself. I love the cherry blossom trees because they tell me that Spring is on its way, which means it'll be light out longer. YAY!

Don't forget to donate! Thanks!

Yoga on the Mountain

For my birthday, I decided that I wanted to go snowboarding. Yesterday, my friends and I went to Stevens Pass. The last time I went snowboarding was last month at Whistler when I was hugging the mountain the entire way down. So, I thought I would be kissing the snow this time. Instead, I learned how to dance with Steven.

I think my new experience with snowboarding was a result of yoga. Not only does the Chaturanga (also known as the "upward/downward-facing dog" flow) strengthen my core but it's a lot easier to get back up after a wipe-out. Poses in hatha classes helped me a lot - Balance is a critical element in both yoga and snowboarding. Also, the mental practices of yoga, like giving up doing it right and being "perfect" inside the studio allowed me to get out my head and be with the mountain. In yoga, we learn how to trust our body and its potential. After I got over the fear of falling and breaking a bone or dying, I allowed my body to do what it wanted to do, like turning and going on my front edge. I was literally dancing in circles with the mountain as I was humming to myself.

Now, I can truly say that I enjoy snowboarding. Thank you, Yoga.

My First 5K: The Road to Nowhere

"It's all about love" was written on our shirts as Jenn and I (with Emily) ran in the "Love 'em or Leave 'em" Valentine's Day 5K Dash. Did I mention in my last post that Jennifer is the friend who convinced me to join the swim team?

It's funny how things come full circle. Here I am at the last mile - in my mind, I've reached my max, my breathes were getting heavy and I was close to passing out. There Jennifer is in front of me running backwards - encouraging me to give it my all as she whispers, "Ranny, do you see that girl in purple shirt. You don't want her to beat you, do you?" (Typical, Jennifer.) Then, this girl has the nerve to ask me if I were going to wear my booties at my birthday party tomorrow - as if I could have a casual conversation. "I know you're mad at me right now, but I'm only pushing you because I know you can do it," she says. A little irked, I push harder anyway. At the end, she grabs my hands and we cross the finish line together.

Even though I almost passed out at the end, there were no failed flip turns. I raced in my first 5K. Jennifer registered us for the race as a birthday gift and told me that this race was about me. She stuck with me the entire way through even though she could have gotten a faster time than what we got together (which was a little over 26 min). Now that I think about it, she was there cheering me on seven years ago as I was struggling in the water at my first (and only) swim meet but this time I could actually hear her.

My ears may not have been submerged in water but throughout my life I have lived as if they were. It may not have been water that obstructed my hearing - instead, there were doubts and insecurities that didn't allow me to hear the people around me encouraging me and rooting for me. On our ride back down, Jenn said to me after learning that this was my first 5K race, "Ranny, you did really well - not a lot of people can run a 8.22 pace in their first 5K." My natural response would be, "Well, I've ran a half-marathon. I could've done better" - instead, I didn't respond. I took it in and accepted the acknowledgment.

In the yoga studio, I find myself always trying to push myself even further before I perfect my form and be with the pose for a moment. When I do this, I end up with a wobbly foundation, losing my balance or out of focus. Yesterday, this thought came into my head, "It's when I'm trying to get somewhere that I get nowhere." What I've gotten out of today is that that "somewhere" is here and that "someday" is now. I will always meet new people along my journey through life - some will stay longer than others - but there are those who are in my life now - some that has been apart of my life for over 15 years through rolling hills and rocky pavement.

This is what I call Love.

A Failed Flip Turn

This Saturday, I will be running in my first 5K race. I've ran many 5Ks during my half-marathon training but I have never raced in one. This is going to be interesting considering that I have never competed with an intention of winning - I've always played games for the sake of playing a game and I think I know where it started.

Growing up, my sisters and I were in ASB and all of the after school clubs. Because we didn't have insurance, we didn't play sports. The one year that I had insurance, I decided that I would play a sport. It was my senior year of high school and one of my best friends begged me to join the swim team with her. I took lessons as a little girl but was never a strong swimmer but somehow, she was able to convince me to jump into a tight green and yellow swimsuit that cut of my circulation. I was on the Henry Foss Swim Team. (Please note that I almost died drowning as a little girl.)

It was our first meet. I'm freaking out because I'm still not sure if I'm swimming right. I still can't swim straight and I'm still afraid of deep water. But like always, I do it anyway. The gun goes off and I jump in head first. As I'm struggling to stay within the lines, I finally reach the other side. Instead of turning around, I attempt to do a flip turn. I failed, horribly. That was my first and last swim meet.

Since then, I've never played to win. I've always been active and athletic yet I've tried to stayed away from competition. When I did compete, it was always a joke or for fun. This is interesting because innately, I am very competitive - sometimes more competitive than most people think. I'm so competitive that I'd rather not play if I know it's a game that I can't win. This is true in other areas of my life.

A friend of mine said to me in a long conversation that competition can be good. I'd agree - I've gotten to where I am today mostly as a result of my competitive nature. As I got older, I tried to suppress my competitive energy. Now that I coming into my own, I'm ready to bring it.

Wish me luck!