Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee [Lindsey]

Mohammad Ali once described his boxing technique as "float[ing] like a butterfly, sting[ing] like a bee" meaning that you need to be light on your feet and pack a good punch. I've been thinking about this concept a lot recently on my runs. While my stride has greatly improved from the "grandpa shuffle" from last year, I still get the occasional comment from Adam to "land lighter on your feet." This my friends is easier said then done. I can visualize myself landing lighter all day long but the truth is once I get past 11 miles, I'm getting tired. My muscles get tired and my feet hit the pavement harder which inevitably leads to foot aches and pains.

A couple weeks ago I bruised the bottom of the ball of my foot after a long run. To ease some of the pressure off of my foot, I put a Dr. Schols insert in my shoe. That has helped a lot, however, after my 14 miler the other day, I've come to the conclusion that I may need to switch to a different shoe. I LOVE my running shoes - PureCadence by Brooks, but I don't think my foot/body is in quite enough shape to handle the shoe for 26.2 miles. The PureCadence is a shoe designed with a lower heel drop and is really lightweight but I think at the cost of some padding that I still require for longer runs. Alas I am back on the shoe search...

Other than a new shoe and happy thoughts, how do I plan to "float like a butterfly"? Well, remember my post last year - Food Freedom? Let's just say that I went a little overboard with carb loading and haven't really stopped post race. nice. The end result has been zero weight loss since starting to train last year and in fact I think I've gained a few pounds. Yes, I realize I am now a muscle powerhouse these days but what's the point if your muscles are hidden under a winter coat all year round? Enter my new eating lifestyle - I refuse to use the word diet.

I've been flirting with the idea of a "Paleo lifestyle" for awhile. I've seen and spoken with some friends who are Paleo converts and all have been really happy and have felt great since making the switch. I struggle with some of the pillars of the concept but overall it makes sense. The past couple of weeks I've been making more Paleo-esk type food decisions and keeping track of what I eat with a nifty iPad app called MyFitnessPal and I've already seen results and actually feel better by not eating so much pasta and bread and eating more fruit, veggies, and wait for it... meat. (Who am I?) As a self proclaimed vegetarian since 14 (which in more recent years has turned into veggie/I eat some turkey and chicken) this is pretty huge. I haven't delved into a filet mignon (and I don't think I ever will) but I did eat a hamburger the other week!

Tracking what I eat has been a real eye opener as well. It's pretty shocking to see how much sugar I was ingesting... honestly I can't believe I'm not diabetic, which is somewhat scary to think because I wasn't eating horrible food. I don't want to think about how much sugar people eat when eating poorly but that's a whole other post for another blog...

73 Days to Go
Currently running to Purity Ring - Fineshrine

barefoot happiness (Lindsey)

I love to be barefoot - around my house, on the patio, in my office, on a photo shoot. Yes, I've even popped my shoes off at the barn but let's not get into details about how stupid that is. Sometimes you need to take of your shoes and feel the ground under your feet. I just may do this more than others.

This would be example "A" of my barefoot obsession. I like to photograph my feet in locations that have meaning to me or have shown me how far I've come in my life. This one was taken in a creek at Camp McDowell in Alabama.

But I digress...

Where am I going with this? oh yeah - barefoot. So, since my last post I've had a battle with poison ivy and the flu (in the summer!!). Needless to say training was adjusted if not put on hold for a bit. I finally got back on track last week and felt the need to push myself to makeup for lost time. This left me a little exhausted on Thursday for my short run. Finishing up my last couple of miles I thought, "hey, take off your shoes woman! The soft grass will feel great on your feet." It was just the rejuvenation I needed. I don't know what it is about running through the grass (albeit was the football field) that makes you feel like a deer springing across an open field. It's magic. Plus the wet grass feels so good when it's so hot outside. I can't believe I haven't done more shoeless running. Adam (my glorious trainer) had mentioned it last year when I was working on my stride. I tried it once, maybe twice but found it somewhat difficult and really awkward. I remember only being able to last a couple laps around the track. Thursday I flew through a couple miles like it wasn't a big deal. (I see progress!) No, I don't think you will see me sporting vibram 5 finger shoes (although I do love my quasi minimal running shoes - PureCadence by Brooks) but that doesn't mean I won't be treating myself to some barefoot running at the end of a long week.

95 Days to go

Currently running to - Ke$ha - TiK ToK

Revival (Lindsey)

It didn't take me long to sign up for my next marathon... a few weeks I think. Funny how I have no desire to run another half but jump at the chance to sign up for my next full. I love the challenge that a marathon presents and equate my desire to run these things with what it must be like for a drug addict. Just one more hit, one more. I'll do better this time, I swear.

The past four months have been a blur of life changes and I'm hoping my training schedule will help settle things down for a bit. Part of those changes includes my partner in running crime, Heather, moving away. While she is only a couple hours away, it feels like I've lost my right arm. Running partners are huge, especially when you have the best one. They push you when you need a push, encourage you and toughen you up. Heather is all of those things. She also is a fellow headphones runner and is only down for a chat when stopping for a drink (also clutch in my list of perfect partner qualities). Sigh. Austin, the other part of our trio, is still in town thank goodness. I'm hopeful I can talk her into some long runs but we will see. The weather is brutal this summer and I totally understand any lack of desire to go run in it.

Heather did finish her first marathon this past month. I couldn't be more proud of this girl. Before she takes the ID world by storm with her doctor brilliance, Heather made sure she finished what she set out to do so many months ago. After our run in Austin, Heather continued to train and on June 10th we ran the H H Country Ghetto Marathon. Seriously, this girl is a rock star. She ran a marathon in the middle of nowhere and without a cheering crowd! That is tough.

This was base camp. Heather ran the first half solo and then Austin jumped in (with broken toe) for the second half. I ran with them the last 8 and Heather's hubby jumped in for bits in between and at the end.

The HHCGM official gear.

Heather crossing the finish line (made courtesy of Michael with twine).

Welcome to the 0.1% Heather!! So proud of you!

Her run was truly inspiring and I know I'll be holding onto that to get me through the next 4 months. D-day for me is October 28th for the Marine Corps Marathon. I actually can't wait to do this all over again (am I really typing that? Perhaps I'm still delirious from my long run this morning...). I know this journey is going to be different from the last one (and some of that is a good thing - no injuries this time!) but I'm sure going to miss all the fun I had during the last one. So cheers (holding up my glass of water) to new goals, new memories, a new journey, and my dear running partners - Aussie and Heather.

stay tuned...

Days to go: 112
Currently running to Girl Talk

"I am ready to fly" (Lindsey)

I think I've started and re-started this post about a million times. I'm having a difficult time putting into words what Marathon weekend meant to me. Because it isn't just a 26.2 race - it's more than that. It's months of preparation and support from friends, family, co-workers, trainers, clients, and strangers. It's life changing and soul shaking. It's blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears. It's also not about me - it's about my running buddies, my husband, my family. It's the humbling experience of watching a blind man finish the marathon and a fire woman dressed in full gear (including tank) finish the marathon to honor her deceased friend. It's about inspiring others while inspiring yourself and finding out how freaking strong you really are. Yes, when you finish your marathon - you are "freaking" strong. ;-)
So because I'm a photographer and it's easier for me to tell a story with pictures I thought it would be easier to tell my story with pictures from the weekend...

Rise and shine - it was a 5am wake up call to be ready to go by 7am. This is me and Austin in our pre-race glory. More like "holy cow what the heck am I doing??!" We were down a runner due to Heather having a knee injury but she was there to cheer us on like the rock star that she is. We missed you so much on that run Heather!

Zach ran the half marathon that day. He got a PR!! 1:53! then he ended up running another 3 miles but that's for later in the story...

Wow - well this was from early in the race. I think about mile 8. This is also about the time that my quad turned into a giant rock of pain. oh yeah it was awesome (she says in heavy sarcasm). Much of the rest of the race is me and Austin stopping for me to stretch and yes, Austin giving me a massage which one male runner enjoyed immensely. I don't actually recall most of this time because it was a) painful and b) non-descript. I like to compare it to what it must be like for someone having a kid. Women tend to forget all the painful stuff but remember all the good parts. 

 

Well here is the best part for me and thanks to my best bud Whitney - it will be with me always. :-) Mile 23, right where I needed it most were my husband, parents, sisters, soon to be brother in law, best friend, dear friends, and new friends. That's a lot of people! and yes I have the world's best husband and yes he ran the rest of the race with me and Austin. and yes, that's me cussing about wanting a beer. ;-) 

couple corrected false-hoods about marathons - 1) If you can run 20 miles, you can run 26.2. Technically this is true, however, they leave out the part where the last 6.2 are the hardest miles of your life. 2) do the training plan, you can finish. hmmm yes, technically true but in reality it wasn't just the training that got me through the race - it was my running buddies and all my support on race day. Seriously one of the most beautiful, human experiences of my life. 

Example of my beautiful, human experience. 

and then awkwardly stuffing your face not seconds later...

followed by choreographed crying. What can I say, we are Arnold's.

happiness

My awesome family!

Marathon runners are 0.1% of the population. So happy to be part of the club! Thanks Austin for pushing me to keep going when I didn't think I could. <3 

Curious about post race recovery? It's a lot like child birth or running a marathon - you forget the pain and remember the good parts. My ice bath following the race felt amazing and everyday my legs start feeling more and more normal. 

Now, which marathon will I run next...

83 hours, but who's counting (Lindsey)

I can't believe it, it's down to the wire. 3 more days, or 83 hours, 5037 minutes... who's counting? This past week I've felt somewhat like an addict coming off a high, looking forward to their next hit. Am I actually comparing long distance running to being high? sigh. This week has been a week of mixed emotions: excitement for Sunday's race melts into complete panic at the thought of running 26.2 miles but then they peak again at the thought of running across the finish line. This week has been more tapering and more stretching but I've had this feeling of "ansy-ness." I'm used to spending all afternoon running and now workouts are finishing in 30-45 minutes. What am I supposed to do with myself? Am I addicted to running now? I guess there could be worse things.

I've been trying to keep positive (there isn't anyway I'm going to get through this without some rose colored glasses) so I've been thinking about all the positive changes that training for this marathon has brought me. So here they are:

1) I can now lift my dogs' 50 lb dog food bag like it's a 5 lb weight. - yay for muscles!
2) Running has improved my riding. I rode Mafazi this past weekend and I'm pretty sure she was trying to figure out who the heck was on her back. "who is this chic w/ legs 'o steel and good posture?"
3) I'm learning how to tell the difference between pushing myself and being hard on myself - there's a difference.
4) I'm learning not to cheat myself - I have to do some of the hard stuff to get to the good part. You have to put in the work.
5) I'm learning that I'm a little more spiritual than I thought.
6) Discipline - you need it.

Remember those New Years Resolutions I hadn't figured out yet... well I've thought of one: I want to keep up with my running and cross training. I'm signed up for the Charlottesville 10 miler in March. It sounds like a piece of cake compared to the marathon but I think I'm going to aim to take some time off my PR. Who knows, maybe someday I'll be competitive in some of these races... we'll see.

Song of the week is Take on Me - covered by A.C. Newman - It's the first song on my marathon mix. I'm ready to take you on marathon!

Why I Run (Lindsey)

Hmm... well this has been an interesting week. No one talks about recovery from long runs, in my case this week, 20 miles. It's almost like running is the easy part. (I said almost) Last week's long run was surprisingly good. Surprising because I did it, and did it without knee pain. yay! One foot in front of the other, constant reminders to myself to hold my running form, stretching every now and then, and it all worked out. Miracle.
Now for the hard part. We get done with the run, we stretch, inhale any sort of calories available (in my case Gatorade for the drive home). When I get home all I want to do is eat but I have to stretch more, stretch, stretch, and ice. 30 minutes later I'm finally getting to the eating part. Heaven. Then more icing and the feeling of sheer exhaustion taking over. Nap time. Then wake up, more food, ice, and back to sleep. That was just Sunday.
Monday I woke up and I was pretty sure something was wrong with my body. My legs weren't moving right and there was a constant dull throb in my knee (oh no!). @#$#%$#@!@?! did I mess up my knee again? More icing, minor freak out at work and a call to the running clinic to schedule an appointment. More icing and freaking out. Then an e-mail to Adam to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. I'm supposed to feel tired and funky right? Adam suggested a short run (umm seriously?), deep water run (would love to do this sometime), or stationary bike to work out some of the soreness and yes it's normal to feel funky and tired. Minor sigh of relief. None of this happens on Monday due to work/life.
Tuesday. Feeling somewhat better, but only a little. I drag myself into the gym after work because I'm ridiculously tired. I do my workout and attempt to run a  couple laps. That's funny because I can barely move them in any sort of manner that resembles running so I hit the stationary bike. Success. oh yeah more stretching and icing.
Wednesday I attempt a run on the track. According to Hal I should have already run 5 miles on Tuesday and 8 miles Wednesday. Is this guy for real? How does anyone do that? I ran 3 and walked a 4th. stretch and iced. Oh yeah, I'm beyond tired.
Thursday (tonight) - workout at the gym and some running. ahhh... finally some relief. I can actually run again. huzzah. Just in time for another long run this weekend. stretch and ice of course.
So why do I put myself through this?
Gosh, isn't that the question. Yes, this is something that has been on my life goal/bucket list. But why? Am I trying to prove something? Why a marathon? I'm not sure yet. But I think I'm getting closer to the answer. I watched a cute movie tonight called "Saint Ralph" which is about a kid who runs the Boston Marathon in hopes that if he wins, that miracle will get his mother out of a coma (hey it was about a marathon ok). It turned out to be an ok movie but something that rang true to me was when Ralph asked one of the kids on the cross country team why they run and one of them replied, "it's in our blood, we have to." Hmm.. I wouldn't say running is in my blood per say, the Arnold's are not known for our speed and running form, but it's definitely in my heart. hmmm.. closer. But I'm still not sure. Maybe that's why I'm running this marathon? Maybe it's to figure out why?

17 days to go

Chuck Norris Never Ran a Marathon [Austin]

Only three weeks until Austin!!

I'll start by saying the third member of our trio was out today :(  Sadly, someone has been spreading the funk and she's under the weather, but no worries...rest is the second most important part of training!

This week's mileage was: 5 - 10 - 5 and 20 today.  Lindsey and I met at a Baptist Church in Ruckersville and ran and ran and ran and stretched and ran.  The run was much more flat than what we're used to in town but slow rolling hills were still in abundance.  I had a lot of time to think (4 hours to be exact - hence my motivation to blog)...and I started making a mental list of things running has taught me.

So, without further ado, and in honor of our 20 mile run today....the top ten things running has taught me:

10) Never skimp on a good pair of sneakers - your feet will thank you later, your wallet will forgive you.

9) There is no better way to learn your way around a new town or discover something new in an old one.

8) Food (carbs) are your friend.

7) Cars are not your friend.

6) Training is like a second job; it requires LOTS of time and planning but when it's gone, you don't know what to do with yourself.

5) I really do "hit the ground running"...and I have the scars and bruises to prove it.

4) There is not tolerance for runner's high.

3) Sweet frogs frozen yogurt is the best recovery food.

2) I am a worrier and would be even more insane if I did not.

1) To love and thank every part of my body for carrying me through the miles.

This week in training is the start of tapering down.  So after today we are officially "mentally prepared" for the marathon and these next two weeks will allow our bodies to rest...we'll see.

 

Mark your calendars.  Prayers will be appreciated on February 19th :)    

     

View from the run this morning (: