The other day, I was reading a blog post about what motivates us to run our first race. It got me thinking about the first time I ran a marathon.

Yes, that’s me, back in 2001, somewhere along the race course
in San Diego, where I was about to complete my first marathon!

But, how did I get there? I was working a tough job with 17-hour days, travel Monday-Thursday and a lost life in Chicago (I was constantly trying to answer the question, how does one go about living a life in Chicago when you are somewhere else four days a week?!). I wasn’t eating well, wasn’t sleeping enough and, quite frankly, wasn’t happy with the state of my life.

One of my co-workers, who was on a project in Los Angeles with me, suggested I train for a triathlon with him. It would be our excuse to leave the office for a couple hours each day. Who cares if we had to go back to our hotel rooms to work for many more hours in the evenings. At least we’d do so after a great swim, bike or run. I liked the way he thought.

At the same time, my roommate in Chicago (who also traveled with work, so you can imagine how often we saw each other) decided to start training for a marathon. I remember that I didn’t really consider her a runner at the time, but don’t recall why she decided to train for a marathon.

In any case, a little of “if she can do it, so can I” mentality combined with the insanity of my life (and therefore the insanity of my brain) led me to make a goal: Complete a triathlon and marathon before I turn 30. I must have been 25 or 26 at the time, so it wasn’t a particularly aggressive goal, other than I’d have to commit time, energy and focus in order to complete them.

I trained with my co-worker and on my own for the triathlon (finished one that August) and began training for my first marathon with Team in Training that next February. I raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma foundation, trained under the careful eye of marathon experts and met some amazing friends along the way. I completed my first marathon that following June. I smashed through my goal and went on to run many more marathons, half marathons and other randomly distanced races (though never again did I complete a triathlon – I hated the swimming part too much).

What external factors motivate you to establish goals?

I keep saying Mother Nature is playing a trick on us. She’s either going to deliver a whammy of a blizzard in April. Or, she’s for real with this real spring-like weather and will deliver us a whammy of a summer, where we’re begging for mercy by June. But, that’s neither here nor there – no use trying to predict the future when the present is so darn ideal!

Friday night, Sweets went to a Bulls game with a friend. Gavin and I shared grilled cheese sandwiches. To change things up, I jumped in the bathtub with him, which totally weirded him out until I started splashing him and he broke out in giggles. We read in bed and I stayed with him until he fell asleep. Then I grabbed a beer and watched Duke lose (it was beautiful, even if it was a bracket buster!).

Saturday, we went to Poppy’s first birthday party. Because it was almost 80° out, we put Gavin in the stroller and walked to the party. We also hung out in the backyard with our good friends to enjoy the weather. Because it was St. Patrick’s Day (and because we gave our son an Irish name), I made sure to dress him in green.

Gavin split his time between climbing a couple stairs and running towards the alley (thank goodness for gates that lock!) and playing with his buddy, Noah. Did I ever mention that Gavin adores Noah? Well, he does. We hope Noah will continue to share with Gavin what he learns from Little Kickers (young kid soccer).

After playing for a few hours in the sun, Gavin promptly fell asleep in his stroller on the way home. And stayed that way, even after I transitioned him from stroller to bed. When he woke up, we grabbed the dog, threw everyone in the car (not literally, y’all, c’mon now!) and headed to our old ‘hood to meet up with Gavin’s preemie twin.

To continue the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, we contributed a few themed discovery bottles, homemade coleslaw and (not green) beer. Our friends made corned beef, potatoes and brussel sprouts (which, I discovered I actually kinda like). We hung out, watched basketball and watched our boys (born 2 weeks apart, both premature) continue to cull a friendship we hope will last for a very long time.

Oh, and Gavin might have discovered a hat to complete his ensemble.

As you can imagine, Gavin was bush-whacked after that day. He slept very soundly on Saturday night. Sunday, I pulled out our jogging stroller (gifted to us second-hand from Gavin’s aunties) to take Gavin on his inaugural run. It’s the first time we’ve used the stroller and would determine whether Gavin would come with me on future runs. I see taking him on weekend mornings with me, if he’ll have me.

The hat was temporary (he grabbed it as I was putting on a visor), but his pajamas came with us (I figure he was comfortable, so why bother changing him!). We went for about 30 minutes and he was great. No complaints about going too slow. He kicked his feet almost the entire way. Not sure if that was to mimic my running or because he was dancing to the music (I had music playing on my phone – not loudly enough to bother the neighbors, though).

After cleaning up and getting dressed, we went to Gavin’s music class and then across the street to a restaurant to meet some friends. The short story of the restaurant was they seated us in the sun (rather than in the shade under a tree – I didn’t notice the open table until after we’d been situated at our table), took 90 minutes to deliver our food (including Gavin’s meal), forgot to deliver Sweets’ beer and then couldn’t remember what beer he ordered, brought me the wrong sandwich, had bathrooms with overflowing toilets and … well, there’s more, but I’ll spare you. It was a DISASTER. I think we would’ve caused a scene if it weren’t for the fact that … well, our toddler did it for us. Thankfully, our waitress recognized what a mess it was and only charged us $7 for our entire meal … to tell you the truth, I would’ve paid 150% of price just to have a smooth-sailing meal.

After saying so long to our friends, we began our walk home. (Oh, did I forget to mention that the weather was so nice for something like the fifth day in a row that we walked to Gavin’s music class?!?) Within a few minutes of leaving the restaurant, Gavin fell asleep. Which is really too bad, because he missed our stop at the gelato place to get some Italian ice cream (yummy!). Once again, Gavin survived transfer from his stroller to the bed, so he had a monster nap. While he was asleep, Sweets went shopping for hats and sunglasses for Gavin. And he came home with some great stuff…

At first, Gavin kept pulling off the hat. But, then we added the sunglasses (yes, those would be Paul Frank shades – our son is too cool for us!). And I think between the fun factor and the fact that Sweets and I were rolling in laughter, Gavin decided he liked the attire.

The weekend was a full one. But, a good one. I’m not sure how much longer we’ll have this good weather, but we’re sure to enjoy it for as long as we have it!

What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods? Do anything fun to enjoy it this weekend?

This photo has nothing to do with this post. However, it’s too funny not to share. The things we make Gavin do provide endless laughter for us (and a lifetime of therapy for him)!

The other day, I was reading a new-to-me blog. This particular post was talking about strategies for getting ourselves out of life ruts. And I liked what I was reading.

When I think about my own life ruts, I must admit that I don’t really feel like I’m in a rut. In fact, quite the contrary. My life has felt very full lately. And I’m kinda brimming with happiness (yeah, rainbows and unicorns, kids!). But, that doesn’t mean I don’t need a good kick in the pants. Because, I still haven’t found a good workout routine.

I guess you could say I’m in an exercise rut.

I have started running. And I try to run on the days I walk Gavin to daycare (I drop off Gavin and then go for a run). But, last week, it was dark when I was walking him to daycare. And the thought of running in the morning dark was depressing (unlike running after work in the dark, which is totally acceptable – go figure). And so, it became my excuse for only running once last week. WEAK!

So, I signed up for a one-day bootcamp through a local parenting organization. Because, talk about a good kick in the pants. 8am on a Saturday morning. I’m supposed to bring hand weights, a mat and a towel. Yeah, I expect to sweat. And to do sprints. And burpees. And interval training. I expect to end the class wanting to puke and cheer at the same time. It’s the start to that kick in the butt that I need.

Back to that blog post I was reading. The author suggested making an announcement about taking that first step out of the rut. Challenges are great ways to get out of ruts. Merely announcing what you’re going to do makes the challenge official. Makes you accountable. And I decided that’s what I needed to do to get out of this exercise rut.

So, friends, hear me roar: I am announcing my 30-2-38 CHALLENGE. What’s that, you ask? 30 days from today is my birthday when I turn 38 years old. I commit to exercising EVERY DAY. Starting today. And ending December 6, on my birthday.

What’s my definition of exercising? Well, it can’t include the gym, since Sweets and I resigned our membership from the gym. We were spending $130 a month for a membership that was collecting dust. Until we feel we’re at a place in our lives where we’ll use that membership and need a full-service gym, we’re going to focus on other ways to stay active. I’m talking walking, running, resistance training (push-ups, baby), core exercises, exercise videos, yoga and 8-ounce curls.

I kid, walking is reserved for walking from the couch to the fridge to get a beer. No, no, 8-ounce curls will have to wait until after I finish the exercise of the day, which could take place at 5am or 8pm. I will not excuse myself from doing SOMETHING each day (unless hospitalized, in which case, I grant myself a hall pass).

Once you start moving, you’ll feel unbelievably better, said that motivational blogger. It’s true. I hate running in the morning. But, once I get moving, I usually warm up and begin to feel better. I also hope it rings true in the bigger picture. Because, after the challenge? While I don’t plan to be super rigid about working out everyday, I do hope I’ll be in a better place with exercise. I hope that I will show myself how easy it is to be active each day. And maybe I will choose to continue being active, saying so-long to the exercise rut!

What sort of challenges have you put yourself up to?

And then I stopped thinking about it – because that sort of thought makes my head hurt. I’m smart enough to think about those sorts of things, but not smart enough to really push the envelope of thought. It reminds me of a recurring thought I used to have as a teenager. Am I really alive living *this* life or am I alive, in a deep coma, merely imagining this life? How would I be able to prove one was true and the other was not? I can’t say these thoughts plagued me, because again, I stopped thinking about them at a fairly superficial level. But, sometimes these random thoughts run through my head …

Speaking of running, it’s on my mind. I’m itching to begin running again. The single-digit temps and crazy cold wind chills have kept me from heading outdoors. Given our gym membership is on hold, I can’t hurry over there (and I’m not sure treadmill running is the way to start running again anyway). So, I wait for a warm-ish day. I’m thinking if the weather hits the freezing mark, that’ll be my sign to head outdoors. Today, it’s supposed to hover around 30. If the freezing rain doesn’t make the roads an ice rink, I may head out after work today. We’ll see.

Regardless of whether I start running today or next week, one thing is for sure. I’m on the lookout. For a race. Or maybe three. I always seem to do better when I’m training for something and I’d love to get back into half marathon training. Half marathons are the perfect distance for me – long enough to feel I’ve accomplished something challenging, short enough that training doesn’t take over my life. So far, I’ve found a number of half marathons I’m interested in … Lake Geneva (Wisconsin), 13.1 Chicago, Chicago Rock N Roll and the Madison Mini Marathon. That’s not to mention the Indy Mini Marathon, Madison Half Marathon and Chicago Half Marathon. So many races to choose from, not nearly enough time. I think I’ll start with the goal of running one spring half marathon and seeing how I feel … if my body says half marathons are still cool, then I’ll likely train for 1-2 more over the summer and into the fall. To me, that would make for a perfect running season!

So, I somehow managed to start with bouncing my car off the road and ended with road races. Random girl. That’s me. Any random thoughts you care to share with me?

]]> http://somispeaks.com/2011/01/24/thoughts-2/feed/ 15 http://somispeaks.com/2010/10/11/maratho/ http://somispeaks.com/2010/10/11/maratho/#comments Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:33:47 +0000 SoMi's Nilsa http://somispeaks.com/?p=4024 Is it really Monday already? Is it really a holiday Monday for many of you, but one that I don’t get off? Would anyone be willing to trade places with me, because I could really use an extra day to my weekend!!!! Because, this weekend? It was full of moments. Special moments. Moments that I can’t forget. Keep reading if you want to share in said moments with me!

Arrival! Friends Meg and her Manfriend arrived on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the Chicago Marathon this weekend. We took them on a walk around our neighborhood and shared burgers and beer with them at one of our favorite local spots.

Jacked! No, our car wasn’t car-jacked, but we sure felt jacked. Over the past week or so, I’ve had increasing troubles starting our car. Sweets finally witnessed the issues and it came to a head on Saturday morning when we were already a couple minutes late for a baby wearing class. So, we dropped the car off at the shop, skipped the class and I went to meet up with my dad (in town visiting) and other family for brunch.

Shelved! Saturday afternoon, our new shelving was installed in our laundry room. I’m actually sort of shocked how much more space we now have. Not only that, but it makes the room look bigger. More shelving = bigger room? I guess removing the junk from that room will do that. Go figure.

Friendly! Saturday night, Sweets and I took his parents and my dad to see the US-Poland soccer match. The stadium was about 80% in favor of Poland. Did I mention that Chicago has the largest Polish population, second only to Warsaw? Yeah. So, errr, let’s just say it felt like we were transported overseas. The game was only alright – neither team looked particularly strong and wound up with a 2-2 draw. But, 5th row seats and very happy family members made it worth our energy!

Photoed! I finally took a photo of me at 29 weeks. The belly is growing and the hot temps we had this weekend reminded me that I am definitely beginning to slow down!

Marathon! The highlight of this weekend was most definitely the marathon. As a former marathon runner, getting to watch races of this distance bring back such memories (sorry, Sweets, for dragging you through them!). I woke up super early to take Meg and her Manfriend down to the start line. Later in the morning, Sweets and I jumped on the train and headed to the 23 mile marker to watch. It was a hot day, likely nearing or even over the 80-degree mark by late morning. People were hurting. But, you know what? It was amazing to watch everyone persevere. Here are a few photos I took for Meg, so she could remember this special day.

People pounded the pavement – we likely saw thousands of people run by us as we waited for Meg.

Some people carried flags, many representing countries, but this one making a political statement.

After hearing from Meg’s mom that they still hadn’t seen Meg at mile 20, we began to worry. Worry that she had slowed well below her expected pace. Worried that she was hurt. Worried that she could have dropped out of the race due to injury. I was definitely a bit concerned. And then, I hear Sweets yelling at the top of his lungs. Meg rounded the corner and was full of smiles. Granted, she was hot and tired and aching, but girlfriend looked good.

After we saw Meg at two different spots, we went upstairs to the condo that Sweets’ parents own. It had a really marvelous view of runners making their way north on Michigan Avenue in the last couple miles of the race.

After watching the race, I was honestly beat. It was hot, we walked a lot and my body was worn out. Sweets and I returned home and crashed. Naps and lounging rounded out the rest of our weekend. So, while we weren’t able to do a few things due to losing our car for the weekend, we did manage to accomplish a lot. And now? I’m telling you. I need a vacation from my weekend!

What was the highlight of your weekend?