Revisiting and Revamping

For a long time I considered shutting the old blog down since I wasn't sure what to say after my last post. Instead of creating something brand new, I decided to keep the same format. Why? Well, let's just call it laziness keeping things simpler. There's so much on my plate these days and I truly don't have the time to reinvent the wheel. You know who invented the wheel? The Sumerians, and I say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I digress...

Today marks day two of two days in a row of exercise. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "How long will she stick with it this time?" I have my doubts, too, however, there's been so much change in my life the past six months that I figured I should return to some old habits like exercise. I've been feeling so blah lately and I completely realize that if I reintroduced exercise back into my routine, I'd feel better. I know this to my core, but sometimes getting my ass off the couch or stopping myself from doing every chore under the sun is difficult. What I realize is that exercise is for me. Me, me, ME! I make the bed, I do the dishes, I fold the laundry, but I don't take care of the thing that's most important: me. This seems to be the story for so many of us, especially for women (you know who you are). I realize I'm a total caregiver, almost to the point of being a martyr (which is a super bad character flaw, by the way). Today I say, "Enough!" Okay, well, yesterday I said this since this is day two. Anyway, you get the point.

Beyond exercise, I'm seizing control of my career. Many of my readers know I am applying for the PhD program in Visual Studies at the University of California, Irvine for next fall. I'm taking the dreaded GRE next Thursday and have been in contact with the pertinent people at UCI regarding what I'd like to accomplish there, if accepted. Beyond that, I submitted a pretty kick ass (that's what people I've shared it with tell me) abstract for a paper that hasn't been written yet for the yearly meeting of the Art Historians of Southern California in November. If accepted, this will be the first time I've ever presented anything to a professional audience full of colleagues and peers... *gulp*

So, this year is the time to move out of my comfort zone and shake things up a bit. I've lived far too long in the shadow of other people and doing things for other people. Does it seem to selfish to say this is the year of me? Because it kinda is. And I don't feel bad about it. Not one bit.

What Next?

My Year of the Miniskirt has come and gone. A friend asked me what this year would be and I cleverly quipped, "The Year of the Bikini - NOT!" Ha! Even if I were thin enough to wear a bikini, I wouldn't. It's just not me and, frankly, I really think women of a certain age need to keep it classy.  Bikinis are for the young.

What have I learned these past 14 months (as I started this blog in March of 2010)?

1) I love food. Yep, and my love for it outweighs (ha!) the want to lose weight quickly.

2) I am a contented person no matter what I weigh. I've addressed this topic of self-esteem before in this blog. Confidence is really what it is all about and I (usually) have that in spades.

3) Being healthy, but not obsessed with it, is important to me. I'm stronger, leaner, and wiser than I was 14 months ago, but I still love doughnuts and will eat one on occasion.

4) With number 3 being said, I really am a middle-of-the-road kind of person. Yes, I can be all or nothing with many things, but at my core of who I am, I am accepting and patient of myself, never extreme about really anything.

I'm sure I've learned more than these few things, but these are the most important to me and I think they say a lot about me as a person.

Will I lose more weight? Yes, I plan to, but all in good time.  I'll have times where it will come off easily, and other times where it's just not that important to me to make the full-on effort. And that's cool. I'm fine with that. The tortoise won the race and so will I, slowly and steadily.

Three Miles

When I talked about being better than my mind and the stupid road-blocks it tends to put up, I believed it. I finally reached my personal goal of running three miles without stopping or slowing down and at a good pace. I started out at 5 mph and was completely floored how easy it was. I was thinking, "Uh, this isn't much of a workout," so I bumped it up to 5.1, then 5.2, and then I said, "Screw it! Let's go to 5.5 mph." I'm so glad I did! I ran a mile at that speed and finally started sweating. I backed it back down and as I was nearing 2.5 miles, I briefly thought, "Hey, I can stop. Do I really want to run another 1/2 mile?" When I got to 2.5 miles, I was all about getting it done. I settled in on 5.2 and cruised that last half mile. 

While three miles may not be a lot to some, this is absolutely HUGE to me.  I am extremely proud of myself. I will give props to Jillian Michaels and the 30-Day Shred as my endurance is through the roof!  However, I did some Pilates today and realized that those are some of the most difficult exercises for me - darn middle-aged middle. That's the one area I need to target, so while the Pilates moves are hard and awkward, I will keep doing them two times a week - thanks again to JM for instilling in me my new sense of determination. Otherwise, you'll find me on the treadmill or on the trail. Can't wait to run another three miles tomorrow!

30-Day Shred... Complete!

As of yesterday, I completed the 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. I have to say that this is quite an accomplishment for me since I don't remember the last time I did anything other than sleep, breathe or eat for 30-days straight.  Okay, so it was not 30-consecutive days due to the fact that I had a terrible cold for two weeks, my mother-in-law was in town and there was an issue with the car wash and my rear bumper that ate up one of my times to work out. However, working out an average of 6 out of 7 days is really good, especially for me. I did not let myself out of exercising just because I didn't want to.  I pushed through and, boy, am I glad that I did. It's pretty amazing how much more endurance and strength I now have. Did I lose a lot of weight?  No.  I didn't change my diet too much, but I did firm up areas that used to have a life of their own, got rid of the muffin top, and definitely lost some inches on parts of my body, including my mid-section. I see new pants shopping in my future.

The next step (after my birthday week next week) is to ratchet down to the basics: protein, veggies and fruit, maybe whole grains (like brown rice) thrown in on occasion. I built a lot of muscle mass while doing the Shred, but now I need to lose the "softness" (aka fat) around it so I can show all my hard work off. I mean, some of it is showing already as people are noticing the changes in my body (also proves people are looking at my body - ha!), but losing these last 18 pounds will really showcase it.

I told my niece, Cassie - who has been instrumental in keeping me motivated during this process, she basically rocks - that I was done with JM. And three seconds later, I'm downloading the two free Jillian Michaels' iPhone apps.  What can I say? She really does have good ideas for strength training. Running is great for cardio, but I have to keep up with strength and endurance training as well. I'm considering P90X as my next challenge, but I haven't committed yet. It might be the perfect thing to do in the summer since it's hot here and I really can't run outside when it's over 75 degrees (I have to treadmill it all the way) and I have time since I won't be working. I'll just have to see. 90 days doing the same workouts day in and out might get a bit boring.  30 days with Jillian was enough! Thinking out loud...

Anyway, I'm thrilled to get back to running, though not today. I'm taking a well-deserved day off and reflecting about my experiences with JM.  What did I learn?

1) I can do a lot of things that I thought I couldn't, now including full on sit-ups and push-ups (still on my knees, but I can go all the way up and down and my wrist is not hurting - yes!), thus...
2) I am strong.
3) I can do anything I set my mind to, even exercise for 30-days in a row - let's hope this spills over into lifetime diet changes/eating habits.

With that, I have no desire to be lazy and to lose all the things I have gained in the past month. Changing my body is great, but changing my mindset is, well, there are no words for it. We tend to be our own worst enemies when it comes to our minds and letting it convince us we can't do this or that, or letting us take the easy way out. I refuse to let my brain psyche me out anymore because I, as a holistic being, am better than that. I will push myself when I don't think I can run another foot or lift weight for another rep. I've learned that those moments are what cause the changes in mind, body and soul and that is a very good thing.

This Runner Is Changing It Up!

As many of you know, since most of you are my friends over on FB, I've been working on Jillian Michaels's 30-Day Shred.  I completed level one (10 days straight) yesterday and started level two today.  Level one was kind of hard at first, I was sore for about six days, but the last four days were very easy. Level two is a whole other story.  Grossness alert... I'm dripping with sweat.  Wow.  That's a workout! And I'm giving myself bonus points for being sick with a cold and still working out.  The old me would have wussed out and not done it, but the new, kicking ass me is not letting the germs win.  I don't think I've ever exercised 11 days straight in a row before in my life!  I'm not sure what or who flipped me into "on" position regarding commitment and motivation, but I'm digging it!

Although my measurements haven't changed much in ten days, and I've lost only 1/2 pound more (better than gaining, right?!), I can see and feel the changes taking place in my body:

1) I see it in my face
2) Sexy clavicles anyone?
3) Jeans look good on - no overhang (more bonus points for me being so honest and frank)
4) Some pants are now too loose
5) Fitting into pants buried at the bottom of my drawer that didn't fit so well before
6) Thighs are getting super firm
7) Losing middle-age post-pregnancy lower ab "pooch"

These are all super good things. I have one complaint, though, about the chest area.  Oh, well.  I can't have everything I want - ha!  It's just another excuse to buy some new sexy undergarments ;-)

I'm going to drink about a 1/2 gallon more water - ha! - and hit the shower.  I have to mentally prepare myself for day 12 tomorrow...

52 Days

In 52 days I'll be 36-years-old and my Year of the Miniskirt will officially be over. I've decided it's time to completely buckle down and present the "52 Day 20-pound Challenge."  I lost four pounds recently by not doing really anything different (and I've not been exercising regularly), so who knows exactly why I lost the weight, not that I'm complaining!

I figure if I can keep my caloric intake down and work out at least five days a week, I'll shed these pounds in no time.  I may even invest in the 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels - my niece has been doing that program and says it's crazy intense.  I like the fact that it's only 20 minutes per session, so that's totally doable.

So.  I can do this...right?  I want to conclude my year of blogging with the goal I set out to accomplish in the first place.  It's been a year of ups and downs, mainly losing and gaining the same 10 pounds, so it's time to really commit and get it done.  I'm only 35 for 52 more days.  Oh, and you better believe I will be wearing a miniskirt on my 36th birthday ;-)

On Motivation - HELP!!

I just took a virtual stroll down memory lane with my blog. It's just over ten months old already - wow! Where does the time go? I've realized that I have taken off and put on the same 10-15 pounds for most of 2010 and now into 2011 (going down the scale now). This fact is quite fascinating to me. Looking over my blog posts, I see a consistent theme of two steps forward, one step back, sometimes one step forward, two steps back. I think the most difficult thing for me is that I have great self-esteem, and only I would perceive this as a problem - haha! The reason this is a problem is that it keeps me from being motivated from losing weight; I feel good and I'm still cute (self-esteem/narcissism, potato potahto). I don't feel like an overweight person, no one treats me like an overweight person - probably because a lot of us are carrying an extra 10-15 pounds anyway, not that I'm judging - and so I just do my thing. What is my thing? Cooking and baking... AND eating. I happen to love running as well, but not as much as cooking, baking and eating apparently.

What can I say? I do my best. I'm down 7.2 pounds (again) and while I'm happy about that, I also am concerned that when things get busy again in a few weeks with work and German class, that I will, once again, fall of the wagon of eating healthfully and regular exercise. I'm working on week four of my new lifestyle regimen and making a habit of eating well and exercising 5-6 days a week.  Will I keep it up when the going gets tough?  History says, "NO!!" but I want to break this cycle.

What do you do to stay motivated, especially for those of you who have a good sense of self and great self-esteem and are healthy even with extra weight? I'm all eyes (since I'm reading) for what you do to stay motivated.

And the Shoes Came Off!

Well, I've gone and done it.  I've joined the ranks of those "kooky" barefooters.  The Vibrams came off today in a grassy soccer field, which, apparently, is a tremendously great surface to run on.  Not only is it grassy, which is comfortable and soft, but firm because the ground has been packed down quite a bit by those busy-bodied soccer players.  It's the best of both worlds!  I don't have to worry about dips twisting my ankle and it's gentle enough on my pretty virgin feet.

And... believe or not, I actually am following the sound advice of barefooters everywhere, I took it slow.  I only ran around a couple soccer fields, I walked on the pavement and ran across a concrete lined bridge and then I stopped and put my Vibrams back on before I hit the gravel trail.  I'm not brave (or stupid) enough to run on the trail sans shoes quite yet.  One step at a time.  Literally.  It's funny because after I put my Vibrams back on, the minimal amount of material between the soles of my feet and the ground felt really thick.  The mind-body connection while running barefoot is phenomenal.  Wow.

I'm a bonafide barefooter and the abbreviation of my name, Barefoot Emily, is BFE - haha!  That one really cracks me up in my runner's high brain...

Tomorrow, we hit the beach - winter in Los Angeles rules.  Running will be a part of the day.  I hope it's part of yours, too.

Running the Stiff Out

Happy New Year... seven days into it!  Of which, I've exercised five.  No new year's resolutions are coming from this gal, though, since I usually set the bar too high and fail along the way.  One day at a time for me.  I know I'm going to have good days and bad days and that's okay.  I'm just hoping that for the next five weeks that I'm not working that my healthful eating and exercise regimen will become a habit so that I can continue that while I'm back speaking German and teaching art history.  That will be the true test.

Anyway, the real point of this blog is about letting go and staying loose when running.  On the treadmill today (yes, I know I should be out on the trail, but am having some weird aversion to it right now), I was really thinking about my form.  Then I let it go.  Really, I let the idea of how I was running go and just went sort of limp.  I kept running, but let all the tension out of my body, even my facial muscles.  What an amazing relief!  It was only then that I got into a real groove. Actually, it reminded me of this scene from "Friends" when Rachel was pretty embarrassed by how Phoebe ran, but then Rachel realized how much more fun running was when she let go: Phoebe and Rachel running.

I felt more connected to my body because, let's face it, our bodies know what they need to do.  Our brains get in the way much of the time.  I'm an overactive thinker and sometimes that's not a good thing.  When we over-think what we are doing, we tend to wreck what's best for us whether it's exercise or making an important decision.  As human beings, I think we lose sight of and mistrust our instincts in a variety of situations.  I'm always telling students to go with their gut feelings when they are taking exams because those instincts are usually right.  Yet, we tend to push them aside, or more accurately, our brains take over and get mighty bossy.

I wish for you a mindful, yet mindless, 2011.  Take each day at a time.  Don't forget to enjoy whatever you are doing from moment to moment, even if it is eating yet another salad or exercising the sixth day in a row.  Loosen up and have fun!

Meditation on a Fire Extinguisher

I checked out the fitness room at my new place today and reacquainted myself with the elliptical machine.  Yawn.  What a boring device (no offense to those who use them because they are not able to run).  My feet go numb because they are stationary.  I gave it thirty minutes of my time and then switched over to the treadmill.  I put my speed on 5 mph and concentrated on what was outside the window, namely a red fire extinguisher.  I like it when my mind empties and can have singular focus on one thing.  I was in the zone and I could have stayed in the zone for another twenty minutes, but I can't exercise all day long so I limited myself to 45 minutes today.

The benefit of the treadmill is to be able to fixate on one thing while running.  My mind tends to wander a bit and creates "roadblocks" when I'm running out on the asphalt or trail.  The red fire extinguisher allowed me to focus all my attention to it and not pay attention to the time or distance on the treadmill.

The negative aspect of the treadmill is that the surface is not super comfortable.  Sure, I run on trails that have pointy pebbles on them and that's not always comfy, but it's different.  Earth gives under your feet.  Plastic does not.

I guess I'll have to weigh the pros and cons tomorrow when my body tells me whether or not it liked running on the treadmill.  Time will tell.

The Prodigal Daughter Returns

Is it just me or we sensing a theme here?  I write and run, I disappear, and then I come back.  I'm back, at least, for this blog entry.  Whew!  Where do I begin?

It's been almost a month since my last entry and that's mainly due to the fact that we had to move.  Long story short, banks suck, not making enough money sucks, yadda yadda yadda.  We moved to a community in Ventura County called Moorpark. For those of you who don't live in Southern California, it's about 30 miles west and a little north from where we were in Northridge.  We found a great 3-bedroom apartment that is not lacking for anything; in short, we have tons of amenities in our unit and at the complex as a whole.  The city is less expensive to live in, the schools are excellent, and people are quite nice and friendly here.  All in all, we are doing well.  The kids are adjusting beautifully and like their new schools.  There's not a whole lot I can complain about.  In fact, there's nothing that comes to mind.

Anyhow, one of the coolest things about living here is that our building has a river behind it.  Now, for those of you who think of rivers as being rough and rugged places, um, you've not experienced a Southern Californian river.  We like to contain them in concrete.  Yeah, it's classy.  I will say, however, nature is taking its course in taking back some of its territory.  Gabriel and I took a walk back there today as both sides of the river are flanked by dirt paths that stretch for miles.  We saw cranes, ducks, wooly caterpillars, crawfish shells, and lizards.  Gabriel found rocks for collecting and enjoyed throwing rocks into the water.  It was quiet and the sun was shining.

I walked with my Vibrams and I can now say I will be starting out easy running on the paths.  There are tons of little rocks and pebbles and even with the protection of the Vibrams, those rocks are sharp!  My feet are going to have to get used to them before I start running on that surface, but it's going to be so much better than concrete or asphalt.

I'll post pics of the trail and detail how my inaugural walks/runs go soon.  Until then, happy running, people!

Change... 1200 Calories at a Time

What I *should* be doing is studying for my impending German test tomorrow, but I have too much in my brain to study right now.  The one thing that I can at least get off my mind by blogging about it is the recent change to my diet that I made two days ago: eating only 1200 calories a day.  I make a solemn vow now that I will keep this up until Thanksgiving.  I'm really done with faltering on the eating front.  I really do want to lose 30 pounds, so no more excuses.  With the help and support of my "dieting expert" (ooooo, I really don't like that word "dieting" but don't know what else to call it) partner and husband, Dana, I am going to get it done.  A lot of you have seen Dana, so it's a pretty safe bet to call him an expert at this point.

What does 1200 calories look like?  It's rather shocking and kind of sad really.  Unless you are a rabbit, 1200 calories doesn't look like a lot.  For me, it's making better choices that satisfy longer.  This means lean protein.  My favorite go-to food is low-fat cottage cheese.  Damn, that stuff is tasty.  Luckily, I've always loved it plain, so I don't even need a delivery system to go with it.  With that being said, and I digress here, the best delivery system of cottage cheese in my book is potato chips.  Don't knock it until you try it!!!  It's soooooooooo good.  Needless to say, I am NOT eating potato chips right now.  I want to make my calories count!  Other than that, my diet consists of: lettuce (all types), vegetables (mostly non-starchy ones), fruit, lean meats, beans, very few grains (even whole ones are being limited for the next few weeks), a teensy-weensy bit of nuts, and the occasional whole-grain Ak-Mak cracker (blessed be the mighty Ak-Mak!).  I'm hungry a lot of the time, but I'm eating more consistently to keep my metabolism going.  Here's the breakdown:

250 calories for breakfast
300 calories for lunch
75 calories for afternoon snack
500 calories for dinner
75 calories for after-dinner snack

Sometimes I have spare calories from lunch so I add it to my snack in the evening.  I write my calories down, I weigh my food, and consult a calorie counter religiously.

So far, so good, although I have been a bit cranky about being hungry the past couple of days.  This is mainly due to the fact that (close your eyes men out there who don't want to read it) my monthly visitor is here.  Generally, I want to devour lots of things I shouldn't this time of month, and I'm not, so my mood isn't the best, but I'll live.

If anyone has some great tips of how to curb hunger and/or stay satisfied longer with fewer calories I would love to hear about them.  Leave me a comment here or on Facebook.

Until next post...

Nothin' but a Running VFF Woman

I just returned from what was supposed to be a walk, but it turned into a run.  I guess you could say that I'm really a runner now.  However, I made the error of strapping on my old Nike running shoes to walk in since while walking our heels usually make contact with the ground first - I wanted the extra padding.

Big mistake.

First off, my feet felt like they were suffocating.  My toes don't like to be crammed all together unless they're in some super hot three to four inch pointy-toed or peep-toed heels; yes, yes I'm a walking (or running?) contradiction.  Second, I couldn't feel the ground.  I walked for a while, but then I decided to run because I was sick of walking.  I got up to my regular gait and realized how different it felt.  My feet were not really feeling the ground.  Barefoot purists would say that even with VFF I'm not *really* feeling the ground, either, but I felt it a lot more than in these stupid Nikes.  I don't like the way my feet feel when I can't touch the ground and am being blocked by padded soles.  And, finally, I actually felt weighted down.  This may be completely psychological, but I felt like it took more effort to run with these shoes on.

Needless to say, I took them off as soon as I got on my porch.  I walked into my bedroom and said to my husband (who is sick with some stomach bug, poor guy), "I'm never wearing these again.  I'm a Vibram woman all the way.  I hike and run in them, so I'm going to walk in them, too."  He then made a crude comment about not taking them off for other activities and I'll let you guess what that comment was - ha!

Yep.  I'm a total minimalist footwear convert AND a real runner to boot.  Who woulda thunk it?

Unsolicited Advice from Strangers

Sigh.  The strangest thing happened to me today as I was just one block into my run this morning.  A lady in her Toyota Corolla stopped me and told me that I really should be walking rather than running because of damage to my joints.  Wha????????  I have never seen this person before, she's not a neighbor, and even so, WTF?  Who gives advice to people running down the street? And stops them in mid-run?  So bizarre.  When she stopped me, I had to take my ear bud out and keep my feet moving.  At first I thought she was lost since she had passed me earlier.  I'm friendly and my father-in-law calls me a homing pigeon since you could basically drop me anywhere and I'd find my way home.  So expecting a "hey, could you tell me where such and such place is," I stopped.  But noooooooooo.... it was "don't you think you'd get the same health benefit by walking at the same speed because, you know, the damage to your joints from running?!"  Instead of politely saying, "Thanks for your concern, but I don't see how this is any of your business," I stood there dumbfounded explaining my minimalist footwear and how I no longer have joint pain and that I'd been running this way for six months.  I'm still shaking my head at myself.  It was single-handedly the strangest exchange I've had with another human being in a long time.

What it ended up doing for most of my run was that it made me mad.  I was just getting started and usually my first 1/2 mile or so I'm getting in my groove.  It took me most of my route to get in a groove today.  Thanks, Ms. Probably-Never-Have-Run-In-My-LIfe-Driving-Around-In-My-Car-Giving-Random-Runners-Unsolicited-Advice-About-Their-Joints, for being a total groove killer.  Whatevs.

The positive things going on today, however, are 1) eating better and lighter - time to be a weight shedding machine and 2) I went a full 2.5 miles, running about 1.75 miles of it.  I'm sore as all get out because of weight training on Saturday, but at least I know I did something. And like I said before, running is good for what ails ya and today it helped make my muscles a little less sore.

And as a salute to more healthful eating, I'm posting a quick recipe for a Greek-yogurt based dressing on The Domestic Goddess.  Check it out and enjoy!

Blazing Trails

Okay, so maybe I don't really "blaze" trails, but I do enjoy a good hike.  Today the family and I went out to Solstice Canyon in Malibu to see the Tropical Terrace, where a mid-century home once stood, but is now a ruin as a result of a fire in 1982.  Besides the ruins, there is the oldest stone house in Malibu, a single room cabin constructed in 1902.  The latest fire in 2007 claimed anything that was wooden on that structure.  Besides ruined buildings, we enjoyed a trickling creek, a small waterfall and admired the rebound that nature made from that fire three short years ago.

 

It was an amazingly beautiful day for late August: 73 degrees and sunny at the coast (even inland it was only 78 degrees).  The park was moderately busy, but it wasn't overcrowded.  I decided to leave my hiking boots at home and hike in my Vibrams as I've done before.  My big toes felt some fatigue at first as they aren't as strong as they were two months ago, but it wasn't a big deal.  We had some gentle elevation ascents and descents on the way there, but really experienced some elevation gain after we left the ruins.  Unfortunately for Dana and Gabriel, they had fallen at the site of the waterfall.  Dana was carrying Gabriel and lost his footing.  As I was following them, all I could do was watch in horror as they tumbled down some pretty gnarly rocks and yell, "Oh god, oh god, oh god!"  Luckily (and thank goodness), all that was experienced by Dana was a few abrasions on his face and knees, and Gabriel only has a couple of abrasions on his back and small bump on his head.  It could have been so much worse.  Also, a park ranger named James was right there and he washed out their wounds.

We persevered and followed a different path out of the canyon, and this one was an actual trail with dirt and rocks.  And what a climb!  The views were spectacular from the summit and it was amazing to see how far we actually ascended.

That ribbon way down there is the trail we hiked in on.

At the summit - no worse for wear...

Feet!

The best part of the hike happened on our descent - Ian and I started to run. It was footloose and fancy free and we scared a guy with his dog as he had no idea what was closing in on him from up above - he thought we were mountain lions.  Ha!  The freedom to run like that is amazing - I had a huge smile on my face at the bottom.  After Ian and I got more water from the drinking fountains, we raced to the car.  Needless to say, Ian is fast and weighs much less than me, thus he won, but it was exhilarating.  I don't remember the last time I ran like that.  It reminds me of my niece's blog on the same subject, Lessons Learned from an Almost 3-Year-Old. My little great-niece is no dummy, it's all about having fun.  I think most of us adults need to remember that about life.  Yes, we must work hard and life is not always easy, but we all need to have fun as much as possible.  If we can have fun while running, then it's no chore.  Today's hike definitely reminded me of that.

Now I'm tired, but in a really good way.  It's time to wash the trail off my body, namely my feet...

Fall Seven Times. Stand Up Eight.

The title of this blog post is a Japanese proverb.  I think it works well as I have taken a long hiatus from running these past four weeks (yikes) and feel somewhat after this first run like I'm standing up for the eighth time.  I guess this means no more falling off the proverbial wagon, either.

I made the decision over the weekend that I was going to pick up where I left off before I left for my Minnesota vacation today.  As circumstance would have it, NPR posted a story on Facebook about muscle memory this morning, No More Gym? Don't Worry, Your Muscles Remember.  Perfect timing. This study concludes that when you exercise, especially strength train, it doesn't take long for your muscles to get back into shape because they remember what it's like to be in shape.  Well, hallelujah and amen to that!

It was 100 degrees today, so I opted for the after sunset run.  Mind you, it was still pretty hot outside (at 90 degrees) and radiating heat was hitting me from the asphalt, but psychologically when the sun is not beating down on me, I feel more invincible.  As soon as my minimally adorned feet hit the ground, I felt it.  Oh, the electricity!  My feet went into auto-pilot.  I shot off pretty quickly and it felt so good.  Then the burn in my lungs set in...and the side stitch.  But I powered through.  I didn't go as far as I usually do and I walked about 1/4 of the route, but, hey, I got up the eighth time.  And that's all that matters.

Please Consider Following My New Food Blog

Hey Miniskirt followers!  I wanted to let you know that I am now also blogging at The Domestic Goddess here on Blogger.  I had the blog originally on blog.com, but it was getting crazy with all the spam there, so I moved it to Blogger where you're reading this now.  Anyway, it's getting quite a list of recipes for you to try, so mosey on over there and check it out.  You won't be sorry! Thanks!

P.S. I'll be back running soon - it's been an interesting couple of weeks to say the least.

Knee Pain Nonsense

Today my sister sent me a link to her friend, Carla's, blog MizFit Online.  In this blog she writes about finally running 1/4 mile in her Vibram Five Fingers.  First of all, I say yay for her! I never thought myself a runner until I bought these shoes, now I'm a total convert preaching the good news of *almost* barefoot (aka minimalist) running every chance I get.  Anyway, I read through the comments and am always amazed by the misconceptions of barefoot or minimalist running.  Now if done improperly, sure, one can have injuries, but that's with anything.  However, we are really meant to run without thick, padded, spongy shoes, people!  They ruin your body.  I am living proof that the transformation from thick running shoes to thin running shoes is beneficial.  I used to have pain in my left knee and in my lower back because of running in thick padded shoes and I don't have that pain anymore.

So, running isn't the problem, it's the shoes and the technique.  This has been said before, but if you're so skeptical, run down the block/street barefooted and tell me how your foot lands... go on... do it... done yet?  That's right!  You don't strike with your heel first.  It's the last thing that makes contact with the ground.  So why is it that shoe companies - I'm looking at you Nike - make these ridiculous "high heeled" running shoes?  It has something to do with some doctor in the late 1970s in particular who thought the way people were running naturally wasn't natural, thus the padded heel was introduced, thus more injuries from running were introduced.

Like anything, running barefoot, or almost barefoot, takes practice.  I read in Born to Run that running is no different from any other sport where you have to learn how to do it properly.  Most people don't just pick up a tennis racquet or a baseball bat knowing exactly what to do with them, you learn by practicing.  The same goes for proper technique in running with minimalist footwear.  I know I have tons more to learn about how to do it properly, but I think I'm well on my way already.  The descriptions I've read to the videos I've seen seem to be how I'm moving, but I won't know for sure until I go to a clinic of some sort.  I'm waiting for Barefoot Ken Bob to get back from his nationwide clinic tour.  I'm looking forward to running on the beach with him and really learning how to run completely barefoot.

Anyway, I thought I'd never say these words, but I LOVE RUNNING! I think it's time for me to stop blogging and get out there to take advantage of the cool, cloudy morning we are having in late July.  See ya!

Ahhhhh, Los Angeles Asphalt Welcome Home

Tonight was the first time I've had a chance to go out for a run since being home on Wednesday evening.  And I decided to do it after a night of drinking, dancing and general merriment.  Translation: hungover.  But as I've discovered, running is good for what ails me.

It's beautiful out there tonight, warm with a full moon on the rise.  The best part? No bugs, no humidity, and no allergies!  As much fun as I had in Minnesota, running there with those conditions kind of sucked.  And imagine running in the winter - egads!  No thank you!  I'm pretty partial to California, I think I'll stay.  Being home feels good.  Vacations are great, but they do have to end.  Luckily, I get to live in a state that has perpetual vacation weather, perfect for being outdoors and hitting those trails, asphalt or otherwise.

I finished Born to Run and although I really liked the book as a whole, I found the end to be kind of anticlimactic.  I've learned so much about the natural state of running through that book and through many websites.  I preached the gospel of *almost* barefoot running to anyone who would listen, including my dad who was intrigued by my froggish footwear.  I'll never be an ultramarathoner, hell, I'll probably never be a marathoner, but I totally dig feeling that ground under my feet even if it's only for 2-3 miles at a time.  I marvel at my shapely calves every chance I get and relish the feeling of strength in my feet and ankles.

I'm rambling a bit tonight, feeling kind of aimless.  A good night's sleep will fix that.  So with that sentiment, I must hit the shower and crawl into bed with a book.  Goodnight!

Romanticizing the Run

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm reading Born to Run, which is a fascinating true story of a race organized by a man named Micah True, otherwise known as Caballo Blanco, in the Copper Canyons of Northern Mexico.  This is the home to the running people called the Tarahumara.  These are people who run, just for fun, hundreds of miles.  Not only are the Tarahumara involved in this race, but a whole cast of characters of ultramarathoners from the United States that, in my honest opinion, have a screw loose somewhere in their heads (but that's not necessarily a bad thing).  With that being said, I am totally in love with these people.  They are fascinating to me.  I know I could never run a course as treacherous as the Leadville Trail 100 in the Colorado Rockies or the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley... in July, but I am completely enamored by those who do and actually complete them.  

I think why I find the ultramarathoners and Tarahumara so fascinating is the fact that they are so connected to their bodies, but more than that, their mental capacity to keep pushing themselves to the absolute limits is amazing to me.  I feel so wimpy barely running 2.5 miles and whining about the humidity and allergies in Minnesota.  I know a lot of my "stuff" is mental and I'm trying to get beyond that.  I have had great runs where I feel like I could run forever, but lately, something is blocking me.  Excuses: the sun, the humidity, my lung capacity, blah blah blah... they torment me.  I want to be present and in a meditative state when I run and I'm not finding it these days.  Don't get me wrong, I still like being out there, feet to the ground, breath in my lungs, I just wish it would be a bit more magical.  That's where the romance of ultrarunning comes in.  The capacity to even be that present, to have that determination is something I would like to have to even do 5k.

So, runners out there, what are your tricks to get into (and out of) your head when you run?  How do you attain your running nirvana?