Like a Girl

Catching up on some articles I bookmarked before our trip, I read this goodie from Runner's World. The article is written about the video below, and is about the difference between how little girls and young women view the term "like a girl." It's exactly what I thought about on my run this morning, pushing myself. Worth the watch and read!

"There is no proven way to teach girls that running like a girl, hitting like a girl or thinking like a girl is a compliment – other than living it."

Managing it All

Each year when August rolls around and school returns, I feel like I'm relearning how to manage, with easy, all the moving pieces of life - how to juggle hours worth of lesson planning without feeling I've lost my whole weekend, how to allow for mid-week mental breaks, how to stay in better contact with loved ones far away, and literally how to find time to just get it all done. I'm so fortunate to have friends who know me so well, but when I was telling a friend the other day about this desire to better balance my professional and personal lives, she responded with something to the effect of, "You're always working on this." And she's completely right. I certainly am inching closer to developing more solid habits that help me to find the balance, but I have a sneaking suspicion that just when I think I've got it all together, new things will magically appear to fill my time. Of course, I want to get better about managing it all, but I don't think I'll ever get to that much-desired state of having endless free time that I so deeply think I desire. I don't think it's about getting it all done to free up time, but rather, about carving out time that's set aside for myself - my me time. There will always be more to do, but if I don't take the time to occasionally put myself first, who will?

Of course, that's where running comes in. In the race to do it all at work over this first months back, I had definitely been in a running lull and that's okay. But as I start to get back into a routine, I notice what I was missing. Time for myself doesn't usually just appear in front of me, carved out and ready to go. Just as I continue to practice on the balance beam of life, I continue to see the place running has in that act. It's not everyone's thing (I guess they call these things "hobbies"), but after nearly four years (!), I have come to recognize that's it mine. 

Today I saw this quote - "It is an ironic habit of human beings to run fast when we have lost our way" (Rollo May) - and I laughed. I love that, because it's so honest and true. Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed or inadequate at work, my gut reaction is to pour my time in to make everything better really quickly, but there comes a point when you need to take a step back and find your way. 

So despite all the reasons I could find to avoid running at this moment, I'm embracing i. With open arms, as my reset, my (cold) deep  breath, and my scheduled me time.

Words from the Wise

"Remember the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running." - Sarah Condor

Best Run of My Life!

Finally - the best blog post ever about the best run on the best day of my life. Okay, enough of trying to make you gag. Just know that this will do all my thoughts and feelings little justice, but I will try!

So about a week-and-a-half ago (July 29 to be exact), Ryan and I set out for a nice, early morning 5 miles around his neighborhood. We went to a park near his house and decided to run a few loops there to start. We noticed a new path/walkway leading up to the amphitheater there/big field in front of it and decided to stop on the second loop to check it out (any excuse to stop is always welcomed in my book).  While we were standing there, Ryan made a comment about his headphones not working right. He unplugged them and started pulling them out from under his shirt and there was a ring looped around the cord. You can imagine my surprise...or maybe you can't. I WAS SURPRISED. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him and of course, I said YES!

Needless to say, we did not finish the run (which has been subsequent runs a little challenging...what? no stopping to give me a present?). After taking a few minutes to enjoy the moment/take it all in, we headed back to Ryan's parents' house and when we walked up, I saw my parents' car in the driveway and immediately started crying...again. A nice little RunKeeper shout out - they were all tracking us so they could see when we were heading back. Anyway, I couldn't have been happier to have them there to be part of the celebration. Ryan's brother, Sean, and his girlfriend, Sarah, were in town from California and I was so happy to have them be part of the moment too. Champagne for everyone!

The entire day was an amazing whirlwind. This summer has treated me incredibly well and I've thought a lot about how great it would be if we could "bottle up" good feelings and memories so we never lose their strength or clarity. I've never wanted it more than in that moment, yet I quickly realized that we are blessed to have a lifetime of those moments ahead us. The love, support, cards, and kind words we have been showered with from our friends and family in these past weeks has been incredible and I feel lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful people, both in body and spirit (since they live far away, not because I'm friends with ghosts...uhh). 

One of my most favorite running/life quotes is from Kara Goucher: That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful life is. More and more, I've seen, or rather, felt, the truth in this. Sometimes, the good is so good and it's hard to conceive how you got that lucky. I've thought a lot this summer about the feeling you used to get jumping off the high-dive as a kid - that incredible rush and release, the feeling of being on-top-of-the-world and screaming your head off and laughing afterwards at just how crazy wonderful it was....and that's how I feel. Running is the big-kid form of the high-dive high. Oftentimes, running is seen as stress manager, but it can also be a break from the day-to-day routine to take time to appreciate the good in your life and reflect. If running is my high-dive high, then I anticipate there will be a lot of it in this next year...and in all the years of our life together :O). 

Find Your Greatness

Mid-run engagement post to come soon, but in the meantime, I loooove this commercial. Snaps to Nike for hitting the nail on the head yet again!

Serious Fun Network/North Star Reach

"I wish I could recall with clarity the impulse the compelled me to help bring camp into being. I'd be pleased if I could announce a motive of lofty purpose. I've been accused of compassion, of altruism, of devotion to Christian, Hebrew, and Moslem ethic, but however desperate I am to claim ownership of a high ideal, I cannot. I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck: the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in lives of others: made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it." - Paul Newman 


A few years ago, I had the good fortune of getting involved with the Serious Fun Network (then known as the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps) and since 2007, these amazing camps have only further inched their way into my heart. Paul Newman founded the first camp in Connecticut in the very year I was founded, and the network has continued to grow since then. The camps are designed to give children with life-altering conditions and illnesses the chance to simply be kids in a safe and loving environment.  Spending a week at The Painted Turtle and a week at Hole in the Wall Gang Camp left such an imprint that I wanted to do my part to help send children to camp (because yes, it's free!). This was the push I needed to commit to my first half-marathon, which I ran as part of Team Hole in the Wall. 


About a month after I moved out to Michigan last summer, I learned of North Star Reach, a provisional member of the Serious Fun Network, being built just 30 miles from where I live! Last month, before leaving for New Orleans, I had the wonderful honor of accompanying 3 kids to their first week of magic at Hole in the Wall Gang Camp as part of the Camp on the Move program. This initiative sends deserving children to a camp already in existence while one closer to them is being built. This summer, 30+ kids were sent from Michigan to three different Hole in the Wall camps - Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Connecticut, Victory Junction in North Carolina, and Double H in New York. As a travel chaperone, my job was to help the kids get to the fun....and then sadly turn around and come back! Due to the craziness of this summer, I'm not able to spend a full week at camp, but I still wanted to be involved and even if it was only for about an hour (the length of a very tasty lunch, thank you very much!), it was so great being back at Hole in the Wall and it made me want to share the love with all those I love....so expect forceful invitations to get involved and volunteer in summers to come!


Yesterday, I started reading Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good, written by Paul Newman and his partner, A. E. Hotchner, about the start of mass producing salad dressing, the creation of Newman's Own, and the beginning of Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and its related camps. While I knew funding for each camp did not solely come from Newman's Own, I didn't know that to this day, 100% of all profit is donated to charity - WOWZAS! The book was an easy, quick read (did I mention I finished it today?), and it made me feel all the emotions of a good book - happiness, hopeful, love, and appreciation - and I would recommend it to all. It's a good reminder of the importance of giving to others, as well as eating quality pasta sauce. 

What is Running?

"Games require skill. Running requires endurance, character, pride, physical strength, and mental toughness. Running is a test, not a game. A test of faith, belief, will, and trust in one's self. So hardcore that it needs a category all to itself to define the pain. When game players criticize, it's because they aren't willing to understand, not because they're stronger. Running is more than a sport; it's a lifestyle. If you have to ask us why we run, you'll never understand, so just accept." - Jessica Propst 

Hope Express 2012 - Part 1

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." - Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own

wow. wow. wow.

It is going to take several days and many posts to even attempt to get down all I want, or rather need, to about this past weekend. There are so many aspects, epiphanies, people, thank you's, memories, moments, messages of love. I'm beyond grateful for the fact that I have this week off, because I have no idea how I would have been able to so quickly resume normal life. This extra week gives me a buffer, allows me time to even try to digest it all.

Throughout the whole experience, starting months ago before I even knew I'd be running as part of this year's team, I have been completely taken with the incredible amount of support from my family and friends, both close and extended. There were several times throughout the run where I literally had no words - cheers from the passing RV, my #1 cheerleader camped out along the course and jumping out to run with me, the constant support from our incredible moralers, mail call letters that brought me to tears - I honestly just put my hands over my heart. There were, and still are, no words for the overwhelming gratitude I feel. With both teams, Hope Express is compromised of 23 runners, but it is SO much more than that - it is a dozen drivers who are ON for a full 24+ hours; it's the incredible moralers who never stopped cheering us on; it's the family and friends who came out to support us along the route from Hershey to State College; it's the literally hundreds of people who supported us with their donations, their mail, their kind words and well wishes.

I can't help but think of how magical life would be if we all worked together like that all the time. When a group of people come together for a common purpose, it is quite magical. For me, running represents commitment, hard work, and challenge, and the 140 miles we covered from Hershey to Penn State consisted of all of that. Our course was brutal, but the way everyone supported one another made it possible. I was in awe of my teammates and how awesome they were, and while I was terrified leading up to the event that I wasn't good enough, wouldn't be able to do my part, the amount of love and support I felt from so many important people in my life - people I've known for years and people I just met - helped me to do my part.

Thank you Nike!

“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you.

You ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles. Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior.

You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmer’s tan.

You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be man about it. You decided to be woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just kept putting mile after mile on your interval odometer. For 25 years, you ran. And we ran with you. How much farther will we go? As far as you will.”

"In the end I have to hold myself accountable. It is my career and my responsibility to do what I need to do to be the best I can be. I had to make a change if I really wanted to reach the goals I had set for myself. I had to get out of being comfortable and get into a situation that was going to really push me." - Kara Goucher

running = more room for birthday cake.

This quote has been sitting in my inbox and I had to laugh when I reopened it to post it and realized it's from my new celeb crush...sigh...

"That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful life is." - Kara Goucher

Birthdays (well....just mine really...), especially those which coincide with the anniversary of this blog and my relationship with running, make me particularly nostalgic, and as always, I do appreciate the chance to step back and reflect. I think about all the highs (even the lows, which I can still appreciate) I've felt this past year connected to running. I think about the top-of-the-world-and-how-the-heck-did-I-get-here?! feeling of completing TWO half-marathons, the incredible sense of gratitude running the middle of the night as part of Hope Express (and let's be honest...that entire experience, being surrounded by so many incredible people and amazing runners!), runs in the dark at night with Lani, running in the early morning with Lindsay, running (because yes...again..it DID happen) a sliver of the NYC Marathon with Sindy....runs in the early morning to avoid the heat and runs in the peak of the day to avoid the coldest cold. Runs through PA, NY, at the boardwalk along the beach, in New Orleans, through Montreal, in DC, in Vegas (okay okay...a treadmill in Vegas. I'm not THAT hardcore), literally ACROSS Central Pennsylvania, through the paths at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, around Villanova (big shoutout of love to the "first race!"), weaving through State College and Penn State....

May this next year be filled with so many more wonderful memories made running with friends, FAMILY (that's right...it's going to happen!!!), and I'm proud to even say, sometimes all by myself!

together without limits!

There is so much I want to write, so many thoughts running through my head, that I need time to sort through, so there will be certainly be a follow-up to this attempt at a coherent post. Nevertheless, I wanted to write down SOMETHING about what an amazing weekend I had!

It seems all too perfect that the theme for this year's THON was "Together Without Limits." What the Hope Express team did this past week proved just that. When people come together with the same passion and drive to achieve something, it's unbelievable what can be accomplished. Leading up to this weekend, I spoke countless times about the 135-miles that separated the kids at Hershey Medical that wouldn't be attending THON and the 46-hour Dance MaraTHON at Penn State, and the journey I would take with 14 other runners to bridge the gap between the two special places. I thought about it again and again, but until it was done, until I covered those 135-miles, did I realize how crazy of a dream it was for it to ever even be dreamt. I am SO PROUD of my teammates for how hard they pushed, both themselves and each other, to make sure we did our part in bringing hope to these incredible families who fight every day against pediatric cancer. The journey was amazing, and I feel so fortunate to not only have been a part of this incredible experience with them, but to now know them and be part of a family with them. What we shared in those 24+ hours will forever be etched in my heart, and will certainly push me, all the rest of my days, to be the best I can be. You inspire me and I hope that I can touch lives the way you have touched mine.

Charles Millard, the father of Christopher Millard whose loss in his fight against cancer began the Four Diamonds Fund, spoke in the last hours of THON today and he shared the quote: "When we do things for ourselves, they die with us. When we do things for humanity, they live on forever." There's nothing I can even say in response to that...those words say it all right there.

why hello!

It's been a while, and I haven't forgotten about you, dear blog! I have a lot to write about, but it all comes down to this:

"When I think about running, it feels like the best 45-minute investment I make in a day. It's enjoyable, it makes me feel better, and it's probably paying dividends way into the future. Running is a really easy choice." - John Fixx, son of running legend Jim Fixx

I have really worked, this past week, to make time to run, and to make sure I am "fighting through" the ughhhh moments to get dressed, stretch, and get going, because I know once I do, I really love it and feel great!

More to come soon....NYC Marathon! Philadelphia Half&Marathon! Hope Express Training! Oh my!

detox

No, I haven't forgotten about you bloggy boo. I think this time apart is important. At times, I'm worried that we're over, despite the progress we've made in our relationship, but today, as I was finally working on my thank you notes to all the amazing people who supported me during my training (I hate that my appreciation is so delayed...no reflection of how fortunate I know I am!), I realized how amazing not only race day was, but training overall. Just because we're taking time apart doesn't mean I won't come crawling (or running...but more likely crawling) back. I recently received two really awesome quotes, one just before the half-marathon and one just after...

"The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at." - Jesse Owens

"Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals." - Henry Ford

Even now, it's hard to remember, to believe I reached what was once just a goal of mine, and that sums it up perfectly. I think we all too easily get overwhelmed with the idea, scared of failing. It's important to keep our eyes on the goal, even if the goal is simply making time to just run at all, and not get distracted or overwhelmed by all the other things.

big picture

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of."

-PattiSue Plumer

When I decided run a half-marathon, back in April, a large factor in my decision was the need to prove to myself I could have a goal and work hard, over an extended period of time, to reach it. Aside from this being something I have wanted to do for a while, it was a lot about the "chase," about trying my persistence.

Today was my LAST LONG RUN before race day! I ran ten miles - TWO DIGITS?! - and wow! I have thought about race day so much, but the idea of actually running that much...I can't believe I did it? It doesn't even make sense?! About two miles before the end, I was thinking about what finishing the half-marathon in two weeks will feel like. I have imagined this moment before, but never in such a realistic way...in that it could really happen? And I have no idea where it came from, but mid-run, I actually got a little chocked up! People who know me know I am very in touch with my emotions (let's not get crazy and call me EMOTIONAL or anything), so this isn't totally out of character for me...but I was surprised with what a strong reaction I had at the thought of being so far from where I started. Especially with the start of school inching closer and closer, I can't help but use this as a reminder of what's possible, and how badly we short ourselves when we don't keep our head up, skip ahead to a song that makes us push on, and just imagine the reality of crossing the finish line.

Factors

I read an article yesterday about education reform, and how it's impossible to easily replicate the success of model schools when looking at low-performing schools, because there are SO many factors that impact school success (ah duh). During my run today, I made a text-to-self connection (old habits die hard?). There are so many factors that impact my/anyone's running: weather, humidity, mood, what I ate, how well I slept, my feelings, my mood, my ATTITUDE, the music that randomly plays, what I'm thinking about. While there are certainly things in my control (I'm beginning to notice an attitude theme going on here..), there are many things that are out of my control, or that at this point, I have yet to learn to control. While certain combinations make for better runs than others, it's not that easy. Some days, my runs will be harder and some days, I'll feel a little less like I'm going to collapse at the end. What I can/NEED to do is keep my head up (literally...I look down at the ground a lot when I'm run, most likely a result of the big fall back in May) and be mindful of that.

Sindy shared a quote with me when I first began training that really stuck with me, and I think captures this whole thing:

"There will be days when I don't know if I can run a half-marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing that I have." - Unknown

back at it!

After Tuesday's SPLAT, I decided to skip out on running Thursday to give my bruised knee a little time to return to its normal color. I must admit, I missed running! And as I knew would happen, it was a little difficult to get up and at it today (routine was broken!). Nevertheless, I went for a short run and it was good! Back on schedule! Also, I must quickly note a correction to an earlier post. I didn't see the Phanatic statue at the Art Museum last weekend because...there isn't one!

On another note, Gina sent me this quote last week, from former Flyers player Bobby Clarke. Friday's game should be a beautiful reminder to never give up hope, and to keep on believing...whether it's couch potato committing to a half-marathon or a group of halloween-colors clad gentlemen who may or may not have all their teeth.

"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's
the pain - and you've got to work your way through the pain. You
know, lately it seems all you hear is? Don't overdo it' and? Don't
push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the
human body, it will respond."
- Bob Clarke

Share-worthy Quote

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."
- John Bingham, running writer and speaker

I likeeee it! MS Walk tomorrow morning! Fingers crossed ONLY sun!