Pretending to be an Optimistic Runner

Today is the birthday of the most optimistic runner I know, and I just had to write a quick blog post in her honor.

Birthday Girl is a runner who organizes other runners, motivates other runners, and approaches running (and pretty much every challenge) with enthusiasm and optimism.

I will never forget being out on a run with her group one Saturday morning a few years ago. It was SO HOT you couldn’t breathe even when you were standing still. Sweat was rolling off my arms in just the first half mile. If it hadn’t been for the accountability of my fellow runners, I would have walked home immediately.

Halfway up the steepest hill on the running route, she turned around, big grin on her face, and shouted back cheerfully “Yeah! SWEAT out those toxins!!!”

She was serious.

Birthday Girl cheered all the Boston Marathon runners on in the dreary rain this year, and I bet the weather felt a little less dismal for the runners as they passed her spot on Route 16. She is so genuine, her cheering is so real, you feel you’ve been touched by some sort of brightness and light when you’re in her presence.

Sometimes when I’m running I pretend I have her level of optimism. I’ll approach a big hill and think “YEAH, this hill is going to make me feel STRONGER!!!” and this strategy works for me, not because I believe it, but because I find it so hilarious to pretend that I’m an optimist when I’m actually inventing new combinations of swear words. I’m laughing the whole way up the hill at how hysterical it is to pretend that I’m thinking “I eat hills for breakfast!” when I’m really thinking things I’ll never publish in a blog post.

In her honor, I want to recommend this same strategy to you on your next run. Think to yourself, what would Birthday Girl manage to say with a genuine smile? Whether voicing those positive thoughts helps you believe them, or makes you laugh because they’re such a deviation from what your legs are trying to communicate to your brain, I promise, you’ll feel happier.

Trust me.

You love that your Garmin wouldn’t connect to satellites, because it’s so freeing to run based on how you feel!

This hill is making you WAY stronger.

Getting lost on your run is amazing because now you’ve automatically met your mileage goal for the week!

How awesome is it that your pace dropped and you’re late getting home to your babysitter, you’ve been wanting to teach the kids to survive on their own while you shower!

Whew, it is totally fabulous that 5 a.m. was the only time you had free to run today, because how CLEAR are these roads of traffic?!

OMG I LOVE RUNNING THIS IS SO GREAT. (lol.)

Deep down, I know that this wonderful runner faces the same daily challenges we all do… and I imagine there are times when she chooses to express the optimistic side and is secretly swearing in her head like the rest of us. I have a deep respect for her ability to find and share the silver lining, over and over again, in a way that makes people around her appreciate the good in any situation. If you’ve done what you can to address the bad, there’s not much use focusing on it when you could highlight the good in your mind instead.

So in her honor, I’m going to try to start chanting strong, strong, strong, strong in my head instead of the F-Bomb the next time my calves are burning.

Happy running… don’t forget to sweat out those toxins 😉

Watch Out for The Finish Line: Why it could derail your running

9 years ago • 0 Comment • Motivation

I just finished reading Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin. It was such an enjoyable read (I love self improvement) and packed with common sense analysis about why certain strategies for habit formation work better than others, and better for some people than others.

The Motivation Strategy to Watch Out For: The Finish Line.

As Gretchen Rubin explains in her book, whether we sign up for a race, start a 30 day “cleanse” diet, or give up something for Lent, we’re putting an end-date on our habits. That finish line, once crossed, is an invitation to quit for good. It’s a stopping point, and it’s often harder to start the habit a second time than it was the first. Diets have a particularly poor track record. Losing weight doesn’t matter if post-diet you immediately resume the eating habits that facilitated weight gain to begin with. Better to make a gradual life-style change you plan to stick with forever, whether it’s a green smoothie for breakfast three times a week, or only vegetables or fruits for snack.

This “finish line” phenomenon is especially relevant for running, because we often have to take a break after a long race. We taper beforehand, and recover afterwards, and that can result in several weeks when we’re barely running. A break like that can be hard to come back from.

I’m not usually tempted to give up running after a big race, but I do know that long distance races wreak havok on my ability to form a running habit. When I am training for a half marathon, I need to schedule a long run for the week. It’s hard to find a 3 hour block of time to dedicate to running, stretching and showering, and I usually don’t run the day before or afterwards. There were plenty of times in the past when I would have liked to have gone for a run, and had time, but chose not to so I wouldn’t jeopardize a long run scheduled for the next day. Then something would happen so I had to reschedule my long run (sick kid home from preschool, change in weekend plans, etc.) and I’d be out TWO runs instead of just the one… and still avoiding any difficult workouts in hopes of squeezing that long run in as soon as possible.

I find training for races to be motivating and rewarding. It’s rare that I don’t know someone at the start line, so they’re often social opportunities, too. Knowing I plan to run my 6th half marathon in the fall motivates me even now, months from the start line, because I need a good running base before I even start training for that distance.

That said, a race might be a great way to start your habit, but the real test is what happens after you cross the finish line. Will you stick with it enough to feel happy, and not guilty, about your running habit?

Like racing? Here are a few strategies to keep your running habit intact in between events:

Sign up for your next race before you hit the start line: If a race is what motivates you to get our running shoes on and get out the door, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But it might help you to sign up for another one before you cross the finish line

Have a reverse taper schedule: Decide, in advance, when you’re going to start running again. Allow some wiggle room for adequate recovery and how your body is feeling after the race, but have a game plan. Runner’s World has some suggestions for half marathon and full marathon recovery plans: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/how-can-i-recover-from-my-half-or-full-marathon

Have “off season” goals: Decide that you’re going to run 3 days a week, at least 10 miles a week even when you’re not training for a race, or whatever. Pick a baseline goal to help keep you healthy, happy, and ready to pick up your training for the events you enjoy. Make it a manageable, minimal goal that fits in with your lifestyle in between those motivating races.

Schedule a run with a friend a week or two after your big race: This works particularly well for what Gretchen Rubin refers to as “obligers” or people who find it easy to uphold expectations other people have of them, but hard to follow through on expectations they have of themselves. If you’re an obliger, you may find it easier to follow through with your reverse taper schedule if you plan to meet up with a friend for a run, because you won’t want to let them down. Just getting out there again could be all you need to jump back into your running!

Who’s the fastest kid on the block? Just ask Strava!

10 years ago • 1 Comment • Motivation

Greg recently found out about a cool website called Strava. It’s a website that allows you to upload your running (or cycling) data from Garmin, Suunto, Timex, Tomtom or Soleus, and see where you stack up against other runners in your area.

Runners create “segments” from their uploaded data, such as a certain 3 mile loop or a specific hill climb. Strava automatically looks for all the people who have completed that segment as part of a run, and displays the amount of time it took that person to complete it. It crowns the top female and male as Queen or King of the Mountain for that particular segment, displays a leaderboard, and lets you know how many attempts have been made by what number of people.

Now that I’ve connected it to my Garmin Connect account, my runs will automatically be uploaded into Strava with no additional work from me, and any segments I happen to cross will have my time added to the list. I can specifically seek out segments near me and try to move up on the leader-board, or just compete against my own previous times.

This morning, I tested it out with my first run. I decided to create a segment of a road in my neighborhood “Summit Rd”, so I can REALLY be Queen of the Mountain, and then I ran it as fast as humanly possible.

I was in luck – although three other people have crossed that segment on their runs, none of them was booking it at an all-out-war pace. (I know this for a fact, because #2 is my husband, and #3 is one of our neighbors, and they’re both a lot faster than I am.) Therefore, I am currently not just Queen of the Mountain, I’m #1 on the leaderboard also, with a 6:49 average pace for the .3 mile run. (What’s up now. Yes, that decimal is placed correctly.)

You can follow people, comment or give them kudos on their run, and compare your mileage to theirs. What a great tool for keeping track of mileage with a running partner! With the number of ways you can upload, it’s nice that you can check out someone’s progress even if they have a different GPS device than you do. I could encourage a friend with similar goals to hit a specific goal, and we could check on each other with Strava and give encouragement.

I’ll tell you this – I would not have been running sub seven minute pace down Summit Rd. this morning in the rain if I hadn’t known I was going to upload it to Strava and create a segment. I wanted the crown! Thanks for the speed workout, Strava.

I think Strava could be a great tool for connecting to other runners and staying motivated. I don’t think I’ll be claiming too much territory any time soon (creating your own segment that no one else really runs doesn’t exactly count in my book) but I love the idea of trying to get on the board and move up in a couple places. If I’m targeting a segment rather than just crossing it as part of a longer run, I could “compete” against stronger runners than myself. It’s a great way to motivate myself to get out there and see how fast I can run that hilly road nearby.

It might even be a way to meet other runners in my area. Like that Greg Caiazzo guy… he looks pretty cool.

Repost: My Most Popular Blog Post of All Time

10 years ago • 3 Comments • 13.1 Training, Motivation

A year ago today, I wrote a blog post in response to a Wall Street Journal article. I wanted to make sure that any of my readers who chanced upon the article didn’t take the author’s negativity to heart. Little did I know that my post would become a top google search response and have several thousand hits per hour the afternoon that I wrote it. It was even translated into French and quoted by Slate.fr.

My blog quickly dipped back down to hundreds of readers rather than thousands… but on that one day, I wrote something and unexpectedly had the opportunity to influence thousands. I’m humbled, and grateful, because if I could have chosen one article to share with the world, it would have been this one.

Here’s what I wrote:

Recently someone called attention to a rather snide article in the Wall Street Journal opinion section called “OK, You’re a runner. Get over it.” The article, by Chad Stafko, ditches on 13.1 and 26.2 bumper stickers, on wearing race t-shirts in public, and jokes (I hope it’s a joke) that the only reason someone would “get up at 5 a.m. and run 10 miles adorned with fluorescent tape” is because “there is no more visible form of strenuous exercise than running” and in this age of social media, we crave attention and want to be seen. Umm, right… because all the people I know are up at 5 a.m. looking out their windows to see if the person running by in reflective gear is someone they know, so they can then applaud them for it later.

Maybe we get up and do it because exercising makes us feel good, reduces our risk of heart attack and disease, gives us the pleasure of working towards goals and achieving them, and is an amazing way to get outside in the fresh air year round.

Maybe we enjoy advertising our distances because we like connecting to other runners, and inspiring people to start running because they look at us and realize how many normal people are doing it and how accessible it is.

Maybe we wish we lived in a country where more people were healthy and active, so we didn’t have to worry about friends, neighbors and relatives who are at higher risk for heart disease, type two diabetes, and stroke, and who aren’t living the same quality of life because they don’t exercise regularly. Maybe every bumper sticker is an advertisement for a better way of living, not just a way to stroke our own egos by advertising our accomplishments. Dear cars on the road, I see your Tony’s Donuts bumper sticker and I raise you one 13.1 bumper sticker.

In a world filled with advertising, we are advertising something healthy… something positive… something free. And I guess, to Chad Stafko, something offensive.

In his defense, this guy is a journalist. His job is to write entertaining, edgy articles that people want to read. Perhaps in his world, snarky and controversial = funny, and offensive = viral. It takes extra creativity to be funny without being negative, and it’s a lot easier to harp on some runners for advertising their joy of running than it is to take on big businesses for things that are actually harmful. Maybe he was having a lazy day, or maybe it really bugs him that so many people are happy to be exercising. His tone when writing about the rise in the popularity of running certainly made it sound like lots of runners isn’t a good thing.

I write a whole blog about running. I have some good guesses as to what Chad Stafko would say about THAT. But for every Chad Stafko, I’ve got people writing me e-mails and comments thanking me for helping them stay motivated to keep running, because they love the change it’s made in their lives. There it is, right there – the positive impact of being public and talking about running is real. The negative impact of irritating someone who thinks you’re an egomaniac for displaying your interest in running? Let me just say, it’s probably not their biggest problem.

I suspect anyone annoyed by the sight of my 13.1 sticker or someone in a coffee shop wearing their race t-shirt is probably unsatisfied with their own life or level of fitness, and should do something about it. Does it bother me when I see someone in a zumba t-shirt or with an ironman bumper sticker? Um, no. Not at all. It might even give me something to talk to them about in line at the grocery store. I found something active that I love to do, and I’m doing it. I would be ecstatic to learn that you’ve done the same.

Maybe I’m crazy, but I like seeing people posting selfies of themselves at the gym, or doing something awesome. I stay on Facebook so I can see my friends’ photos and updates, and nothing makes me happier than seeing my friends doing things they’re proud of and happy about. Please – tell me you’ve taken up kayaking, lost some weight, joined a gym, started eating healthier, or won first place with your bowling league. I LOVE IT. If you have photos, that’s even better.

I’m irritated by this article because when I think about the impact, I don’t see any positive outcomes. Someone who dislikes seeing people’s bumper stickers about their race distances is going to feel validated in their own inactivity, or their inability to be pleased about the accomplishments of others. Someone who motivated themselves to get off the couch and get active in part because they were excited to earn themselves a specific shirt or car magnet now feels embarrassed that they’re proud of themselves for doing something difficult to improve their health and their lives. That’s a lot more lame than a run-brag, if you ask me.

If you’ve found something that you love, that brings you joy, that’s healthy and harmless, I hope you do advertise it. Get people thinking about it, show that it’s an interest of yours and answer questions if a beginner approaches you. Get yourself a t-shirt proclaiming that you knit, or you’re a tennis freak, or you think rock climbers are some of the most awesome people ever.

Seeing evidence of your successes, your accomplishments, and your passions makes me happy, because I want that for everyone. And the more of us who show we’ve found it, whatever IT is, the more people around us will be inspired to find something of their own that makes them happy enough to wear a t-shirt with it emblazoned across their chests.

Go ahead, Chad Stafko, buy that 0.0 bumper sticker you have your eye on. It shows what makes you happy.

Anyone have some bragging they’d like to do? Because if you do, I’m happy for you, and I’d really like to hear it.

Run Long, Travel Strong!

10 years ago • 1 Comment • Motivation, My Running

20080804-DSC_5341-001 — Greg and I on a dinner tour of the Seine in 2009.

I’m excited because for the first time, EVER, I’m going to spend a weekend in a beautiful city as a running tourist!

Greg is going on a business trip, and on his way back he connects through Paris where I’m meeting him for a few days, no kids. (YIKES!) We’ve been together once before, our last vacation as a couple before I became pregnant with Will. I loved it. It was beautiful. Heaven for someone with my appreciation of champagne and baguettes.

Before we had children, back when I wasn’t a runner, of my least favorite things about traveling was how tired I would get. It was hard to be on my feet all day sight seeing. Even with breaks for leisurely meals, walking the city and the museums most of the day took a toll on me.

Now, that I can run for 2 hours and 17 minutes without stopping, I can handle being on my feet for more of the day. Think of how much I’ll see on a 5-7 mile run along the Seine, soaking in Parisian culture and architecture. I’ll see so much more than I would on a two mile walk. And I’ll probably still have enough energy for a 10 mile bike ride in the afternoon!

I can’t wait to put on my running shoes and experience Paris on foot. Then I can’t wait to rent a Velib bike and experience Paris by bicycle! The beautiful Bois de Bologne, is only a few miles from our hotel.

Living an active lifestyle will have real-world rewards when I hit Paris. My endurance training for half marathons will translate not just to seeing more of Paris, but having the energy to enjoy what I’m seeing. The thought of wandering the Louvre for a few hours won’t make my legs want to cry. They can handle it.

I can’t wait to take this new body on vacation and see how much life it can enjoy.

20080804-IMG_2021 — I remember how tired I was in this photo. Look at my posture, and how defeated I look. Look at how many stairs I have left. Think it’ll be different now that I’m a half-marathoner? I do.

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