Northern Soul

‘Where where do you belong
And where is it you long to be
Far away from all of this
Out where the lights from town can’t be seen

And where where does the soul reside
Is it deep down in the bone
Fighting the flesh for freedom to roam
Just aching to go back home’
–GLOSSARY/Your heart to haunt (Feral Fire)

This song reminds me of being up north.  This past weekend I had an opportunity to run on the Gandy Dancer State Trail near the Siren, WI trail head.  It was pretty amazing, I was running on the trail near dusk (7-8ish) and I think I even saw a bear crossing the trail far ahead of me.

Family hike looking for the rare Calypso Orchid up north

Right now I have my training plans pretty well laid out and I think I’m getting in the sync of fitting in workouts, etc.  Though I did get a weird bug this week that caused me to feel extremely lethargic with a really, really bad headache for about three days (no, I’m not making this up as an excuse not to run)  which caused me to miss a couple workouts, but nothing too serious.  I also attempted to do the Whole30 diet (similar to the Paleo diet, but at least this diet acknowledges how unlikely it is that there’s any scientific basis to intentionally eating like a Cave Person. “Cave People” had like a 25 year life expectancy).  Anyway, I did the Whole30 for less than a whole week before I realized I really like half and half in my coffee.  Frankly, I think it has to be just as good for you as the equally processed ‘coconut milk’ I could’ve used as a substitute.  I did however successfully avoid most sweets and only succumbed to jelly beans once when I was feeling particularly crappy so all in all, I consider this past week and half a huge success.

TRAINING UPDATES:

For training I’ve decided to do my long run on road or non-technical trails, two days per week dedicated to running on more technically difficult trails and hills and two days per week just wherever I can run, treadmill, trail, road, whatever (because this is a public blog I’m not going to post specific locations or when but if you know me and ever want to run with me, just let me know).  I’m also doing the Gorrilla Workout series (it’s a cell phone APP you can check out for a couple bucks, each day it only takes about 10 minutes and it LOOKS easy but I think you’ll be surprised if you actually try it.  Burpees suck!  Another APP I really love is Full Fitness, it describes in detailed written description AND video how to do just about every lift imaginable as well as walks you through all of the typical gym equipment.  It’s a lifesaver for someone like me that takes a really long time to figure out physical activities and needs to see something over and over again before I “get” it. I don’t say this as self-depricating, it’s just simply true, I’ve never been a particularly “good” athlete, and I certainly have no natural talent other than just stubborn persistence.  Though I actually have two different gym memberships, I prefer my own weights and weight bench at home, mostly because it’s at my house and I can wear whatever I want, don’t have to feel self-conscious and can really focus on my technique and not if I smell or look gross at the gym, etc.  It was suggested to me by my old trainer to purchase these weights, they save space, they work SO well, I absolutely love them.  Along with these weights and assorted exercise videos, at home I have a weight bench, a treadmill, and an elliptical.  That’s more than enough for me (or most people, I’d suspect).

STAYING MOTIVATED:

As for staying motivated, that’s been pretty easy, this week.  I’ve really been enjoying the “Zombies Run” smart phone running series, but I find it’s much better for the short runs than a longer run.  On a longer run when you want to zone out I find it distracting.  Music on the other hand is one of my favorite things about running.  I realized when I started running about 5 years ago that unless I was running I basically didn’t get to listen to “my” music, and frankly, I think I’d even forgotten what “my” music was after a decade of kids’ and spouse music taking precedence…so despite what the running purists says, I rarely turn off my music, only when I’ve been running a really, really long time and I’m just sick of hearing it.  And I’m always looking for new music to inspire me.  This year I think I might also check out books on tape, I’ve realized the Zombies Run game is essentially just a book on tape and I’ve mostly really enjoyed it.  And obviously for me it’s really motivating just to simply get out on the trail and see all there is to see.  You notice things many other people don’t get the chance to see when you’re out on the trail.  It’s amazing to see the trail go from snowy and barren to a dense, lush wilderness of green. And little things, like I think this was a really good year for morels, I’ve seen at least 10 morels without even looking, and I’ve seen nodding trillium twice this year when I’ve never seen it before.

Though we’ve had a rainy and cool start to our long-awaited “summer”, running keeps me sane, happy and focused on the many awesome days ahead!

Really, how many people get to see this?

Also found this on the Red Cedar Trail!!!

Eye of the Tiger

Risin’ up, back on the street

Did my time, took my chances

Went the distance now I’m back on my feet

Just a woman and her will to survive

–Eye of the Tiger, Survivor c. 1982

This week my focus is motivation, why am I doing this?  How will I get and stay motivated?

It’s just four months and 16 days until my trail run and I’ve somewhat wasted the first week and five days I’ve had to train by not covering all the miles I wanted to run and still struggling with a serious jelly bean addiction.  Of course I have my excuses, I got food poisoning for a couple days, I had to travel to a conference, I had some big deadlines like final exams and grading, our sub-pump went out and flooded our basement a bit (we discovered we have a covered hole filled with water in our basement that looks like the well in the movie the Ring, no joke, it’s very creepy) and the new season of True Blood was out on iTunes. Unfortunately, “behavior breeds behaviors”, on a busy morning putting out fires and scrambling to get yourself and kids out the door it gets really easy to tell yourself “I’ll just run tonight” which at night time with homework and housework and etc. etc. quickly changes to “I’ll just run in the morning”. Once something becomes part of your routine, you tend to stick with it, so my focus for the next two weeks will be to get my training routine soundly in place but incorporate some added flexibility to allow for life to happen in the midst of training.

I picked the 50K trail run because of all my options it’s what I found the most motivating when I imagined myself actually doing it. I know I’ll be very challenged by the experience, but it’s still an achievable outcome.  And I love trails and the outdoors, I love that everyone experiences and appreciates the outdoors in their own way, and I think if you’re born and raised up north like me, there’s no greater way to experience nature than to be out running, hiking, immersing yourself in it.  Running for me is meditative, joyful and brings me clarity and peace that I never experience if I’m not running.  I ran a marathon up north a few years ago that only had a few hundred participants and during the entire run I saw only a few handful of folks along my way. Looking back on the experience now I can say that it was one of the best days of my life, my mind was so clear and focused the entire time. I can remember exactly how I felt and what I was thinking, the faces of the people who inspired me along the way, the 67-year-old who ran with me a ways and told me he had another marathon to run the next day, the man from Kansas who kept going even though he was really struggling and realized “it was much colder up north than he expected” and the two young men who stayed back to support him, the lady I kept seeing at every water station who commented on how well I was doing and told me to “keep going, keep going!!, what songs I was listening to at each point along the way and how well Matt May’s song “Tall Trees” fit the environment, how privileged I was to have grown up in that beautiful area, and seeing how proud my husband and kids were of me every time they circled around to check on me.  Very cliche, but for me it was a day I was so in the moment, it wasn’t about finishing in a certain time or even about finishing at all, it was just about the experience.

So my plan for this week is to stick to my training plan and find ways to buffer against life’s constant demands, focus on inspiration and motivation by reminding myself why I am doing this, being appreciative and grateful that I have the health and time to train for this, and continue to surround myself with people who are positive, supportive and wonderful to be around!

School’s out for the summer…….

Out for summer
Out till fall
We might not come back at all

Alice Cooper said this song was inspired by “the best three minutes of your life”…the moments before the bell rings on the last day of school. A day he said it felt like anything might happen and a whole summer of possibilities was ahead of you.

I agree, Mr. Cooper, and these amazing three minutes might be why I’ve never left academia!  The end of this obnoxiously long and ridiculously snowy school year has inspired me to think big and bold and plan a new challenge and adventure for myself!  This summer I’m combining my love of the Ice Age Trail, Wisconsin State Natural Areas and running by training for the Glacial Trail 50K run scheduled for Oct. 13th.
http://www.badgerlandstriders.org/home/Races/GlacialTrail50M50K.htm

I’ll be using a modified version of Hal Higdon’s Novice II marathon training plan along with weight training and some hill running.  I’ll also be recording my diet on myfitnesspal and working to avoid jelly beans and tortilla chips.  If you see me, please don’t give me food (also because I always request the shirts I get from races one-size-too-small and I want this one to fit!) .  To keep myself on track, I’ll be blogging my training progress (and other summer fun!) on this blog.

I’m so excited to get started training (I have the entire season 2 of Zombie Run on deck for this summer!)  and most of all I’m especially grateful to live in Wisconsin where we have the opportunity  to use and enjoy at so many beautiful locations across the state for this type of activity.