Taking Running Advice From My Dog

Being pregnant is a new experience for me. Everyday my body changes and I practice listening to it so I can give it what it needs. Despite this attempt at mindfulness, I oftentimes fail. As a person who enjoys endurance sports, I have typically practiced mind over body. I've learned to settle into the discomfort of a 20-mile run or steep climb with mantras that ignore my body's complaints (e.g., "Shut up legs!"). At the same time, I haven't ever been a runner that tallied my weekly miles. Mainly, I trained for events and followed the training schedule. I liked getting faster and running with a group. To cross-train, I rode my bike. Honestly, I don't know what I like to do better. Mostly, I like to be outside, challenge by body, and quiet my restless brain. With a body already challenged by a growing baby, I had to rethink how I ran and what a run meant for me. To take you through this process, I wrote about a typical run day during my first trimester.

I wake up (slowly), eat breakfast, and drink a half/caff latte to power my very dull brain. In between answering emails, I search blogs written by other women who ran during pregnancy. I spend most of my time reading blogs that talked about how these soon-to-be moms ran 5 1/2 marathons during their pregnancy with hardly any issues. I thought... How cool! I want to do this too. I read these for motivation and because I don't want to be scared to run. 

After pumping myself up with the blogs, I put on my running clothes, get my dog, and head out. I think... The weather is great. I'll go for a longer run today. After my typical walk for my warm-up, I start running. On this route, there is a slight downhill to begin. Immediately, my boobs hurt. I think....Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. I hope this goes away. Maybe I need to buy a better sports bra.

Luckily, the pain went away. After crossing a busy street I take a look at my watch. I think... Wow. Am I really going that slow? I feel like I'm going faster!  I decided not to look at the watch anymore. This wasn't about training; it was about getting out for a run and staying healthy. No pressure.

I keep going and I get a cramp. This is the kind of cramp you get in the side when you've drank too much or too little water (at least in my experience). I knew it was because I hadn't drank enough water. I didn't want to get stuck on my run having to pee since I tended to do that more now. Most of the time I could outrun these cramps. I think... Oh no! I'm dehydrated. That can't be good for the baby. Maybe I should shorten my run a little.

I slowly jog up a hill and begin to descend, typically a fun things for me since I can go fast and get a break. No... the jostling from the down hill intensified the cramp, brought back the boob pain, and made me realize that I now had to pee. All of a sudden. I think... How can there be so much pressure in my bladder when the baby is a poppy, grape, raspberry...? Maybe I'll shorten my run even more.

At this point, my dog pulls me to the curb to sniff something and I stop to walk and the cramps and bladder discomfort are minimized. I think.... Sweet relief! I start walking. Dozer, my dog, looks back at me and we carry on. We walk back through the trails and the bark park. He sniffs every corner and chases every squirrel. As soon as we get home, I head straight for the restroom and Dozer slurps from his water bowl. Later, we take a nap together. I think... Does my body really ache after that run? 

From then on, I realized that I just needed to run like my dog. He runs, walks, and visits with every passerby. He never judges the pace or feels guilty about shortening the mileage. He just has a blast, no matter what, and he ALWAYS takes a nap afterwards. So, with the wisdom of my very young dog, most of my runs from then on were about being outside to release the nervous energy of being newly pregnant, extremely tired, and brain dead. For me, that was what made running during my first trimester fun again.

Running with apple cinnamon pecan muffins

I love muffins! I've been known to settle in at a coffee shop and order a large coffee and a giant muffin... for lunch. Unfortunately, they aren't the best source of energy since many of them are GIGANTIC and full of sugar. After a meal like that, I feel pretty worthless. I don't eat muffins for lunch anymore, but I do make my own muffins and eat them as a snack. They are half the size of coffee shop muffins with less sugar and wheat flour. 

I was craving apple cinnamon pecan muffins after Thanksgiving when my mother-in-law brought a fantastic apple pie. Plus, there is something warm and comforting about these flavors when the weather is cold. I've made the recipe (See below) twice and they are perfect pre/post run snacks. 

Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Pecan Muffins
1½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats
1/3 cup light-brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar (healthier choice: honey)
cinnamon to taste
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk or water
1/2 cup oil or 2/3 butter (healthier choice: applesauce)
2 eggs, lightly beaten (healthier choice: banana)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1½-2 cups chopped apples

Makes 12 muffins that are approximately 200 calories per serving.
Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a muffin pan.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together milk/water, eggs, oil, and vanilla until blended. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients and add wet ingredients, stirring just to combine. Stir in pecans and apple.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a muffins pass the toothpick test.
Allow muffins to cool on a wire rack for five minutes before removing from pan to continue cooling.
Serve warm or completely cooled. Muffins can be frozen.

Running with the Balls

An an educator, the holidays don't start for me until after grades are turned in (usually mid December). After that, I actually notice the rotted pumpkins on the front porch and Jeff makes his yearly trip to the attic for our one small box of holiday decorations. In attempt to be little more festive, I went on a search for a holiday wreath. Who knew a wreath could cost $75? And this is how it starts. For the next few days, I'll become obsessed with the absurd cost of things. Did you know ONE yoga mat costs around $80? Did you know that a kid's travel pack costs $40 WITHOUT crayons, coloring books, stickers... For me, this is when the holidays become a consumer marathon that I don't want to finish.

Clearly I needed some inspiration, so a group of us did The Running of the Balls on Sunday night. Even though it sprinkled, the weather didn't keep us from running two loops around the decorated neighborhood. For entertainment, neighbors stood outside and sang carols, played holiday music, or shouted out in support. For me, I took advantage of the views on the first loop and was happily distracted by the funny costumes. I couldn't help but get warm, fuzzy feelings from the community coming together to create a new holiday event. For the second loop, I picked up the pace since the roads weren't as crowded. At the end of the race we were given hot chocolate and cookies for a walk back to our friend's house where we hung out and made new friends. It was good time and I guarantee this will become a welcomed holiday tradition.

Yesterday, the organizer sent out a message thanking everyone for their support and reminding us that the proceeds went to The Second Harvest Food Bank. This was the perfect moment to shift focus from the consumer marathon to the amazing things that people do for our community. Can you imagine the time and effort it took to organize a neighborhood event like that? Did you know that there is a group of bikers in Greensboro who make burritos every Sunday morning for the homeless?  Did you know that our roller derby team raises money for animal rescue at the Festival of Fights? It's refreshing to be asking these questions before we head out for our annual 13 hour drive across the U.S.

Happy holidays and warm wishes to everyone.

If you haven't seen the balls, here are a few twinkles.

Watch this to see how the balls got started.

Running with Tragedy

Today, a man walked into an elementary school and shot several children and adults in Connecticut. All day, friends posted on Facebook about their thoughts on the event, both political and emotional. For me, I stayed away from the news. I don't want to know the tragic details. It's too painful. It makes me anxious about and afraid of the people I share the world with.

To feel better, I went for a run on this cool, sunny day with my dog. During my run, I thought back to my years as a high school teacher. I taught during the 9/11 tragedy and the Columbine shootings. Both of those events stand out to me for obvious reasons, but it still baffles me that our administration advised us to go on as if it was a normal day. Just ignore it. Teach about metaphors and past participle phrases, but whatever you do, don't talk about the sadness and despair that was occurring on those days.

When Dozer (my dog) jerked me to chase after a squirrel, I was pulled back into my run and realized that my planned tempo run wasn't going as planned. With my menses on the way (a.k.a. The Old Lady), I was tired and craving a juicy steak. I tried to ignore my fatigue, but my body yelled, JUST SLOW DOWN! So... I listened and I slowed down. I didn't meet my tempo goal, but I did go one mile longer than I planned. Plus, Dozer got tired and we trotted in unison down the oak-lined streets of the neighborhood. It was nice and I felt better about the world.

Back to a comfortable rhythm, I returned to thoughts about the tragedy. It seems to me that our goals as educators go beyond just teaching our content. In fact, content is really 25% of what we do. Most of it is about helping students make sense of the world they live in. Just like listening to our bodies during a run, we also need to thoughtfully interact with the present moment and do what is best for the students in the room. I'm pretty sure that ignoring the tragedy is just like ignoring a nagging symptom during running. And we all know that those lead to injuries, that sometimes take months to heal.

At the same time, doing that is easier said than done. Oftentimes, we don't know how to react and we worry that our stances might upset those around us or conflict with the values of parents. Thanks to all my wonderful teacher friends on Facebook who shared advice and resources for how to talk to students about tragedy. Here are few to get us thinking...

• Conversations with kids about the news
• Talking about violence
• How West Wing dealt with it, when you are at a loss for words

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." -- Mister Rogers

Running with the Seagulls

On November 2012, I ran the Outer Banks (OBX) Half Marathon. This was my first long road run that I trained for since I recovered from anemia. Thanks to the RunnerDudes in Greensboro, I was prepared and PR'd at 1:49:28. Most of the run is flat, except for a bridge with an overlook of the water and boats. The change in terrain is a welcomed variation, but my tired legs disagreed. The best part of the run over the bridge were the seagulls who flew with us. They're almost as cute as owls, but not quite.

Before I ran, we (me and my husband), caught this lovely sunset.

Jeff was able to catch me at the end and get a photo. 

After the run, we had big plans to go see the lighthouses. This was our first time in OBX, so we wanted to explore it on our bikes. Yes... I was planning to ride my bike after running a half marathon. Jeff was on his cross bike and I planned to get behind him and spin out my legs.  Plus, it's really flat and the weather was a perfect 60 something and sunny. We wanted to soak up as much of the day as possible. Jeff brought me my pack with a change of clothes so we went to get some coffee and I changed in the bathroom.

After we walked around the shopping village, we headed to our car with plans to get lunch and go sit in the hot tub before our ride. As we approach the car, Jeff says, "I don't know where the key is," while he pats his pockets.

I say, "Maybe it's in the pack." No need to panic just yet.

But, we all know how this goes. Whenever you pack up for a big race or a training run, inevitably you forget or lose something. I've forgotten a towel for the shower room, sunglasses for race on the beach, and my iPod on race day. Today, it was going to be the car key.

When we get to the car, Jeff peeks in the Element and doesn't see anything. We search the pack and his pockets, but nothing. We pick a spot on the curb in the sun and call our insurance people. Luckily they send someone out who will unlock our car door so we can find out if the key is in the car. It takes him forever because the roads are blocked off for the race. I retrace Jeff's steps and check in with the lost and found, but no luck. What else is there to do? Go on a search for some tacos. Found some quesadillas instead that we ate on the sunny curb.

Finally the tow truck guy comes. He unlocks the door in 5 seconds and we see no key.

What next? Retrace steps once more. We make all the stops and search the ground, but no key. As we talked about how to get home to Greensboro, reality set in. How will I get home to teach my class? I think was half hoping he didn't get the key for a few days so he could enjoy the beach, but I didn't have the option. We get back to the car and Jeff imitates putting the key in his pocket. I look in front of him to a curb, about five feet from where we had been sitting, and I see the key.

"Thank you! Thank you!" we said to the good luck we had that day.

Even though we didn't have as long to ride, we still made it out to one lighthouse.

That night we ate with some friends, slept well, and spent our morning on the beach. We collected the smoothest shells that we keep in our bathroom.

Would I do this run again... YES! Next time, I'll try the marathon. If you plan to train for it, keep in mind that the landscape doesn't change too much. Even though that seems good, it can take a toll our body and mind. Maybe plan for a an iPod mix with podcasts or music and plan to run with some friends. And next time, I'll run with my spare key... just in case.