Chronicles of Sturdy Girl Lisa!: Why I love Marathons...

Chronicles of Sturdy Girl Lisa!: Why I love Marathons...: "The difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over ...

Why I love Marathons...

"The difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over hot coals."- Hal Higdon

Medal from the last marathon I ran- Carmel (like carmel apple) NOT Car-MEL marathon in Indiana in April, 2012.

Ah October, marathon season- my favorite time of year.  Congratulations to all who ran and completed the Chicago and Milwaukee marathons yesterday.  The day after always hurts, but it is so rewarding!

I love running marathons.  My first marathon was Chicago in 2001.  Since then, I have managed to run a marathon every year- give or take.  Next year I will be running my 13th and perhaps 14th marathon.  I am already signed up for the Kentucky Derby Marathon in April and I might run Chicago for the 3rd time with some friends.

So, why do I love marathons?  Let me count the ways:

1)  You cannot 'cram' for a marathon.

2)  A marathon takes commitment and dedication.

3) You must respect the distance.

4) Not everyone is crazy enough to attempt a marathon, although the sport is getting more popular.

5) You face adversity.

6) You learn about what you are made of.

7) If you are a back of the packer such as myself, you meet a lot of interesting people.

8) You learn about your body and how it reacts to training.

9) You realize that you are tougher than you thought you were.

10) You believe (and rightfully so) that you can do anything you set your mind to do.

I love standing at the starting line knowing that there is a story about to unfold in front of you.  All of the training will get you to the finish, but what is going to happen during the race?  Will it be a good day or will it be a bad day?  How will you adjust your strategy?  Do you have a strategy?  My common strategies:

• Negative split the second half of the race (this never happens by the way)
• Finish the same day that I start
• One mile at a time 
• And my all-time favorite- oh, let's just wing it.

As you can tell, I don't take myself too seriously when it comes to marathons.

Three marathons I have gotten the same time (which is my PR)- Chicago Marathon in 2004, Indianapolis Marathon in 2006 and Green Bay Marathon in 2008.  My worst time marathon was Milwaukee Marathon in 2007.  That was the 'hot' marathon.

I don't think I will give up doing marathons for a while yet.  There are so many good marathons I would like to run.  Here is some on my bucket list:

Hatfield and McCoy Reunion Festival Marathon

Vancouver Marathon

London Marathon on the docket for 2014

Des Plaines Trail Marathon- it's so close to my house it would be a travesty not to run it!

LA Marathon- I don't know why, but I have an attraction to it...
Quebec City Marathon- I did my PR in the 1/2 marathon in 2003.  I would love to do the entire race.

Marathons made me believe in what could be possible.  Because of marathons, I had the courage to go back to school and get my master's degree.  I adopted a healthier lifestyle.  I found a new career.  I made lasting friendships.  I had to courage to try triathons.  Training for marathons deepened my relationship with my husband (he trains with me).

I will never qualify for Boston.  I will always be a back of the packer runner.  I am ok with that.  The reason why I run marathons is because I can!

Powersongs and other Motivational Music

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." - Bob Marley

Happiness is running with music!

I am getting my playlist together for the upcoming International Detroit Half Marathon on October 21st.  I have been 'kind of' training for this 1/2 marathon, but not a serious training for a 1/2 marathon.  This is going to be a fun 1/2 marathon, not a record-breaking 1/2 marathon.  Because of my low-key training schedule, music will be playing a big part in running this race.

I always have a 'theme song' for a big event.  Here are some examples of theme songs:

2012 Racine Half Ironman-Theme from Mission Impossible- Sound-A-Like As Made Famous By: Adam Clayton/Larry Mullen

2012 Carmel Marathon- "This Head I Hold"- Electric Guest

2011 Steelhead Half Ironman- "Ladies and Gentlemen"- Saliva

2011 New Orleans Marathon- "No More Tears"- Ozzy Osborne

My theme song for Detroit is going to be: "Too Close"- Alex Clare

So, let me share my first 10 songs of the Detroit Playlist:

1) "Losers"- The Belle Brigade- This song reminds me to run my own race.  It starts out nice and slow. This is good to navigate through the crowd at the beginning of the race.

2) "Paradise"- Coldplay- The tempo is a little bit faster, but controlled- this reminds me that I am still warming up.

3) Theme from Mission: Impossible- Now that I am warmed up, it is time to get funky and get in the groove.

4) "Moves Like Jagger"- Maroon 5- Established pace and away we go!  This song lets me figure out how my body is feeling for the day.  Is it going to be a good day or a challenging day?

5) "Tongue Tied"- Grouplove- My new favorite song!

6) "This Head I Hold"- Electric Guest- another reminder to run my own race.

7) "Eminence Front"- The Who- this song is always playing on Saturday mornings in the winter on the Weather Channel at 5AM when I am figuring out what to wear for my run.  A reminder that this race could be colder...

8) "Vogue"- Madonna- I just saw her in concert.  My favorite Madonna song.

9) "Rain in the Summertime"- The Alarm- This song was my 'powersong' for my very first marathon- 2001 Chicago Marathon.  I ran a lot that summer in the rain- brings back good rookie marathon memories of chafing.

10) "Dead Man's Party"-Oingo Boingo- Come on!  It's October!  You gotta play "Dead Man's Party"!  Also brings back good, hazy memories of college parties...

BONUS!  Here are the last 3 songs on every playlist.

"Amazing"- One eskimO- this plays on the last mile. So inspirational- makes me cry every time.

"#9 Dream"- John Lennon- This plays as I cross the finish line.  It is so surreal to hear this song as you get your medal.

The final song is "Claire de Lune" by Claude Debussy.  Such a beautiful song- a good song to collect yourself, stretch out and take stock in all of the hard work and training that you dedicated to the race and to yourself.

What are your powersongs?

I. Hate. Shopping. For. Clothes.

Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions. - Coco Chanel

Posted on Facebook this morning by Trek Women

This weekend, I went down to Indy to visit my sister and my mother to celebrate my mom's birthday.  It  was a lovely weekend, except for one thing.  My Mom and my Sis love to shop.  I, on the other hand, HATE to shop.  More specifically, they LOVE to shop for clothes.  I decidedly HATE to shop for clothes.  

My sister is a petite size zero.  My mother is a true size eight.  Me, on the other hand, my size vacillates between a 10 or a 12 or sometimes a petite 10 or a petite 12 or sometimes an extra-large men's.  It all depends on the situation.  I would much rather mail order a frock from a catalog, try it in the privacy of my own home, be horrified and then return it only to swear not to shop for another six months.  

You see, I work out.  I have large shoulders from swimming, a pouch for a belly(too much wine drinking) a big ass and thighs from running and biking.  Usually nothing fits in the shoulders.  If it does fit, then the sleeves are a country mile long.  Same situation happens with the pants.  Something will fit in the butt and thighs and then the legs will be a country mile long.  When I do find things that fit, I wear it for a LONG time. I still have clothes from 1998 that I still wear, which I celebrate as a small victory.  

I melted down this weekend in the Nordstorm's changing room.  We were shopping for jeans (I don't own a pair of jeans because NONE fit.)  This nice lady who was helping me gives me a pair of Jag Jeans to try. Nice jeans, don't get me wrong, but they were, shall we say, HUSKY jeans.  For those who were overweight in the 70's, you know what HUSKY means.  For those of you who were normal sized it was Sears version of 'plus' size for children.  I am still not over the emotional trauma of wearing HUSKY clothes in second grade.

Why can't anyone make nice clothes for active women over 40?  I don't want to look like I am 20 with the really short skirts from Title 9 or Athleta. Nor, do I want to wear an Omega on my ass from Lululemon.  I would like some nice, tasteful, fitting clothes to wear to work and play.

I am just frustrated.  I work out at least 2 hours a day and document every morsel I place in my mouth with my LIVESTRONG app on my iPhone.  I have stayed the same weight now for 3 years.  

I am tired of blaming myself.  I don't know what else to do.  

I guess I should take Coco's quote to heart.  Fashion is about architecture- I just have the wrong type of architecture to wear fashionable, fitting clothes.  It is hard to ignore the "haters"(the fashion designers) who don't make clothes for your body type.  It hurts enough to make you cry.

Golden Legs 5K Pub Run (Race Recap)

I want to share with you my favorite beer song: B Double E Double R U N= Beer Run

Saturday night, a bunch of my friends and I participated in our very first 5K Pub Run, which was hosted by Golden Legs Running.  For the $40 registration fee, you got a 5K 'race', a cool t-shirt and beer at each of the participating pubs/restaurants.  Let's break down the race.

The Preparation:
I have never ran and drank beer at the same time.  Usually, I run and THEN drink beer.  Having never trained for an event like this, I was pretty apprehensive as to how I would react with foamy beer in my belly running in 90 degree heat.  It is a faux pas to toss one's cookies on the course- I didn't want to be the initiator of a puke fest on Seymour Ave.  Surprisingly, the more beer I drank, the better I ran (or so I thought)!

The Course:
The course was mostly up and down Seymour Ave. in Mundelein.  The course was rolling hills with only one nasty intersection to cross.  We did have a course marshal helping us cross the road safely- thanks Tom!  At the beginning I thought it was cruel to have so many hills on a Pub Run, but the last mile or so was downhill.  After that 3rd beer, you could really get some momentum going and just roll on into the last beer stop.

The T-Shirt:

The Front of the T-shirt

The Back of the T-Shirt

I LOVE the t-shirt that was given out at the race.  It is a cotton t-shirt, which I would rather have instead of a technical shirt.  I will certainly wear this to train at the bar for my next Pub Run!

The Beer:

Thank you to all of the participating restaurants/pubs!  Every stop had plentiful, cold beer to sip so runners could gather their strength to make it to the next pub.  The first stop on the tour was Bill's Pizza & Pub. Besides have nice, cold beer on tap, Bill's is also known for their good pizza.  The next stop on the tour was Jake Moran's (sorry, no website!).  Jake Moran's is a lovely local bar that serves magnificent hamburgers, as well as, yes, you guessed it- beer.  Our third stop was Park Street.  Park Street is a great restaurant that has the best grilled oyster appetizers.  The final stop on the tour was the new microbrewery in town, Tighthead Brewing Company.  And guess what?  All they serve is FABULOUS beer!  The post-race party was here and appetizers were catered by Park Street.  

The Pit Stop:

There was one water/pit stop on the Pub Run.  This stop was hosted by A Taste of Paris at mile 2.  Claude provided runners with cool water and homemade chocolate chip cookies that were to die for!  They were warm and the chocolate was ooey gooey.  The best 5K water stop ever!

Overall Impression:

The Pub Run was a great way to spend a Saturday evening.  The course was challenging, the beer was cold and it was a fun time with friends.  My goal was to finish the run in under an hour.  We finished in 59 minutes- a PR for a 5K pub run for me!  Would I run another pub run again?  You betcha!  

Thank you to Golden Legs Running, Bills Pizza & Pub, Jake Moran's, Park Street, Tighthead Brewing Company and A Taste of Paris for a great evening.  

Test Driving an Ironman

"H2O: two parts Heart and one part Obsession"- Author Unknown

My ducky medal from the Madison Open Water Swim (MOWS)!

This weekend, I had a chance to tag along with my friend Loren to Madison, WI to swim in the Madison Open Water Swim.  The swim is either a 2.4 mile or a 1.2 mile open water swim in Lake Monona.  Loren is training for the Ironman Wisconsin, which takes place on Sunday, September 9th.  Many of the triathletes use this open water swim as a dress rehearsal, then bike the course afterwards.  That was our plan too.

So, I signed up for the 2.4 mile swim.  I have never swam that distance in open water before.  Since the opportunity presented itself, I might as well try!  I could always bail at the 1.2 mile distance since the course was a 1.2 mile rectangular course that you had to do twice.  The start is not like a usual triathlon start where you run into the water and start swimming from the shore.  The start was in the water with all participants treading water before the gun went off.  The first 1,000 yards sucked.  Everyone was hitting each other and swimming over the top of one another.  I have a bunch of bruises on my arms and legs from getting kicked and hit.  At this point in the swim, I was mad.  Really people?  I just don't get why everyone gets off hitting one another in the water.  Just swim around people or draft off of them until the opportunity to pass and draft off of someone else presents itself.  I found my zone and had a great swim until my allergies kicked up.  

Will I do another open water swim like that again?  Yes!  I really had a great time and enjoyed the swim.  It is on my bucket list to do the Big Shoulders 5K Lake Michigan Swim one day.  

I must have been allergic to something in the water because I could not stop sneezing and my nose just kept on running.  The bike was miserable because of this.  I wish I would have taken some more allergy medicine and some decongestant.  I snotted myself up to the point of wishing my nose would fall off.  My lips were chapped and bleeding by the time we were done, ugh.  I felt bad for Loren having to wait on me since this was a dress rehearsal for the big day.  I'm sorry Loren.

I had been contemplating trying to compete in an Ironman in the near future.  After Saturday, I don't think it is in my cards to do one.  Can I swim 2.4 miles?  Yep.  Can I run 26.2 miles?  No problem.  Can I bike 112 miles?  I don't think so.  It takes a special person to do this distance and I don't think I am one of those people.  And I am ok with this.  I do enjoy doing Sprint, Olympic and 1/2 Ironman distance and will continue to compete in triathlons.  

Good luck to those competing in Ironman Wisconsin!  It was fun swimming and biking with those of you who were training in Madison on Saturday.

Afraid of being Happy? I am.

" You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of.  You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."- Albert Camus

Happiness is...having a glass of champagne in a Paris cafe with your beloved.

Life has been pretty darn good to Lisa lately.  This year I did something different.  I wrote my intentions for the year (usually it is resolutions like losing weight, working out more, running more marathons, blah, blah, blah.)  Here are my 2012 intentions:

1) I intend to be sponsored for running and/or triathlons.  

2) I intend to launch my blog. 

3) I intend to move someplace warmer.

4) I intend to get a puppy.

5) I intend to get a part-time job in fundraising.

Let's take a look at these intentions:

1) OK, I'm still working on this one.  I am not the fastest person on the road, but I am quite determined, funny and would shamelessly plug a product I truly believe in.  I just haven't figured out what type of company I would like to sponsor me.  

2) Got this one.

3) The warmth actually came to me rather than me going to it!  Is the universe telling me to stay in Illinois?!

4) Got this one.  I love my Bakon!

Bakon on last week's road trip to WI.

5) Got this one.  I absolutely love, love, love my job at the Historical Society.  I look forward to going to work- this hasn't happened in over 5 years to me.  If feels good to like to go to work.

Everyday, I write in my Gratitude Journal 5 things that I am truly grateful for that day.  

Besides all of these good intentions and being grateful, I am in perfect health, my family is in good health, we are employed and we have enough to renovate the kitchen.  Wow!  It just can't get any better!

I was enjoying my happy, comfortable life, being thankful that all of the hard work and dedication was FINALLY paying off.  I was ALLOWING myself to be happy when I saw this on Facebook from a friend:

Hug your significant other tonight, tight & long! If they are out of town, call them! What if you couldn't do either ever again?!

Then another wrote:

Constantly reminded of the fragility of life. Every breath a reminder you're alive. Life is a gift. Love your family, hug your friends.

Oh shit.  I was too busy being happy to remember that the other shoe must drop soon!  What if? What if? What if?  

It was storming on my way to work yesterday morning.  It was all I could think about that I was too happy, something bad must happen soon.  A tree is going to fall on me, I know it.  Something bad is going to happen to a loved one because I am living it up. I am happy and I don't deserve to be.

For real.  This is how I think.

And it is wrong.

May we all be well.

May we all be happy.

May we all be free from suffering.

We all need to practice some lovingkindness for ourselves. We do deserve this.  Even me.