It's A Love Affair...

I've spent about 1/3 of my married life (which really isn't that long since we got hitched in 2008) begging for massages. Foot, back, shoulder, hand...you name it, I want it. Unfortunately, I married a man who loves to receive massages and is quite frugal when it comes to handing them out. (Don't get me wrong, I'm by no means starving for attention from him, it's just that I'd like to get a daily massage and he's more the once a week type.)

Enter my new love:

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I picked up this little beauty about halfway through my husband's last deployment. A little something to tide me over while he was gone. Well, he got home 2 1/2 months ago, and I haven't stopped spending time with my new love. When he falls asleep, I pull it out from under my side of the bed and take care of my hamstrings and calves. And if it's a good night, I may even hit up my hip flexors.

Seriously, the benefits of owning a foam roller are numerous. Here's a great link from Runner's World complete with videos on how to properly utilize your foam roller. So what are you waiting for...go get one! 

Things I Like About Me - Part 2

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Well, it’s time for the “other half” of the blog to talk about Things I Like About Me (even though it's past the "link up" time frame).  While deployed it is very, very easy to get irritable because you’re working long hours, there are no days off, and you have to deal with the exact same people every single day.  And since Jen shared a quote with you, I will share with you a mantra that I use daily to help me keep perspective:

Today I am fortunate to have woken up.  I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am going to use my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.  I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others.  I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

Though I’m not 100% sure how that ties in to liking myself, I wanted to share it.  Here is my attempt at a list of things I like about myself:

1.  I am the most positive person I know.  I can find the good in anyone or anything and I refuse to let frustration get the best of me.
2.  I have an excellent grasp on the English language.  As a Latin major, I spent quite a bit of time learning basic grammar. (I’m really good at Scrabble.) 
3.  I can laugh at myself.  I never take myself too seriously.  When I make mistakes, I learn, laugh, and move on.
4.  I have the utmost faith in humanity. I believe that all people want to be good and that there is good in everyone.
5.  I am very organized.  I set timelines, I stick to them, and I am very reliable. 
6.   I am good at my job.  I understand the technicality of my career field, I take care of my Marines to the best of my ability, and I learn new things on a daily basis. 
7.  I play the piano.  It’s one of those skills that’s fun to have and I play when I need to relax.

So there you have it, an entirely positive post about me. I urge you to follow the example from Just.Be.Enough and share your thoughts about yourself. Thanks for reading mine. 

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Words to Live By

We may be identical twins, sharing a body type, hair & eye color, metabolism, ridiculous sized calf muscles, and currently a love for running, but that's where the similarities end. Don't get me wrong, we are probably more alike than different, but here's a list of things that come to mind:

1. Jessica is the studious one. I am the meathead.
2. I am a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" kinda gal. Jessica has been planning each minute since we left the womb.
3. Jessica worries that everything won't be done perfectly. I rarely worry if nothing ever gets done.
4. I would rather run 3 miles as fast as possible. Jessica would rather run for 12 hours straight. 
5. Jessica is an great Marine Corps officer, willing to sacrifice (in many opinions) too much to ensure she accomplishes the mission. When I was a Marine, I used to skip out early and go surfing.

Ok, you get my drift, right? Well, Jessica is currently serving as a company commander for a Radio Battalion deployed in Afghanistan. She struggles to find time to devote to maintaining her personal relationships with those "left behind" while keeping her focus on the mission/Marines at hand. That stresses her out. She doesn't have time to run as much as she would like to. That stresses her out too. So recently she emailed me and our two best friends (yeah, we have that in common) with her new mantra:

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Knowing my sister as I do, I realize that this will be a struggle for her to live up to. Jessica is a perfectionist. But as we've gotten older, she's mellowed a bit and I'm so thrilled that she found this great mantra to guide her through the next few months, or years. I have no doubt that she has this posted either next to her rack or by her computer as a constant reminder to slow down and just trust. 

When I received the aforementioned email, the closest thing I had to a mantra was "Enjoy Being" as you read earlier here. I headed out on a run Wednesday morning and was feeling pretty sluggish. I decided right then and there to develop my own mantra, something to get me through those rough spots of a run when I want to walk. Here it is:

Run - because you should.

Don't complain - because you can. 

Let me break it down. "Run - because you should." Run can be replaced with workout, eat healthy, cross train, etc. Basically, we should make an effort to modify our behavior in positive ways that result in healthier beings. For instance - I should run because I want my daughter to grow up with a good example on how to be healthy and strong. And the "Don't complain - because you can." What I mean by this is something that's prevalent within the fitness community already. Be grateful that you have legs and muscles that allow you to carry your body over the pavement in a smooth stride. As a member of a military community, I frequently see amputees, and it's a stark reminder to quit whining when my legs are sore or get tired. Our running club's (Stroller Warriors) leader's son was recently diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). He is two and walks only with the help of a walker. But he gives 100% during his physical therapy and keeps such a positive attitude about his "magic shoes," that it makes me think twice before complaining to his mom about our current workout. So because I am ABLE to run, I really have no right to complain. It's a decision I made for myself. I've always been one of those people who sees my situation and says, "Well, it could be worse." Not everyone is like that. My husband couldn't be more opposite. Do what works for you. This mantra got me through 4 miles when I really didn't even want to be running. 

What words inspire you? 

Things I Like About Me

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Today I'm linking up with Just.Be.Enough to share with you a few Things I Like About Me (I'll make my sister - the other half of this blog - do the same when her schedule allows). One of our fellow FitFluential Ambassadors, Elena, posted this a couple days ago and I absolutely fell in love with it! The timing was unique in that I am currently reading Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and I highlighted this quote to share with you all:


"As you get older, though, through trial and error you learn to get what you need, and throw out what should be discarded. And you start to recognize (or be resigned to the fact) that since your faults and deficiencies are well nigh infinite, you'd best figure out your good points and learn to get by with what you have." 

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In a society filled with people cataloguing their own and everyone else's flaws on a daily basis, we should, for our mental health and well-being, take the time to really appreciate the things we like about ourselves. Make a list without any self deprecating humor or wishful speak; only use words that build you up. Here's my list:

1. I am content with life as it is. I enjoy the moment. My right foot is tattooed with the words "Enjoy Being." People are constantly asking me, "Enjoy being what?" I respond, "Just being." I can find the best in any situation.
2. I am not afraid to admit when I'm wrong. I am human. I make mistakes. It's just that easy. So admitting it just makes sense.
3. I have an athletic build. I am tall. I have a strong physique. I can throw a football or rock a sun salutation. I have embraced my body and am learning to love it.
4. I believe in helping others. I will go out of my way to help my friends. If I think a cause is worthwhile, I will support it. I think more people should be like this. People helping people is one of the primary ways we differ from animals.
5. I have hair people always compliment. I do not dye, curl, blow dry, straighten, etc., my hair. It's thick and strong. Whenever I have 10 extra inches, I chop it off and donate it. It's good hair:)
6. I am strangely good at word games. You know those games where they jumble the letters and you have to unscramble them to form the longest word? I can typically glance at those letters and tell you the word. It drives my mother-in-law crazy.
7. I am a runner. I have jokingly called myself "not a runner, just a jogger" on this very same blog. I suppose I used to be a recreational jogger when I was a Marine. I didn't like it; therefore, I only did it when I had to. Now, I'm a whole new woman! I am a stroller pushing, mid-foot striking, full on runner. And I love every mile of it!

So there you have it, an entirely positive post about me. I urge you to link up with Just.Be.Enough and share your thoughts about yourself. Thanks for reading mine. 

And with that said, I repeat:

ENJOY BEING!

Live From Afghanistan...

One Month Off…   

              

Greetings from the desert!  I wish I was able to stay more active in the blogosphere, but things are so busy out here and the Wi-Fi connection isn’t always very reliable.  Due to the current schedule that I follow, I haven’t really had time to squeeze in a daily run like I do when I’m back stateside.  Instead, I’ve taken to going to what we’ve nicknamed the “Prison Gym”.  Essentially we’ve got very resourceful Marines who have acquired some workout equipment and put it here in our compound.  We have a lot of free weights, several straight bars for bench/squat/etc, and some newly arrived cable machines! 

I’ve been doing mostly strength training, lifting weights between 5 and 6 times a week.  I don’t ever have a plan, but I have a workout partner who creates our schedule!  One of my goals when I got here was to be able to do 10 pull-ups.  When we first arrived I was unable to even eke out ONE…but now I’m up to SEVEN!  So, there are positives to weight training!

However, my running, which provides me peace of mind, solitude, and sanity, has sadly fallen to the wayside.  On Saturday, for the first time in almost a month, I got back out on the road.  We did a three-mile run with 2 min jog, 15-second sprint.  It was tough, but mostly because my cardio has gone out the window! 

It was a welcome feeling to be back in my Inov8’s and on the road.  Sometimes you just don’t know how much you need something until it’s missing from your life!

A Mental Game (and a couple questions)

This morning, I donned my "glow belt" and headed out into the 0530 darkness to log a few miles before the day got started. (We are dropping off the dogs at a kennel and the baby at a friend's house and heading down to Wilmington for the evening to attend my husband's Dining In - it's a military function - with his folks. Oh, and I have an appointment to get my hair chopped so it's one busy day.) Yesterday's high temp was nearing 80, and this morning, it had cooled to about 70-degrees. Many of you think that's too warm, but this girl was thrilled! 

I set out to run anywhere from 3-5 at an 8:30 pace. (my goal pace for the half next month) Yesterday I kept a 7:37 pace, so I thought it would be no sweat. WRONG! Running is such a mental game for me (and probably about 99% of all runners, but this blog is about us:). I'm sure my legs and lungs were capable of holding a faster pace, but it took every ounce of mental resolve for me to keep running nearly a minute slower per mile today. What gives?!

Maybe it was a factor of not getting enough sleep the night before. I've been using these teeth whitening strips that have to go on twice a day. For the past two nights, I haven't put them on until close to 2300, meaning I'm up until at least 2330 before I can take them out. Or perhaps it's because today is the final day of our cleanse. Maybe my Saturday experience allowed me to talk myself into running a shorter distance today in a much slower time. I don't think it's a lack of rest for my legs, because I took Sunday off and ran short yesterday; however, my dog FREAKED OUT at the vet yesterday and did lay down some decent scratches/bruises on me:

He really is a good dog, but he was not happy about getting Bordatella in his nose so he demonstrated his UFC skills. It took me, a tech, and three docs to accomplish the task!

Whatever it is, it sucked and I need to figure out some tricks on how to kick my own butt into gear. I'm missing a run with my Stroller Warriors this morning, but I know they plan to finish with some strides, so I tacked on 6 to the end of my run and did feel pretty darn good about that, so I'm not totally fed up with myself. And miles are miles in my book, so it's all good.

Now for my questions:

1. What's the ideal distance when running strides?

2. How many strides should one do at any given time?

3. What's your favorite trick for overcoming your own mental obstacles?

Cleanse + Long Run = Terrible Idea

I've been following various running blogs for about 2 years now. Many of them have included at least one (some many...SUAR) stories about "accidents" while running. Well, it's finally my turn to tell my tale.


On Saturday morning, I hopped out of bed, kissed my husband, and said, "I'm off for 6 miles, even though I should do 10." (MIL & FIL are in town and BIL was in-bound Saturday morning, so I was planning to cut it short.) He replied, "Don't be a puss." So what did I do? Of course, I changed my plan. Heading out on a 5 mile stretch just outside our neighborhood, I was feeling ok and managing an 8:16 pace. It's pertinent to mention at this point in the story that earlier in the week, Jason and I decided to do an herbal cleanse in an effort to recover from our European vacation. Without getting too graphic, over the last few days, I've been spending an increasing amount of time in the bathroom. I hit the turnaround and was still feeling good. 


Shortly after my RunKeeper App told me I'd completed 7 miles, I felt a sudden movement...NO I did not soil myself, but I came really close. I stopped my watch and searched for a place to take care of business. We live in a relatively rural area, and luckily there was a small stretch of woods I was able to climb into. Unfortunately, we live in Eastern NC (home to many, many pine trees), and the offering of pine needles wasn't providing a Charmin-like alternative. Thinking quickly, I dropped my shorts, and ended up using my underwear instead - the shorts have a lining thank goodness, so running commando was fine by me! While it wasn't a pleasant experience, I was feeling better, so I started running again.


No more than a mile later, disaster struck again. I was still 2 miles out and not about to give up one of my socks, so I changed my route and tried to get into a local volunteer fire station in search of a toilet. I pounded the windows and doors to no avail and once again, found myself among a small strip of trees:

Notice how you can see STRAIGHT THROUGH the "woods!" Lucky me:) I ended up finding a few dry leaves and relieved myself for the second time in an hour and a half. I finally arrived home to be greeted by my FIL. I said, "I had a bit of a situation. Let's just say, I'm no longer in possession of my underwear and I need to take a shower." 

So it's official...I Run, Therefore, I Am is an official running blog, complete with our very own poop story!

Now, what's your story?!