Kim and Lauren - Post #6
Kim and Lauren are a mother/daughter team, training to run the Disneyland Half Marathon in September of 2012. Kim, the the 50-something mom is vegan, and is training at the literally breathtaking altitude of 7,000 feet in Taos, NM. She has never been any kind of athlete before. Lauren, the 20-something daughter, is mostly vegetarian, and is doing her training in Seattle, WA. Running isn't new to her, but distance running is. This weekly blog, written by both of them, documents the journey, and hopefully, will inspire a few others to follow a dream, do something that's harder than they ever imagined they'd do on purpose, and enjoy the entire journey. Find all the entries by entering "Kim and Lauren" in the "search this blog" box to the left.
Kim:
Some days this is just... really hard. I am not a natural runner, or if I once was, as a kid maybe, I've forgotten everything I knew. I'm learning it all again, and I'm willing and eager to learn. That's why its so frustrating when I head out there, ready to run like leaves on the breeze, and then I feel more like a rhino in mud. I know in my mind and my heart, and even in my dreams at night, what it's supposed to feel like, but my legs seem to have amnesia. While I'm quickly becoming a great walker, the running is coming more slowly. I came home Monday, after three miles of my usual combination of zippy walking and plodding running, and sat right down and cried before I even had a chance to catch my breath.
I'm in week six of this training for training. I've made some progress, but it's so slow. I wonder sometimes if I can do this. I get discouraged and frustrated. But I'm not giving up. You'd have to knock me down and hold me to the ground to stop me. I know that one of these days something will shift. There will be a moment when my body wakes up and remembers what to do, and when it does, I'll never let it forget again.
This morning I was nervous to go out for my planned 6 mile "run." But Rick came with me for the first lap, which we walked at a nice fast warm-up pace. He went back home after that, and I continued on to lap 2, the second mile and a half. I just finished reading Born To Run, which I loved every page of, and learned a lot from. At one point someone said, "If it feels like work, you're working too hard." I kept that in mind and decided to go a little easier on myself. When I eased into fast paced, tiny-step sort of jog, it actually felt... good. And I was really surprised at how much farther I was able to run (if you can call it that) before slowing to a walk. I did everything easier, and I did it better. And best of all, I got my smile back. It wasn't exactly leaves on the breeze, but at least maybe the rhino got out of the mud puddle.
Lauren:
St. Patrick's Day Dash
Kim:
Some days this is just... really hard. I am not a natural runner, or if I once was, as a kid maybe, I've forgotten everything I knew. I'm learning it all again, and I'm willing and eager to learn. That's why its so frustrating when I head out there, ready to run like leaves on the breeze, and then I feel more like a rhino in mud. I know in my mind and my heart, and even in my dreams at night, what it's supposed to feel like, but my legs seem to have amnesia. While I'm quickly becoming a great walker, the running is coming more slowly. I came home Monday, after three miles of my usual combination of zippy walking and plodding running, and sat right down and cried before I even had a chance to catch my breath.
I'm in week six of this training for training. I've made some progress, but it's so slow. I wonder sometimes if I can do this. I get discouraged and frustrated. But I'm not giving up. You'd have to knock me down and hold me to the ground to stop me. I know that one of these days something will shift. There will be a moment when my body wakes up and remembers what to do, and when it does, I'll never let it forget again.
This morning I was nervous to go out for my planned 6 mile "run." But Rick came with me for the first lap, which we walked at a nice fast warm-up pace. He went back home after that, and I continued on to lap 2, the second mile and a half. I just finished reading Born To Run, which I loved every page of, and learned a lot from. At one point someone said, "If it feels like work, you're working too hard." I kept that in mind and decided to go a little easier on myself. When I eased into fast paced, tiny-step sort of jog, it actually felt... good. And I was really surprised at how much farther I was able to run (if you can call it that) before slowing to a walk. I did everything easier, and I did it better. And best of all, I got my smile back. It wasn't exactly leaves on the breeze, but at least maybe the rhino got out of the mud puddle.
Lauren:
St. Patrick's Day Dash
I have to say after staying out until 4am on Friday night/Saturday morning I was less than happy that I had signed up to be in downtown Seattle by 8:00am to run a 5k that same morning. With only two hours of sleep, an hour or so of tossing and turning, and a less then decent breakfast, I did what I always do when needing a little reinforcement of my choices… I called my mother.
She couldn’t believe I had made it out all night and still up in the morning. With her help it was decided that it would be best if I took it easy, run some, walk some… I wasn’t trying to win (contrary to what I told my friends the night before) but I was trying to finish, without passing out.
I met up with my friends Kiley and Amber; we were all shocked as to my perkiness, but figured it was a good sign. Kiley gave me a banana, Amber suggested coffee and we headed downtown. We got to the starting line, all matching in our green bandanas and headed off on our 3.47 mile journey. I was chipper and full of energy, at one point I even remember sort of galloping like a horse, I guess I was willing to do anything to keep going.
I made it about a quarter of the way when I thought. ‘I can’t do this anymore… if I can’t do this how am I going to do 13 miles…’ Then something inside me just made me keep going. I don’t know if it was the fact that the night before I had been so adamant about finishing, or that I didn’t want to let myself down, or that I was trying to prove something to somebody. But I just kept going… running… running… running… the entire way.
We all made it to the end and were promptly rewarded with a beer. We stood with the rest of the racers proud of what we had accomplished before most people were even out of bed. And then out of nowhere it began to snow, big white fluffy flakes, and lots of them. It had to be one of the most beautiful snows I had ever seen. At that moment I couldn’t have been happier that I got to have my cake and drink my morning beer too.
She couldn’t believe I had made it out all night and still up in the morning. With her help it was decided that it would be best if I took it easy, run some, walk some… I wasn’t trying to win (contrary to what I told my friends the night before) but I was trying to finish, without passing out.
I met up with my friends Kiley and Amber; we were all shocked as to my perkiness, but figured it was a good sign. Kiley gave me a banana, Amber suggested coffee and we headed downtown. We got to the starting line, all matching in our green bandanas and headed off on our 3.47 mile journey. I was chipper and full of energy, at one point I even remember sort of galloping like a horse, I guess I was willing to do anything to keep going.
I made it about a quarter of the way when I thought. ‘I can’t do this anymore… if I can’t do this how am I going to do 13 miles…’ Then something inside me just made me keep going. I don’t know if it was the fact that the night before I had been so adamant about finishing, or that I didn’t want to let myself down, or that I was trying to prove something to somebody. But I just kept going… running… running… running… the entire way.
We all made it to the end and were promptly rewarded with a beer. We stood with the rest of the racers proud of what we had accomplished before most people were even out of bed. And then out of nowhere it began to snow, big white fluffy flakes, and lots of them. It had to be one of the most beautiful snows I had ever seen. At that moment I couldn’t have been happier that I got to have my cake and drink my morning beer too.
Hi Kim, Don't get discouraged, I think we all have days like that, and I felt just like you on Monday, perhaps it's the cosmic climate at that time. I know when I started walking for long distances (I don't like running too much either) the more I did it the better I felt, after I had gone from 3 miles to 5 to 6 to 7 to 8 and felt better for it too. You will probably also find, as I did, that your clothes grow too large for you !!! ;o) keep going ! Michelle xoxx
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