So Life Post College Has Begun.
Reality hit the most when I realized I went an entire cross country season with out racing! SO my fiance, Derick, and I decided to do the Turkey Trot in MacCallister Park. We loved it! Our smartest move that day, though, had nothing to do with our racing strategy. It was to not park our car in the park! Instead we headed to Blossom Stadium and parked there and just warmed up with the jog down to the park. Made getting out of the place much simpler- all we had to do was run in-between all the traffic!
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| Right before we headed out to warm up! |
This race was an eye-opener because it reminded me of my weaknesses. Instead of being a 5k it was a 4 mile race. Not my favorite. But it ended up being a perfect way to start the day of non-stop eating! I was thankful for the opportunity to race again. And very thankful for the negative splits during the race too!
Basically the day re-reminded me how important stretching, core strength, and ice baths are to how well I perform. It is one thing to run consistently but it is an entirely different thing to actually train. I love to run, but to keep doing exactly that I have a few other things I need to include on my "To Do" list for the day. My finicky IT Band means I need lots of core to keep it happy. I can barely run down any kind of hill with out that strength. Stretching is part of the routine that keeps me from being so stiff every time I run. It also keeps my ITB satisfied. Ice Baths used to be the very core of what I hated in life, but, after 4 years of soaking, I am completely dependent on them. Any back problems that I have had from my ITB were kept under control with my everyday ice baths. To me, those are a must have for keeping down those everyday aches and pains that usually come from increasing your mileage and training hard.
For some inspiration I decided to read about an article with Lisa Koll (interview here) where she talks about how her post collegiate life is going and I realized it is a long uphill battle to be any where near the runner she is. After graduating she gets to purely focus on her running. Jealous. While I am so grateful for the chance to get to focus on running all day, there are only a few hours in the day where I get to focus on my running. I think I sometimes focus on running my dog more than my own... oh well. The key here is that I can see what she does all day and try to take the little bits and pieces I need and have time for to keep my running boat floating. The funny thing is, I am not really to worried about not having enough time. It is sort of like being a Division III athlete in a Division I race. Its fun to be an unknown and still set your own PR's and just try to place as high as you can in the race. You face different things as a DIII athlete and I think it helped make those big races I got to go to even more special.
Plus, running is never a lonely sport. You can have a fiance, a dog, friends, some birdsong, or anything else out there with you. And anyone with someone in front of them in a race can become a predator. One searching to pass the next person or catch that higher place.
"But solitude is only a human presumption... Every choice is a world made new for the chosen. All secrets are witnessed"
-Barbara Kingsolver "Prodigal Summer"
Basically the day re-reminded me how important stretching, core strength, and ice baths are to how well I perform. It is one thing to run consistently but it is an entirely different thing to actually train. I love to run, but to keep doing exactly that I have a few other things I need to include on my "To Do" list for the day. My finicky IT Band means I need lots of core to keep it happy. I can barely run down any kind of hill with out that strength. Stretching is part of the routine that keeps me from being so stiff every time I run. It also keeps my ITB satisfied. Ice Baths used to be the very core of what I hated in life, but, after 4 years of soaking, I am completely dependent on them. Any back problems that I have had from my ITB were kept under control with my everyday ice baths. To me, those are a must have for keeping down those everyday aches and pains that usually come from increasing your mileage and training hard.
For some inspiration I decided to read about an article with Lisa Koll (interview here) where she talks about how her post collegiate life is going and I realized it is a long uphill battle to be any where near the runner she is. After graduating she gets to purely focus on her running. Jealous. While I am so grateful for the chance to get to focus on running all day, there are only a few hours in the day where I get to focus on my running. I think I sometimes focus on running my dog more than my own... oh well. The key here is that I can see what she does all day and try to take the little bits and pieces I need and have time for to keep my running boat floating. The funny thing is, I am not really to worried about not having enough time. It is sort of like being a Division III athlete in a Division I race. Its fun to be an unknown and still set your own PR's and just try to place as high as you can in the race. You face different things as a DIII athlete and I think it helped make those big races I got to go to even more special.
Plus, running is never a lonely sport. You can have a fiance, a dog, friends, some birdsong, or anything else out there with you. And anyone with someone in front of them in a race can become a predator. One searching to pass the next person or catch that higher place.
"But solitude is only a human presumption... Every choice is a world made new for the chosen. All secrets are witnessed"
-Barbara Kingsolver "Prodigal Summer"
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