GD

Thoughts from the day-

GD is not what you think it is... Nope.

Not the swearing. While I have been known to utter some choice words, this is not one of those times.

GD is now my nickname for our apartment. It stands for "Glorified Dorm-Room". It should probably be GDR but that variation loses a bit of the dramatic appeal. I am thankful and grateful for the place we have, but since both Derick and I have graduated from college we can not responsibly call the one room place we have a dorm room. It just doesn't work. But it stays warm and holds my two bearded wonders, so I am happy.

I think today was one of those days I also learned that sometimes it is ok to just dive into things and hope your body makes it. All you can do is inch toward whatever finish line is in front of you. But my boss at work sent me a cool article that I really liked. It reminded me of some of the things I used to do in college when I really didn't think I would be able to do the things I was going to have to do. And tonight I am too tired to write how I use my own version of this stuff to get me through those things :) Running a 10 mile long run was a scary scary thing and it took a lot of  "tricks" to get me through it...

Mind and Body Work Together

Seven mental tricks that can add miles to your running.
 By Megan Gorman Published 06/19/2007

You lying down? Find a couch, we've got a theory: So keen was Freud's understanding of the mind and how it relates to the body, that if the Father of Psychoanalysis had laced up a pair of Asics, he could have run forever.

Just a hunch--but no doubt one you've heard expressed in less extravagant forms a thousand times before. From a coach. Or your dad. Or even Bill Moyers. The gist: When it comes to physical performance of any sort, your mind and body work in tandem. Like runners on a relay, they produce as one. Sure, your legs will tend to snatch all the credit. But it's your brain that allows you to make it to the tape.

How? Your mind interprets and shapes into strategy the messages your body sends it. When you're tired, it decides whether you slow down, stop or speed up. When you're competing, it decides whether you falter at the finish or pull off the win. Given this interaction, coaches and scientists alike now believe your mind determines, to a large degree, how far and how fast you can run.

"We're not talking hocus-pocus here," says David Yukelson, Ph.D. "We're talking discipline, strategy."

Tricks.

You see, improving your performance by exercising your mind isn't really about being smart (Freud-smart, anyway); it's about developing smarts--tricks, if you will--for buoying up your body.

To run 10 miles instead of your usual 8? You don't have to go to med school. Or dive headlong into psychotherapy. All you really have to do is fully engage your brain at the same time you engage your body. Here are seven mental strategies to help you run longer and stronger.

Trick #1

Map out the run--in your mind.

Couch talk. In other words, visualize success. Create a mental map of a course that's always beaten you. Picture every uphill, every downhill, every shady stretch, every turn. Then run it, step by step, mile by mile, in your mind. This is your dress rehearsal.

"The idea behind visualization is to program your mind to respond a certain way in certain situations," says Andy Palmer, Ph.D. "By creating a mental picture of a difficult run, you're also creating a space for it in your brain--an awareness of it before you do it. By having this picture in place, your mind will have better control over your emotions as you run. And you'll have better control over your performance."

A physical plus: When it comes to the central nervous system, perception is reality. "All you have to do is imagine you're munching on a lemon, and your body chemistry actually changes," says Palmer. "So by visualizing your run, you're creating neuro-pathways that will someday allow your body to perform that run without conscious thought." Or pain.

Road action. A few minutes before you head out for a long run, lie down and visualize your performance--every facet of it. Watch yourself stretch your hamstrings, each Achilles, your calves. See yourself grab a quick drink. Feel the water hit your lips, your tongue, your throat, then follow yourself out the door. Watch yourself take your first step, cross the street, round the corner and stride down the alley. Feel a bead of sweat trickle down your forehead. Pass the oak, the school, the five-bedroom monstrosity. Feel your legs push powerfully as you climb steadily up the hill and the physical tension lift as you hit the crest.

Use as much stimuli as possible, recruiting all five senses. Pull in all the negatives and positives, the possible triumphs and defeats. Fully develop the picture (for the neuro-pathways). Finish with your final step. Then do it again.

And the rest of the article is here.

Stay hungry my friends. For the road is long and your feet need fuel.

Go Figure

I tried a solo run with the puppy this morning.

My goal for the day was to be as efficient as possible. The glorified "killing 2 birds with one stone" kind of deal. Tire the dog out and get my feet moving. One fun filled adventure.

Snow and ice on the ground meant neither Sherlock or I could go fast enough to get anything out of the run. My snow legs are not like they used to be in Indiana. There, my legs and balance rose to the occasion. Here, I just looked silly with my dog pulling me like I was on skates across the road. I returned to our apartment with my pride, my feet, and my left arm hurting plus a puppy who was now riled up to the max.

So, before 9 am I felt like I was hurling stone after stone but not even bruising a fly, much less killing anything. Life-1, Reich-Nada.

My next task was figuring out breakfast. Luckily, we had eggs and hash-browns in the fridge and I thought my luck was turning. The eggs were great. Then came the hash-browns, excellent in theory but harsh in reality. Reality hash-browns were more like hash-burns and I was able to get hot oil everywhere. Life- 2.5, Reich- 0.5.

I stopped keeping score after that.

Post morning finally showed its face (pm- get it?) and my goal was to get a longer run in. This time Derick, Sherlock, and I all set out to brave the world. The snow and ice were gone and the run was much better. (Ps- Texas is one of the few places where we can have snow and have an expected high of 70 the next day....crazy state) I even got a little core and stretching in afterwards. Go me.

But I still felt pathetic. Frustration was taking on a new form of desperation for me. For the few minutes I huffed and puffed through a bridge position and engaged my lacking core muscles in a few crunches I tried to figure out how I used to do those things with a burning passion. I was disappointed in myself that I had only done those little extra things so far when I didn't have to go to work or I had a nice easy day off from life. Honestly, I still can't figure out how people do it. How do you change your routine? I figure I am like an addict and am addicted to my simple routine. I want to do things better, but I am addicted to staying the same. I was proud of myself and disappointed at the same time. I didn't even know that was possible. Proud that I did do a little something extra after my run, yet sadly disappointed because I knew it was an easy time to do it.

Proudly defeated. Go figure.

I see people at work who come in and are making huge lifestyle changes. Incredible ones. Inspiring ones. And I felt I used to be there. I was always afraid I would be the one who was stuck in high school, ya know? But in all seriousness, I think I am the one who is stuck in college instead. I can't get over the things I did there, the people I got to meet, and the time I spent. While I believe it is good to look to your past for guidance it is not the same if you constantly find yourself wandering there in the present. But I know I miss the routine the most. Knowing semesters broke up the year. Having classes and professors who wanted more of me. Rising to the occasion. Rising to meet what was demanded of me.

College is a place that breeds the sentiment of not settling. But how do you push that forward into your life afterwards? No professors, coaches, or same-major peers to hold your hand and push through with you. Your track is finally your own in life. You have friends and colleagues and people who love you still, but it seems like peoples lives become their own. Individualized and so separated.

I see the challenge. I hope to rise to it. I still wish I could figure out how so many people do it. I ask my legs that all the time, even though I think I really do know the answer.... Go figure.

So, to all of you who seem to have it figured out, congratulations. Keep plugging away. To those who see the road, but don't know where it goes try to believe and know it is a unique path. And, to those who just hope to make it one more step, thank god we have those other people leaving footprints :)

Following and loving my own road, long and far. Try not to hurl too many stones tomorrow...

Texans are not used to freezing weather...
and leave the sprinklers on.

Saw a litte ruby crowned kinglet today trying to stay warm! Texas is freezing over!

Adventures with CRR

Well my feet may have not been rolling very well, but yesterday my head sure felt like it was doing pretty well. I was on a creative kick. During a run. It was a little frustrating because on a run there is not much else to do but think and run. I can't whip out my scrap book. I can't clean the house. I can't type my blogs. Luckily I can think about them, but my brain just doesn't retain all the things I want to write about. Well, just like most of my jokes are funnier in my head, it probably works the same way with the things I want to write- it is probably good for society and humanity that I forget most of it before I can write it down.

But I did remember one thing from my run. I was about half way done when I was about to pass an idling car along the side of the road. I don't run with an ipod so it was just me and the road. Aaaaand the dog trying break the window down in the car to attack me. Luckily, the window held and I just continued on my run. Aaaaand then my imagination kicked up. Or maybe it was CRR. Either way, I had this discussion-
Runner Lauren- "Man that was close, glad he didn't get out"
CRR- "What if you were in a movie?!"
RL- "I wouldn't have acne anymore..."
CRR- "No, that dog would have totally busted down the window and a chase scene would have ensued. It could have been sweet!"
RL- "That would have totally messed up my recovery run. Plus, that was a German Shepard, those are bred to catch people."
CRR- "But what if you were in a movie! What if this was a movie!?"
RL- "I see where you are going with this!"
CRR- "You would have had to sprint in an awkward running scene and then had to dodge a bunch of obstacles. I know you have always wanted to be in a scene like the end of Happy Gilmore."
LR- "Well, that would have been a great run...and muuuuuch less boring than this one"

And with a click of her heels and a wink, CRR was gone and my run was back to a fun level of 2 (on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best day ever). See what happens when I run by myself? I blame graduation and work for making me run by myself and having no one remind me that I can not go insane on my runs.

What ever gets you through the miles, right? It was so cold today I think I would rather just curl up and watch a movie :)

Life Update- Today was the coldest I have been since my last semester at DePauw. During our run for class at Run On! we set out around 7pm in San Antonio and faced some extreme weather. It was 15 degrees with the wind chill. Not the coldest I have ever been in, but for Texas it sure was an adventure. Those wind gusts today were eerily similar to the way DePauw's outdoor track used to feel. I was totally unprepared for the cold and scrambled to find layers to put on. Plus the news tonight said to expect snow on Wednesday night? Shouldn't that mean that Marvins, Alpha Phi, and the Nature Park are right outside my door? Who switched states on me?

Please, love the road long and far, but run safely this week!

Photo by the amazing Linda Striggo
http://www.striggophoto.com/
From the amazing ice storm sweeping the country!
Good old frozen DPU!

D.I.R.T.

Can you guess what it means to me?

D-o
I-ncredible
R-unning
T-hings

OR

D-o
I-ncredible
R-uns
T-ogether

 Welcome to my new mantra of D.I.R.T. Open ended yet still motivating. Adaptable. Witty. Awkward. Perfect.

Now when people have the question of, "What gets you through the day?" I have my answer.

Dirt. Dirty degrading dredged up dirt. The Terra Firma. Real estate. The best kind of real estate. If my feet can crave things, then they constantly crave dirt. I could have pillows on my feet and they will still ask me for a dirt road dustbowl. With dirt all things are possible. Dirt dash. Dirt duty. Dirt hunting. Follow the path made of dirt. One nation under dirt...only a slight obsession surfacing.

My shoes feel good on dirt. There needs to be more of it because it lets you Do Incredible Running Things.

Now while the first picture may not look as pretty as the second one, the first has dirt while the second one is asphalt.

What my eyes see... this is ok.



What my eyes see... this is incredible.
Can I die here?

And below is what is really going on. This is the way things look from the perspective of my feet....

What my feet see-
Dirt = Pure Joy
Exuberance actually...

What my feet see-
Road = Destruction

Again, I know I am being a bit melodramatic about this but things always get more dramatic than they need to be when you have little reminders of life. I had a small scare this week where my right foot started to bruise. Originally, the problem may lie in how I tied my shoes on a work out day but the bruise continued to form and start to affect my running. The roads hurt more than normal. Grass was fine, dirt was fine. Road was a no-go situation. Especially when the pain grew to cover more of my foot than just the bruise. But I took a day off, ran on the softest stuff I could find, and replaced my shoes with newer ones and the crisis was averted. But I was still worried about the dreaded Sunday long run. How was I going to make it through a situation of 11 miles on the roads or 11 miles on the 300m grass loop inside the track. Hell, how was I going to make it through a season if I could only do the 300m grass loop?

Thank God for Austin and Maddie Murphy. The first picture in this post is from the amazing trail I got to run on today. Town Lake trail in Austin. Perfect place for a Sunday long run. I was in love. There was wildlife, lots of people, sunshine, 80 degree weather, and DIRT! The company made me smile, the mileage made me sore, the run made me hungry, and the sun made me sweat but the dirt made me ecstatic. There was hope after all.

So make sure your life is filled with D.I.R.T. It will make a roads long and far bearable. It will help the body seem less breakable. I have accepted the fact that I am not to adaptable when it comes to different types of terrain. I need the clay colored, earth smelling, foot cushioning real estate.

Life Update- I have now experienced a moment where I was happier watching someone else eat something! The Taco Taco Challenge from this weekend was a success at Trinity! Lots of recruits, great weather, races, jumps, and relays. I will never forget the Thrower Relay which ended in handing the baton (a breakfast taco) to your final leg who had to eat it to finish the race. Rice and beans flew and gave the day a festive flair in the end.

Snow Days

Now while I don't have any snow anywhere near me currently, I still love this time of year! It is time for TRACK! The Oval. That thing people run around. Specifically, it is time for indoor track! Now the indoor season is a whole new beast. Imagine a 200m oval and fans all around that.

This is the Texas A&M Indoor track. (A place I can only hope to run in some day)

Means you never have an excuse not to run...
No snow in here!

 People pack into the stands. YES, even track meets have fans and people come to watch them! There are also lots of people out there promoting the sport as well. Flotrack, LetsRun, and many other sites are helping keep people updated on all news in the running world.

Why I love LetsRun- Since there are fewer indoor tracks down here in Texas for me to get my fill of, I have to rely on web pages to help me get my indoor appetite taken care of. Great meets like the Millrose Games are covered and talked about. But I can get the results from the meet website, so I love LetsRun for the fact that they are running nerds like I am. Plus, it is always exciting to hear about other people get excited about track. LetsRun is also not afraid to cover more than just what the guys are doing for the sport. The give every aspect of track and running its due. So while I may not be very cooped up in fair weather Texas this winter, I still feel the same way I always have about Indoor. IN LOVE. Just turn left and everything will be ok.

Too all of those in snow drizzled cities and ice locked masses- keep your head up. There is, most likely, a place of warmth close by. Just look for lights and Mondo floors. Plus, indoor is just a tid bit. A taste. A tease. A preview. A sneak peak. A warm up for the real show- Outdoor. 400 meters of pure love, hate, power, rivalry, and passion. All smashed into almost any distance your little heart and your little feet could desire. Enjoy.

If you don't have enough cocoa for the winter, find a track...

Why I am not a Roadie

Sadly, I am surrounded by roads.

They are paved gateways into an asphalt hell.

Am I...
Dramatic? Maybe.
Having a pity party? Surely.

Are roads...
Destructive? Absolutely.
Boring? Yawn.

Now, I could launch into a rant about why I hate running on the roads but I would rather explain the beauty in everything else. I don't dare deny that there are roads with incredible views, but because my sanity and all my senses are tied to my feet I have to be careful where I tread. To my soles (and my soul), roads are jarring, painful, and hostile.

Be dwarfed
by something other
than a sky scraper

Trail Running. A must for any roadie regular. Take in a scent other than gasoline and smog. Hear something other than your own breathing, car engines, and your ipod. Let colors other than beige, neon, black, and red show you a new path.  

More exists
than just chrome
water fountains

Even running a road with hills means you are still on a piece of flat pavement. Finding a challenge is finding a place you have to adapt to. Just like challenging you mind and your heart keeps you healthy, challenging your feet keeps them stronger and faster. Since I have moved to San Antonio I have felt my feet grow tired. They are tired of looking for the challenge of dirt. As plain as dirt is, trails are something you have to work on. And I miss the work. Plus, mileage melts away when you have trail loops and adventures. I once saw 6 indigo buntings in the Nature Park on one single 1200 meter loop. Those vibrant birds can make any run seem short. Yes. I am a bird nerd too.

Even feet
can bring you
new perspective

Just in case you think I am going CRR on you, or getting too "Green" about my running, imagine something with me for a second. If you work in a cubicle all day, when you are off work you find someplace else to go after the day is done. If you work at Sonic all day, you eat somewhere other than Sonic (and fastfood for that matter) for dinner. If you help coach on the roads, you miss running everywhere else.

I will always find ways to make things relative, just like I will always miss what I don't have. If it were not for the exceptional company that I have here on the roads of San Antonio, my feet would have protested the change to roads with much more anguish than they did.

While I am tolerating the roads and staying thankful for the amazing weather here, I have decided that no part of me wants to be a roadster for long. But for now, I am just happy to have somewhere to keep running...and something to miss.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Miss Trail Running:
10. I miss being able to fall, faceplant, and trip with out worrying about what kind of chemicals and crap I will get into my cuts and bruises, plus plenty of teammates from DePauw to pick you back up
9. It is much easier to hear your conversations with each other when all you have to compete with are bird songs and breezes
8. There is nothing like realizing that stick in your path is actually a live snake to get your adrenaline pumping
7. I would much rather be clipped by a tree branch than a car
6. Puddle running and mud are so much more fun in the middle of the woods
5. There is nothing like a fresh coat of snow in the middle of the woods to make you feel incredibly instinctual and so very humbly alone
4. It is much easier to find a quick pit stop mid run, just watch out for the stinging nettle!
3. The air is full of... nothing! You can take a deep breath without worrying about what the smog count for the day is
2. Your feet will love love love you
1. It is where I feel at home. Sole to Soul.
Trying to love the road, long and far.

PS- If you believe that you will melt if you step off of the roads, try easing into something different by running on the track. That will do one of two things: make you insane enough to try trail running because almost no one likes to go in circles, or learn the rhythm that makes track running so addicting. Just try something softer for once! Give your legs a break!