Meandering Thoughts About the Whole Marathon Bar Gig

So in May of 2011 I was informed that I was chosen to be part of the Team Marathon Bar team.  I was one of 249 others that were picked out of thousands of other people.  I was excited to know that I had made the cut.  I joked with people telling them that I think it was part where I stated in my ambassadorship form the fact that back in my college days my cross country team would eat Snicker bars after a hard workout or race to get that much needed energy and for me sugar back into our systems.  Protein Bars and Energy Bars were not heard of back in the late 80's.  We had Gatorade and Snickers Bars!!  Could that have been the remark that cinched the deal for me I will never know.  I think everyone was told it was because of their commitment to a healthy active lifestyle.

So now i look back on the whole deal from June until December.  The positives have been I have developed friendships online with fellow runners, I have met some really great people on the team, and i gave and received a lot of encouragement from fellow teammates.  The team inspired to train harder and bring my times down which i did.  I am still not seeing those 6-6:30 minute miles I ran back in the college days, but I am bringing it down consistently.

Some of the things I did not care about the gig was the fact that I had to pay quite a bit of money to participate in at least one Rock n Roll Marathon series race.  I love Chicago, I am glad I experienced running there but I spent quite a bit money of my own to represent a brand.  Really that was the only thing that truly bothered me about the whole deal.  I just feel that Marathon Bars should have paid for our entries into these races and got us better deals on hotel rooms.

I am not much of a "big race" runner.  I don't mind a couple thousand people but when it gets up there around 10-15,000 people well that is just too big for me.  I will take my local events and mid Michigan events any day to another RnR race.  I like to travel and then run in the area that I am staying at.  This summer I ran the "Rims" in Billings Montana that was more amazing than the race in Chicago.  I ran the trails in Munising Michigan and nothing compares to that beauty in the UP.

I liked the crazy mix of people that were chosen for the team.  There were others like me who have run since they were kids, or who had run at the collegiate level.  There were people who fought against obesity and being over-weight and not eating right.  There were all ages and ethnicity it was a great mix!  Everyone had a story to tell.  It was interesting to see some peoples stories go from being obsessed with eating and then taking that obsession and throwing themselves into running and then to have running become their new obsession. 

All I have left to ponder is that I do not know what I will do if I am chosen again for another ambassadorship.  I guess it depends on what is required of me.  I will make that decision if and when it comes this year.  Even with out an ambassadorship I will still be living my healthy active lifestyle like i have my whole life and I will still be inspiring others to join me in my love for running.  Running is very personal to me at one point in my life i thought it was the only thing I could do and do good, but fortunately for me I found other things in life I am good at as well and have identified myself with those things as well.  I will keep running until I no longer can that is my goal!  Stay On Keep On Marathon!

Shoppers High

Seems to be a lot of discussion all over the web and in the workplace about Black Friday shopping.  Black Friday is no longer, the retail giants have now taken over Thanksgiving with their opening stores back up by 9pm on Thanksgiving day.  Workers have protested, shoppers have sung out in glee and some people just down right don't care.  Some people have even tried comparing a minimum wage job to a professional level job.  What I mean by this is they think the people working retail need to suck it up.  Come on they say nurses, doctors, police officers etc have done it forever.  Well duh they have, but they knew what they were getting into when they decided to enter that field and by the way a RN working on Thanksgiving day is making a hell of a lot more money per hour than Sally standing at the cash register getting screamed at by the consumer who could not get the Holiday Barbie that was advertised on sale that morning.  Yeah that's my life's dream! 

Where is our society heading now?  Do we value a "good value" over our families?  Are the retail giants suckering you into thinking your going to get one of those tablet computers for $90 (by the way there are only 3 per store) to get you in early?  Why do we think we have to have everything any minute of the day no matter if it is a Sunday, holiday or any day for that matter?  Why does everyone feel like they are entitled to whatever they want?  Are we setting a good example for our future generations?  I believe we are heading or actually have been heading in the wrong direction in our society.  Family does not mean crap in this country anymore, only self fulfillment does.

My niece is tickled to death she gets to work at Kohl's at midnight when they open good for her!  I actually liked working Black Friday myself but we opened at 7am, oh yeah that was in the early 90's and now that retail establishment is opening back up at 9pm Thanksgiving night this year.  Glad I am not retail anymore.

So where is this rant leading me i don't know.  I guess I just want people to be aware of others value systems.  I value my job, but family comes first.  People are precious jobs are not.  But then again jobs are precious right now since there  are not too many to be had.  I guess I feel more for the guy making 7.50 an hour that has to be to work by 3:45 AM than I do the nurse who will be making 5 times that amount or more who is use to working those kinds of hours in the first place.  I don't care if this is the 21st century people and families need to be valued over some retail giant making a buck.

It's Been a Long Time

Just like the song it's been a long time since my last blog.  Funny how I was so gunhoe in the beginning and seem to have really slacked off this fall.  Maybe it is because a new school year started up, maybe it's because I drive straight home and change into my gear and go out and run before dark or maybe it's because there is nothing to pressing to blog about.  At any rate here I am again ready to blog.

I find the year coming to an end and reflect back on my running journey this year.  I have realized I have spent quite a bit of money on my running this year.  Six pairs of shoes, numerous race entries and my most costly the trip to Chicago for the RnR 1/2 Marathon in August.  Would i change it?  Never!  Would i do it again?  Definately!!  I also realized i spent a lot of money on socks this year but you cannot be too careful when it comes to your feet.  I like my toenails, i like to be blister free and I love to have warm toes in the winter.  I am already looking ahead to next year and planning a few long trips that include racing.  There are two in the UP A 1/2  in June in Munising and then another 1/2 on the island off of Munising at the end of July.  These won't be as costly since I have a place to stay up there.  I also want to do an out of state one in the fall I just have to figure what one.  If I am picked to be an Ambassador again for TEAM MARATHON BARS I am going to look into either doing the RnR in St. Louis or Philly.  Lots of planning and saving up for in the 12 months that lie ahead! 

Reflective Running:Live Strong!

I like to reflect on my day or the past week I have had when I run. Today I was reflecting upon the fact of how many truly sad preschoolers are coming to school these days. It breaks my heart to see them walk into the school with a blank look on their face. They go through the motions and then they go home. Not all are this way, but when you see one in each class in your center it really stands out. Early childhood is the time for learning, playing, investigating and exploring everything about the world around them. It is suppose to be fun! But when you have preschoolers coming to school wearing the burdens of their parents on their own sleeve you know society is messing up royally. We provide a consistent, warm and nurturing environment everyday. I just hope this will make a difference in their lives and they will eventually open up and a take a risk to get truly involved in the activities going on around them in the room. I wish I could take them all for a run each night with me and show them the joys of running and how it helps me get through my days, good and bad.

The other issue I reflected upon tonight was Ayden. Ayden is a 4 year old little boy who was in our Head Start program last fall. He was diagnosed with a form of high functioning autism and went into a special ed room this past summer. Just recently Ayden was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It broke my heart to find this out.  This family has been through so much it makes you wonder why God tests people so much.  I want to help in some way so I am thinking I will run a 1/2 marathon or maybe a full marathon in the spring and raise money for Ayden's family.  I feel like if I combine my passion for running along with my passion for young children i think I can accomplish great things!!  I will think and reflect upon this some before i decide how i am going to go about all of it.  Ayden's mom has started a Facebook page called "Hope for Ayden" .  Like his page and follow his journey I will be following and praying for this little sweetheart and his family.  Live Strong Ayden!!

Wildlife Marathon

Last Sunday I ran in the Wildlife 1/2 Marathon.  My goal going into this race was to get a 1:50.  The night before the race I went to the packet pick up and promoted MARATHON Protien Bars.  I handed out 66 bars and talked with countless people that night.  What I liked best was describing the marathon course.  I have ran down almost all the roads and if not I have drove  down them!

The morning of the race comes and it is a cool morning that promised to be an awesome day.  I did a short 1/2 mile jog to just warm up the muscles a little.  Went to the bathroom countless times and mingled with the crowd.  Got some compliments on my MARATHON Bar uniform, it does stand out!  Right before the start of the full marathon I met my MARATHON Bar teammate Melanie Peters who would ultimately end of winning the womens marathon and finish 3rd overall.

So now it is time for the 1/2 to start and I get in the front of the pack so I have less people to manuver around.  I go out at a 8 minute pace for my first mile, oops wanted to hover around 8:30.  So my next mile is on pace and I feel great.  I get to the road I live on and there is Robyn Halsey cheering for me.  It was nice to have someone there since my family was less than 400 feet away and sleeping.  I get to the Teft Rd crossing and their is Robin Ellison cheering for me.  There was quite a crowd here and lots of SAU kids handing out gatoraide and water.  I am feeling great I head to the turn around and there are more SAU students and the ygive me a small bottle of water and I tell them SAU is my Alma Mater and I ran there 25 years ago.  They thought that was keen!  So off i go back down the trail towards Concord.  I am still feeling good.

So I am finally at the end of the trail and take in a little more water before treading on to the finish.  I head up the turn and short hill and decide to walk up the hill a little bit.  I look at my watch and I say to myself I will still get 1:50 I know i will.  So I conserved a little energy there and took off halfway up the hill and kicked it in for a strong finish with less than a mile left.  I cross the finish line in 1:50:57!  Woot Woot!  Made my goal!

I still felt good after the run as well.  I really did feel good all through the race, my hips did get a little tight and sore about mile 10-11 but they always do by then.  All in all it was a great race, great weather and great time!  I made my goal and now I need to move onto my next goal.  I just have to figure what that is going to be.

I Am a Runner!!

I had a nice chat with my running buddy from Montana the other day.  My friend Amy and I have been friends since middle school.  She is my best friend's little sister.  We were part of a pretty awesome 2 mile relay team in high school.  That was the first  experienced I had of working towards a goal as an individual and as a team all in one.  Every meet we ran in we had a goal to better our time and we worked together in practice to achieve this.  We did it too!  We might not have been the fastest bunch all together but we were dedicated and committed to each other and our goal.  We set a school record and metaled at the conference meet to boot!

Cathy, Paige, Amy & Shelly 2 mile relay 1987

So in our conversation were discussing how runners are a whole breed of their own!  Anyone who is a runner can relate here.  I told her that being on a cross country team while in school is full of all kinds of life lessons.  Goal setting is the major one.  I feel a good coach encourages and requires the team to make goals individual and as a team.  How can you strive to get somewhere if there is no goal in sight?  Running accomplishes this.  Kids learn to set those goals, devise a plan (workout) to get there and then ultimately becomes successful in reaching their goal and then moves on to setting a new goal.  Life is like that as well if you have no goal, no purpose you will just run circles and never get anywhere or accomplish what you want.  Set a goal derive a plan and meet that goal!  Yes there are obstacles in running an injury some really awful weather and in life an unexpected thing could happen like being laid off or your car motor blowing up. Running also makes a person become resilient.  You learn to push through, to get back up and finish and it becomes a habit to just get up everyday and run.

I never experienced running on a cross country team until college.  I was recruited to run track and play basketball and the track coach talked me into running cross country.  I was a ballplayer and a sprinter I never ran farther than 5 miles until that summer before my freshman year of college.  I remember the friends I made and the races I ran in but I was still a sprinter at heart.  Well the sprinter in me is gone and now i am a true long distance runner and i love everything about it.  I have to laugh because it is so ironic that for the longest time I was trying to run away from my "jock type runner image" that now in my 40's I am OK with that image, that is who I am.  I am also a wife, mom, teacher, sister etc. but for sure I am a Runner!

My University Has Let Me Down

While looking on my Alma mater's website at the upcoming homecoming activities I took a moment to check out the women's track and cross country pages.  They had the school records archived there.  They even went to the trouble of having the top ten times jumps or throws as well.  I was dismayed to find my name no where to be found.  My freshman year I set the school record in the 60 meter dash (indoor track) and tied the NCCAA record.  (national christian college athletic association)  After looking at the long jump best 10 jumps I should have been about fifth on that list as well.  When I checked out the cross country records they had all the girls who ran under 19 minutes on there.  I was not one of those girls, but my teammate Tina should have been in there she always ran constantly low 18s the whole season I ran with her.  I wonder now if it was just our coach at the time not recording this or if it was an oversight by the college.  I have my medals, my memories and my newspaper clippings so I have all the proof I need it would just be nice to receive the recognition due us.  I am not going to approach the college about this I do not want to start a ruckus I did not have the best experiences there, it definatley was not a good fit for me at the time.

Onward to better things.  My training has been consistanly better.  My times in my speed work have been coming down and I can tell in my other runs through the week how it has helped.  I had a great long run today I just felt like running so I did.  I held an easy 8:50 pace for almost 12 miles.  I was happy with that.  I am finding it much more productive if I just go out and run and only time the total run.  I am leaving my Garmin home for most runs and just wearing my Timex to get total time.  I am more relaxed when I am not focused on my pace. 

During my long run today my mind drifted off and then I found myself going over multiplication facts in my head.  I have no idea why but I was 12 x 12 is 144 then I would go on with 12 x 13 etc.  It was crazy so then I started focusing on the music coming through my head phones.  Then I turned that down and listened to the leaves crunching beneath my Nikes.  I had a nice mixture of running down the trail, then around the village of Concord then back to the trail and then around my short block down the gravel roads.  It was a great run!!

We will see what this week has in store I have to work lots of late nights because of Open House at my two different centers.  So I might find myself running in the morning, maybe at night with a head lamp or on my treadmill that I snagged off Craigslist last week.  I will let you know next time! Peace Out!