April running

So this month I decided to post my favorite quotes again from "The Runner's Book of Daily Inspiration" by Kevin Nelson.  Along with my favorite quotes I'll also add in Kevin's perspective and mine.  I also thought it would be fun to post pictures of the people whose quotes I found interesting/inspiring.  

My month of April was pretty good.  I put in 70 miles total with my longest run being a 9 miler and my fastest run being a 3 miler at 8:22 pace.  I'm keeping injury free.  I've fallen off the wagon with my sweets- I'm kind of an all or nothing kind of gal- so the sweets/treats one day a week started ballooning into a few more days of the week so I need to reign in empty calorie eating, but otherwise I feel pretty good about my nutrition.  I'm still not making head way with cross training.  I'm thinking about taking hubby up on Bob Harper DVD- but I'm still not there yet- maybe my 1/2 marathon in about 5 weeks will show me where I can improve- my weaknesses- and kick my butt into cross training gear.  For now though- sit back and enjoy some pretty nifty quotes from some really impressive peeps.

"Be truly motivated to train for a marathon.  Do it for yourself- not on a bet or a dare or because 'everyone else does". - Grete Waitz, 9 time winner of New York City Marathon from 1978-1988 (more than any female or MALE)

I liked Kevin's take on the above quote- he writes a good reminder "Nobody is forcing you to run... There is nothing obligatory about running... You run because you choose to run... Running is an expression of freedom.  Never turn it in your mind into anything else. Because that wills top you dead in your tracks".

I think Grete and Kevin's quotes are spot on- totally motivating and total reminder that all of us choose to run and should choose to run for all the right reasons. 

"When you run in the morning, you gain time in a sense.  It's like stretching 24 hours into 25.  You may need to sleep less and get up earlier, but if you can get by that, running early seems to expand the day". - Fred Lebow race founder of NYC Marathon

Kevin's addition "A person who doesn't want to do something can never find the time to do it, while a person who wants to do it will always find the time.  Longtime runners seldom complain that they can't find the time to run ... They want to run, so they make the time, even when time is tight.  You can do it, too."

I find this to be so true for me.  When I look at my week I plan not only meals, where kids are coming and going, but when I'm running.  It has become almost second nature and I really do find the time.  It Matters To Me!

 "Sustained motivation is essential to achieving your potential."- Grete Waitz (yep the same lady above in the first picture- she passed away at age 57 from cancer per reading her bio sounds like she was an extremely strong lady.)

Kevin's addition to this theme of motivation was "The more you run, the more it will become part of your nonrunning life.  The more you make it part of your nonrunning life, the more you will run.  It's a lovely circle to be caught up in".

Couldn't agree more!

"Start easy. Run a mile a day for a week.  Run two miles a day the next week. But be comfortable.  Take it easy. You're not in a race."- Wilson Waigwa, miler, Kenyan ran for UT miners

Kevin's take " Grab for the gusto.  Seize the day.  Be present. live for the moment. But hey, if it doesn't work out, don't sweat it.  In running there's always tomorrow... So yes, go out today and run.  But do it with the idea that you'll be running tomorrow, too."

If a Kenyan miler can have the piece of mind to speak about comfort in running I should too- take it easy and enjoy- many days of running ahead of me.

"Hold back for the first seven miles.  Use it as a warm-up and then gradually increase your rate but never strain"- Adolph Gruber, long-distance runner 

I'm not good about holding back- I normally do what you aren't suppose to do- run the first 1/2 of the marathon faster than my normal pace.  Maybe that should be another added goal for this upcoming Marathon season- run the 2nd half faster than the first- I'll let you know how that turns out.

 "I have examined myself thoroughly and came to the conclusion that I don't need to change much". - Sigmund Freud

Kevin's take: "Change, change, change. The world is filled with grand ideas on how to make you a better person...Running is no different... For today, at least, let's take a break from all that worthy and well-intentioned advice.  Let's no think about the butterflies we'd like to become; instead let's appreciate the larvae that we are".

O.k. I'm not aspiring to be a butterfly, but I agree that sometimes we need to just be who we be and not focus on continued change or metamorphosis of ourselves.  It might make life a little more simple and a little more enjoyable.

"Too many people run a fast first half, then have to slow down.  An even pace almost always works best."- Jerry Nason, road racer, on how to run a marathon (I tried to find a picture of him, but all I found was a lot of Boston Globe articles, etc that wrote about how Jerry Nason was the person who coined the term Heart Break Hill for Boston Marathon- so pictures of hill and course will have to do)

Kevin's take "It's  true even when you feel rotten .  You drag yourself out of bed to run, barely able to lift a leg without a Herculean labor.  But your time, even on a draggy day, is not so far off from what you usually run.  What's gong on? The answer is pace...All you need to do is settle into the rhythm of your body that day  and go with it".

I find this to be pretty true.  On days I thought I ran faster my time isn't normally that fast, and the days I thought I did crappy the time isn't that far off my normal pace, maybe just a minute or two slower.  This makes it a tad bit challenging to improve one's speed, but being conscious of it will help me strive to push past my normal pace- I hope.

"Nearly all the best things that come to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me."- Carl Sandburg (American writer and editor best known for his poetry and recipient of 3 Pulitzer prizes: 2 for poetry and 1 for biography of Abraham Lincoln)

Kevin's addition to the above. " What's the old saying Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans.  Sometimes you can plan and plan and plan and plan for a certain thing to happen, and it never does.  But then something else will occur- the last thing in the world you expected, in fact- and it turns out to be a most surprising, and wonderful, discovery.  Stay open to the possibilities inherent in your life, and you will make lots of happy, surprising discoveries".

Following the above may help with my "flexibility" issue.  To not plan it all would be kind of exhilarating I think- will have to try it sometime :).  Onto May running and racing- next race 10K Pearl Harbor School Oahu,Hawaii- May 13th.  Looking forward to the race and enjoying spending the day with two of my favorite people and two great moms: my sister and my mom.  Hope to have some great running pictures from that trip.