August Running Recap

08/30/12	Running	Coralville loop	8.06	01:20:00	09:55	1039	good				0
08/29/12	Running	Coralville/North Liberty	5	00:52:00	10:24	675	good				0
08/28/12	Running	Coralville/North Liberty out n back	5	00:54:00	10:48	701	alright				1
08/26/12	Running	Get Moving for healthy kids 5K	3.1	00:38:40	12:28	493	good				1
08/24/12	Running	Treadmill	1.5	00:12:50	08:33	155	good				1
08/24/12	Running	coralville/iowa city	8.68	01:36:00	11:03	1247	alright				2
08/22/12	Running	Coralville loop	5	00:56:58	11:23	727	good				0
08/21/12	Running	coralville	4.5	00:48:00	10:39	623	alright				2
08/19/12	Running	Coralville out n back	3	00:28:50	09:36	363	good				1
08/18/12	Running	Coralville/north liberty loop	17	02:58:12	10:28	2313	good				3
08/15/12	Running	Coralville/north liberty	8.18	01:23:08	10:09	1078	good				2
08/14/12	Running	Coralville put n back	4.09	00:40:28	09:53	519	good				0
08/12/12	Running	Treadmill	3	00:30:00	10:00	389	good				0
08/11/12	Running	Coralville/Iowa City	15.41	02:56:55	11:28	2287	alright				1
08/08/12	Running	Warm up before speed work at track	1	00:10:11	10:11	129	good				0
08/08/12	Running	track speed work out 400 meter x 6 with rest in between	1.8	00:15:20	08:31	194	good				0
08/07/12	Running	Coralville north liberty out n back	7	01:16:57	10:59	987					0
08/05/12	Running	Oswego I tried tri	2.1	00:18:05	08:36	233					1
08/04/12	Running	Oswego loop	3	00:30:00	10:00	389	good				0
08/02/12	Spinning	At rec center	0	00:25:00		0	blah				0
08/02/12	Running	Coralville loop	5	00:54:00	10:48	701	good				0
08/01/12	Running	coralville loop	5	00:54:00	10:48	701	good				1

This is what my runs look like for the past month.  If you haven't tried it yet- DailyMile is great!  All you have to do is login, track your workouts and you can pretty much add whatever you want to from weather, to clothing wore, to "pick your smiley or non-smiley face" scale.  Anyways- above gives you the "list" form of my August runs.  I put in some major time, but it paid off.  I ran 118 miles this past month.  I'm injury free and still going and as you can see I have more "good" runs than "alright or Blah" above- another good sign.

Here are my favorite August quotes/ideas from The Runner's Book of Daily Inspiration" by Kevin Nelson

August 3 "Don't overwork; enjoy yourself.  Be creative above what you do.  The motivation for running has to come from inside.  If you're not enjoying it, you won't be motivated."- Martha Cooksey, marathoner
The author's answer to the above quote is to "cut back".  Either on mileage or days of running.  I thought his signs of overworking were pretty spot on: chronic fatigue, listlessness and increase in aches and pain.  I'd add crankiness, even though exhausted difficult to sleep, and of course with me craving bad foods to help boost energy: candy, pop, coffee, fatty foods (fries, burgers, etc).

August 4 "Beyond a few tests and some prescriptive advice, there is really nothing I can do to you or for you.  If anything happens, it will be because you do it to and for yourself." - Dr. Art Mollen, advising runners
Author's answer for the above: revisit past success.  "go back to the tried and true". I love this line from Kevin "In a sense, going back to basics is a return to trusting your instincts... Most likely, you've layered on complications where before it was simple".  I think this line is not only true of running but others things in life like parenting,  marriage, friendship, etc.  Basically I took away don't make it complicated- simplify it.

August 11 "Whatever the emotion, whether it ranges from annoyance to rage, from disquiet to terror, from guilt to remorse, one of the best remedies is vigorous action.  Sport is the therapy best suited for the instant treatment of emotional distress". - George Sheehan, philosopher- runner
I couldn't agree more!

August 15 "That daily life is really good one appreciates when one wakes from a horrible dream, or when one takes the first outing after a sickness.  Why not realize it now?"- William Phelps, writer
Kevin wrote "Here's a sure cure for the running blues: take a forced holiday from it.  That will cure your blues in a second."
Yep this is true for me.  Prior to "fish tank accident" last year I would become extremely cranky and start to detest my training about week 12-16 or so of my 18 week plan.  However, when forced to not run for a month last summer and truly be worried I wouldn't make it through training let alone run the Chicago Marathon last year, I came out of that event/time with a new outlook.  I am rarely cranky when it comes to my weekly runs.  Yes, some runs are harder than others, and yes I get down when my times are slow, but I don't detest running or feel like I have severe PMS during weeks 12-16.  I take each week for what it is- another week I'm lucky to be running.- seriously, take a break from running if you are getting burned out- don't let yourself run/work-out, etc and after lets say a week of that look at how you feel and if you are a "runner" you will be chomping at the bit to get back out and start running.

August 17 "Good enough never is." - Debbi Fields, founder, Mrs. Fields Cookies
I think when you have been running for awhile this line is so true.  As a runner you are always striving for a faster time, longer mileage, quicker recovery, leaner  physique, etc.  "Good enough never is"!

August 20 "This is a magic moment for me.  It's something I've been dreaming of all my life."- Lameck Aguta of Kenya, after winning the Boston Marathon
Kevin's take: "One of the most wonderful things about running is that magic moments are still available, and that they are available to all in the most ordinary ways."
We all have "magic moments" in life- not only running related, but life related: getting married, buying your first home, traveling to a place you've dreamed of going to, reading a book that made you a different person, and of course becoming a mom.

August 22 "One of the best things about running- if not the best- is running with a friend... You've heard it before, but it's so true: there's nothing like good conversation to make a run fly by." -Gail Kislevitz, runner
I never knew about the benefits of running with a friend until last year.  Two words: Free Therapy.  Yep that is what a running buddy is.  Not only do the runs fly by, but it is truly therapy.  Last year was a magical year of running for me, because I overcame an obstacle- injury and also decreased training time due to injury.  I don't really think it would've been so "magical" without my BRB.  This year has been different.  BRB is running with me in spirit and we talk about runs/training, but she's taking a sabbatical from running world and so I'm back to running solo.  It truly was a wonderful experience last year and I hope I will soon again experience it.  Miss you BRB!

August 30 "Every time you live through something like this, you'll be tougher for the next time.  You've just got to keep fighting and fighting and fighting until it breaks, and it will break." - Dusty Baker, baseball manager, advising a young, slumping player
Kind of timely due to some of my longer runs I've struggled with this month of August.  I just have to keep "fighting and fighting and fighting"!

August 31 "How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward." - Spanish proverb
It is at times hard "to do nothing".  This is a motto of not only a runner, but also a mother runner.  I need to be better about planning "resolution-free day" (is what Kevin calls them).  Planning is sometimes my middles name, but you can always plan rest or "resolution-free day" into the "to do's".  Something to shoot for.

Well that ends August and so I march... well really RUN on into September.  Only 5 weeks left until Chicago Marathon so I best stop writing tonight and get to my foam roller and stretches.  Best of luck to those of you who are training/running races this month.