My Running Career

 I am trying to get myself motivated and back into running regularly. In my brain, I really want to do it. In the mornings when I should be getting up and running.....I don't want to do it. So, I thought maybe I could try a little self-motivation by re-living my past running career.   (....not sure if it can really be called a career, though!)

Previous to meeting Jason, I tried running all of about one time. I never thought I could run, and never really tried. When I shared an apartment with Brittany, she tried to get me into running, although I'm not sure if she was really into running herself. We tried to do something similar to what is called fartlek training, where we basically did intervals of walk/run/walk/run/etc., each for the same amount of minutes. I think we did it together maybe two times. I guess we weren't that motivated, and were horrible running partners in that we didn't hold each other accountable to our plan.

When I met Jason, he would go running at night for 2-5 miles, or more. He ran alone, he ran with other people, and he would run from one end of town to the other, stop at McDonalds for a burger, and run back. I thought he enjoyed running. And, as a good girlfriend should do, I thought I should try to learn to run so that we could do that activity together. You know, the romantic work-outs together, running together, all that lovey-dovey stuff. (I'm actually not sure how getting all grungy and sweaty is romantic, but maybe that's just me.)

The very first time I tried running with Jason, I about died. And then I was highly disappointed to find out that I hadn't even run a quarter of a mile! Ha! I guess a few of my excuses could be: I had never run before, besides what was necessary for chasing cows growing up and that had been a few years past at that point. I was out of shape. And, I was running at an elevation of 6,000 feet - a bit higher of an elevation than I was born and raised at, for sure!

I tried running with Jason a few more times, but usually ended up just walking after dying at the first quarter mile, and Jason would run on and do his loop. And, wherever he met me on his loop back, he would then stop and walk with me a bit before going on and finishing his run. And I walked.

Apparently at some point, I started making a more concentrated effort to run. It was after we were married, and I believe after we got Gunther. And, I had decided that I really wanted to do this running thing. In August of 2013, I decided I needed more motivation so I signed up for my first 5k. And, it was only about 2 weeks away.  I remember taking Gunther for a walk to the park after work every night and, when we got to the park, I would make laps around the lake. It started out as, "Just make it part-way around the lake." Then it was, "Make it the full circle." I kept setting higher goals for myself with the intention of reaching the full 3.2 miles before my scheduled 5k. I almost made it with my training, and I participated in my first running event ever.

I consider myself to be a very slow runner, and I completed my first 5k in a bit more than 30 minutes. I didn't quite make it in running the entire course; I got shin splints at some point and decided to walk for a bit. But, I did run the majority of the course, and I finished it! Quite an accomplishment that I was kind of proud of!

After that first race, I continued to run and tried to improve. I invested in a pair of minimalist running shoes, and tried to get tips on how to run better, or more correctly. Jason had continued his own running, but it was determined that we could not run together. I couldn't run as fast as he, and he just wanted to be able to do his own thing. We would still go out together sometimes, but we both ran at our own paces.

At some point, he decided that he wanted to try and run the 2014 Army Ten Miler that is held in Washington D.C. every fall. We started trying to increase our mileage on our runs, and were doing pretty good at it. We made a very concentrated effort to make it into the sign-ups when they opened the online registration (it usually sells out within an hour or so after registration becomes available), and thankfully were successful. Since Jason's availability at that time could change at a moments notice, I invited my sister-in-law, Katelyn, to be a back-up runner in case Jason couldn't be there. She trained steadily through-out the summer, but I think she was a little relieved when we found out for certain that Jason would be able to go.

The month before the Army Ten Miler (ATM), I again signed up for, and ran, the annual Freedom 5k in which I had made my running debut. It was a lot easier the second time! And then, Jason and I traveled across the country to run the ATM.

This was pretty much the one and only time that Jason and I have literally run together for any length of time, or distance. There were thousands of runners and Jason did not want to leave me in the dust, so he slowed his pace to match mine, for the most part. We discovered that after running 6-8 miles regularly at 6,000 feet, running at sea-level feels like a piece of cake! It was actually a pretty refreshing run! Jason did end up with shin-splints once or twice, so we did a little bit of walking. But, whenever we would encounter a runner that was a single, or double, amputee, or a blind runner, Jason would say, "I think we can run." Seeing men and women running despite those sorts of challenges was definitely motivating, and made us realize we had no excuses. Jason and I both finished the race, although I don't remember our run times; they weren't amazing, but we weren't the last to finish!

After running the Army Ten Miler, I think Jason and I both kind of fell off the running train. Neither of us did any runs in 2015 or 2016. In the spring of 2017, something motivated me to start running again. It was slow going, as I was now running with a dog and a stroller. Jason tried to get back into running, too, but we did not run together which was nothing out of the ordinary. To help keep us motivated, we decided to sign up for the local 5k Color Run in June.

[ Before... ....After

For this color run, we alternated running and walking a LOT. Neither one of us was ready for running a full 5k. We sometimes ran together, we took turns pushing the buggy, and we did a lot of walking together. We did cross the finish line together, and there is a picture out there somewhere that the photographer got of our finish. I need to see if I can find it. Our run/walk time wasn't great, but we got out and did it. And that's what counted.

Later that summer, I convinced Brittany to sign up for a fall race with me for when we were going to be in Wyoming. Brittany, having not run since I don't know when, decided to start training for our race and found that she could already run a 5k no problem. So, she said we needed to do the 10k portion of the race so that she would have a challenge. I agreed. And, I decided to sign up for a 10k in our own town the very weekend before the race in Wyoming. I did pretty good with my training, even with a stroller and a dog. I also convinced a friend here in Kansas to run the 10k here with me. And she hadn't run since she, and her husband, had done the 5k Color Run with us! I'm not sure how much training she did, but it wasn't a lot. Yet, she only walked maybe 5-10% of the 10k; she was running right beside me the rest of the time. I was impressed! (Jason had signed up for the 5k portion, and willingly took Little Pumpkin in the stroller so that I could run stroller-free.)

As it turned out, there were only four women in our age group that ran the 10k, and my run time made third place! I was a bit shocked!

I also experienced my first bloody toes on this run. I've heard stories of people losing toenails after big races, but had never experienced any such injuries myself. I didn't lose any toenails, though. Just bloody toes from I'm not quite sure what.

After my 10k in Kansas, we headed out to Wyoming for Jason to go hunting, and for me to run a 10k with Brittany. At 6,000 feet again. After living back at sea level for several months.

The weather in Wyoming was completely different from the weather in Kansas. It was COLD the morning of the run. Brittany's mom, Sheryl, gladly kept Little Pumpkin that morning, as the running trail was NOT conducive to running with stroller. Britt and I are not on the same running page at all (seriously, who can just get up off the couch and run a 5k with no problem?), so we did not run together. She ran her pace - which was fast, and I ran mine - which was slow and steady wins the race, little turtle. She finished well ahead of me, and actually placed in her age group, although neither one of us kept track of our running time. I will say that running at that elevation again was a little bit brutal, and I begrudged the agreement to run a 10k a few times. But, I made it with minimal walking, and I was glad I did it.

It was after the two back-to-back 10k runs, I believe, that I found a 5k in November that I invited Jason's family to do with me. Jason's mom, Christine, was the only one that was willing to join me. (I don't remember why Jason didn't do this race.) She has never run, that I am aware of, but was game to walk the 5k with Little Pumpkin and I. It was a largely attended race - bigger than most of the others I have done - and I think it was a good experience for both of us.

It wasn't terribly cold, but cool enough to use the stroller cover and blankets to keep Little Pumpkin warm. She (Little Pumpkin) slept through most of the walk, as was her usual pattern. Christine and I took turns pushing the stroller and finished the race in about 45 minutes, if I remember correctly. We each got a participation medal, but didn't place for any times, of course. It was just a good 5k experience, at least for me. I don't think I ever heard what Christine thought of her first 5k experience.

At some point that fall, I discovered a New Years Eve fun night run in Virginia when I was going to be visiting family for New Years. I extended a running invitation to my entire family, which garnered a little bit of interest, and signed up to run with my sister and sister-in-law, Katie and Katelyn. Katie had never run before, but was interested in trying it. Katelyn had done some running before, so she was excited with the idea. I believe they may have trained together a bit, too.

Once again, it was freezing cold; even colder than it was in Wyoming for the 10k. I wore many more layers, and we had to keep on the move while waiting for the race to start. It was pretty much dark when the race started (which is the whole point of a glow run!), and we all ran at our own pace. Katelyn was, of course, the fastest. (I think her height gives her a bit of an advantage.) Katie also did well at running faster than I, and they both passed me on their return while I was still hoofing it towards the turn-around. I'm a slow runner, what can I say. My goal with all my races is to not be the last person crossing the finish line, and so far I have succeeded! I don't remember what all of our run times were, but I believe this may have been my fastest time yet. The cold may have been a bit of a motivator....or maybe I was improving. None of us placed with our times, though, and that was OK. We all had fun, and I think we all said we'd try other races in the future.

Since that cold, New Years Eve 5k, I have slacked off the running program. I am a bit of a fair weather runner. And, I don't adhere to a good running schedule all the time. I did go for a short run with my nephew, Sam, when he was here visiting in August. But outside of that, I have not run at all this year. And I have recently been having the urge to run.

Since our jogging stroller has had one too many run-in's with the Jeep and the garage wall, it is not the funnest to go running with. And, Little Pumpkin is not as content to sit in the stroller for as long of walks as she used to be. So I have been telling myself that I need to change up what was my former routine. Instead of going running in the later morning or early evening with a dog and stroller, I need to get up early in the morning and go running with just Gunther. He's got plenty of energy that needs to be used, not to mention his "bulking up" that he's done over the past year. However, getting up and out of bed early in the morning is not my natural tendency, though if I can make it a habit it is not too terribly bad. I just haven't started forging that habit yet. So I have been looking at some upcoming races and, just tonight, I started looking at my past race photos for motivation. And, as a result, I decided to sit down and chronicle them all out for you! Not sure if it's going to help motivate me, especially since it is now after 2am and I had great intentions of getting up and going running early in the morning.....

So how about you? How would you motivate yourself to do something that you want to do, but yet are finding it hard to actually do?