Category Archives: Running

Walk. Don’t Run.

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ImageI. Love. To. Run. 3 miles. 10 miles. 20 miles.  It doesn’t matter how many miles… Well, it does to a degree. What I am trying to get across to you is not only that I LOVE to run, but I can’t do so right now.

I’ve been in an orthopedic boot for a few months now, due to a tibial stress fracture. Have I mentioned that I am a terrible patient? I’ve slipped out of the boot a handful of times to go dancing with friends in heels and MAY have done more miles than recommended by my Doctor when we thought I was healed. Note to self: I may have looked good in my heels, but now I am paying the price by having to remain in the boot longer.

Why I am boring you with this? Because I am making every attempt to embrace the boot and finally begin to heal the right way. AND most importantly, I just want to complain.

ImageI miss the sound of my feet hitting the pavement or trail, buying  running outfits & gear after a successful long run, hanging out with my long-run group (the Pacemakers) and getting razzed by the group’s ring leader, Bob, and I UBER miss my running partner-in-crime, Lila.

Though I  DO NOT care for early morning runs, there are fewer things as cool as greeting the sun in our special kind of comfortable silence with her by my side. She’s training right now for an upcoming half that she is going to OWN and I wish I could be doing fartleks with her.

GUYS, I just wished that I could be doing SPEED WORK.

So instead of sneaking out to go dancing in 2 heels vs. a boot, I will keep my sanity (if that’s ever an achievable goal, of course) and fitness in-check by riding the trainer and doing low-impact workouts and most importantly I will wear the boot with style and grace. The former will entail wearing one high heel on the left foot – true story. The grace part, well that will all be an act.

Okay, my whining is done… Thanks for playing along.

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Resolute in Resolve

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re·solve  (r-zlv)

v. re·solved, re·solv·ing, re·solves

With 2013 just a few hours away, rest assured I will be joining the ranks of the many people making New Years resolutions. This yearly tradition will not see my committing to a new gym membership to “tame the bulge” because – happily – I am not overweight.  However, it will see a renewed committment to friends, family + self. And maybe self might make up most of my resolution, but when Tammi’s happy everything else in her peripheral is happy too. Or at least that’s what I will keep telling myself… 

1. To change or convert
My affinity for the f-word, even if it’s around my closest friends, is not cool. This love for this particular word and others with similar flare may add color to my storytelling, but it doesn’t add flavor. I’m trading color for flavor this year. We will see how that goes!
 
2. To remove or dispel
My 30s have seen some weeding of my metaphorical garden. Acquaintances in my life are many. True friends are few.  Friendship, like family, is a give-and-take relationship. I will no longer serve as an enabler of addiction to negativity.  When people come into your life and all they do is take and harm, one must reassess.  I’ve used the last few months to do just that. 
 
I am going into this New Year surrounded by wonderful and quirky friends who continually bless me with their patience, love, friendship and,often much-needed, brutal and transparent honesty.  I resolve to the knowledge that sometimes I may be a weak friend. I resolve in knowing that sometimes my friends will be weak. I resolve to reflect on and improve my shortcomings, mourn our losses and celebrate our victories together.  My friends are my family that I chose. Thank you for choosing to join me on this ride. I will do my damndest to not disappoint. (DAGGER – I used a colorful word again!)
 
3. To find a solution to; solve.
My children are growing into a young man and young woman. UGH, I typed it which makes it even more true. Though I can’t “solve” this biological phenomena, I can jump on this wild roller coaster of the teen years, ride it, find the moments of beauty and grow from the experience. 
 
I resolve to breathe and reflect on what they are feeling before I respond to a door being slammed out of teenage angst.  I resolve to stop and listen to their woes, even if I don’t have the “time.” I resolve to hugging them more, despite their thinking they don’t want or need it. 
 
My unconditional love for them is resolute, even if they think at that very moment they don’t like me.
 
4. To make a firm decision about.
 Baltimore Marathon – here I come baby!  My 2012 running year was an awesome one. My goals included: running an entire year injury-free and breaking my personal record/best in a 5k and the 1/2 marathon. Check, check and check. My ahhhhhh-mazing running buddy and great friend, Lila, and I have committed to doing our very 1st marathon together next fall.  I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather take this journey with other than her.
  
2013  
  It’s going to be fun.  
         It’s going to be hard.  
                  It’s going to be monumental.
 
 

I Run… What Do You Do?

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As a high school and college athlete, I despised any form of running. But as one matures (a.k.a. hits their 30s ), we often seek new adventures and challenges.  I did just that. Running and I renewed  a relationship around three years ago and, as many can attest to, I’m hooked!

Hooked not only encompasses a number of changes in my lifestyle , but also solicits many opinions from  family, friends and acquaintances.  So for you non-runners out there, I want to shed some light on we running-types.

Not every runner wants to run a marathon or has run one. SHOCKER, right? I started this running gig to find some “me time” and  “zen” (zen = meditative state, for today’s purposes.) Kudos to you Yoga folks who twist, turn and lift yourself physically and mentally. I tried it and it wasn’t for me. Running is: me, the road, my shoes, the horizon, the rhythm of my footfalls, and clearing my mind of the garbage. Along this ride, thus far, have been some 5ks and half-marathons with goals. #1 goal: finish the race ALIVE and if I can do better than I did last time that’s awesome!

As far as a marathon goes, I will do one someday and probably within the next 18 months. Why? Because I can do it, despite my brain and many of YOU thinking that I can’t.

YES, we runners can go on-and-on-and-on about running.  We get up at 5:30 a.m. for a run, while many of you are still sleeping and it can be a struggle to do so.  Our success/sense of accomplishment is based on sticking to a plan and often pushing ourselves through a weekly “I-almost-puked” speed workout to shave SECONDS off of our last and/or best race time.  Running involves challenging yourself and discipline. Both of which children subconsciously yearn for and many adults don’t have. I’m proud of myself and all be damned you might just hear about it.

Just because we run, does not mean we can eat what ever we want, and as much of it as we’d like. I wish this were true! As a runner increases their mileage they burn more energy and that means we may need more fuel, but how much fuel depends on how much you are running. I am not running a marathon in the near future, therefore I should not be eating like I am. I do however sometimes think I am a fish and therefore drink – on occasion – like one. Yes, some runners do, can and like to drink alcohol too. However, please accept our apologies if we don’t want to go on a bender with you the night before a 14 mile morning run. There is NOTHING cool about how that run goes and feels, if we give into  peer pressure.

We pay to run races that 99.9% of us will NOT win.  Yes, it is true.  Running, for most of us non-Olympian types, is about doing our personal best. Come on, isn’t that what life is about anyhow? Why not pay for a day to join a group of people who are reaching for that very same goal and along the way you get a cool shirt, medal, cheering squads and a celebration at the end for all of that hard work we’ve put in to get there?

People have hobbies and make different life style choices. Mine is running. I’m not crazy or obsessed. I’ve found my passion and I challenge you to find yours.