Of all the things I have gained from becoming a runner, the gift I appreciate the most is the ability to explore the amazing city I live in. Not just the different areas but the ever-changing nature surrounding our capitol. At a time when there is a lot of discussion about the "landscape" of Washington, DC, I would like to remind everyone that the dysfunction you hear about on the news is not all that Washington is about. The true landscape of DC is something to be admired not shunned! Monuments and trails and rivers that wind around this little diamond of a city. As you may remember, last week my long run looked more like an adventure at the North Pole but this week, on one of my favorite trails in DC (pictured above) I was back in shorts, rocking out a ridiculously fast 8 miles and enjoying every step of the way. So yes, the Washington landscape is ever-changing, there is a constant tug of war. I choose to see it from the trail rather than the TV or the newspaper. I choose to see it on the run.
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Team in Training prep is hitting its stride. Meetings and workouts are on the calendar for early February and among the information passed on to participants this week was a pre-training schedule. At first glance I was thrilled. This week it was suggested that I "walk briskly or run for 20 minutes." Wow, I thought, maybe this triathlon stuff is not as hard as I thought it was going to be. After all, I have been maintaining 15-20 mile weeks since my Marathon last November. And then I saw the next day on the schedule. "Spend 30 minutes in a pool. Swim any stroke comfortably." Swim any stroke comfortably?! Let's just say my face was pretty much identical to the girl in this photo. But then it dawned on me. I will get in the pool for the first time. I will thrash in the pool and find myself short of breath (I find the idea of exhaling under water absolutely unfathomable). So I had a choice to make, do I make a complete fool out of myself during the first workout with my teammates OR do I give myself a fighting chance to get comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation. It was settled, I woke up early and went over to the pool. I thrashed, I paddled, I tried to get acquainted with the ways of the water. I don't know that I won't embarrass myself at that first training session, but I do know that I am one step closer to swimming that .9 distance in the Schuylkill River.
I had a very exciting call with my Team in Training mentor this weekend. Although my official training schedule does not start until February, there is a lot of fundraising planning to dive into. I have set a lofty goal of raising $4,000.00 and I am confident that I will reach it with the help of my amazing friends and family (that's you guys :)) That being said, I also think that sometimes you should get something for your gift -- besides my undying gratitude. As I have started to brainstorm fundraising options the three that consistently come up are:
Winter has finally arrived! Last night the District was blanketed with snow and ice and while that might send most people to the treadmills, some of us attack the challenge of a snowy run. Some people call us dedicated, some people call us crazy -- the latter might be most accurate. The thing most people don't realize is that the hardest part about a winter run (especially in bad weather) is just lacing up the sneaks and getting out the front door. You almost always get a mile in and realize it's not as cold/wet/dangerous as you thought. Not only do you get to claim badassness (yeah I just made that word up) you also get the benefit of the most spectacular surroundings. Running through fresh snow with only a few sets of tracks you realize what a privilege it is to be able to get out and explore the world around you no matter what the weather.
Having some friends (fellow lunatics) to share the beauty with only makes it better! This week I was interviewed for an article focusing on people who race for charity. It was a great experience and the journalist asked me a few questions that really made me think about the why and how of charity racing. Although this is not my first race for a cause, it is certainly one that I am deeply connected to emotionally. However, emotional ties don't have to be at play to be able to support a cause that you feel connected to. Last year I raised money and ran Ragnar DC with a team from Girls on the Run. Girls on the Run is a fantastic organization that uses running as a tool to teach preteen girls about self respect and healthy lifestyle choices. I both agree with and feel connected to their mission and was able to follow up the Ragnar fundraising by committing to raise funds for the organization when I ran the Richmond Marathon in November. While discussing this with my interviewer she asked me why I thought so many people were joining the trend and participating in charity races. A very good question indeed! I believe we are witnessing a wonderful cycle of caring for ourselves and our communities. The overall number of people entering endurance sport events has risen dramatically over the past 10 years. With so many new runners, swimmers and cyclists come so many new stories and backgrounds. The diversity of the sport seems to be at an all time high. With this tapestry of athletes you find a certain number of people who were already involved in racing bringing their cause to the sport. On the other hand you find people with a cause who come to the sport in order to push themselves and bring awareness to an organization. No matter how you get involved, raising yourself to a new level of fitness and raising funds for a great organization is a trend worth sticking with!
I realize I am a week or so late on the resolution bandwagon, but that's OK, right? I don't particularly like resolutions. I don't scoff at the idea of trying to be better this year than I was during the last 12 months but I feel as though "resolutions" set us up for failure because anyone creating broad generalizations might not follow through with specifics. To me, goals are all about Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely plans. That's right, I got all geeky guidance counselor on you. But seriously, your goals need to be SMART. I try to remember this every time I set a goal and I certainly took it into account when setting up my goal list for 2012. Another fun fact is that the number of people you share your goals with can be directly linked to your follow through. So with that in mind here are my 2012 (SMART) goals. Get Strong: I have a had a lot of people react with surprise when I say this. I get a lot of "You ran a marathon you are totally strong!" Let me tell you what when i went to my first weight lifting class I found out the hard way that it is a totally different type of strength! Building muscular strength by attending weekly classes and doing some independent work in between should make me a stronger endurance athlete, tone me up and keep my injuries to a minimum! Get in the Know: I am trying to read as much as I can about as many things as I can. I want to be able to hold my own in just about any situation I am thrown into and I hope that my increased reading list will help with that. {Do Not} Get Scared: A lot of things about 2012 seem scary at first glance. Swimming, biking, new adventures professionally and doing all of it without my Mom for the first time. But in 2012 I have a goal to push fear aside and dive (literally) into my fears. I hope to remove the word scared from my vocabulary by pushing through the fear and conquering everything I set out to do. How does someone who did not participate in any athletic endeavors growing up reach a point in their lives when they say "sure, I will do a triathlon!" It actually isn't a complicated answer. You just put one foot in front of the other until you have run a 5k and then a 10k and then a 10 miler and then... you get the point. A lot of people talk about racing like an addiction and I think that in some (very positive) ways they are right. And if that is true, running seems to be the gateway drug for all distance athletes. Why, because it is easy to understand, it is easy to measure your gains and most of all you just lace up and go. Anyone can do it, trust me! I would have laughed at you if you had told me 5 years ago that I would be registered to compete in a triathlon! I would have told you to "get lost" if you told me I would have run a marathon! But that's the amazing part about running (and I hope it is also true for triathlons), it is a sport that you can grow into and seems to grow WITH you at times. I did, in fact, run my first marathon this past November. And it was an amazing feeling to be able to think back to the first race I ever ran. I had only been running for a few months, I didn't know anyone, I had no one at the finish to cheer me on, no running buddy to log the miles with. I just ran because it felt good and I could feel myself getting better. In these first few weeks of preparation for training I am trying to stay aware of that feeling. I do not want to let the fear of the unknown creep over me. So I remember that human beings can do extraordinary things as long as they believe.
Courage! I have been told by many of the people I love and respect most that I am crazy to attempt a triathlon when I cannot currently ride a bike or swim with any semblance of grace or dignity. However, something in me feels a bit like the Lion in The Wizard of Oz. The courage and skill is there, it just needs to be uncovered. And so I have filled out the paperwork, crossed my t's and dotted my i's and I am officially registered to compete in the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon with Team in Training. Not only will I have to push myself physically, I am also dedicated to raising a monumental $4,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This blog will follow me through my adventures in training and fundraising. And despite the fact that we all know it will not be an easy road, let's just remember that in the end even the Cowardly Lion found his courage.
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