Tag Archive for "run" -

You CAN do it

Everyday that I work I get to help people feel better when they run. They come in and out of the door, usually leave happy and (hopefully) I don’t see them again until they’ve put the allotted 500 miles on their new running shoes. If they come back earlier we do our best to find them something that helps them run happy again. I love this feeling of being able to encourage and inspire strangers to do something healthy for their bodies. However, they are customers and don’t really feel the need to come back and tell me how their running is going. So I rarely to do I get to see the progression, hear how they’re feeling though out the process, or get weekly updates on how they’re feeling.

Recently, my cousin embarked on a healthier life. She started run/walking about 9 months ago when she was 16. She started out in her crappy sneakers until she was sure she’d stick with it and I finally convinced her mother to buy her a good pair of shoes from an awesome running store. Her feet and body thanked her. And she powered through all winter long.

As the months progressed I would randomly get text messages reading something about the treadmill, or how it’s too cold to run outside: but she was still doing it she was putting miles under her feet. I would bug her when I’d see her at family events, asking when can we run together!? She wouldn’t do it, which made me sad, but I can understand—this was a personal battle and she wanted to get to a certain comfort level before she made it public.

A few months ago I got my favorite text: SLOAN! When are we going to run together? This made me ecstatic! YES! She’ll finally run with me!! A week ago I got an even better text: Who would have thought, I (SLOAN’S COUSIN) could run for 30 minutes straight, no stopping! She’s doing it, she’s excited about it. I thought, this is so great, my cousin is becoming a runner. Even though they were text messages I could sense her pride, and her excitement in what she was accomplishing.

Her and I have talked about running a lot since she began, “I really think running is more mental than physical,” almost a direct quote that I said when I first started running. (really , it’s on my facebook page!) And she’s right, like anything else, it’s about attitude and what you think you can do.

She never thought she could run. She didn’t think she could run for as long as she does and ENJOY it. That is until she starting trying and working at it and that’s when everything fell into place. She’s now caught the fever and is encouraging other people in her life to start running and walking. The process of watching her progress has been so inspiring and amazing to be a part of. Congrats Cuz!!! Keep doing what you’re doing! I’m so proud!

I love to hear success stories of runners, come in and tell us your stories, post them here, ask us about ours: everyone has a story you just have to ask.

18th May 2010

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Why Why Why?

The week leading up to a big race is always the worst. I, for one, am constantly checking the weather, trying to figure out what I’m going to wear, what time to arrive, if I’m going to have a support crew (thanks Dad!) and what time is my goal time. The DAY leading up to a race is worse. Especially working at the store with customers who have all the same concerns that I do, and they expect me to have the answers.

I think I pulled up weather.com at work every 15 minutes on Friday in hopes of it changing. The forecast for Saturday’s Fifth Third River Bank Run didn’t change: high of 42, windy and rain. Cold, wet, gusty—perfect. Thoughts of ditching the race and just enjoying a weekend with my Dad crossed my mind more than once, then I felt wimpy when runners would come into the store buying new gear for the pending storm, preparing for anything and everything, I had to do it, 15.5 miles is what I trained all winter for.

I got out of work with a super negative attitude: my feet hurt, I was tired, the weather was going to suck. But I knew if I was going to finish what I had started in January my outlook had to change. I got home, took a shower and headed to the expo. Seeing the runners, vendors and volunteers changed my outlook and pumped me up for the race. I spent a relaxing evening with my Papa, tossed and turned all night, woke up 45 minutes before my alarm to a rumbling sky and made a pot of coffee. I was ready.

Every time I race ask myself why I do it. Why do I stand in a corral with hundreds (sometimes thousands) of other runners? I can go out and run the distance on my own, I can race the clock by myself for free, (let’s face it, I’m not winning any medals, so it’s always a race against myself and the clock.) The whistle blows, the gun goes off, someone shouts “GO” and we all start running: that’s the moment I remember why I do this.

The first 2 or 3 miles I feel like I’m being pulled forward by an invisible current. All the runner’s footsteps, the shouts of volunteers and supporters remind me why we do this, why we train so hard all winter for one day. We do it to feel that pull, to be supported and cheered on by strangers. Everyone is doing the same thing with different goals in mind. It’s a day to celebrate what we dedicated to finish way back a few months ago.

Then mile 9 hits. This is my tough mile, this is when I start questioning myself, wondering, again, why I put my feet, knees, calves…through this. Inevitably my big toes start to get blisters, my hip generally begins to ache and I begin to doubt my ability to finish. At this point in the race I hear behind me “Keep it up! Power up this hill guys, you can do it!!!” it’s the 8:30 pacers (you guys were awesome!!) They were catching up and I didn’t want them to, so I listened—I powered up the hill. “This is what we trained for on those cold mornings!! You got it!” he was talking directly to me, I thought.

Again, I’m reminded why I race. Camaraderie. At about mile 11 I see a friend and we run together for a few miles, chat, catch up, support and power through another 3 miles—at this point I tell her to go for it, I can’t keep her pace but thanks for the couple mile support and she pushes forward to meet her goal.

The final shoot to the end is the most powerful: hundreds of finished runners, volunteers, and supporters are cheering hard for ever-single-runner. It’s impossible to feel alone in this tunnel of human support, it’s impossible to feel as tired as you really are, adrenaline kicks back in and you fly to the finish where you are given a medal and water and food and high-fives from random fellow finishers! It’s one of the best feelings ever.

It doesn’t end there: in my tired haze search for my Dad who has warm clothes for me, while looking around I see friends that I didn’t know where running finish, I see friends that didn’t run but came out to support. They hug and don’t care about how sweaty and gross I am, a congratulatory hug is the best. My Dad finds me, and we find coffee and showers and a great lunch.

So why do I run races? I’m still not sure. Running is such a community effort, people do it for many reasons, each and every component is so important and appreciated. I think maybe that feeling of closeness to people I don’t even know, we pull each other through to the end, we high-five at the end, and then we talk about the hill on the 10^th mile and how lucky we are it didn’t rain, after the race is over we forget the pain we felt during the race.

Congratulations to all the River Bank participants, keep running, keep racing, and keep supporting each other!

9th May 2010

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Runners are like horses

A few days ago I was out with some friends and was introduced to someone new, we had typical small talk and chit chat. Name, age, weather, living situation, work, school…blahblahblah. I found out he works at two GREAT Grand Rapids restaurants, Bloom www.bloomgr.com) and Corez (www.corezwinebar.com), he found out I work at a GREAT running store, Gazelle Sports (www.gazellesports.com). The inevitable question came up about me and my work: so you’re a jogger?

I said: No. I run.

I know that Elsa touched briefly on the jogger/runner question on her last blog (great blog by the way!) but this seems like an issue that comes up quite often in the store or just in casual conversation when talking about the sport.

He said: Wow, okay. I think I hit a nerve.

I was blunt when I answered his question about being a jogger. When I hear the term jog I think of someone giving directions, “turn left at the light then the road will jog to the right a bit…” Some people think that jogging is running slowly, but then i have to ask, what is the standard speed for a runner? A newish employee just finished her first half marathon with a 12-minute pace. I’d say she’s a runner. Key word in that sentence is “finished,” she finished a half marathon, running.

I can tell you that there is a clear difference in a runner’s stride and a walker’s stride. A walker has one foot on the ground all times, which I think can be much harder than running at times. A runner’s stride has what is called a “float stage” where, like in a horse’s canter, both feet are off the ground simultaneously. (Yes, I just compared a runner to a horse, deal with it.) You can run at a slower pace than you can walk, and still be running.

I’m not even going to define what jogging is. I don’t think it has a definition that would be applicable on a running blog, unless I was telling you what the road does toward the end of my favorite running route, the road jogs, I don’t. And if you are out there pounding pavement, you don’t either!

(Off to go take my final final exam!! Graduating Saturday. Sorry, I’m excited, had to let you all know!!)

29th April 2010

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The feeling we all crave

You still have 6 more miles. At least another 45 minutes, probably more at the pace you feel like you’re going. The snow fell last night and the sidewalks are sorta clear, clear enough, but every step you take you have to think about not falling. The Michigan sun has been great all week, shining and bright—that is until this morning, the morning of your long run.
Run. Run. Run–4.5 more miles to go. Your pace has slowed, your legs are tired and your feet are dragging, but you have to keep going. It’s not like you can turn around and be home any faster; there are more miles behind you! Finally having found you rhythm on the road, away from the slick sidewalk, you feel okay. Not great, but better than the first 3 miles you slogged through.
Feeling safe in your reflective gear on the not-so-busy road at 9:30 am during the week, you stretch and your stride has finally found a balance. That is until a truck drives by, hits a slushy, muddy, nasty puddle right to your right. Now you’re wet and colder than you were before.
2.5 miles left. What is on your mind? At this point you’re basically done, but there is something keeping you from walking the rest, from giving up. Something you cannot wait to see, taste, touch, smell… what is it?

-Is it a hot shower?

-Is it a bowl of oatmeal?

-Is it a kiss from your significant other when you walk in the door sweaty and cold?

-Is is a beer?

What ever it is, after a run like this you deserve it. You have less than a mile to go and that thing—that object, that feeling should be on your mind. You better know where it is, or where you can get it the moment you walk through the door.

I tell myself that I’m only allowed one run like this per-training. Today was most definitely that run. But an hour and forty minutes later it was over, I finished. For me, that thing that I crave most, that one thing that was literally on my mind for the entire 9.5 miles I ran this morning, (9.5, not 8 like I had planned, I got lost, yeah, it’s been one of those days,) was a cup of hot coffee.

My saviour

I didn’t even make it home before I went to the coffee shop to get my recovery coffee. So cold, so wet, so tired—that coffee did exactly what I needed it to do. I think that every runner needs something that when a run can’t give them that feeling (you know what feeling I’m talking about,) they can still finish the miles and then create the feeling themselves!

What is your thing?

12th February 2010

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