Some random ramblings...and a fun little survey

I haven't always been a runner.  I ran cross country in high school and to be honest, I didn't love running back then.  I ran a handful of times after that, very sporadically, but I still didn't develop a love for it.

Then I became a mom.  After having kids, I started running again.  This time I was hooked. Now it was something in my life that I craved.  It was something that I needed.  I think I put so much into being a mom and a wife that I needed something for myself also.  Running became my outlet.  I didn't feel like myself unless I got my daily run in.

I'll be the first to tell you I'm a busy person.  I work full time (except in the summers - yay for teachers!) and part time, I am a graduate student, I have four kids and a husband, plus a handful of pets (they don't really keep me that busy, but I love them and wanted to give them a shoutout), and I'm training for another marathon.  People ask me quite often how I have time to train for marathons. My answer is simple.  I have four kids.  The longer I run, the longer I have peace and quiet!

(See?  Walter is cute...she totally deserved that shoutout)

The truth is, my run is my 'me' time.  It's my time to be alone and think.  Or not think.  Or to turn up the music and get lost in it.  Or to listen to a great podcast and learn something.  Or to run with a great friend and catch up and chat.  It's my time to make me feel good about myself.  It's my time to make my body strong.  It's my time that boosts my confidence.  It's my time to work toward a goal.  It's my time to prove to myself what I'm made of.  I know that all sounds so cheesy and cliche, but it's so true.  With such a busy life, running is what keeps me grounded.  Even on rest days, although I know my body needs some days off, I feel like something is missing.  I feel like I'm missing an important part of my day.

Running is also something that connects me to people.  About a year ago, I was running on a local trail when I was approached by another person running the same trail.  She asked me a simple question - "does this trail make a loop?"  We got to chatting, and after finding out she was an avid runner (she had just run Boston the previous spring), she became my running buddy.  We are now training for the Portland Marathon together and I am so grateful to have found such a great friend through running.

My dad is also an avid runner (I'll have to do a whole post on him soon, he's pretty amazing).  He ran my first half marathon with me.  We have run a handful of races together since then and I always look forward to the chance to run with him.  No weekend is complete without us calling each other to chat about our latest running endeavors and compare mileage.  I love that we have something like this that we can share.  It brings us together (plus I don't have to run alone when I go 'home' for a visit!).

(no judgment please - nobody looks good after getting up at 4:30 am)

There are so many great reasons to run...this is just the tip of the iceberg for me.  What are some of the reasons you love to get out and run?

And now it's survey time!

And also...this has been in the works for a few days but I finally just now got around to finishing it.  I found this very important survey over at Hungry Runner Girl (although Nat Runs Far and Fit Wanderlust Runner also posted it so check them out too, they are all awesome running blogs).

1.  Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail?  Mountain trail any day.  I miss my days of running along the beaches in Georgia, but the mountains will always be home.

2.  If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?  I would choose something other than Gatorade.  I use acclimate here at home training in high altitude and I love their grape flavor.  Buuuuuut if I had to choose, it would probably be green.  Yes I realize that's a color, not a flavor.

3.  If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it?  Things I want but can never justify spending money on.  Like another running jacket.  I love my running jackets.

4.  Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run?  A plan for sure.  After my last marathon I had a few weeks before starting my next training plan and I felt so lost without that little piece of paper telling me how far to run.

5.  Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?  Start uphill and end downhill.  

6.  When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do?  Hiking.  I think that counts.  Maybe if it's hiking up a mountain with a kid on my back.

7.  What is your preference—>  Out and back, point to point or loop runs?  Probably loops.  They are more scenic but I don't have to worry about getting dropped off at the beginning or picked up at the end.

8.  If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a—> good pair of shoes!

9.  Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs?  Yep!  One day last spring on the trail I saw NINE (!) foxes!  I've also seen bald eagles, marmots, elk, deer (tons), and dolphins (obviously not while I was living in CO).  I have yet to see a bear or mountain lion and I'm grateful for that.

10.  Ever gotten lost while out on a run?  Last November my dad and I ran a 5 mile long 5K during the Turkey Trot because we lost the trail.  We earned that extra slice of pie.  Or two.

11.  If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?  A big fat breakfast burrito.

12.  Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often?  Pants!  I love running in shorts but our shorts season is so short here.  I used the word short a lot in that sentence.  But from September-May it's pants almost daily!

13.  At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?  A little over a mile in.

14.  What do you do with your key when you run?  I leave it at home in my purse where it belongs.

15.  If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?  Either the Colfax Marathon last May or my very first half marathon (The New Mexico Half Marathon) which I ran with my dad.  It was awesome sharing that experience with him.

16.  What type of run is your least favorite type of run?  Tempo runs for sure.  Long run days are my favorite!

17.  What has been your biggest motivation lately to get out the door to get your run on?  Knowing I need to take one minute and four seconds off my last marathon time (preferably more) to qualify for Boston.

18.  When you go for a run, do you leave right from your front door or do you drive somewhere to start?  From my front door.  My town is 3 square miles so if I drove anywhere I would be in the middle of nowhere!

19.  When running in daylight—>  are sunglasses a must or an annoyance?  A must.

20.  When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting?  It's quicker to run home than to walk home...so running home will get it over with quicker!

I'd love to see your answers to this!!