About a Boy...The Boy Who Got Me Going

Ever since about November Running = Pain for me.  It's a very strong association which has caused me to drop my mileage back significantly.  For a while I just didn't run at all.

And then a new boy came into my life.

When I saw him, I instantly turned away from him.  I didn't like his look.  He looked a little crazy.  I opted to meet the black lab who was hiding in the corner.  I loved that black lab.  He sat on the floor of the meet and greet room, looking away from us the whole time.  But he sat there, calm and quiet as can be.

"Mom, he's BORING!  I want the brown dog!  I want the brown dog!  Can you please let us meet the brown dog?" is what Quinn told the SPCA counselor.  About 752 times.  The brown, crazy dog.

And so, with some trepidation, I agreed.

The brown dog, who was named Buck, entered the meet and greet room as if he were Tigger.  He bounced in, like tossing a rubber ball into an aquarium, heading directly towards Isla and Quinn.  He proceeded to hop up into my lap.

As Isla and Quinn acted like typical children, Buck wasn't afraid.  Instead, he seemed interested in what they were doing.  He wanted to play with them.  You could tell he wanted to be engaged with them.  After a few moments of play, he came back to sit with me, resting his head on my lap for a moment, before looking up at me with those eyes of his....

And at that moment, I melted.

An hour later, the funny looking brown dog was headed home with us.

On the car ride home, we stripped him of his shelter name, which wasn't at all suited to him. Quinn came up with his new name, which we all instantly agreed on:  Lucas.

Life with Luke was good for a week.  He was quiet.  Sleepy.  Calm.  "Oh my gosh I can't believe the perfect dog is mine!"   I was so used to life with crazy labs.  During this honeymoon period we all fell head over heels in love with him.

Our first morning with Luke - January 

About a week after he joined our family, I got the flu and he slept by my side the entire time.  And then I got better...

Luke began to act like a puppy.

He began to chew.
And mouth.
And jump.
And pee.
He.  Got.  Crazy.

He was so bad...so awful...I thought I might need to return him to the shelter so the rescue group could find a more suitable home for him.  One where there weren't children.  Or toilet paper rolls.  Or plants.  Or walls.  In doing some asking around, we learned that he was probably never fed well (he was  malnourished and sick), socialized properly- if at all, and may have spent his life as a stray.  I wasn't sure that we were the people that could help him.

But then I thought about it.  We are crazy, like him.  So our energy levels matched.  We also love passionately, which is what he lacked his whole life.  I also realized what makes a crazy, hyper person calm down?  A fantastic RUN.

While I wasn't 100% committed to keeping him (maybe he should be in a home where he's the only dog...maybe he should be in a home without children...maybe he should be in a home with a stay at home parent....), I decided to try running and see if it helped.  I also put into place a pretty solid schedule, which included crate training, fetch, and time outs when he got on the Crazy Train.

But it only took one run to realize that...this dog...was put on Earth to be someone's distance running partner.

Never having gone to an obedience class or really spent much time on a leash, Luke knew to heel properly during a run.  Even more cool, Luke knew that he needed to heel to the stroller- that his job would be to keep his nose even with the Bob.  He also never tired.
                                     

Heeling to the stroller, like a Boss

Luke has a chronic medical condition (because why adopt a normal dog) which requires us to visit his vet regularly.  His vet has watched Luke grow, both physically, and mentally, before his eyes.  Not only has Luke gained a much needed 10 pounds, but he has found a new sense of calm.  This is something I think most of us who are runners can relate to.  Running chills us out.  It takes the chaos and craziness, and channels it.  

 Nothing is better than a nap with your running partner after 8 miles!

Luke got me back to running distance again.  Before him, I was using excuses and pain to get me out of a run.  But now, I use the excuse of, "Oh Luke needs some calm down time, he's really hyped up today!" While we're running, instead of being focused on my pain during the run, I focus on how HAPPY he looks.  Like a distance runner gets in the zone, so does Luke.

 Luke instinctively took towards watching out for Isla and guarding her while in the Bob. 

 This was his second Stroller Run.  

Luke has only been in our family for 4 months, and things are far from perfect.  He still hijacks toilet paper rolls.  He stock piled soaps in the back yard, and he's chewed every pair of heels I own (notice, he hasn't touched my Brooks or Newtons...hmmm....).  But things are so much better now that we're a running team.   I like to think that I didn't rescue Luke, but rather, we're rescuing each other.  

Team Crazy Train, All Feet In

Running with a dog .... six legged running .... rescue dog .... shelter pet 

Proud Coach! First 5K....Stroller 5K....Holy Hills

It is with great excitement that I get the chance to brag on my AWESOME Life Time Group Training Crew!

On Sunday my runners competed in a 5K, for 8 of my 11 runners it was their first ever 5K!  These runners started with me in May and have spent the last 8 weeks working really hard, and staying committed to themselves.  Many of them were cursing me out during their 60 second jog segments, but comfortably ran 3.1 miles STRAIGHT on Sunday!

The race was a real...challenge.  It was probably the hilliest 5K I've ever ran, so the fact that they finished that race still standing shows they have a great foundation and potential to become truly awesome runners!

I got to push Isla through the race, and it was a real treat, as I haven't raced with her in a long time.  She had a blast looking at the scenery, cheering on our friends who we saw at the race, and then, of course, the snacks at the end made her day.

Another record BUSTED! (Running Half Marathon with a Stroller)

Okay, so not to beat a dead horse, but, I love running.  I really love everything about it.  The freedom that it gives me, the release of energy, and most of all, the feeling of absolute triumph.  But what makes all of that awesomeness even better is when I can share that with someone else. 

On Saturday, I had a run that hit every single one of those high points.  It was a necessary good run because after the craptacular run that was December 2nd, I was doubting myself (again).  What should have been an easy 10 or 11 mile run ended up only being a 9 mile crapfest. 

Everything about that run sucked. 
It was hot. 
It was humid. 
I was tired. 
My legs felt like cinder blocks. 

The real deal was that since I started working, my weekday running had been put on the back burner.  Along with sleep.  And real nutrition. 

So I learned from the crapfest run that I needed to get my crap together (again) and get in some weekday runs, get some sleep (Benedryl does wonders), and eat something other than government cheese and chicken nuggets.   And so I did. 

Apparently that worked, because the run on Saturday was...amazing.

Everything about that run rocked.
It was breezy.
It was cool.
I felt energetic.
My legs were stronger than ever.

And so for 13.22 miles...we ran. 

At about 6 miles, I looked over the prairie and thought, "oh my gosh, this...is...living!" I was so thankful to be able to experience this whole thing.  I hit such an incredible, amazing runner's high, I had to take a picture of the moment.  It felt SO good. 

 Runner's High In the Prairie

And we just kept on running! 

It was a big deal, a ceiling breaker kind of morning.  I got to experience the best run ever with my running partner, who shattered her previous mileage records.  A year ago she couldn't run a whole minute, and on Saturday she ran 13.22 miles!  And Isla...logged her first half-marathon since escaping the womb!  I've never pushed her in the stroller past 11 miles...but on Saturday, we did it! 

Super Girls!  Their first 13.1!

Going for Gold! Running With A Stroller! (Moms Running, Baby Jogging)

My girls and I woke up bright and early Sunday morning in order to catch my favorite Olympic event:  The Women's Marathon.  There's something fantastic about watching women fly through 26.2 miles at a pace I can only imagine.  It was awesome.  They were strong.

I especially admire the Mother Runners, like Kenya's Edna Kiplagat and our own Kara Goucher.  But what I'm wondering is, do they ever run WITH their kids?  Cuz lemme tell ya, that would be a REALLY awesome race.

With the huge growth in number of Mother Runners, I think it's time for the Olympics to introduce a new, even more challenging road race.  We can still enjoy watching the gorgeous strides and beautiful paces of our Marathoners, but, let's add to it.  The time has come to introduce the event of:

Mother Running

Why would Mother Running be even MORE awesome than just...running?  

Easy:   it  adds way more challenges to our beloved sport.
Running 10 miles is...yea...tough.
But try doing it with a stroller full of kid and their crap.

Mother Running would be an event filled with excitement!  Instead of only waiting (through the commercials) to see if Russia will indeed beat Ethiopia, we'd  be on the edge of our seats waiting to see if The United States' Mother Runner's Kid's Sippy Cup empties before the finish line, leading to a full fledged melt down, forcing her to steer the stroller as child flails their body about the stroller, screaming at the top of their lungs for "MORE MILK NOOOOOOOOWWWW!"  Will China's Mother Runner forget her kid's snack, leaving him in a hypoglycemic meltdown at mile 5?

My other personal favorite moments of this event would be:

The Pack

The Olympic Marathoners pretty much just SHOW UP in their underpants at the start line.  In Mother Running you can't do that.  You've gotta remember not only your kid and their stroller, but also:  their favorite pacifier, their favorite blankie, their favorite toy, their sippy cup, their snack, enough diapers, enough wipes, hand sanitizer, an extra binky, cash (because they'll probably lose their snack), a first aid kit (laugh, but hey, you long enough miles with a kid and you need it)....Plus, our own water, gu, Garmins, and...well...whatever!

The Binky Grab

You know how this one works.  Your kid is happily riding along, sucking on their favorite pacifier when, suddenly they launch it into the air, laughing out, "ha ha!  My binky Mommy!"  Not wanting to deal with the fall out from leaving the pacifier on the side of the road, you do the slow down, stroller to the side, duck, grab, and pass to baby move.
I personally perform this move an average of 2.5 times per run.  It's a definite.

The Circle Back

Occasionally the specifics presented above don't exactly work out.  As in, your child announces 3 miles LATER that they've tossed their binky/toy/shoe/pants.  Or even better, you look down and realize that their shoe is missing and wonder for...how many miles?

At first, there's the "oh shit" moment.  Then the "do I HAVE to go back for THAT" where the Mother Runner considers risking not going back.  But then remembers what bedtime would be like without blankie.  At which point, the Circle Back occurs.  

The Pit Stop

Now, what impressed me most during the Olympic Marathon is how easily these women rehydrate.  They hardly miss a beat as they grab their fluids.  It's not like the water stops us commoners experience. But let's see how they handle a diaper change along the course.  How fast can you change that diaper, in the stroller, and...the trick...RE-FASTEN your child's seat belt (because they think you pulled over for them to get out).
Bonus points to Stroller Mother Runners completing pit stops with Potty Training Toddlers.

Stroller-tainment

Stroller riding isn't always fun for kids.  Especially two-year olds who would rather be running their own race.  Real Mother Runners acknowledge that occasionally they must provide entertainment for their children.  Sometimes it's just singing a favorite song (while running, breathing, pacing).  Sometimes it's giving high fives in the canopy window (while pumping and pushing).  Occasionally there's wheelie action (while trying to maintain stride).  Or, perhaps, like mine, your child prefers Stroller Peek-a-Boo (while trying to stay on a straight course).  But Stroller-tainment is necessary to avoid the next....

The Last Resort

In a marathon, there's a little thing called "the wall."  When a runner "hits the wall" they find themselves feeling overwhelmed by everything.  They've come so far, yet have further to go.  They are physically exhausted, mentally drained, and feeling completely unmotivated to continue.  This happens to Stroller Kids, too.  Sometimes they hit the wall.  The wall of riding.  It starts out as some slight protesting, "I want out."  Perhaps some shaking of the stroller, maybe kicking their cup holder.  But, occasionally, a Stroller Mother Runner has no other option than...carrying her kid. While pushing the stroller.