Being minimalistic is key.

Wow, 2 months... to the day! It's been 2 WHOLE MONTHS since I've posted
anything... yikes. I'm getting better, I swear.

I'll make this post short and simple. I've decided to join the minimalist running
movement! After watching many of those around me slip into their Vibram running
shoes and talk endlessly about how great they are and how they prevent various
injuries... I had to check it out myself. Lucky for me, two weekends ago REI was
hosting a Running Shoe expo and they had the latest and greatest out on display.

To be completely honest with you, I'm not a fan (at all) of how the Vibram 5
Fingers look. Simply put, they're hideous. I'm sorry Vibram, but the truth is the
truth. You can only wear them semi-normally while running. If you wear them
with anything else, they look absolutely ridiculous. Nonetheless, I tried a pair on
and they felt amazing. Like they belonged on my feet and that I was born to
run in them. Still, I couldn't get over the look of them on my feet... I looked even
more freakish because I tried the black ones. No bueno.

Enter Merrell Women's Pace Glove.

It's everything I've ever wanted in a running shoe and more. Super comfortable
(they have the patented Vibram sole so the minimalist idea is the same), mesh
cloth design to allow for breathing and easy drying and a microfiber footbed
that's treated with antibacterial solution to prevent odors. I can sit here all day
and talk about them, but you can just read all the awesome specs here:


RUNNING AMAZINGNESS

Once they were on, I didn't want to take them off. I don't think the Merrell
representative appreciated that.

I should have just run off with them on. :) I decided to be a good sport and finally
take them off and put in an order for a pair of my own. $75 dollars later (thank god
for my 20% member coupon + dividend) I was ready to hit the pavement in
minimalistic style! However, I didn't just want to jump into running with these babies...
I wanted to wear them around for a few days so my feet could get adjusted first.
So that's what I did for a few days this week and then last night I just went outside
and ran... and kept running... and running. It sounds like forever, but it was actually
just 4 miles. It was GLORIOUS. Absolutely no IT band problems and I felt like I
could have kept going forever. It was soooooo good to feel like that again. I miss(ed)
that the most about running. The freedom from everything and the ability to run
injury free. I thought I shed a few tears of joy but it was actually just rain. :) I'm not
going to count my chickens before they hatch, but I'm already in love with these
shoes and am looking forward to logging some serious miles with them in the
upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!

I suck at this.

There was once a time when I was religious about posting to my blog. This was years and years
ago, (I was doing the blog thing before it was "in") and it was both good and bad. It was good in
the sense that I was writing EVERYTHING out and it was a good way to stay connected to
friends near and far. It was bad in the sense that ... I was writing EVERYTHING and a lot of my
posts sounded like verbal diarrhea (hey, I was young and needed an outlet). However, at least I
was doing it consistently which is more than I can say for my writing these days.

I have also decided that I might be bipolar. :) My last post was so motivational (at least, in part,
to me) and I was so excited to go and sign up for the 1/2 marathon in Vancouver, B.C... and in
less than 2 months I'm beginning to question whether or not I want to do it. I haven't
completely changed my mind, but there are some serious doubts that are beginning to lay their
foundations in my head. It's not like me to give up so easily, but I have to be honest with
myself... and sometimes honesty hurts. Can I really do this? It sounds so ridiculous when I
say it out loud but it's what I ask myself every time that I set out for a run and it's what I've
been thinking about for the past 2+ weeks.

Over Valentines Day weekend, a few friends and I ran the "Love 'em or Leave 'em" 5k dash
around Greenlake located in Seattle. Okay, that's a lie. I ran by myself because there were
3000+ people at the race and I couldn't find my friends until after the race. I thought it would
be easy to find the girls since we agreed to wear ridiculous thigh-high socks, but apparently we
were not the only ones that had that brilliant idea. Translation = copious amounts of ridiculous
socks, costumes, pink tutus and everything else awesome that comes in red, pink and white.
At any rate, I put on my ipod, counted down with the crowd and started the race. A 5k is
3.1 miles which is exactly the distance around the lake (although, just looking at the lake one
would think it was actually 10 miles), so that visual was not a good way to start my run. It felt
like I was already defeated. Really? I have to run around the whole lake?? I must have had a
good start and pace because around mile 2, I literally broke down. I started crying. It felt
harder than it needed to and all I could think about was the pain I was experiencing in my
calves, IT band, stomach, shoulder, etc. I was so frustrated, and the only thing I could do was
cry it out, because there was no way I was going to stop running... it's only 3.1 miles!! Just
when I thought I was going to die from everything extreme, I approached the "Tunnel of Love"
and I knew that the finish line was just around the corner. I dried my eyes, rolled up my sleeves
and blasted my ipod. I picked up speed with each second of Justin Bieber's "Baby" and passed
people that had rolled by me earlier. It felt good to catch up to them (that's my competitive
spirit kicking in) and go sprinting by. I pushed a little harder towards the finish and passed the
2 girls that had been kicking my ass earlier, and did a small fist pump in my head. It was over,
and I couldn't be happier. It would be a while before they posted the times, so I just tried to
focus on finding my peeps so we could get our brunch on. I was in full starvation mode.

Finally we connected and did a photo op: (I'm in the middle, Kristen on the left, Caitie on the right)

So hot right now.

Eventually the times and race stats were posted. My time was 24:03, with 7:46 miles. I
was the 98th girl out of 1673 females. No wonder I was in pain! Uhm, that's a bit faster
than what I was training (8:20 miles)... whoops. Oh well, it felt good to shave off more than
a minute off of my 5k PR. Congrats also to Kristen and Caitie on their times! They crossed
the finish line, holding hands as team Cupid's Angels. I think that's so sweet.

Even after learning of my good 5k time, I was still thinking about the struggles I go through
when I run/race. I'm not saying that I'm constantly thinking about pain and despair and how
much its currently sucking to run; I often have amazing runs, when all I want to do is keep
going... but those mostly happen when I'm alone on the pavement (well, I've got Gaga, Katy
Perry, Rihanna, Passion Pit and a bunch of others with me to party), just de-stressing and 
winding my day down. I don't really think about my pace, or distance... I just run until I've
either worked out the problem or my body kindly tells me to stop. That's the epiphany I had
while chowing down on my delicious avocado scramble and roasted corn-cakes at 5-Spot
with the crew. The environment on race day gives me a mini panic attack. I'm surrounded by
all of these people checking their watches to make sure they're on pace, I get stressed out
when people that look like they shouldn't be passing me... pass me, and I eventually end up
running much faster than I normally would. That last bit isn't anything bad but it does cause
mid-race meltdowns. :) So, I guess I'm asking myself why I sign up for these races? What's
the point? Why do I need to sign up for the Vancouver 1/2 marathon? Just to prove to myself
I can run the mileage? If I wanted to do that, I would just lace up my shoes and go for a nice
13.1 mile run. I guess I don't have the answer to that question yet, and it's why I'm holding off
my registration to the 1/2 marathon in Vancouver, BC. Besides, $75 is a lot of dough to pay
for potentially a lot of frustration.

However, I'm all registered for the St. Paddy's Dash in Seattle and I couldn't be more excited!
Weird mileage (slightly more than a 5k) and BEER! I've got to put together my green outfit.
Also, Verns Ultimate Frisbee is back, which means Inez will be about 1000x happier on
Friday nights. TIME TO LAYOUT ALREADY!

Doing it Right.

Whoa nelly! It's definitely been a while since I've written on this blog... whoops.
Well, allow me to jump right in.

Last year around this time I had decided that I was going to run the Vancouver
1/2 marathon, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was in May of 2010
which meant I had plenty of time to train for the run and get myself psyched up
for it (even though I was already giddy inside!) and get prepared. Running during
January was a little slow because I was shaking off the cobwebs from Thanksgiving
and Christmas and it was freezing outside. Things started to pick up around
February, as my running soul mate Kristen and I started running more frequently
and we were adding mileage to our runs. Nothing too serious yet, but we were
running 4+ miles comfortably.

Then, my iliotibial (IT) band struck. For those of you unfamiliar with the IT band, just
Google it, and you'll be introduced to the myriad of information that exists on this little
(but really big) guy. The pain came with no warning either; it just happened during a
routine 3 miler on a treadmill. I was about 2 miles in and had found my stride when all
of a sudden a sharp pain hit me on the side of my right knee, and it shot up my entire
hamstring. It was enough to make me cry out in pain and abruptly stop running. Being
as stubborn as I am and thinking it was nothing serious I tried to shake it off by
continuing to run for another mile or so. Worst. idea. ever. I had never experienced pain
like that... it literally felt like my patella was falling off and my muscles were just tearing
left and right. So I swallowed my pride (actually, I banged the treadmill STOP button in
tearful frustration) and hobbled off the treadmill, crying like a little girl. Something was
wrong. Pain like that wasn't normal.

To make this long story short, there were a lot of things that brought on this intense pain
in my IT band. The main issue was that I have really high arches and I supernate a lot
while I run. This was news to me because since I'm naturally a sprinter, I've never had
to deal with this situation before. I ordered some new shoes to correct that problem
(and also the shoes I was using to run were 4 years old... yikes), but the pain in my IT
band wasn't going away. I was pushing myself too much too fast. When training to run
a long(er) distance like that, you gradually have to work yourself up to it. I was getting
bored and cocky with 2-3 milers so I started jumping miles ahead of schedule and
invariably I got hurt. I was instructed to stay away from running for at least a month, and
to nurture my leg. Training was done. Running the 1/2 marathon was no longer an
option. I had screwed things up.

Not this time. I'm doing it right. I'm going to run (yes, GOING TO RUN!) the Vancouver
1/2 marathon on May 1st, 2011 and I'm going to train the correct way. I'll run the miles
according to schedule even if I'm puking boredom. Plus, I'll have the support of Ms.

Forseth herself to help me along the way. :) Wish me luck!

Sretan Rodjendan J.

Today is my J.'s birthday. There are many ways to say you love someone... but
what if you MORE than just love them? How do you express those thoughts,
feelings, dreams and inspirations? I feel like for J. the simple and standard "I
love you" simply won't do...

So... (bear with the sapiness)

When you're with me, the wind moves my hair differently.

It's a priviledge being your tiny dancer, and to be held so closely and ever so
gently.

A new day with you can't start soon enough.

If reincarnation is real, I want to come back as your upper lip. So soft and full
of life.

Sunshine was created for you and I.

You're absolutely uncomparable to anyone else on this Earth, whether I've met
them or not.

Panda.

Here's to many more birthdays, adventures, dreams, sunny days and lazy
afternoon naps. You are my heart.