Monday, November 12, 2012
Silverstrand Half Marathon
Monday, November 5, 2012
What Motivates a Runner?
What Motivates a Runner?
by Brad Boughman
What would drive someone to jump out of bed in the early morning hours and run for countless miles before most people even hear the alarm go off? Are they crazy? Maybe, but probably not.
Once someone dedicates themselves to running, whether as an avenue to lose weight, have more energy, look better, or simply live a healthy lifestyle, they begin to realize the full range of benefits running provides. Running then becomes a habit. For many, it even becomes somewhat of an addiction (a good one). The "runner's high" is just something they must have.
Running is about a lot more than just being in shape and looking good. It provides a great mental escape during the run. Running allows your mind to run free and thoughts to flow. It provides stress relief as one can not only feel good during and after the exercise (as those endorphins get pumping), but can relax and enjoy the run, the moment. For many, running becomes a spiritual thing.
The challenge for many beginning runners is getting to the point of habit. While they may be motivated during the first weeks of running, they fall into the trap of making simple excuses to take a morning off and then find themselves losing motivation.
See if this sounds familiar: Someone decides to start running to get into shape. They run 3-4 days per week for two weeks. Week three arrives and Monday morning the alarm clock goes off while they are cozy in bed and they think, “I’ve been doing so good I’ll treat myself to a morning off and some extra sleep.” Just that one morning off early on can create a big-time setback for many as they may take another run off or even longer, thus delaying them from getting into the habit of running or preventing from ever even getting into the habit.
If you are new to running or just trying to get back into the mode, do yourself a favor and stick with your plans early on. Do the simple things like laying out your running gear the night before to help motivate you the next morning. Run consistently for 4-6 weeks, at a minimum, and you’ll be on track to a healthy life of exercise. Consistency is the key and staying motivated is the way. Run!
http://www.marathonrookie.com/what-motivates-a-runner.html
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
I find it thrilling whenever I go out for a run. Whenever I run, I feel excited and free! Here is a great article from the North County Times that I found very inspiring!
A severely autistic student at Carmel Valley Middle School has hit his stride on the school’s cross country team.
Caulden Gary, 12, has helped invigorate and inspire the whole team since joining nearly two months ago, coach Lisa Ziemba said.
“The kids have just really rallied around him,” she said. “It’s really cool to see how they’ve supported him.”
The experience has been one in a series of milestones for Caulden and his family. Getting to the point where he could be a part of the team has required a lot of work and dedication, said his mother, Jennifer Darocki.
After developing normally for about 18 months, he suddenly stopped speaking. It was then that his parents found out he had regressive autism, a severe form of the disorder.
“He lost all language and pretty much just sat and rocked,” she said. “This was a kid that they basically told me, ‘You need to put him in a home; he’s never going to function.’”
Autism encompasses a wide spectrum of developmental disorders that affect brain development and communication skills. Severe forms of the disorder can make it difficult or impossible for children to interact with others.
“It’s a very isolating illness, because these kids can’t play with other kids,” Darocki said.
When she found out, Darocki stopped working so she could spend her days helping her son.
Because he had a difficult time looking anyone in the eyes, which is typical of the disorder, she trained him to be able to by holding French fries in front of her eyes and not giving it to him until he would make eye contact. Now, he has no problem with it, she said.
He has also learned to read and communicate with an iPad even though he still can’t speak.
And now, after only about two months on the cross country team, Caulden is already more coordinated, calmer in class and better at interacting with his peers, Darocki said.
“It has been a really good gateway for him to feel like part of a team and not feel isolated,” she said.
His stepdad usually runs with him to keep him on track, and his teammates often backtrack after making it to the finish line to end the race with him.
The experience of running with Caulden and another student on the team with special needs has made the team even tighter, said Cody Roberts, an eighth-grader on the team.
“It makes us feel all together,” he said.
Caulden recently told his mom why he likes running.
“It makes me feel more like me,” he wrote.
Darocki said she got the idea to sign her son up for the cross country team after seeing how well he did in school jog-a-thons.
She said she hopes his story will inspire other parents of children with special needs to pursue activities that they may enjoy and that allow them to interact with others.
“It’s really so wonderful to be able to see him be a part of things like this,” she said.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/del-mar/year-old-autistic-boy-finds-freedom-in-running/article_5ca4c652-851a-5562-a92b-e86ace56fcea.html
A severely autistic student at Carmel Valley Middle School has hit his stride on the school’s cross country team.
Caulden Gary, 12, has helped invigorate and inspire the whole team since joining nearly two months ago, coach Lisa Ziemba said.
“The kids have just really rallied around him,” she said. “It’s really cool to see how they’ve supported him.”
The experience has been one in a series of milestones for Caulden and his family. Getting to the point where he could be a part of the team has required a lot of work and dedication, said his mother, Jennifer Darocki.
After developing normally for about 18 months, he suddenly stopped speaking. It was then that his parents found out he had regressive autism, a severe form of the disorder.
“He lost all language and pretty much just sat and rocked,” she said. “This was a kid that they basically told me, ‘You need to put him in a home; he’s never going to function.’”
Autism encompasses a wide spectrum of developmental disorders that affect brain development and communication skills. Severe forms of the disorder can make it difficult or impossible for children to interact with others.
“It’s a very isolating illness, because these kids can’t play with other kids,” Darocki said.
When she found out, Darocki stopped working so she could spend her days helping her son.
Because he had a difficult time looking anyone in the eyes, which is typical of the disorder, she trained him to be able to by holding French fries in front of her eyes and not giving it to him until he would make eye contact. Now, he has no problem with it, she said.
He has also learned to read and communicate with an iPad even though he still can’t speak.
And now, after only about two months on the cross country team, Caulden is already more coordinated, calmer in class and better at interacting with his peers, Darocki said.
“It has been a really good gateway for him to feel like part of a team and not feel isolated,” she said.
His stepdad usually runs with him to keep him on track, and his teammates often backtrack after making it to the finish line to end the race with him.
The experience of running with Caulden and another student on the team with special needs has made the team even tighter, said Cody Roberts, an eighth-grader on the team.
“It makes us feel all together,” he said.
Caulden recently told his mom why he likes running.
“It makes me feel more like me,” he wrote.
Darocki said she got the idea to sign her son up for the cross country team after seeing how well he did in school jog-a-thons.
She said she hopes his story will inspire other parents of children with special needs to pursue activities that they may enjoy and that allow them to interact with others.
“It’s really so wonderful to be able to see him be a part of things like this,” she said.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/del-mar/year-old-autistic-boy-finds-freedom-in-running/article_5ca4c652-851a-5562-a92b-e86ace56fcea.html
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Training Schedule for Half Marathon Beginners
Here is a great 12 week training schedule for those interested in running a Half Marathon
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | ||||||||
| Week 1 | off | 3 miles | 3 miles | 3 miles | off | 3 miles | 4 miles | |||||||
| Week 2 | off | 3 miles | 4 miles | 3 miles | off | 3 miles | 4 miles | |||||||
| Week 3 | off | 3 miles | 4 miles | 3 miles | off | 3 miles | 5 miles | |||||||
| Week 4 | off | 3 miles | 5 miles | 3 miles | off | 4 miles | 6 miles | |||||||
| Week 5 | off | 4 miles | 5 miles | 4 miles | off | 3 miles | 7 miles | |||||||
| Week 6 | off | 4 miles | 4 miles | 4 miles | off | 4 miles | 8 miles | |||||||
| Week 7 | off | 4 miles | 6 miles | 4 miles | off | 4 miles | 9 miles | |||||||
| Week 8 | off | 4 miles | 6 miles | 4 miles | off | 4 miles | 10 miles | |||||||
| Week 9 | off | 4 miles | 6 miles | 4 miles | off | 3 miles | 11 miles | |||||||
| Week 10 | off | 4 miles | 5 miles | 4 miles | off | 4 miles | 12 miles | |||||||
| Week 11 | off | 4 miles | 5 miles | 4 miles | off | 3 miles | 6 miles | |||||||
| Week 12 | off | 3 miles | 5 miles | 3 miles | off | 2 miles | 13.1 miles! | |||||||
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Silverstand Half Marathon
My next marathon will be Sunday November 11th!!
http://www.active.com/running/coronado-to-imperial-beach-san-diego-ca/silver-strand-half-marathon-and-5k-2011
http://www.active.com/running/coronado-to-imperial-beach-san-diego-ca/silver-strand-half-marathon-and-5k-2011
Gnats
Gnats
Lake Miramar is an awesome place to run. But
let me tell you what is NOT awesome about running at Lake Miramar: Gnats. Hoards of them, coming out of
nowhere. Those things are
annoying, but... whatever... I keep going. However, what actually stops
me in my tracks is when one of those vicious creatures ends their own
life by way of flying straight into my eye. That's when my
running comes to a halt. With a pesky Lake Gnat lodged in my eye, I'm
unable to see correctly - things are fuzzy - and I can't have that. However, I find it as a lesson to learn not to judge.
"Do not judge, or you too will be
judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and
with the measure you use it, it will be measured to you. Why do you look
at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to
the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your
brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time
there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother's eye."
- Matthew 7:1-5
- Matthew 7:1-5
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Why?
Why?
I've been asking myself a lot of "whys" lately.... Why am I ready to turn the lights out on a Friday night when it's not even completely dark outside yet? Followed by: WHY am I waking up at 5 something on a Saturday morning to go run way too many miles when I could stay right here in my bed?! And a few hours later: Whhhhhyyy
am I not protesting, laying down on this park bench, and calling it
QUITS on this 20 mile run?!?! 13 miles should be enough, right?!?!
(The bacon from that campground smells really good too. Maybe those
campers wouldn't mind an extra visitor.) Why have I had to
recently warn the pedicure lady (with all sincerity) to steer clear of
certain blisters on my toes (caused by running, of course) or else my
reflexes
would cause me to accidentally kick her in the chin? Why do I wake up
with the birds almost every morning to run or submerge myself in a
chilly pool? And why do I deny myself vending machine cookies because I
need to fuel properly for my runs. (Oh wait, that last part didn't
really happen... vending machine cookies won. Again.)
After I ask myself all of those "whys," I
(try my hardest to) remember that this will all pay off. The big race
is coming up in a couple of weeks, and all of the training (i.e. doing
what I don't always want to do) will be worth it. Hopefully I won't be
*quite* as miserable at mile 20 come raceday because a few weeks earlier
I didn't quit and go eat bacon with some new best friends. And
hopefully I'll still be smiling after I cross the finish line (I will
cross the finish line), because I sacrificed a few social events and
turned it in early on Friday nights. Although it's usually difficult,
training is good
and... worth it, isn't it?
"... train yourself to be godly. For
physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all
things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."- 1 Timothy 4:7-8
The other morning I was attempting to
talk myself (yet again) into rolling out of my bed and into my running
shoes, when I thought about all of the sacrifices of time and sacrifices
of the doing-what-I-really-want-to-
Blessings!
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