Running for life - mine and theirs

Role models.

Those words have been running through my head a lot lately and have popped up in different ways through conversations I've had with separate people. A role model is a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.  

Be honest, when you read the words "role model" who do you think of? Do you think of a famous person? Someone you are trying to be like who has some level of notoriety? I think most of us are guilty of that.  I know as a teacher, I'm ashamed to admit, I've given examples of, and even encouraged, famous people as role models for my students.  While I'm not saying that these people can't be role models, have you ever stopped to think about accessible role models?  I mean people in your everyday life who you look at and say, "Wow! They are amazing. I want to be like that...". I think these people are the unsung heroes of our lives - the people who truly make the most impact on who we are and what we do. 

Along those same lines, I want to make a positive impact on my girls.  Girls have it TOUGH.  We are judged by our actions, our successes, our bodies, our choices - the list goes on - from nearly the moment we enter puberty, if not earlier.  Most girls these days have low self-esteem and poor body image.  I count myself as one of these.  Poor body image is something I have dealt with my whole life. Despite being fairly thin, I have always looked at myself and those numbers on the scale with anxiety.  I have battled with some form of disordered eating from about 13 and onward. It has never overly extreme, but it is always there.  I battle, daily, the thoughts and actions that come with disordered eating. There are several triggers that led to me struggling with food and body image. I often find myself saying, "I'm having a 'fat day'" or being upset when something doesn't fit the way it is supposed to. 

But I want to break that cycle.

The title of this post is running for life - mine and theirs.  This has so much meaning to me.  Running is something that, somehow, ingrains itself into your very bones. You become addicted to it; how it makes you feel, the gear, the times, the miles, the races. But, I'm running for my life because I want my life to be healthy. I want to replace my disordered eating with something that is healthy for me. I want to combat my low self-esteem with something that makes me feel good about something I have accomplished (because no one can run those miles but me). But in turn, that makes me running for my girls as well. By combating low self-esteem and disordered eating, they will see me make healthier choices consistently. They will grow up in a house where healthy fitness matters. I NEVER want my girls to hear me saying, "I look fat in this" or "I'll get fat if I eat this". I want them to see me have self-confidence. I want my girls to see that you can take charge of your fitness and life and find the value in that. I hope that they will love running as well so that it will be something I can share with them. So I can connect with them, not just with words or hugs, but also with what occurs when you lace on your shoes and step out on to the road; that runner's camaraderie.

I'm already seeing the fruits of my labor. My oldest, R, has been "running" with me since she was a month old. I would push her in the jogging stroller while she slept. Now that she's a little older, she chatters to me about everything on our runs while she relaxes in the stroller. She requests to wear her running "alphabet" (outfit) and her "running shoes" when we go out together. When she sees my running buddy, her Godmother, Ali, she asks if we are going running. If she sees me hot and sweaty, she automatically infers that I've been out to run. If she sees me dressed in my running clothes, she'll ask about it. She likes to borrow my gear and play that she's going running. She loves to run fast and to race me. Sometimes she throws a fit when I'm heading out to run because she wants to spend that time with me. The baby, A, has only been out once or twice, but right now it's difficult to fit in a run when it's just me and the girls while she is so little.  I know, however, that very soon I'll be pushing the double jogger with both of them. I know that A will do what R does now because I am showing through example that running and health - true health - is important.

So this is how I will be a role model for my girls. I don't need to do anything over the top. I don't need to win medals or become famous. 

I simply need to lace up my shoes and go.

"Runner-y"

Runner-y /ˈrənərē/ (adjective): characterized by doing or buying something that relates to running.

Let's admit it.  Being a runner is a mindset.  Oftentimes, people say that the word runner is synonymous with jogger. But frankly, if someone called me a jogger, I'd be offended. In the past, I've told people not to sell themselves short when they've called themselves joggers.  Runners are people who factor running into their lives.  It may not be daily, but they make a concentrated effort to run.  Joggers are people who go out once a month, semester, year - there's no effort to make it a lifestyle. 

But it's not only about the frequency, it's also about how you support and think about this habit. I think it can be as simple as buying a new sports bra or new running shoes, putting a new song on your running playlist to motivate you, setting a goal and sticking to it, being anxious to get through something so you can get to your run, or adding distance to your planned run just because it felt right in the moment.  It can be as complicated changing your diet so you feel stronger on your runs or changing your daily routine so you can fit a run in, even if it means waking up at 4 am. Or as emotional as "feeling" the race (with sweaty palms and an elevated heart rate) while watching Track & Field in the Olympics or having a pregnancy hormone induced argument with your husband over which running stroller to purchase (guilty). And then, in turn, doing these things motivates you to do more, to run more.  A vicious cycle.

This all brings me to runner-y. Yes, it's a made up word, but I think it's an important word to have.  I think the things I listed above could be characterized as runner-y things.  Things you do, say, think about, purchase to support this wonderful habit. As I've been getting back into running after taking a pregnancy hiatus, I've been slowly adding these kinds of things into my daily routine. While doing something particularly "runner-y" today, the "word" popped into my head and lead me to list of some of the things I've been doing lately, like:

-Getting up a 3.30 am to feed a hungry baby, pump, and then head out for a run.
-Texting my running buddy, Ali, at 4.30 am to back out on our planned run because hungry baby is not cooperating and has decided she wants a 5 course gourmet meal instead of a midnight snack.
-Emailing my principal three weeks post-partum to determine what school hours will be so that I can figure out exactly what time I need to get up to fit in a morning run once maternity leave will be over (school hadn't even started yet)
-Goal setting for the next few months.
-Purchasing a double jogging stroller so I can run with both my toddler and infant during basketball season.
-Evaluating my running shoes to see if they'll last me or if I need to buy a new pair.
-Being envious of Ali's new gear, times, distance, strength (you go girl!)
-Writing about running

(It's hardcore "runner-y" of me to do morning workouts.  I am NOT a morning person.)

And today's "runner-y" thing: Buying electrolyte effervescent tabs to put into my water so that I'm not just flushing all the good stuff out of my system with the amount of water I'm drinking to keep up both my milk supply and to be well hydrated. (I think this takes the cake as the most runner-y thing I've done, although that pregnancy hormone induced argument with my husband is a close second.)

[Let me tell you they taste nasty - They are just like that "Airborne" stuff which somehow always encourages my gag reflex to jump into overdrive - but I'm doing it anyway because I'm hardcore like that.]

As I said, it's a mindset.  I find myself doing those things because it's intrinsically important to me to run. And to be a runner. 

What runner-y things do you do?

Goals: Races, Distances, and Times

Part of making a success of the challenge I have created for myself is to set goals, both short and long term, so that I see the progress and have something to continually strive for.  I figure this is a 3-fold process.  I need goals for my daily runs and what they will look like and how they will change as I add distance, goals for what races I'd like my racing season to include, and goals for times.

Training Runs
Goal #1: Run 4-5 times a week
Goal #2: From now until October 1st is to increase my mileage by a 1/2 mile each week until I reach 6 miles.  My hubby says this goal is a little over-ambitious, but I feel like if I run 4-5 training runs a week, an increase by a half mile shouldn't be too painful.  I know that the beginning-of-the-week runs will be slower and more painful, but I should be fine by the end of the week.
Goal #3: After reaching 6 mile regular training runs, include speed work once a week.
Goal #4: After reaching 6 miles regular training runs, Include one long run a week.

Times
Goal #1: Once I am consistently at 6 miles for my training runs, I want to see myself running at a 7:15 pace for the 6 miles.
Goal #2: 20 minute 5k
Goal #3: 1:30 half marathon

Races
The following are the races that Ali and I will most likely do this year (thanks to Ali compiling the list):
September 1: Legacy 5k
October 6: Lexington Cares 5k
October 13: 10k Race for F.I.S.H
October 27: Race the Roof 8k
November 18: Women's Half Marathon
December 15: Frosty 5k
February 10: Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon

There needs to be another race early or late Dec and mid-late Jan, but I'm liking this race schedule so far.  It should be a nice running schedule.  I might add on Hooters to Hooters half which is in March or April as well.

 I'd also like to add one more goal of strength training.

So this is it.  Here are my goals - written in "stone".

Wish me good luck!  I'm going to need it and the accountability.