Competition archives

Yesterday my good friend Eliza forwarded to me and some other friends a string of emails from back in the Fall of 2006, when we all originally agreed to run the 2007 Mardi Gras Half Marathon.

Eliza was the only one who actually made it.

I didn't talk about that time much here at LTB, mainly because I try to keep certain things separate from this place, my personal life being one of them. I was nearing the end of my divorce proceedings with my now-ex-husband and my life was in total chaos. I'd started a new job, I'd started dating Scott and everything was just ... very tumultuous. I gave myself permission to be a bit of mess back then - I gained 20 pounds, worked out very little, ate whatever gave me comfort. I slept a lot. In the back of my head, though, I always knew that I couldn't just return to a lifestyle like that as a rule. I couldn't abandon what I'd learned about healthy living.

By the next summer, the weight was gone. So was the husband.

I've spent this past year doing battle with other things - my thyroid, a serious hip injury - that have held me back more than I would have liked but I managed to stay active and never stray too far from living a healthier life. My hip still acts up a bit - I'm about to ice it for a while - and my thyroid?

Well, let's just say we're still working on it. For everyone who's been asking, I'm taking 5 mcg of cytomel, twice a day, in addition to 75 mcg of synthroid. I just saw the good doctor last week and we've also added licorice root to my regimen, though I have not been particularly good about taking it regularly. Need to get in the habit. It's just hard seeing as how I seem to take a ZILLION THINGS every day already.

The weight gain has stopped, that's the great news. The bad news is that I am still so tired. I push myself every day to just resist the urge to sleep and instead just go to bed earlier. It's the best I can do.

Anyway, I'm in great shape, all things considered, and clearly my mental space is much improved - I'm getting married next month, my career is going gangbusters and I'm finally in a place where I could say to my dear friend that, yes, I will do this with you. I am trying to approach this training as something bigger than just being able to say I ran a half, and to not dread each training session as something I have to do, but rather something I want to do. I keep thinking about what the Buddhists say about being present. I have a really hard time with this. I think it's why I run - to try and be present and not mind fuck into oblivion things that haven't even happened. Or might never happen.

I think why I've never been able to master training for something like this is because it requires the discipline of being present in that moment - even if it's painful or uncomfortable or doesn't include Baked Cheetos. I have always pushed myself, but usually in terms of weight loss and fitness, it's just enough. I push myself enough to stay healthy and keep my weight steady, but not to challenge myself much. When it starts to hurt, and get hard, I shy away.

I don't know. Doing this with Eliza is just the push I need to maybe master some of this thinking, to perhaps look head-on to a bad habit.

We're going to be blogging our efforts here - at Mardi Gras 2009. It's totally not finished or updated much, but I'll be working on that in the upcoming weeks. Don't expect much more than for Eliza and I to clock our work outs there to keep ourselves accountable, more than anything else.

So I started this week, and I've got sixteen weeks to go until the half. It seems like a long, long time from now. So glad I bought new running shoes this weekend.

Posted by Erin at 09:32 PM | Comments (6) | filed under: Competition

I need mailing addresses for EVERYONE who participated in the Nike Human Race/LTB Challenge last month!

While only five people will win the Nike+ SportBand, no one goes home empty handed. No cheating, of course. I have emails from everyone who participated already, and I'll be checking against them, to make sure everyone is accounted for and no one tries to sneak in. Not that I think anyone actually would, of course, but you know what I mean. :)

I'm off to San Francisco for work this week so I won't be around to post. However, drop me a line if you're interested in trying Weight Watchers online. They've given me a couple of free, three-month memberships to coincide with their Lose For Good charity event taking place now! If you've been curious, this is a good opportunity to give it a shot. I still maintain that it's not a program for everyone - me giving these memberships away isn't my way of endorsing the program, to be clear - but their Web site is really fantastic and I will be making Weight Watchers recipes until I breathe my last breath they're that good.

Anyway, I haven't run since the Human Race - which was a wonderful race, if not a bit abysmal personally. It was hotter than blazes that night and I was a wreck as a result. I ran 12-minute miles - an all-time low! I was so not at all prepared for the heat. Ah well. It was still a fantastic experience. I've been back to spinning at the gym, and I started doing the 30 Day Shred and I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on it. It's awesome. Quick, low-maintenance in terms of equipment, and will give you a solid workout. For only 20 minutes of your time each day, you can't beat it!

EDITED TO ADD: The WW memberships are gone. Thanks everyone!

Posted by Erin at 08:24 PM | Comments (3) | filed under: Competition

Hey all!

Still recovering from yesterday (last night's) race! I've gotten some emails from folks - I'm so glad you guys had a good time running this month. I'll be in touch with Nike later this week to send out prizes.

I have no idea how I did - my SportBand was way, way off and clearly needs to be re-calibrated. It was desperately hot last night, to the point where I really did wonder if I was going to finish. It's not as though I never run outdoors, so I'm not certain why the heat affected me so much. Anyway, I'll see if results are online later. According to my band, I ran 6.97 miles at a 10:11 pace, which I know is total hogwash. It was 10K. It's not like I went over 6.2 miles. :)

Ah well. Here are some pictures my fiance took in the meantime.

Hope you all had a good time!

Now on to the half marathon. No, for real. I think I can do it. It's October 19, and the idea is that you run anywhere, with the SportBand, on that day. In Chicago, though, there is a group running together, which I'm just going to plan on doing to keep me honest. I'm already into full-on training, and am back to running four-five times a week. Nike's online training programs are fun, and even if I don't exactly make it to the 13-mile distance, it's something to shoot for and keeps me running.

Posted by Erin at 09:10 AM | | filed under: Competition

... you all need to go out and run with one of these Nike+SportBand things.

I just ran 5.35 miles, and averaged 10:53 miles on the whole shot. I know to some of you, who are faster, better runners, that's no big shakes but I have been consistently running at 11:30, 11:45 mile paces for two years now, and running with this thing on steps up my entire game. It's crazy.

Why?

1) It taps into my competitive nature. I am by nature the sort of person who always wants to win. I know I don't always, and I usually react pretty well when I don't, but having a constant reminder of where I am in terms of pacing somehow kicks on an internal drive that before I didn't have. I know that you'll know my pace time and the distance I did it in, which means I don't have the luxury of screwing around. The device doesn't lie, and since this challenge is public, there's no getting away with any less than my best.

2) It helps me focus. Running is all mental for most people. It's why runners usually have serious injuries because we can run and run and run through all sorts of pain. We never know when to quit. With this device on me, I'm constantly reminded of the task at hand, which keeps me moving, instead of drifting away to my tired feet or achy legs.

Today marks the 19th anniversary of my mom's passing. She was only 40 when she was killed in a car accident.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to someone that I was going to be 40 before I knew it - eight years - and had my mother known at 32 that she'd only have eight years left, I wonder what she would have done with those years. I don't get particularly maudlin about that fact, but it gives me perfect perspective with the gifts I have. I mean, it's truly a gift that I just went out and ran more than five miles. It is truly a gift that I can do that.

I'm going to go out and do another five miles tomorrow with my girlfriend, Brenda, to celebrate how lucky I am to just be alive.

Posted by Erin at 04:33 PM | Comments (8) | filed under: Competition

I know it's been a delay - I've been busy, blah blah blah.

But I've found a solution for all of you who are wondering how to calculate your miles without using the Nike+ equipment.

For the record? Holy Moses. How did I ever run without this thing? I love it! It makes me run faster, focus more, try harder ... it's amazing. I love it. If you win the SportsBand, you'll be a happy camper. For the first time EVER I ran 10-minute miles on Saturday. Ten-minute miles. I almost thought I was incapable of such a thing. Not anymore. Of course, I may have pushed it too far in the beginning, and I ended up running much slower than I should have to really push it out accurately, but I'm happy, nonetheless.

Anyway, to log your efforts online - and you should backtrack, BTW - sign up for a free account at Buckeye Outdoors Training and then send me the link to your records. To make it fair, I want to be able to see an ongoing account of everyone's efforts somehow. Some others can continue to use Nike, but for everyone else? I think you'll love this site.

Remember it's not too late to sign up for not only the challenge but also the Nike Human Race itself.

Happy running everyone! I'm heading out in a bit for a five-mile run, and I'm going to make it a slow and easy one. I'd like to keep it back to 11-minute miles to be on the safe side of things.

Posted by Erin at 05:38 PM | | filed under: Competition

Hey all!

Thank you SO much for the huge response - remember to email me with your goals.

In the meantime, I know there are a SLEW of questions about operating the Nike challenge site. I have them too, and I left Friday afternoon to visit my grandma so I couldn't get to rooting out the problems and finding answers. I'm going to email our friends at Nike to see if we can't get everyone settled.

In the meantime, SIGN UP! We have one LTB Challenge member who is walking because, as we all know, you gotta start somewhere. Get to running! I did a five-mile run yesterday morning through a very small town an hour-and-a-half outside of Chicago and stumbled upon a slew of used syringes on a bridge overlooking the gorgeous Kankakee River.

I mean, REALLY. How else can you get THAT kind of scenery if not from running? Drug use in a small town! Right there!

Ahem.

Come join Team Buddha!

Posted by Erin at 04:34 PM | | filed under: Competition

"I will only run when chased."

This is a phrase my friend, Digger, is famous for using every time I mention to him my love of running. If you're a runner, you understand why people run. You don't even have to run far to understand. If you're not, it looks like the hugest undertaking in the world.

But here's the thing: everyone starts somewhere. And for some, once they do, they just can't stop. It's in their blood for good. I started running when I was 10. Sure, I wasn't consistent over the years, but it's what I always go back to. In the subsequent years, it's been my constant companion. One day, one time, everything just clicked. It didn't feel like a high for me, as it is for some - runner's high, they call it.

For me, I just realized that running could take me to a place of stillness and calm, all the while my heart was racing and I was burning more calories than I knew what to do with. My problems melted away, my stress was non-existent and all felt right with the world.

I told Shelane the other night, as we ran along Chicago's lakefront with the hundreds of other runners out there, that the reason I love running is because anyone can do it. You don't have to be anything or anyone or in any shape to just start putting one foot in front of the other. I like that no matter where I am in my life, no matter what shape my body is in, all it takes is the will and the ability to put one foot in front of the other. Even if you have to walk in the beginning, there is nothing stopping you.

Honestly? If you're not running, and you've always been curious, what's really stopping you?

The good, kind folks at Nike reached out to me yesterday, after reading that I was running, and asked if I wouldn't consider running in the upcoming Nike Human Race 10K. And because I am a sentimental sort, and because the whole concept frickin' rocks, I let them know that they could count on me to participate. After some time spent exploring the Nike Plus site, I asked Nike if they wouldn't consider sweetening the deal and getting everyone over here involved.

And so today, we've got the Lose The Buddha challenge.

The challenge is simple: go run. If you've never run a race before, let alone a 10K, no one expects you to do so in a month. But if you've ever been curious about what it takes to run, now is your chance! Sign up for a profile (it's free) and then check out the Training programs under "My runs." Decide what's a goal you can stick with for this month, write 'em down, join the LTB Challenge and send me your goals. That's all there is to it!

FIVE PEOPLE who complete, or come as near as complete as possible, their goals for the month will win a Nike+SportBand and a surprise gift from me.

Really. What's stopping you?

Posted by Erin at 11:19 AM | | filed under: Competition

This morning we made our way to Ravenswood, so that I could run the 5K at 8 a.m. and The Boy, who felt he owed me a cheering section since he was unable to do so in March, could yell from the sidelines and make sure I was alive and kicking at various points throughout.

It was not my best race, a situation I blame solely on our friend Matt and his hospitality the night before. We did get home by 11 p.m., but that was after we had burgers, some Goose Island and wine on the porch of Matt's condo. Basically I got cocky this morning, is what happened. Despite weeks of running, there is no way I can run a 5K on little sleep, barely any water and instead, alcohol. Despite keeping a 10-minute mile pace in the beginning, by about mile two I actually developed a stitch, something I never, ever get anymore.

On top of that, I completely and totally forgot to pick up my racing chip, which means I didn't "officially" run, and I have no idea what my actual time is. I never watch the clocks, mostly because I always start so far in the back that it's minutes from when the guns go off. Or, as was this case, the church bells. The Boy and I figured that I probably ran it in about 35 minutes, which makes me angry as I was shooting for 30. Ah well.

I did get cheered on by Rahm Emanuel, who was just hanging out by himself on a side street, waving all the runners along, and the police gave out water bottles and those keychains that, when you pull out the pin, attached to the ring, set off this loud alarm. I'm not afraid of running in my neighborhood whatsoever, and at this point pretty much everyone knows me and Glinny, but still. A nice treat from our local, lovable law enforcement agents.

Other than me blowing my race, we had a lovely weekend. We ate cheese and drank wine, sat outside a lot, had Bloody Mary's at The Tap, grilled steaks, and now we're playing Nintendo and digesting the concretes we just consumed from Scooter's, an experience that, despite ordering the small coconut cream pie concrete, negated all of my workouts this weekend. This morning after the race we ran some errands and desperately tried to save two dogs who were running all over the place in the North and Clybourn corridor. One had a collar, the other didn't, and despite our best efforts, they wanted nothing to do with us. Our inability to catch these dogs and try to get them back to their owners just about broke my heart. Clearly they were loved by someone, and clearly they were buddies, prowling the area together, and I wish we were able to catch them but they were having none of it. Another person who tried to rescue the dogs called 311 for animal control, but I don't know how much good it will do since they took off pretty quick, but there's always hope.

Sigh. I came home and gave Glinny extra hugs and cuddles.

This week ahead is a busy one - I have a freelance project of sorts that I need to put to bed and it needs to consume all of my free time, or at least the parts that aren't training for the Soldier Field 10 mile. I need to buckle down and train like there is no tomorrow if I think I'm going to finish a 10 mile race in a month.

The Boy will be there but Rahm Emmanuel won't. So I better get cracking.

Posted by Erin at 11:24 PM | TrackBack (706) | filed under: Competition

Tonight is the Nike Run Hit Wonder 5K.

It's the first 5K I've actually trained for since the St. Patrick's Day race back in 2003. It's amazing what a few months of sloth can do to a person who has been actively running and competiting for two years, isn't it?

Strangely, I've a little nervous. I'm not sure why. Part of me believes that since I actually put forth effort to train, any performance less than stellar will frustrate the shit out of me. Plus, I've actually been proud of the work I've accomplished these past few weeks. I'm back full-swing into the gym -- I've even been experimenting with new classes -- and am spending every Monday night in my kitchen cooking for the week ahead.

If I finish near the back of the heap again I may weep.

Posted by Erin at 08:34 AM | Comments (6) | filed under: Competition