All I Really Needed to Know I Learned From My Runs: My Advice to the "Want-To"s!

My runs have taught me so much about myself, coping with life, and being strong. I've pulled together some of those random truths to share.

This list is a lot of what I learned that made me really get comfortable just running. It's the advice I'd give to anyone who says they "Want to" start running or would consider themselves a beginner. Of course, we all know that sometimes you have to get back to the basics no matter how long you've been doing something. In other words, there is a little bit in here for everyone!

I've also added in a few from some of Diesel Fuel's Facebook fans. Keep following Diesel Fuel on Facebook for more lessons and add your own to the list! Enjoy! 

Truth #1: There is no such thing as too slow.

I started with this one because it completely changed my running mindset. Before that, I was pretty embarrassed by my slow pace. It was only after I was able to "embrace my pace" that I decided it didn't matter how slow I was moving - at least I was moving! It freed me up to run longer and run happier!



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Truth #2: It is OK not to win.
Once my boys got old enough to understand what was going on, before I'd head to the start line of a race, they would tell me, "Go Mommy! I hope you win!". Sweet, yes; realistic, absolutely not. (See Truth #1). Now, I'm a pretty competitive person and I like to win, so I had to get OK with not winning. The silver lining is that there's so much more to the Run than winning...read on...


Truth #3: Not winning does not mean that you lost.
And, that is why it's OK not to win. Yes, there are people out there who do run to win, and I am in awe of them, but for me, it's about the Run. It's about doing better than I did last time. It's about beating off the demons that try to bind my feet. And it's finishing when I just want to quit. There is a story to be lived -and told - from the Start Line to the Finish Line.



Truth #4: Take it one mile at a time.
I'm often told by people that they don't know how I do it. That they can't even run a mile. Well, neither could I when I first started running. Neither could any of us. Until we did it. And then we added one more, and then one more...
  

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Truth #5: Never trust the first mile.
The first mile is a liar. It tries to tell you that you really don't feel like running today. That your knee hurts or that it's too hot. It makes you feel out of breath and tired. Usually none of that is true! It's just your body adjusting to the extra work you are asking it to do. I try not to make any decisions about my run during the first mile.





Truth #6: If you run, you are a Runner! Claim it!
It took me a while before I would claim to be a Runner. I guess I just didn't feel like I "deserved" it because I wasn't very good at it. The thing is, once I claimed that label, I gained tons of confidence which gave me to guts to improve a little at a time. No matter how much or little you do run, start telling people you're a runner and see what happens!




Run Strong!!!!

What the Peachtree Road Race Means to Me

 
I grew up watching the Peachtree Road Race from the sidewalk just down from the Burger King and just up from Peachtree-Battle Shopping Center. Each year I would strain and stretch trying to get a good look at each and every runner that went by…waiting…waiting…waiting…and then there he’d be, running out of the crowd of runners, hopping up on the sidewalk, pulling us in for a big hug, and then he’d be gone; absorbed back into the sea of humanity that makes the Peachtree Road Race the largest 10K in the World.

Every July 4^th, my mom, my stepdad, my sister and I would get up super early and pack into the car, make the 2-mile drive to Peachtree Battle, and carry chairs and water to “our spot” and wait. First, the wheelchair racers would speed by, hoping to gain plenty of momentum to ease their impending push up Heartbreak Hill. Next, would be the elite runners with their elegant gaits and then…the Masses. Hundreds and thousands of runners passing by. But I was always only looking for one.


My parents got divorced when I was four. My mom remarried and we moved to Atlanta when I was eight. My sister and I spent every other weekend with my dad and stepmom – and that worked out pretty well until I got into Junior High and started being more social. I began to dislike the fact that I had to go to my dad’s house when there was a school dance or a popular-girl sleepover or a party…with boys! Eventually, we moved into a habit of going to my dad’s whenever it “fit in” with our schedules. Weeks became months. Pretty soon, it was maybe 3-4 times a year, which, not surprisingly, caused a big hole in our relationship.

I grew up…a little. I went to college.  I got married. My dad and I stayed in touch, but the visits were few and far between. We always knew, however, that we’d see each other once a year. For a quick hug on the sidewalk of Peachtree Road on July 4^th.

In 1999, I decided that would be my last year as an observer of the Peachtree Road Race and I became a Runner.


My first Peachtree Road Race bib!!

2000

2001

A new July 4^th tradition started. My dad would drive to Atlanta from Covington and pick me up in what seemed like the middle of the night. We’d drive over to Lenox Mall and get parked before the streets closed, get our Marta tokens and wait to run. I’d like to tell you that we ran the Peachtree together, but he was fast and I was really slow. He’d be in a starting wave right up front, whereas, some years I had to wait 30-45 minutes before I even crossed the Start Line. He’d be done, waiting at the Finish Line and I was just getting through my first mile. But, he’d always wait for me so that we could make the “Death March”, as we called it, to the Marta station to get back to the car at Lenox. He’d drop me back off at the house I grew up in with words about “next year” and a “see ya soon” and “love you”.

And then it happened. I decided to divorce my husband.

For reasons of my own, I needed to have the conversation we’d never had with my dad. I wrote him a letter and told him we needed to talk. He showed up at my door the next day.

I asked him tell his side of the story from beginning to end.  I asked hard questions and he gave hard answers. And perhaps it was my life experience, my new-found perspective. Or perhaps it was his humility, his honesty. Whatever it was, we met in the middle and we’ve not looked back.

My boys watching the runners go by!

These days, my dad and I make sure we renew our Atlanta Track Club memberships every year to guarantee our acceptance into the Peachtree Road Race. I’ve gotten remarried, so we both get hotel rooms at the Start line, go out to eat the night before with my stepmom, my husband, and our two boys. It’s a tradition that’s just one of the many times we see each other throughout the year. I’ve gotten serious about running and have moved up in the start waves of the Peachtree, but we’ve yet to start together.

This year should be that year. I put in the hard work to get faster and have qualified to be in the same start wave as my dad for the 2014 Peachtree Road Race. Finally. 

2014 Peachtree Road Race bib

Perhaps it’s that I’m getting faster at my age. Or perhaps it’s that he’s getting slower at his age. Whatever it is, we’ve met in the middle and we’re good with that!

2013 Peachtree Road Race

Second Wind

There's a well-known saying about "getting your second wind", but have you ever actually experienced it yourself? You know, you're at the point in your run when your legs feel like lead, you feel like you're breathing through a straw and your heart is trying to pound through your chest when suddenly, you feel an unexplainable burst of energy. You feel like you can run forever...and really fast...!!! There's several ways to explain it - some physiological and some psychological - all I know is that I love it! It's a fantastic feeling!

The last couple of times I've gone out to run I've had the pleasure of experiencing a second wind, however, it dawned on me today that I don't know that it would be something I'd wish for every time. Why? Because a second wind, in it's very definition, only happens when the first 'wind' is gone.

"Second wind is a phenomenon in distance running, such as marathons or road running (as well as other sports), whereby an athlete who is too out of breath and tired to continue suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion."

You have to suffer through the pain of heavy legs and the tightness in your chest from breathlessness in order for the second wind to even kick in. It hurts. It's hard. And you want to quit...

...But you don't quit. You fight through it and next thing you know, it's gone. Replaced by a burst of energy that lets you take a deep breath, relax and settle in for a strong finish!

...Or you do quit because it's just too hard or it hurts too much. And you miss out. And you don't even know how close you were to breaking through. It may have never come - or it may have only been one more step away.
 
I've not read anywhere that people can predict when exactly a runner will get his/her second wind, so I'll never really know if or when it will happen. What I do know is that pushing through and getting to the other side is completely worth it!

Run Strong!

Three Diesel Ds!

I'll have to admit I've been struggling lately. Start with the post-marathon blues, add in sluggish injury recovery, sprinkle in crappy weather and you get a very unmotivated runner! I started listening to myself... "It's too cold" ... "My knee feels tight" ... "I feel so tired" ...and my new favorite, "Running in the cold air makes me cough" ...any of that sound familiar to you?

It got me thinking about the different things we say to cover up the fact that we really just don't want to do something. I mean, be honest, when you say something like, "It's too cold", aren't you really just saying you don't want to run? Because if you really wanted to run, you'd figure it out...you'd layer up or run inside on a treadmill...you'd figure out a way to make it happen regardless of the weather. And I'm not judging - we've all been there. For some reason, it makes us feel better if we think we have a legitimate reason, because "I don't want to" just seems so childish.

So, we don't want to...what now?

This is the hard part. What do you do when you really should do something, but you really don't want to? Here's where the rubber meets the road because the answer to that question really shows your level of discipline. Not a real sexy word, but it's what gets you out of bed in the morning - or gets you out on the road in the cold - or ______________ (you fill in the blank). And most importantly, it tell you just how much "Diesel" lives inside of you!!

I've heard it said that to build discipline you should do something you don't want to do and not do something you do want to do...every day! And that makes sense because having discipline in a certain situation once does seem to make it easier the next time. The other thing I've found is that usually if I push through the initial "I don't want to" excuses and just do it, I feel so much better, and that after-feeling strengthens my discipline and feeds my determination, or my inner Diesel!!

Where are you right now on the Diesel continuum? Are you like me and your Diesel needs a bit of encouragement? If so, I've come up with three Diesel-Ds that may help us push through:

1. Diesel Discipline

 

Go ahead and start the daily exercise of doing one thing you don't want to do and not doing one thing you want to do. Get a calendar or notebook and just jot down what you did and what you didn't do so that you can see it. Then make plans to celebrate it after a week and then after a month!! (P.S. this can be done for anything - not just running...food choices...bad habits...being nice when you don't want to...whatever!)

2. Diesel Determination

 

Sign up for a race. The season of racing is upon us!! I know here where I live there's just about one every weekend. Pick one that far enough out for you to train for and  sign up. There's nothing like training for a race to keep you motivated and determined. Oh, and it helps if you tell someone you've signed up. Sometimes it also takes a little peer pressure to keep you on track!

 

 

3. Diesel Diary

 

Keep track of how you are feel after a run, or if you were going to run but didn't, why you didn't make it. This is so helpful in recognizing those excuses we make! You'll start to see a pattern of why you keep missing your date with the pavement. It may help you to start working to overcome the "I don't want to"s.

 

Are you on board? Find your inner Diesel and let's get this done!!!! Keep in touch and let me know how it's going!

Run Strong!!

What's Your Story?

“Everyone has baggage.  It’s just that some carry Louis Vuitton while others carry brown paper sacks.”

I had a friend tell me this once and it has always made me laugh. And it’s true in that we all carry around our past experiences in some form or fashion – they have made us who we are and created our view of both our internal and external worlds. We judge circumstances and people based on our Baggage. We make decisions based on our Baggage. And we fiercely stand on our Baggage when it comes time to defend our actions and reactions to others – when we are absolutely right and they are so absolutely wrong! However, we all try to act like our Baggage isn’t there. We try to hide it and pretend we’ve “let it go” and that “the past is the past”. Or worse – we harbor shame because we won’t own it.

So, here’s a thought: what if we were able to sit back and see our baggage as one big Story? I had this experience recently during a…let’s call it a “disagreement” with the Hubs. We had taken sides, which were polar opposites of each other, and we were really dug in. So, in an effort to restore communication, I asked if I could tell him a Story. (P.S. That’s a great way to start a conversation, by the way, because not very many people will tell you no…). I proceeded to tell him a Story, which was a little piece of my past (opened up some of my Baggage) that I was sure completed supported my ‘side’ of the argument. I just knew he was going to give in and tell me I was right and profusely apologize for being oh so wrong…

Well, guess what happened. He had a Story to tell, too. But you know what else happened? We listened to each other’s Stories and we were able to work towards more of a middle-ground. We owned our own stories, recognized them for what they were and how they made us act towards each other and respected the fact that each of our Stories made us who we are today.

So, now I ask you: What is your Story? What makes you who you are? Why do you do the things you do? Does it change your perspective when you stop calling it Baggage and start claiming your Story? Do you start to forgive yourself, give yourself a break, see yourself for who you are? Can you see that you are the Whole of many, many Parts as a Story is made up of Chapters?

What about those around you? What is their Story? Why do they do the things they do? Does it help you to be kinder, more understanding, a little more forgiving and graceful towards them?

Now, please do not misunderstand me and think that I’m okay with people using their Stories as an excuse or a crutch for doing or being a certain way. What I would hope is that when you see your Story for what it is, you can start to write new Chapters that find you becoming a more insightful, complete person who knows that there are truly at least two sides to every Story.  If you are still living and breathing then your Story is not finished!
 

I challenge you to find someone close to you and ask them if you can tell them a Story. I challenge you to find someone close to you and ask them to tell you their Story. And, then, I’d love to hear the Story of how that worked out for you!

Run Strong! (And tell Stories!)

Stop Making Resolutions!

OK, be honest.  How many of you have made your New Year's Resolutions and your list looks a lot like the one you made a year ago?  Probably looks something like this:

"Exercise more"..."Eat healthier"..."Cut back on sweets"..."Drink less alcohol"

Sound familiar?

That's exactly why I don't make New Year's Resolutions.  They might as well be called New Year's Wishes!  I would spend time reflecting on all the different ways I could be "better" in the next year and think that this year was going to be different...this year I was determined...this year was the year...and by March I was hiding in dark corners eating Reese's Peanut Butter cups like they were my last meal.

So, let's stop calling them Resolutions already and let's set some GOALS!  Goals are strategic and solid.  However, goals can also become wishes if you don't make plans to reach your goals.  I've put together a few tips to help you do that. 

 

1. BRAINSTORM THEM: Write down all the things you'd like to make "better" this year.  I mean, just dump it all out there.  No rights, no wrongs.  Write it all down.  I like to use post-it notes because it helps keep me concise and to the point.
2. BUCKET THEM: Look back through your list and see if you can 'bucket' things.  For example, "cross train more" and "get back to the weights" fall under Health/Fitness Goals, where "read more books" and "take an art class" may fall under Personal Growth.  You should start to see some themes in your thoughts.  I like to think of FUN names for my buckets, so Health/Fitness becomes "Work That Body, Baby" and Personal Growth is "If Momma Ain't Happy...".  The point is make it fit your personal style!
3. QUANTIFY THEM: Now, at this point we still just have wishes, so now is the time to make your list measurable.  So, "cross train more" becomes "Take three group fitness classes per week" and "read more books" becomes "Read one book per month".  Some things may just have a "due date" because they're one-time deals. I want to take an art class, so that could become "Sign up for an art class by March".  Also, some things may become repetitive and need to be taken off the list.  For me this was "Lose weight".  If I do the other things in my bucket, I should see some weight loss.  Plus, I personally don't want to get hung up on my weight.  Might be different for you...
   
4. SCHEDULE THEM: OK, here's the hard part...finding time to fit all of it in! It is an absolute MUST that you schedule your goals into your daily/weekly/monthly calendars.  Use whatever is easiest for you.  I love using an old-fashioned paper planner.  However, there are great smartphone/tablet apps, too!  The point is it has to be something practical that you will use.  Once you have things scheduled, treat them as if they were appointments with your boss or a doctor.  Work all other activities around them and/or fit them in around your work schedule.
5. TRACK THEM: Keep a journal and/or a log of your progress (or lack thereof).  Apps come in very handy for this part!  Personally, I love "My Fitness Pal" for my Work That Body, Baby goals.  There are bunches out there, though.  Again, find what works for you!  I've found that keeping a log or journal keeps me be accountable to my goals and helps me see trends when I start making excuses as to why I didn't do something I said I'd do.
6. TELL THEM: Last, but not least, TELL SOMEBODY!!!  Have someone else hold you accountable, as well.  Someone who will support your goals and help you be successful.

Things to keep in mind -

• You may have to ramp up your goals.  For example, if you don't work out at all and your goal is to work out 5 times per week, you may want to start with three days a week to keep it realistic.  Set a date to add Day 4...and then Day 5.
• You may not have time to do everything.  Pick maybe 2-3 things that take priority and work those in for the next 4-6 weeks and then reevaluate.

Hope that helps!!  Let me know what some of your 2014 goals are and, of course, keep me updated on your progress!!!  May 2014 be your year!!!!

Run Strong!

KISS

I’ve always loved the phrase, “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” (or KISS for short).  It’s a reset button for times when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed out.  It helps me refocus, clear out the clutter, and just find a way to take the next step and move forward.  It’s why I was drawn to read the book "Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success" by Ken Segal, who worked with Steve Jobs as ad agency creative director for Apple. (FYI: It’s a fantastic book, especially if you’re in the sales/marketing line of work.)  Segal tells stories of Steve Job’s absolute insistence on Simplicity.  He would wield what co-workers called a Simple Stick, sometimes brutally, but always effectively.

Well, in the weeks since my Marathon (and since getting medically ‘cleared’), I’ve hit my runs with the Simple Stick.  I’ve intentionally made the decision to Keep It Simple, Stupid and run – just run.  No music, no GPS or timer.  And, let me say it has been incredibly refreshing!  There is a freedom to just enjoy the run and not worry about how fast I’m going or how far.  And there’s no music to distract me from my thoughts or to take away from the sounds of nature (or traffic…) around me.  After the months of training I’ve put in, I definitely needed to Just Run.

So here’s the question: What else in my life needs to be hit with the Simple Stick?  What things in your life need to be hit with the Simple Stick?  What would we enjoy that much more if we did?  Hey, it’s Christmas, the Holidays or whatever you celebrate, which in its simplest form is supposed to be about…what?  Are we making it more complicated than it needs to be?  What would it look like if we keep it simple, stupid and give it a giant wallop with the Simple Stick?

“Simplicity allows people to focus on one thing.  Conversely, focusing on one thing helps achieve Simplicity.”      ~Ken Segal 

I'm sure I’ll add the gadgets back in soon as I set my eyes on the next race or goal, but for now it’s just me, a pair of shoes and some pavement.

Run Simple!