I think back to October when Joy and I were sitting in our hotel room in Budapest overlooking the Danube and the Hungarian parliament. Yesterday I saw that the blue Danube is frozen solid as is the rest of Europe. Not that I want it back, but I think our long term forecasters who predicted the coldest winter on record were only off by one continent. Our fellow trotter Janelle is currently enjoying time in Russia as she couch-surfs the continents. She has discovered that minus gazillion is very cold in St. Petersburg. We could feel sorry for her, but she IS on a couple month trek through Europe. Nope, no feeling of sadness here...Suck it up Princess!
Now that I have most certainly jinxed our lovely Calgary with some terrible weather I think we need to enjoy our bad weather run from Eau Claire and the YMCA. If you haven't joined us down there before we meet inside the Y by the pool with an estimated time of departure of 9 am (ish). And further ishing, we will cover from 8-20 km depending on how far you think you might handle. Thanks April for picking the route this weekend. Next week I feel a canal trot from Max Bell arena. Stay tuned for further info!
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With Valentine's Day coming up next week (no excuses, it's a running night!) I thought this cartoon is a good representation of some of our groups. Boys, you know it is true!
Over the past couple of weeks I have shared some 'interesting' running accoutrements. This story below was shared by our buddy Dan a few years back and I thought this would be a good time to rehash. From Runner's World.
Racing without clothes can make you feel totally uninhibited — or just totally naked.
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I was standing in a clearing somewhere off of Route 66 in northeastern Oklahoma, racing flats laced tightly, awaiting the start of the Trail of Tears 5-K beneath a canopy of browning scrub oaks and a handful of maples gone red. It was a classic fall day, but I was just trying to get used to the fact that I didn't have any pants on.
I typically wear pants, but when I saw an ad in a local running magazine for this "clothing optional" race, it seemed like the perfect antidote to the gerbil wheel of training, racing, and my overall life. I'd become a predictable, reserved middle-aged drone, the type of person my former self — the one who streaked across the quad as a college junior — would've loved to defy. Shedding my clothes seemed like a good way to lose my conservative persona.
The morning of the race, I'd started to get second thoughts. Maybe, I'd told my wife, I'd wear a T-shirt — a long one. "There's more to being naked," she'd said scornfully, "than just exposing your private parts." So there I was at the Oaklake Trails Naturalist Resort, feeling like an extra in an off-off-Broadway production of Hair, trying to get comfortable that baseball caps (17) outnumbered running shorts (0), tights (0), and below-the-waist coverings of any sort (just one lonely jockstrap).
The race director (hat, shoes, not a whole lot else) announced that — duh! — we wouldn't be wearing race numbers. He informed us that when the results got posted on the Southwestern Sunbathing Association's Web site, no last names would appear. Then he called the 50 of us to the start, but not before warning that anyone who didn't want his or her photo appearing in the association's newsletter had better head to the back. My nakedness didn't cool my competitive nature — a race is a race, so I toed the line as the photographer (yes, he was nude) snapped away.
When the gun went off, the first few hundred yards proved rather, um, bumpy. Nevertheless, by the half-mile mark, a single bare derriere stood between me and the lead. And just like that, I was no longer running nude. I was just racing.
Through the woods, I imagined myself a woodland sprite. A primitive hunter. The protagonist of that old Ray Stevens song — "Oh, yes, they call him the Streak. Look at that, look at that—fastest thing on two feet."
A water stop manned by clothed volunteers brought an unexpected bout of self-consciousness. For a second, I felt as naked as Adam cast out of Eden. But the volunteers greeted us with throaty cheers, and soon gone was the red from my cheeks (the ones on my face, at least).
With a quarter mile to go, I caught the leader. Even though a finishing sprint would produce a lot of pain and a revealing photo, I did it anyway. If you thought waiting for the awards ceremony was excruciating, try doing it in the buff.
The race brochure had promised to free runners from "the burden of clothes." But on the drive home, it struck me that the entire adventure had proved decidedly unliberating. Sure, for a few minutes, I'd forgotten my nakedness. But otherwise, my unclothed loins were all I'd thought about. Call me repressed, but the most liberating moment came when I pulled my shorts back on. My straitlaced life — and its wardrobe — suited me.
Still, I did get a medal and, of all things, a T-shirt to show for it. Just don't ask me to show you any race photos.
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This week our friend Lauren has started a new group of victims...err athletes who are training to finish the Mother's Day 10km in Calgary. I had the pleasure of leading this group for the better part of a decade. Other than the above cartoon reason for some of us to join the group, the story below I think covers many of us as we first laced up those shoes.
Our friends Keith and Joyce had a similar experience when non-running Keith watched his wife in disbelief complete her first race at the age of 50. Little did Keith know that the finish line beer, high fives, and friendships gained would convert him from sedentary to an inspiration to many. They may be slower now, but they are still talked about by many of our troop on the run.
We all have our own reasons for joining a group to attain a goal. For me it was purely the comeraderie, for others pace, and for the rest sex. Just kidding of course, but this story I think describes almost all of us that trot the trails. Enjoy.
Running Your Own Race
Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new.
When I was a teenager I volunteered to work the water station at a 10k race. It was called the 'Heaven Can Wait' 10k run and ironically, it was sponsored by the local cemetery.
My job was to pass out water to the runners. I remember being so excited to see all the different kinds of people who passed by and grabbed a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past and a few wheeled past. I saw so many types of people doing it, I thought maybe I can do it too!
So the next year I signed up for the race and gave it a shot. Back then I didn't do much to prepare except jog around my neighborhood. I never tracked how far I jogged, or timed myself, I just ran around. I had no time goals for the race, no specialized training, no game plan, nothing. Needless to say that I prepare differently when I run races today, but back then my only goal was to finish.
On the day of the race, it was incredibly hot and humid. I remember struggling at about the 5th mile, thinking, 'I must be crazy, why did I do this? What was I thinking? And at one point, I said, 'I am never doing this again!'
Have you ever felt that way about something? You eagerly undertake a goal and in the midst of it comes a moment of struggle, and you realize it is much harder than you imagined it would be?
That first 10k race was quite an experience. I jogged, I walked, I jogged and I walked. At times, I didn't know if I could finish. Then came a defining moment.
At one point near the end, a 70 year old man ran past me, very very fast, and I felt embarrassed that I was 50+ years younger than he and I couldn't even keep up with him. I felt defeated for a second. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine.
He had different capacities, experience, training and goals for himself. I had mine. Remember my goal was merely to finish.
How often in life do we compare ourselves to others and feel disappointed in ourselves when we really shouldn't? After a minute, it hit me that this was a lesson I could draw from. I learned something about myself in that moment. I turned my embarrassment into inspiration.
I decided that I would not give up on running races, in fact, I would run even more races and I would learn how to train and prepare properly and one day I would be one of those 70 year olds who was still running. As I crossed the finish line, I was proud of my accomplishment.
I am so glad I didn't give up on running. Today it is an incredible source of joy in my life. I have run several races since then, 5ks, 10ks and I run purely for fun. I have studied running books, made friendships with other runners and I can report that I love it now more than ever.
In life we all have those moments where we compare ourselves to others. It's only natural. Don't allow those moments to disempower you. Turn them into motivation and let them inspire you. Use them to show you what is possible. Every struggle is rich with opportunity. You define your own race when you define your own goals.
With the proper preparation, coaching and conditioning, you can improve your results to achieve anything you want in life.
The impact of fitness and nutrition on my life has been remarkable. I can do things now that I could not even do in my 20's all because of coaching, proper nutrition and conditioning.
You decide your race and you decide your own pace. Rarely in life will your destiny be determined by one little race.
'Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable.' - Coach John Wooden
Life is a series of races. There are lessons in every race. There are life lessons to be learned every single day. If you don't win the race, but you get the lesson, and grow, you are truly a success.
Live Your Dreams.
Jill Koenig
Jill Koenig, the 'Goal Guru' is one of America's Top Goal Strategist's. A best selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and Business Success. Her Goal in life is to help you unleash your untapped potential. Visit her website at: www.GoalGuru.com
PRINCESS!!! Спасибо за думают обо мне, но когда я в Хорватии плюс 20, то я буду одной смеется.
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