Short (frozen) and sweet!

Just ran the same half marathon course that I ran for the B.A.A Half in October. Back then, I ran it in 2:11:13. Today, I ran it in 1:55:40! I have to say I feel pretty great about that. I pushed myself and it paid off.
{Did I mention it was 15 degrees out and I can't feel my legs? That might have to do something with my increased speed too but, for now, I'm gonna owe it all to my training. :) }

Looking forward to a night out with Bonner, the bday girl, and good friends tonight! Shout outs to Sprinkles, Alex, the Bonners, Katie & John, Brian B, Bill T, Josh and Melpo for their donations. Big hugs to Grambo for the highest donation of the month!

Sunshine, Happiness and Golf Carts

After a few "blah" weeks lately, I had the absolute pleasure of getting away to warm and sunny Florida with two of my favorite people (i.e. VWow and Sprinkles). Sprinkle's parents' have a house down by Orlando called "The Villages." Essentially it's a retirement community for those 55+ and, of course, those lucky of us to know the 55+. So, we packed our bags and headed into the sunshine. I was not at all sad about leaving the snow, work or the icy and somewhat painful runs I had endured the past few weeks.

Now, when I go on vacation, I usually have some sort of "plan" of what I'm going to do. The only plan on this trip included these words: sun, fun, cocktails, ice cream. I might not have gotten the ice cream (instead I got an insanely redonculous chocolate covered oreo cookie) but I sure did get the sun, fun and cocktails. We had a great time doing absolutely nothing but soaking up every ounce of sun we could get at the local pool (Hacienda) which was pretty much Heaven on earth. I mean, I was with 2 hot ladies of course but there was also a tiki bar, a man who sung Billy Joel songs and country, a hot tub, 75 degree pool water and, the best part, a DANCE party. Yes, it might have been a dance party that included senior citizens but it was still the booooomb. That day alone will make me smile for the next month. We also had lots of food that was bad for us, walked around the town square and saw more old people dancing and holding hands (I heart old people who are in love), enjoyed the 2 for 1 beverages at every restaurant in town, drove golf carts while singing songs, played cards, read books, and miiiight have been in bed every night by midnight. I'd say we did a good job of being "retired."

Another thing I usually do on vacation is bring workout clothes and then never use them. It's vacation, right?! Well, this time, I knew that wasn't an option and I was actually pretty okay with it. I did my long run Saturday morning and was pleased to see that I was not the only one up at 8am. Duh. These peeps go to bed at 7pm so ,of course, they're up early! So, I was pretty entertained on my run around the Villages b/c I saw people playing golf, a walking group (who all wore neon jackets and keds), a biking train who all waved to me while I ran by and I even came across some runners who looked in their upper 50's. Now I wasn't expecting to get much "inspiration' while out on my run in the Villages (that wasn't from the sun, at least) but, low and behold, I actually did. On one of my morning runs, I was passed (yes, passed) TWICE by a man who had to be at least 80 years old. I could tell he was a "real" runner because he ran like he meant it. He had all the gear on and a water belt and I think his shirt said something about a 10K. Eighty years old and still running. Hell yeah. This dude deserved a chest bump. If that wasn't inspiring enough, on my last run of the vacation, I went looking for some hills and found both those and another person to motivate me. I decided to run up and down this one steep hill several times and on my 2nd time down, I saw this woman who had to be at least 90 in her pink jumpsuit and bedazzled visor pushing her walker up this big hill. I thought she must live on top of the hill and felt kinda bad for her but as I ran down the hill she waved and said, "I used to be as fast as you but at least I'm still truckin!" After a few more times up and down this hill, I realized this lady was actually doing laps up and the down the hill as well. Did I mention she had a walker?!? Not only was she doing it but she was doing it with a smile. Bedazzled inspiration.

So, as I return to Boston, I am returning with a few more freckles, the urge to purchase a bedazzled visor, and the thoughts of all those "older folks" dancing, running, biking and pushing their walkers and smiling while doing it. No wonder active, social and happy people often live longer and stay "younger" then many of us. Thank you for reminding me to always "Keep Truckin."

Shout outs to Adele, Alison, Ryan and Sonia for donating. Shout outs to my coworker Jen and J-Money "The Circumstance" for giving the highest donations of the week and shout outs to Sprinkles, VWow and the "Village" people for bringing some sun into my life!

Run, slip, fall, repeat.

I had the worst distance run this past Saturday. I felt like an old woman. I tried to mix it up by going to the Fells and running the trails but the trails were full of snow and ice which was not good for my knees and also slowed me down significantly. I felt like my feet were cement and it was one of those runs where I was like "What? I have 10 more miles to run? " It's the first time I actually felt slightly worried about my ability to do  this and the first time this winter I've said, "I can't wait until Spring."

 I've had the whole long weekend to think about this run. Then, I came to the realization that this process of running a marathon really is 80% mental...just like everything else in life. If I feel defeated, I will be defeated. If I feel worn out, I will wear out. If I feel "ugh," I will be "ugh." I've had this mental struggle in my mind lately about other things besides running so when the running kinda sucked this Saturday, I thought, "Great, now even my running is a struggle?" After thinking about both my recent "life struggles" and my running struggles, I realize that they go hand in hand. There are good days and bad days in every aspect of life. The important thing is to learn from them and to keep running, right?  Just as I was thinking about this, Chris bought me 2 cool really books. One is called "The Runner's Book of Inspiration" by Kevin Nelson and another was called "The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women" by Dawn Dias. Both offered just what I needed....inspiration, humor and perspective.  I will be adding some "thoughts" from these books as time goes by as well.

 

 I'm off to FL with Sprinkles and VWow at the end of this week. I hope this time away allows for a little body rest, a long run with good weather and beachy scenery and some time to regain my mental focus both in running and in life.

 

Shout outs to Judy and Tom Britt, Jackie Sackett, Amie, Amy Sponsler, Cathy Rogers, Vanessa and Berty for their donations this week. Only about $1,000 to go to make my marathon goal!

Man-calves

This week has been frustrating. I've had kind of a crappy personal/professional week and, to top it off, my trainer totally tore me a new one. Well, not really, but I took it that way. I see a trainer at my gym at least once a week for some core training and drills. He's great and I feel like he's super motivating even if he is only 21 years old and is constantly telling me he'd like to make sweet love to me (don't worry, he's just being a tool). He also calls me "The Beast" and "Quadzilla." I don't mind the nicknames b/c I realize I'm never gonna be long and lean and super skinny. So, being strong (I think), is a good thing. Anyway, so this week he took my measurements and proceeded to tell me I need to lose body fat and that my calves were bigger then his....like man-calves.  Seriously? For some reason, I thought I would hear better news then that after all the training I've been doing. Mancalves are never good news...unless you're a man.

I usually like to take "bad" weeks and try to learn something from them. From this week, I'm trying out the mantra "Don't sweat the small stuff" and trying to remind myself that it's okay to fail or to feel down and out...as long as I get back up. Every day is a new day and a new beginning.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Shout outs to all those who have family in Haiti. Sending thoughts and prayers your way. And a shout out to MLK Jr for never losing hope or courage and for always having a dream.

Inspirational Story-Take 2

Like I said before, this blog isn't just about running. It's about inspiration.

This story is about generosity and support. I am very aware of how blessed I am to have the people in my life that I do. Most of my friends and family members have hearts of gold and are there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on, a good laugh or a word of encouragement. I have always been one to try to do things for myself and to not be a 'burden' on others when it came to my problems of if I was having a bad day. I was a kind of "work through it myself" kinda girl.  However, in the past few years, I have become more open to sharing my feelings, reaching out for help and telling the people I trust in my life when I'm hurting. This has become easier for me the past few years because of the extraordinary people I have in my life. I have been blessed to make new (well not so 'new' anymore) friends in grad school and to hold on to old friends who know me better then most. Because of these people I have gained the strength to really accept myself for who I am. All of them love me unconditionally even if I do annoy them when I'm in my "Patty Planner" mode or am in one of my moods. That is what friendship is all about. Knowing a person, the good and not-so-good in them, and accepting them and loving them whole heartily. This year a group of my friends came out to support me in my 1st half marathon (t-shirts and all). Besides actually finishing the race, I think that was the highlight of my experience. I felt loved, genuinely loved, and that is a tremendous feeling. I hope all of you reading this know that the feeling is mutual.

To end, I'd like to give a shout out to all of those who have donated to my Boston Marathon fundraising page. Some of you I have not seen in years and your generosity has floored me. Thank you so, so, so much. Big thanks to Ma and Pa Metz, Linda and Ty Shen and to my best guy, Christopher Shen for their over-the-top donations! xox

Double Digits

First double digit run today. Here are some other numbers of the day..

10 miles
1 pack of lemon lime goo (my new fav, thanks Vicky!)
1/2 a water bottle
89 minutes and 13 seconds
3 hills
2 sore knees (R-I-C-E)
16 more miles I'll have to run on 4/19/10

And one "non-runner" feeling pretty good. My fancy water bottle belt my dad gave me came in handy (even if I looked like a tool) and the cold, yet sunny, day let me appreciate the winter time in Boston, once again.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend and a few more shout outs to those who donated this week! Thanks D-Brown, the Haddens, Jenny Dunne, Erica, Patrick, Meg, Dave Bonner and the Britts (Carolyn, Tom, Greggle and Ewood!) Special shout out to Vito for highest donation of the week! Love to you all. xo

Rise and Shine!

The worst part of running at 6am is getting out of my cozy, cozy bed. The sheets are warm, I don't have to be at work til 9 and I'm dreading the outside.

This morning, I got up (grumpy) and said to myself "this blows but ya gotta do it." I jammed some energy blocks (Thanks Bill!) inside my mouth (did that sound weird?) and forced myself outside. The gush of cold air and the looming darkness, when stepping out the door, is the worst part of it all. However, I said to myself, "you have to run 5 miles and you might as well do it watching the sun come up." I ended my run just in time to see the sun rise over Prospect Hill in Somerville. I have to say, I'm glad I got outta bed.

Thanks to the "Tune of the Week,"  Kesha's song, "Dolla" for getting me through this run.
Wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy. 
Put my {running shoes} on, I'm out the door-I'm gonna hit this city.

Ok, so I didn't wake up feelin' like P-Diddy, but at least I woke up! :)

"Excuse me Miss, you have icicles on your eyebrows."

I refuse to run my long runs on the treadmill. So, this morning, I wasn't going to let the snow 'storm' stop me. It's the first time I attempted a long run in this kind of weather but I thought, "it can't be that hard to run when it's snowing can it?" I wouldn't say it was hard but I did learn a few things (clearly I love lists)....

1) Running spandex are NOT cute. I finally bit the bullet and bought some (thanks ma and pa metz!) but it was not pretty. I'm pretty sure spandex are just meant for women who have 0% body fat (i.e. not me). However, those pants kept me so warm today and, as weird as it seems, I felt like I was lighter with them on. So, its inevitable that snow storm running=spandex pants on Tricia. This ain't no beauty contest. ;)

2) Vehicles do not give two shits about runners. When running today, I'm pretty sure a bus driver intentionally tried to hit me. I coulda made out with that bus it was close to me on the road. Since running on the sidewalk was not always an option, I tried to run against the traffic so that I could see the cars. Each car that drove by me didn't try to avoid me at all and then a consistent "SPLASH" and muddy, sloppy, goop was all over my pants, shirt, face, you name it. I need a shield and some armor if I'm gonna be fighting against these vehicles.

3) Running in a snow storm means running with limited vision. I either choose to look down so I don't slip or look forward so I don't run into trees. If I choose to look forward, I am also blinded by snow in my eyes. Do "real" runners wear goggles or something? I'm not about to be wearing spandex and goggles. Guess I'm just gonna take my chances and make like a polar bear (roar).

4) I cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, go anywhere in public after my run. After my run, I decided to stop in the grocery store since it was on my route back. It took some balls to go in a public wearing spandex but I thought "whatever, I'm sure 1/2 the world is still sleeping anyway." As I went in, I noticed I got some stares but figured it was because I had "tomato face" and maybe b/c I smelled. Who knows, maybe they were staring because they thought I was "bad ass" for running in this weather. It wasn't until I got to the check out counter and the person helping me goes, "Excuse me Miss, you have icicles on your eyebrows." I looked at my reflection in the register and, she was right, I legit had white, snow eyebrows with icicles on the end. Note to self: if people are staring, it's because you look like a freak.

Needless to say, I felt good on my run. I ran a mile further then I had to and feel great so far. I'm hoping that feeling continues! Lastly, I'd like to give a shout out to some motivated peeps! Shout out to Courtney for signing up for a sprint triathlon, shout out to Patrick for training for the Hyannis Marathon and shout out to Barry for signing up for his first 10K! Kudos to ya'll!