Inspirational Story-Take 4

Perspective. At times, I lose all sense of this. Today reminded me why I need to hold on to it.

I have been working with a young man ("V) for about 2 months now. Today I visited him in the hospital after he'd accidentally been shot and listened to him tell me the story of how he held his friend's body in his hands until he died. This happened in his apartment building. Thankfully the bullet only grazed my client and he was released soon after I visited. This young man is 17 years old. From age 14 on, he has been witness to this kind of violence in the community he lives in and he says it's almost normal to him. Instead of thinking about where he might go to college or playing basketball with his friends, this young man thinks about death. He wonders when it will happen and how it will feel. He wonders if he's every going to be able to have a 'normal life.'  He says he's always striving to "change his stars." He amazes me with his maturity and his resilience and I feel honored that I am in his life.

I think to myself, what was I doing when I was 17 years old? I was playing softball with my friends, going to parties my parents probably wouldn't approve of and wondering if I'd get that pair of GAP jeans I'd been longing for on my next birthday. I was playing with my dog, spending time with my family and, most likely, not realizing how lucky I was. I wish I could give this kind of childhood and adolescence to all my clients-this kind of care-free, loving and safe environment that I was lucky enough to have.

This is a sad story but I hope that the sadness turns to inspiration.  I hope today's story would inspire you to take a look at all that you have and be thankful. Even more so, I hope it would give you some perspective and encourage you to take what you have and to give to others.  When I asked my client where he gets his strength from he said, "I just try to keep it all in perspective. One of my favorite quotes is, "Look within yourself for value, look beyond yourself for perspective." He says he's always looking within, he tries really hard to see the beyond and that he hopes, very soon,that his stars will change. I hope they do too.

**some details changed to protect confidentiality

Tricia's 10 Tips

A bunch of you have recently told me you've been inspired to run a road race. Good for you! Whether it be a 5K, 1/2 marathon or a full marathon, I'm also gonna give you some advice. Some of you asked, some of you didn't but here are a few things I will definitely remember if I ever do this again...

1) Stretch. Before, after, even in between. You will want to sit on the couch after you run but don't. Stretch, ice, and eat something healthy. It will help you recover more quickly and will prevent injury.

2) Schedule a time for your long runs and stick to it. I ran mine every Saturday morning. If you have a schedule, put it on your refrigerator so it's there and you look at it every morning. It will be part of your day. Don't slack.

3) Get good rest. The times where I was sleep deprived I had crappy runs and I'm pretty sure I cried at the drop of the hat. (Just ask my boyfriend who thought I needed a trip to the looney bin.)

4) Hydrate. Plain and simple.

5) Use your rest days. This was hard for me because I felt like I would fall flat. Rest days are as important as run days.

6) Tell people you're training for a race. Tell a lot of people (hell, even write a blog about it). You're about 75% more likely to do something if you tell others because you'll feel bad "taking it back."

7) Train your core. You'll think it's your legs that are doing all the work but your abs and lower back will feel the pain. Core strength is crucial when running.

8) Join a running group. I still prefer to run alone, however, having the option to run with a group and have added support is a good thing.

9) Think positively and keep it all in perspective. Race day will be 90% mental.

10) Know that is a commitment. You will need discipline, you will need to sacrifice some of your social life, you will hate it at times. The feeling of accomplishment, though, will be well worth it.

I don't care how much you weigh, I don't care if you've never exercised a day in your life, I don't care if you don't even own running shoes...If you put your mind to something, you will be able to do it. Once you do this one thing you never thought you could, you will feel like a totally different person. You will say, with confidence, "I can do anything."  So go get em' kiddos. The world is your oyster. :)

Ready, Set, Enjoy

Today was the last long run of my training for the marathon! Woo-hoo! I was nervous about this run but I said to myself, "when you fall off the horse, you gotta get back on." 


It was a beautiful day for a run. Perfect weather (not too hot!) and the sun was out. I started out this run with a whole different mentality then all my other runs. I said to myself, "Forget pace, forget the bad runs, forget the pain...just ENJOY, just run." And I actually did. Well, who are we kidding. I enjoyed all of it besides mile 18-20. ;) The course was FULL of marathoners and there were tents set up all over offering drinks, food, goos, and (best of all) cheering "fans." It was almost like a mini-marathon day. I took all this excitement in and made sure to slow down when I needed to, stretch when I needed to and I didn't look at my watch once. I just listened to my body. At times it said, "yo what the hell are you doing to your IT band?!" or "Your ass is on fire, did you notice?" and on Heartbreak Hill(s) it said, "Um, I hate you" but most of the time it said "Go Tricia Go!" and "You're doing good. Keep it up." 


One year ago I couldn't run more then 5 miles.  One year ago I was drinking a beer while watching the Boston Marathon thinking, "I wanna do this one day." This year I've run 20-40 miles a week. This year I will be looking for my friends cheering for me while I actually run the Boston Marathon. I can't wait to enjoy it.


"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this."


-- Henry David Thoreau

Quickie

Short post today just to say a few things!
1) I got my race number today! Woohoo! I'm officially # 24754!

 2) Ruben called! For those of you who forgot, he was my guardian angel who drove me home the time I konked out on my second 20 miler. I'll be running with his group tomorrow. He said,  "We'd love you to be part of our running family." Muffin!

3) A warm and fuzzy hug to Barry Clegg who reminded me to think positively and to always eat dessert. :)

Running together

When I was in high school my parents had many rules. One of them was "play a sport or get a job-you can't sit around and do nothing." So, I chose sports. I played basketball, volleyball and softball. I was not great at any of them. I was average at all of them, enjoyed the social aspect and was pretty competitive. I never got MVP at our sports banquets. Instead, I often got "Best Sportsmanship Award." I guess they forgot about all the of the times I was fouled out of our basketball games.

Anyway, my brother also chose sports. He played basketball and baseball but also did track and cross country. He was good at everything he participated in, but he was especially good at running. He used to win track meet after track meet, break records on the cross country team and it was not unlikely he won every event he ran in. He was in the newspapers, had shelves of awards and medals and often won MVP at the sports banquets. I used to watch my brother run and think, "God, I wish I could be that good at something." He was so good at running and he did it with such ease. What was even more awesome to me was that he was so passionate about it. He loved to run. He even did it on his "days off " because he loved it. I used to love to watch him run too. I used to wish I could run with him. I never asked though. I knew I would hold him back.

For those of you who know me, you also know the story of my brother. He has had his ups and downs in life and I have often been on the sidelines for those ups and downs. When he was up, I would cheer for him. When he was down, I would cheer for him too....just like at his track meets. In the past few years,  my cheering has gone flat . At one point,  I didn't know if I had any cheer left in me for my brother.  I know, it sounds awful. It felt awful too, probably for the both of us. Thankfully, this past year has been an increasing "up" for my brother and for our family. This past Christmas, my brother and I sat down and talked honestly with each other about the past, about the ups and downs and we started new and we started fresh. I apologized for, at times, not being in the "cheer section." He apologized for not asking for help when he needed it and not always being there for me when I needed a fan in my own cheering section. For the first time, in a long time, I felt good about our relationship as brother and sister. After this talk, my brother asked me if I wanted to run with him. I said yes. That run together was one of the best running moments I've ever had. Neither one of us held each other back. We ran together.

So, I dedicate my last long (looong) training run this Saturday to my big brother who has now been in recovery for one full year (happy anniversary to you!) and who was the one who made me 'in awe' of real runners. I will always run beside you. Together.

Just call me "Turtle."

What a beautiful weekend, huh? I love sunny days.  It was a beautiful day on my long run this past Saturday. I had been resting all week (i.e. ice, rest, low impact, etc) and found myself pretty nervous to actually get back on the road and try to run a long distance after the pain I experienced last weekend and the pain I was feeling this week.

Anyway, long story short, I got through the 13 miles I had planned on. My pace was significantly slower and it didn't feel good but my only goal was to get through it without the help of a cab or Ruben. I did. Thank God.

I have one more long run left this upcoming Saturday. I plan on running the actual course and I think this will be a test on how well I'll do on the actual marathon day. My goal, right now, is to finish. I don't care about time anymore, I don't care about the details...I just wanna finish the best that I can without having to stop because of pain.

It is hard to keep things in perspective when injury happens. I felt so good about my running and my accomplishments up until now. I feel pissed at myself for not doing more to prevent injury and mad at my body for deciding to zonk out on me at this point of my training. However, I keep telling myself that I have come a long way. I have really tried my best. Last October is was a struggle to finish a half marathon (my father beat me!) and now I am running half marathon distances on a regular basis. That is something to be proud of.

I think another part of the reason this injury (hell, injuries) has gotten me so down is because I know people are going to be watching me, rooting me on, wondering where the hell I am if it's dark out and I still haven't crossed the finish line (I'm joking--I hope!) and I don't want to let people down. However, I keep telling myself that I should be proud of myself no matter what. I will be competing against the course that day, not other runners, and I know the people who love me will be proud even if I limp over the finish line 6 hours after I start. "Through perseverance the turtle reached the Ark." I will reach the Ark....eventually.

So, from here on out I will think positively, listen to my body and visualize myself completing this goal any way I can. I am lucky to have this opportunity, to be able to experience this event in Boston and, really, just to be alive. The turtle will have sunny thoughts from here on out!


Happy Spring peeps!

Life Support

Often times, in my job, I do counseling with teenagers. Usually it consists of 1:1 talk therapy and we throw some art or games in there or maybe even a walk to the local ice cream shop. It's amazing how much they open up to me and, unfortunately, often quite sad in what they disclose to me. They talk about abuse, losses in their lives or even something as 'simple' as having a teacher make them feel 'stupid' in class. A lot of them tell me about their relationship with their parents and how they don't feel loved and feel emotionally neglected. When I ask them about what they wish they could change, almost all of them include this in their list, "I wish when I got home from school, my mom or dad would ask, "How was your day?"  It seems like the simplest thing to do but so many teens don't have that in their lives; the love and support of a parent. I see some parents who were raised like this and they make it their goal not to raise their son and daughter like they were raised which is inspiring. But, too many times, I see the cycle of "bad" parenting and neglectful households continue. I think to myself, "Where would I be today if I didn't have the support of my parents?" I'd like to think I'd be resilient enough to make it on my own but I wonder if I would have. Would I be the person I am today? Would I have enough discipline and perseverance to run a marathon? Would my life be with the same?

It's stuff like this that makes me feel so grateful that I've had the parents I do. So, this is a warm and fuzzy shout out to my mom and dad. Dad, thank you for teaching me how to catch a fly ball, taking me on ATV rides along the beach, sitting in the big black inner-tube with me on Lake Erie, giving the best hugs, making me feel better during thunderstorms, telling me the importance of "lifting the bar" and taking me on college tours... thank you 100x. Mom, thank you for putting "love notes" in my lunchbox every day, making me practice my piano, watching Felicity with me, decorating christmas cookies with me every year, reading me books at night, being the loudest parent at all my sporting events, sending me to Sunday school, not allowing me to have Barbies, and being a mom before you were a friend....thank you 100x. Thank you, parents,  for always asking how my day was, for teaching me to value education, have faith, give back, treat everyone equal, be a good friend and to believe in myself. It's because you believe in me, that I believe in myself.