UP and RUNNING!!!

It feels sooo good to have my mojo back and strong! Since my last post I have enlisted a personal trainer on 12/1 and I really enjoy working with him. It’s amazing what the body can do if you train it and feed it right (nutrition still a work in progress).  I’m getting stronger for I didn’t think that I would/could ever bench press/deadlift 95 lbs., full pushups, etc. Now, I still have a long way to go but I can feel the progress. The winter months are very harsh here in Chicago as you might know, and running outside can be a challenge especially at any temperature that has a negative “before” the number.  Motivation to go run in the cold is sometimes hard and when you throw in 5:30 morning runs, the bed is so hard to leave. So even if I do not run I always strength train.
 
When I recommitted myself to running I did so with a new set of goals and purpose. I re-evaluated the reasons of why I run and looked at it from a different perspective. Running is my balance, my stress reliever, my inner chi. Running centers me whether I run 2 miles or 10 miles, just as long as I run. I do what I can do in terms of speed (or lack thereof) but I know how to pace myself for my needs and adjust accordingly. I had to pull back from all the hoopla that is centered on these races, FB posts, PRs, etc. and concentrate on what ILA can do and not other runners. I believe we all drank the “running Kool-aid” at one time or another, and the frenzy can be fierce if one gets sucked into the vortex.  There will always be someone faster than me, better than me, so I just do ME, and I get the same bling when I finish!
 
When I started to analyze what I needed to do to help the mojo to come back, I decided to read a lot, catching up on my running magazines and books. In the very beginning, I fell in love with running when I read “Born to Run” for it came highly recommended. Now I own a plethora of books, magazines, blogs, and listened to podcasts, which I keep in my collection to refer to.  To me the essence of running is how it makes one feel. So many people turn to running for weight loss, depression, lifestyle change, and most of all peace of mind. In my readings, I came across an article that talked about ultra running. The researcher that I am, I read many articles, a few books, tuned into a few ultra running podcasts, and spoke to a few people.  Hence, I am going to do an ultra marathon, yup that’s right, stepping out on faith, and a lot of training!
 
I made the decision this past August that completing a 50K in 2016 is what I wanted to do and a fellow RunJunkEe will be doing it with me, way kool. I decided to volunteer last year at the Chicago 50/50 Lakefront race, which took place on 10/31/15. I arrived at 7:30am and left at 5:30pm it was, cold, raining, windy, and I loved it.  The runners had it worse, they were soaked, cold, and miserable but they perservered, and appreciated the support that we gave them along with plentiful power snacks.  There was a fair amount of RunJunkEes running and that just made my heart smile!  We stayed until the last runner came past our aid station and I have not seen that before. All the runners were encouraging one another, some came back to lend them a helping hand so they could keep on pressing to finish the race. So, with all that being said I am now ULTRA BOUND in 2016. So follow me along in my QUEST FOR ULTRA!