My Running Story

Today’s 43 was one that I got from Nellie at Brooklyn Active Mama. Every Wednesday she features a new exercise (and she has had some great ones!!). This past week she had dumbbell reaches as the move and since I had never done this exact move I decided to try it.

This is a move that isn’t about speed – it’s all about control!! It will work your core, hamstrings and shoulder and, because I did all 43 reps on one leg before switching side, I also felt it in my standing hip!!

The move is similar to a single leg dead-lift. You hinge from the waist, pick up a dumbbell from the floor in front of you (I used 5 pounds), stand while bringing knee up and pushing DB overhead, then hinge back down and put the DB on the floor before standing = 1 rep. The video shows the move much better than I can explain it!!!

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czvX9Dne_RY’]

This move took awhile to complete because it is supposed to be slow and controlled!! And, you know that I had to do 2 sets of 43 so that I can try to stay semi-balanced!!!

I also ran – 4 miles in 25:37 + 0.5 miles cool down. Nice to run again!!! Today I stayed on the treadmill because it was super early and I hadn’t told the boys I was going out.

I started running when I was 15 – my sophomore year in high school – go Eagles!!! For the record, that means I’ve been running for 28 years!!!

I signed up for track/athletics as a class for the entire year but I really thought that I would just hang out in the fall and wait for track in the spring. I had big plans – I was going to run the quarter mile!

The track coach convinced me to go ahead and run with the cross country team. I agreed even though I had no idea what cross country was!!! The first day of practice, we just had to run to a nearby park and back – 1 mile. I had to stop and walk 3 times!! But, I stuck with it and by the time we went to our first meet, I was the top runner on our team!

By the time track season came around, everyone knew that I wouldn’t be running the quarter mile – I ran the 2-mile and the mile. And, it turned out that I was good at them!!

I ran all through high school – cross country and track were the best part of high school for me – I never missed practice or a meet no matter what!!! I had several injuries (Achilles tendonitis, torn calf muscle and stress fractures in both tibias) but kept running!

I received several different offers for college track scholarships and eventually settled on Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, TX. During the time I ran there, we were

Running on a scholarship changed how I felt about running – it became a job instead of something that I loved. At the end of my junior year I gave up my scholarship and ran my senior year just because I loved it. As a result, I had my best seasons ever (CC, indoor and outdoor!).

I continued running after I graduated from college. I ran road races almost every weekend when I was in Grad school (in southern Alabama) – 5Ks, 10Ks, a couple 8Ks and a half marathon (my favorite distance).

After grad school, I coached 2 years at Wayland (I was the distance coach)! This was so much fun!!! I ran with the team every morning at 6am and did all of the distance runs with them. Some days I even got to get back on the track and do speed work with the athletes!!!

After leaving Wayland, I continued to run and do races occasionally. I ran through both of my pregnancies (Chris kept telling the DR that I was running too hard but….).

When Hunter was about a few months old, I decided to sign up for a marathon throughI was going to run the Disney Marathon (January 2002). I did all of the fund-raising and 2 months before the race I started having hip pain to the point where I could barely walk. It turned out to be a stress fracture in my right hip. (My orthopedic DR wanted me on crutches but that was impossible with a 7 month old!) I spent 6 months not running and only doing minimal walking.

As a side note – I had trained for a marathon in college (Dallas White Rock) and ended up sick with bronchitis and a sinus infection the week of the race so I didn’t run that one either.

After I started running again I decided to just run for me and not to race. Even at that, I have had 3 stress fractures in my right foot and 1 stress fracture in my left hip in the past 10 years.

I added in weight training and lots of cross-training after I turned 35 (YIKES – 8 years ago!!) and that has made a huge difference in my running. I can’t run every day but I’m running stronger and faster now than when I was a college athlete!!!

I have done lots of mega runs (usually on my treadmill). I have done distances of 30, 50 and 35 miles in previous years during the Relay for Life (I’m usually our team’s designated walker/runner). 3 years ago, I did 60 miles in 2 days (I did it virtually with a group who did the Susan G. Komen walk in Dallas). I started my birthday runs (running my age on my birthday) when I turned 42.

About a month ago (after I had my veins stripped) running was hard, I didn’t enjoy it and it hurt a lot. I decided to take a little running break because I never want to hate running. Now, my break is over and I’m ready to run again!!

Good thing since I have my first ultra in 4 short months!!And that is my running story (to date) – can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and running!!!