trails – Making The Effort…

Making the effort ……to use fear as a motivator!

October 14, 2019October 15, 2019msdesertwellness

Fear can be a tremendous motivator, and for me that is definitely the truth. Whether it is fear of regret, fear of the unknown, fear of failure or success, you have to admit we spend a ton of time with our fears. But if you look to find the positive those fears can drive you to results. At pivotal points in my life, when I am tired of being afraid, I have had to face my fears.

Facing fears can be addictive once you start and you have success. For me facing my fears even if I fail feels as if I have somehow conquered it just a little bit, taken some of the bite out of it. Now that doesn’t mean that fear can’t rear it’s ugly head again at the craziest of moments but if you look at the fact that you have already addressed it, again it just doesn’t have the same weight. I can remember being so very afraid leading up to my first running race. I came there alone, not knowing where the registration table was and not wanting to look stupid in front of the runners that were there (I didn’t consider myself a runner..). Nothing is better than that feeling of setting out to do something and knowing that I did it. Now at the next race I still felt uncomfortable but I knew what to look for and the more races I did the more comfortable I felt.

Have you heard of FOMO? I did chuckle a bit when I heard this but do recognize the truth in it. I do fear missing out the older I get or maybe I should say my wanting to ” live more”. I will be 53 yrs old in a couple of weeks and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I look to the future and try to see all the things I still want to still do. One thing I always see is a runner, running a comfortable pace down a tree lined trail with the sun not too high in the sky with a smile on her face.

Fear

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”

Henry Ford

“Do the thing that you fear and the death of fear is certain.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”

Helen Keller

So speaking of facing fears… some very exciting things happened this weekend. Kipchogeeluid broke the men’s WR and the 2 hour mark for the marathon- 1:59:40 and Brigid Kosgei also broke the women’s marathon WR and came in at 2:14:04.

Exercise- Another good week of training. 25 miles total including a weight day, hill workout, speed workout, a trail and a long run

4 week hill workout- each week add another hill

Meal Prep- Cherry & Blueberry Cashew Yogurt Parfait, Broccoli Soup, Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini, baked Chicken Breasts and Sweet Potatoes. Also made some Black Beans to use later in the week for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

Yummy Broccoli Soup recipe- Steam broccoli and put in a blender with bone broth and salt to taste. Blend until smooth and add water for desired consistency.

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!!!

Making the effort … to see the shadows.

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019msdesertwellness

Another week that feels as if it were a month. Do you ever have those weeks? Maybe it is we cram too much in each hour of each day, too much scheduled, or it is just the pace of life in 2019. A mostly good week that ended with my third training trail hike/run in the dark. Today’s hike was in a more agreeable temperature but not the perfect 50 -60’s that I am dreaming about. My hiking buddy and I started out on the trail with our headlights at about 5:00 AM. Not much talking in the beginning, just trying to breathe as we ascend up. I did notice about 30 minutes in that I wasn’t anxious or even thinking about some of the fears that I had before on my previous hikes in the dark. Amazing what facing your fears, bringing them out in the light can do. The rising light in the sky would stop us both in mid-sentence as the hike continued. The turn around point for me was a Spring Energy gel washed down by lukewarm water and a smile because now we would run. I have not gotten strong enough to be able to run up the 1600 feet (3.5 mile) or maybe my mind has convinced me of that. This trail is more technical so I definitely will need my confidence and maybe a third lung if I intend to run it completely. As we were running down the trail we saw that the rising sun had cast glorious shadows along the terrain and that got me thinking. Do we honor the shadows like we should?

The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say. Gregory Macguire

All the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow. Leo Tolstoy

The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy in the shadows. Brene Brown

I recently enjoyed an outdoor photography workshop where this idea of taking pictures of what is in the shadows was discussed. It surprised me when the instructor right from the beginning had us taking photos in the shadows not in the light. He then talked about showcasing the shapes and darkness that the shadows cast and that it can enhance the composition of a picture. I now see that the intensity reaches another level for both the lightened area and the dark. I believe that shadows can truly enrich a photograph.

Light and shadows add a sense of balance, and balance is what we all should be striving for…. Right?

Exercise for the week – 21 miles running/hiking, 1 day weights & balance, 1 day jump rope and one legged exercises.

Meal Prep-Baked Crusty Bread, Steel Cut Oats (will add toppings of fruit), hummus & veggies bowls, Pizza Zucchini bites, & Salmon (3 ways- plain, Pesto, spices)

Crusty Bread
luv Zucchini
Spicy Salmon

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!

Here is something to leave you with ….

Making the effort to ….. welcome the sufferfest!

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019msdesertwellness

Los Liones Trail- 10 miles + 2100 ft elevation gain= Tough one

So if you haven’t had your head stuck in your phone or laptop since Friday then you have not caught the UTMB ( Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc) bug! Talk about a SufferFest, probably the most well known ultra marathon races that start and end in Chamonix in the French Alps. There are 6 races of ranging lengths but the final race is a 106 mile race with huge elevation gain and all are considered the toughest foot races in the world. This year I followed some of the best runners from America.

Thanks to technology I was able to follow the live stream at the finish and I just couldn’t concentrate until I knew the podium winners. America was represented extremely well. I knew more about the female runners but not gonna lie I caught myself holding my breathe while watching all of the runners. Such emotion and such humility!

Courtney Daulwater’s amazing 1st Place finish!
The Ladies top Three

After watching the race I began thinking, all the runners know that they are going to hurt.. like really hurt. What does a person say to oneself to prepare for that kind of pain? Or do they know and it is just their ability to shut it out and see the outcome?

Sufferfest-A workout or race in the arena of endurance sports that involves prolonged suffering on the part of all who participate.

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.

Muhammad Aali

I found a cool article on Suffering –

The Article ‘Ultra -Marathons: the 15 stages of suffering in the Ultra Running magazine by Sean McCoy,July 2016″ and below I will paraphrase.

Jitters (a couple days before)- Hello… I am about 6 months out from mine and I am already nervous!
Panic-full blown panic should set in night before the race (I will be an overachiever in this area)
Adrenaline-… and Run! The pack moves fast, probably faster than you should go (which you will regret quickly).
Reality Check- Oh Boy .. what am I doing here? and I better get my pace under control because I have a long way to go.
Aid Station #1- Everyone feels good so they run past. This is a good time to do a mental check and see if you need to attend to any issues .. and take in some calories!
It is gonna be a long day-the first twinges hit you and you think Ok let’s do this!
This is bullshit- and so the cussing begins along with the pain.
Bargaining- The mental game of an Ultra is a monster! At this point you will make any deal with yourself .. both to quit and to keep going.
Halfway there-Yeah!.. & Oh No!
Point of no return-you probably picked a point in which no matter what you will finish… (hopefully this hits about 2/3 ‘s way in my race and gets me to the finish line).
The Pain Cave/ SufferFest- every thing sucks and you are just pissed, nothing tastes good and all you can think about is the pain. Remind yourself “this is what you came here for..”
Realization- in the middle of the pain you will realize and recognize your worth… and may give a little smile.
Will this EVER end?- where is that stupid finish line? .. and they better have Ice Cold Chocolate Milk waiting for me.
Smelling the Barn- You are that close you can smell it- I personally find this part loooonnng! I usually have to look down at my steps because the finish line just keeps moving away.
The Emotional Avalanche-Why is my lip quivering? The relief is overwhelming and the tears, high fives and WooHoos may come.

I hope you read the article in its entirety, because I believe that Sean McCoy nailed it. I can speak from experience, I have recently had a couple of SufferFests. Mount Whitney and the LA Marathon, but I would not trade those experiences for anything.

Epic!
Never thought I would climb a 14′ ner

training- after 20 miles
Thumbs up- no idea why I am smiling

These two events came at 50 , 51 and this year I will be 53yrs old and racing my first Ultra. Goodness .. what was I thinking! LOL! Wish me Luck.

I am almost 6 months out from the Antelope Canyon Ultra Race 55K so you will probably hear more on this. As far as training-The last couple of weeks I have really tried to up the training in Elevation Gain and Altitude while continuing to include more time in the gym. I seem to see the biggest results when I am consistent with these. Today I did a 10 mile with about a 2100 ft elevation gain and tomorrow (holiday – off work) will hike Mt San Jacinto .. not quite sure that elevation gain but it is about 12 miles I think. These back to back days are not only for strength but for my mental training I want to really push it and know that I can.

Meal Prep- will have to wait until tomorrow. I did bake some sweet potatoes and pork chops that I can pull from this week.

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!

Making the Effort to take advantage of destination runs …and seasonal fruits/ veggies!!

July 8, 2019msdesertwellness

What a way to celebrate the July 4th Holiday but to …explore! Decided to take advantage of an extra day off this week by driving to a new location to run a trail. I have definitely been craving to see water and I am lucky that if I head the car west I will eventually run into it.

Living in the desert has made me appreciate different terrains. Sometimes I literally stop, take a minute and look around at the neutral colors of the desert in amazement. It also makes the green pines I see greener and blue water even bluer.

I am a huge fan of State Parks and Crystal Cove did not disappoint. I chose a tough but scenic trail, about a 10 mile loop that would give me some views of the blue and green. Now there was one thing I did not anticipate.. humidity (ugh!). It turns out when I left Palm Springs it was about 15% humidity and after wringing out my shirt after my run I checked the weather app for Laguna that morning and it said 79% humidity. Well, we will call that added training:) The trail really pushed me and I got more training being comfortable with elevation, sand, technical parts, and single track. I had packed a lunch and after my run I sat myself down at a picnic table and smiled while I ate.

Training for this week turned out to be pretty good. I ended up with 25 miles (quality) and was able to get one day of weights in. Still need to incorporate more yoga/stretching. So how are your weekly workouts going? If you are in a rut I recommend you get out of your ordinary, it will ignite your enthusiasm.

Now let’s talk Seasonal Fruits and Veggies- I think it is obvious that the benefits of seasonal produce are huge. The benefits are not only the taste and convenience but the high quality. “Knee high by the fourth of July…” that is a Midwestern saying about Corn and who doesn’t love Corn. Also Figs are in season so that has been on my mind this week. FYI- You probably won’t find a better plant source of calcium than Figs. Remember to freeze left over produce to use later when season is past.