Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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marathon monday week four: wellness is about your whole self

This past week was the fourth of an eighteen week cycle for preparing for a late November marathon, and overall I am feeling fantastic. I went into week four knowing it was Shark Week for me (sorry guys, if you don’t know what that means, I bet you’re guessing correctly now), in addition to a heavy little season for me personally. Just had some personal stuff going on. I knew it all would be happening at the same time, the intense emotions and the hormones and the attendant physical exhaustion. No doubt, I was grateful to have the freedom to run and tend to my well-being in the midst of it all. So grateful. Knowing how to care for yourself and being free to do so is the best feeling. Running covers all the bases, you know? Emotional, hormonal, muscular, aerobic, imaginative. Everything feels better after a good run. After a few days of good running? Well, that’s partly why it’s addictive. 

Looking at the previous three weeks, I saw a nine mile total deficit. I had been feeling pretty good and was mentally satisfied because running was consistently in balance with the rest of life. But the nine mile deficit was eventually bugging me so last Sunday night I had this bright idea to “use” those extra nine miles in the coming week to battle emotional and physical fatigue. It’s funny how this actually works, the relationship between exertion and relaxation, the therapy of sweat. I am crazy for it.

Well, haha, that most optimistic intention was great for exactly three days. I tacked on extra miles Monday through Wednesday and was feeling spectacular. By Thursday my tune had changed, so I was even happier to have run ahead of schedule early in the week.

EARBUDS LOL

Monday: Six miles on the treadmill, easy pace. I actually was so sad and distracted that morning that I had to run three, take a break for water and a handful of grapes (somehow this helped me collect my thoughts), then finish with three more. I felt completely better by the end of the hour. Ready to really start the week’s various work.

Tuesday: Eight extremely sweaty miles at the Harrah loop. Very happy. Decent pace. Stayed busy at the farm the rest of the day.

Wednesday: Six miles at home again, this time around the back field, nice and early in the morning. We had an electrician appointment set for mid-morning, so that motivated me to lace up immediately after morning chores and be showered and dressed before my own breakfast. After the repairs I worked around the house and on writing projects all day, which was restful and productive, then Handsome and I met friends for an early dinner. I overindulged a little with chips and quesadillas but probably burned it all off laughing. We love our friends! Good people are good for the soul. They might not know what I was dealing with emotionally in those days, but laughing with them was so helpful.

Thursday: My energy plummeted on Thursday and I was hurting a lot. I skipped a workout in order to funnel all of my energy to the house, farm, and errands in town. All of that kept me busy enough. I honestly had to make a huge effort just to get through the day. Later I amazed myself by falling asleep before sunset, ha. Sometimes it cannot be helped, and on these days I try to talk to myself the way I would talk to one of my daughters in the same condition. No reprimanding, just compassion and encouragement. These days are rare. Life goes on.

Friday: Rest day. I had a gardeners’ meeting in OKC Friday morning, too early to squeeze in a run first, then Handsome and I went on a lunch date together and on a short series of errands on the way back to the farm. I had already planned on this being a rest day, complete with shampooed hair (kind of a big deal for me); I just hadn’t planned on it being the week’s second consecutive rest day. So I was beginning to feel twitchy and guilty about straying from my “extra miles” plan. Oh well. The day was happy and our food was delicious then we rested at home together with lots of love. Win.

Saturday: I woke up well before sunrise to get caffeinated and dressed for a long run, drove to the Harrah loop, and thoroughly enjoyed eleven miles. It felt so great to be in the cool air, watch a slow, colorful daybreak, and build up that deep inner heat for a long time. I was feeling like myself again, magically, which is just the way Shark Week works. I got home with a bag of donuts for Handsome and was on cloud nine to be “reset.” We enjoyed the rest of the day together. So much. xoxo

Sunday: I ended up staying un-sweaty and hung out with my guy for a long day of walking around the zoo, which was so beautiful. We hadn’t toured the zoo in warm weather for years! For some reason we have been visiting only in January, really ever since we bought this farm. It’s weird. After the zoo we lingered over lunch at Hollie’s Flat Iron Grill. I had a most excellent hamburger loaded with smoked hatch peppers and was happy.  Afterwards we stopped at a local Mexican market where I found a bunch of delicious treasures. Have you seen the mini watermelons? My nutrition by Sunday night was pretty excellent. 

Then on Monday morning the chickens ate breakfast out of the tiny watermelon rinds.

Weekly total: 31, my exact mileage plan. Had I not tacked on extra miles Monday through Wednesday, I would have missed the mark by a lot and been more frustrated. More importantly, I might have felt even worse on Thursday and Friday or not coped well with those difficult emotions earlier in the week. In the scheme of things, this was all a pretty mild fare to pay for being a healthy woman of child bearing age. Ha. Also, it bears mentioning, yoga is so helpful. Do yoga, friends. Eat well, run a lot, and do yoga. 

I am so happy and grateful to be on a roll, to be building this momentum finally. As I type this, week five has already started great. How are you doing? What habits do you keep in your life to stay feeling good and cope in healthy ways with hard emotions?

“Eliminating the things you love is not wellness.
Wellness feeds your soul and makes you feel good.”
~Iman
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

fitness update: early august 2016

Hello cool people! Let’s chat about fitness. Although I am posting this on a day other than “Marathon Monday” or even “Motivation Monday,” I feel the itch to sort of bookmark some fitness plans and progress. Blogging schedules are a bit out the window lately, ha.

Overall I feel so amazing, bodily and emotionally. If I had to sum all of it up in one word, that word would be “balanced.” But let’s use more than one word. That’s more fun.

So much good news! My sprained ankle is fully healed. My knees have not been tender for weeks. Those stitches are removed from my pinky, all healed. My actual weight seems to be fluctuating a little still, between 1-8 pounds week to week or even day to day, but no worries. Physically I am strong and flexible and brimming with energy. I always wake up feeling able to do literally anything that comes to mind, and come to think of it my mind is more settled than ever. I feel so much gratitude for my health and general fitness, without those normally attendant “how do I look in these jeans” side notes. It’s a great place to be. I love my life so much, from all the cool stuff I get to do to what I choose to eat, but mostly for the people in it and every wonderful thing in the middle. Being skinny is so much less important to me than all this joy; and somehow, because the Universe is so good, all of these patterns are gifting me quite a deep well of vibrant health. If I slim down naturally in the process, so be it. If not, let’s keep carpe-ing the diems anyway!

healthy happy

 

To capitalize on all of this positive energy, I am working on creating some equally positive inertia. With my gaze set lightly on a full marathon the weekend before Thanksgiving (no commitment quite yet), I have started an 18-week training program. It feels so great to build consistency. Here is how the very beginning of this cycle has gone:

Week One: Total mileage this week was 21 miles. My “easy and sustainable” pace is improving, lately around 9 minutes per mile. This pace might not be anything impressive to you, but for me, after so much time off and compared to when I was first running, this is wonderful. Sometimes I run slower, and often I get silly and run sprints much faster; but that is just to play around. Most miles fall pretty close to 9 minutes, and as the weeks pass of course mileage will increase. Yay for building endurance again! The best thing I noticed in week one is that mentally I feel more refreshed than I have in a while. I finally smile a lot more while running! 

One day while I was driving to Harrah to run, this lime and this avocado rolled across the floorboard of my car. I did not buy them. How they got in my car is a mystery. A delicious, vitamin-packed mystery. Had they been there since 1963 when the car was built? No one knows. I sliced them and added them to a really big green salad topped also with grilled steak. The End.
One day while I was driving to Harrah to run, this lime and this avocado rolled across the floorboard of my car. I did not buy them. How they got in my car is a mystery. A delicious, vitamin-packed mystery. Had they been there since 1963 when the car was built? No one knows. I sliced them and added them to a really big green salad topped also with grilled steak. The End.

Week Two: I spent most of last week prepping for and then enjoying a luscious trip to Colorado with Jocelyn. I did manage to grab an easy run here and there, we went on two uniquely challenging hikes together, and I stretched plenty. It was a deeply loving little getaway for which I am so grateful. (I’m really proud of her healthy lifestyle and steady mind, too.) My nutrition was good while there, including all the rice-and-bread heavy Nepalese food she thrusted into my hungry, grateful face, ha. It was all spicy and delicious. I ended week two with 20.5 comfortable miles and felt both invigorated and sore the day after flying home. Very good. Very good indeed.

On our first full day together, she led me on a rock scrambling adventure. I am in LOVE with this! It is so fun.
On our first full day together, she led me on a rock scrambling adventure up a different side of a mountain we climbed last April. I am in LOVE with this. SO FUN!

 

Week Three: Back at the farm now, I am still on track with the plan. I grabbed three miles yesterday and five miles today, both runs around our back field, and just enjoyed being home. I sweated like a tropical beast in the Oklahoma humidity and at the top of each happy lap drank up the sight of our green, glassy pond. Since Handsome is also tying to eat well (healthfully, not starvation-aly) it’s been pretty easy to stay on track with nutrition. I feel great. The rest of the week has me running just 3, 5, & 6 miles, with some cross training mixed in. My favorite cross training to do at home is barre. I just find videos on You Tube so far. And of course staying caught up around the farm is helping me stay active and flexible, do some strength work, etc. Happy, healthy life, right? It’s wonderful to sit down less and less and to keep up with projects at the same time.

 

next few months

So that’s how things are progressing. Nicely, I think. To feel so well balanced in my mind and body is a pretty happy evolution. Looking forward it’s fun to imagine what changes I might notice over the coming 16 weeks as the marathon approaches. 

How are things for you? Can you relate to this idea about enjoying a healthy lifestyle? Do you have any new goals or plans in place? I would love to hear. 

“The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy.”
~Kenneth H. Cooper
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

motivation monday: sustainable fitness, marathon training, & florzilla quips

Hello friends! How long has it been since I shared anything fitness or health related? Several such posts sit here in draft form, but over and over again I feel like my thoughts are either repetitive or useless. But today! Today I feel a small, welcome personal epiphany and also have cause to mark the calendar, so let’s chat.

First, the calendar. As of today I have exactly one month before marathon training begins for the November Route 66 race. This will be my first time running in the hills of Tulsa, and I am already excited!

RSS-0134_2015_Course_Map_Layout_M

One month means… Four weeks to tighten up my eating habits. (So that I’m not dieting but fueling for energy the way my own body likes it.) Four weeks to enjoy the freedom and flexibility of running when I want, for however much I want, at any pace my legs see fit, or just for fun. Four weeks of spending workout time and energy on other pursuits, if I groove to. This past spring while regaining fitness from that ankle sprain (it is still swollen actually) I fell in love with hiking and barre. Yoga has proven to be much more than stretching, too. Plus we have been extremely busy at the farm, which burns both time and calories. So when my weekly mileage is low, it’s because I have been indulging in these other wonderful activities.

Okay. The idea of sustainable fitness is what’s been the small but welcome epiphany for me.

The other day I was wallowing in a custom blend of self-pity and frustration, all about how in five months I have not lost more weight. Five months of watching my food intake, running between 10-21 miles per week, dabbling in strength, etcetera… And my gosh drinking so much water!! I don’t even put sugar in my coffee anymore, haha! (Cue pitiful violins.) So I looked at myself that particular day and freaked out, thinking why hasn’t all this effort paid off better? The answer came almost instantly. Your effort has been medium at best. In addition to all of those great habits (and they are habits by now, truly) I have also enjoyed heaps of popcorn while watching movies, said yes to pizza and greasy Reuben sandwiches and ice cream with friends, eaten salty chips and salsa for lunch more often than I want to admit, and generally allowed myself more easy days than not. So, okay. Honesty with yourself is good. Maybe a touch of acclimation in there, too. Our bodies get used to the status quo.

More importantly, though? In the midst of those healthy-not healthy habits, in the midst of that balance, these four things are very new to me, and this is my proof that I have finally found some sustainable fitness:

  1. I feel comfortable enough with myself to take a fun Hula-Tahitian dance class with strangers or go swimming at a public pool or run in shorts out in public, etcetera, without worrying one bit. Just have fun. Way less self-conscious, way less annoying.
  2. I know that I can keep all of this up indefinitely, that this is my easy-effort baseline even among a hectic schedule, and it’s all fun! I am eating and moving in ways that make me feel really great, whether or not any of it fits a certain plan. The confidence that I can keep myself healthy no matter what is going on in life and without being obsessive in the kitchen is a wonderful gift.
  3. These months of experimenting with different eating habits and exercise options have taught me a lot about my own mind and body. So much. I believe more strongly than ever that each of us has a unique chemistry that asks for a unique blend of diet and exercise and that maybe women especially have fluctuating needs week to week (the moon affects more than the garden!). For this reason I have dropped out of all 90-day challenges. I resist all those cute graphics on Pinterest. You know what I’m talking about. Calories and macros are- ehh- well the jury is out and aggravated. On a related note, I have been weeding out social media accounts that exude any negative or confusing vibes about health and happiness. I still have goals, but knowing what methods work best for me is wonderful!
  4. The things we do to promote our health should be our servants, not our masters. Unless we are in a health crisis, or once we have a grip on things, they should be negotiable parts of our schedule that support a life well lived, not roadblocks to living fully. Does that makes sense? I’m not suggesting that we make excuses to be lazy; only that sometimes we seek a broader view of the world and of how we live in it.

So. I have not lost a million pounds since January. So what. Maybe that was unnecessary anyway. I might have changed measurements but don’t really know because I have been focused on other priorities, which is the best part of a hiatus. What is certain is that I am a bit stronger and way more flexible than I was when I sprained my ankle and had to halt marathon training before it really began. I feel sleeker overall (same weight, more muscle) and more energetic for sure. Having worn a Fit-bit for a few months, I know what times of day I am most tempted to be lazy; and by tracking my food scrupulously I know when I am most likely to eat junk and what that junk is (it rhymes with Florzilla Quips.)

yoga with klaus

With all this glorious perspective, that custom blend of self-pity and frustration is so silly and unwelcome. The progress I have made is more emotional than physical, anyway; so maybe it will be more long-lasting. I wish the same for you, if you need it.

Okay! Happiest possible Monday to you. Thanks for listening, and I hope your goals and methods are serving you really well, with so much love.

“I really don’t think I need buns of steel.
I’d be happy with buns of cinnamon.”
~Ellen DeGeneres
XOXOXOXO

marathon monday: gratitude trumps regret

Friends, to those of you who ran any of the amazing events yesterday at our City’s beloved Memorial Marathon, congratulations!! I hope you had the most wonderful time! I hope you were safe and felt happy, energized, and appreciated. Weather conditions Sunday morning were challenging, with high humidity and strong winds, but that just makes your accomplishment so much sweeter, right? Close to twenty people I know or sort of know were among the almost twenty-five thousand runners. Wow! Watching your updates made me super happy. This is, after all, much more than any road race; this is an act of remembrance and a declaraion that love overcomes hate. That communities can heal.

This chainlink fence stands all year long and is constantly adorned with flowers, wreaths, letters, and stuffed animals to remember those lost in the 1995 Murrah Building bombing. Runners in the different Memorial Marathon races also pin their paper race bibs here.

I am disappointed to not have participated this year. No doubt. My enthusiasm was so high going into training, and I had been learning so much about myself (mind and body) this past year, that I really believed this April would be a big deal. I harbored pretty fantastic ideas about how things might go down, around Lake Hefner and along Classen especially. But that ankle injury changed everything. Thankfully it is pretty well healed now, just not in time to build up the stamina needed for long distance. And that’s all I want to do, really.

 denial run

I was tthhiiiisss close to registering anyway, last minute, without even warning my husband. It was Friday night and I was clicking on links left and right looking for options. Maybe the half?

But then I scrolled through the hundreds of photos on my phone. Having spent the previous week with Jocelyn in Colorado, I was overcome with gratitude and in many ways still felt like I was there with her. We had such an amazing eight days together! I visited her fit and healthy enough to really enjoy exploring her version of paradise. Hiking up snowy mountains with this beautiful young woman is a pleasure I could never have predicted. It is beyond a dream come true. So… deep gratitude for health and love and life in general quickly overwhelmed that nagging race regret.

My ankle and stamina were not lacking; they were exactly where they needed to be.

joc me hike

I halted all plans and mind games about desperate registration and actively gave thanks for the time spent with her, for being healed and strong enough to really enjoy Colorado with her a second time and makes some irreplaceable memories.

false peak

Isn’t life amazing? How wonderful that gratitude is so consistently powerful, too.

Once again, friends, my warmest hugs and congratulations if you ran any of those events on Sunday!! It’s quite a feat. Also congratulations if you trained for something and had to bow out for any reason. I now understand how frustrating that is. Take care of yourself and look to the future with me, okay?

More importantly, let’s look at the present moment and count our abundant blessings hard. Let’s invite gratitude to fully overwhelm all our stabbing little regrets. It feels so nice.

 

 

It’s As It Should Be.
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

“My Life on the Run” by Bart Yasso (book review)

Friends, I know the title My Life on the Run might give you the idea that this book is only about running, and maybe that’s just not your thing and maybe you are tired of me talking about it, but I am writing this review for every single one of you. I want all of my friends to read it, okay? If you are nice and share your tortilla chips, then you can even borrow my copy, but you will then want to buy your own. I have read the entire book twice and several excerpts a few times.

Whether or not you consider yourself a runner, just you being a human being full of dreams and faced with challenges, just you all by yourself on a unique life journey filled with both triumph and difficulty, pain and laughter, means that Bart Yasso’s memoir can feed you. In fact, it will feed you if you open up just a little.

And those among us who appreciate a great story telling pace and lots of jokes will enjoy it all the more.

Of course, if you are a runner then this book is a must read. You already know that running has trans-formative powers, and as Mr. Yasso says:

It’s an affirmation of life. Running was magic, and I never wanted to lose my ability to conjure up that altered state again.

I first heard of Bart Yasso a couple of years ago while researching online how to achieve a faster marathon time. Seasoned runners are probably familiar with his proven 800-meter pacing method, and in fact he devotes an entire chapter to how he developed this training strategy. Trust me, as technical as it sounds, even this chapter is funny. He is pseudo-proud and self-deprecating in the best ways, describing his professional interactions and private thought processes with just the right amount of detail and insight. This is one of the chapters I read three times, partly for reference and mostly for entertainment.

Reading about how to run faster put his name in my brain, so when I showed up in Lawton, Oklahoma, to run that Spirit of Survival half marathon last autumn, I saw his name advertised as a guest and was more than a little curious to meet him. He was shaking hands, autographing books, and being truly the nicest person in the hotel that Friday night. Inside my purchased copy of My Life on the Run he wrote, “Marie- Never underestimate where running can take you. –Bart Yasso.” If you know me very well at all, then you understand how my throat seized up and I fought back tears. I have a lot of places I want to go in life. Running has been taking me there already.

bart yasso book signature

And don’t you dare ruin this for me by saying he probably wrote that in everyone’s book, haha! I already know that.

Mingling in the crowd, Mr. Yasso was infinitely approachable, and the talk he gave to runners and media at the pasta dinner that night endeared him to me. I sat with this sweet couple. Remember them, the local pair who posed for a photo with Tiny T?

bart yasso couple tiny t

We all three (four if you count Tiny T and you better) laughed so hard the entire time! You just cannot believe some of the adventures Mr. Yasso has had while running! I tried taking notes but only succeeded a little because his stories were strung together in a very casual, life-of-the-party kind of way, not stilted at all. Not terribly outlined but still rhythmic. He’s the exact opposite of that speaker who puts the audience to sleep. However long he was at the microphone that night wasn’t nearly enough for the crowd. It was just plain fun and deeply motivating.

And the thing is, his book is written is exactly that same smart, affable, witty voice. His writing is purely conversational with several moments of either confession or transparency that draw you closer, just a little hushed, like he is sharing a secret he doesn’t want the whole room to hear. With the written word his tone softens and you know it’s serious. Then? It’s all fun and laughter again. Page after page with the brightest of outlooks, the strongest of wills.

You might recall that before sunrise on the morning of that particular race Handsome and I bumped into Bart while walking to the start line. We had the loveliest conversation during that five-minute commute, and his positive energy multiplied my excitement tenfold. He indulged me in a photo and wished me luck on the run. I was giddy.

So now you have an idea of why I am so engaged with this runner-writer He’s just a wonderful person! And his ideas are effective. He is not just sharing his personal experiences; he also works for Runners World magazine and travels the globe promoting events and helping people. He wins races. Difficult ones. He overcomes incredible obstacles like injury and chronic disease, but you have to read about that for yourself.

Worth mentioning is that he was not necessarily born a runner.

But then I started running. And when I started running, I started dreaming. It couldn’t be helped.

Can you relate to this? I sure can. In many ways my life turned a supernatural corner at the age of 39 when I finally started.

And if you have a tendency to see the glass as half empty, consider this:

I made peace with it after recognizing that running isn’t about how far you go but how far you’ve come.

Truly, friends, I could quote and attempt to retell this book all night long. Please just read it. Watch out for the burro racing chapter and the rhinoceros story and the banana bread especially, and call me the minute you read each of those. I want to hear your beautiful voice laughing out loud! Then I want to hear you tell me how this book inspired you. Because I know it will.

bart yasso book review sticker

Thank you for so many friendly interactions, Bart, and for sharing your life with the world. Thank you for plunging into running as a teenager and for staying open to it all these years since, despite the painful setbacks. I am honored to have met you and really loved your memoir.

“The starting line beckons.”
~Bart Yasso
XOXOXOXO