2011 Cupcake Marathon

I'm entering my first marathon!


Well, not really.

The ingenious 2011 Cupcake Marathon, the brainchild of Jason at Cook Train Eat Race and Christel of Silly Girl Running, challenges people to complete 13.1 or 26.2 miles in two weeks (March 14th to March 26th).

That's right. Two weeks, and the mileage can be spread out over the runs. Heck, they can even be walked. Participants are sent three recipes for cupcakes and entered in a lottery (no speed required to win!) for cupcakes to be sent to you. Delicious.

I'm taking the marathon challenge. Are you?

As for my other goals, the beginning of the week is (almost) always optimistic for me. Today, not so much. So I thought it would be a good time to look toward the future.

So, what are my goals for 2011?

-As posted above, run the 2011 Cupcake Marathon.
No time goals. No stress. Just two weeks and a whole lot of running.

-Run a 5k in under 34 minutes (by July 1st)
My last 5k was 34:04. I will be running the same one this June and I want to be faster. I'm not setting a specific time because it's muggy and humid that time of year. I'm not exclusively training for a 5k because of lacrosse season.

-Run a 9:15 mile (by July 1st)
My mile PR is 9:34, which is a turtle pace compared to many people. I'd like to whittle it down a little.

-Participate in the 3rd Annual Staten Island Triathlon (August 21st)
(Swim 1/3 mile, bike 12 miles, run 4 miles)
Triathlon training this summer sounds like a great way to stay fit and have fun. The race is the day before I leave for college and it sounds like a great send-off activity. I think there's no better way to say goodbye to my home by having the landscape kick my butt.

-Run the Staten Island Half-Marathon (October 9)
Taking place in October, the Staten Island Half-Marathon will hopefully be the first of many. I'm excited. Scared. Determined as heck that I'm going to finish strong.

Thursday's Workout: Swim (35 min.)
Friday's Workout: Lacrosse (2 hours)
Saturday's Workout: Rest
Sunday's Workout: Run (2 mi./24:30)
Monday's Workout: Bike (60 min.)

Enough is Enough

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about how I push myself more than I should. More often than not, I’ve pushed through pain to shave a few seconds off my 5k. It’s how I injured my foot, after all. I’ve overtrained and not listened to my body, and now I’m forced to take more time off from running. I’ve beaten myself up over having a scoop of ice cream or missing a strength workout. My determination is one of my best assets, but it also tears me down through my quest for perfection.

Enough is enough.

The other day at a restaurant, I received late refills on my water, my order was wrong, and my table was cramped. The table couldn’t be helped, but I still bristled through my meal. I was thirsty, the food wasn’t what I wanted, and I left unsatisfied. Sure, the restaurant had tons of other customers, but I felt jilted.

I thought—my body is the greatest customer ever. So why do I insist on pressuring it, rushing it, squeezing my toes into too-tight shoes and ignoring rest days? Unlike restaurant managers, I only have to make sure I’m satisfied.

If someone else had been telling us to do these things to our bodies, we’d say no way. We’d complain and speak up until we were satisfied, or we would leave due to extremely poor service. The problem is—society is, in a way, telling us this. Get faster! Get slimmer! Everyone has an opinion on what to do and how to do it, and the information bombardment can be overwhelming.

But with regard to health, there’s only us. Mind against will. And that shiny new PR, those sleek black heels—they look worth it, don’t they? They’re shiny, after all, and pushing yourself gives you a sense of determination and accomplishment.

But with it comes a price. Poor customer service, and when your body reacts badly, it’s often too late to prevent injury.

So this is my reminder to myself. I would never treat another human being the way I’ve been treating myself—not berate them for putting hot fudge on ice cream, or having a slower mile time. Absolutely not.

Maybe, just maybe, if we think of ourselves as the best customer service providers in the world, we’ll treat ourselves better. Real success for me came when my body was satisfied and well rested. Hey, the few seconds off the PR will come eventually.

And those fancy heels?

No one can see them under my dress, anyway.

Monday’s Workout: 1.5 hours swimming, 3 mile bike ride.
Tuesday's Workout: 40 minutes swimming
Wednesday's Workout: 35 minutes swimming

Keep Moving Forward

It wasn’t too long ago that I struggled to run down the block.

When I was fourteen years old, things were looking up. Thanks to physical therapy and brutal flights of staircases at school, my conditioning was better than ever. My asthma rarely troubled me. Spring of my sophomore year in high school, bored and looking for a new goal, I decided I would run a 5k. The last time I had attempted a mile, I was thirteen, and the charity race took me over fifteen minutes. It was the longest, most agonizing fifteen minutes of my life. But crossing the finish line—receiving the t-shirt, most especially—made it all worth it.

Despite writing my college essay about the high of t-shirts after a race, I pushed running to the wayside. Did I love watching people run? Yes. I envied them. Did I volunteer at races? Yes (more t-shirts!). But for some reason, I never put two and two together. Me + running was just never an option.

Because I'm seemingly wired to crave difficult situations, I slaved over the treadmill for five months. I started running in intervals mixed with walking. The first time I finished a mile, I almost cried. But then school started up again, and I joined lacrosse. Running was for conditioning only now, and on the first day of practice we had to run for twenty minutes in an itsy circle.

My lungs heaved, and as we were told this was how we would start a plethora of practices, I realized I had to get into shape. At the end of the season, we had to either volunteer or run in a 5k. Even some of the speediest runners on the team didn’t opt for the racing option. I contemplated where I was in training. I could run for 30 minutes. It was as long as I had ever pushed myself, and I had never run three miles before. I always ran for time, not distance. Could I do it?

I had to try. A few people nodded with respect when I raised my hand. I was the turtle on the team no matter how hard I tried to catch up.

That June, I finished my 5k, over a year later than I had planned. I finished in 34:04, and ran the whole way. I couldn’t peel a ridiculous grin from my face. I could do this, and I could run farther.

I have a tendency to quote Disney movies, and "Keep moving forward," is from Meet the Robinsons. Sophisticated? No, but that's me in a few words--a little optimistic, adventurous, and persistent. Over the years, it's become my philosophy. I can do anything if I take it a little at a time.

I pledged to run a half-marathon.

I’ll keep moving forward until I do—but for now, I’m obsessing over running, food, and crazy life plans.

What are you obsessed with?

My obsessions include running, Disney movies, board games, cupcakes, and peanut butter.

Today's Workout: 50 minutes swimming (darn foot injury is keeping me from running for a bit).