First, thank you all for the support on my post about Hood to Coast. There were so many great comments!
Suzanne said: “Nice honest post, Lisa. You’re right, running is very hard on the body. The endorphins make it intoxicating, but I’ve found that high in other ways. My body just can’t take the pounding and it’s not worth it. I get a high from intense weight training and circuit routines. Most runners I know obsess about their “times.” I just don’t get it… I love planning and tracking my routines but I can honestly say I don’t obsess about it. Oh well, just my opinion.”
The Runner’s High is definitely addicting. I fell for it. And it changed the way I thought about fitness…all of a sudden nothing else compared to running because I didn’t get that same “high.” I wanted more. I wanted to feel like that all the time. Weight lifting, stair-master, nothing was like running. So I started to diminish the value in other activities.
Susan said: “Oh Lisa, I cannot put into words how much I GET this post. I did my first triathlon a year and a half ago. From my experience, people do races like these and get hooked. But for me, I finished and said “well I’m never doing that again.” I’m all for challenging yourself physically and mentally, but never when it puts your physical health at risk. Something I try to hammer into the heads of my clients all the time! I’m more about finding those few activities you truly love and doing them in MODERATION Excellent reflection xo”
The comment from Susan meant a lot because she’s a personal trainer. Honestly one of the first thoughts I had when I first got injured was “Oh my god if I’m no longer a runner what will I talk about on the blog? Who will read it??” But I found other things to write about and it ended up being a good thing!
AJ said: “I’m so glad you posted this! I’ve heard the same thing said about marathons and other long distance running events – people who loved to run before lost their passion or were too injured afterward. It’s great that you were able to accomplish something from your Bucket List and it seems the commitment was not only the preparation but the recovery too! Despite knowing how tough running can be – especially on my body for some reason! – a full marathon is on my Bucket List. I’m delaying it until I truly have time to train properly. 16 miles in 3ish hours IS epic! That’s amazing!”
I accomplished something pretty awesome by running Hood to Coast. Despite being injured, I do NOT regret doing it and I’m happy I ran it!
To be honest it made me feel really good to hear from other people who felt the same way–who felt like if they weren’t a runner doing races they weren’t part of the “cool club” in the blogging community. That’s not true. We all have a place within the community and it doesn’t mean we have to conform to the “norm” or the “popular.”
Onto bigger and better things…
Thank you all for checking out Michael’s first Guest Post yesterday! The comments were encouraging as well. I’m glad the topic was popular. Coming soon will be a post from Michael on how to choose the RIGHT bike.
Last night on the way home from work I stopped at the Portland Running Company to pick up my new shoes!
I got another pair of my favorite running shoes: Brooks Ravenna. They changed the look of the shoes (which is a bummer because they aren’t purple anymore) but I am happy to have a new pair!
Michael’s mom gave me a gift card to that store for Christmas. It was a generous gift and I was able to buy my shoes with it. While I was there, I also picked up one of these:
I’ve never tried one before and I hope it is beneficial to my problem. Maybe the combination of new shoes and the wrap I will be in good shape.
I also have two updates. The first: I’ve successfully completed week 1 of making my own coffee at work.
It was a bit of a pain the first two days but then it became part of my morning routine at work and it’s easy now. Plus I saved $6.25 this week just from not buying coffee!
Finally the last update: Michael was able to recover my old photos from an old computer! YAY!! He’s the awesomest boyfriend ever. Thank you babes. 😀
QUESTION: How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming along?
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
Having a french press at your desk is such an awesome idea! I actually made the switch to bringing my own coffee several months ago, but I make it at home and bring it to work. I got a really good travel mug that doesn’t leak and keeps my coffee hot for up to 12 hours! It’s pretty awesome.
Lisa Eirene
I’m really glad I got the French Press. I wish I had done it sooner.
Carbzilla
Congrats on the coffee. I just tried to comment on Michael’s post but got an error. I’m having technological problems lately. Probably just me.
Lisa Eirene
I just did an update on my theme. It must be buggy… UGH.
Julie
I call my man “babes’, too. If we ever hear each other call the other by our given names, it is WEIRD!!
I meant to comment on Michael’s post, too. It gave me great and much needed information for when I get around to buying a trainer. Tell him THANKS!
stacia aka midlifeswimmer
I need to go to Portland Running company myself! New shoes help so much and I am hoping it will help my plantars.
Lisa Eirene
Portland Running Co or Foot Traffic are great places for shoes. Foot Traffic guarantees their shoes even if you wear them outside!