My 60 X 60 - Part 4

January/February 2013…Update

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Betsm51

This year is now well on its way. I do hope those of you who made New Year’s Resolutions or Goals have been able to see some progress. And for those of you that have seen them go sideways, it is never too late to start over.

So far, I’ve been able to stay on track with most of the major public and private goals I have decided to focus on for this year.

Running, of course, tops my list. My goal of staying healthy throughout 2013 as well as for years to come is important to me. I started this year off like last year with the Polar Bear Dive 5K into Lake Washington.

As January progressed, I found myself running my first ever 15 miles training for the Pasadena Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. I must say, it was hard. If I had had the energy after I completed those miles, I would have shouted for joy. Instead, I just grinned all weekend to myself. I followed up my winter training by doing the Pasadena Half in February where I posted a personal record of 2:45:10.

Just in these first two months of 2013, I’ve run just a little bit over 170 miles out of the 800 miles I want to run this year.

Besides the benefits of training for half marathons, what I consume each day is just as important. I have been reading more about what to eat and not to eat but I must admit half the time I’m totally confused. Though I do tend to eat mostly on the healthy side, I decided to record what I ate for several weeks. I found I was eating a lot more carbohydrates than I should be even though I am “in training.” I have been able to eliminate most of the “bad” carbohydrates and whatever processed sugars I do eat from my diet. I must admit that the sugar has been hardest as I love chocolate and ice cream.

I have decided to book my Amtrak’s Coastal Starlight for July. It should be a great time to take the train as there will be lots of daylight to see the beautiful Pacific Coast.

I continue to work on streamlining my clothes and will be donating about 4 bags of clothes to the Queen Anne’s Women Shelter. Though I do try to discard two pieces of clothing whenever I buy a new piece, somehow the closet never seems to get emptier. It’s like little clothes’ gremlins add new items to my closet without me knowing it. But I have to admit that sometimes I just find it hard to get rid of something I haven’t worn in a while as I just like the item.

To keep me on track with what I’m spending especially with online spending (I love to read and Amazon makes it so easy to buy a book), I have started to track all of my spending with my Neat Software and Scanner. I think it would be interesting to see what I do spend on running, books, clothes, food, etc…throughout the year. I have tried to do this in the past but somehow I lose steam by the second month. I’m hoping that by putting it out here, I can do much better this year.

Recording what I’m most grateful for each day has been an experience. I have found myself stopping to really look at the world around myself. The squirrels that run up and down the trees outside my office are a constant amazement. I never realized that they can hold on so well with their feet while they are upside down though one almost did a face plant as it slid off the branch to the ground below.

Those are my major public goals I am focusing on for this year.

For those of you who did make goals, how are you doing so far this year? For those of you whose goals have gone by the wayside, you can re-start them now.

Write them down, post them, or tell a friend or two. You will find you will accomplish what you want. And remember, it is never too late to just begin right now. No one ever said you had to start at the beginning of the year.

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Mom – I still miss you!

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Betsm51

My Mom at her 90th Birthday Party March 2010.

My mother has now been gone for over two years. Though I know she is gone, in many ways, she is still here with me.

I am sure this is probably true for everyone who has lost a loved one.

As gracious as my mother was, she did have some quirky, annoying habits. It is those habits that make me smile and laugh each day now as her presence is never far from me.

Mom’s most annoying, quicky habits appeared on any road trips, short or long, she took with my own family. Whether they appeared when she was with my brother or sister, I don’t know. But they did come out even when she was a passenger in my daughter or son-in-law’s car.

On our trips, Mom normally sat behind the passenger front seat. In other words, right behind me.

If I looked at the map so I would know which freeway exit or street we should take, Mom would immediately ask to see it. It didn’t matter that I needed the map to guide us to our destination, she had to look at it. One time, I did actually get her her own set of maps. But I still had to give her mine so she would know what I was looking at.

But it didn’t stop there. Once I gave Mac the exit we were looking for, Mom would start reading each road sign out loud. That included every bridge, river, or stream name sign or freeway informational sign we passed. Each time she read the sign, the word “see”, at a higher pitch, would follow. Mom would do this as she leaned up towards the front seat, speaking right into my ear. I was always surprised that I didn’t start twitching before we got to our destination.

On any road trip, the gas gauge was one of Mom’s favorite fascinations. The moment the gauge needle landed at the halfway mark or just below, we would be informed where the needle sat and we should stop for gas. She continued to tell us this as the needle got lower and lower. Intersperse between this, Mom would be offering to buy our gas as we passed one station after another until we did finally stopped. And let’s not forgot, she also told us the name of most of those gas stations as we passed them followed by “see.”

Now whenever we go on a road trip, long or short, we all do this. Though we don’t get actual paper maps now, we all have our iPhones’ maps set to where we are going, just in case, one of them fails. We read out loud the signs on the road to be annoying to everyone else in the car. We always check the gas gauge just to make sure the driver knows we are watching it, then shout out the names of the gas stations as they roll by. And we never, ever forget to attach the famous “see” at the end.

As much as all of this annoyed me then, it is now one of my fondest memories of her.

Mom, today, you would have been 93. Happy Birthday! I’m sure you are celebrating it with Dad, your parents, and all of your siblings.

I miss you, quirky habits and all!

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Here’s to 2013!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Betsm51

Every new year is like a new beginning-a chance for each of us to reflect on the year ahead. So what are your goals for this year? Did you make any? Do you have them written down?

For years now, I always start the review process on what I was accomplish before my birthday. I also reflect on what I would like to accomplish for the coming year and the years ahead. My list then gets changed around and updated.

For the next coming years, I have added some rather daunting trips to the list. Since the trips will be rather on the expensive side, it will take me time to gather the dollars as well as find the time to go. Galapagos Islands is one place I would really love to visit but it is an expensive trip. I’m trying to find a cheaper way to do this trip. Then there is walking the Camino de Santiago Trail in Spain. Besides the logistics of doing this walk, there is a time issue of about 6-8 weeks. And of course, we can’t forgot about Scotland and Ireland. That trip is penciled in for 2014.

Even though I did 4 half marathons last year, I plan to repeat that challenge again this coming year. I am hoping to better my times at each event as well as stay healthy and injury-free.

I replaced journaling to recording one or two items that I’m grateful for as well as what made me laugh each day of my 61st year. To do this quickly without having to look for a pen and a notebook, I downloaded an app to my iPhone. This app makes writing a comment or two as well as adding a photo to remember that special moment easy to do. As with most people, my iPhone is almost always with me. So far, I have completed almost 60 straight days.

In making up my original list, I completely forgot that I have always wanted to take the Amtrak from Seattle down to Los Angeles. The Amtrak’s Coastal Starlight allows you to sit back and enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery of the Pacific Coast. I’m hoping to see this fabulous view this summer.

So far since I started this list, I have completed 16 of the 60 items. At times, it seems like I’m not making progress. But I know several of my items are on-going projects that will never get crossed off such as downsizing my possessions, de-cluttering and streamlining my clothes closet.

I must say it’s been fun to have this list. It gives me a sense of accomplishment as I cross off the items as well as reflect on what I would really like to achieve on-going in my life.

Making your own list doesn’t need to be a tremendous effort on your part. Nor does your list need to be filled with grandiose items. But by spending some time to write it down, even in an app on your phone. you will find yourself being motivated. I do know you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you cross the items off.

Here’s to having a most wonderful and inspiring 2013.

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Will It Be Four or Five for 2013?

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Betsm51

That is 4 or 5 half marathons next year.

Guess you could say that running has gotten into my blood! But I know it is more than just running a half marathon here or there.

Besides the overall health benefits on being active, I think it has now become a matter of “Can I do this, better?” “More efficient?” “Without injuries?”

For 2013, I will be doing the four half marathons again-three Rock ‘n’ Roll Half—Pasadena, 2/17/13, Seattle, 6/22/13, and Las Vegas, 11/17/13, and then the Eugene Women’s Half, 8/25/13.

I would love to do the San Francisco Rock ‘n’ Roll Inaugural Half, 4/7/13 but I just can’t work it into my overall schedule. So this will definitely go on the list, hopefully, for 2014.

Besides the ability to do four halfs again next year, I feel there is still a lot to learn about running. It is not only about lacing up and going out the door to pound the payment for so many miles.

This coming year, I will be concentrating on finding that correct pacing through my training and then executing it on race day. From there, building on what I learn from each race and improving on it during the next subsequent training cycle.

And we mustn’t forgot the strength training. This is an important part of training. I will have to be more consistent on doing this as those sessions will allow my body to met this challenge.

Of course, all this means is I’ll be in training mode for the majority of next year, again. My socializing will once more be around my Saturday and Sunday morning runs as well as runs during the week with a great group of people. And though I tend to make sure I get eight hours of sleep a night and watch what I eat on most days, that glass of wine, here and there, most often will get declined.

As for a possible fifth half, I’m still contemplating on that. My body will be the biggest indicator plus my overall schedule. If I do sign up for one, I’ll be sure to post.

Those are my “healthy” goals for this coming year. My work goals are almost set and those are private. And then there are the “other” things I would like to accomplish this coming year. Some of those are private but the ones that aren’t will be posted a bit later.

As we come closer to the end of this year, what are your goals? Do you break them out into healthy, work, and fun? Are they lumped together? And do you write them down?

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Los Angeles Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon – My 4th and Last One for This Year

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Betsm51

I did it!

Crossing the Finish Line

The Los Angeles Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon was my 4th half of this year. And though I wasn’t able to have a personal best, this was a special one.

The main reason was Donna Canterna surprised me at mile 6, jumping in front of me in her amazing upbeat style of “Here I am to support you on your run!” And what a support she was. The temperature by mile 8 must have been around 90 degrees on the course as the asphalt was reflecting the heat back to us. From mile 8 to almost mile 11, there was very little shade. Donna’s upbeat attitude took the edge off the heat. As she was jumping around, smiling, talking to everyone, and encouraging me all I could think of was “How does she keep this attitude up?” But then if you knew Donna, you would know that is Donna, through and through.

Donna doing her happy dance

This Rock ‘n’ Roll Half was fun as it was just a handful of days before Halloween. A good portion of the crowd was dressed in various costumes that made you wonder if they would make it through the whole race with their costumes still in tacked. Even the organizers of this Rock ‘n’ Roll made sure the official t-shirt and medal reflected the Halloween theme.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half Medal

It was fun to run this course as it passed by parts of the USC campus, the Coliseum where the USC Trojans play, through downtown Los Angeles before turning back to the Staples Center where the Lakers play.

Overall, the course was fairly flat except for the bridge we had to climb and cross before doing a U-turn back to the finish line. At the turn back, the Hollywood sign could be seen in the distant with 3.1 miles left before getting out of the heat.

My goal of running 4 half marathons in one year is now completed. As I think back to all of them, the one I will remember the most will always be this Los Angeles Rock ‘n’ Roll Half. Donna made it special with her presence as did my family!

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LA Rock n Roll Half – Last Half of this Year

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Betsm51

In a week, I’ll be running in the Los Angeles Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon-my last event for this year.

As I look back over these last, almost, 10 months, I can’t believe I completed 3 halfs and soon my 4th one.

This year, I have been blessed by staying mostly injury-free. It has been achieved through a combination of motivating myself to do what I must do to stay strong as I continue to train and run in these events. But at the same time, I’ve listened to my body and have remembered to do the recovery part.

During this year as I have been training for these 4 halfs, I have often been asked why I’m pushing and challenging myself this way especially at my age. I’m soon to be 61. At this age, I’ve been told by some, it’s not good for my joints to be running, all of this training is too much, and I could even break a bone or two. Yikes!

There is no doubt that training for a half marathon is hard, physical work. It means long runs once a week, normally on a Saturday or Sunday, plus a couple of other runs during the week, strength training once or twice a week, and the daily rolling on a hard tube to keep my IT Bands loose. And let’s not forget the constant motivating of oneself to train especially when I’m training alone.

Do I achieve this type of training each week? I would love to say “yes” but I don’t.

I go in spurts-one week I’m good, the next I’m not. It’s hard to get up and run 4-6 miles on a weekday, harder still to do 12 miles by oneself. Though I must say, I’ve been fortunate to have a group of ladies who I’ve run with–ladies who have trained with me for a particular half, ladies who have supported me when I’ve ran long miles by myself, and others who I run with during the week periodically.

And I listen to my body. There are some days when my body just says “no”, rest and let those muscles heal. Sometimes, it is just a day of recovery and other times, it is drawn out for a couple of days or more.

But my main motivation for running is three-fold:

I want to live to be over 100, healthy and with all of my faculties intact. With a long family history of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes being fit has allowed me to avoid these issues so far.
I want to see my grandchildren grow up. My oldest wants to be an actress, the middle one will be the late bloomer but will take on the world, and the youngest one, at the moment, wants to be the President. How could I not want to be alive to see how they turn out and blossom into their own.
And lastly, I do enjoy running. It helps to clear my mind, relieves the daily stress, and allows me to find solutions to my everyday problems.

But I do know without having an event to challenge me, I wouldn’t be motivated to train, run the miles I do, and stay healthy.

As I near this last half marathon for this year, I’m planning my challenges for next year.

I have signed up for the Pasadena Rock ‘n’ Roll Half in February. I may do the Portland and Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll again. I would love to challenge myself to do Ragnar which is a 2 day relay race next year or the following year. And I’m hoping that my daughter will do the Los Angeles Rock ‘n’ Roll with me next year instead of in 2014.

So what are you doing to challenge yourself as you age?

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R-U-N-N-I-N-G

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Betsm51

Run your own life.
U are important.
No woman is an island.
No is just a word.
Invest in yourself.
Never give up.
Goals are important.

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Eugene Women’s Half Marathon

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Betsm51

On Sunday, August 26th, I ran in the Eugene Women’s Half Marathon. I did so with some trepidation but, at the same time, I decided to enjoy myself regardless of the outcome.

Though I had trained for this half, I was concerned about my IT Band issues as well as my new running shoes.

I have been working on strengthening my IT Bands before and, more so, after the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half. I didn’t want a repeat of that run.

My running shoes were fairly new and with my last long training run, the bottoms of my feet hurt. My orthotics didn’t fit in these new lighter, less structured shoes. This was a major concern since I had a stress fracture on the bottom of my right foot 4 years ago.

The Eugene Women’s Half draws a smaller crowd which is nice. And no one could have asked for a more perfect day for a run. The cloud cover kept the temperature down around the mid-60s with no hint of rain or humidity. The majority of this route is on their river walk which is in a park-like setting.

About 3 1/2 miles into the run.

I decided to enjoy the scenery and the run which turned out to be the best combination for me. I turned up my music, sang along to the tunes, and took pictures during the walks of my 9 minute run/1 minute walk intervals.

The river was a mixture of calm and some small rapids.

But I must admit that I couldn’t totally ignore my need to have some type of timed goal on this run.

That goal was to run 1 mile splits as evenly as I could. I set up my Garmin to alert me at each mile marker and flash the time. I didn’t want to pace too fast in the beginning only to fade at the end. By doing it this way, I managed to stay within about a minute between my slowest and fastest time. And there was an unexpected bonus, I felt much better than I’ve ever felt at the end of this run.

Only 2.1 miles to go!

As for my concerns, my right IT Band did bother me as I neared the 11 mile marker but it wasn’t enough to make me walk the rest of the way. Also around this marker, my socks started to bunch around the bottom of my toes which was bothersome. But more important to me, my feet never did hurt.

As I crossed the finish line, I thought I was close to my Portland Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon time. It wasn’t until I got my text from Eugene Women’s Half event planners that I realized I PR-ed. I was 5 minutes 8 seconds faster!

And, of course, we can’t forget the bling that we all secretly run for.

Bling

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Gearing up for the Eugene Women’s Half Marathon

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Betsm51

The Eugene Women’s Half Marathon is now two weeks away. I will be doing this with my good friend and Sunday running buddy, Cindy Bingham. It will be my third half and Cindy’s fourth for this year. Yeah, we are crazy! But we figured this keeps us more focused on training. Without a race to work towards, we would most likely not do the longer miles. And nothing is worse than starting at lower mileage and re-building up to mile thirteen, again.

Though I have kept to my training schedule for this half, it has had its up and down.

My left IT Band issue which flawed up during the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon went away for a bit. It tends to now show up around the 8-9 mile mark. Also my right IT Band has been achy at times though it seems to be doing okay.

Another area I had a problem with is my right running shoe. Two weeks after the Seattle half, I either pinched a blood vessel or just badly bruised it. I tried lacing my shoes differently, wearing thinner socks and even taking my orthotics out. None of that worked. It only irritated that area again. I am now in a new pair of running shoes. The irritated area is now fine though my orthotics don’t fit in the new shoes. I am now in search of finding inserts which will protect the bottom of my feet until I can strengthen them.

With these added problems, I have been diligent about doing squats for my knees to strength my knees and gluts, clams to strengthen the IT Bands and a whole lot of core work.

I also did a review of all of my training activities prior to the Portland Half. Everything has been the same except I dropped my weekly foot massages after my long runs. These foot massages were more like a Thai massage concentrating mostly on my feet and legs. The massages are now back in my training schedule.

So with two weeks to go, this weekend I did my last long run. The rest of my runs will be shorter to allow my body to rest and gear up for the Eugene Women’s Half Marathon.

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A Love/Hate Affair – Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Betsm51

My love affair with the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon started four years ago. It was my first half marathon I had ever trained for.

It has now become the one race I also hate as something has happened to me either before or during this half. Hence, my love/hate affair with this race.

This year was no different. As I approached that Saturday at the end of June, I was feeling fine, no real aches or pains. I was ready! My training runs had, on the most part, gone well. Besides just finishing the Portland Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon at the end of May, I was starting to pace at around a 12 minute mile. My strength training had also been going well. I am certainly stronger this year compared to the previous three years.

The pre-race fun began with most of the ladies I had been training with over the last four years meeting near the Space Needle. There were hugs, high fives, and, of course, the last minute run to the port-a-potty.

I started in corral 30. In this corral, you are expected to finish the half around 2:30 hours. A bit fast for me but I figured I would probably finish around 2:45 hours.

Within a 1/2 mile of crossing the start line, I noticed I was pacing around a 10 minute mile which was way too fast for me. I pulled back and tried to settle into a 12:15 to 12:30 minute mile pace. At this pace, I would be able to comfortably finish the half within my target goal.

My first five miles were magically. I settled into my normal running routine of run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute. I was able to reach that “high” where running becomes effortless for several minutes at a time.

As the route turned onto Dearbon, the elite half marathoners were heading back to the finish line. Of course, they started right at 7am, while my corral started almost an hour later. It was hard not to be envious of their effortless ease and fastness. But I reminded myself, these runners were probaby 30+ years my junior as well as been running for a good portion of their lives.

Around mile 6, my left IT Band started that familiar ache just on the outside of my knee. For most of my training this year, it has been my right IT Band that has bothered me on and off. Though I tried to adjust, listen to my body, and slow down my pace even more, the knee continued to hurt. I made the decision to walk up and then down South Dakota Street to help ease the pain with hopes that by the time I turned onto Lake Washington Boulevard, the pain would be gone.

I ran but only until it hurt, then I walked. I repeated this process while trying to assess then correct my running form.

Before I headed onto I-90, I got hugs and high fives from Erica Hirschmann Rintoul and Elizabeth Mountsier, two ladies in our group who weren’t doing this race.

I continued my run/walk until I came out of the I-90 Tunnel. From there, I tried to play a mind game of running for one or two lengths of the jersey barriers along the I-90 then walking one length. Unfortunately, I found that running even one length was painful.

As I came down the off-ramp onto 4th Ave, Elisha Weinburg was standing there. She gave me a huge hug and also tried to give me some quick relief by applying acupressure. I felt relief and was able to run for about a half of a mile until the pain started again.

By the time I got onto the Viaduct, I was only walking. Though the pain was still there, I tried to just enjoy the view, be thankful for no rain, and listen to the band that was playing along that part of the route.

Once I was in the homestretch, I decided to see if the walking helped enough to be able to run the last part. But that wasn’t happening. Instead, I walked over the finish line feeling dejected and frustrated.

As to whether I will try this race again, I don’t know. The previous three years, I had immediately purchased my race entry for the following year. This year, I didn’t. And for now, the jury is still out.

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My 60 By 60