Saturday, September 29, 2007

You DO love hills, Trisha!!

I ran hills this week! Tuesday morning I did some hill repeats in the neighborhood, and this morning I ran 8 miles in Palos Verdes with Maria. It was so nice to have company, and I felt like I was running faster than I have been. But it turns out we ran an average of 12 minute miles. Not so fast after all. But I felt good and there were hills :)

I love hills ... they make me stronger. Years ago, my God daughter, Lucy, called a meeting with me to discuss sand. She was about 3 years old at the time. Her parents were very active in a local organization called Neighbors Against Garbage (NAG), and they took Lucy to many meetings and various protests. Lucy was a pro. We were at the beach, and she asked me if I liked sand. I said no, and calmly voiced my reasons for not liking it. But she would hear NONE of it. She became a bit agitated and said, "You DO like sand, Trisha!!" and she wouldn't let me leave the tent until I agreed that I did indeed like sand.

I have often told myself that I love hills when clearly I don't, but they do make me stronger. I don't know what my "love" of sand has gotten me, but maybe this strategy goes back to that fateful meeting with Lucy. Thanks Lucy!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Why I Don't Do Hills






This is where I get to run! And it's just two short blocks from my house. Today was exceptionally beautiful because we got our first rain storm of the season Friday night/Saturday morning. To the right of the sand is a running/bike path. This morning I saw my neighbor walking his dogs, a coworker walking her husband, a woman I met in a volleyball class 9 years ago, and my friends Dee and Ted playing volleyball. Not to mention all of the regular runners I nod to and smile at. I felt like a minor celebrity. It's perfect. I could run over 20 miles on this path, and there are water fountains and restrooms strategically located along the way. And except for the occasional pervert, I feel very safe, comfortable, and happy running here. But it is FLAT, and I have some races with hills approaching.

Usually I don't think about the fact that I should be running hills until AFTER the race. So I guess I am making some progress ... I am at least thinking about it now. I am going to run the Manhattan Beach 10k on Octber 6 (my birthday!), and there are a couple of decent hills. But the run in the SD Triathlon Challenge is HILL - LY! I know I need to start running hills, but it is difficult to tear myself away from the beauty of my home turf. Maybe next weekend!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

She Drinks Skim Milk and She's Still FAT!

My dear old grandmother said these words about me at the dinner table over thirty years ago, yet they still haunt me. I don't run to my bedroom in tears like I did when I first heard them, and I can laugh when I tell the story now, but still they haunt me. I had a converstion about this with my brother Jim a couple of weeks ago, and he asked if this is one of the reasons I have pushed myself to physical extremes that I have. And yes, it is a part of it, a big part of it.

About 10 years ago I joined Weight Watchers for at least the third time in my life and lost 55 pounds. I had been jogging 3 miles a few times a week at that point, but as I neared my weight loss goal I felt like I needed another goal to keep myself on track. My friend Tomie was beginning to train for her first marathon and dragged me on an 8 mile run. I was so sore after that run (I remember it like it was yesterday), but I did it! I signed up for the marathon too.

But the words of my grandmother still lurk in the recesses of my brain ... "She runs marathons, and she's still fat!" and "She's an Ironman and she's still fat!" The other night, or morning I guess it was, when I couldn't sleep, I finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Liz spent a year in Italy, India, and Bali in pursuit of pleasure, devotion, and balance and chronicled her experiences in this wonderful book. She tells of a time when she was on a tiny island east of Bali. After 9 days of silence, she dropped into a long (we're talking several hours!) meditation in which she faced everything in her life that had caused her sorrow, anger, and shame. She examined each one, and accepted, forgave, and loved it.

Now, I can barely sit for the 5 minutes of meditation at the beginning of my yoga class, but I CAN forgive my grandmother for uttering those hurtful words, I CAN forgive myself for believing those awful words, and I CAN accept and love my body as it is right now. And with that said, it is DONE!