Will Run for Pizza

My second 5k of the year is behind me. It's been a tough winter for runners -- especially if you have an intense dislike for treadmills like I do. We've had more than 77 inches of snow and seemingly infinite subzero days, which meant the snow just kept piling up. Here it is, past mid-March, and sidewalks have just begun to reappear from snowbanks. It's hard to believe that two years ago -- my first year in Chicago for St. Patrick's Day -- we were on the Chicago Riverwalk in short-sleeved shirts. This year, I ran a 5k in a sweatshirt, Smartwool socks, gloves and a headband. 

Despite not running much this winter -- maybe once a week if I was lucky -- I managed to get a personal best in Saturday's 5k. The secret sauce? Two things: a combination of mental trickery and cross-training. First, I know I can run 3.1 miles. Sure, it might be painful, depending on the running surface and how my body feels that particular day. Second, I've been cross-training a lot more this year. Running is hard on your joints. 

I don't always feel great (some days are better than others), but I do something every day. A broad range of activities keeps things interesting! I do yoga once a week, plus swimming, workouts on the elliptical, walking the dog (anyone who 'walks' an Australian cattle dog in the city knows this means a pretty brisk pace!) and strength training. When the weather was clear and it wasn't too icy, I'd run in a nearby park with Baxter or (if I wanted to be alone) at the Morton Arboretum. A couple times, I banged out interval workouts on the dreadmill treadmill. 

And somehow, I got faster. Not fast like a six-minute-mile, but I cut down my time and wasn't exhausted when I finished. Plus, I didn't get a migraine after the 5k, which was like hitting the jackpot. I've found that chugging water with electrolytes before & after runs makes a big difference in keeping the migraines away. I'm a big fan of Nuun electrolytes and keep a tube of the tablets in my gym bag and in the car. They're really portable and can be thrown in a bottle of water anywhere, anytime. It's a much better way to get hydrated fast without all the sugar or corn syrup in energy drinks! 

We're supposed to reach 53 degrees today -- I'll believe it when I feel that sunshine on my face. Planning on a short run at a nearby park that Baxter and I haven't visited since before it snowed. He's going to be so excited when he figures out that's the afternoon plan! 

Now to figure out which 5k to run next! 

Green Saturday

Today wasn't officially St. Patrick's Day, but Chicago celebrated anyways. I kicked off the day by running a 5k in Naperville with a couple thousand other runners. (There was also a sunrise Instagram meetup at North Avenue Beach this a.m. -- if only I could be two places at once!)

I'm slow. I start toward the back of the pack!

It was a reallyfun 5k -- I may do it again next year. More on the run in the next blog. After the run, I rushed home to shower and change so I could hop a train to downtown Chicago to meet up with a friend at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. I took a little detour on my way to Navy Pier to check out the neon-green Chicago River:

After the long, gray winter we've had, the emerald green was refreshing! Would you believe this part of the river was pretty much frozen last week? It was a whopping 33 degrees today; when I was here for my first St. Patty's Day two years ago, temperatures were in the 70s and we were wearing short-sleeved shirts! I was a little bummed by the weather because I found the funniest (at least to me!) T-shirt for this year's shenanigans, but it was too cold to show it off. Maybe next year!

just keep going

A few weeks ago, I told someone I was considering quitting stepping away from running and focusing on other things. I was not feeling well, frustrated by a bad run, and not enthusiastic about slogging through more mediocre, slow runs. 

But I'm stubborn. I've worked hard to get to where I am: workouts on the treadmill, had a great swim workout, and core- and leg-strengthening workouts. And I just found a wonderful new chiropractor. Chicagoland finally had a day of sunshine and almost-above-freezing temperatures, so I headed to the park for a run outside with Baxter last week -- I figured if the run was bad, we could at least have a nice walk and enjoy the weather.

I surprised myself by running my fastest mile and a half in, well, a long time. I'm not sure who was happier -- me or Baxter. This long winter has not allowed many walks or runs outdoors -- most sidewalks haven't seen a shovel since December. We went out again today and took a quick 1-mile run around the park, but I confused Baxter because we kept turning around. Whoever plowed the paths only cleared about half of the loop. I kept running into plowed "dead ends" of snow piled 4-5 feet high! Of course, Baxter thought we should go through the snow and slush, but I wanted to keep my feet dry! 

So the running continues. The cross-training I'm doing -- strength-training, swimming, yoga, and the elliptical (on the days I don't want to work out!) -- are paying off. I have a St. Patty's 5k coming up March 15 and a time goal forming in my head. 

Also? This is happening:

Gotta work off that pizza! And, um, chocolate. Because spring isn't that far away (29 days, but who's counting?).

Finding Balance

This year, I've gotten away from running -- mainly because of an injury but also because, well, truth be told, I haven't really enjoyed it. Getting a migraine every time I run a 5k -- no matter how hydrated I am -- isn't really my idea of a good time. I may run again once my foot heals. We'll see. I know Baxter would really appreciate it. 

In the meantime, I've been pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone a bit more this year. As an introvert, that's not always an easy thing to do. I've never really been fond of group-type exercise (this traces back to middle, junior, and senior high school traumas), but this year, I've made a genuine effort to try out some new classes. After all, we're all supposed to be adults here, right? And you know what? I'm enjoying them!

I've tried yoga with three different instructors and found one I really like working with. I've also tried a deep-water cardio class (yes, with the old ladies, but in the deep end of the pool!). I had a streak of 6 weeks in a row of Monday night yoga going -- broken only because of a migraine this week. I love, love Monday night yoga. I'm getting stronger all the time. It's the best part of Mondays for me and I look forward to it every week.

Yoga can be a bit of a challenge for a deaf person, as many of the poses require you to have your head down/in a relaxed position while you listen to the instructor. I've learned to let things go, to do what I can, and that the more I practice, the better and more comfortable I get. They call it yoga practice for a reason. 

Yoga's second challenge is the balance factor. Balance has been a huge issue for me ever since I lost my hearing when I was 5. Many people don't know how hard I've worked to get my balance to where it is today. I'm very lucky that I have a stubborn streak and parents who were willing to drag me to and from gymnastics and swimming lessons, to the barn and horse shows, and to encourage me to keep on picking myself up off the ground, get back up and do it again. And again. 

When I first came home from the hospital after a battle with meningitis (I won, but my hearing was lost forever), I still remember vividly not being able to stand up, of falling over all the time. Walking uphill was a challenge. Downhill? Downright dangerous. For some reason, the balance thing stands out more in my memory than not being able to hear. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe because it was something I could battle myself, something I could control little by little, and slowly overcome. 

I remember swimming lessons that turned into chaos when I had to dive underwater and I could not tell which way was up, down, or sideways. (I went on to swim in college.) Horseback riding and gymnastics helped fine-tune my balance; falling down never really seemed to hurt my pride. I'd just brush it off and get on with things. A family trip to Montana's Big Sky country tested my resolve -- and probably the patience of everyone on the trip with us -- as the altitude threw my balance so off-kilter that I could not stay upright on cross-country skis at first. The stories go on and on.

Today -- nearly 35 years later -- I still struggle with the balance, still push the limits, and still smile. And yes, I still fall. I just fell in yoga class a few weeks ago, toppling over after losing my balance trying to deepen a simple pose. Lisa, meet wall, meet water bottle, meet floor. All I could do was laugh at myself and then try to contain the giggles for the rest of the class. And then on days like today I beam because I have made -- for me -- a large improvement in the tree pose, actually standing on one foot, looking off into the horizon, breathing deeply. In yoga, you are working on yourself and how your body is in that moment -- you are not comparing yourself to anyone else, not even your former or future self. Just here and now. Allowing yourself to simply be is a really good feeling. It's taken me a long time to learn that.