HOW TO BE A FATRUNNER IN 10 SIMPLE STEPS

Updated on June 1, 2016: GLOBAL RUNNING DAY

If you're not a runner yet, you can become one today !

It's easy to become a FATRUNNER. Here's how:

1. Embrace the name.

• Many times, nomenclature makes decisions for us. It's time to take the name and do something with it. Use it as a weapon, a sign to let people know who you are and what awesomeness you are about to achieve. LIVE IT. Be proud. Be active. And even though many of us are trying to lose the fat for health and wellness reasons, EMBRACE it and LOVE it. 

2. Decide to run. 

• Whether it's slow running, run-walking or walk-running, sprinting, limping with/without a crutch, or running with a prosthetic--running is running. Don't let anyone tell you what you are doing. Only YOU know.

Tammi Nowack Photography

3. Look in the mirror and smile, even if it doesn't feel genuine. Sometimes, we have to fake it until we make it.

• Thank your body for how it has supported you thus far. Make a promise to your body that you will honor and nourish it, as it has you. 
• Have a favorite mantra? Now is the time to repeat it several times. I like this one from Christiane Northrup, MD:  "I love myself unconditionally right now."

4. Put on your running clothes. 

• Do you only have sweats or jeans? Yoga pants or cargo pants? Have a favorite t-shirt that makes you feel and act fabulous? WHATEVER, they're running clothes so put them on.

5. Put on your sneakers, kicks, tennis shoes, gym shoes, wedges, stilettos, sandals, Doc Martens. Or not. You can run barefoot too. 

• Shoes tattered and falling apart? Totally fine, because that's why duct-tape and Crazy-Glue were invented. 

6. Look in the mirror AGAIN and admire yourself for being a badass fatrunner.  

• Repeat your mantra again, several times until you start believing it or until you start feeling crazy. Either totally works.

7. Leave your house. Lock the door if you're in Brooklyn.

8. Take a breath, or several if you're asthmatic. (Maybe you should take your inhaler too...)

• Seriously, there are a lot of people out there with asthma and sometimes this makes us scared. Talk to your doctor about exercising beforehand. If they discourage you from exercising without trying to find a safe balance for exercising, find another doctor. Our bodies were meant to move and there are tons of successful athletes dealing with asthma.

9. Take a selfie to record this momentous occasion--YOU KNOW YOU WANNA POST THIS ON INSTAGRAM!

10. Run. 

• Run-walk. Walk-run. Run to the lamppost. Breathe. Take another selfie. Run. Again.

Originally posted in March 2015

Haters Gonna Hate: A Rant

Here's a little glimpse into my head from March 3, 2014

I'm fat and I'm a little bit angry.

I'm pretty much in love with my body. It can do so much that it couldn't do years ago.  And if I am able to continue what I am doing now for years, it will continue to surprise me and reciprocate the love that I have given it over my lifetime. Sometimes, I get disappointed or angry with it, but like any long-term, committed relationship, it usually comes right back to love and respect.

Also, and thank goodness for this, I didn't grow up in a body-dysmorphic family culture where girls are encouraged not to eat too much, or to worry so much about their appearance that it blocks them from being who they are. I am so thankful for this.

So this post is for all you haters out there. And let me apologize on BEHALF OF YOU to YOUR BODY, for you projecting your own insecurity and feeling of inadequacy on others. I don't typically waste mental energy caring about what other people think of me or other fat people. But sometimes, the hating comes in waves and it has to be dealt with. I don't always have a snarky comeback, but some level of snark is definitely deserved, even if it comes days or weeks later.  Here are some things that people have said to me, either to my face or behind my back, or to others along with some of my actual or imagined responses:

For as much as you work out you should be thinner, don't you think?
No, why?
Because you have some preconceived notion and idea of what it means to be fit and flippin' fabulous?
Because you haven't bothered to get off the couch?
Don't get me started.

You run too much. All you do is run. You run in the woods. You run in the rain. You run in ALASKA. Do you ever think about doing anything else? 
Yeah. Like, I work. I raise my kid (along with my hubby.) I read. I write. I travel. And yeah, I run because I like doing it. Have you not found something that you love doing whenever possible? Something that nourishes you and renews you? No? Sorry but not sorry.

You might wanna stop running so much. For a big girl like you, you may be better off on the elliptical or like, playing tennis.
Why are you so concerned? Last time I checked, getting any exercise is better than getting no exercise. Do you know what's more dangerous on the knees and heart? Not doing anything. And by the way, my joints are just fine. But my brain hurts trying to explain basic shit to you.

Wait. You're black. 
Not this again, and yep, I am.
Guess what black folk? White people don't own the outdoors. No one does, in fact, except for Mother Nature. No one owns your health and well-being, except for you. I'm really sick and tired of black people from ALL socioeconomic strata saying to me or to others who spend considerable time outdoors, "WE don't run in the woods. You know, because of..." Because of WHAT? Have we forgotten who our ancestors were and how they lived?

What part of health are we not understanding? Have you looked around lately and noticed that we are DROPPING LIKE FLIES (and I mean dropping dead) because of heart attacks, complications with diabetes, hypertension, and general obesity related illnesses? So why berate ANYONE who is out there doing their thing, fighting preconceived notions about what it is to be black and to be healthy? Let's get out of this mindset. It's not only hurting us, it's killing us.

Read this for further commentary.

Don't you feel weird going into a gym-you know, cuz everyone's a size zero and you're not?
Thanks for pointing out the obvious. So perceptive of you.
What gym do YOU go to? That apparently is not my gym because although my gym has its share of meat-heads, there are tons of different body types, goals, people, sizes. Dud/ette, get out of your house. And another thing, when I walk into the gym, I OWN IT. I rock those machines. I have a good time and don't EVER worry about haters like you.

Wow, you're really hungry.
Yep. That would be because I just ran 20 miles. What did YOU do today? Right.
Also, I love food, and I'm not going to let you make me feel bad about enjoying and partaking in nourishment. Unlike a lot of people, I don't starve myself to fool people into believing that I care about what they think about my body. Never been a part of who I am, and sorry for you, never will be. Next topic.

And this:

Have you gained weight? 
Let me say this: It is never a good idea, in fact it's downright inappropriate to ask someone IF THEY'VE GAINED WEIGHT unless you're their WEIGHT LOSS SPECIALIST. Or someone who has embarked on a weight-loss mission with them. It is never your right to ask something so personal or potentially devastating no matter what your relationship. And also, comments about what a person eats. Same rules apply. 

You run really slowly. 
Yep. But have you done a marathon? Yeah, didn't think so. Next comment. (Even if you have run a marathon, why are you concerned about my pace? How does it affect your life? It doesn't, right? Moving on...)

This one was from a woman I sat next too on the Super Shuttle to the cruise terminal in Seattle. We had started up a conversation about what cruises we were doing, etc...

Well, how many marathons have you done? (I have now done 7 marathons and 7 ultras as of May 2016)
Four so far, plus an ultramarathon. I'm hoping to do many more. I really like marathons.

Well I've run over 150 marathons all over the world. You'll get tired of them soon enough. So what else are you doing to lose weight?
Um, I'm not really trying to lose weight. I just love to run.
Oh...um....

I really have no comment for this, except for, it made me a little sad.

 One more thing. I'll let the screen-shot speak for itself:

Here's my final commentary to all you haters out there:

There are many of us dealing with the repercussions of a fat-shaming society. We don't need YOU to remind us that we

1) are not an idealized version of what a human is supposed to look like according to unattainable and simply unrealistic beauty/being standards.

2) don't look like the Nike models or the Fit Magazine models when we are working out and doing our thang. We don't care, but why do you care so much?

Just because we're working out, running, or god forbid doing Zumba, it does not mean that we have a problem with our body image. When you allude to that in your thinly veiled criticism masquerading as compliments, it simply means that YOU have a problem with YOUR body image. Get some help.

In the end, we love ourselves and our bodies. Maybe not all of us are fully aware of this, but we do. If we didn't love our bodies, we wouldn't be doing this.

That's all.











 

Slow And Steady Does NOT Win The Race

Flashback Friday
This was originally posted on September 5, 2011, two years into my running renaissance:

First Marathon: Marine Corps 2011

I'm all about being positive in general (actually, most of my friends would probably disagree heartily), but the old adage "slow and steady wins the race" just ain't true. For me, that is.

For every time someone asks me if I won the race I just did, I should actually get a medal.
I won my age group in one race last year--I was the only one in the age group, but it was an accomplishment nonetheless!

I run at a pace that many very fit people can walk at. Some people might call it a jog but I specifically remember someone, it may be John "The Penguin" Bingham, saying something to the effect of "if it's not a walk, then it's running." I may be grossly oversimplifying what he did or didn't say, but I'm pretty sure he was confident that his own slow pace qualified as running.

I'm not always last, although I tend to be last when the number of participants is under say, a thousand. Yesterday, as I completed the Charm City 20 Miler with an amazing pace of 15:30 (I managed to pump out solid 13 minute miles the first 7 or 8 miles then slowed down MAJORLY after the 14-mile marker), I chatted with myself (internally, that is): I know I'm going to be last and that's OK! No it's not OK to be last. Didn't I pass that girl at mile 5? Did she pass me while I was in the port-a-potty? Really, it doesn't matter if I'm last-at least I'll have finished. I just hate having all those people at the finish waiting for my slow butt! That's what they're there for-for you, silly! But what are they thinking? This fat girl had better hurry, I wanna go home.

I was worried that there wouldn't be any FOOD left after the race. I have a friend (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) who is much faster than I am, so she gets to the finish, picks up a hot dog and Gatorade for me (brats and Zico, if it's a fancy race...), and waits and waits and waits for me. Good thing or I wouldn't get any of the post-race refreshments. At a 10K in Upstate New York last year (a pretty well-known Turkey Trot, that's all I'll say) I was dead last. So last in fact, that as soon as I stepped off the timing mat, they rolled it up, almost tripping me in the the process. And then I walked through the finisher's area. There were no oranges, bananas (except for the very, very green, not-edible-unless-they're-boiled ones), no potato chips, no Fig Newtons, no Nutri-Grain Bars, no anything, except for a couple of liters of Saratoga Springs water. I was so angry, I contemplated taking an entire case. Alas, my car was about a half mile away and it was cold as hell...

There are race organizers who WILL wait for you, however, no matter how long it takes (I know this from personal experience). The NJ Trail Series (www.njtrailseries.com) was founded and organized by Rick and Jennifer McNulty, a couple whose goal is to "make running fun again". The first time I went out for one of their events, I DNFed. It was a 10 mile trail run in 2 loops. It took me so long to do the first one that I quit half-way. I distinctly remember Rick asking me if I was going for the second loop-I may have looked at him as though he had three heads (AM I GOING TO DO ANOTHER LOOP SO YOU CAN WAIT ANOTHER HOUR AND FORTY FIVE MINUTES? HA!)-No, I think I'm done. We'll wait, whatever you decide, he said. Wow, I was tempted to do another loop, but the anxiety of having people wait for me in the woods, no less, was too much to bear, so I declined. But, I've learned that they really will wait! One particularly grueling 13.1, I was last by at least 20 minutes from the penultimate person, but they were still out there, watermelon, snacks and all! Thanks, NJ Trail Series- You have made running fun again. Race directors have a lot to learn from you!

So no, I have not won any races, and I don't expect to, EVER. But that's OK by me. I'm not in it to win it-sorry for the cliché but it's true. I have no desire or physical capacity to even try to win--I'm in it for the thrill, the workout, the friends, the running community. And if you don't quite understand, sign-up for a local 5K and see what I'm talking about. You'll get hooked, and you'll only care that you're out there.

Please Leave Your Food Anxieties At The Door

I'd Like To Enjoy My Meal, Please

Original Post: April 13, 2015

Fat person eating in Spain.

About 10 months into our courtship, my then boyfriend and I went out to eat with some friends at the Pink Teacup in New York's West Village. The food was sumptuous--exquisitely prepared macaroni and cheese dripping with grease, collard greens simmered in a smoky broth, and fried catfish. MMMM! And then there was dessert. Bread pudding soaking in something alcoholic. I ordered a slice. And then I ordered another.

My boyfriend noticed this and surreptitiously placed his hand over mine with the intent to stop me from enjoying my dessert.

"It's not too much?"

I don't know if it was the (very) nasty I-WISH-HE-WOULD look I gave him or the fact that I said in a low voice that I was going to eat what I wanted, where I wanted, in front of who I wanted, and when I wanted and don't ever say anything like that to me again that ended that particular conversation. Six months later I married him. That was 15 years ago and to this day he has not made another attempt to ask what he thought was probably an innocent question.

I'd like to note that at this particular juncture in my life, I was running, swimming, working with a personal trainer, living in a fourth floor walk up in the Bronx, walking everywhere, and just being plain active every single day of my life. My then-boy-toy-now-hubby was very, very much aware of this and in fact offered to run with me one morning. But that, my friends, is another story...

I like food. I enjoy eating good, quality food. Whether that food is a salad, or a piece of homemade apple pie with cheddar baked into its crust, or some good ole-fashioned bracciole with pasta and gravy simmered all day on a Sunday, or my mom's crispy baked chicken I'm going to eat it--and that is with or without your approval.

I'm being so bad right now.
Are you really going to eat that?
Aren't you on a diet, though?
I really shouldn't be eating this.
Wow, I'm going to need to run a marathon tomorrow after this meal.
I'll just have half. I mean I really shouldn't even be eating half.
I probably shouldn't eat this.
I'm gonna have to put my fat pants on after this.
I'll just eat this salad and be hungry all effin-day.
You eat too much.

LIVE AND LET EAT

From the personal stories told and showcased on shows like Biggest Loser, Extreme Weight Loss, to the less sensational shows such as AE's Heavy, there is always a plethora of "before" pictures in which fat people are "caught" engaging in the ritual and necessary act of eating. The following may be controversial statements. People eat. Skinny people eat. Fat people eat. Fat people, in fact, need to eat too.

So why is there this incredible shame attached to doing what we as humans, as living and breathing animals of this planet? Why do we have this obsession with what others put in their mouths?
Why do people feel the need to sabotage their own food experiences and others'? There are no easy answers here. I think about this on a daily basis--not a day goes by that I don't hear someone engaging in this type of behavior. I  often catch myself doing the same thing.

This is not to negate the existence of the major epidemic of obesity that we are currently dealing with in the US. This is not to deny that fact that we are facing a real problem with the very low quality of food that many people either have to eat or choose to eat. Also, my purpose here is not to ignore the real issues with eating disorders that many men, women, and adolescents have. This is not any of that. The issue here is that negative food talk is so pervasive and omnipresent in our society that it has become normalized. We are accustomed to excoriating ourselves and subsequently projecting our negative and destructive feelings towards food on others. This isn't fair. It is especially unfair for fat people who may already be dealing with compromised self-image.

We have enough of this to deal with. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that many of us who are either overweight/obese/perceived-as-being-abnormal-because-we-have-big-bones-big-thighs-and-big-asses have dealt with, at some point in our lives being looked upon disdainfully when we eat, NO MATTER WHAT WE EAT. Salad? People are judging. Fries? Judging. Chewing gum? Drinking water after a sweaty workout?  Fried chicken? Let's not even go there. 

We have deeply held beliefs that aren't always substantiated by research and science about what constitutes a healthy appearance, lifestyle, diet. Let's deal with the REAL and very complicated root causes of obesity and what causes people to be unhealthily fat (it's not always as simple as calories-in-calories-out, folks.) Let's do this without judgment, without yelling at fat people, without portraying them in reality shows as unwieldy, out of control, and gluttonous; without parading them (us) in front of the world so that everyone can gawk at their profound shame.

Concerned about a friend who eats what you perceive to be an unhealthy diet? This is a dilemma, I admit. Have you considered why a person may be eating what and how they're eating? Have you modeled healthful eating yourself without relentlessly and thoughtlessly forcing your own food values and choices on others? Have you considered WHY you are worried? Have you considered that your concern might actually just be judgment?

But sometimes our concerns are just that, genuine concerns--that we can choose to express carefully, lovingly and respectfully without shaming in the process. Let us stop interrupting our own and others' enjoyment and pleasure in eating and nourishing our bodies and minds.

Live and let eat.

Potato Chips and Eggs

This is my second ever post on the blog from August 10, 2011

Go Daddy Go 5K in 2009. That had on the left would be my boy's.

No, I'm not referring to the actual ingestion of these food items, but to the great advice on form I received during a running program sponsored by The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. This was in 1998, my second flirtation with running regularly. I was working in CORPORATE AMERICA, single, and carefree. One day in the office during an extended "break" in which I would spend much coveted time with the PAPER version of the New York Times. (What is paper? you may be asking yourself...) I happened upon a small ad announcing a free 8-week running class for women that would meet on the Upper East Side. WOW! I had been running on and off around the 1.5 mile loop in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx for a couple of months and always looked jealously as the super-runners who would 1. bounce around at a seemingly effortless pace while I lumbered around and 2. subsequently lap me, twice. So this would be a great opportunity to run and to prepare for my very first RACE, the Avon 10K that would take place at the end of the eighth week of the program.

That first day, we convened at the hospital, listened to a panel of seasoned running enthusiasts, former Olympic athletes and sports medicine doctors who talked about the benefits of running. We did a brief aerobic warm-up, stretched and went out for a run on the East River Esplanade. Being a born and bred New Yorker, I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't even known that the Esplanade existed before then. Anyway, they started us out slowly-run to the street lamp, walk to the next one, run past one street lamp YOU CAN DO IT, walk to the next one. This is how it went for the first few weeks. Panel, questions, stretch, run, stretch and snacks-see ya next week.

I looked forward to those Tuesday evenings. The participants in the program were friendly and encouraging as we had all come for the same thing-to be part of something awesome and healthful. I also looked forward to completing the homework they gave us, which was absolutely doable and plain fun. Run 1-2 miles alternating 1 minute of walking with 2 minutes of running. I could do that. I've always been an early riser, so I enjoyed getting up at the crack of dawn, greeting Tony and Maria, the superintendents of my apartment building, crossing the street and running the loop in Van Cortlandt Park. (If you a New York City resident and have not yet experienced the wonders of VCP-GO NOW! You won't be disappointed. The loop is a cinder pathway-so easy on the feet and legs. There is also a wonderful cross country trail that is used on the weekends for high school (and college?) meets, along with an oval track.) So it is absolutely imperative to get your run on in the Bronx.

We did speed workouts, hill workouts. Today the goal is to do ten hills, ok? NO, NOT OKAY. Of course that's just what I was thinking, but I did it, albeit not without a tremendous amount of mental effort. They coached us on form-keep your shoulders relaxed, your elbows at a 90-degree angle pretending that you're holding potato chips (I preferred to imagine the Cape Cod brand) or eggs in each hand. I still abide by this advice today. People may laugh or scoff, but the potato chips have saved my shoulders and neck from muscle soreness. So eat that!

During the 5th week, the crazy people who ran the program thought it would be fun to do a three mile run without stopping for walking. Just to make sure we would do it, they paired some of us slower-I-need-to-walk-now-please runners with trainers. I got a former Olympic discus thrower-GREAT! She ran right behind me, encouraging me the whole way, even up the damned hills and stairs. I worried that I was running too slowly, but she just kept on keeping me on. I finished my first 3 miler without stopping, running with an OLYMPIAN. We even got to meet GRETE WAITZ. I wish I had had more of an appreciation of who she was back then, and how she would help set a precedent for women in the marathon distance. May she rest in peace!

After getting through the first 3 mile hurdle, the next two weeks were 4 and 5 mile runs, respectively. We had one final panel that last week of the program and then they gave us our T-shirts. My first race tee! It's torn in many places, has missing seams, but it's one shirt I will never throw away for obvious reasons. That Saturday we met before the race to give each other final words of encouragement. It was bittersweet; these people (both participants and coaches) had given me the gift of running, camaraderie and personal accomplishment, and I probably wouldn't see them again. The gun went off and we started running. I ran 4 miles without stopping (a first!), and alternately walked and ran the last 2.2. The rest is history. (Well, not really but I'll get to that in future posts...)

Thus began my burgeoning addiction to potato chips, eggs, races and t-shirts.

I finally have something to say

This week: I'll re-post some of my original posts on this blog from 2011, the summer that I started training for my first full marathon. It's always interesting to look back, see, and feel the progress.  

This was my very first post.

 August 8, 2011

Funny story about this photo...(2009 Lake Shawnee 5K)

Although I created this blog TWO YEARS ago, this is my first post. I think the primary reason for me not posting was a fear that I didn't have anything useful to say about running, you know, being a bigger gal and all. Before I get into various musings, I'll tell you a bit about myself:

During the summer of 08, I was driving back from Baltimore to Central Jersey (where I live) after a full day of giving piano and voice lessons. Somewhere in PA on Rte 222, I began to have intermittent chest pains-you know, in the cardiac area, and I got scared. Was I dying? Would I make back to Jersey? Was I HAVING A HEART ATTACK? Obviously, that wasn't the case, but I became very nervous during that drive. So nervous in fact that my heart rate became elevated and my breathing became very shallow. I made it back home and immediately called a friend and asked her to take me to the hospital, where I would get 2 EKGs, many blood tests, and an x-ray. The tests showed nothing. No irregularities, nothing except for slightly elevated cholesterol levels. Maybe it's a muscle spasm-the attending physician suggested. But you should go see a cardiologist, ASAP.

To make a long story short, the cardiologist looked me straight in the eye and asked "How old is your son again?" Five. "You wanna be alive when he's older?" No need for an answer. "Lose 15 pounds in the next 2 months". Ok.

It took a couple of months to get on the wagon, but eventually I bought a treadmill and started "running" after a four-year hiatus and an added 60 lbs. My first mile was 17 minutes with a lot of walking. But I persevered, alternately running on campus (I live and work at a boarding school) and using the treadmill. I took out my Yoga Booty Ballet and Tae-Bo videos and started using them, again. I did South Beach Phase 1 several times and signed myself up for several 5Ks. I lost weight, and loved running again.

Signed up for more 5ks, got a good friend involved in my journey-she had her own, too!-and then I was off.

Now, running is sort of an obsession. I subscribe to every single running mag, and look for races everyday on www.runningintheusa.com. I try to run as much as possible, as frequently as I can. The endorphin high, I can't find anywhere else--maybe except from singing classical music--but not even that, really. My family thinks I'm crazy, but they're CRAZY supportive of me and my fitness endeavors. I still am aiming at losing another 80 pounds so that I can be at a really healthy weight, but I know it will come with patience and perseverance.

I absolutely love the running community, and cherish every time a fellow runner nods his/her head, says hello, yells GOOD JOB sister!, asks HOW MANY MILES TODAY?, or simply establishes eye contact and smiles. I may not be the fittest, thinnest, fastest runner around, but I am a runner.

Now I run just to run and be around runners. This is my blog.

10 Ways To *Almost Ensure Success On Your LONNNNGGGG RUN

I won't go into WHY you should be doing a long run in this post. That's for later. But here are a few ways to make sure you experience some success!


1. Lay out your running clothes the night before and admire them.
This is a special ritual for me. For someone who does not dress very well during the day (ask my friends, they'll tell you straight up that it's true), it's hilarious that I spend so much time picking out my running clothes. For one, they have to go together in terms of design. They also have to fit well and not bunch up between the legs or sag or roll down my side rolls because that's annoying. Most importantly, I have to feel like a badass in them, no matter how long or hard the run will be. Really, this is all about badassery.

2. Communicate with your spouse, significant other or family member. Or dog.
If you are concerned about spending so many hours away from your family, make sure that you have worked something out with your significant other and communicated your needs. When we were living in New Jersey and I my son was much younger, my husband understood that I needed to do my long runs (sometimes WAY early in the morning) before he got to do his weekend. Wifey must always be happy. ALWAYS. I expressed it as a need, and he understood.

3. Scout out your route the week leading up to the run. Daydream in a boring meeting if you must.

This is one of the most fun things for me to do. All week I imagine what new roads or trails I'll explore in my quest to test myself even further. This weekend, for example I'm looking to do upwards of 30 miles and I am EXCITED about it. I've never done this many miles unsupported so it'll be a new challenge to put together often trod running routes and explore new ones.

4. Make sure to let someone know exactly what your route will be.
This is purely a safety issue. Leave a note on your computer. Text a friend or relative beforehand with your exact route and when you expect to be home.

5. Get excited. Create a new playlist. Pump yourself up! (Sorry, this is three in one)
Imagine how you will feel mentally hours after your run. You may be tired and you may be sore. Heck, you may even be mad at yourself for cutting your run short a mile or two. But at the end of it all, you will have gone for a run. Nuff said.

6. Listen to your instinct/follow intuition.
If it feels weird, then it is. Trust yourself and your heart. Head back home.

7. Eat well and hydrate the day before.
It is important to have a good meal the day before. It is also extremely important to hydrate sufficiently. Your body will thank you for that during the run and during recovery! Find a carb-protein ration that works for your body. It may take some trial and error, but since everyone's body is different you must tune into YOUR body's needs.

8. Eat well DURING and AFTER the run. 
If you are doing a really long run, you may need some actual food beyond gels to maintain your energy and endurance. Again, this is trial and error. Find food and hydration that works for you. My current favorite long-run real food item is Clif Bar Sweet Potato with Sea Salt Organic Energy Food with sunflower seed butter and other non-sweet yummy things. The electrolyte mix that works best for me is Tailwind. This has kept me going on a number of long runs. Experiment with real food...just stay away from the fiber. I have many stories...

9. Invite someone to run the same route with you-keep yourself and your friend accountable.
I run a lot more slowly than virtually all of my running friends, but many times we still start out our runs together, all of us at different paces. This is ok, unless you have the keys to the only car at the park or trailhead. Although I really enjoy running alone especially during my long runs, sometimes I enjoy the company of a few friends, even if we're running at different paces. It's nice to know that there are others out there struggling! Not like Schadenfreude, but more like, YEAH-WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!  Also, it's an added safety measure.

10. DO YOUR LONG RUN! 
If you're training for a short or long race, it is always beneficial to do longer runs. This trains your body's aerobic system and allows for endurance to happen. I won't get into the science of aerobic conditioning and the oxidative energy system, but believe me, it's a thing. Just get out there and do it.


*There will be some runs that are simply not awesome. This is a fact of life. But you will never regret that you went out there and did it. (Unless you are running with the flu and that's a completely different thing. Been there, done that. Stupid decision. I got my run in, though.)

I Am Training For Life

On Black Balsam Mountain after a VERY long day of backpacking uphill for many hours. Photo courtesy of Yan Luss.

Life is hard, and it may or may not be short.

Before I started this last and longest lasting exercising streak of mine, I would start amazing and creative endeavors with loads of energy and focus, plateau and then stop. The energy would fizzle, my mind would be numb from exhaustion, and my heart would be let down yet again.

So how is it that I am able to run marathons and ultra marathons, now? How do I stay committed and focused?

Any long-distance running (or any sustained physical endeavor) requires patience, discipline, and the ability to

• entertain yourself for HOURS,
• be in one's head for extremely long bouts of time,
• talk yourself off the ledge several times over several hours (or the edge of a crevasse), literally,
• separate mind and body, converge mind and body, eat and drink when you REALLY don't want to,
• drop your pants, pee, shake it off and keep running like it's normal...

In life you have to do the same sorts of things during hours-long boring and pointless meetings in which people talk just for the hell of it. During these meetings, you should be able to

• entertain yourself for hours (in your head while pretending to listen)
• talk yourself off the figurative ledge every time someone different starts talking
• separate mind and body
• talk to people when you really don't want to
• Ok, so you don't have to drop your pants and pee and keep running like it's normal, but pretending like what someone has just said is brilliant is pretty similar.

There are many other aspects of life that require sustained, unwavering focus over a period of time. And long-distance running, or any other physical pursuit that requires the same sort of consistent energy is very REAL but also a metaphor for every time something in life requires indomitable and unflappable spirit.

Sunrise and fire smoke at Farlow Gap, Pisgah National Forest

What keeps me going on those super long runs?

I think, I plan, I arrange music, I zone out, I sing in my head,  I am in my head, I imagine that I am Scott Jurek on the hills and Lolo Jones when jumping or tripping over roots and rocks. I rejoice in the fact that I am surrounded by stunning natural beauty. I become completely engaged in the process and look forward to achieving whatever goal it is that I have set. I become present.

When doing long runs, I became acutely aware of where I am, who I am and why I am. I become tuned in to the fact that I am living, and that in order to keep living I have to make an intense effort to keep living.

This is what training for life is.

How do you stay committed and focused? How do you train for life?

GETTING MY TRAINING FLEEK ON

Is your training ON FLEEK this summer?

Mine has to be, and here's why:

A few weeks ago I decided that I would register for one of the epic ultra marathons on my fitness bucket list, the Javelina Jundred 100K. I know. CRAY.

I sat on the comfy bed at the Mountainview Best Western in the North Georgia Mountains, my finger hovering over the register button on Ultrasignup for about half a minute. I asked myself if I really wanted to take the leap from the 35 mountainous miles I had done at the Georgia Jewel the previous year to the arid 100K (62 miles) at the end of October in Arizona.

Georgia Jewel 35, Snake Creek Gap Aid Station

Would I be ready? Could I be ready? Would my body be able to carry me over 62 miles in the desert, running, walking, crawling?

Should I do it? Should I do it?
GO FOR IT! said my friend and ultra-partner in crime, Kelly.

I did this the evening before attempting The Double Tap 50K that deep down I knew I would not complete. That race was especially difficult because of my bum knee and the mountains and the bears. What the heck was I doing registering for a 100K then? Who knows? The mysterious and totally unexplainable habits of ultrarunners...

The big question then is what am I doing to prepare for this momentous and possibly disastrous occasion that could potentially destroy my delicate ego?

• I am ODing on Beachbody videos: T25, PiYo, and Les Mills Combat are my favorites. Maybe I'll throw in a little P90X. (I also really dig the Biggest Loser and Crunch and Taebo and The Firm videos too.) DO ALL THE EXERCISE.
• I am trying to lose enough weight to make a significant difference in my finishing time
• I am loosely following Bryon Powell's Relentless Forward Progress 40-70 Mile Race Training Plan
• I am working on tweaking my nutrition to optimize all energy systems (both aerobic and anaerobic, but especially aerobic)...you know, that pesky adenosine triphosphate stuff...
• I am swimming
• I am hiking 
• I am doing yoga
• I'm finding awesome and interesting ways to be active, ALL THE TIME (A note- it's not always easy to step out of your comfort zone, but DO IT! Life is short, death is forever.)
•  I am SLEEPING

At my school's climbing tower doing something different

As I was writing this blogpost I just got word that I got off of the Finger Lakes 50s waitlist and I'll be participating in the 50K! And now I'm SUPER nervous because that's a lot of running, in such a short time. It's a lot of running and training period.

Take a look at the schedule below. All of this means that my training needs to be absolutely ON POINT this summer, because if not, it will be a veritable self-induced sufferfest.

Here are my current plans for the summer and early fall:

June 13: Tortoise and Hare Midsummer Night's Dream Ultra 12 Hour
June 27: Catamount 50K
July 4: Finger Lakes 50K
August 15: Wildcat Ridge Romp 50K
September: A 40-50 mile race, possibly the Georgia Jewel 50--this race is GNARLY in all senses of the word and I'm scared.
October: Javelina Jundred 100K I'm scared of this one too.

As scary and overwhelming as all of this is, I am REALLY excited to test the limits of what my body and mind can do together in athletic pursuit. Maybe I won't be able to do it all. Maybe I will. I do know that I will know and respect my body more deeply while expressing my love for the outdoors through moving that body intentionally through nature.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

What is your training looking like this summer? What crazy events do you have planned to increase your fitness, indulge your desire to be outdoors, or just be badass? Join the conversation in the comments!

An African, 20 Bucks and Snow. Lots of Snow.

Exploring the Lenape Trail: Essex County, New Jersey

Pre-run prep: you can never be overly prepared! I only used one gel
and had the homemade granola bar afterwards, in the car. 

While Newark, New Jersey is not on my bucket list of the most beautiful places to live in, it holds a special place in my heart. It was where almost 17 years ago I would work for a big corporate consulting firm among MBAs and business types feeling very self-important in my early 20s, and where I would eventually meet my husband at the Penn Station after a freak January-rain storm had kept me hostage in the office for 5 hours after work had ended. I left the following October and married my beautiful West-African husband a few months later. My return to Newark for the Lenape Trail 34 Mile Run, a fatass event  sponsored by the New Jersey Trail and Ultra Runners, was equally auspicious, and also included an African.

More pre-run prep: TNF Winter Warm Tights, TNF Isotherm 1/2 Zip,
a cheap Energizer Head Lamp, Trail and Ultrarunning Buff, Altra
Compression Socks, and a Nike Thermal Shirt

After waking up at 3:30am (if you are a runner who does weekly long runs, this is completely normal, especially on a Saturday or Sunday) and driving to a town a few miles west of Newark that would be the finish of the 34 mile run, I arrived at the Millburn NJ Transit station, which was an ice-skating/ice-driving rink. It also was 6 degrees out and my fingers had basically frozen solid after walking across the parking lot.

Part of Belleveille Park

Fast forward to the start of the run: I had arrived an hour earlier so that if by chance I was planning on actually finishing the run, I would have a good opportunity to do so in daylight. Arriving earlier meant that I would have to find the start on my own; as I left the Broad Street station, I started walking in the wrong direction, WITH my navigation engaged on the cell phone. After watching my ETA climb up to 45 minutes, I decided to hail a cab. A NYC taxi turned the corner just as I had the thought. He pulled over and asked where I was going. Riverfront Park? Do you know where that is? NO, but I can try. I didn't even care how much it would cost, it was so cold.

This was the shallow stuff.

As we searched for the start, we started talking. Oh, you're a teacher. That's nice. What? You're here to run? HOW much? Wait, WHY? You couldn't get me to run…Do you have kids? An 11 year old, he must be big. Oh, your husband is African? I AM TOO! From Senegal. OUI. You speak French? WOW. I am so impressed. 

How I've never run in Yaktrax before this run, I DON'T KNOW.

We arrived at what I assumed was the start, Are you sure this is it? It looks kinda remote and maybe not safe. I mean, I live in Newark and I don't know what this is…we exchanged info--my blog name, and he his writer-sister's name and email, and then I asked Cest combien? C'est un plaisir. If I had wanted to charge you I would have turned on the meter. Bonne chance, ma soeur!

A welcome sight, after the urban decay in parts of Newark

After many wrong turns and stops to read my map, stop for a croissant at a gas station (I know, GROSS--but I had forgotten to eat breakfast), and talk to a random older guy on a corner who wished me well even though he had just been released from the hospital across the street with stitches and other things and was clearly in pain, I finally got on course. Locating the actual yellow blazes for the Lenape Trail was an adventure in itself, and I'm sure I looked like a crazy runner bag-lady with a croissant hanging from my mouth, a hydration pack whose hose had already frozen after only 2.5 miles, various items (ski socks, a thick striped woolen scarf, Yaktrax) bungeed to it, and a Trail and Ultrarunning buff under my Trail and Ultrarunning cap looking a little runnah-gangstah…

Running on the Lenape Trail is an adventure. The terminus of the trail is on the west bank of the Passaic River, which tries valiantly to NOT be a cesspool of petroleum additives and other poisonous nastiness. The designer of the trail wished to create a way in which to traverse Essex county in Central NJ via its parks, monuments, and tourist attractions. It is a mixed trail combining road/sidewalk running in its more urban reaches, park paths, and single track in its westernmost sections.

Finally! A blaze.

Branch Brook Park

After finally finding my way to Branch Brook Park, where the blazes were actually visible and NOT located on the bottom of snowdrift covered streetlamp posts, I headed north into the park. A quarter of a mile in, I spotted a folded up twenty dollar bill on the ground, all lonely and forlorn-looking. Without breaking my stride, I picked it up and said thanks to the universe for paying for my tolls and croissant.

The running was easy on the street, but hellishly difficult (which required slow, slogging steps) in the knee-deep snow as the trail continued north into Belleville. Imagine a stair-climber, elliptical, Cybex Arc Trainer workout all in one with cold, wet feet just getting accustomed to wearing metal spikes on their bottoms. This was when I started to imagine I was on the South Col of Everest, pretending I was a black sherpa--in New Jersey.

After leaving Branch Brook Park, the trail crosses over Second River into Belleville Park, an ex-urban oasis that reminded me of more remote untouched trails further north.  After losing the blazes a few more times, I left the park and crossed Belleville Avenue, heading northwest. At this point I was a little less than 10 miles into my run and I was finally hungry and thirsty. I spotted Rosebuds Luncheonette on a corner where the trail would head due north again and ordered a my classic NY-NJ breakfast, a butter(ed) roll and cawfee black.

Well, I'll just run a marathon then

Sitting at the counter reconfiguring and defrosting my thoughts, I decided that at the very least I would run a marathon. That would be fair, I thought- 13.1 out and 13.1 back.  I felt great after leaving the restaurant and made my way up a residential street lined with neat one-family houses, some hidden by huge snowbanks. Then things began to change. As the trail begins to follow aqueducts, the traversing becomes very difficult and time-consuming. The snow on mostly unused trail, was very deep, and this required so much leg lifting, stopping, resting, balancing, etc. that I eventually had a conversation with myself and agreed that I would go no further, unless I wanted to risk being stuck in the dark, freezing woods somewhere in central Jersey/Everest.

I turned back, saluted the rest of the trail and any participant who would finish that day (12 did). I hiked back out of snow-hell, and returned the way I came, this time following the trail, blazes and all back into Newark, ending my run at 19.4 miles. A bitterly cold wind welcomed me back into the city. I hopped on the train back to Milburn at Penn Station, found my car, inhaled the granola bar that I had left in it and drove back to Brooklyn.

What a day! To appreciate the Lenape Trail is to believe you are on some urban adventure, looking for clues as to where to head for the next snowy surprise. Here's hoping that next year there aren't too many polar vortices and freak snow storms on the Belleville Col and many more people will start and eventually finish this great event. Happy Trails!

My Fitness Bucket List

A few friends and I are planning a fairly epic adventure in a couple of years. In fact, it's so epic that we have to save and raise tons of money, acquire gear and necessities (which are not cheap), and perform a huge amount of research before we even think about purchasing plane tickets. Luckily, we are all marathoners and ultramarathoners so even though the physical challenge of this journey doesn't seem too overwhelming, it IS overwhelming. We are so excited!

This started me thinking about all of the physically challenging things I'd like to do before I am unable to, whether it is death (which is certain) or some other unfortunate circumstance that prevents me.

What's on your FITNESS BUCKET LIST? Here's what's on mine (I've posted the links to these fabulous events so you can check them out and maybe do some of them yourself):

• The Transrockies Run 6 Day Stage Race. Dream

• A multi-day hike/backpacking trip with Greg Aiello, the guy who narrated the Live Well Network's Motion series  exploring natures bounty, sometimes with people and other times alone. The show was recently cancelled, as was the fledgling ABC lifestyle network.  But I still have a dream to participate in a trip led by Mr. Aiello as my um, personal guide. From the very first sho, I was instantly hooked by the awesome photography, expansive views atop various peaks and more claustrophobic ones deep reddish-orange in canyons.

• R2R2R-->Rim to Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon, hiking or fast-packing. Even though there are signs posted at various points saying you will probably die. 

• The Paris and Berlin Marathons and a host of of other European marathons in major cities, but I hear these two in particular are fab. 

• NYC Marathon: Please, universe. Please. And just this once I'd like to do a 5:30 marathon. Just this once. I would like to run in my hometown, maybe next year.

• A 100 Miler such as THIS one, I think I'd be satisfied with doing just one. Did I just put this out there? For the uninitiated, a 100 miler is exactly what it says, but on foot and likely running through the night for long periods alone. 

• Javelina Jundred 100k I've been eyeing this one for a couple of years. 

• Finishing the TGNY 100K. Like actually finishing. I've attempted this twice: once just using the course markers after the actual racer, I'll achieve many more miles.

• Philadelphia Marathon

• NJ Trail Series 50 Miler during the Ultra Festival

• Lake Placid Marathon

• Finishing the TGNY 100K. Like actually finishing. I've attempted this twice: once just using the course markers after the actual race began, and the second time finishing 27.5 miles of the course before I was done. Maybe this year, I'll achieve many more miles.

• Chattanooga Half Ironman

• Scuba diving. Anywhere.

• An Outward Bound multi-day backpacking experience for adults, such as THIS

• Sky-diving

• Getting above half of a rock-climbing wall. This would be a huge accomplishment!

• A 24-hour race, like this one

• Hiking lots of the AT and the PCT in sections. I've been intrigued by the Appalachian Trail since forever, and even thought I did NOT particularly fall in love with Cheryl Strayed, I loved the retelling of her journey on the Pacific Crest Trail

• Go on a short solo backpacking trip. This is probably the MOST scary and what I'll need the most hand-holding for

• Fat-Dog 50 Miler in BC, Canada. This looks so amazing. Every time I see an ad for it in Trail Runner Mag, I feel the urge to hop on a flight RIGHT THIS INSTANT to Canada

• PARKOUR-Basically what we used to do off of the monkey-bars in city parks and in pre-hipster Brooklyn racing down our long blocks doing what we called "fence races"--in a glorified manner.

• Backpack around the base of Everest and then up to base camp.

• Run around the island of Roatán in the Bay Islands of Honduras to salute my ancestors (and current family, too)

• Hiking and then summiting Kilimanjaro

• The Laugavegur Ultramarathon in Iceland, and then go sit in the Blue Lagoon for hours afterwards. How cool would it sound to say, "Yeah dude, I just ran the Laudate Dominum Marathon in Iceland?" How COOL?

• Anything on Mt Rainer. Nuff said.

• Maui Marathon or anything on Hawaii? Volcanic marathon? Yes. Beach marathon? Yes.

• A Denali Back-packing expedition, NOT Chris McCandless-style, though.

• A Kripalu Yoga Retreat

• A Canyon Ranch anything. I can dream…

This is just the beginning. 

Cheerleaders Don't Always Have Pom-Poms

A sign made by my cousins before my 4th Marine Corps Marathon in 2014

A few years ago while out on my very first 18 mile training run on the Columbia Trail in High Bridge New Jersey, I stepped off to the side of the trail to collect myself. I was beginning to chafe everywhere (this was before I was aware of high quality tech fabric and BODY GLIDE.) There was substantially more weight on my body than there is now and I felt extra heavy and in pain, everywhere. I was wearing the wrong kind of shoes. It was hot, and unbearably humid. I wanted so badly to stop and lie down in the poison ivy at the side of the trail.

I didn't even have a chance to throw in the towel. Just as these negative thoughts began floating around me like the filth does around that dirty kid in Charlie Brown cartoons, an angel in the form of a man named Ralph Abramowitz ran by me, and then stopped when he realized there was a person standing, half hidden behind a tree at the side of the trail. I can only imagine how I must have looked.

"Hey! Are you okay?" he asked, smiling.

"Um, I think so. Just taking a break."

"How much ya' doing today?"

"Eighteen" I said, incredulously. Did that number just come out of my mouth?

"Wow! Whatcha training for?"

"The Marine Corps Marathon." Did I just say that? Holy shit, I'm really training for a marathon.

"That's great! You're gonna LOVE IT!"

I bet I am, said that negative voice of mine that loves to present itself when I least need it to. I. Bet. I. Am. But I smiled and said, "I hope so. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to run for 9 more miles."

Ralph smiled his big, radiant smile. "You got this far, you can do it again. Take a break. Drink your water. Have a gel. And then get started again. YOU GOT THIS."

Who was this overly chipper guy and why was he trying to convince me of the impossible?

"I'm Ralph by the way, and I've got a group called Ralph's Runners, and we're out here every weekend. I've got my runners doing 22 today. They're also doing MCM. Listen, I gotta go but we have a group on Facebook. I'd love for you to join. Look us up! What's your name by the way?"

"Mirna"

"Mirna, it was nice to meet you. Remember, you got this far..."

"THANKS RALPH!"

And then he ran off.

TWENTY-TWO miles? I couldn't even wrap my head around 18. Wow.

I did exactly what Ralph said and managed to finish the second half of my run, albeit with tremendous foot pain from plantar fasciitis, back soreness, brain fatigue. But I completed it. This was because of two things--I had to (my car was 9 miles away) and because this stranger had encouraged me to finish it, even though he didn't KNOW me from a poison-ivy covered tree or a menacing looking black bear on the prowl. He was cheering me on, encouraging me, transferring his energy and positivity to me.
In sports as in life, the purpose of cheerleaders, whether they are the pom-pom wielding ones in brightly colored ribbons and short skirts or the super-acrobats catapulting themselves into thin air, is to "energize the team and the crowd." I would take it a step further and say that the most important aspect of cheerleading is to SUPPORT the team, loudly and energetically so that that any negative thinking or juju from the other team is drowned out in positivity and er, cheer. 
As a non-traditional runner and fitness enthusiast, it has become increasingly clear how much support and encouragement I needed and still need in order to be able to do the things I am able to do, like complete an ultramarathon, backpack in the Appalachian Mountains for few days with a 60 Lb pack on my back while being responsible for myself and ten students, or to keep it real, just to be able to run whenever and wherever I want to. 

After about 6 hours of switchbacks in Pisgah National Forest heading toward Pinnacle Mountain.

The running and fitness communities are incredible, as are those who are spectators. Everyone who has ever said, GET IT!, YOU GO GIRL!, YOU GOT THIS!, FINISH STRONG!, SMILE! ONLY 26 MILES LEFT!, OMG YOU ARE OUT HERE!, JUST A FEW YARDS TO GO!, LOOKING GOOD, UM, THAT SEXY MARINE JUST SMILED AT YOU!.....is a cheerleader. Anyone who has ever made a sign to hold up for hours and hours at a marathon is a cheerleader. Anyone who helps you get up in the morning so that you can workout like you promised yourself you would is a cheerleader. Anyone who gives you that encouraging smile or a simple thumbs up is a cheerleader.

Surround yourself with cheerleaders so that they help to drown out the internal and external saboteurs that loudly question your ability or commitment to your body. Be a cheerleader for those on the path to fitness and for those who need a smile or acknowledgement that yeah, this is hard. Finally, thank your cheerleaders and acknowledge them. They deserve it.

I'm seven marathon distances and 2 ultramarathon distances in since my encounter with Coach Abramowitz. Thank you, Ralph.