Ten Running Questions

On Monday, SBS over at Another Mother Runner posted her answers to 10 Running-Related Personal Questions and then Thea went ahead and played along yesterday.  

I loved when Thea wrote, "I still (still) struggle with whether or not I’m a “real runner”. But as I was looking back over my completed races over the past 3 years, I’ve decided that yes, I am a runner. Do you hear that Inner Mean Girl?? I AM A RUNNER!! Now shut up." I think a lot of us struggle with the concept of what a "real runner" is.  I know I have.  I still get caught up in thinking I need to go a certain pace or something to be a real runner, but basically, if you are getting out there and your feet are leaving the ground, I'd say you're a runner.  So feel free to play along with us :)

(Feel free to cut and paste from my post if you don't want to retype the questions - it's totally what I did. Just make sure you come up with your own answers! LOL)

1. Best run ever: This one is hard for me to answer.  The obvious choice would go to the 2011 Bridge Run 10 Miler.  I completely CRUSHED my previous 10 mile race times and ran the fastest race by pace (10:05m/m) of ANY distance. EVER. This was probably when I felt the strongest I've ever felt.  But not all great runs are in races.  Some of my favorite runs have been the relaxed, easy runs I've done with friends or in new places.  Running along the Potomac in DC this summer and out in Nevada with Kirsten last year come to mind.

2. Three words that describe my running: Recovering, improving, frustrating

3. My go-to running outfit is: Tech gear all the way.  I'm partial to Nike's longer shorts (hard to find) and capris, Ella Sport capris, Nike long bra tops, running hats, Zensah compression sleeves, and my Asics 2170s.  For big races, there's usually some Team Sparkle involved. There's much more and because of where I live (West Michigan) I have running gear for all seasons (yes, I run in the snow).  I wrote a post about my favorite running gear awhile back if you're interested. 

4. Quirky habit while running: This is really embarrassing...I count. Repetitively. This is especially true if I'm not running with music for some dumb reason.  I'll count to 60 or 100 over and over again until I'm done.  It keeps me out of my head.

5. Morning, midday, evening: This also depends heavily on the time of year.  I guess the majority of my running right now is midday (after school around 4-ish) or evening.  I've been trying to get in some early morning runs too.  In the summer, all of my running is done as early as freaking possible to avoid as much heat and humidity as I can.  I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to running in the dark, especially alone, so there are very few outdoor, after dark or before sunrise, runs for me.  I'm going to need to practice some very late night running for Wine and Dine, so if anyone wants to run 8-10 miles with me at 10 pm some day, let me know.

6. I won’t run outside when it’s: ICY or storming! I'll run in pretty much everything else. If I wasn't willing to run in heat, snow, rain, wind, etc, etc, 100% of my running would be on a treadmill at the gym.  Let's face it. That would suck big, green donkey d*cks.

7. Worst injury—and how I got over it: I developed a significant stress reaction (like a stress fracture but doesn't actual infiltrate the bone - just *thisclose*) this past spring.  Running a full and then 2 half-marathons within 6 months was apparently not in my best interest.  I took most of the spring and early summer off from running, was in a boot for 6 weeks, and rehab'd by swimming and cycling.  I've also been getting a ton of ART from the chiro and started sports massage.  I decided to put all that cross-training to good use by completing my first sprint tri this summer.  I'm still not 100% back to "normal" and I have to really watch the tightness in my calves, shins, feet, and ankles (turns out being in a boot for an extended time will really frak up your ankles and feet), but I'm getting there.    

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: I completed the Grand Rapids Marathon in October 2011 and my kids hopped out of the crowd to run the last .2 miles with me :)  

9. Next race is: The Grand Rapids Marathon Relay on October 21st.  This will be my first relay and I'm hoping our team "All About the Cupcakes" has fun and earns a few cupcake calories. Then I'm finishing the year with Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November and earning my Coast-To-Coast medal.

10. Potential running goal for 2013: I have several...the main goal being to be healthy and still running come January 2013.  I plan to add a few more triathlons to the schedule next year, would KILL for a sub-30 5k or sub-60 10k.  I'm not sure if I'll do anymore distance races, but if I do, a killer 1/2 marathon PR would be awesome.

This was actually a pretty fun activity - If you’d like to play along, make sure you link back up to the original post on Another Mother Runner and then also tell me so I can go back and read your responses!

And for those of you who missed this yesterday....A vlog of me PLANKING! WTF was I thinking? I also apologize for the weird vertical orientation and the still that youtube decided to attach to the video.