A Running Mom

Photo Credit: Dudley Ladies

These ladies inspire me to keep running. They make a difference. They support each other. They stay healthy. Isn’t that inspiring to us all?

Here’s what I’ll be running to this weekend when I get the chance to lace up those shoes!  Try ‘em out and let me know if you run a little faster with these songs urging you on!

1. “Stronger” by Kanye West   

2. “Makes Me Wonder” by Maroon 5

3. “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga

4. “Live Your Life” by TI, featuring Rihanna

5. “You Found Me” by The Fray

6. “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga

7. “Sober” by Pink

8. “Love Story” by Taylor Swift

9. “How Far We’ve Come” by Matchbox Twenty

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

so: sick kids, spring break, traveling friends = no running for me.

eek!

more tomorrow. need to run to think clearly. all is kooky.

ever feel the same?

may your next run be a grand one.

rebecca

This might look really easy, but guess what? It’s super hard! And you might need to start doing it.

Photo Credit: pilates4runners.com

If you are a runner, you may want to consider pilates to incorporate better breathing techniques for your runs, better flexibility, and a stronger “core.” I found this site that speaks specifically about the benefits pilates offers runners like me.

Last year, as I trained for a 1/2 marathon, I developed acute back pain and became increasingly uncomfortable. I couldn’t even to touch my toes! I thought my back was going into spasms. A few visits to my favorite local Pilates Studio took care of the problem. They taught me the importance of stretching the muscles I was strengthening for better support and comfort throughout my “core” — the area throughout your body’s lower back and around the upper and lower stomach.  I also learned that my breathing and overall training might have been contributing to my holding tension in my shoulders and back. Within 12 weeks, I developed better posture, better breathing, a stronger core and felt terrific again.  Now I incorporate pilates in my weekly routine, as it will, I believe, be the cornerstone for my longer-term strength and cardio-vascular training and health. See what you think!  

I’m off to run a nice 3 miles.

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

Photo Credit: Rockbrook Camp For Girls

My parents didn’t want me to run. As the youngest of 10 kids, though, they soon gave up on trying to dissuade me. I had my mind set on running and I wasn’t going to give in, just because my parents thought that it was too rough on my “female parts” (they really said that). Running for me, at the early age of 11, became a time for my head to clear. I loved it.

I had a lot to deal with, looking back. Surely we all did. And I can’t complain, since my complex living arrangement probably helped strengthen my character over time. But since I was part of a farming family, I was not allowed to play sports for most of my elementary education. So I ran.

I joined the cross-country team in high school. I wasn’t a fast runner. But I loved to run. 

When things around my home or school became a bit too complex for me, I ran. When people confused me with mixed messages, I ran. When friends confused me with their fickle attentions, I ran. I found clarity, an inner peace, and above all, a strength that pushed me onward through running. Whenever I finished a run, I finished strong and I felt like a champion. I wish my parents could see that. 

Today, more girls than ever are participating in sports. They are gaining confidence in the experience of competition that is good for everyone, I believe. There are people who believe sports and girls are not a great mix, because a girl’s body isn’t meant for such aggressive, athletic activity. To me, they sound like my parents. Maybe they mean well, but they don’t really make any sense. Sports gives young people, young girls, the chance to release, express, challenge and strengthen. It’s a really beautiful thing.  

Did you find any coping strategies most suited to you while growing up? How did you sort through the complicated messages that people in your life presented to you, so you could choose your own path to be true to you?

If you see a girl this week, don’t tell her she’s pretty. Don’t tell her she’s a princess. Don’t tell her she’s so sweet because she’s so quiet. Give her a high-five for being strong. For speaking her mind. For reaching a goal. For expressing herself. For playing her sport, whatever it might be. You might just help her feel a little bit stronger.

Here’s to all of you strong girls out there!

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

So now that I’m getting into running with my girls–and since my little guy isn’t quite ready to run yet, we’ll just focus on my girls–I realize I need a good list of music for about a 2-mile run. 2 miles is the perfect distance to shoot for covering with a kid between 10-14. Younger kids might be able to enjoy jogging this distance, too, but by 10, most kids can handle jogging for about 20 minutes. So they’ll probably end up runnin about 2 miles. So here it is. A great list of songs to help get you and any kids in your life out on the trails running. These songs are great. And they’re perfectly appropriate for kids, too. My 11 year-old daughter and a few friends with kids from Twitter and beyond, helped to create it. See what you think!

Fighter/Christina Aguilera (4:08)
Shining Star/Earth Wind & Fire (2:50)
Ever Ever After/Carrie Underwood (3:30)
A B C / The Jackson 5 (3:00)
I Need To Know/Blake Lewis (2:38)
It’s Not Over/Daughtry (3:35)
The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes/Elvis Costello (2:46)

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

So I heard the most hilarious story about a person, like me, who loves to run. She loves to run but she hates running in the cold. This person decided that on a very cold day, she would run on a treadmill instead of outside. She, like me, hates running on a treadmill. This poor person jumps on the treadmill without noticing that it is in motion, and falls immediately, breaking her shoulder, and alas, ending her chance for a good run.

Not a funny story in that she obviously got hurt.

But a hilarious story in that she got on a treadmill when it was in motion and fell! Just like the cartoons! Just like something I might do! Maybe that’s why I find it so funny.

Here’s to all you runners out there who are getting your runs in without falling on the treadmill.

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

I’m in a “watch it” phase right now. I’m watching what I eat; I’m carefully planning my workouts; I’m stretching and doing my pilates moves even when I can’t get to my class; I’m sieving out people in my life who bring me down. I’m watching it.

And it’s working! I feel better. I’ve dropped a few. I’m getting stronger (or at least convincing myself that I feel stronger in a short amount of time). And the peeps around me are keeping me smiling.

Here’s what I want to share with you on the food thing:

1. Oatmeal with peanut butter in the morning.

2. Cheddar cheese and apple for a snack.

3. Split pea soup or another soup-type food for lunch.

4. Pretzels and a hard-boiled egg for a snack.

5. Salad with chicken for dinner.

And for a treat, a Tofutti Cutie!  Yum.

Try it. It’s working for me. I hope it works for you. This week? Let’s get out for 3 good runs, shall we?

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

Today’s Kari’s birthday! Happy birthday Kari! May your birthday wishes come true!

Cheers!

Check out her blog: www.karenhilton.typepad.com

May your next run be a good one!

Rebecca

My dad used to always say, “Managing your weight is really easy. You’ve got to burn more than you take in. It’s just a matter of calories in vs. calories out.” Boy was he right.

Here’s where it all falls apart for me: when I’m in a groove and exercising regularly, I get a little more hungry. But if I eat a little more at these times, it doesn’t seem matter. It makes sense, too, since I’m working out consistently, and I’m burning off calories regularly as well. Of course, it’s at this time that I look and feel my best. And then it happens.

I hit a wall. I get sick, or someone in my family gets sick, or it gets super cold, and I stop running or doing pilates for a few days. Bam! I think I’m still eating with moderation, but in fact, I’m probably consuming more calories than I’m working out. And without a blink, I put on those few pounds that make my jeans tight.

It’s all a matter of calories and vs. calories out. I think that is true. But when activity levels change, I think it’s also about thinking about those very calories in a way that will keep me balanced. Off I go for a run. 

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

gotta run

Sometimes on a run I’ll start remembering things from 30 years ago with absolute delight and joy. This time of year always does it to me. When I was a kid, we were allowed to write down as many things as we wanted for Christmas and mail the list to Santa. One year I took the BEST catalog and wrote down every toy inside. I remember the catalog being about 5,000 pages long.  

I didn’t get anything from that list.

I started wondering about what I would have done if I had. Where would I have put the toys? How could I ever have played with them all? What were they, anyway? That was the year I got this action-figure doll that came with a horse, canteen, and binoculars. She looked like Barbie, but didn’t have a great figure or glitzy clothing. She wore a lot of brown and boots. And she went on adventures. I hated her at first. I pined for a Barbie like so many of my friends. But as often these stories do, the tables turned for me. My friends started coming over and fought over my adventure girl. She was cool. She did cool things. She was brave. And she take Barbie down in a second. I loved my adventure girl.

It’s the season of giving. Of celebration. Imbibing. Enjoy it all. Give the unexpected. Embrace the surprises given to you. Cherish your memories. Let them wash over you during your next run.

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca