Endurance, Challenges, Summer, and Scenery, Oh My!

I have come to the conclusion that trail running is a lot like a really, really, really long CrossFit WOD (minus the equipment, ripped open hands, and chalk, respectively). Enduring the hills and uneven terrain for extended periods of time is enough to challenge the most seasoned athlete. The constant need to be alert or suffer tripping over terrain (rocks, tree roots, downed trees, branches, snakes and various wildlife) is mentally challenging, and fun. At the same time the physical demands of enduring such alertness includes the ability to be agile in an uneven world on the trail. When a runner’s legs feel ‘heavy’, hurdling over a little branch can be challenging. Don’t get me wrong because I am certainly not discounting the efforts required for any athlete in his or her given sport. My ‘sport’ just happens to be trail running, and I know the ups, downs, and challenges well enough to know that it cannot be taken too lightly, and can be dangerous. Like any sport there are risks. Some risks are predictable, common, or expected but most risks are specific to the sport. Trail running has its fair share of common and unexpected risks. Either way, the satisfaction of when you finish your time on the trail is just as gratifying as beating your competitor in your given sport. Just my perspective.  

Moving on and speaking of endurance. I’m progressing nicely in my challenge of running 100 trail miles in August. I’m 10 days in and pretty much on target to finish my 100 miles by the 31^st. However, the over-achiever in me would rather have about 8 more miles under my belt at this point in case I find myself taking any extra rest days. I’m at 32 miles for the month after tonight’s 7.5 mile run. My new shoes rock (pictured above), and despite the little bit of tenderness in my left shin I know I would be worse off had I not bought new shoes last week. My trusty old trail shoes were so ratty, tattered, and ripped with worn-out insoles that my shins were hurting pretty bad. Now, I’m just dealing with a little tenderness on my left shin on the medial side where the tissue connects to the bone. It sucks, but I do foresee a purchase of compression socks and/or kinesio tape in my near future.  The good news is that it doesn’t suck enough to keep me off the trail. To be honest though, if a tender shin is the worst of my problems I’m not going to complain. I have taken a couple of rest days here and there as needed to allow healing. Rest is good for the body and good for the soul. Don’t ever forget that, but at the same time don’t ever find yourself taking so much rest you don’t appreciate it like you should and end up changing your lifestyle for the worse. Your body is made for movement and your mind is made to be challenged. Do as intended.

As a side note, I will say that it saddens me to see leaves falling on the trails already (it’s actually beginning to smell like autumn on the trail). The picture above was taken at one of the nature preserves earlier this week. Just know that I love summer even with its heat and humidity on the trail. I adapt better to heat and humidity than cold. Cold weather brings on different pains in my body that are hard to manage, and every winter I find myself one step closer to planning the big move to a warmer climate. Eventually, it’s going to be inevitable. I love Ohio but I’m mostly not a fan of winter anymore because of how it makes me feel physically. The question is where do we go: South where the heat and humidity is harder to bear or west where the heat is dry, yet super hot? South where the bugs are huge? West where there are critters like scorpions and rattle snakes? Wherever we end up, we’ve got to have green! I love lush green foliage pressed against the crystal blue sky. I’ve got about five or six years to scope out ‘space’.  Enjoy the scenery and take it all in every chance you get.

Happy trails,

~Cat~ 

No, wait! We're not ready for summer to end!

Wow. It’s August 1, 2012 already! June and July have buzzed by faster than I really wanted, and I know my boys feel the same way as school is set to begin in a few weeks. Nick’s summer is winding down faster than others’ because golf season is already in full-swing. Kyle’s been putting in time on the platform and competing on the local and national levels this summer with competitions already on the calendar for the remainder of 2012. In July I began running consistently again and was reunited with healthy addiction…trail running. Trail running is my drug of choice and like an addict if I don’t get my fix at least 4-5 days a week I turn into a fat zombie. I took some time off from the trails to focus on an Olympic weightlifting program this past spring, and my lifts did get bigger and better, but in my heart of hearts I prefer the life of a strength endurance athlete with trail running and girevoy sport. So, with a little bit of girevoy sport training and a little bit of CrossFit mixed in with my trail running I feel great. I try to get Olympic lifts in at least 1-2 times a week but usually end the workouts with a trail run.  After all, it’s not the best scenario when you run before an Olympic lifting or squat session. My Paleo diet lifestyle was cramped with beer this summer, but as summer winds down it’s time to get back on the Paleo wagon and get to feeling healthy and clean on the inside.

 The hills on the trails have been my biggest challenges this summer because as I build my cardio-endurance back up my asthma likes to fight me every step of the way. Despite the record heat we’ve been having here in Ohio this summer my asthma is more under control than last year but still challenges me. This year I haven’t had any days in which I couldn’t leave the house because of breathing problems. Woohoo, progress! A little bit of heat exhaustion and a couple tender spots in my legs has been about the worst I’ve experienced this summer. I may sound a bit nonchalant about such ailments but only because I have experienced worse in the past. Hey, at least this year I haven’t had any fleshy wounds due to my sometimes clumsy moments on the trail yet. Such progress has to be at least a little noteworthy!

I’m happy when I run. My family understands this fact and supports my ‘habit’. I’ve found a new online social group of outdoor sports enthusiasts called Tribesports and enjoy connecting with fellow trail runners around the globe. Although I run alone I’ve come to learn that local trail running social circles are pretty cool, too.

 I’ve stated before that when I’m on the trail my mind clears, perspectives are realized, and I get my zen on. I become the person I really want to be and approach life with greater purpose when trail running is part of my daily life. It must be those wonderful endorphins and trail running’s wonderful environment. My relationship with John is healthy, my boys are doing great, my career is coming along, and each day I am thankful for what I have in my life. Of course, I’ll always ask for more from life and strive to be better in my life, but at least I’m heading in the right direction. My mind-clearing trail runs and hill beatings continue to contribute to my life quests, and the natural competitor in me appreciates the challenges. As the wind-down from summer begins on this first day of August 1, 2012 I look back and appreciate the family, friends (old and new), reunions, my health, and trail time that have made summer 2012 a good summer.

Happy trails,

~Cat~  

You know, that uncomfortable feeling...

Feeling comfortable being uncomfortable? I hope not.

I sometimes wonder if I will ever be 100% comfortable in my own skin. I mean, as a thirty-something female I would’ve thought the answer to be yes by now. However, I believe one of the reasons I am not 100% comfortable in my own skin is because I am always striving to be better at everything I do, whether it’s fitness or athletic related, being better at being a mom, partner, or business-woman Ultimately, I really don’t want to be 100% comfortable in my own skin. My fear is that if I were to come into that state of being then I would stop doing the best I could at everything I do. I would stop striving to be better and seek improvements. I owe it to myself and those around me to do the best I am capable of and be the best I can be while continuing to strive to be better. Huh? That was a wordy sentence. The constant state of being a work in progress is healthy, and the concept of being comfortable seems uncomfortable.

People tell me I’m competitive and I often look at them wondering what they see that I don’t because I personally only find myself to be competitive with myself. I do my best to not compare myself to others because I know first-hand that everyone’s capabilities are different. Instead of comparing myself in an unhealthy competitive manner with others, I admire others’ capabilities and strive to one day at least be close to his or hers abilities in my own way, the best I can. The journey of continually seeking improvement is a good one. It’s a sign of personal growth. When one has reached the point of not feeling he or she needs to improve is when he or she will begin to descend in whatever it is he or she has become comfortable in.

Judging by the dreams I sometimes have in my sleep, there is still a little bit of an insecure redhead girl inside my subconscious. Dreams that include not being picked for a team or friend circles because I wear funny shoes, don’t have makeup on, or don’t have a good enough physical shape or abilities. We girls will be girls I guess, but this subconscious-mind somehow keeps my conscious-mind in check to continue to strive to be better at everything I do but I don’t read too much into it. Don’t get me wrong, the journey to continually strive to be better is not some sick way for me to seek approval of others. Honestly, I don’t care about approval or permission from others but rather care about testing my own limits and capabilities because I know in my heart of hearts I am capable of being better. The least I can do is my best. Anything less than my best in my mind is considered disappointing, and I hate the feeling of disappointing myself more than anything. The challenge from that carries over to my expectations of others. I often find myself holding others to my own standards and have to come up with ways to not be disappointed by others. After all, not everyone strives to be the best at what they do and their version of doing their best and capabilities is different than mine, respectively. I chock that into the personal growth category. As a parent and a coach I have high expectations of others but also am mature and wise enough to know that each individual has to ultimately look within him or herself to find their better self. I have come to the realization that I am not responsible for other people’s actions or thinking. I can only be responsible for my own. I am in a position to mentor and guide others but know in the end the element of free will is what makes us unique, and that I have to focus inward to be responsible for myself.

I don’t see this thinking as a character flaw, but view it as an opportunity to influence others in some way, and as more of a leadership characteristic. Natural born leader? Not this chick. I arose from adversity and life-changing events to find myself on this path. I believe that leaders are made, and leaders are developed. The concept of being uncomfortable with being comfortable only helps me improve in various areas of my life and is my own leadership trait that I use for motivation. However, don’t get too comfortable being uncomfortable.

I have recently realized that visions of the big picture clouded my vision to accomplish the small objectives it takes to be a part of the big picture. I am of the thinking that accomplishing big goals is best done by knocking out the small steps it takes to get there first. Chewable chunks, one bite a time, however you want to phrase it. Losing sight of what’s in front of you and what needs to be accomplished at the given moment will not make you a part of the big picture. In business school and business planning there is a lot of emphasis on an entrepreneur’s or company’s vision. There should be more emphasis on not getting wrapped up in the vision to a point that one loses sight of the objectives it takes to accomplish the highly regarded vision. Visions change. Dreams change. Humans adapt. The best way to do that, at least in my corner of the world, is to focus on chomping away at the objectives and tasks at hand on a daily-basis using strategies best suited for the individual. Staying uncomfortable now brings out the best in people and often re-shapes their vision. Take a moment to self-reflect and determine what areas of your life you need to improve upon. Develop personal strategies to adapt and look at improvements one step at a time. Realize you won’t know every step along the way and risk is part of the life cycle. Embrace the concept of being uncomfortable with yourself and in your own skin for it will inevitably lead to personal growth.

~Cat~

What do you fear?

Do you fear rejection or do you fear success? That’s a question most people don’t think about enough. Oftentimes, we don’t ask for what we want for fear of rejection. At least that’s how it appears on the surface. But if you look deeper, chances are the underlying issue could be fear of success. But why, why would someone fear success? Isn’t achieving success our ultimate goal in life?  We are programmed to work and be successful in relationships, hobbies, personal interests, keeping a clean house, staying organized, academics, business, etc. no matter the size of the coveted success. Success is that ultimate accomplishment in life that calls for celebration. I could go on and on about how we are taught from an early age the value of being successful but you get the point. Bottom line: sometimes we just aren’t ready for success of great proportions. This can be because of any number of reasons but I think that one of the main reasons is because of lack of understanding on how to handle success because there may be no real plan in place to move you and your business forward to carry success to the next level. That ponders the question: How much success is enough? Do you settle for a certain amount of success, or do you continue to strive for more? I believe that striving for success and accomplishing success is a constant evolving element in life, but ultimately, it depends on the person’s goals. Assuming he or she has definitive goals and knows which direction they are heading in, personally and professionally. Setting goals and making plans does not ensure success and success is not totally dependent on planning and goals. Moving success forward to something even bigger requires planning and goals.

Think about when you NEED to get something done and the task requires asking for help or input from others. Chances are you don’t give the fear of rejection a second thought when asking for what you need because you are so focused on getting done what needs to be done that you do whatever it takes to get it DONE. This mentality makes me consider the differences between wants and needs. When we need something, we get it. When we want something, eh, we may not pursue it with such determination, especially if it’s not an easily attainable want. So, is the fear of rejection based on wants? I would like to think that there is an element of fear attached to rejection when pursuing a want versus pursuing a need. When we are focused on needs, we focus on success and accomplishment, not rejection. You’re never going to get what you need on your own if you don’t make the pursuit a priority to succeed in getting what you need.  So, if you want success is it harder to get what you need to accomplish your goals? Just know that if you need success you are more likely to accomplish what you want in order to get what you need. Side note: if you don’t have a plan in place with set objectives to carry goals and success forward forget about celebrating anything long-term. Short-term, quick shot success will be about as far as you’ll get. Move on to a need and away from the want. Do we need success to validate ourselves? Not really. Success is in the eye of the beholder and one should not focus on what others’ consider to be success, but rather focus on moving forward in life, making a difference, and finding satisfaction in what he or she has achieved.  

A.D.D. Moment: This takes me to another psychological approach that many businesses use when working to accomplish sales goals, quotas, etc. (needs). There are some business motivators out there who will coach you to ‘go for the no’s’. Well, that’s great on the surface but if you look deeper that mentality can lead to settling for mediocrity or failure. You see, the problem with going for no’s and making it your main focus (especially in prospecting) is that we get satisfied with making a ton of calls and receiving a subsequent amount of no’s. I don’t know about you but isn’t it more important to NOT take the no’s personally and strive for the yes’s? Mediocrity is not something one should settle for in life, but maybe that’s just me. The mental strength to not take the no’s personally far outweighs striving to achieve the no’s when considering success in business, whether in prospecting, sales, or seeking help from others.  You can tell me NO all you want. I’m not responsible for your decisions. I’m responsible for a plan to move forward.  I’m responsible for my own success and failure, not yours. Considering this approach, I don’t fear rejection. I will only fear success if I don’t have a plan or goals with set objectives in place. How do plan on handling rejection and success? To be continued in evolutionary proportions…

~Cat~

Hey, Leap Day only happens every four years...

Ambitious or stupid? Leap Day 2012 trail time..

There’s no question that running frees the soul. Many thoughts are cleared and many ideas are developed as we log miles on our runs. Running trails, getting muddy, conquering hills, being defeated by hills, and just getting ‘lost’ in the woods works wonders for my thought processes, and I always finish with a feeling of accomplishment. Today was no different. As I embarked on what turned out to be a 5-mile muddy, hilly, bust my ass trail run today. I realized that the one thing I will always have is my time alone with the Trail Gods. The stresses of life have a tendency to rob us of our ‘me’ time and honestly running deep in the woods is an escape for many of us as we become unavailable to drop everything and fix problems that our lives oftentimes revolve around, especially in our work life because we’re in the middle of the woods somewhere.  

Today, I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to return to the rat-race of life. I wanted to get in at least a few more miles but my logic stepped in. Logic told me that as ambitious, fabulous, and appealing a few more miles sounds, it would be stupid for me to pursue them (at least for today). The unfortunate fact that I haven’t had much trail time in the past few months (and my stomach was growling) called for me to end today’s run on mile 5. I’m ok with that. I still have a sense of satisfaction and the Trail Gods were good to me as I ran what turned out to be my own version of a tough mud run with hills from hell that put my glutes in knots. Life is still good…no, life is better. But this thinking is a common theme. Here is an example of the internal arguments (think of having a good angel sitting on one shoulder, and the evil angel sitting on the other shoulder) and A.D.D thoughts a trail runner often experiences: “run more…”no it’s time to stop”…”no this running feels so good don’t stop now”…”embrace the runner’s high”…”catch the runner’s high again”…”your knees and hips are getting pissed”…“don’t stop! run through the pain”…”your body parts will adapt”…”maybe if you stop for a second and just stretch you can go that extra mile”…“spend the day doing what you love”… “no, you have life obligations to tend to”…”who cares, life is better out here”…I could go on and on. But anyone who knows the feeling of being in the woods with just you, the mud, the hills, the elements, and the Trail Gods knows that the experience is awesome, incomparable to other running workouts, thoughts are born and sorted, and perspectives are realized making for a better life. Embrace the trails and come out of the woods a physically and mentally stronger person.

Happy running and happy trails!

~Cat~