Lessons Learned While Training For a 15 k Race

September 03, 2009

If you haven’t read about it here, here , here and here and here too….a couple of weeks ago, a few of us mummies got together and ran the Mid Summer Night’s Run 15 k race. The event was of the awesomest possumest calibre and I got to meet some ultra-fantastic women and spend an evening running, laughing, and drinking (not necessarily in that order).

But before you run a 15 k race, it’s important to train and with the August 22nd date looming over my head, it became quite clear that I should actually “practice the running” instead of only "thinking about the running". So around June-ish Lisa (a.k.a. Party Mummy) and I strapped on our shoes and got our training in gear. Here are a few things I learned while training to run 15 k.

1) Open Yourself Up To New Experiences

When the idea of the run was first presented to me, let’s just say I was not as fully open to the suggestion as I could have been. 

I was all “I don’t wannnnnnnnnnna ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnn fifffffffffffffffttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeen kilometrrrrrrrrrres.  It’s harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrdddddddddddd" and when the whining didn’t work, I pulled out the serious “I have knee problems and I’d hate to make it worse” and when THAT didn’t work I upped it to be all hard core and “I’ve done this shit before. I ran a half marathon and it’s hard - I’m so not doing anything like that ever again”

But Erica can be very convincing when she wants to be. And she’d already been running a few times so I knew she could catch me. 

Anyway…what I’m trying to say is that I’m glad I did it. And if Erica hadn’t been so fit convincing, I would have missed out on a great experience.

2) Choose Friends Who Will Cheer You On

Surround yourself with people who want to see you grow (as a person, not horizontally) and will encourage you when you need it most. There were days when Lisa and I would be running and one of us would want to give up but the other would be all “No! You can do it!  Come on!  It’s only one more minute” and we’d keep going getting an extra burst of energy and feeling proud of ourselves for not giving up. These are the friends you want to surround yourself with.

3) The Exception To Rule No. 1

This rule was void if both of us wanted to give up at the same time.  Then we’d just stop.

4) Choose Friends Who Will Be There For You When The Chips Are Down

Not to be mistaken for the chips we were downing to carb up in order to run, your Chips Are Down friends are the ones who’ve got your back when the shit hits the fan. When everything is falling apart, they’re the ones who help you pick up the pieces.  And the chip crumbs. The ones they helped you eat while you were sitting in the corner of the closet with your arms locked around your legs and your face in your knees, rocking back and forth crying, wondering what the hell just happened with your life.

5) See Lessons 2 and 4 Above?  Be That For Your Friends

If you can’t do that, you don’t deserve any friends. ‘Nuff said. 

6) Laughter Makes Everything Easier (Except Running)

Let me clarify.  Laughing makes the mental aspect of running easier.  The physical?  Not so much. 

When you’re running and laughing at the ridiculously funny banter going on between you and your running partner, and by funny banter I mean fart jokes and burping, suddenly you stop concentrating on the time or how far you’ve run or the fact that you want to lie in the middle of the road so cars can use you as a road bump because that would be less painful then what's going on in your chest and legs right now. Oh the pain. There’s a lot of that when you run.  But then you add the laughter and it makes it all go away leaving you with only joy and visions of the rockin’ mojitos your running partner is going to make when today’s run is finally finished.  At 9:00 a.m.

The physical part, on the other hand, laughing makes that way way harder.  Because it’s hard to gasp for breath and laugh at the same time.  It also wastes energy, energy your body needs to propel you forward with long even strides like the graceful gazelle you are….or like an ox pulling a cart. Whichever.

This laughter rule applies in all aspects of life.  No matter what you’re going through, laughing will always make it a bit better. Even when it’s that laugh that starts out as a laugh but slowly becomes hysterical then turns into a sobbing cry. 

Like I did last night after I found our tenant’s rent check Son No. 2 had put in the dishwasher. Again.

See?

Better.

7)  Don’t Let Life Get In The Way Of Your Goals

I have two kids…blah blah blah….and I work….blah blah blah….and I volunteer at school….blabbity blah blah…and I’m so busy…blah blah blah.

Know what that is? That’s an excuse.

Know who didn’t use it?  

Candace Derickx. She writes our Mummy Juggles blog. She just started her own business and that business’s busiest time of the year just happened to coincide with our run.  And she has kids.  And a husband who owns his own business.  Guess who ran 15 k?  Candace.

Or Kelli Daisy.  Four kids under the age of six.  Had to drive in from Ottawa. Five hours away.  Yep. She ran too.

My friend Jenny got sucked into running two weeks before the actual run.  She had never run more than 10 k in her life.  Works full time, two kids.  She was there and kicked our asses.

Racheal McCaig our very own Energizer Mummy?  Did I happen to mention that while she was training for this run and being a mom of two, she managed to put together a show?  No?  Well I just did.  And it's a big show. In a theatre.  Called Nursery School Musical – with actors and rehearsals and marketing and wardrobe fittings.  And still she ran.

And last but not least, my tried and true running partner Lisa.  We juggled schedules with military precision and enlisted the help of babysitters both paid and unpaid (Hi Adrian!) so we could run. 

It’s easy to say life has a way of getting in the way but that’s just an excuse, if it's important enough to you and you prioritize, you can do it.

 

So why are you still reading this.  Go.  Set a goal. 

 

Seriously?  You're still here?

 

Well if you're still reading, you may as well comment below and at least tell me what your goal is.

 

Okay...that's enough.  I've gotta pee.