Runner Insight

Hey, we are back!

2009 is in the archives, and a bright, beautiful new year awaits us all in a shiny new package and it’s up to each of us to make the best of it.

Here’s the news!

Got to Burbank, CA on my virtual RunOverToEllen’s on my birthday Dec. 2^nd, running all of the 1,222 ¼ virtual miles in my home town of Missoula, MT.  I never did hear from The Ellen Show or any of Ellen’s staff, even after a multiple months mailing campaign.  But no worries: Her loss, my gain as I had a blast racking up the miles and raising money for Guide Dogs for the Blind along the way.

This year I’ve been so thankful for my chiropractor, Dr. Krieg.  He really got my back aligned and my sciatica cured so I could put in all the running miles.  I ran more miles in a week than I had ever thought I would want to, and enjoyed every step of it.

This summer, I ran in hotter temperatures than I had ever voluntarily chosen to run, by giving myself permission to turn around if I wanted to.  I also learned how to make my running more enjoyable by taking water with me on my runs.  Not only did it keep me hydrated, but it also allowed me to take nutrition with me to eat at my half-way mark.  This one technique alone – hydrating a couple of ounces every mile – helped me to run as many as 50 miles in a week.

Also, this winter I gave myself permission to run in colder weather than I usually enjoy.  Typically this time of the year it is very hard for me to get out and run due to snow on the trail, but the cold temps usually keep me inside as well. This year I gave myself a cut-off temp of 20 degrees F.  It’s still cold, but at 20 my lungs don’t freeze!  But I’ll write more about my winter running in another blog.

In 2010 I plan on finishing my marathon book.  I am also going to be doing some motivational speaking.

T is now “A Better You Coach”  and she can coach you on just about anything to help you achieve your “better you” -  health and wellness, or even help you grow your small business.  Check out her website at: www.ABetterYouCoach.com

I have more to tell you about upcoming events in 2010, so stay tuned to this blog for more great stories and inspiration!  Make it a great week!

How ’bout it?

–Vision Runner

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Beyond Cloud Nine

The other day we went to our favorite lake about 60 miles from home. We returned from a great day in the sun and water in the early evening. Just as we were coming through the Hellgate Canyon into the Missoula valley, I flashed back to other times when I had come back home from long trips away. Granted this was just a day trip, but as we came into the valley I remembered the feelings I had each time I would come back home, after being gone for weeks, or even months sometimes.

-Vision Runner

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Couple bits of news for you today.

First off, on Thursday (tomorrow) we’re doing a 24-hour Twitter event for our fundraising project for the “Guide Dogs for the Blind” organization. So if you’re on Twitter, we’re going to tweet and re-tweet all day long to get everyone to donate at least $1 in the name of their pet (or themselves) to Guide Dogs for the Blind.  So be on the lookout for that. Be sure to re-tweet to all your friends and followers to get them to donate if they haven’t yet! You can follow me, my Twitter id is @RunnerInsight

And secondly:

Hey the Missoula Marathon is almost here again!  I’m running in the half marathon this year.  I thought about doing the full marathon, but after coming off my back injury this winter, I just didn’t feel I had the proper time to prepare for a full 26.2 mile race. 

Although I have been running an average of 50 miles a week since April for my 1,222.25 mile virtual run over to the Ellen tv show in Burbank, most of the runs have been in the 8 to 13 mile range.  I did do a 16 mile run the other week, but I really had not planned on running that far; we just missed the turn-around point and when I checked the time, we had gone 8 miles one way, so we turned around. But it made for an intensely long run: one that took me several days to recover from.  So I have tapered off my mileage this week to give my body the proper rest it needs to run a good 13.1 mile half-marathon race on Sunday.

This year I will be taking along my white cane.  In previous race events I have relied on fellow runners to pace me, but last year there were a handful of places along the route that I felt my white cane could have come in handy. For example, coming over McClay’s bridge, the sun just hit me right in the eyes and I couldn’t see a thing, stopping me dead in my tracks! 

I’m not too concerned with my time, as I know my vision loss has slowed me down considerably over the years.  I’m just excited to be a part of such a great day…and of course looking forward to all the wonderful goodies at the finish line!

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

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