Push It Up

It’s been more than a minute since Jeff dared me to do a challenge. Through our nearly 12 years of working together, he has had me do some real doozies: a squat challenge, a burpee challenge, a 90 day core movement challenge that I had to come up with on my own. Being accountable to a challenge is a really good change up from doing the same old, same old but honestly, I am not feeling bored whatsoever. Whatever the challenge, it’s a nice extra boost to my daily routine and I have found that each and every challenge I’ve done has offered some really great results in terms of improved body composition and that all so important strength and mobility.

This past Thursday, I had just completed my fifth round of a segment where I had done 10 push ups each time, followed by a plank and a whole bunch of hip bridges. Jeff must have heard me thinking to myself, wow…I just did 50 push ups’ because the next thing I knew, he said maybe it’s time for a little push up challenge. As history has it, anytime the word ‘challenge’ had been uttered by Jeff, I would get a little antsy…maybe, a lot nervous because I would have this fear and this lack of confidence that would tell me that there was no way I could do such a challenge. I can’t say that I am without any fears and I still have battles with my self confidence but I have come a long way with being willing to hear past the word ‘challenge’ and think a bit about how I CAN do it, rather than assume I CAN’T.

Jeff’s suggestion this time was a 30 day push up challenge. Nothing crazy…just 25 push ups per day and I can break it up if I need or want to. I immediately said okay since it sounded pretty doable and I could make it work into my day some way or another. When I think back to when I first started working out with Jeff nearly 12 years ago, I could barely manage what we call a modified push up, where I have my hands on the ground and I am on bended knees while pushing my upper body up and down. A ‘real’ push up was so out of my realm and it would take me several years to work on getting it right and getting it done to the point where I can do 10 or 15 or 25. This push up challenge isn’t just about improving my core and working on my upper body strength. This push up challenge is about tackling something that once seemed too hard…even impossible…and reminding myself that I am stronger and more capable than I think.

A Run Of Celebration

This morning, I headed out to do a run and while I had a 10k route planned in my head, I also went out with the intention to run according to feel…however my legs and my body would allow me to go. I really didn’t know if I would go the full distance and I didn’t know how my pace would feel; after all, I had just traveled over the last two days and I didn’t know how I would feel. As I ran along the streets and through the surrounding neighborhoods, I told myself I would ‘just run…’ that I wasn’t making this about getting a certain time…even if I did reach that 10k. This run was all about celebrating.

Today is my father-in-law’s birthday and I was dedicating this run to him. Had it not been for our little talk nearly 12 years ago…that talk where he told me that he saw I was always doing something much for others but that I needed to do something for me and make myself a priority. That talk led me to call our community center and set up an appointment with one of their trainers and well, that was the beginning of my fitness and running story. Dad gave me the gentle push to think of myself…what I needed…what I was missing…and he has been supportive of everything I have done along the way since our talk.

Today is also something of a whole other birthday…my running birthday, if you will. A Facebook memory showed up and reminded me that 11 years ago today, I went out on my very first 5k run as a practice run for that first 5k race I would be doing a few weeks later. A few months before — at our very first meeting — I had shared my wish with Jeff to be able to run but never had I imagined that I would actually see that happen. But it did happen and it all started on this very day 11 years ago, where I took those steps towards pursuing a goal and making it happen.

Just Another Ordinary Run

I didn’t have much of a plan for my run this morning, other than the route I had mapped out and even that, I changed a few things along the way. I didn’t know what I would listen to in terms of music until I saw that I have only half of a Podrunner episode left so I chose to ‘shuffle’ with a Run playlist on my Apple Music. I didn’t know what my distance would be but I knew I wanted to go at least three or four miles. It was going to be just another ordinary run.

Just another ordinary run that turned out pretty extraordinary. I hadn’t run more than a block when I passed the first of three friends I would see on my run. I waved hi to her and to the two other friends I would see…friends who have been encouraging me with my running over the years and if that didn’t give me a little extra pep in my step…

I enjoyed the run…all 4.3 miles of it. It felt great to be outside on a gorgeous day where I could see kids boarding the school bus and running through the Shaker park that I haven’t been to since last year. I felt invigorated and energized as I ran along Richmond Road, wondering if my daughter would pass me by on her way to taking the kids to school and they would tell me tomorrow that they saw their Savta running. I finished my run and stopped at Starbucks for a drink and on my way out, another customer said she saw me running on Richmond and thought I was so cool and that she wishes she could run. I thanked her and said I am 57 and she can do anything she wishes…she just needs to take that first step and if I can do it, anyone can!

So this run that started out as just another ordinary run…it ended up being pretty awesome and extraordinary!

Look At Me Now!

My daughter turned 31 years old yesterday, which I find hard to believe since I was 31 myself not too long ago. When I think back to where I was 31 years ago, I see a very different version of myself. I was at my heaviest weight and I didn’t know a kilometer from a mile. I had been in my 220’s when I was pregnant with her and I only managed to gain a few pounds during those nine months because my obstetrician scared the be-jeezies out of me about gaining weight and having a baby’s birth weight be in the double digits. I did incorporate some healthier habits during that time such as eating healthier meals and walking everyday and doing prenatal aerobics classes twice a week but I realize now that I was only doing all of those things because I had to be accountable to the scale every visit and worry about how big the baby would be. 31 years ago today, I was recovering from a C-section and trying to figure out how to breast feed and make sure I had taped her diaper on just right. I watched the live news reports of the Oklahoma City bombing and held my newborn close to me, feeling thankful and blessed.

As it turned out, my daughter weighed six pounds, ten ounces and I managed to drop about thirty pounds in the months after she was born. I tried to watch what I ate but I didn’t continue with those aerobics classes (even though I would go on to have four more children within the next seven years!) and I wasn’t much of a regular walker. The idea of running or being active wasn’t in my headspace for a good long while as I got caught up with motherhood.

I look back at myself 31 years ago and I want to say to that version of myself that you won’t be this way forever. You may not be ready right now to take on running or working with a personal trainer and you might not even want to make any changes but when it’s the right time, you will know it and you will take those steps towards prioritizing yourself and when you do, you will thrive!

A Different Kind Of 10k

Two weeks ago today, I was supposed to participate in the Jerusalem Marathon 10k. I had followed Jeff’s training plan and I was physically and mentally ready for it but then it was postponed. The new date doesn’t work with my schedule so I chose to defer my registration for next year.

I did run a 10k two weeks ago and I made it as close to a race experience as possible. I made a bib to pin to my shirt. I had my family waiting for me when I came upstairs after my run, congratulating me on getting it done and applauding my time – 1:03:26. Once I came down from the excitement later that afternoon, I wrote here how I didn’t have anything specific to train for and I was fine with that. I have a trail race in late July but for the time being, I wanted to just enjoy going out for runs and getting back to a little more spinning and lifting in my virtual training sessions.

So this morning, Gary forwarded an email to me about the Jerusalem night run that is happening in July. Okay…On a date when I will be here. Okay…I have never done a night run but whenever I have seen photos posted on Facebook or Instagram, I think to myself, ‘that looks like so much fun.’ So without so much as a moment’s hesitation, I signed up for the 10k. Some of my kids said we can do it together and I am actually pretty excited about this. I wouldn’t mind having something of a training plan to follow to help me build up my endurance and dare I say…speed…but a night run and a night run with my kids surrounding me, seems like the type of thing that I want to savor as an experience rather than a race. A different course. A different kind of feel in the weather and the darker surroundings. A different kind of 10k. But I say, let’s do it!

Can You Start Running In Your 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s?

An IG friend of mine posted that question and I answered an enthusiastic YES.

As an adult, I had wished I could run. The twenty and thirty and early forty something version of myself would look out the window and see people running on the streets of our neighborhood or pass them by while driving and I wished I could do what they were doing. But I didn’t think I could. I worried about so many things and there were so many reason I made up as to why I shouldn’t or couldn’t run. It’s funny…of the many reasons why I felt it was too impossible or too hard, I didn’t think I was too old…I just assumed I couldn’t or shouldn’t.

In sharing that ‘impossible’ wish with Jeff to run and then his oh so gently adding running bursts to my walking workouts, I found myself thinking that I wasn’t all that bad at running. Granted, I had never run a complete mile and I still couldn’t see myself actually taking off the emergency strap clip from my shirt and getting off the treadmill to try this thing called running anywhere else! I was 46 years old when I tried that thing called running and I soon found myself running three or four miles through my neighborhood and turning into that person I had been looking out the window at.

As I responded to my IG friend, ‘the window is never closed.’ I wish I had started running sooner but I wasn’t in a place in my 30’s and early 40’s to truly appreciate what it would give me. I’m grateful at 57 to be able to do what I do. It’s never too late to start. You’re never too old. Nothing is truly impossible.

10K – Check!

The day had come. My clothes were laid out and I had the bib I had made for myself, all set up with the pins and I was wide awake well before I felt like I needed to be at the gym. Losing an hour of sleep thanks to daylight savings time didn’t seem to affect me as I am usually up around 5ish but I figured I’d wait until closer to 7 to get started. It’s funny…I’m usually all nerves before a race. I am usually in a porta potty, standing in a porta potty line, coming out of a porta potty or looking for a porta potty in the hours before a race. But today, I was fine. And I tried my best to treat this a a race, as Jeff had suggested.

There was no one in the gym when I started out but Gary was awake when I was heading out and he wished me luck. I spent a few minutes warming up and doing the various stretches we did in yesterday’s training session and I took a few pictures. I really tried to treat it as a race…

I got started and immediately got into a pace I consider pretty steady and easy to maintain. I used a different treadmill than the one I’ve been using in my training since this one has a fan and it also has a virtual run to follow, which made the time go by a little faster or so I thought. I did listen to Jeff and taped a piece of paper over the pace and time markers so I wouldn’t get caught up in the numbers but by the time I had gotten bored from the virtual paths, I was at two miles.

I had four miles left…so I did what I could. I moved my way around, increasing the pace but not quite sure what it was exactly and I had no idea of the time, which was actually great for me mentally. I knew where I was distance wise but I ran as fast as I could manage and held back a bit when I felt I needed to. I was feeling a bit depleted just before I was getting to mile 5, feeling tired in my legs and doing more of a jog than a run but I knew there was no way I would stop short. That was when I pictured Aliza and I thought of her resilience and her strength and how she managed to be at so many races for her son, as sick as she was. I felt her with me in that moment and told myself I am doing this. I got myself back to that steadier pace and then I sprinted for the last half kilometer. 1:03:26 It was my fastest Jerusalem Marathon 10k (even if this one was virtual) and this one had a whole different meaning. I worked hard in my training and made it work in spite of a few weeks of traveling back and forth and the last few weeks had me doing my runs inside But I made it about something. I made it about something more than myself. And it turned out to be everything I could hope for and more!

One Week To Go

March 27 is getting closer…one week from now, if you want to be specific and then it’s 10k day!

With my three mile run done earlier this morning, I have one more run to go and it’s tapering time. Truth be told, this past week has been something of a taper as well, as my runs on Monday and Wednesday were back to three miles each after last week’s increase in mileage. My training sessions with Jeff this past week have been just as intense but not as focused on the lifting and a little more attentive to mobility and bodyweight strength.

As I go into this last week of training, I am feeling good about where I am headed. This training plan and all of these past several weeks have prepared my body to step on the treadmill next Friday and run the 10k distance, while also preparing me mentally and reminding me that I am not only capable of getting it done but also pushing myself a little harder to get it done beyond anything I could hope for.

A Change In Plans

I won’t be doing the Jerusalem Marathon 10k a week from Friday. The race has been postponed until mid April and the new date falls out at the same time I hope to be celebrating my twin grandchildren’s sixth birthday.

I will be doing my own 10k a week from Friday though. On the treadmill..in the gym…it will look and feel very different from the race experience I would have had if the race was still happening but I am still going for that 10k. I will be doing in memory of my dear friend Aliza Steinberg, who passed away a few months ago and I will also be honoring my mom as it’s her birthday and she has been recovering from a broken ankle and I want this run to send more healing vibes her way.

Am I disappointed about the race being postponed? For sure, yes. I have put in the training and I have worked hard to get myself ready for this race and I was really looking forward to showing up on race day after a three year hiatus. I could very well say to myself that this whole thing with training has been a waste but it was anything but that. Every single one of those runs and training sessions and walks meant something. I needed these last three months to work for something…and work really hard at it….to have something to focus on and make myself accountable. It wasn’t always easy to get the runs and workouts in…especially when I was traveling and especially these days, when an alert or siren can suddenly go off and interrupt my momentum. But I am here today..nine days away from March 27 and I am going to run a 10k and as I wrote earlier, it will look a lot different and it will feel a lot different but it will be just as meaningful and the accomplishment will be just as felt. I might not get a medal when I finish but I know there is a different kind of reward for showing up, for taking those first steps and for pushing until the finish.

A True Endurance Run

This morning, I did the last of my longer distance runs as part of my training plan. A long easy five mile run was what Dr. Jeff ordered and I readied myself up to get it done. I had my clothes laid out. I had a 60 minute endurance run workout from Peloton picked out. I did a bunch of stretches beforehand. My body was ready and my mind was ready.

The funny thing about the Peloton runs when you’re doing them on a different brand of treadmill is that you’re not necessarily in sync, data wise. I start the treadmill a few seconds before I start the workout and there’s always this one minute warmup that doesn’t get included in the workout itself. My watch didn’t start tracking right away and I could see that as I was getting into my run, there was a good quarter of a mile discrepancy that I would want to make up by the end of the run. The run itself was great. I figured that I could get five miles in within the hourlong run but I could move things along according to feel when I wanted to. I love Mariana Fernandez as a running coach and the hour went by pretty quickly. I stuck to the higher end of the pace targets and I just about made it to the full five miles according to the powers that be at Peloton. The treadmill however said something else.

5.37 miles. An hour and a minute and eight seconds. That is including that minute of warmup that didn’t get included in the 60 minute workout on Peloton but hey…I know that I put in the work. Of course, I started to say to myself…you’re already at 8.95 kilometers…maybe you should just go for the full 10 and say you did it. But I didn’t go for more. This run was about endurance and building the stamina to go the distance I was told to go (plus or minus .37 miles!) and getting myself ready to do the actual 10k distance in two weeks. I felt great when I was done…like I could actually go for that 1.05 kilometer but this morning’s run was the longest distance I’ve run in two months and I am celebrating it for what it was.