Happy (Belated) Anniversary!

Running and I have officially been together for two years! June 16 was the official date, but I’m just getting around to blogging about it now.

From the time I was born until two years and eight days ago, I couldn’t stand the thought of running. Randomly sprinting was always OK to me, but when it came to intentionally running for exercise: Ewwwww. I thought it was tedious, boring, painful, and pretty much about as fun as repeatedly pounding my thumb with a hammer. Even when The Great Health Kick of 2010 began, I stayed fa-a-a-ar away from running, opting instead to focus on basketball-related exercise, walking, lifting weights, etc.

In spring 2011, I started incorporating more (very light) jogging into my basketball routine, mainly as a way to increase the level of cardio (CERTAINLY not because I thought it would be fun). I figured out that 20 laps was equal to just over a mile, so I ran 20 laps at a time at the beginning of each basketball routine. But jogging 20 laps, while making me feel accomplished, was so tedious that I just KNEW I could never do more than that without losing my mind…or at least losing count of the number of laps I ran.

I don’t really know how my mindset changed when it came to running, but I know when. It was mainly thanks to an incredible set of circumstances on June 16, 2011, that I began to morph into one of those crazy runner people. On that date, my mom, dad, younger sister, and I were on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. For some reason (I wish I remembered why), Mom and I decided to get up at 6 a.m. and go running on the boardwalk.

That early morning, I laced up my $17 sneakers from Payless Shoe Source, queued up my iPod, and headed out, having no set goal of how far I wanted to go. I don’t remember how fast I was running (probably not a blistering pace), but I do remember thinking, “Hey, this really isn’t so bad!” But the more I ran that morning, the more I realized that running was better than “not so bad.” It was a beautiful day, my iPod was shuffling the best songs in the perfect order, and – the best part – there were countless pods of dolphins swimming and leaping high out of the ocean. And I just cruised happily along, grateful for the opportunity to be alive and exercising. It was, at the risk of sounding cheesy or like a Disney movie, magical.

Thanks to markers every quarter mile, I was clued in to the fact that I had run 3 miles. I was feeling pretty tired, so I decided to make it to 3.25 miles and then walk a bit. Reaching 3.25 miles felt incredible. I bumped into Mom (not literally) at this point, and she and I walked together for about a quarter mile before I decided to start jogging again. I mostly jogged, with a bit of walking, back to the hotel. In all, I’d run 4.75 miles and walked three-quarters of a mile. I felt amazing, and I couldn’t wait to jog again!

Mom and I, after completing that incredible early-morning run on the boardwalk

Unfortunately, those $17 sneakers left me with some pretty ugly blisters, so I wasn’t able to jog again for the rest of our vacation. But I was hooked. And I haven’t looked back since.

Who would have thought that this athlete, who shunned running almost all her life, would voluntarily get up early on vacation to run?

Who would have thought that this basketball player, who was once shocked that a friend ran 3 WHOLE MILES, would ever complete 14 amazing 5K (3.1-mile) races and would even consider that distance to be on the shorter side of things?

Mom and I, after our first 5K in September 2011

Always smile when crossing a finish line. Or at least try not to look gross.

December 2011’s Water Street Christmas Run (which included a financial match if I ran it wearing a tutu) garnered over $1,400 and 113 food items for a local charity!

And who would’ve thought that this girl, who once considered 7 miles to be an insanely impossible running distance, would end up completing two half marathons (13.1 miles each), with plans for two more in the next year?

Pittsburgh Half Marathon, 2012

Pittsburgh Half Marathon, 2013

There’s no denying it: I am a runner.

Happy two-year anniversary to you, Running. I may dislike you sometimes, but I will always love you. Here’s to many more years!

You Know You’re a Runner When…

In the realm of physical activity, running is unique. It is probably the only form of exercise that really gives its victims participants ample opportunities to joke about how horrible it is and STILL love it/willingly engage in it.

Take these phrases from shirts that I saw at the expo while I was picking up my packet for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon:
-Referring to signing up for a race: “This seemed like a good idea three months ago!”
-A picture of a flower with the word “Running” in the middle and the petals labeled with “I love it” and “I love it not.”
-“13.1 miles…’cause I’m only half crazy!”

Of course, we runners also joke about how running changes our perspective on things. At the expo, I bought a shirt that offers some humorous insights into how a runner is defined. So how do I measure up? Well, here’s the list from the shirt, along with my self-evaluations. Enjoy!

You know you’re a runner when…

1. You rotate your running shoes more often than your tires.
Wait. You’re supposed to rotate your tires? Kidding. I actually knew that, but…I’ve definitely gone through more sneakers than tires since I started running less than two years ago.

Hmmm…shoes or tires?

2. Running for less than an hour seems pointless.
Well, I squeezed in today’s run in under an hour (59:39, to be exact). Actually, most of my runs are under an hour, and I wouldn’t exactly say that they’re pointless. Still, some of the times that I feel most accomplished are when I knock out a nice, long run that takes well over 60 minutes.

59:39!

3. You feel guilty because you only ran three times last week.
Yeah, that’s becoming more and more true, especially when the weather is perfect for running. I wouldn’t call it guilt, though. It’s more like…not wanting to waste a good opportunity. That means that I regret it if I don’t plan a long run on a Saturday morning. Sleeping in? Nah!

I only ran three times this week, which isn’t bad considering that two days were spent traveling.

4. You have at least one black toenail.
Just see if you can figure out which one it is.

Anyone have black nail polish so the other ones match?

5. Your social calendar is planned around race dates.
Typical conversation:
Friend: “What are you doing this weekend?”
Me: “I have a race.”
Friend: “Oh, yeah.”
True story.

I’ve probably had to turn down social engagements for some of these little guys.

6. Majority of your wardrobe is running attire.
I opened one of my dresser drawers the other day, and I saw only tech shirts, race T-shirts, compression shirts, etc. And that’s without even opening the other drawers, full of athletic shorts, compression capris, and compression pants (some of which, I found out, can double as leggings if you’re in a bind). Now, I do have other “regular” clothes; they’re just hanging up in my closet. I promise.

Hmmm, what to wear?

7. Your iPod has a running playlist.
Eh…perhaps…it’s possible I’ve developed one…

Music can certainly have an impact on the quality of a run, like how quickly I can get into a groove.

8. You’ve run more of your local roads than you’ve driven.
I live along a busy road, so it’s not always a pleasant running location, depending on the time of day. But I have run quite a few roads in nearby neighborhoods/developments where I NEVER drive. Why drive there when I can run?

Running offers a different perspective of roads than driving does.

9. When you hear “PR,” you don’t think “public relations.”
What? “PR” means something other than “personal record”? Hold on; I need to sit down and let this sink in…

My 5K PR from September ’12 (third in the “Female 19 to 29” category)

10. Energy gels are an essential part of your diet.
Yum. Gotta say: I enjoy Shot Bloks more than Gu. Shot Bloks come in all sorts of tasty flavors, and they’re not messy for mid-run consumption, and they’re very easy to share (assuming, of course, that you WANT to share with your running buddies instead of exclaiming, “Hey! Get your own!”).

Delicious (as you can see from the open package).

OK, it’s half satisfying and half scary how well I measured up. Now go on; evaluate yourself! I know you want to. And feel free to share your results!

Pressing In: 2013 Youth Group Backpacking Trip

Recently, I spent a weekend in the woods with Eleven:59 youth group (and chaperones). OK, OK, this was on Memorial Day weekend, but that’s still recent, right? I mean, in the grand scheme of things.

This was my third backpacking trip with the youth group. I always love this trip. I think maybe it’s because the 2011 trip was my first-ever activity as a youth group chaperone. I’d had no clue what I was doing that year, so I had to learn quickly. But then, I was hooked, and I look forward to this excursion every year.

This year, we decided to tackle the Ironstone Loop near State College, PA. I’d never done it, but I’d heard it was pretty difficult at times, with an intimidating stretch of Indian steps toward the end of the loop. Bring it. David (youth leader) explained that our theme for the weekend was “Pressing In,” so I found it very appropriate to have an obstacle of that magnitude along the way.

As always, we drove to the trailhead Friday night and hiked about a mile (with headlamps) to the first campsite. Let me just say: It was COLD compared to other years. Previous years’ trips had been chilly at night, but this was more impactful. I was glad when we started our hike to the campsite. Of course, once we got there, we had to set up tents, put all our food and scented stuff in bear bags, do other preparation stuff, and then go to bed. I’ll be honest: I’m not that great at putting tents up, but to assemble one I’d never used before, in the cold, in the dark, while being insanely tired? Yikes. Soon, though, we were all tucked in and either asleep or wa-a-a-a-ay too cold to sleep.

We got up relatively early on Saturday morning and had breakfast. While we were heating water up, something caught on fire, and (Pastor) Matt immediately jumped into action. With the stove or whatever it was on fire, Marcus yelled out (jokingly), “Throw it in the woods!” We all laughed, Matt put the fire out, and “throw it in the woods” became the catch phrase of the weekend.

“Throw it in the woods!”

Breakfast eaten, camp packed up, and backpacks situated nicely with all the weight on our hips, we set out to conquer as many miles as we could that day so we’d have less to do on Sunday, when we’d have to face Indian steps. What felt chilly when we first started hiking soon felt very warm; it was a beautiful day to be out in God’s creation.

Look at ’em go!

Great day for a hike!

Because Matt was recovering from a foot issue, we dropped him off at his car along the way. He planned to drive to several other places where the road came close to the trail to meet up with us. It was sad to leave behind a true man’s man, but he’ll be back more ready than ever next year!

Bye, Matt! 😦

The key with backpacking – at least for me – is to focus on the beauty of the nature around me. That helps me forget that I’ve been walking for hours with like 30 to 40 pounds of stuff on my back. There were so many times along the trip that I was reminded just how much I love the outdoors! Ahhhh, yes.

Three first-time backpackers: Ashley, Clara, and Anna! Yeah, you go, girls!

Ben making sure we took the right trail

Trekking along

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch, and we all sprawled out on the grass and dug into our trail mix, fruit, or whatever else we brought. Matt met up with us at our lunch site and gave a short but good teaching after we were done pigging out.

Mmmmm food!

When you don’t feel like hiking, just have your daughter carry you! At least that’s what Alex thought. You go, Marissa!

Stomachs full and feet ready to go, we started on Part 2 of our Saturday hike. The weather was perfect: not too hot but not too cold. Ahhh, yeah.

Yours truly thoroughly enjoying the hike

Nature is amazing!

My hiking buddy Kelsie and me

Bekah and I were glad to be tackling another trail.

Well done, everyone!

After we’d trekked 11 or 12 miles, we found a campsite that was very close to Indian steps. Perfect. It was still light out, so we set up camp and relaxed a bit:

Painting a nail?!

Dinner…

Being real men…

Spaghetti with no sauce. Yes, of course.

David made “woodsketti,” which was spaghetti with edible greens/herbs that he’d found along the way and added to the sauce. Delish!

Marcus enjoying the warmth of the fire

Night was cold (again), but I was better prepared this time and layered up, so I definitely slept better. Because we’d covered so much ground the day before and only had 4 or 5 miles to knock out on Sunday, we were able to sleep in. And we did. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before packing up and marching toward Indian steps.

Marissa, Erica, and Bekah all enjoying breakfast

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the bottom of our nemesis!

Ready for the challenge

Before this exact moment, I’d never seen Indian steps, and I didn’t exactly know what they were. I just…I just wish I could explain it. It was steep. Very steep. And rocky at points. Sometimes, there were stones positioned like very awkward steps, and other times, it was more dirt-based. Oh yeah, and it seemed eternal.

There was nothing to do but have at it, so we did. I’m in decent shape, and I had a hard time of it at certain points. Of course, I applied the same techniques I’d used in my half marathon hill training, one of which was to take small, quick steps; that helped a lot.

Part of the difficulty with Indian steps was that there was no way to know how much farther they went, because trees obscured the path ahead. David gave names to the three false hills along the way (you know, points where we thought, “Hey, we’re done! Oh…no, we’re not.”):
-Disappointment. “We’re there! Oh, bummer. It keeps going.”
-Deception. “We did it! ARGH. There’s MORE?”
-Despair. “Yay! We’re at the top! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY DOES IT NEVER END?” *sobbing*

But before I knew it, I’d made it. Legs burning, I’d done it. And I was glad.

Go, Ben! Go! (He was the first one to make it to the top.)

Ben, David, and I were relieved to be done with Indian steps. (understatement)

Glad to have Indian steps under my belt!

Every single one of us made it! Such a rewarding feeling.

Conquerors of Indian steps

We felt it was a good time for an early lunch, so we made ourselves comfortable and dug into whatever food we had left. Apparently, Slim Jims were scarce, because a good-natured wrestling match broke out over one of them:

David vs. Ben and Marcus in the Battle for the Slim Jim

Some of us got creative with our food combinations:

Marcus enjoying dried pineapple topped with peanut butter. What a delicacy!

With lunch finished, we had a brief church service at the top of Indian steps, complete with some singing and insights from each of the group members. It was awesome!

Soon, we were on our way, hiking over rocks and taking in some nice views:

Still loving the outdoors!

Check it out!

After a bit, we came to a clearing on top of a hill, and the views were incredible!

Girl picture!

Nothin’ like a little relaxation…

Guy picture!

After a quick break in the clearing, we continued hiking, singing (not always on-key), joking, and just having a good time. Before we knew it, we were back at the van! I guess time really DOES fly when you’re having fun, eh?

We did it!

Backpacking is incredible. No matter how many times you’ve done trips like this, you always come away feeling like you gained something. I’m always learning, always growing, always feeling inspired, always pushing myself past what I’d thought my limits were. It was so awesome to see the other group members have experiences like that, too. Now bring on the 2014 backpacking trip!