Deep Inside Of You

WARNING

I'm about to get all philosophical...

Have you ever stopped to think about what defines you?

I got to thinking about what defines me. It all started when my PT mentioned that another mom would be joining the half marathon training group, and perhaps (just because we are mom types over 40) that we would get along, and not feel so outnumbered and intimitaded by the younger people in the group, most under 30. I was somewhat perplexed by this. Yes, it's nice that someone thinks I will get along with another person and would like us to meet, but being one of the older ones in a group does not bother me. I'm not intimidated. I live with two people in their twenties -- my own kids. I have no age issues as far as getting along with someone. I'm certainly not age-ist. I'm amenable to everyone, and if they get along with me is another story. I have yet to meet this lady. We'll probably get along just fine. Motherhood or age does not define me, nor does it mean I'm going to get along with other women just because we are mothers in a certain age demographic.

Nor am I defined by:
the city I live in
being a dog owner
being a cat owner
my house
my housekeeping
the car I drive
my running
my education
my job
my money
the food I eat
the shows I watch
the music I listen to
my likes
my dislikes
my family
what people think about me
and so on...

Some of these things are just that, things. Some of these things are from the result of who I am, but they still don't define me.

Try Googling "what defines you?" Plenty of people made lists of things they have done and the people in their lives, but it still does not define them. I found this article that seemed to nail it. As it says in the article, it all comes down to being comfortable in your own skin.

That being said, I had a half marathon training workout last night at Rehab United. I kicked some major butt, and surprised some of the young-uns. Sure, they all ran circles around me and left me in the dust, but I could do more pull ups than a twenty-something year old who looked to be in great physical shape. It made my day. Being in my own skin felt really good.

Tuesday's song:
22 - Lily Allen

PEACE

With A Little Luck

I thought I'd have more time to blog once everyone was back at school, but it hasn't exactly worked out that way. My computer has been buggy and it even took forever to put up a few words on Facebook. I hope whatever Michael did to the computer last night settles the bugs, at least for now.

Lately I've been feeling a little lucky...

I won a canister of French Vanilla Juice Plus Complete from Fair Weather Runner's blog give-away last month. This is pretty awesome stuff because I'm not allergic to anything in it, and it tastes good. I'd give it my seal of approval if I had one. I was also hooked up with a small case of Pom pomegranate juice for free from the nice folks over at Pom. I've tried Pom before, but it has been a while since I've had any. It's still great! I received the Pom and the French vanilla Juice Plus Complete at the same time. I put both products in the blender with some ice and that was a delicious post workout concoction.

I won a shoe odometer from the Runner's Lounge. It's an interesting concept, especially since I became lax about tracking my shoes once I got the GPS running app for my cell phone. Prior to that I would write the mileage on the inside lid of the shoe box and do a weekly total. I'm saving the Shoe Odometer for a new pair of shoes, which will probably happen in another month or so. I'll let you all know how it works then.

Last month Runner's Lounge was hit by a major wave of generosity, and Wright Socks gave their readers who responded two pairs of socks each. That's a lot of socks. I've worn Wright Socks ever since I became serious about running. Quality running socks do make a difference and are worth the investment. The two brands I usually go for are Wright Socks and Ininji.

I also thought I would have a new photo to share. Sorry, no photo. Michael hasn't downloaded the pictures from his camera. It's still at the office. Michael and I went out to breakfast with AKA Alice and Heffer friends Betty and Elsie after our run with the track club last Saturday. Yes, mimosas were served. AKA Alice has proof on her blog here.

This week I was surprised with the track club's half marathon training's "Runner of the Week." I really did not see that coming at all. I have my photo and a blurb about me on the track club half marathon site. I'm not going to link to it because it's only up for a week but here's the blurb:

Irene Morton is proof that a debilitating injury doesn't mean you're down and out for good. Three weeks before last year's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, she broke her hip and immediately underwent surgery, then physical therapy just to learn to walk correctly again. A year later, she made good on that marathon goal and finished strong as part of the SDTC's training program. In addition to being such an inspiration, she's also an active volunteer. Right now she and her husband Michael are training for the Silver Strand and Las Vegas half marathons. Her running advice: "Listen to your body. If something hurts and does not feel better within a short time, rest and/or seek medical advice.”

The quote is missing a the part about "be your own advocate" in regards to medical advice and getting a second opinion. I know they had limited space to put the blurb, and I know I made that advice quote up there, but it sounds kind of obvious. I also realize people dislike having to go to the doctor and put it off as long as possible. Ah, well. I am really, really, really honored to be a "Runner of the Week." It's a good thing.

In addition to the track club, I started half marathon training with Rehab United for the Las Vegas Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon in December. OH . MY . GAWD. Can we all say "intense?" I think it's safe to say that I will improve my times working with the RU training program. No luck involved, just a lot of hard work -- really hard work, but it's exactly what I need. There's about 20 of us, all different levels and ages. Since I've just started with them tonight, I'll save my comparisons to the track club for later on.

Whew.

Last Thursday's song:
Only You Can Bring Me Cheer - Allison Krauss

PEACE

Photo by cygnus921 on Flickr

All Star

What?

My husband got into today's San Diego Union Tribune, complete with picture!

PS... It's the first picture. LOL.

Yesterday's song:
What I Got - Sublime - Barbie2be

What I Got

Activity: Run
Date: 05/28/09 11:42 AM
Distance: 1.77 miles
Time: 0:21:05
Speed: 5.0 mph
Pace: 11' 54 min/mile
Calories: 168

Last run before the marathon. Purposely slower, but I suspect that's what my marathon pace will end up being. I'm hoping to have a pace somewhere between an 11 and 12 minute mile pace, and that's factoring walking when I need to. Since several streets are closed off due to pipework, I ran a different route than I normally do. I ran down a section of the marathon route, kind of getting a mental image of what it's going to be like. I know what it will be like, which will be crowded with people traffic, not cars, and I will be approaching the streets that go by my grandson's elementary school and the house that always gives out fresh orange slices.

I

am

so

tired!

My husband has a cold and has been snoring up a storm the past couple of days. The snoring is keeping me awake, and if I go try and sleep on the couch, the cats and dog come to check me out. I guess they get curious as to why I would be sleeping on the couch, and the dog wants to kiss my face and the cats want to walk all over me. I'm glad the office doesn't need me right now, otherwise I'd be going though the day on auto pilot.

Our coach at the track club gave my husband's name and info to one of the writers at the San Diego Union Tribune because he ran the marathon last year in the 5 hour range. (5:49) My husband talked to the guy for over an hour! The article should show up in the paper tomorrow, but there's no guarantee that my husband's info will show up in the paper. Either way, I'll link the article here. My husband was surprised that they wanted to talk to him, but I guess the article is about regular people doing the marathon. We'll see.

Thanks for all of the songs! I'll post the entire play list tomorrow. If nothing else, the songs will definitely put a smile on my face, just because the selection is so divers. I love it! If anyone else has something to add, I'll add more songs until Saturday. I'm still waiting on a few people...

Monday's song:
If You Love Me Like Music, I'll Be Your song - Heart

PEACE

Change Of Heart

How can the winner not win?

Yesterday I had posted the petition to declare Arien O'Connell the winner in the Nike Women's Marathon, held in San Francisco on October 19,2008. She did not start with the elite runners, she started with the regular folk, which are two different categories. She beat out the elite runners, but was not declared the winner. According to an article at SF Gate, Nike was bombarded with calls and e-mails to declare O'Connell the winner.

"The annual event is billed as the largest women's marathon in the world with 20,000 entries. O'Connell ran the race in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 11 seconds. The fastest woman in the elite group ran it in about 3 hours, 6 minutes."

The article also states that O'Connell is A winner, not THE winner.

Yesterday's song:
My Petition - Jill Scott

PEACE

Photo courtesy of SF Gate and Brightroom

What Would You Do?

I've just read a very intriguing, in depth article in the October 2008 issue of Runner's World Magazine, about a man who decided to have part of his leg amputated with the hopes of returning to running. I can't get this story out of my mind. The guy was a competitive runner in college, but due to an unfortunate accident and nearly losing his foot, he had to put off running for several years. He began running again with his wife, which progressed to running in events again. Unfortunately, the old injury pains became too cumbersome, and made running and walking unbearable. He decided to have the injured leg amputated. Can you imagine having to make the decision to amputate part of your leg? I was glued to this story. How far would you go for the love of your sport? The story is quite inspirational and I highly recommend reading it for yourself. There's so much more to the story.

I also realized how much I need to learn about amputees and having prosthetics. I honestly had no clue. I am now enlightened, but there's so much more to learn.

Yesterday's song:
Same In Any Language - I Nine



PEACE

King Of The Road

I haven't tossed out blogging about running.

Check out this San Diego Union-Tribune article about two ultra marathoners.

One of them came back after surgery.

Pain, Pleasure to the Extreme -- Two local competitors are the favorites to win ultramarathon torture test in Death Valley by Don Norcross

No, I have absolutely no aspirations to run an ultra marathon, however, Akos Konya returned to running 2 years after surgery, and that gives me a lot of hope.

"Running at a hard pace exacted a toll on Konya, and in 2001 he underwent surgery on his left knee. He said he didn't run for two years. Then one day he was in his Oceanside apartment, bored, and headed out for a three-mile jog. Running at a leisurely, nine-minute pace, his knee didn't hurt. Thus, an ultramarathoner was born."

On the blogging about food side, I made ice tea out Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice herbal tea. I can't recall if the grandkid has EVER had tea, other than hot chamomile tea when he's been sick with a sour stomach. Today he couldn't get enough of the MOS herbal iced tea. Since we've sort of quit buying sodas and began drinking more water, I suppose this was a treat for him.

Yesterday's song:
You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure - Funkadelic

PEACE

Photo by CRISSY PASCUAL / Union-Tribune

Swim

Did you hear the one about the 41 year old mom who made the Olympic swim team??? Just more proof that it doesn't all end after having kids and at age 40. Rock on Dara Torres.

Full enough, yet?

Tonight's dessert was angel food cake with strawberries.



Yesterday's song:
Rockin' At The Barbeque - Dave Fields

PEACE

Picture from Photobucket.com

Can You Read My Mind?

Yesterday I was pretty worn out. I think the big marathon weekend finally caught up with me, plus I caught a little cold. Sheesh. First food poisoning (the stomach issue on Monday), then a very runny nose and sore throat. I'm not even close to TOTM, but I was pretty emotional yesterday. The marathon website posted video footage of everyone running through the finish line, and I found my husband running through and several of our friends. I don't know why, but I got all choked up about it, I guess because I'm really happy for them, and partially because it couldn't be me at that point. I was sort of feeling sorry for myself that it wasn't me running through the finish, and a little bit angry about the injury. I was OK with everything until I saw that footage yesterday. I guess I can chalk it up to being exhausted because I even got misty over TV commercials... Today is much better.

The July 2008 issue of Runner's World Magazine came in the mail today, and that particular issue was as if it were just for me. Not only was there a great cover shot of former pro volleyball player Evan Hook, there was an article about "natural remedies for common aches and pains," by Betsy Noxon. The section of the article that really caught my eye had to do with imagery.

"The PROMISE: By visualizing a positive scene, you calm your mind -- and your body. 'When your mind is relaxed, your muscles hold less tension, which means you're less likely to feel pain,' says Jefrey Greeson, PhD., psychologist with Duke Integrative Medicine Clinic at Duke University Medical Center. 'Imagery can also help healing since stress increases levels of cortisol, which can slow injury repair.'

THE SCIENCE: Research published in the Journal of Sports Sciences indicates that when athletes pictured themselves as healthy or imagined themselves dealing with pain, they enhanced their recovery rate. Another study offers evidence that positive thinking can speed blister healing.

WHO SHOULD TRY IT: Some studies have had participants picture broken bones being glued together, torn muscle fibers reattaching, or cells regenerating. Visualization can also help you deal with temporary discomfort -- like the final mile of a race. Imagine the pain leaving your body when you exhale or picture yourself smiling at the finish line."

I guess imagery all boils down to the power of positive thinking, which is what I've been trying to do since I ended up in the ER, almost three weeks go. I never thought of the image of the bone healing and being stronger. I suppose it's worth a try. I'm trying NOT to take the prescription pain medications, since they mess with my sleep patterns, and have been taking regular Tylenol instead, per the doctor's instructions, and I hope I won't be needing the Tylenol much longer, either. I'm really hoping to put mind over matter to RELAX and HEAL. The article also discussed acupuncture, sports massage, herbal remedies, and chiropractic treatment.

Also in the July issue was an article on music: "Music & Motivation - Why Tunes Make You Faster plus The Best Running Songs of All Times." This article is so right up my alley. I'm still going over the article and, perhaps, I'll put in my two cents about it later, in another blog post.

Yesterday's song:
Walk Away - Kelly Clarkson - Barbie2be

PEACE

Work In Progress

I had a chance to sit in my sunny backyard and actually read an entire magazine article without drifting off to sleep! Woohoo! Progress! My next feat is to read an entire chapter of a book my boss brought to me while I was in the hospital. I also made an attempt at using a cane today. The walker is cumbersome, but it does offer support when I am super tired. I did OK with the cane and I hope I can slowly ditch the walker. Besides, the cane belonged to my grandfather. It's a bamboo cane and has a lot of character, and is way more cool than the walker.

On Saturday, there was an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune about a mime class at Grossmont College. It turns out my daughter is in that class and was quoted for the article. She didn't say anything thought provoking, but she had her 2 cents in the local paper. Her quote was "Mime is a lot of hard work." My daughter is a dance education major, and this past year she has ventured into different territory such as costume design and mime class to fill in the gaps of credits she needs.

Yesterday's song:
Rest Stop - Matchbox Twenty

PEACE

Your Mama Don't Dance

Unless you're Evan's mommy, she does dance.

Last night was my daughter's college dance performance. She was in a ballet skit about the happenings at a coffee shop. She was one of the uniformed high school students. This performance was her first with pointe shoes. This was also the first performance her son has seen her in. It was hard for a wiggly 4 year old to stay still until his mommy's group was to perform, but once he saw her he was so excited and blurted out loudly "there's my mommy!" After that, he was amused with a few of the dance numbers, but kept asking to go home. I don't have pictures, as we were not allowed to take pictures in the theater. I'm not sure if this was her last performance at that particular college. She's quite close to having enough credits for her associates degree to transfer to SDSU or another college.

Yesterday I came across an article on the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune about a local man who ran his own course to join the Boston Marathon. The article is fascinating because he actually planned out the course, had his course certified, ran it by himself with his daughter and grandchildren supplying water and electrolytes along the way. He even joked about not receivng a medal for his marathon. The thing that amazes me is the mucky-mucks for the Boston Marathon took his single man marathon as legit. They also implied that it is highly unlikely that they'll OK something like that in the future.


Today
Activity: Walk
Date: 04/20/08 11:11 AM
Distance: 3.51 miles
Time: 1:02:14
Speed: 3.4 mph
Pace: 17' 39 min/mile
Calories: 327

OK, it's not 17 miles, but the point is we got out and walked in the neighborhood. We did something. We were both close to getting in that hole of doing nothing. Walks are a good thing. We found a little park hidden in one of the little valleys, looked at landscaping ideas at some of the homes, and enjoyed the sunshine. Even though we walked, it still took some time for my left quad muscle to warm up. We even walked up and down a few hills. I'm still baby-ing that left quad, though -- I'm afraid of making things worse if I push myself too hard by going too far or too fast. I want to be able to run the whole way in the marathon.

Yesterday's song:
Fix You - Cold Play - Be A Good One

PEACE

Photo from Photobucket