June 2012 – Page 2 – Betsy Schow

…now what?

So, I made my goal. Finished a marathon in under 5 hours. Now what?

I’ve trained for this moment for 5 months. Put 10+ hours a week into it. Counted down the weeks, days, then hours until I would cross the start line. And now it’s over. And I’m left feeling a little bit like the 3rd day after Christmas. The anticipation is gone, the excitement of the new toys has passed. And all that’s left is mountain of packaging and even larger mountain of credit card bills.

My knees remind every step of my accomplishment, like the after haunt of too much fruitcake. But the great thing about Christmas, is that it comes again.

My daughters favorite movie is Tangled. And in that movie, Rapunzel hesitates to throw her lantern in the air, because then her dream is fulfilled. And she will be left with nothing. Flynn tells her that all you do is find a new dream.

Floating in a river aimlessly, is nice every once and a while. But most of the time, we need a heading. A destination. Something to reach for, to dream about.

I’m not sure what my new goal will be. But there will definitely be one. And I look forward to the work, sweat, and tears its going to take to reach it. So right now, instead of the post marathon depression, this should be the most exciting part. The part where the possibilities are endless, and I can choose anything for my to do list.

To quote the last line of Pretty Woman, Some dreams come true, some don’t; but keep on dreamin’ – this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin’.

Full Body: Its not a Pageant

I’ve renamed Dress for Success to Full Body. So Wednesdays can be the post day for all things image and body related.

Today’s post is a little pet peeve of mine. I see it at the gym, on the road, even at the marathon. Beauty queen dropouts.

I get trying to look your best no matter where you are. But the starting line is not the place for full makeup and round brushing your bangs then shoving your cosmetics in a stuff sack to pick up at the finish. FYI chick in the plaid pink sports bra and skirt, when I passed you at mile 14, your mile high hair looked like a nest and your mascara was dripping and streaking right along with your fake tan.

If you do it right, working out is not pretty. It’s sweaty and full of grunts and the occasional curse. Its not a beauty pageant. There is no prize at the end if your hair is still schellacked on your head.

You don’t need to make yourself up like a doll to be pretty. Being healthy is beautiful. Red sweaty face and all.

Plus the makeup mingled sweat seeps into your pores and makes you breakout. Just saying.

Snack Smart: Sugar Free and cranky

It’s been 24 hours since I’ve had any contact with the love of my life… Sugar.

And I am not a happy camper. I’m grumpy and every brown thing I see reminds me of chocolate goodness. So what’s the reason for my self imposed hell?

As of Monday my husband and I decided to be sugar free. He’s diabetic and not doing so hot in the blood sugar levels. He decided to go on a strict diet to get it under control. So to be a good wifey I thought I would offer to join him in his saccharin exile. Stupid me.

I’m hoping this is just a phase. That after a few days I’ll have more energy, and fewer headaches.

So I am asking you the reader, what are your sugar free snack smart tips? Will I survive?

Fitness Tip: R&R – rest and rumba

Two days after the marathon and I’m still doing what a friend calls the old lady hobble.

My right leg in particular feels like its been beat up with a meat tenderizer. It’s really tight and difficult to move.

Sometimes the best recovery is active recovery. This morning I had my morning Zumba class. I toyed with not going. No one could blame me, but I needed to get out of my bed.

An hour later, my leg feels much better. Dancing has helped work out some of the lactic acid and made the muscles longer and bendier. I didn’t dance at 100% more like 50%. My knee still won’t allow twists and jumps. But I still grapevined and step touched my way through the songs. My 5 and 2 year old were next to me copying my every move. They probably out danced me.

It’s important to rest and not stress or further injure muscles. But it’s also important to not let them rust. Think physical therapy.

The Little Runner that Could

So I’ve recovered enough from yesterday’s marathon to be conscious. Just don’t ask me to go up or down any stairs.

I was hoping that my second marathon could be injury free- didn’t happen.
I wrote a few weeks ago that I had some trouble on my last long run before the taper. So I’ve been babying it since. It came back with a vengeance.

The first eight miles flew by. We ran through a little farming town. Lots of pastures and horses. In fact I swear the horses were looking at all of us saying, “Wait…people run? Well what do you need to ride us for?”

After the eight miles, we got to the canyon. But to start going down it, we had to run up first. Big hill. BIG hill. But, it was pretty funny to watch people try to barrel up full speed, then sputter to a walk.

Before I knew it, I was running through the starting line for the half marathon. I’d made pretty good time for the first thirteen miles, about 2:07 I think. I got excited thinking about not only beating 5 hours, but maybe beat 4:30. Cue right leg.

Before hitting the fourteen mile marker, the earlier training pains were back. My knee hurt on the side, and tight pulling shot up my flank and through my lower back. But I grit my teeth and ran through it anyway, sticking to my run walk method. Unfortunately, I probably altered my running form to compensate for the IT Band injury. By mile 18, my left kneecap felt like it had been whacked by loan shark from Jersey. I could run through the tight tearing pain up and down my right leg, but the sharp stabbing pain under the left patella was not workable.

What to do now? Give up and catch a ride to the finish? Not a chance. When in doubt, keep moving forward. At a much slower pace, but forward nonetheless.

The left knee pain immediately ceased with the walking, but the right leg was still sucking though. Just six miles left. I would finish.

I modified my walk into a speedwalk, and stopped taking the slow walk breaks every half mile. When I did the math in my head, with my great first half, I could still beat the five hour mark if I kept my pace around 12:30 per mile. That is more than a fast walk, that’s a jog. But the impact of a jog was too jarring on the knee. Oh well I had to try.

I can only imagine that I looked like a robot on speed. My leg was pretty well locked up, the knee not bending anymore. My arms were swinging a hundred miles an hour. My head lowered with what I imagined as a fierce look of determination on my face. Most likely, it really looked like a constipated bull with the grimace and flared nostrils.

In the last few miles, nearly everyone was struggling. Half were walking slowly, the other half doing the runner zombie shuffle. I can speedwalk faster than both of those. One man that passed me a few miles ago had lapsed into zombie mode. He recognized me as I passed him and dubbed me “the little runner that could”, impressed that I was still trucking even my walk now had a pronounced limp. I couldn’t afford to slow down. I still had a chance to beat the five hour time, but it would be close.

I gave my last burst of speed at a quarter mile to the finish. Ran past my hubby and two kids on the sideline, cheering and giving me the strength to push past the pain. I crossed the finish arch at four hours and fifty-five minutes after I started. The girl at the end put a medal around my neck and herded me to the side before I passed out.

My husband, bless his heart, was ready with the car and ice packs. It was over, the countless hours of running through dark mornings, rain, and other crap had finally paid off. They had prepared me to be in good physical condition, but more importantly, it gave me the will and discipline to keep pushing when it didn’t feel like I had anymore to give.

So here I am, the day after. My legs hurt like you don’t even want to know. But I’m still ecstatic that I reached my goal of a 5 hour marathon. I’ll tell you a little secret though… I would still be just as happy if I didn’t. As long as I shuffled across the finish line, it could have been an 8 hour marathon. The accomplishment would be the same. Finishing.

Thanks for sticking with me everyone . I really appreciate all the support I’ve gotten through emails, messages, and Facebook.

So what’s next? First, mastering the stairs without crying. Next, probably building up the muscles I’ve burned by the long distance running.

Time to tone up. After I’ve healed that is.

Utah Valley Marathon

It’s 3:45 in the morning and I’m on the bus that will take me to the starting line of the marathon. The start is up Provo Canyon and they don’t allow any parking or private drop offs up there because of traffic. So I have to wake up at 3 for a 6 am start time. But let’s be honest, I didnt really sleep last night anyway. 😉

4:40- just arrived at the start line. That was a really loong bus ride. And I have to run that?!!! Lol. Now just to hang out until the gun goes off at 6

5:55- 5 min to start. Let’s go!

10:55- done! 4:55 Unofficial time

I will do a big long post later. I’m too dead now

2 more days until … Gulp.

2 more days until I run the marathon. I’m going to be getting up a 3:15 to catch a 3:45 bus. Then I’ll get to wait by a fire in a barrel, trying not to freeze up Provo Canyon. Then, I can get smooshed like a sardine with the other 2000 people at the starting line. All so I can run for 5+ hours and burn roughly the equavilent calories to one pound of fat.

Why?

To prove I can. To prove to myself that I can do something that’s hard, painful, and sometimes makes me cry… and still push through and finish. It’s my reminder that I can beat anything. One step at a time. With lots of walking breaks. 😉

I’ll post all about the race either late Saturday or Sunday. Assuming my legs haven’t fallen off.

And in case you are wondering, the best things running a marathon? The finishers medal… And the after marathon meal. I’ve just burned 3500 calories. I can eat ANYTHING ;p

Facebook Faux Pas

Lately, Facebook has been driving me nuts. I decided to take a moment and post my thoughts on some good rules to follow when you’re using Facebook.
Especially if you are using it as a public figure, like an author, actress, etc.

First off, I’ve seen so many people posting big long privacy notices in an attempt to keep their pictures and their information private. Here’s a little internet tip: Once you post something on the Internet, it’s no longer private. Even if you delete it, it’s never really gone. It’s out there… somewhere. That’s why, if you really don’t want the whole entire world to see that picture of you from Friday night’s excess… don’t post it.

And in that theme, be careful what you say. Often times we spout off in the heat of the moment, but those moments can be really hard to take back. Someone may have copied and pasted, quoted, or otherwise used your words. So watch em.

In particular, hot button issues like politics and religion. Posting endless streams of propaganda against a political opponent is annoying, offensive, and oftentimes just plain incorrect. It’s my personal opinion the FB is not really the right forum for this. There’s enough spin on the news networks without adding it to FB. In particular, with elections coming up. A sure way to alienate friends. I will admit to unfriending more than one person after 20 daily political status updates.

FB can be a powerful marketing tool. That being said, it is not our personal infomercial. If you treat it as such, what are people going to do? Same thing we do with real commercials, change the channel. Use self promotion sparingly, like a garnish as opposed to the main dish.

A personal pet peeve of mine? Telling everyone how great you are. In every post. How your own book makes you crack up. Or cry. Or even worse… Regularly quoting bits of fan mail that claim you’re a better author than JK Rowling. If the work is good, it will stand for itself. You don’t need to toot your own horn day and night. Your lips will get tired.

Be genuine. Be yourself. Be aware that other people having things to share too. Comment and participate in their lives as well. In the end, if you’re dismayed about a post gone wrong, nobody liking your status, or feeling overwhelmed — remember that’s it’s just Facebook. Not rocket science. In the end what matters most are things in your life that are offline. Your kids, spouse, family… You know, you’re real life. 😉

PS. Emoticons are a necessary evil ;p

Snack Smart: Just a taste

How many times have I been looking forward all day to the brownie that I’ve budgeted for. Five seconds later, its over. The brownie is gone, and I want it back. Temptation is to grab another brownie, but I’m better than that. Most of the time. 🙂 This is what I’ve started to do instead.

I break my treat into four pieces to enjoy throughout the day. Think about it. When you inhale a treat, your tastebuds are really just tasting that first bite. So why not have that first bite… all day. Stick to that one brownie or cookie, but make it last for a while. You trick your tastebuds into thinking you’ve had more than you’ve actually had.

Extra tip for you mommies. Make sure you do not leave your partially eaten treat out for small children to find. They seem to think its fair game.

The Long Run: One more week – the anticipation is killing me

Next Saturday at 3:45 am, I will be on a bus to the starting line up Provo Canyon. Let the stomach jitters begin. I’m downing antacids by the case load. And over analyzing every little knee twitch and ankle roll. I don’t even want to jog to the mailbox anymore, for fear of screwing up my legs.

The odd thing? I’m pretty sure that the morning of, I will be as cool as a kumquat. There’s this peace that settles over me, because I know come hell or high water, I will cross the finish line. I might be on my knees, and it might be 3 hours after race closes, but I will still drag my butt across.

After all, I’ve already had the worst happen in a marathon. Last August, in my first one, my hamstring injury resurfaced at mile 8 and was debilitating by mile 13. I was forced to speed walk the rest of it. But I still made it. I required a bottle of advil afterwards, but I survived.

The secret?

Forgetting about the time and putting one foot in front of the other until it’s over. Also, the fierce determination that the 4 months of running training hell were not pointless. I will walk away with my medal dammit. 🙂

Now if only I can survive the next week without injuring myself or giving myself ulcers.