Every Day?

As 2006 comes to a close, I find myself contemplating not only my accomplishments in 2006, but what I hope to accomplish in 2007. It's been a huge year, from a running standpoint. One of my favorite things to do as each year comes to a close is to think back on everything that has happened in the past 365 days, events that I didn't think would happen, or didn't even consider, a year ago this time. Dave has gotten much closer to us over the past year, thanks to running, and I got my mother started on running, as well. I beat my personal race distance record not once, but twice, and am bringing in the new year with a finishers medal from a race I thought I'd never run. I watched Dave win his age group in multiple races, and watched him grow from a casual runner to a more confident athlete, with race aspirations of his own, and a spot on next fall's cross country team at his high school. I watched Ted slowly realize that he could enjoy this, and hold my breath as he continues to push the envelope on his own running ability to see what he is physically capable of. I have gone from an individual runner all the time to someone who looks forward to group runs.

As we enter 2007, I have a number of my own goals set in line. There has been big talk, and now anticipated whispering, between Ted and Dave regarding the Philadelphia marathon. The more they think they can do it, the quieter the talk becomes, as if worried about jinxing themselves. So the Philly Marathon next November is definitely a goal of mine. I am looking forward to a second Broad Street finish come May, hopefully beating my time from last year. I look forward to becoming a stronger and faster runner, and hope to get over my fear of pushing myself too hard and finally becoming friends with speedwork. Ultimately, I look forward to locking Ted into this sport I love, thus having a running partner for life. And while I haven't broken the 500-mile mark for 2006 yet, it is practically a definite that will occur before midnight on 12/31.

But one more goal has been hovering over my head for the past few weeks, ever since the latest edition of my running magazine came in the mail. I'm afraid to mention it, afraid of the possible nay-sayers and others who may question my sanity.

There is an association--United States Running Streak Association (www.runeveryday.com). To join this association, one must be able to log at least a mile a day, and the trick is to do this for years. The association's Active Streak Registry has 140 registered members, 108 of which are active. The member listed as having the longest streak is a teacher from California, who has been running at least a mile a day for 38 years.

What would that be like!? Part of me thinks it can't be as hard as I'd imagine--it requires a 15-minute commitment, tops, dress-time included. That can be done while Ted makes dinner, it can be done by getting out of bed 15 minutes earlier, it can be done over lunch if one were to have access to showers at work. The other part of me thinks back to last weekend, when I was laying on the couch with a stomach virus and the fear of having to move, let alone run a mile. I guess one pushes through that?

Maybe 2007 won't see me registering my running streak, but it would be fun to see how long I can go. How long until I miss a day of running...can I do a week? A month? I guess you have to start somewhere, and wouldn't January 1st be a fun day to start my own running streak?

And on the showers at work note...maybe I have a new goal for 2007!

Happy New Year everyone...

Safety Tips

Earlier this week, during a lunchtime click-thru of www.runnersworld.com, I ran across an interesting article regarding safety tips. I can be a very nervous person, typically. I wear a seatbelt. I come to a complete stop at stop signs, and always use my turning signal. I walk like I know what I'm doing and where I'm going, I make eye contact, and I'm a pro at analyzing and memorizing faces (although a lot of good that does me if I'm dead.)

But when I tie up the running shoes, I become someone different. For whatever reason, I've adopted this idea that as a runner, I'm automatically immune to the average predator. I envision myself as being such a beastly threat that any normal kidnapper will avoid me like the plague. I wanted to review the safety tips with everyone--as a reminder to those of you who are overly confident, such as myself, and to provide my own feedback as to my status of these tips (Mom--you may want to stop reading):

1) Face The Traffic. Okay, I'm 1 for 1. I actually do this...if I'm not on the sidewalk. If there's a sidewalk, I ignore this rule. If there isn't, I do run on the left-hand side of the road, facing the traffic.
2) Dress Correctly. In my running wardrobe, I have numerous tights and shirts and coats. I have one pair of pants that has reflective strips, and one jacket. The pants I wear. I wore the reflective pants for the Philly Half. And all my pictures make me look like a piece of radioactive nuclear waste.
3) Never Walk Alone. I think this list was for walkers, but this one is impossible for me to follow. Sometimes Ted or Dave will run with me. Often times it's just me. And my music. Which brings me to safety tip #4.
4) Leave the Walkman At Home. Before we bought the house, Ted and I lived in apartments, first in Center City, then out on City Avenue, right off the expressway. And I always left the walkman at home (at the time I did have a walkman, yes). I was alert, and would cross the streets more often than I should just so I could look behind me without seeming paranoid. We moved to the burbs, and I quickly realized the threat has decreased dramatically, and then one year for Christmas I got an MP3 Player, and well, my attention span just doesn't handle anything over 3 miles very well. I live by this player, and judge each playlist by the race trained for by it. Sean-Paul and "Temperature"? Broad Street. Hank Williams' "That's How They Do It In Dixie"? Philly Half.
5) Lose the Jewelry. I do take most jewelry off before a run, except for my wedding rings. And that time I wore those cute little hoop earrings for Broad Street--they just looked pretty with my Princess Leah buns.
6) Walk Defensively. I hope my running is aggressive and intimidating enough to be able to check this tip off as done...
7) Vary Your Routes. I also do this, but not for safety as much as for change of distance and scenery.
8) Self-Defense. The article advises readers to carry mace (which I've considered), a cell phone, money, and various other objects to help one in case of emergency. I like having my hands free. I don't like to carry stuff when I run, and all these objects could be very cumbersome. I have purchased the shoe pack for Road ID which has come in handy for keys and a few dollars, and my "I Support National Parks" fanny pack worked well for gels, cell phone, and a water bottle during my longer runs...however, it was too big and I have retired it, hoping for the water waist pack from Santa...
9) Keep Right. This is theoretically so other runners and faster walkers can pass you. However, I am the only one running where I run, so the sidewalk is mine, and I own it.
10) Carry ID. This is where my Road ID comes in. Before the MP3 player came along (and sometimes after), my imagination would go crazy on runs. I would find myself wondering what would happen if I got hit by a car. If a dog turned me into a chew toy. If I tripped and rolled down a bank. Would I be conscious enough to provide my name and Ted's number? Would I be whisked off to the hospital and be reunited with my husband? Would I remember to call into work and let them know I wouldn't be in? Would I be left for dead on the side of the road because no one knew who I was? I did get Road ID so now I have my name and address and phone number, so now I'm pretty much guaranteed that nothing will happen (hey, it never snows when you get the snowblower, right?)

Out of this list, I'm giving myself a generous 50%. I guess I have room for improvement. But I'm not a dumb runner...I avoid small shoulders, I avoid running in the dark on roads without sidewalks, if I don't know where I'm going or if I'm in a new location I will generally leave the soundtrack at home. But considering I have every crack and loose cobblestone memorized on my running routes, I think I'm relaxed enough to probably need a reality check and maybe turn the volume down a bit, or remember to wear the reflective jacket a few more times.

The 500-Mile Club

I have 35-some more miles to run before the end of the year to join the 500-Mile Club for 2006. I have created a running schedule, down to the distances I run on certain days. I have a plan, and I have a goal, and come New Year's Eve I will reflect nostalgically on the past year and my accomplishments.

The goal list for 2007 is already underway. We were in Boston and Memphis over the past week, and Ted has his own goal for 2007---we're doing a Marathon.

He saw a show on cable one night...a documentary on the rehabilitation of drug addicts. The drug addicts walked into rehab off the streets. Part of their rehab program included training for an upcoming marathon. In eight months. One of the stats dropped during the show was that 1% of the population (or was it under 1%? I don't remember) completes a marathon, and that fact, combined with the former drug addicts training for and completing a marathon, gave Ted the motivation he needed. On one hand, he wants to be in that small percentage and say he completed the race. The second factor is that if the former drug addicts can do the race, he has absolutely no reason in the world not to be able to do that as well.

So our race schedule for next year includes the Broad Street Run and one of the marathons--either Philly or Memphis. I told Ted he's on my turf now. I'll do speed training with him (I do want to get faster, but can't motivate myself to do speedwork, as you may have picked up earlier), but he has to listen to me when it comes to the distance training. I can do that, and I've learned how to through trial-and-error.

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope it isn't too stressful--although I remember it being much more enjoyable growing up, when I wasn't responsible for presents, for decorating, or any of that, where I walked into a room, picked up an ornament, put it on the tree, watched the cartoons, sang the songs, ate the cookies, and the morning of the 25th, there were presents under the tree and the hardest part for my brother and I throughout that season occurred between the hours of 5:00 am and 8:30 am on Christmas Morning and I couldn't understand for the life of me how my parents could possibly sleep past sunrise.