Using Your Resources

I thought I'd take a little while to talk about some of the resources I've found really helpful over the past half a year or so. Aside from the priceless advice from my friends and from some of you, as well as the few books I've perused (mostly Jeff Galloway), these sites and their subsequent publications/apps have been hugely useful.

Runner's World

Screen shot of the Runner's World website.

I subscribed to this magazine a few months back through a family member's fund-raising campaign and it was probably one of my smarter decisions. Yes, the magazine is probably most useful to people who have been running for some time. There's lots of talk about race pace versus casual jogging pace, taper workouts, ultra marathons, compression tights, nutrition gels, and lots of other business that beginning runners don't need to know. But that's kind of the cool part.

I am so nowhere near the point where I need to worry about my pace for a daily workout versus my pace for a 5K versus my pace for the half Pig, because I only have three paces -- not-running pace, "let's try to run and not die" pace, and "look, there's the finish line" pace. But I'm moving forward. I have so much room to grow in this world of running and I truly hope that someday, this wealth of knowledge I'm collecting about things that are currently outside of my reach will be useful. I may need to worry about these things in the future. In fact, it's from either this magazine or one of Jeff Galloway's books that I realized I should probably start thinking about those gel pack thingies if I'm going to do the half-Pig.

Anyway, my point is, this is a good magazine. It's an even better website, chock full of HOARDS of information, entertaining and helpful blogs. Need new shoes? Check out the shoe section. Sore muscles? There's a section for that. Need info about food? Yep, that's there too.

The magazine alone has played a big part in keeping me sane during the winter weather. Somehow, just reading about running helps. It keeps me wanting more.


Active.com

Screen shot of the Active.com website.

I'm not too familiar with this site yet, but I've done a little browsing. There are lots of forums too, which usually isn't my thing. But when I found one for 200+ lb runners, I got interested. That's where I discovered the Finally Airborne blog. Very inspirational. They also have several mostly not annoying e-mail newsletters you can sign up for.

Women's Health

Screen shot of the Women's Health website.

I subscribed to Women's Health Magazine back in the summer, I think, at the recommendation of my friend, Sarah. It's pretty great. It includes lots of info about nutrition and general women's issues, but also includes strength-building workouts, some of which I plan on trying before winter is over. I haven't tested the usability of the website. For the guys, try Men's Health.

MapMyRun.com

Screenshot of MapMyRun.com.

This website and its companion app (iMapMyRun) are amazing. Many thanks to John for sharing the love this summer. The app uses GPS to do what you have to do manually on the website, but both are great. Use a map of the area you run in to trace your running path. The path doesn't have to be on roads or sidewalks or any sort of plotted land. You can trace your path through the woods and across a lake and the site would still track your miles and provide you with an elevation chart. The app keeps track of handy things like your current pace, your whole-run pace, your distance, and your time, and then it talks to you while you're running. I believe the site has other useful information on it, but I haven't gotten around to checking it out yet (except for the 30-in-30 challenge, which I'm failing miserably).

------------------------------

So, like I said before, these sites/magazines/apps are keeping me sane through the winter and are really educating me on the world of running. They've helped me stay excited are responsible for my running habits surviving the winter. I recommend giving them a spin!

Time for your input! Are you reading anything now about running, working out, and/or generally staying healthy? Have you in the past? Will you please share with all of us? THANKS!

Inspired By A Stranger

I don't know if this will help me through the winter, but I'm sure hoping it does. Liz, who often comments on my blog posts, forwarded me an email from Active.com. From that email I found my way to a 200+ pounds message board (more on that later) and then to a blog. The blog is Finally Airborne and it follows the running/fitness/weight loss adventures of a fellow who managed to lose more than 100 pounds in less than a year AND run a marathon.

I'm still reading a bit of his back story, and I hope he doesn't mind me promoting him here on my blog, but I just have to. Now, I'm a little skeptical that the female body can transform as vastly as the male body, but that isn't based on any sort of scientific fact (if you have notes on that topic, please share).

Anyway, check his story out. I'm inspired.

I just watched the slide show he posted on YouTube and, while I usually find this kind of stuff cheesy and ridiculous, I was just nearly moved to tears.

Here it is:



I think his tipping point, a too-fat incident at an amusement park, just really struck home for me. I've been experiencing that pain since I was probably 10 - 12 years old, but it didn't really start to hit me until the number of rides I couldn't fit on was passing up the number of rides I could fit on.

Anyway, I'm blabbering on too much. Go. Check his blog out. I know I'm going to keep reading! Talk about inspiration. Geesh!

When The Students Beat The Teacher

Have you ever introduced someone to something, showed them the ropes, passed along your hard-earned wisdom, only to watch that someone completely surpass you? How do you usually feel about that? Jealous? Angry? Frustrated?

I'll tell you, it's happened to me before. Back in high school, for example (yes, high school again), I taught someone how to throw the discuss and shot put and he proceeded to break the school record. How did that make me feel? Well, in a word ...

PROUD!

(Okay, maybe a teensy jealous since I had been chasing the record for 4 years before he came along, but mostly proud.)

I'm a teacher-y kind of person. I like the challenge of taking something complicated or daunting and customizing it to my audience. This little piece of me is evident in my writing and my profession, actually. (Funny how those things pop up in your life, huh?) Some of my current co-workers would chalk it up to me being "high-helpful," as evaluated by a certain assessment we use internally.

Enough corporate talk. Blech!

I like to teach people to do stuff and then watch them kick butt. It's one reason I started and continue to use this blog. Now, we all know that I am in no way an expert runner or fitness guru. Faaaaarrrr from it, in fact. But I have learned some things along the way.

I've suffered, I've triumphed, I've been in ruts and I've been on highs. I've hurt and I've doubted, aimed high and achieved. Mostly, I've taken my experiences--good and bad--and paired them with the awesome advice some of my readers provide to me, whether it be in comments on here or discussions elsewhere. Those are the real experts, by the way.

Believe it or not, it looks like some folks have actually started running after reading about my locomotive breathing and shin splints. In a way, my trials have inspired others to get moving. "If Beckey can do it ..." is floating around the noggins of a few folks out there.

I'm extremely hesitant to take any credit for these people's successes. In fact, I don't want any credit at all, but a few of you have been crediting me for getting you started.

Let's think about that though. I certainly did not help you keep running for a whole mile, even when you tripped over a garbage can. I did not sign you up for boot camp or wake you up at 4:30 a.m. to get there. I wasn't there to drag you through Week 3 of Couch to 5K nor push you up the final hill of the Cheetah Run. I didn't kidnap you to run with me at 2 p.m. on the hottest day of the summer or physically drag you to Veterans for a difficult run. It wasn't my legs that carried you around Juilfs when you joined me on a jog this spring.

You did it on your own.

You're still doing it. You're feeling the burn and the joy.

You are doing awesome. PHENOMENAL! I couldn't be prouder.

Pat yourselves on the back, all of you!

One teensy little problem ... you're all passing me up!

I'm seriously stressing here, folks. You're running longer than me and more often. You're kicking butt at boot camp AND watching what you eat (I sure didn't do the second part). You're moving through C25K like there's no tomorrow!

What the heck?

I'm just kidding. Kudos, people!

Let me tell you what has happened. You who claim to have been inspired or motivated--the students, the learners, the newbies--you have become MY inspiration and motivation. I am now your student. Teach me. How are you doing it? How did you advance so quickly through those C25K weeks? How did you overcome barriers? How did you make yourself keep running for a whole mile? What conversations are you having with yourself to keep going, to keep improving, to keep kicking my ass?

I want to know what you know, people! Share the love! Leave comments! Tell me your running stories when you see me. Remember, talk about it ... it makes it easier to keep going.