Running to Explore

  So, normally, going on vacation usually means a free pass to do whatever you want or nothing at all.  In my case it's usually eat whatever I want AND do nothing at all.  Particularly when we start our vacation by driving 8 hours up to NY state in one pass.  Oh, and did I mention the long drive occurred on my birthday of all days?  Jon tried to soften the blow by taking me to an authentic Baltimore Pit Beef place, knowing what kind of a foodie I am.  The succulent beef with the tiger sauce (a combination of mayo and horseradish) made up for the fact I was spending 8 hours in a car with two young children...

Oh, Al's Pit Beef, I daresay you're right about that...

Birthday lunch!  Yum!

  And then, once we got to Oneonta to meet up with the rest of the family, my in-laws brought us to the BBQ place they would go to growing up for a "night out".  So BBQ ribs & chicken followed by a birthday serenade accompanied by a free piece of cake from the wait staff completed by birthday food itinerary.

  So, eating whatever I wanted on vacation was definitely on the agenda.  The whole not doing anything bit, however, just wasn't going to fly.  I've gotten to the point where I crave a run or any type of workout.  Even if the East Coast was gripped by a sweltering heat wave with lows in the mid 70s and highs in the upper 90s, I was planning on getting a run in come hell or high water.  (With those temps, looked like I'd be running more in hell than a flood...)

  Now, for someone like myself who is NOT a morning person, running early in the day just usually isn't my cup of tea unless I'm going for a long run.  But for whatever reason (sleeping in a hotel, earlier sunrise in NY, etc.), I was up at 5:30 AM.  I threw on my running clothes, laced up my sneakers, and was out the door.  Downtown Oneonta is a quaint little town with a charming Main Street and close-knit neighborhoods surrounded by a local college and mature trees.  With the exception of a dozen or so people out for a walk or on their way to work, I had enough room where it felt like there was hardly any people around me.  Oneonta and I woke up together and she graced me with some of her natural beauty reserved for only for early morning.  She showed me how lovely and mystical she appeared as the fog rolled by at the base of the mountains and the sun rose from her shadows.

Sunrise over Oneonta

  A couple of days later, the family reunion moved to Windham, NY, in the Catskill Mountains.  A popular skiing destination, Windham displayed just as much natural beauty in the summertime when the Thompson clan arrived.  While the family slept in on a Saturday morning, I headed out for a 6 mile run away from Windham.  Mountains and meadows dotted my route as did little streams quietly bubbling alongside the road, their water baptizing the same stones over and over again.  Coming back toward Windham, I picked up my niece and we went for another 3 miles together into "town" (which was really a drugstore, a bank, a restaurant, and a ski shop).  

  Since our NY trip, we've recently traveled back home to Jon's hometown of Floyd, VA, where his parents own a Christmas tree farm nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and where I always love going for a run.  The various inclines and the elevation challenge me greatly but I can never resist enjoying my husband's childhood home while on foot.  My run took me past cows grazing on the mountainside, rabbits crossing my path, and white-tailed deer traipsing through the meadow.  Not to mention the sheer, stunning beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  

Sunday morning run in Floyd, VA

View of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Jon's childhood home

  

  As my love for being active deepens, I'm finding that going for a run, regardless of the distance or pace, really should be part of one's vacation agenda.   My friend Katie recently returned from New York City where she was absolutely thrilled to be able to run 12 miles in Central Park.  In every Runner's World issue I receive, I peruse the different races around the US and around the world that are being advertised.  I've come across links and articles to races in all areas of the country and on every continent.  Literally.  There's the Anarctic Ice Marathon, the Arctic Circle Race in addition to the popular ones as listed by Runner's World Top 10 Marathons, such as London, Paris, and Stockholm.  I would love to run from vineyard to vineyard in France's Marathon du Medoc just as much as I would love to experience Africa by running Victoria Falls.  And I would have no qualms going back to Italy to run the Rome Marathon.  (Just think of all the guilt-free eating you could do there!)

  Instead of just visiting a city, I want to be in the heart of it, feel the pulse of a new locale, and discover it's true heart.  Running offers a more intimate glimpse of a location.  Plus, I tend to eat my way through vacation (as noted above with the Pit Beef and barbecue).  So why not explore a new city through running?  Right now, running around the world will just have to wait until my children grow up.  I'm happy to set my sights on races within the US border.  I'd especially love to get a blinged-out princess medal from Disney's Princess Half Marathon!  

  Now if I could just convince Jon to take a Disney vacation next year...

Everyone says they're too tired...

  But I'm tired, too!  I'm a full-time wife and mother of a 6-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl as well as a part-time OB nurse who works evening shifts twice a week.  There are nights when I don't get to bed until 1 or 2 am because I need to wind down from work or that's the only quiet time I have to myself in a 24-hour period.  Yet, it doesn't stop me from getting my slightly chubby self to the gym the next day.  Yes, I said chubby!  I have sweet friends who say I look fine but, seriously, there's some chub that could disappear.  And I don't mind because I love to eat!  I'm not going to stop eating carbs or meat or sweets.  I do intend to not stuff my face full of them and be more mindful of what travels from my hand to my mouth at meal times and in-between.  But I've only got one go at this life and I sure as heck intend to enjoy myself.  Because, unless it's from a Fear Factor/Bizarre Foods menu, I'm going to eat it.  I love my baguettes, my puerco asado con platanos y arroz con frijoles negros, belgian waffles, pasta carbonara, Juicy Lucy burgers, Pad Thai...  Well, you get the picture, right?  I love food.  It's the best ambassador out there and an easy way to experience different cultures.  But that "travel+food= love" soap box is for another blog.  (Although, once the kids are older and I have more money, traveling to run races in different countries could totally go hand-in-hand with this blog...)

  Anyways, back to running.  I never hesitate to post about my workouts on Facebook because I'm damn proud of what I can do with my body, especially since I spent the first 30 years of my life not exercising or taking proper care of it.  You can call me crazy, say I have a limitless amount of energy, etc.  The truth is that exercise makes me a better person.  I have more patience with my children and husband, more energy to get through my hectic day.  And this nugget of truth is the most important aspect of why I run.  Having experienced postpartum depression and living daily with a cloud of stress hanging over my head, working out is my natural anti-depressant.  There is nothing better than going on a long run for a couple of hours, putting in my earbuds, and listening to The Avett Brothers or whatever musical group I choose to be my running companions.  Speed is never my goal (although getting faster is nice).  Continuing to put one foot in front of another is what fuels my desire to keep going.  The more I run, the more distance I put between myself and the depression and the family history of high blood pressure and diabetes that chase after me.  Plus, if I'm still running at 70, maybe I'll actually win for my age group for one in my life...:)

With my fellow running warriors, Roselyn and Heidi

  Yesterday I participated in my 5th half-marathon.  I ran the Annapolis ZOOM Half-Marathon in 2:21:37 which was my fastest time to date.  I walked my first half-marathon when I was pregnant with my second child in 4:20:58 and vowed to never walk another half-marathon again.  And, while I wanted to stop people from passing me, I also took pure joy in the fact that I was able to just keep going.  Yes, my plantar fascia was acting up and, yes, if I was a few pounds lighter I could probably go faster.  But I was running, on hills no less, and running well for me.  I was surrounded by beautiful women of all ages, shapes, and backgrounds who were simply delighting in the fact that they were out there and running/walking/moving.  And that's the whole beauty of running, right?  We run for no one else but ourselves.

View of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, from the top of the Severn Bridge

(Well, and a view like this doesn't hurt, either...)

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