The Race

I'm a little embarrassed having not written in so long. I never even gave a walk-through of the Hakavat HaTavor race I spoke so much about. Now that you're asking, it was absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. I couldn't have imagined how much of an 11-km race would have been uphill. You'd think that physically and logically: what goes up, must come down. Yet somehow, it didn't seem to really work like that.

From the second the whistle was blown, it was an immediate uphill battle. Within minutes I started feeling a burn in my legs that can really only be the product of attempting to run up a 60 degree incline - for 2 kilometers straight. Not only that, the pure concentration of people all competing for the small surface area of dirt road, made it that much harder. By the end of the first kilometer I was already ready to give up. I'm definitely not one to give up easily, but I was just totally unprepared for what was happening.

I'd soon (after about 7 kilometers) figured out the method I would end up using to get through to the end of the hardest race I'll probably ever compete it. While most people seemed to be pacing themselves (or their partners) and keeping it clean, simple and consistent, I found that the only way I was going to finish this off was to do what I do best - be EXTREME. I consider myself an extremist, often having an all or nothing mentality. I'm sure my unconventional method for completing the race drove Nate crazy (since we ran together, he let me set the pace and he followed), but it was the only way I saw myself getting to the finish line, so it had to be done.

As the race went on, it became increasingly harder for me to make it up the steep, steep hills. There were some points when the burning in my calves became so intense that I just couldn't even feel them anymore, let alone race them up unfamiliar inclines. But when it came to the intermittent downhill portions, I would just go all out, reaching insane speeds to make up for lost time as I would serpentine through the sweaty crowd of robotic runners. It wasn't the most efficient form of racing, but it worked for me.

Don't let this picture fool you, I saw the camera and pushed myself to smile

I can go on and on describing how hard and intense the experience was for me, but I still would not do any justice to how my mind and body really felt. The last kilometer or two were sort of a blur. Every time we passed the volunteers distributing the mini water bottles, I would grab two, take one squirt in my mouth and then just pour the rest down my back. It was the only thing I could do to stay upright. Before I knew it, I was able to see the finish line arch in the distance, and I knew I had done it. Nate and I looked at each other, I reached out for his hand, and we crossed the finish line together.

We did it!

  I want to just bring up the fact that I know I haven't written in a while and that's going to change. It's been a while since the race and I definitely need to keep this updated. So stay tuned.

The Final Countdown

I am getting really excited for the race, there is so little time left!                                                                                               

I know I shouldn't start celebrating yet because I haven't quite 'made it' yet, but I really just feel like I've come a very long way. I have been trying to taper off since my last long run (9.5K). What that means is that I've only been running like 6 kilometers each time I go out, a breeze. Hold it - if I told myself 3 months ago that running 6 kilometers was going to be a breeze for me in such a short time I would have just laughed out loud.

Lately I've been running with my friend H. Though she used to run track in school, she has become a bit out of shape in the past few years from busyness and lack of enough exercise (her observation, not mine). I took her out for the first time last week on the same course that Nate and I have been circling the past few months. I have to say, she did pretty well compared to how I managed my first time out. I've learned to base success on how far in the trail the initial stretch of running lasts before the person needs to break for a walk. My first attempt, I didn't make it more than half a kilometer, so H's approximately 1.5 was well-worth applause. I, on the other hand, wasn't even running at my highest speed potential when we started walking.

I felt sort of bad, like it was discouraging to her that I was able to run faster and further than she was. Personally, it isn't very motivating when I see people passing me. I made sure to assure her how much better she had done than when I had started and will continue to do if she just keeps up the running. It's weird how I've become this running  motivator, attempting to launch others into a world I've until now been too lazy be a part of. Keep it up H!

I also want to comment on how I feel. I will elaborate in a future post, but it's really incredible how different I feel physically and mentally since I've started running. I would have been the first person to roll my eyes, and scoff at those 'diet and exercise bla bla bla', but seriously, take it from me, it's really freakin true!

So as the race day approaches I also want to thank everyone who has helped sponsor our run in donating to Ohr Simcha. Together with donations on the site and cash/checks we're collected over $1,100 - almost 85% of our goal. It's not too late, just click the chip in button to the right of this post or click here.

For your enjoyment:

Komen Race for the Cure Part 1

This post was written Friday, May 4, 2012.

View from my balcony of  setup in Gan Sacher

On my bike home from work on Wednesday (2 days ago) my eyes were suddenly blinded by the pink banners as I made my way past Gan Sacher (Sacher Park). Apparently, they were setting up for Yesterday morning's Komen Race for the Cure, Jerusalem. I became immediately distraught. Contrary to how it might sound, I am an avid supporter of this organization, Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The fact that this race was going on in my own backyard (literally) and I had no idea, was precisely the reason I became so angry. Even though I have chosen to run in support of a different charity for Hakafat Hatavor, the Race for the Cure was something I've been considering in the back of my mind since I started this whole thing. There are two reasons it holds such a special and important place in my heart: my maternal grandmother and my dear friend.

My maternal grandparents moved out of the country long before I was born so I rarely saw or heard from them as a kid. One month-long visit when I was about 8 years old was the most extended time I'd ever spent with them. She was a sick women from the time my mother was a little girl and she would constantly repeat herself, so unfortunately I didn't really appreciate talking with her the only chance I had. My most vivid memory is when I found her bra in my room (I had graciously allowed them to sleep there during their visit... no wait, who am I kidding - did I even have a choice?) and noticed it looked sort of different than those I had seen in the store or my mother's room. Because she had a single mastectomy without having reconstructive surgery, she had to buy bras custom-made with one cup fully padded to even out her destructed figure. Although I was too young to actually understand the severity of the situation, I must have realized its intensity because the image has been imprinted in my mind ever since.

During the summer of my freshman year of college, one of my best friend's mother, C, was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is a friend I'd known since kindergarten; I'd spent many a weekends (and school nights) by her house for almost 15 years, and because my parents moved away when I was in college, she truly became like a second mother to me. This diagnosis was almost the hardest thing I'd ever had to bare. It wasn't just that my best friend's mother had cancer, it was one of the first situations I'd ever been confronted with in which I was totally lost. I used to pride myself in my ability to help out my friends no matter what the issue; if nothing else, I was always able to at least talk them through it. This time was different. I couldn't say anything, I was having trouble even thinking about it, I became totally numb - I was the worst friend that summer at the time I was needed the most. Perhaps her diagnosis struck a chord somewhere I had previously blocked off. After all, my grandmother had breast cancer, so in addition to all of the other statistics against me, I was about 15% more likely to get it myself.
Thank God - though if you knew what an immensely smart, strong and kind person C is, you'd doubt God had anything to do with it - she  made it through what was likely the hardest time of her life. (I would like to just add that my description is purposely short so as not to lose the reader's interest, but I fail to do her kindness, strength and intelligence enough justice - I just wouldn't have enough writing space.)

So there I was, 3 months ago, making the decision to start running. I had a few things in mind:

1. Primary Goal: Don't make a fool of yourself
2. Unrealistic Goal If This Thing Pans Out: Participate in a triathlon (haha yea right)
3. Realistic Goal If This Thing Pans Out: Participate in a Komen Race for the Cure

And that's where the title comes in. My first thoughts when seeing that I had totally missed out on the opportunity to participate in the current race are best expressed with a (mutilated) quote: "How does [Komen Race] coming to my [park] get by me? I must be slipping in my old age!" I may have missed this Komen Race, but maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Now I have something else to look forward to after Hakafat HaTavor, because I'm officially determined to write a future post, Komen Race for the Cure Part 2. I don't know when it will be, but there will be a part two, and I won't stop running until the next Jerusalem Komen race. Stay tuned.

Photo courtesy of Israeli Frontline

We Are Young

I remember one year in summer camp - I must have been about 12 years old - I was chosen to run the 500 meter dash for the inter-camp sports competition. I was a pretty chubby kid and even though I was relatively athletic, I think it was pretty much written off as an inevitable loss. I had never really run before outside the baseball diamond during gym at school or camp, but I guess I was still young enough to being able to 'just do it' without caring and old enough that my adrenaline was easily powered by competition. To make a long story short, I finished in first, running toward my counselor and division head beaming with pride. They seemed to be genuinely happy and proud of me, though I'm realizing I think that may have just been the look of shock.

Since starting this running experiment two months ago, I have come to realize some things. Firstly, I should have taken way more advantage of my high school sports teams, especially track. I moved before junior year of high school, so I transferred to a new school pretty much at the peak of awkward pubescence. I wasn't very confident and coming from an Orthodox Jewish school, I really wasn't ready to try out for a sports team and fall on my face in front of all of my new Shiksa classmates before first cut. Secondly, I should have taken way more advantage of my college sports teams, especially tennis. I started out practicing with the tennis team in Freshman year, but I just didn't feel it and stopped attending practice.

I went for a run last night and reached both distance and time milestones. I ran 9.5 kilometers in less than 55 minutes. 9.5 kilometers - sorry I need a second to process that. Two months ago I could barely run .5 without feeling like my lungs were about to collapse and yesterday I ran 9 1/2. That's not to say my breathing sounds wonderful while I'm running; I'm actually surprised nobody stopped to call an ambulance when they passed and heard me wheezing - but I powered through. Anyway, I've mentioned in earlier posts about the Running Club, this intensely exclusive, member's only running association that I was only recently slipped the secret invitation to. I feel it every time I run. Especially when running through the park or on a dirt trail, we always meet many runners along the way. I see people of every shape and size, but for the most part they look around my age. All I ever want to do is give a thumbs up or a wave in the opposite direction, but it's unnecessary. I sense that there's an unspoken, motionless understanding between us, which makes us automatically connected without us having met. Waving would not only be unnecessary, but uncomfortable; to wave would be to fall on my face in the lunch room while trying to get the attention of a cute jock. Truthfully, I just wanted everyone I passed last night to know I was about to reach my milestone.

I will be honest here, the run was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, though it doesn't look like I suffered too bad, right?

Right after my 9.5 kilometer run, April 29, 2012

By the last half kilometer, I didn't know if I had the rest in me. I needed a power song, and then came a blazing through my iPhone head phones, We Are Young by Fun., featuring Janelle Monáe. Something about this song really gets me moving:

After Nate finished the Jerusalem half-marathon, he told me about this 65-year-old woman who kept pace with him throughout the entire run. Nate's not the fastest runner on the track, but his time is definitely competitive, and here his 24 years young legs were on par with those of a 65-year-old woman. Obviously, I have to give major props to this woman - let's be real, I couldn't run that. But it got me to thinking: this woman didn't decide to enter the marathon 3 days prior. She couldn't have woken up one day and decided at 65 she was going to start running. She was not the only participant in her age group, and you can bet that none of these senior citizens need handicap parking and I'm willing to bet it's because they've been running for many years.

I realized something while listening to that song last night. I could very easily choose the paved road to do all my travelling, but how selfish would it be for me NOT to take advantage of my youth. I would never have been able to accomplish these goals I have completed in such a short time post-menopause. Youth is one of my only assets that though I can't control, I can decide how I use it. I'm just glad I realized this before it was too late.

Pumped Up Kicks

I am very excited to announce the purchase of a new (really expensive) pair of running shoes. I would normally feel bad spending this amount for a pair of sneakers - usually I save triple digit spending to some strappy leather heals - but it's safe to say my feet were desperate for some new kicks. These are definitely worth it.

Brooks Purecadence - The most beautiful and amazing kicks

Aren't they sexy? Because of all of my feet issues, most of which I've had all my life, buying shoes has never been easy. Now that I've started to get serious about running, it has been growing ever important that I start wearing proper running shoes that are not only comfortable for long runs, but beneficial to my feet in the long run. I've had a wide width, flat feet and a high instep ever since I can remember - shoe shopping was always a nightmare. This has caused me to over-pronate; over-pronation is not only something you can get made fun of about, but it can prove to be very damaging to your shoes. Nate discovered via the blogosphere that the best new shoe this season for me, also happened to come in purple (as if god himself was involved in this coincidence), so naturally I just had to have them. What also helped make the decision to spend what we had to on these shoes is that the sneakers I have been using were approaching 7 or 8 years - an embarrassing age for a running shoe. 

I was extremely excited to take them out for the first time. I felt like a 6-year-old version of myself preparing to take the training wheels off my bike and take it out on my own. Really, the situations aren't all that different. The truth is, this shoe is made in a very different way than any other shoe I've ever worn to run. Nate warned me that it may very well be quite painful to run - and I was half expecting to get injured. The way the shoes are designed forces me to land mid- to fore-foot, rather than on my heels, which most running shoes of the past encourage. This would cause my foot to operate in a new way during runs, using muscles they likely aren't used to exercising. 

The run was actually pretty successful. That's not to say it was by any means, easy, because THAT it definitely wasn't. But it felt good. That is, aside from the excruciating pain of running up and down steep hills for 6 kilometers. In all, I enjoyed the run, and I was quite proud of how long I lasted in it, though I don't know if I would have without the occasional amazing up-beat songs blasting on my ipod. 

The title of this post is actually named for the 'power song' of that run. I decided I will include a 'power song' with each blog post. I want to first of all, give recognition to the artists for creating great songs that are not only fun to listen to, but helpful to run to. Secondly, if there's anyone else out there who happens to be reading this and looking for good music to run with, I want to compile a list for them. I believe that the music you choose is really the most important thing to take on a run - without this song, I definitely would not have made it. 

Training Starts... NOW

Having a goal and a time line is an interesting thing for a procrastinator. I've always been a huge procrastinator and in the past it has helped me to sit down and draw up a complete and detailed - and I mean detailed, as in penciling in time to shower and eat - schedule of events. Usually this happened during college finals when I suddenly realized I had 7 finals to cram for and about 25 homework assignments to make up in about 2 weeks' time (see? procrastination at its best).

This 11k is turning out to be not all too different. I'm very proud of the 5k I've so far been able to run, though on a treadmill, but I'm not even half way there. Five weeks would seem like enough time for homework and cramming, but that's just brain-work; this is brain-work, leg-work, lung-work... exhaustion. To be honest, I'm kind of, sort of, maybe, just a little bit nervous. Especially since this week has not been a very successful and progressive training week. But I have a schedule and a new place to run.

My husband, Nate, wrote me a training regimen. It's going to be a b*tch! I'm going to be running 4 times a week, mixing speed-work, pacing and endurance. I only have 5 weeks, but the week before the race you're apparently supposed to rest up a bit - run, but nothing too strenuousness - so it's really only 4 weeks to be able to run 11k. Every week I have to go up at least a kilometer and a half or so to make it to 11 in 4 weeks. All I can say is it's good to have a strong runner who loves me to back me up and send me through boot-camp, otherwise I would surely fail. Plus, we just figured out how to get access to the local university's track, so we'll be able to do outdoor runs while gauging exact distance.

It's going to be a loooooooooooong 4 weeks!

Nate in the Jerusalem Marathon March 2012

R.I.P. Caballo Blanco

I was very sad to hear that Caballo Blanco has passed. I didn't know him or anything, but I almost felt like I did after delving into the life story he told at the end of Born to Run. From what I read, he sounded like an amazing person, and to me - and I'm sure many others world-wide - he's an inspiration. He loved to run and for no other reason than the run itself. Throughout this whole process I'm going through right now, I keep wishing that I will one day have the same inclination for running. I can't help but thinking that contrary to the (absolutely amazing) book's title, maybe not everyone is born to run. Yeah, I've been progressing and I can run much further and faster than I had been able to at the start, but I can't pretend to think that I will ever achieve award-winning speeds or distances, it's just not in me.

I will try though, and if for no other reason, than to try to feel the way Micah True expressed how running made him feel. Perhaps even just because now after hearing his story I have a nagging feeling that it's almost my obligation to live up to my running potential - maybe it will make me into a better person. After all, he wasn't the only super-athlete or ultra-runner featured in this book. Though almost all of the others live their lives in a totally different way that C.B. they all seem to possess the same heart - as if once you've run a 50-mile trail, you become one with the trail and anyone else whose experienced it.

I want to take this time to thank everyone who has so far donated to the cause I posted about in my last entry. I am still training hard and only have 5 weeks left before the 11K trail run. We have raised $200 so far and counting at run4ohrsimcha.chipin.com. Although I'm going to be running for Ohr Simcha in theory, I'll definitely be thinking of Caballo Blanco AKA Micah True AKA Michael Hickman throughout the whole journey, hoping he's watching.

Caballo Blanco (Micah True)  1954-2012

Hakafat HaTavor

I have to make this quick because I'm at work... I have decided that in order to kick this running experiment into high gear I need a really worth-while goal. It's great to lose weight, get in shape and to do something for myself - but there's nothing like making a commitment to somebody else to get yourself going (at least for me).

I've decided to take a leap and sign up for an 11 kilometer race in the North of Israel which circles the Tavor Mountain. The race is called Hakafat HaTavor and it takes place on May 11th. I have 6 weeks to get myself to 11 kilometers. It's not going to be easy, but I have some good motivation. I am going to run this race as a sponsorship for a worthy cause, Yeshivat Ohr Simcha. Yeshivat Ohr Simcha in Kfar Chabad is a wonderful organization housing hundreds of boys between the ages of 6 and 14 who have been orphaned, abandoned or abused.

At Ohr Simcha, they are housed, clothed and educated and their physical and psychological needs are taken care of regularly by doctors and professionals. I have been there and met a number of the children who live and learn there. I was very inspired by the people who work there, whether it be the teachers or mentors, or the young married couples who live in an apartment within the complex and act as foster parents to 11 boys (in addition to the 2 biological children they are raising). In all, they're doing a great job, but they need all of the support they can get.

Click the button below to join the cause and 'Chip In' to help sponsor my run.
 

And most of all, WISH ME LUCK! Because I have a HECK of a lot of work to do!

Winter Work Week

It has most unfortunately been a very long time since I've posted. It's not that I've been lazy... well, maybe it it, but that's not the complete reason - I've just been extremely busy. It has been a very crazy few months at work, sometimes working over 60 hours a week (ahem, with no over-time, I might add). On top of work, I was also immersed in the numerous extra-curricular activities I masochistically involve myself in, such as Women's Flag Football and community theater. Not only have I not had time to write, there was a good chunk of time (also due to the crazy weather we've been having - 40 degrees F and snow storms in Jerusalem in March!) that I didn't run at all.

I have to admit, I was pretty ashamed to start this whole thing and then take a huge leave of absence, but I'm happy to say that I started running again a few weeks ago and am incredibly surprised by my progress. That being said, it has definitely not been easy.

I find it very difficult to run outside. Firstly, asthma makes it more difficult to run outside than indoors because it tends to aggravate my allergies. The cold weather is a whole other issue. Perhaps I just don't have the proper running gear, but just 1.5 Km running in the cold and I feel like my head is going to explode, starting from my ears. The pain is indescribable, so it suffices to say that I wasn't able to get much done.

I decided to join the gym. I figured for 50 bucks a month, if I can work up my legs and my lungs on  treadmill, I'd be that much more prepared to face the outside world. The gym I joined is called Curves. It's an all-women's gym that is based primarily on a 30-minute workout cycle combining alternating cardio and muscular exorcises using special Curves machines. It's actually an interesting idea and has been pretty successful, considering all of the locations they now have all around the world.

At the Curves I am a member of, in addition to the cycle, they have a treadmill, elliptical and offer a bunch of classes, such as Zoomba and pilates. In all I've been pretty satisfied; the only real problem is that there is only ONE treadmill. I mean, it's not all that bad, because I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes (which I spent doing the Curves cycle to warm up), but being that I went before work, that also meant I had less time on the treadmill, and therefore inhibiting my running advancement. The other thing that sucks is that there's actually no TV by the treadmill. I end up listening to music or watching a show on my iPhone, but it's a lot easier to lose myself in the (stationary) running if I have a big screen in my face distracting me (I am easily enamored by shiny things). Oh, the only thing I really have to look at aside from the white walls is one of those motivational posters with the corny quotations - those always crack me up. It's a girl running on a dirt path and the line is: 'Commitment' and below it, it says "Determination is often the first chapter in the book of excellence." It's probably the the most trite thing I've ever heard or read, but then again, I guess it's sort of true. Plus it beats staring at a white wall.



Let's get down to business....

Bottom line - although I haven't been able to maximize my time exorcising these past few weeks, I was still able to increase the distance I can cover in a single run, and even my speed. After a few runs, I went from dying at 1 Km, to comfortably running 3K. I never actually thought I would be able to run that far in one shot. Now I hate to sounds corny, but in this case it sort of feels good to be able to prove yourself wrong. Then again, let's not get ahead of ourselves... I know 3K is really not very far to run. I'm not trying to kid myself or anything, but progress is progress.

Hey, it works for me!

The Beginning

I dont consider myself a writer- well not a very good one anyway- so kindly hold your judgements. My intentions in writing this blog do not include showing off any writings skills- or any skills at all for that matter. I've decided to outline a sort-of journey I'm taking to work on the only thing I'm less skillful at than writing- running.

I've always enjoyed sports; I played little league in grade school and high school volleyball, I even played in a weekly ultimate frisbee game in college. Point being, I'm not a terribly lazy person (well that's not completely, but bear with me), I just can't run, plain and simple. That's not to say I haven't tried.

A number of times in high school and college I planned with a friend or two to start running together, for exercise, fun, or what have you. I would wake up very early, get out of bed, get dressed in all my work-out attire and attempt to run. These mornings would usually end about 10 minutes later with me out of breath, making up excuses as to why I can't continue running. I happen to be really good at making up excuses, but the truth is that I have asthma.

I found out when I was about 14 that I had exercise-induced asthma. This was by far my favorite excuse and certainly valid at that, and I've been using it ever since. I would continue to use this excuse probably forever if it weren't for my husband. He is convinced that asthma is something that can be overcome and has challenged me to prove him wrong - though proving him right is really the challenge.

I went running with my husband for the first time not too long ago. It was an absolute disaster. My husband runs anywhere between 5-10 kilometers each time he goes running. I hoped to make it about 2k with him my first time out. Long story short, I almost threw up before we even hit the 1 kilometer mark. I didn't think I was in such great shape, but this was just embarrassing. I wanted to just forget about the whole thing; it clearly was just not meant to be - not everyone can be a runner. My husband did not agree.

My husband had just finished reading the book Born to Run, in which author Christopher McDougall outlines his journey to uncover the secret running abilities of the recluse Mexican Indian tribe, the Tarahumarra. He explains, like the title states, that we can all run, in fact, we were born to do so. My husband then convinced me that rather than be defeated from my near-death (as I exaggeratedly tell it) running experience, I should take some advice from a pro (and Nike) and 'just do it'.

Now we come back to this blog. I've wanted to start a blog in the past, in fact I'm pretty sure I have started a few, but I guess I never really had anything very interesting to write about. My idea is that if I can write about this endeavor in a publicly available venue, and actually get people to read it, I will be pretty embarrassed if I fail. So here we are- wish me luck!