Training Runs & Other NEW Funs

Happy February, Everyone!

Woohoo! We're one month closer to spring! I don't know if you can tell, but being an avid runner who doesn't like the cold, I'm kind of not a fan of winter. It's slippery, it requires layering, it's unpredictable, the days are shorter...I could go on and on. But I won't because you have lives.

So I'll just put a well-placed meme in here and we can move on. 

My rant on winter is actually very well timed as I make my way outdoors this weekend to the
Seroogy's Valentine 15k/5k Run Walk in De Pere, WI on Saturday.

Left to right - My hubby Ross, me, and Uncle Jan
 at a Seroogy's Valentine Run in 2011.
My shirt says "Future Heartbreaker"
as JD was in my belly. :) 

Me at the Seroogy's in 2000 and something...
Who cares, it was cold.. :) 

Here's the link to their Facebook page in case you are interest in joining me: https://www.facebook.com/events/464541937087631

While it's cold (as in one year I believe it was -40 windchills on race day cold), this race is great for 3 reasons:

The people, the chocolate, and the location. 

I love running through my hometown, the volunteers and organizers are fabulous (not to mention being local I almost always LITERALLY RUN in to someone I know), and there's chocolate at the end! If you haven't had Seroogy's chocolate yet in your lifetime, seriously...Chocolate Meltaway bars???

Mmm....Meltaways....

(Let's just say, we know which local parades they have a float in, and we are NOT afraid to take out a 3 year old or two to catch some of those sweet, sweet mini bars of liquid gold.)

This run is also timed PERFECTLY for the 10 mile training run that falls this week based on the CGBM (Cellcom Green Bay Marathon) training calendar. Put with that my running buddy, Uncle Jan, and I will probably pace this out together and it's like a cold but sweaty candy motivated party for 9.3 miles.

Outside of the Seroogy's, I also am signed up for the Oshkosh Half Marathon in April.
Link to the race here: http://www.dutrirun.com/oshkoshhalf

(Are you getting the NEW fun in the title of this blog now?? Northeast Wisconsin fun...yep...clever, clever I am...and I guess very Yoda-y today too....) 

Another great local race (again very well-timed for corresponding Cellcom Green Bay Marathon training distances), I love this half which has now also turned into a marathon in the last two years. Being a graduate from UW Oshkosh, I love running through campus. And the fans along the route I would say are some of the best I have seen! Students, locals, and fun themed groups come out and really push you when you need it. (And trust me when I say, sometimes, I REALLY need it!)

However, one thing to keep in mind: Being this race is in April in Wisconsin, you NEVER know what you're going to get! For instance, one year, I took the photo below. It was in the high 60s, sunny, and beautiful.  (No surprise I PR'ed in the 1:40s for a half here!)

Left to right - My sister Nikki, Uncle Jan, and me at the 2009 Oshkosh Half Marathon 

The year before that? 15mph winds, snow, and about 30 degrees...oh and the train...the infamous 5+ minute, stop your Garmin and sing the entirety of "Bohemian Rhapsody" train..... Is it any surprise I do NOT have a smiling after photo from that? :)

(NOTE: They have since altered the route and you do NOT have to worry about a train anymore. I'm just a competitive baby and like to complain about it. Uncle Jan, however, likes to remind me of the look I had on my face as he came up to the train crossing and saw me standing there, arms crossed, looking...um...pensive I guess??) 

As I sign up for these races, I realize they all have one thing in common:
Familiarity. 

Thug Life...
Leaving the weekly meal plan at home
and going grocery shopping 

This is the other half of my purpose in titling this blog NEW Fun, as I am making one major goal this year: 

TRY SOMETHING NEW! ANYTHING! 

I'm kind of the Danny Tanner of our little family. I have found even more so as I get older I love having a game plan for EVERYTHING. If you're looking for a friend to call up and say, "Hey! Let's go to Vegas tomorrow! Come on!" I'm more of the friend who, rather than responding, "Sweet! I'm in!" Would say, "Sweet! I'm in! As long as by tomorrow you mean 6 months from now with ample time to plan out what we're going to do."  

But being a planner or not, I think we can all agree that adding new things to our daily routine can be a challenge. Newness takes us out of our comfort zone and (putting on my counseling hat for a minute) goes back to our biological "flight or fight" response when we're put in an unfamiliar setting. While centuries ago, a trigger of "flight or fight" might be taking on a bear while hunting for food, now a lot of what triggers those feelings are less physically life-threatening than they are socially. 

We don't want to look bad, feel bad, and in the end, we think we will and  don't want to fail. The easiest way not to fail is if we just don't even try.

Sorry..still not seeing it...

It's easy to feel this way I think in today's society. Take a look at Lady Gaga's performance at the Superbowl this past weekend. While she was sending messages through her performance of unity and belonging, people were tearing her apart for having a fold of skin hanging over her outfit. REALLY?!?! When things like this happen, it's not sad to me that there are cowards hiding behind their computers body-shaming someone. There will always be those with something negative to say; social media just now gives them a mainly anonymous platform to say it. 

What IS sad to me is that this "ideal image" of what a woman should look like has gotten so out of control that one would even notice her skinfold to begin with. Why would we ever look at that and think this is a FLAW??

Fortunately for us, Lady Gaga like many others did not "flight" from this situation. Rather, she went into "fight" mode with an epic response:

"I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too. No matter who you are or what you do. I could give you a million reasons why you don't need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you. That's the stuff of champions...." (CNN.com) 

I love that last part: That's the stuff of champions....

If we stay afraid of failure or afraid of what people might think, we're cheating ourselves out of becoming the best we can be.

So this week, try something new! Try a new running route, and a new fitness class, or sign up for a race/distance/event you've never done before. Show yourself that you don't have to be afraid of what you don't know.

I'll be the NEW guy with you! 

Here are my NEW goals for the next couple of months while I'm training for CGBM 2017:

- Take a TRX class for strength training (I completed TRX 101 on Wednesday and let's just say, this is DEFINITELY not in my comfort zone) 

- CONSISTENTLY take a yoga class (Ooohhh....Yoga...I know you're so good for the avid runner, but to sit still that long....we'll see....)

- Sign up for a distance/event beyond the CGBM that scares me. Triathalon? Tough Mudder? I'm not sure what it will be. But it'll be NEW! 

- - Perform at Superbowl LII in my underwear  (eh...I'll leave this one to Gaga...)

Make today your best day yet! 

Jill~ 

A note from the author: 
So...how are we all doing? While the purpose of the blogs are to talk a bit about my marathon training progress, related runs, etc. for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, I'm always going to sidetrack, mumble, go off on tangents..it's kind of my nature. 

So, if YOU have a topic you'd like me to talk about in relation to running, or have something you want to hear more about that I mention, please feel free to email me, comment, or the like!