There is Life After Running - Seriously!

There is Life After Running……Seriously

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Helen Keller, author, political activist, and speaker

This is my profound thought for today. We often, as runners, feel like our world is coming to an end when we can’t run due to an injury; or even worse, a permanent disability. This often happens in older runners due to knee issues or chronic back pain. Foot and ankle arthritis or a torn tendon can also cause a premature end to a running career.

Instead of looking at what we can’t do, we often need to rejoice in what we can. When I turned 40, I realized that I needed to start cross training so I wasn’t beating the heck out of myself every day. I reinvented myself as a triathlete. I hadn’t done any swimming seriously in over 20 years and couldn’t remember the last time I was on a bike. I had always just run!

I had a goal: a sprint triathlon in 3 months! I made a list and borrowed a triathlete friend for a shopping trip to the cycling shop. A cute pink road bike later, I was on my way. A bathing suit, cap and goggles were procured and I jumped into the pool at the gym. Surprisingly, my swim form and bike balance were not all that bad. A conservative training program and lots of encouragement got me to my first triathlon. That was 2008.  I have done many sprint and Olympic triathlons; 6 Half-Ironman and 2 full Ironman triathlons since then. I’m a stronger but slower runner now, but honestly my body feels way better.

Many of my patients have had the same type of result with cross training. Some have given up running for cycling due to an old injury or two. Yoga, pilates, cycling, circuit weight training, elliptical, swimming, and even Zumba can be fun diversions form a chronic ache.

The world does not end if we can’t run. Often its not a "I can’t run", but perhaps " I should run less often" scenario for most people. Take it from me, find something fun that will get your heart rate up and sprinkle it into your running. Your body will thank you. Cross training (also known as relative rest) is not a death sentence but can be a door into a whole new you! Who knows, you may find yourself owning a pink bike!!

Self Motivation to Exercise

Why do most people not achieve their goals? Great question! 

I had a patient today who was in to get a new pair of orthotics. They were quite worn and she was having recurrent foot pain. We discussed shoes, stretching and new orthotics. Then I asked the million dollar question, “When are you going to get serious about losing weight?” For every pound you lose in body weight, you lose 3 pounds of torque on your feet. It is amazing on how just a few pounds can impact your foot health.  She gave me some hollow excuses and then said’ “I just can’t get motivated.” 

This is not uncommon. Unfortunately, we are part of the microwave generation and many lack self-motivation. I personally always have a race on the calendar as a carrot to chase. If I’m not training, then the race will be humiliating or hurt really bad! That’s part of my motivation. The other part is the personal well being, you could call it the “runner’s high” that I get out of my workouts! They just plain make me feel better! 

I’m going to try to find something that is inspirational at least once a week during this holiday season to try to help you motivate yourself to start reaching your goals way before the New Year! Remember, Rome was not built in a day! Baby steps every day towards your goals and all of a sudden you find you are there!

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Ryan

Embracing the Suck: Ironman Mont-Tremblant is Almost Here

I was watching the London Olympic ‘s Women’s marathon this morning and thinking of my upcoming Ironman in Quebec. (Yes, I was up at 5am to watch the race and was on my bike trainer so I wouldn’t waste the training time) The announcers were talking about the work these women put in day after day for years that culminates at their shot for Olympic gold. They also talked about the way an Olympic gold could really change many of their lives, especially those from African nations. Although I did find their commentary interesting, the one thing that struck me was the comment that at least 30 of the woman had the athletic talent to win gold, but it was the ability to embrace the suffering inherent in the marathon distance that eventually meant the difference between Olympic champions and also ran.

It reminded me of an article I read in Triathlon magazine by Chris McCormack (for those non-triathletes he is “Macca” and a hugely successful triathlete and pretty neat guy) that had this topic as its theme. “Embrace the suck!” is Macca’s mantra when thinking about long course. He also felt that mind over body and how you controlled your mind during a race meant the difference between successes and also ran or in some cases DNF!

There was one study that had half the athletes doing math problems while doing weight reps and half the athletes concentrating on the weights. Guess which one fatigued earlier? Of course the ones spending mental energy on math and losing focus of the reps. Focus is the key to success!

What does all this mean? My musing this morning comes down to why we do this sport. Whether you are a marathoner or a long course triathlete, you challenge yourself to perform races that most people think are insane. Why? The challenge! The edge! Whether our goal is to finish or a time goal or to win, a satisfying race is accomplished when we come to the edge and come face-to-face with our inner weakness.  The edge comes when the risk is compelling enough to make it all count.  I find myself asking myself, “Why am I doing this?” about halfway into a long race. How I answer is the difference between success and a less than optimal outcome. Whining is not an option. At that point, I might as well throw in the towel.  Perishing on the pavement is also not a good option. Confronting this inner voice and trouncing it makes the race a success!

After finishing my first Ironman, I went back to work the next week with the feeling I could do anything! Not only was my mental attitude better at work, but it was also better at home. I had embraced the suffering and succeeded so nothing was impossible, even the whining of my 13-yr-old! I find in business, the same mantra holds true. If you embrace the suck, meaning put it all on the line knowing it will take work, suffering and an uphill battle; you usually succeed. Why? Same reason, the risk is compelling enough for us to put in 100% effort! We can’t lose when we bring our “A” game!

I have a significant challenge in 2 weeks at Ironman Mont-Tremblant.  The course is at altitude and is very hilly! I will conquer the course and finish the race, which is my goal this year. I know I will be asking myself why I am racing and what does it matter to anyone except myself that I finish. My self-talk will tell my inner voice to suck it up and finish no matter how bad I feel, for myself, for my friends and family and for all my patients following their doctor! I inspire them to take on life’s challenges and win! If it were easy, everyone would do it!

Bottom line: Embrace the suck!! In a race and in your life! You embrace the pain and the challenge, then deal with it and succeed!

Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 Triathlon Video Race Report

The FAANT girl are at it again. The road to Ironman Mont-Tremblant goes through Lubbock, TX.

The Long Road to Ironman Mont-Tremblant FAANT Girls' Style!

The road to Ironman Mont-Tremblant in Quebec officially starts for the FAANT girls this weekend. It’s finally time to admit that I better get my butt in gear and get training a lot harder. Janet has been in full gear for about 6 weeks or so….I’ve been lazy until the last two. Looking at the calendar, we have only 20 weeks to go and the challenge is mighty! For anyone who wants to laugh at us or is just curious, go to www.ironmanmonttremblant.com and take a look at the elevations on the bike course. We must be out of our minds. We live in almost the flattest state in the union, so we pick the Ironman with the most hills we can find J

Today’s video blog is just a taste of what we have in store for our friends! In two weeks, I am “participating” in the Ironman 70.3 in New Orleans and this should be a good barometer of how poor my fitness is at this point! Janet and I will be racing in the 70.3 in Buffalo Springs (Lubbock, TX) at the end of June! Hopefully by then it won’t hurt so bad!

A 50 mile bike ride (Janet actually continued and did something on the order of 100 miles) on Saturday followed by an hour or so open water swim on Sunday with a short run afterwards sounds like a great Easter weekend! Thanks go out to all our friends from Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers who joined us!

That’s all for now….I hope you enjoy this next adventure with us.

For more, follow us at www.myrundoc.com (Crane) and www.healthystepsdfw.blogspot.com (Dixon). I promise it will be good for a few chuckles along the way.....