Where The Sidewalk Ends

By natalie | January 23, 2009

When I really got into running it was during college in Charleston, South Carolina. Despite the fact that the sidewalks in Charleston are a random mix of uneven brick, cobblestone, and old cement ruptured by tree roots growing through them, I typically ran on the sidewalk rather than the street. Streets were for cars, sidewalks for humans. There were a couple distinct incidents that, looking back, would probably have motivated any other runner to switch to the streets. In Charleston, because of the historic nature of those uneven sidewalks it was absolutely common to trip on a regular basis walking anywhere. If you managed not to trip, it was a miracle. And when you did trip, or watched someone else trip, it was always funny. I can’t even count the number of times I tripped, but I can clearly recall the first time I fell. It wasn’t pretty. I went up a curb and came down on the other side flat on my face, bloodied my knees, and scraped up my hands. To tough it out, of course, I kept on running. The other all too memorable running episode I recall from college was when I returned from a run and was walking around my dorm room on Wentworth. One of my suitemates noticed the potent smell of dog poo coming from somewhere. Read More »

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Shhh, We’re Whispering

By natalie | January 22, 2009

Last night was one of those nights where I just could not shut my brain off. I like to get a decent amount of sleep, preferably between seven and eight hours, but I can survive on six, and if I get any less than that it better be something darn fun that is preventing me from getting a good night’s sleep. When I can’t fall asleep it is usually because I’m simply not tired and for the times that I am still awake thinking I have a notepad and pen by the bed so I can write down whatever is in my head, which typically does the trick.

The paper and pen trick did not work last night. I wanted to talk. I had a million ideas running through my head and while I was thinking about them I was also thinking about how badly I just wanted to go to sleep so I could get up and start putting some of my ideas into place the next day. (Are you ever amazed by how much you can think about all at the same time? I am.) Put another way, I was excited to go to sleep so that I could turn around and get back up. All the excitement about the ideas and the thought of sleeping and getting back up completely ruined my inability to turn off my brain, and so I wanted to talk.

My husband and I share the world’s most comfortable king-size bed. It seems so big that sometimes I don’t even know he’s in it with me. The dog sleeps in her own world’s most comfortable dog bed on the floor at the foot of ours and she was sound asleep; I could tell from her breathing. I gave a quick glance over and confirmed my husband was indeed in the bed and I very quietly whispered “are you still awake?” He whispered back that he was.

I shared what was in my head in a very low whisper—I was excited to use the Flip video camera that we got for Christmas to video our dog and her friend Brody who we’re dog sitting. I had started thinking about the types of video we could coordinate and how we could post it on the blog which lead to all sorts of other dog, blog, and video thoughts. (Check out the Media page; this will be a work in progress.)

This sequence happened several more times. I would quietly whisper “are you still awake?” My husband would whisper back that he was and I would share the next thing—I do want to get up and run eight miles; we’re going to have stuffed peppers for dinner—all whispered dialogue. Also a one-way conversation but that’s beside the point.

I finally fell asleep and spent the morning’s run thinking about whispering. It’s kind of like yawning. If someone yawns it triggers you to yawn (are you yawning yet?). If someone whispers to you, it’s pretty unlikely that you’re going to yell at them. You’re going to whisper back. I decided that our whispering last night was also kind of funny because who were we going to wake up? Certainly not the dog. I’m glad we whispered. It’s a peaceful way to communicate, it’s calm, gentle, makes you feel like you’re telling or receiving a secret which makes the conversation that much more enjoyable.

There is so much noise around us that sometimes it’s just nice to turn the volume down on your own world (guys, just don’t mute us).

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Thinking In The Kitchen

By natalie | January 21, 2009

I believe the shower is probably one of the most popular places where people have epiphanies, ideas, and deep thoughts. For me, as I’ve stated before, running is often my thinking time. However, I just realized that the kitchen is also the place where my mind wanders. Perhaps this is why I don’t mind doing the dishes. Almost every time I end up with a complete monologue in my head, a total stream of consciousness just comes out of nowhere. Sometimes I have one consistent train of thought and other times my mind jumps from one random thing to another. If I’m lucky the monologue is in a British accent and on rare occasions I find myself speaking Spanish which reassures me that studying it for eight years actually paid off a little. Just now, putting dishes away and cleaning up those that accumulated next to the sink, these are some of the things that went through my head:

  • Thank goodness I can stack my glasses! What do people with unstackable glasses do?
  • I’m lucky that every time I take plates out of the dishwasher there is also a dirty plate to put into the dishwasher otherwise they would never all fit in the cabinet.
  • I hate my dishwasher!
  • I’m lucky to at least have a dishwasher, hot water, soap.
  • I wrote a short story in college about spilling milk for my creative writing class; I wonder where that is?
  • Should I call this blog “Thinking in the Kitchen” or “Thoughts by the Kitchen Sink?”
  • Obama is lucky he lived in Illinois so he was prepared for today’s cold weather; still should’ve been wearing a hat.
  • Bummer that I don’t have super powers that could put back all the shelves in the laundry room, but at least the heater is fixed.
  • Get back to the computer as soon as possible to write this blog idea.
  • Don’t forget to let the dog back in!

Where do you do your best thinking?

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Remember Where You Are

By natalie | January 20, 2009

Today, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. As with so many other historical moments in our history, this will be a day to remember. The pre-inauguration hype has been monumental and at a level never seen before in the U.S. The buzz about this inauguration that has spread among so many generations of Americans, demographics, media outlets, and quite simply, the world is so contagious that you can’t help but feel the excitement in the air. This excitement and change comes at a time when we absolutely need it most. Obama gave Americans, and the world, something to believe in and something to hope for long before the campaign began and today he brings those beliefs and hopes to life.

Obama’s inauguration will be, and has been, a celebration well captured by all the media. One of the significant aspects of this inauguration, however, is how the rest of America will be sharing the event. From blogs to YouTube to Twitter feeds to Facebook posts to text messages and every other form of modern technology and social media, we will all be connected to this event whether we are in Washington D.C. or anywhere else in the world.

And so I invite you to remember where you are today. Take a look around you and take a moment to look inside. This is an opportunity to connect with yourself and with so many others who feel the tremendous meaning of today. Today is not just about where you stand; it’s about what you stand for. As Obama takes his oath to serve as President and promises to lead our nation and unite us in moving forward, think about where you have been, all that you have experienced, what you’ve learned, and how you too will move forward. Obama’s inauguration is a chance to truly embrace where you are today, who you are today, so that you can always look back and one day know how far you’ve come.

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Supporting The Sport

By natalie | January 19, 2009

Football is a sport that I have almost always been around yet have never really understood. Growing up, every football Sunday NFL games would be on the TV, my dad on the couch reading in between plays, my mom folding laundry on the floor, and usually a fire in the fireplace. I was in the room too, usually reading a book. Football was always in the background, which may be partly why I never really got into it. I went to a college without a football team so I missed those formative years of building an understanding of the game as well as the loyalty to a team.

When I met my now husband it was clear that I would have some work to do in the sports world in order to keep up. He and all of his male cohorts are die hard football fans. In our Maryland-based group, the Ravens and Redskins stand out as the most favored teams with a few others coming in as close seconds. I was instantly grateful to have girlfriends in the group just as lost as myself when it came to football. Together we attempted to reject the game. We could entertain ourselves when Sunday rolled around and the group was watching “the game” together. Home alone however, with just my husband and “the game,” I went through many phases of feelings over this sport that dominates half of the year in my household.

My all-time low was when I realized I was jealous of football. Not a good place to be. Over the last two years I have worked hard to adjust my own feelings about football and what that means for Sundays (and sometimes also Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays) and the time I spend with my husband. I have learned how to take advantage of Sundays to make them “my day” while my husband watches game after game, but I have also found myself stopping what I’m doing and watching a play every now and then. Even more recently, I wanted to learn about football, or at least learn how to watch it in hopes I might enjoy it. After a few training sessions in watching football, it was indeed a little more interesting, all be it there is still much I don’t understand.

For whatever reason, this football season seems to have gone by very quickly. Not once did I resent “the game” being on and more often than not I was happy to watch a chunk of whatever game was on. Perhaps the best part of this season is that I finally joined my husband in genuinely cheering for the Ravens. I used to say that I was a Ravens fan “by default,” but now I truly do like the team. I see their talents, I know some of their names, and in the playoff game last night against Pittsburgh I really wanted them to win.

During last night’s game, I noticed myself really paying attention to the aggressiveness that is football and realized that this is an incredible sport. The force at which grown, enormous men run into each other just for the sake of knocking them down or fumbling the ball is really amazing. Every single play looks painful. On top of the physical aspect of it, games are played in extreme heat, cold, rain, all of which make the experience that much more intense. Last night I pretty much decided that football players are crazy for doing what they do, and when I said this out loud to my husband and his buddy who both played football together in high school, they agreed but said it’s worth it every game.

Little by little I’m appreciating the passion people have for this American pastime. One day I may have my own Flacco jersey. And at our Super Bowl party this year, I just may do more than gab with my girlfriends in the corner.

Go Cardinals!

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Chickened Out

By natalie | January 17, 2009

It’s Saturday. That means “long run time” in my world of marathon training. I’ve had the route planned for my 14.5 miles for at least a week now and have been thinking about it ever since. As the temperatures have continued to drop around the country I’ve remained positive that since it’s not nearly as cold in Arnold, Maryland, as it is in Minnesota or other Midwest locations, surely I can handle it. I’ve powered through the low 20s and the high teens, but not for 14 miles, which will also be the farthest I’ve ever run.

Yesterday morning when I went to take the trash and recycling out, it was about 5 degrees and it sort of hurt to breath. That could have also been caused by my frustration of taking out the trash in my nice work clothes and heels and struggling over the frozen uneven ground with the trash can tipping over every 10 feet. Regardless, it was at that point that I started wondering what my threshold is for running in the cold. Last night I went in search of some motivation from my new running personalities on Twitter. There is one runner I follow, crossn81, who lives in Minnesota and had recently posted about his run in -21 degrees. When he told me that 5 degrees was ok, I was inspired; and from the warmth and comfort of my couch had the confidence to rise and shine and hit the road.

In the end, when this morning rolled around, I did not run. I chickened out. Knowing full well that it is supposed to be 30 degrees tomorrow with a chance of snow I did Pilates and decided to wait for Sunday to run. I’ve always wanted to run in the snow. I’ve also always wondered how hard core I am. This is my first marathon training experience and I’m definitely committed to it and enjoy it, but I think it will take several rounds of cold weather running for me to be as brave as crossn81.

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I’m A Waver

By natalie | January 16, 2009

I recently started receiving Runner’s World magazine (thanks mom, for that gift!) which I absolutely love. I used to get random copies here and there after signing up for a race, but now I have my very own subscription. I got the first one just a few weeks ago and devoured it in one sitting. Every single article was helpful, informative, entertaining, and inspiring. When I finished I was kind of bummed that it was over already. But then a couple weeks later the next issue arrived and all was well with the world. I now have the Feb. ’09 issue and I tried to change my tactic with this one. I attempted to take it slower, trying to read just one article a night to make it last a little longer, but I went cover-to-cover in three days.

This issue has a hilarious article that I truly appreciated reading. On one hand, this article could be considered “fluff” editorial. On the other, I salute editor-in-chief David Willey for printing it. The topic is one that, as the author points out, runners definitely think about and are aware of, but probably don’t talk about. It is the topic of being a waver or a nonwaver as a runner; the article is called “The Waver’s Dilemma.”

I am a waver. The author, Robert Sullivan, suggests that waving is anything from an actual wave to a finger lift to a head nod to any sort of verbal acknowledgment and I completely agree. I am all of those. The type of “wave” I give always depends on the situation: what side of the street the other person is on, if I’m passing face to face or coming up from behind, if they’re also running or walking or biking, if they’re in a vehicle, how old they are.

There are two things the article did not address, however, that I as a runner think about in waving situations. The first is that if I see a fellow runner approaching, no matter how much distance exists in between when we will pass, the thing I struggle with is staring. You’re supposed to look straight ahead, keep your eyes on the horizon. By default, you end up staring at the person running toward you. As a waver, it feels awkward to me not to stare at someone I’m running toward. Not looking at them makes me feel rude, like I’m intentionally pretending that they aren’t there. To Sullivan’s point, the runner who does indeed pretend you are not there is likely a nonwaver. The worst part is when you can see the person (depending on how good your vision is; I’d say I’m good for around a quarter-mile visibility) for quite some time before you actually pass. As a waver, I spend that time trying to figure out if the person will acknowledge me so I can decide what kind of “wave” I will give them. Usually I mutter some sort of ‘hello’ and at the very least, offer a head nod. I’ve discovered my actual waves are reserved for people on the opposite side of the street and dog walkers. The best part about this whole process, for me at least, is that all the time I spend thinking about passing, waving, and whether or not I’ll be acknowledged is time I’m not spending thinking about running, which makes it go by a little quicker.

The second thing the article does not address, that I also struggle with are children. In the neighborhoods I run in there are lots of children. If I run first thing in the morning, kids are at the bus stop. If I run in the afternoon, kids are returning home from school. In the evening, they’re playing in the middle of the street (literally). For whatever reason, I have no idea how to acknowledge kids. I try to think about when I was their age and what I would have said, if anything, to a runner passing me. If they said hello, I’m sure I would have said hello. Then I think about how as a kid, I just wanted to be treated as an adult, which in this case would mean that I should “wave” to them. But then I think, they’re kids; they could care less who I am and what I’m doing so what difference does it make if I wave or not? Despite this mental “to wave or not to wave” battle when it comes to kids, I end up waving in one way or another more often than not.

Are you a waver? If not, I’m with Sullivan once again—please, nonwavers just give us some sort of sign.

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A Running Obsession

By natalie | January 15, 2009

I really, really enjoy running. I like everything about it. I even like the worst parts about it: the pain, the cold, the hills. I might like it to the point of obsession. I believe this obsession stems partly from the fact that I am training for my first marathon, which will be the B&A Marathon in Maryland, March 1st. If I’m not actually running, I’m thinking about running, looking up information about running, mapping routes, or re-mapping routes just for the sake of seeing where I can squeeze in an extra half mile. On Monday I start mentally preparing for Saturday’s long run; I think about it all week. I look at the weather somewhere between three and five times each day. I look at the hourly forecast for each day as well as the 10-day forecast just to make sure I will be prepared, and then I start thinking about what I’ll wear.

Yesterday I had a fabulous mid-week run. I was too chicken to run early in the morning because of the wind and wind chill factor so I waited until about 3:45p.m. and went out for a run. I think it was about 27 degrees F. As I have often thought, I am truly amazed by what you can ask your body to do and that it will so often deliver. Obviously running in the cold requires a certain amount of preparation and being able to comfortably run six miles takes a certain amount of training. The training has been well under way, and this Christmas I received a jackpot of running gear so I did indeed feel well prepared. The first mile was pretty cold, but I really only felt it on my face and at my fingertips even though I had on gloves.

I was trying out some of the new gear for the first time and was truly impressed. I’ve never worn running tights before but I think I’m a true convert from my other running pants. In an exchange at Under Armor, I got a pair of ColdGear tights that I was at first skeptical about, but after using them a couple times now in frigid weather, I’m definitely sold on the concept of how compression tights really do keep the muscles warm. (Under Armour in my opinion also has an extremely well organized, user-friendly website.) I’m also a huge fan of Brooks running gear and I was trying out a new top that just might be my newest favorite running shirt. Why am I gushing over all this gear? Because as I was running I was thinking about what truly great gear it all is which made me remember how much I love the little things in life.

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