Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. There is a moment where dreams and fear collide.
I float
swift and with grace
No longer hobbling along
I watch my shadow chase
Dreams that once seemed
so out of reach
Now the taste of them
tickle my tongue
and I know they are mine
to devour
For I will not chain
Myself to doubt and fear
again
I run towards endless possibilities
instead of cowering in the corner
I got this
The world is mine.
I give myself permission to fully enjoy tomorrow’s race. My body has not fully recovered from the century ride last week and pushing myself to the point where I feel I should be at my peak would only injure my body and my chances at future events. So, I will be ok with letting people pass me. I will be ok with treading water or floating on my back for a short while. I will be ok with walking a bit to make sure my legs don’t cramp and then to catch my breath and I’ll even take a moment to smell the roses along the way. I’ll be ok with the comments afterwards from those who revelled in dropping me. I’ll be ok with coming in last if need be. This is not my race. This is my journey.
Thank you Derek for the phone call chock full of wisdom. You were right. I lost myself for a moment. It’s good to be back.
You have to be brave with your life
So that others can be brave with theirs
The moment was here. I boarded the plane knowing that quitting was NOT an option.
“Fasten your seatbelts. The captain just said he was going to try something new.” – Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant and part-time comedian. He kept my nerves at bay with his comedy act over the loud speaker.
After a few delayed hours of flight, I went straight to Las Vegas Cyclery to pick up my “Mimi”. To the person who has never ridden an awesome road bike before, the relationship between me and my custom built Felt bike is probably perceived as a bit coo-coo. And to those people I have to say “so what?”. “Mimi” was beautifully reassembled and rolled out to me with unanimous comments from the bike store staff gasping “Your bike is wicked!” – yes, I know š
I was able to meet up with Rodney’s family for dinner. (Rodney was one of my best friends in High School that lost his battle to cancer just a few months before he was to stand up with me at my wedding – He was beyond phenomenal.) Dinner was fabulous. I had the best seared ahi tuna salad ever! Yes, I was starving and am a nervous emotional eater. I scarfed the whole thing down.
Rhonda, Rodney’s sister, took me to the local convenience store to pick up some zip ties and crazy glue. I have a feeling that the store clerk thought I was a serial killer. My bike’s water bottle holder had snapped in half during the flight over. I had to find some way to jimmy it back. Nevada is way too hot to have just one bottle of water for 104 miles.
My McGyver skills are pretty impressive. (I watched a lot of TV as a kid)
I drank a full bottle of pedialyte, lots of bed rest the day before and nibbles of fresh fruit all day long, steamed veggies and a pasta dinner, one choco chip cookie and nonstop water all week long (with of course my coffee in the morning – I know I know but that’s my vice).
I was a little nervous because I had mentally prepared for a practice ride on Friday morning with the national Team in Training and it was cancelled last minute. However, I did get to meet the North Texas TNT bike team who seemed VERY nice and willing to adopt me on Saturday to make sure I was comfortable and around people I knew – just in case.
Inspiration dinner was tear-filled and amazing. Ryan (my national Flex team director) had surprised us with photos of our loved ones that we were all cycling for. It was quite touching. I had a hard time finishing my dinner. They had me stand for applause and couldn’t look up at all. I have a hard time letting people see me cry. Momma wouldn’t allow any of us to see her cry when she was in treatment. I try really hard to be as strong as she was. I still have yet to be able to be that strong. They did get me to laugh as they “crowned” me later that night with paper burger king crowns all stacked one on top of the other. But we all know who really deserves the real crown. I will always bow down to her.
Saturday morning came and I was well prepared. My time trial landed me in the first wave however the North Texas team was in the 4th wave start and the National team was in the 3rd. My virtual coach said I could go down a few waves and placed me in the 3rd wave start with the other national team members and closer to the Texas team. I had a start time of 7:40 a.m. Later than I expected. Hotter than I predicted.
A wind advisory was issued that day and prior to leaving the start, advised everyone to change their aero tires if possible.
I got a bit more nervous at that point.
Ok, now that you have the back ground, here’s the nitty gritty.
I made my way to the start line with a few thousand of my new friends. The sun was itching to come out and play over the horizon. It shined just enough to illuminate the taunting of the start line.
From mile 7 to mile 30-some it was an uphill battle. It was tough. THE toughest thing I’ve EVER done! No words can describe the brutality. The winds varied 18-40 mph against me and never once were at my back!!! I stayed on my saddle the entire time and knew the exact moment I entered the Red Rock Canyon because the wind and the heat sucked out all the moisture from my mouth, skin and eyeballs.
The incline grade here obviously increased. I mashed much more than expected and my heart broke when I looked down four times at my Garmin to see 7mph, 6mph, 5mph and yes, 4mph. But I made it to the top. It took me almost FOUR hours to climb that mountain!!! Four hours for just thirty miles. Ok, so I did take my time being a winter texan and took a ton of scenic tourist pictures (see above). But four freakin hours was way longer than I planned. But I wasn’t sagged!!! I saw one after another go down. Exhaustion and heat took some of the best. It was quite intimidating. I caught myself yelling out “Chemo is harder! Chemo is harder!”. Ā It helped me put things into perspective quickly.
I went deep into the dangerous hidden parts of my memory. All those days I was a hallway away from where I knew Momma was being fed poison, throwing up, wanting to cry and double up from the pain she was going through… but didn’t because she knew she had to endure in order to survive. We were a hallway away from each other and she knew I was scared. I knew she was scared. So she’d text me photos of her smiling trying to convince me that she was doing fine. It was that memory that fueled me. As I spotted the photographers along the course, I smiled for her the same way she smiled for me…. even while in pain.
Remember my attitude coming in? So, I figured, ok, the hard part is over. It’s literally all down hill from here. My legs are feeling the pain but I’m not injured and I’m not super sore and heck ya I can do this! (p.s. I was sooooo wrong for thinking it was that easy… the hard part was much further away)
Then I see a sign. Albeit a misspelled sign but I got the message. “Be safe fast decent”
I had worried so much about climbing that I hadn’t ever really gone over how to handle declining a mountain nor had I had the opportunity to practice it at such a pitch!!! I was scared and basically rode the brakes almost the entire 30 miles down the mountain. This hurt my make up time I had figured into my total. I barely made the cut off time at the bottom of the mountain. You had to make it or else they’d re-direct you to the metric century course. The race director smiled at me and said “Texas, there’s a wind advisory going on just as you turn the corner here. Are you ok with that?” (They nick named me Texas) “Yes, sir, Wind and heat are the only things I was able to train for properly in Texas” I replied.
He assigned a mentor alumni from Kansas to stick by me but I have say it was a great feeling to drop them once that wind came in. They couldn’t handle it. I went back up to my normal 15-18mph speed against the wind. It was just like home. But that’s when my battery went dead on my phone. The iOs7 update sucked up all my battery life faster than predicted. If something should happen to me, there was no way I could contact a sag vehicle, coach, teammate, friend, husband or dad. At the next rest stop I ran into a huge Kansas team that adopted me. After that, I saw the Texas team and they insisted that I join them for safety reasons. I agreed under the circumstances. The time was about 2:00 and the winds really picked up. I saw three cyclists go down with the wind as we made turns. Bikes shattered and shoulders and wrists broke. Fear consumed us all but it overwhelmed three of the Texas team members and they were made up of mostly Marine families and held the motto firmly… they would not leave a team member, they would do this together. Their speed went down to 6mph against the wind. I began to regret my decision to join the Texas team. It was actually HARDER to ride slowly than it was at the 15-18mph that I was used to. BUT if something should happen to me, they were right. It was safer for me to stick with a group and they were all I had. It killed me to go this slow. The heat sizzled my legs. I had gargantuan salt crystals forming around my nose and eyes. Each time I wiped them off, more would grow back bigger than the last. My mouth was so dry and I could feel my lips crisp up. I didn’t have sun block but I did have spf chap stick. I used my pockets for fuel and not sun block. Big mistake.
Because elevations were my initial fear, I remember the 30-mile mark being the biggest and longest obstacle, another peak would be around mile 70 and the last kick in the shin would be around the 90 mile mark with the steepest incline of the entire course. I was at the 90 mile mark and all of a sudden the course went off road. THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED!!! Have to admit that a smile overtook my face when I realized that Wally’s Hell of the South race really was the perfect training. THIS was the steepest incline and decline of the day. Google the three sisters of River Mountain Trail. I felt like an unpaid stunt man!!!
this is a link to a video of the three sisters
IT WAS THE BIGGEST RUSH OF MY LIFE! The video does it no justice!!! I hit 37 mph (some of my teammates argue that it was close to 45 that we hit but I never had the guts to look at the Garmin on my wrist). After this, it was flat windy hot and boring. I went from “That was AWWWWEEEESOME! I’m gonna do this again!” to “I can’t wait for this to be over! How far away are we from the finish line? Are we there yet? I’m never doing this again.” I was hot, exhausted, thirsty, crispy, cranky and wanted to go faster!!!! One of the Texas members fell over and began throwing up. The team stayed behind with him. I HAD to go forward. This slow pace was driving me bonkers and we were so close to the finish. I was already 2 1/2 hours behind my predicted schedule and wanted to get off my saddle now!!! My feet were sore from mashing so hard up hill and my fingers were numb from gripping the brakes down those sisters. I finished strong and eager to just get it over with and surprised to see 400 team members and the Medinas at the finish line waiting for me with cheers and a crown!!!!
In summary, I am injury free. The only real sore part I’m dealing with is my neck and shoulders. My nutrition and hydration was perfect. My training was spot on. Had I mastered the confidence to conquer the uphill and downhill, I would have made much better time. Had I decided to stick with the Kansas team, my time would have been much more like my training time. (Texas would NOT go over 8 mph) Had I remembered to stick sun block in my back pockets I would not have snake skin on my legs and nose right now.
I had dinner that night with some of the race volunteers. The Sag driver told me “I sagged one of the contributors of Bicycle magazine!! Take that to the bank!” another bike coach told me “I’ve done over 30 century rides in my life and never once have I seen one this difficult.”
My big ride this week was an 80-miler scheduled for early Saturday morning. Funny how I had planned all week going over route after route and getting advice from all the local experienced bicyclists… and I ended up not doing any of the discussed routes!!! But everything worked out in the end.
Here’s how it went:
3:45 alarm blares. I smash it into snooze oblivion.
3:50 alarm blares again. Ok Ok!!! I’m up! I’m up!
4:10 I’m all dressed, teeth are brushed and hair is braided back. I grab my garmin and the two lights charging in my office. I get my water bottles out of the kitchen. I make my coffee and bagel and say a cuss word when I see that someone ate all the peanut butter!! (I’m not nice in the morning)
4:30 I put air in the tires, attach the lights, pack my chomps, gu and check the brakes. Slip on my clips, take a spin around the block to make sure all is well and zoom off the parking lot to wait for the rest of the gang.
4:45… the gang no shows
5:00 Wheels down. I head North. I had spoken to all the other bicycles gangs in the area and took note of their departure times and routes so within a few minutes, I had already hooked up with a new gang that I had never met around Edinburg. Their pace was a bit slower than mine so it was easy to have that familiar discussion… “Hey, your bike! That’s the orange bike! Are you Myssie?”
It was early and I still had a long ways to go so I did the “click click” after a short while and jumped onto the next group along the familiar 5am Wake up ride route going South on Jackson. While it was surprisingly cooler than expected, it was still quite humid. I was going through water pretty fast.
7:00 I see the 2nd street overpass and tell myself to attack it with all I have. I set my gears in place, I fire up my quads and mash it with all my might. I did it!! One gear and seated!! The runners along the trail whoop and holler and my arm shoots up with proud fists. As I descend the hill, I see the Team in Training group… AND THE WATER STATION!!! I zoom by for a free refill and snap some goofy shots of us together and I’m on my way again.
Once I hit Military Road, I feel like Switzerland. My mind goes back to a conversation about bicycle gangs and how it was expected to be a part of one or be shunned by all. I smile, relieved that all the groups that had congregated along the road over the next few hours all waved at me and welcomed me to join in with them along their rides. All up and down from Edinburg to Pharr to McAllen to Mission to Granjeno to Penitas and back, every single bike group welcomed me… or was it that they welcomed the “orange bike”??? I have to admit, my bike is quite famous now.
At my midway point, I stop for fuel and to check my stats at the corner convenience store on the corner of Shary Road. It is where most of the cyclists meet for the same reasons. While I’m there, several bikers surround me to check in and see how I’m doing. A few ask about a close friend of mine who also cycles and triathlons (is that a verb?) with me. Maritza had lost her brother just two days before while he was on his bike in a tragic tractor trailer accident shortly after he returned from his tour of duty. The news had begun to spread quickly and left us all with heavy hearts.
The group made sure I was ok and I was off to meet up with another group at the Butterfly park. However, it was this short little time when I was alone that my worst nightmare came true.
I had traveled the road a hundred times. I knew how to go over rail road tracks correctly and did so each time. But this one time… when I was alone… it all went awry.
In a split second, the tracks seems to catch my tire perfectly. I was thrown, attached to my bike with my clips, into the middle lane and right in front of oncoming traffic. I remember it in slow motion… Falling slowly…I had to have flown at least ten feet into the air and onto the next lane. My head hit the street and then my elbow and then I hear the crash of my bike. “Don’t get up Myssie. Don’t get up. The 18-wheeler is going to run over you right now. You’re going to die. You’re going to die now.”
I turn my head slowly under and to my left. The 18-wheeler had stopped just in time. I was not going to die.
A kind stranger, Joel Sanchez, saw the whole thing unfold before him. He stopped. He drove an Aggie maroon colored hunting truck with camouflage upholstery and picked me up from the street. He swooped up my bike into the bed of his angel guided vehicle. This wonderful man took me to the same corner store to help clean my scrapes and put my chain back onto my bike. And just as he appeared from nowhere… he escaped to nowhere once again.
Just as I was about to throw in the towel and call someone to pick me up… the next group of angels arrived. He was a preacher and he had with him a child, a 15-year old bicycle prodigy trying to escape a life of gangs and drugs via the world of bikes. God speaks to me. Some times quite loudly.
We went on for another 20 plus miles after that. They even escorted me home to make sure I made it safely.
A few blocks from home I asked myself how I really felt. I was surprised that I felt like I could easily go another 20 more miles… easy. Granted, not FAST… but easy. I could do it. I feel really good about my training. I had a good scare. I am lucky. But I feel my calling now more than ever before. There must be a reason I am here doing what I’m doing. Someone really important is going to benefit from my fundraising. I may never meet this person but I know deep in my heart, this person is just as important as my mom was to me.
I woke up early this morning ready to meet up with the 5 a.m. Wake up ride group when I noticed that my bike saddle was crooked. I got my hand and popped it back into place and sat down… went a few pedals… and I looked like I needed a V8. I quickly pulled over and inspected my seat.
Part of my seat was missing!! And the worst part about this was that today is TUESDAY!!! The one day of the week my bike guru is closed. š¦
I sent him a note anyway hoping that when he woke up would guide me through the process of learning to fix it myself.
His response? “Cheen-gow Myssie! Where’s the rest of your seat post?”
I could almost feel his eyes roll from miles away!!! After a feeble attempt of trying to figure out a solution, I quickly gave up and was able to make it to RPM class at Gold’s Gym.
RPM class is led by Joey Williams… the toughest meanest roughest most incredible wonderful experienced triathlete spin instructor (who I know doubles as a DJ some nights) in the gym. He is WICKED AWESOME! His class is like a night club… but at 5:30 a.m.
He immediately singled me out. It had been a while since I was able to attend his class. I think he was going to make sure I knew he had been counting the days and wanted to have me make up for them… in one hour. And boy oh boy did he!!!
I have never had that much sweat on me EVER in my life!!!
I am so very grateful for his advice and guidance and that of the rest of the class – including the Cyclepaths – Ā of bike experts who had just come back from other bike ventures similar to Viva Bike Vegas.
To make the day even better… German and Luci (owners of Valley Running Company) presented me with the brand spanking new Saucony Cortana 3s in yep… you guessed it… ORANGE!!! š
What does a date mean? I could go back to my pageant days and remember that famous on stage question:
“Describe your perfect date.”
“Hmm. That’s a tough one. I’d have to say April 25 because it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold. Ā All you need is a light jacket.”
We all thought this was funny because of the way that the word “date” was used. And she was actually right. April 25 really is a very nice day.
It has meaning.
Dates to me have meaning. I see signs in everything. I choose to see them.
In late September of 2011, Sissy lost her life to cancer. But not before she was able to push me into a healthy lifestyle and start running.
In late September of 2012, MidValley Events chose me to be their Athlete of the Week. They sent me to a little bike shop for a photo shoot because the shop had an orange wall that could be used as a back drop. I had come a long way in one year from Sissy’s challenge to the athlete of the week. That day changed my life once again. I went from running to cycling (and triathlon) when I was introduced to Wally’s Bike Shop.
In late September of 2013, I will have completed the Triple Crown. A challenge instigated by Sissy, supported by my community, guided by Wally… all exactly one year apart.
What does a date mean? If that date is September 21, it means a lot.
The last few weekends have had some intense workouts. I got the chance to ride with the Mellow Johnny’s group last weekend and witness a few of my friends compete at the Couples Triathlon in Austin. I got just as much joy in completing something that I once thought was impossible as watching others complete something they once thought was impossible, too! And yes, I had cowbell!!!
I’ll insert the pictures now and explain back later…
What a week! This morning I missed my early 5 a.m. wake up bike ride and did some one handed bike drills and speed intervals with Coach Sandy and some of the Multi-sport Maniacs. I don’t want it to seem like bragging so I feel the need to say this up front now… I really am very surprised that my legs are not hurting and sore as how I would imagine they would be. Coach Sandy really does know what she’s doing. She’s making me stronger!!!
This morning was really awesome with Coach!! Ā She took us along a stretch of road that was laced with sugar cane fields. There isn’t a lot of traffic so it’s safe for us to practice drills and high speed intervals in flat straight lines. The best part was that she came up to me and recognized that I was improving. Albeit, I still have a long ways to go… but I’m improving!!!
The whispers of the sugar cane silenced my worries. There have been a lot this week. The sound they make is amazing. If you ever have the chance to run or bike by a sugar cane field on a windy day, I promise you, you’ll feel the magic. I needed to feel that.
About three weeks ago, I fell while on a bike ride. It wasn’t a huge smash boom crash. It was one of those slow motion I’m-falling-and-can-order-a-triple-latte-and-still-have-20-seconds-left kinda falls. I was able to buffer my fall with my arm and caught myself with a giggle. No biggie. But my ego got hurt.
The following day, I noticed a bruise on my butt and some tenderness around… well you know… down there. I saw them but casually blew them off. I mean… come on. They’re bruises. That’s all. I rode the Hell of the South a few days later so clearly they weren’t bad enough to stop me.
But they were enough to make a friend of mine tell me that they were not normal for that kind of fall. She is in the medical field and I have to admit… she made a good point. Ā I believe I can properly quote her with “OH MY GOD! Those aren’t bruises! They’re Hematomas!”
I now have bruises all over my body for no explainable reason. Fourteen of them!
Now, I debated on whether or not to make this little trial of mine public on this blog. After watching Robin Roberts last night accept her award at the ESPYs, I knew I had to. Whether or not this is life changing, it becomes responsibility when you know better to educate those around you.
So here goes…
I went to the doctor and got my blood checked. I have symptoms that could possibly identify leukemia. Bruising, fevers, night sweats, increased white blood cell counts, weight loss, tiredness, tingling and numbness… and other symptoms. In the back of my mind, I have answers and reasons for each of those symptoms. I’m a clutz. I fall off my bike. That’s why I bruise. I exercise a lot, that’s why I’ve lost weight and am tired. etc etc…
But after all that my family has been through, wouldn’t it be really stupid if I did get leukemia, saw all the signs and then ignored them because I was scared?
The smart thing would be to address the issues with my doctors and medical team.
My doctor did find some problems in my blood. I have been referred to a very good doctor at Texas Oncology. Please keep me in your prayers these next two weeks. Deep down inside, I do not believe that I have cancer. However, ignorance is NOT bliss. If I do have it, I hope to identify it in the early stage and fight it with everything I’ve got. If I don’t have cancer, I hope that someone out there who may have similar symptoms sees this and has the courage to address it properly, too.
A few days ago, I was running down the 2nd street trail when a group of three cyclists almost ran me over. I recognized the last cyclist, Casey Swanson. He’s a very well known and respected local triathlete and his daughter and her friend were the other two cyclists before him. As he zoomed by me he blurted out “I didn’t recognize you! I was about to run you over because you were wearing orange and that’s Myssie’s color!!!”
The following day, another well known triathlete, Wally Alaniz (who also made my “Mimi” orange bike) sent me a note saying “saw some chick running in all orange on the trails this morning. i was like wtf… only because it wasn’t you.”
So this orange movement is really spreading around fast. I can’t say I’m not loving it.
But the best orange moment had to be this morning when I saw a post on facebook from my triathlon coach, Sandy Overly. I’m copying and pasting what she posted here along with the logo that she’s talking about:
“With the Kids Just Tri It triathlon one week away, we have been working with Rick at McAllen Sports on establishing an official logo and color scheme to keep throughout the years. As many of you know, the colors of Multisport Mania are: lime green which represents intensive energy, royal blue which represents putting forth our best effort (1st place is always a blue ribbon) and black because it’s slimming on everyone lol. For the kids’ logo knew I needed to add one more color to set them apart and one color kept coming back to me over and over. You see, in my last Just Tri It camp (adults) I met a woman that was on a quest to raise funds to fight cancer after having lost her mother, brother and dear friend to it all within one year. She was fairly new to being an “athlete” and gave her heart and soul to training, raising awareness about cancer and doing all of this in her mother’s memory, because her mother was so very dear to her a having taught daughter so much about persevering with a smile (among other things). This reminded me so much of how important a mother’s love is and the impact it can have on us even long after she is gone. My mother also has continued to live on in my heart after having passed in 2008. She took me to my first fitness center at age 14, was the manager of my softball team for years, attended my athletic events, plays and musical performances, but most of all…she believed that I could do anything I set my mind to.
If you haven’t already guessed, the woman I am referring to is the one running, biking and swimming in the color orange, Myssie Cardenas Barrajas, as this was her mother’s favorite color. She wears orange to honor her mother’s memory and to keep her motivated to press onward through every challenge. Something that may seem a little unusual at first, but once you meet Myssie you realize how genuine she is about her quest and all the lives she is impacting in doing so.
So….to honor not just a mother’s love but that of parents that encourage, support and inspire their children; parents that may have already passed, those that currently are and those that someday will be, I choose the color orange to keep their love of children alive and well. Thank you Myssie for your inspiration.”
p.s. If you are in the Rio Grande Valley and are interested in the Kids Just Tri It Triathlon or the adult JTI program, you can contact Coach Overly at 956-607-8740 or coach@lifestyle-fitness.org
Or maybe this should be titled: How YOU can get started
Ok, so horizontal running doesn’t count!!
So the first step is making the decision (not the wishy washy one that includes some sort of “if” Ā or “but”) to run/walk/jog/be active in whatever activity and keeping that promise to yourself. Step two is surrounding yourself with the right people with positive attitudes and experience with a willingness to teach you and setting incremental goals that continue to push you throughout your journey. And step three… its getting the right the “schtuff” – the gear, the goods.
Listen here. Got a pen? Write this down.
If you can walk from your front door to your bedroom, you can run. I don’t wanna hear all this nonsense about you having some bum knee from when you were in school or you have weak ankles or get shin splints or (insert any other ridiculous excuse here), you can run. Seriously! You can!
But you have to WANT to do it, you have to LEARN to do it right and you HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT SHOE FOR YOUR… YOUR FOOT…. NOT ANYONE ELSES… NOT YOUR FRIENDS… NOT YOUR BROTHER/SISTER/CO-WORKER/STRANGER etc FOOT. You have to be fitted correctly to have the shoe match your foot and your stride. This cannot be done at a Big-Box athletic gear store. You MUST go to a small personalized running shoe store to get this kind of attention and guidance.
Next thing… especially if you are a GIRL, just keep your eyes closed. DO NOT PICK A SHOE BY ITS COLOR. DO NOT PICK A SHOE BY ITS LABEL. Pick the shoe that was recommended to you by the run shop at the fitting. It may cost you a few bucks more but once you ask WHY that shoe is best for you and your goals at that time, you’ll receive advice that is priceless.
These were my first pair of running shoes. They are the Saucony Cortanas. They fit my feet. The pink ones with a really cute flower on the side of the shoe that were right by my Sauconys on the rack were much prettier. But I trusted German Medrazo (owner of Valley Running Company) with his recommendation for me and was right in doing so. I immediately saw the difference in my next run with them… and never wore my old shoes again. Ā I change out my shoes about every few months because of the number of miles I put on them and how quickly I wear out the soles. German now knows that I trust him and his sales staff there and now makes an effort to order me schtuff in my signature color (orange).
*I highly recommend discussing your running plans/goals with the shop owners that you frequent. They are usually experts in their field and have immense experience in running and race events. In my case, I feel very comfortable now asking any of them at Valley Running Company silly stupid beginner questions like “Why does my nose always run when I run outside?” “What in the world is a fartlek?” “What is pose running? What is Chi running? What am I running?!?!”
A unique kind of friendship has formed as a result. They all cheer me on and support me out on the trails and in the races.
With no offense to the sales person at Academy, the level of assistance I have received from VRC has been unparalleled. The big department stores are not built to service customers like us in this stage of the journey. Had I begun to run with pretty shoes on sale, I know deep down in my heart that I would have developed shin splints, hurt myself in my first few runs… and given up on running all together.
And that happens a lot to a lot of people!!! They give up thinking its because they think they just cannot run when its actually a wrong shoe choice.
More little side notes: choose a good sock.
I personally will not run in any sock other than Balega. Cotton socks worn for long distance runs will give me blisters. They are a bit more expensive than your regular cotton socks and you need to learn to wash and dry them correctly so that they don’t go out of shape or wear out but you won’t get blisters with them. And in my book, that’s sooooo worth $5 more!!! You can shop around and see if you find others that you like better… but it’ll cost you!
Compression socks: got shin splints? These help. I could NOT have finished my second full marathon without them.
Got thick thighs? Don’t learn what chaffing is. Just trust me on this… start off wearing compression shorts when you run until you feel you could be the stunt double for a Baywatch lifeguard. With all the new pains you’ll be dealing with during the initial part of running, the last thing you need to deal with is a painful rash between your thighs.
For the love of all that is holy!!!! PLEASE WEAR A FIRM FITTING SPORTS BRA. Like shoes, each body is different and all bras are made differently. Take the time to find the right one for you. I lucked out. The Victoria Secrets sports bra was just awful on me. Wal-Marts bras were 1/25 of the price and I can even use them under my triathlon suit and swim in it!!! cha-ching! I can use that savings on my shoes!!!
Don’t run in cotton shirts. When you sweat, they get heavy and weigh you down on the trail. Tech tees wick sweat away and are everywhere. They’re also quite expensive so I’ll share with you some advice… It costs on average about $10-30 to run in a local 5k. Most of the 5ks in my area will give you a finisher shirt. Yep, you guessed it! A tech tee shirt! One that doesn’t cost you $45 (See! I’m your own personal coupon resource now) Run your local 5ks, get a shirt, help a local organization/cause and you also get a great Saturday morning sprint workout!!! What a bargain! Start your run shirt collection ASAP.
Get yourself a good foam roller, tennis ball and golf ball. You’ll learn to love these EVERY night! Get some KT Tape and youtube instructions on how to use it on whatever particular pain/strain you have. Ā Body glide is also something you’ll eventually need if you refuse to wear compression shorts and want to wear those tiny little crossfit shorts all by themselves. Ā You should also know that if you buy those cheap popsicle tubes and freeze them but DON’T tear them apart and eat them, they fit PERFECTLY around your calves if you keep them attached together and frozen. This was probably one of my fave tid bits when I first encountered shin splints as I increased my mileage.
Now go back to your running shop that you’ve begun to go to for advice and ask them if they know of any run clubs or classes that you can go to. Classes and clubs help keep you on a schedule.
What?!?!? You’re telling me that you just came back from your local run store and found out that there are NO running clubs or classes in your neighborhood? Well then, click here for information on how to join Team in Training. It’s fool proof so long as you stick to the plan and put in your workouts.
You’ll quickly befriend other newbies that feel just as nervous as you do and buddy up. You’ll get lots of encouragement from the experienced and newbies… it makes all the difference in the world especially on those days when you really don’t want to go run!!!
RunMyssieRun 