Long Run 10-30-11

The Plan said 12 miles.   According to my past on-line mapping,  I fully expected to roll out about 3 loops on my Park West route as a solution to dealing with a. my fatigue of late and b.  my issue with the weather, which has been blustery and rainy.   For once, I set the GPS via Map My Run and headed out just after dawn.


The long loop of Park west, turns out, is barely more than a mile each way.  So after doing 2 of these loops and hearing, in the pause of the music stream, the voice of that GPS say "distance: 3, speed ..." etc, I began to feel what that distance really meant.   In my head I began to scramble my inner measurements.  In all these years I've been doing my neighborhood routes, I think I know them like the back of my hand.  And no, I cannot account for the difference between the on-line and phone app for Map...but suddenly,  a 12 mile goal became a really really long one.


I was just at 6 when I made a pit stop just west of the loop, and feeling pretty fatigued.   I tried to figure out how to place the additional 6 and not kill myself, so I decided to make my usual way up and around 56th and head generally east, while listening to that GPS voice tell me, at every mile mark, how far I got.  The weather threw me occasional drizzles and very strong head winds.  For hill-less folks like us,  a strong wind is the equivalent of hills;  pushing through a steady wind takes enormous fortitude.  Just when I'd think "this has GOT to be another mile!"  that voice would stay silent for what seemed like another mile more before I'd hear "distance: 9 miles" etc.  In fact I never broke into the double digits until I almost hit 29th....and the other voice inside said "hahah, you want to run a MARATHON??? right..."


By the time I made it home,  it was just over 11 miles.  I won't say how long that took.  I walked a few long stretches in the last half;  I was wet, tired, and pretty much over the whole thing.   The 'fight' I usually have to gut out big pushes in Life, weather work-related, relationship or running, just feels like 'flight'....these days, I am never so happy as wandering the inner realms of my own Solitude, where pace and distance have nothing to do with what I feel, who I am, what I'm doing.


This trend is not conducive to marathon training...LOL.  


The World feels to be whirling enough for all of us;  sometimes a girl just wants to be Still.

Iain McGilchrist: The divided brain | Video on TED.com

Iain McGilchrist: The divided brain | Video on TED.com

 thanks Joanna for the share.
Check out this interesting and creative explanation....and see if you relate!

Sunday long run 10-23-11

An unexpected opening in my schedule allowed me to run Saturday, a brisk, energetic 6-er which gave me false hope for Sunday.  Normally, because of timing,  I have 2 rest days before the Sunday run.  So the question was,  would a run prior give me a boost, or a bust?

Up early and out, I've been mapping out the extra mile or so weekly in my head, this time placing a run up the overpass to hook right and back to Park as the extra bit.  The goal was "8-9 miles" and adding this to my usual Park west and up to Griffin loop, should make that easily. 

Right away,  I felt sluggish and weak.  Sometimes, putting the overpass first is a jump-start, so I hoped by the time I got it going on Park, I'd find my rhythm.   The weather was a continuation of cool and clear, the early morning crystalline quality of light throwing everything into high relief.  Distracted by the shower of beauty in color and form,  always enamored by great landscapes and trees,  I made it over to John Williams for my first pit-stop and assessment.  It wasn't what I hoped;  already, I was dragging ass over to the park, and I was only halfway home.

I took the stretch all the way up to Griffin, passed by an older man/runner I see alot up there,  whose gait looked barely perceptible as he barely seemed to lift one foot after the other...SIGH....and walked a good bit between the top of 40th ...all the way to my next pit stop at Publix.   As I began the last stretch out,  my ringer went off!  (love my iphone slash music slash trainer....) and as I trotted along took  the call.   It was several miles later and I was still on the run!   Quick moral of this story:  distractions are helpful;  for that stretch, despite my clear fatigue,  I hardly noticed, getting deep into the conversation.  By the time I realized how far I'd gotten I was pretty close to home.

I won't say how long it took,   but clearly longer than I hoped, or how tough it was,  which was way tougher than I hoped.   The 'middle distance' runs are pretty predictable this way.  This is just when the body is most stressed to adapt to the 'shifting' into a higher level of endurance....and where my uber-inner-runner and my 55 year old self will battle it out.    I know if I can clear this hurdle, there are challenging, but enjoyable longer runs ahead.   It is said over and over,  and cannot be restated enough:  running is a mental sport.    The inner perception of distance, effort and pain are all subjective.  Get into your comfort zone, synch into the rhythm of the run itself, and a la Chi Running,  utilize the energy both within the body and around/through it, to achieve the effortlessness desired.   Sounds good, right?  It is the 'practice' of running that allows me to focus on exactly this;  overcoming my insecurities and doubts that I CAN do it!  And....I WILL.

I gave myself time to make the decision about Miami, and so far,  that luxury still holds.  Next week is the 12 miler,  which will tell me a lot about whether the full- or half- might need to be the goal.  Is it back to the beach loop?  A longer expedition to the west?  We'll see where the running gods lead me when I come back around next weekend.

Occupy Freedom

It doesn't take much to realize how little freedom there is in this world, including our own home country, and how dearly we pay for whatever freedom we allow to slip away;  Ai Wei Wei is my reminder of that.   An internationally recognized artist who designed China'a "birds nest" for the Olympics,  it would be fair to say he was unquestionably overly confident of his ability to speak Truth to the Powers that Be in China.  He paid for it by his recent detention and ongoing house arrest.  Despite recognition by other celebs, including Bianca Jagger's plan to award him through her human rights foundation,  Ai Wei Wei is imprisoned- in his own home now- for his expression of private thoughts.

On this week's long run, which is miraculously on schedule for my marathon training plan in case I decide "YES" for Miami, I had the Occupy movement on my mind.   For all of us oldster hippies who formed the ranks of protest and activism in the past,  the current movement feels like deja vu all over again.  Creativity forms the basis of the collectivism,  the expression of personal stories and the performance art of those on the streets making their points.  Add a healthy dose of drums, chants and the level of techno expertise, and we (the 99%) are communicating in a big way.

It may be true that, as some righties say,  we still have it better than many places on earth.  True, that.  However,  the Forces of Oppression find their means in all nations and classes,  forcing the dogma of acceptable and 'legal' behavior and action,  suppressing the means to express free thought.   We are careful now to nuance ourselves in the public arena for fear of more losses;  of jobs, prospects, power and control.  The Occupiers, like Ai,  are facing pressures from political and police forces.  Can we stay our course and keep our banners flying?  Can we Occupy Freedom anywhere, anytime?

The core reason for running, for me, is absolute freedome of movement.  No one can tell me "I can" or "I cannot"...with one foot in front of the other,  at my own time, pace and distance.   The feeling of ultimate control of my body/myself is a symbolic boost to my inner space, where I inhabit as free a spirit as I can!  The run reminds me of who I am apart from any job title or obligation;  the run is my chance to feel the link between inner freedom and flying off the pavement on a good stretch, embracing the wide skies. 

There are many (too many) who cannot feel any of this today.   And for them,  I pray,  I hope- and I run.

Marathon musings

I downloaded a training plan that, miraculously, I am currently 'on schedule' for in order to pull off the Miami Marathon in Jan. '12.   I keep trying to make up my mind.    So here's the plan.   Continue with the training as it's laid out, and see how the longer miles feel.  Make my decision by Thanksgiving AT THE LATEST.  Registration.  Commitment.   Follow through.

Part of what I feel is on my mind about it, besides gauging my body's general level of endurance for handling this, is why I want to do it....I've done 2 other marathons...the first one, also Miami was to test myself.  The second, Marine Corp, was for Dad.   I'm thinking of this one for all my Ancestors who continue to support and inspire those of us who are seeking to change the world for the better, one step, one client, one person, one act of empowerment at a time.

Thoughts???

The Book is Calling....

Rightbrainrunner:  Finding Creative Transcendence on the Run and in Everyday Life


To all my readers:  I have a goal of morphing the blog into a book.  Look at the title above;  does it speak to the theme?  For something so 'right brain'  I could use feedback about what it is you would crack open a book form for,  in order to get a hit of the journey and inspiration. 

The Pines Psychological Associates practice Open House is this Friday,  3-7P.  I should be there by 5P.   The practice is located at the corner of Pines and Palm Ave and if you want to talk to me about art therapy and psychotherapy in general,  please stop in!! 

Even when I want to 'go with the Flow',  there is often an internal impulse to 'get it going'  on various projects etc.  I am grateful for the Creative Push and hope to see the manifestation of my inner Vision and dreams continue!

Visions and Reality

I put on my wind jacket, not completely water-proof (alas), and tucked my iphone into its plastic pouch before heading out for my Sunday long run, expectations low.   The blustery weather from a system sitting out to our east gave the morning a crazy, surreal feeling;  sharp periods of squally rain, long stretches of wind and enough dry stretches to allow the run to unfold.  It took a few miles to get my head out of my dreams and onto the road, but once I found my gait heading out Park, I settled nicely into my private reverie.

I continue to debate the decision to register for Miami 2012.   Training starts NOW.  To my advantage,  I have a pretty decent base, if the rule of thumb is about 20-30 mpw.   Check.    My routine is pretty training friendly with a few minor adjustments.   My heath is stable.  There are no other big distractions and/or responsibilities that would take me away from a calendar routine.   In my con column is the anxiety and stress I seem to undergo in the marathon training process...the race looms over me like Mt. Kilimanjaro;  every week is another gauntlet to 'run' through on my way to another ratcheting up of the month's totals...going after the ever elusive Long Distance needed to tackle the 26.2  miles.  Marine Corp was an eye-opener for me.  I trained, I was well-prepared, and it still took over 6 agonizing hours to come into the finish.   Pro:  Miami is VERY user-friendly and its in my back yard.   I would probably face less weather and logistical stress here at home.

It is easy for me to tap the Visions which have sustained me over the years,  a natural talent I'd feel safe in saying I inherited from my mother,  a mildly psychic and intuitive woman herself (comments always come to me about how I can 'read' someone's mind or as someone else recently reported, 'show up' in dreams to empower).  My sleep state has always been a sacred portal to dreams which are a conscious key to bridging my material and spiritual realities.   When it comes to the marathon, experience tells me that I need to be in full agreement with the Vision of the race;  can I translate my uber-wishes into Reality?

Part of what I have come to enjoy about my running since Mom died was the lack of pressures....for once,  there was little to impede my passions or pressure me to 'achieve' anything besides the process itself.  The relaxed agenda gave me the mental rest I needed;  is it time to adopt the "plan" again?  Regiment what has developed so organically, naturally?

A good goal is never a bad idea.   I can see myself cruising through the wonderful neighborhoods of Miami beach,  Coconut Grove....the question is, can I get there from here?

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Tapping the Power

 TY Park: the grove

As I set out for my Sunday long run the temps were cool enough to feel 'autumnal' and give me an early oomph as I began my loop.  The streets were quiet,  the occasional dog-walker was out, as the empty morning gave me an invitation to expand myself out into the atmosphere and into my inner Self.  As I cruised down Park I kept debating about how long to go;  my uber runner began with "there's always Miami (marathon), so why not go for it?  Push a lot of miles, let's get in gear- while my rational self countered with "slow down, things are going well, there is no need to ask for injury and I can still add some distance and keep it real."    As I rounded out to my first pit stop at John Williams, my rational self won.  I love my uber-self, but she is not necessarily out for my best interests.

It was a nice run, with a couple of decent strong stretches.  I was glad to have time to tap into my inner Power, the habit I have now to sort out my musings, dreams, projects and direct energy where I feel I need the healing.  The entrained staccato/percussive motion of running provides an excellent base for self-adjustment and massage.  I'm not sure and doubt I am the only one to notice this,  but once I get going I scan my body and use the rhythm of the gait to help me work out my sore and tight places.   I also work in meditative visualizations, such as the Hathor material, and of course the music and/or material I'm listening to off the phone.   It felt good yesterday, and again today, to feel the core of my commitment to self-care and healing...and to keep the positive aspects of aging in flow.


Tapping into Power appears to be breaking out all over.  I am enthralled by the Wall Street occupiers, the primarily young folk who are taking a page out of our book to 'change the world'.'   It feels as though strong currents are pushing the wheel of seasonal change, and as the Jewish New Year folds into Yom Kippur and the days of at-one-ment, our insight into what we can manifest in our World increases.   There is always opposition, even from seemingly benign sources.  Like the uber-runner in my head,  not every voice is the one to listen to.  But each one brings a point of view to the development of our choices.   Power spots are everywhere.  Choose where you make your stand today and tap into the energy Mother Earth Herself provides not just for you and those you agree with, but everyone as we Wake Up and Keep our Voices Heard!