Category: Running

Start where you are. Do what you can.

Posted on by Cheryl

It isn’t a journey if you never start.

So, Let’s get STARTED!!!

This is the part of the journey where things got serious. In November of 2022 I ran the Outer Banks Marathon in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in what turned out to be a Boston Qualifying time. The application window for entry into Boston 2024 closed and I made it, even with the big gap between qualifying times and accepted times. Queue the fireworks! The next step was training well, staying injury free and making it there. ✅ Then came race day and…

Woo Hoo, I finished, but wow, it kicked my ass, and I am not happy. I made some serious mistakes and now it’s time to make amends.

Boston Marathon, Take 2 – Let’s do this!!! A peek at my upcoming training.

NaNoWriMo* – Day 20 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

“Today, Today is a Holiday” … John Kanaka-naka tu-lai-e!!!

Today indeed was a holiday from running or a rest day as Coach Amy calls it. We didn’t exactly rest, but went on a hike up Green Mountain outside of Boone, NC. So technically I didn’t rest my legs, but it was a beautiful day and we were hiking with family. Life is good.

Oh, and look up and play the song “John Kanaka” by Fisherman’s Friends. It should make you smile.

Back at it tomorrow with a 6-miler.

*NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges you to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Crazy right? Not everyone uses the challenge to write a novel – we are called NaNoRebels. For example, I challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 19 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

If you’ve been following along with me during this 30-Day Challenge, you may be wondering if I abandoned my running and training plan.

I’m happy to report that I am still running and training!!!

My current 30-challenge; however has revolved around developing the discipline to write every day. So that has resulted in a jumbled set of posts that don’t really follow any pattern, but I am so thrilled that to-date I have posted EVERY DAY for the last 19 days!!!

That in itself is a win for me, since I usually am very good at “issuing challenges”, but not necessarily great at execution and follow-through! So with 11 days remaining, I hope you will stick with me and understand that I am mainly writing with a “stream of consciousness” approach. Whatever comes to mind that particular day is what ends up in my post 😎

But about the training… today Coach Amy instructed me to run 3 miles EASY with a 2-minute warm-up and a 2-minute cool-down. Not only did I accomplish that, I did it pushing a stroller (with our grandson – a super cute running partner)!!!

Stay with me, I’m about to turn the corner and see the finish line!!!

*NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges you to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Crazy right? Not everyone uses the challenge to write a novel – we are called NaNoRebels. For example, I challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 17 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

In October of 2018 I ran the Chicago Marathon as part of the ALZ Stars team and to support research and funding for Alzheimer’s programs.

In July of 2019, my Dad passed away. He had Alzheimer’s.

My sister who is just 2 years older than me is in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. She was diagnosed in her 50’s. She’s not doing so well right now. That’s her in the picture on the left. She loves flowers.

I run for her, and in memory of my Dad and for countless others who suffer from the disease or are actively caring for someone who does. It is a devastating disease. We need to keep fighting for a cure.

Alzheimer’s Sucks.

*NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges you to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Crazy right? Not everyone uses the challenge to write a novel – we are called NaNoRebels. For example, I challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 16 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

Beat back the doldrums with a run.

Amp it up more by inviting your best buds to run with you!!!

Although I consider myself a mostly positive person, there are days where things are just kinda blah. I think I’ve noticed a pattern. It seems like the doldrum days tend to follow a day or a period of great excitement.

It may be a day or so after a race or other type of event, when the afterglow has worn off and I’m left with just some sore legs or a muscle ache or two. Or when we’ve just gotten back from a vacay and the smell of the dirty laundry is overpowering the lingering memories of the fun we had.

When I find myself in the middle of a doldrum day, I push myself to move!

There’s nothing like a bit of movement to shake off the blues, whether they be Monday Blues or any other day blues. Which reminds me – in an earlier post I talked about a survey I am doing to report on whether the “Monday Blues” are a real thing or just an opportunity to jump on the bandwagon of shared misery.

I am still gathering responses and would love to include you in the survey. Choose from the following four answers to my “Monday Question” and include it in the comments below. Thank you to those who do – I really appreciate it!!!

Which statement best describes your view of Mondays…

1 – I dread Mondays. It means the start of another long work week, with the weekend seeming so far away.

2 – I look forward to Mondays. It’s always great to get a fresh start to a new week.

3 – I am a bandwagon rider. I’ll bemoan Mondays with the best of them, but I don’t really mind Mondays at all.

4 – I am ambivalent. I don’t really dread Mondays, but I don’t necessary get all excited about a Monday either.

Cheers to Mondays! Cheryl

*NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges you to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Crazy right? Not everyone uses the challenge to write a novel – we are called NaNoRebels. For example, I challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 14 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

Team “Christop Crew” for the Shakori 40

Shakori Hills is a beautiful farm of rolling hills and meadows in the heart of North Carolina. This region is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and is most famous for the Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival held every spring and fall.

The Shakori 40 Running Festival had events for 40k Individual, 40 mile individual and 40 mile team relay. We entered the team relay with five members of our family.

We took 10th out of 74 teams, on the backs of our two fastest runners. Each person on the team has to run at least one 4-mile course loop. I managed two loops for the 8-miles I needed to check the box on my training plan for today.

The remnants of a hurricane had barreled through 2 days earlier so it was more of a mud run than anything else. It was the kind of thick wet mud that grabs your shoes and doesn’t want to let go. Throw a few hills in and some single-track and I was thankful to finish my first 4-miles at a 10:22 pace. The second 4-mile loop, well let’s just say I got my 8-miles in today.

All in all, it was a super fun day with all the energy that surrounds race day. It’s been hard to find in-person events this year so we were really excited to participate in this one.

*NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges you to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Crazy right? Not everyone uses the challenge to write a novel – we are called NaNoRebels. For example, I challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 13 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

Do External Rewards work?

There is an ongoing debate… as to whether extrinsic or intrinsic rewards are best. Let’s take a closer look.

Extrinsic Motivation

  • Participating in a sport to win awards (ME)
  • Cleaning your room to avoid being reprimanded by your parents
  • Competing in a contest to win a scholarship (ME)
  • Studying because you want to get a good grade (ME) or avoid a failing grade
  • Working hard to close as many deals as possible to earn the highest commission (ME)

Intrinsic Motivation

  • Participating in a sport because you find the activity enjoyable
  • Cleaning your room because you like tidying up (ME)
  • Solving a word puzzle because you find the challenge fun and exciting
  • Studying a subject you find fascinating
  • Closing as many deals as possible to help the greatest number of people with their challenges

It appears that intrinsic rewards lean mostly positive; while extrinsic motivators can be either positive (the carrot) or negative (the stick).

As with other things in life, we all come to our particular situation with differences in genetics, personality, backgrounds, upbringings, world experiences and much more. I believe these also play a role in our responses to different types of rewards.

My very personal and one-person survey reveals that I respond best to POSITIVE-TYPES OF EXTRINSIC REWARDS.

And so, knowing myself and that I get excited, energized and fiercely determined when I see the reward of a finish line and a “YOU DID IT” recognition of some sort, I will set about creating a positive external reward system for myself.

I’ll share what I come up with in an upcoming post and if you find yourself in a similar camp, I’ll be happy to pass it along to you!

Cheers to all you other positively externally motivated individuals!!!

*NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges you to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Crazy right? Not everyone uses the challenge to write a novel – we are called NaNoRebels. For example, I challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 12 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

How my Polish Grandma launched my running career

Here is my Polish Grandma Nellie with me (back left) and my siblings. Grandma was born in 1892 and sadly she’s long since passed away; however my memory of her is still very strong.

When my siblings and I were younger, we visited her every week to help her around the house since my grandpa has passed away much earlier. My Mom would talk to her in Polish to write down her grocery list and we would go shop for her and bring the groceries back. This may amaze you, but she never drove a car in her entire life. And since there were no grocery delivery services back then, we filled the “instacart” role in her life.

When we got back from the grocery store, Grandma would have a plate piled high with ham sandwiches waiting for us. The bread was lavishly buttered (with real butter of course) and a bowl of pickles stood nearby. There were pastries for afterwards – kolacky cookies if it was around a holiday and that was a real treat.

Oh how she loved to see us eat.

Every time we visited, she would remark, “Chattle, you’re too skinny, eat, eat!” Her Polish accent transformed my name Cheryl in such an endearing way – I can still hear her voice with her accent and it warms my heart.

So went the visits and always, “Chattle, you’re too skinny, eat, eat!” That is, until after my freshman year of College.

It was my first visit of the summer and I was looking forward to that lavishly buttered ham sandwich. When we arrived, my grandma pinched my cheek (as she always did) and with a huge smile on her face exclaimed, “Chattle, you finally fat!!!”

I was horrified 😲

And so began my running career.

The rest of that summer I trudged around the perimeter of the local golf course and slowly (and I mean slowly) became a runner.

Back at school in the Fall, I signed up for my first 10k. I didn’t even know what that meant but my college roommate had run cross country in High School and she became my running mentor.

Now, I’m not saying I became a good runner or a fast runner, just that I was beginning to see and feel how running could possibly be just what I needed to continue to enjoy all those college carbs without piling on the weight.

Thanks Grandma! You were my very first motivational coach 😍

*If you’re wondering what NaNoWriMo is… it stands for National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is an annual event that began in 1999 as a challenge to writers to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Whew, crazy right? Not everyone uses this challenge to write a novel. Take me for example, I signed up for NaNoWriMo and challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 10 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

First NaNoWriMo milestone!

When I started this 30 day writing challenge as a way to motivate me to blog about my life-long goal, I wasn’t sure if I would make it past a week. But here I am, 10 days in and I haven’t even cheated haha!

3 things have helped me stick with it so far…

1 – I shared what I was doing with others and made it visible through the NaNoWriMo site.

2 – I started writing at the same time and in the same place every day. I actually started doing this only 3 days ago, but that’s when I seriously felt I was in danger of throwing in the towel on the challenge. I call it “my bunker” and it adds an element of fun to say, “hey, I’m heading to my bunker to do my writing”. Maybe there’s something to that. Anyway, if you’re doing the NaNoWriMo thing, I would encourage you to find a place and time of day you can do your thing regularly.

Disclaimer on the Bunker idea – be prepared for snide remarks from others close to you if you exit the bunker during your scheduled time. Thanks for the support Pete, but I really had to go to the bathroom 😒

3 – I check in at NaNoWriMo to see if I’ve gotten any reward badges which are goofy but oddly encouraging. I know there’s research to support both camps – external and intrinsic rewards, but heck I say if it works do it! We are not a one-size fits all world, so you need to find what works for you!!!

The reward thing has me thinking of re-visiting an idea I had awhile back – more in the posts to come.

One third of the way there and feeling strong!

Since running is actually the point of my blog, here’s a quick update on how yesterday’s “Tired Run” went…

2-minute warmup jogging lightly ✔

3 miles at best effort – don’t overdo it ✔

2-minute cool down jogging lightly ✔

DURING THE HARD 3 MILES THE ADRENALINE EFFECT KICKED IN WHEN I PASSED 2 SLOW-WALKING NEIGHBORS AND THEY REMARKED… “WOW, YOU’RE FAST”

Note to self… Align future runs with the day and time those neighbors are walking 😉

Can you tell I just figured out how to use the built-in system emojis? 🤣

  • Windows devices: Windows Key + the period
  • On a Mac: Command + Control + Space

Can’t wait to introduce you to my Polish Grandma – I think you’ll ♥ her 😘

In the meantime, comment below where your “Bunker” is. Mine is in the grandkids room.

*If you’re wondering what NaNoWriMo is… it stands for National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is an annual event that began in 1999 as a challenge to writers to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Whew, crazy right? Not everyone uses this challenge to write a novel. Take me for example, I signed up for NaNoWriMo and challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!

NaNoWriMo* – Day 9 of 30

Posted on by Cheryl

Yesterday was a rest day

A rest day from running that is! Thanks Coach. Sundays are always super busy around are house. Pete and I raised three boys who did anything but rest from day 1, so sometimes the weekends are more tiring than the work week. I was thankful to not have to squeeze in a training run after pounding out that fun benchmark run. And we celebrated our first grandson turning 6 months with a “eating real” Sunday Family Dinner!!! I’ll explain “eating real” in an upcoming post.

Today’s run is what Coach Amy calls a Tired Run. My Garmin program specifically states to “Give your best effort on tired legs. Don’t overdo it.” Now the way this training program works is that it adapts and changes according to the efforts you put in. So I’m struggling mentally with how to approach today’s run.

For me, best effort means… lay it all out there, no holding back, push until breakfast starts threatening to make an encore appearance or as Jillian Michaels would say – “if you’ve got more, give me more”!

If I do that then my Coach is going to know how fast I can really run and push me harder in the weeks to come and to be honest sometimes I just like to coast. But there is that “don’t overdo it” part. So vague right? Just for fun, I looked up the definition. Here’s what I found…

Overdo… to overtax the strength of; fatigue; exhaust.

Ok, I guess that’s a little more clear and gives me a reason to hold back a little bit – all is good in my running world. On today’s run I will give it my best effort but not exhaust myself.

I just hope the neighbors are all inside.

*If you’re wondering what NaNoWriMo is… it stands for National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is an annual event that began in 1999 as a challenge to writers to write a novel of 50,000 words in one month! Whew, crazy right? Not everyone uses this challenge to write a novel. Take me for example, I signed up for NaNoWriMo and challenged myself to write one blog post every day for a month and that is what you are seeing in these NaNoWriMo posts!!!