I run happy.

Monday, December 31, 2012

GOOD COACHING = HEALTHY RUNNING

HAPPY 2012!
You were full of highlights...
Thank you for bringing THE BOY WITH THE BOW TIE home for Christmas.
He turned the Casita de Ling into PEE WEE's PLAYHOUSE as usual.  Please don't steal my iPhone and take bizarre pictures again!  Out numbered again.

Sparkle Pants turned 3.  Can you believe that?
3 years of paper swords,  wrestling, surfing and making paper cookies...
what would our World have been without you?
Boy Scout opted to shave off his MO-VEMBER Stache.  Thank goodness.  I like a good beard but his fuzzy face never seemed to move past this phase...the kisses were still good though.

Sparkle Pants practiced safety-first while handling heavy machinery.

Chicago became my new favorite marathon.

Working Mama celebrates her 23rd birthday...and continues to go to school, work two jobs and love her young pup to bits.

We're truly grateful...

RUNNING!!

I am especially grateful for a year of injury free running, the first one since I started running 7 years ago.  In the beginning of my running career,   I ran marathon after marathon,  ran track with a training group and basically ran every run as hard as I could, because I could and because it made me happy.  Until my 40ish body put on the brakes.  I just didn't get it.  Why couldn't I run, train, run, train and race, race, race without getting hurt?

2010 brought some clarity and I decided that my hips were hurting way too much.  This running thing was just getting way too painful.  I sought a coach.  He was tough, he was SMART and he helped me get fit.  MAF and heart rate were key to this phase and I saw my race times improve.  I learned some key things that I will NEVER FORGET:

1.  If you're training for a marathon, don't waste your precious training and energy on racing a lot of other races in between, especially the small ones.  Stay focused.  Stay confident.

2.  Run by feel; don't DEPEND and obsess with your time/pace/watch/friends.  Run how you feel.  Love how you feel.  Love running.  This key lesson will never leave me.  It is now WHO I am as a runner.

3.  Trails, mountains, hills are *key* to training and strength.  Love them. Embrace them.

4.  Age is just a number.

After about 6 months with this coach, however,  I had pushed too hard once again.  Bam!  Foot problems, it band issue...I had listened to him but NOT my body. He changed me for the better, I owe him so much.   After New York, 2010, a PR race for me,  I backed off from racing...then did Boston(which was a disaster)and decided to start over.


I have been working with Nicole for almost a year and a half.  I found her through another masters runner's blog and liked her immediately.  It was a slow start for me.  TRUST.  I had to believe that starting slow once again would pay off in the end.  Nicole is a trail mountain running champion and her workouts intrigued me.  The periodization in her workouts and my training schedule were similar to what Coach One had me doing but I wound up doing more hill workouts.  SUDDENLY,  I found myself looking at my workouts and the calendar as MINE rather than just following them blindly and expecting a specific result.  I began to integrate WHAT I KNEW ABOUT MY BODY(HEL-LOW!)into my recovery days and finally,  my body began to respond.  

Specifically...if I started to feel a niggle,  I'd STOP, rehab for a day(foam roller, ice, acupuncture, massage, chiropractor-depending on the niggle)and then re evaluate my plans.  Sure enough, giving myself an extra recovery day or reducing my mileage GAVE MY BODY A CHANCE to heal.  Once Nicole and I fell into  groove,  I've started to learn that following her workouts for me, have kept me HEALTHY, HAPPY, INJURY FREE and RUNNING!

Could I have done this without a coach?  Maybe YOU could have.  Not me.  I love to run hard,  I love to leave it out on the trail too much.  

I needed a wise woman to tell me to keep my long runs between 8:45-9:30 no matter what!
I needed a wise woman to tell me to run my tempos by a prescribed "effort" not the EXACT pace!
I needed a wise woman to tell me to take care of my body when I had a cold...
I needed a wise woman to recognize that my goal is  not  to PR at every race, it's really to stay healthy so I can run into my 80's!  Truly.

Happy New Year! I hope your goals for the new year are accomplished quickly,  with enthusiasm and that 2013 is filled with love of friends and family and lots of HAPPY MILES.
meg





9 comments:

  1. Hi Megsie..
    I miss you!!!!!!

    It looks like you and the family had a fantastic Christmas. This makes me smile :).

    Curious - EMAIL ME - who was coach one? I think I have the same coach. MAF training, PE...curious. You never mentioned him in Boston 2010! I'm so happy though that you have found a new coach to help you listen to your body. IT's so hard getting older and thinking we can still do what we once did...it's SO different now.

    Chicago is my favorite marathon, too...Carlsbad would be a close 2nd :). I have no marathon plans for the spring - thinking of a 50-miler for my 50th birthday first. But maybe one in the fall. Maybe we can hook up in the fall if you do one.

    Happy New Year to you!!
    much love!

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  2. Great to see your beautiful, happy family. You learned a lot over the last couple of years. Hooray! Hope 2013 is awesome. :)

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  3. Happy New Year! you look great and look how big Sparkle pants is !!

    also, don't know if you know but....I ...AM...Pregnant! wowzers! So haven't been doing much running/blogging as of late;-) It's all good tho.

    Happy Running!

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  4. Glad you have found your "smooth" with a new coach. As an educater yourself you know every student is different. Plus, every Educator is different.

    Can't believe SP is THREE! Wow how time .... . Have a great 2013! Stay in touch.

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  5. It is so great to see and hear that things are going well for the Meg Runs clan!!! Glad that you are enjoying life and running and have found a good balance all around. I have read about the MAF training program but have never put it into practice. Are you still following it with your new coach? Warm wishes for a healthy and happy 2013!

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  6. Happy New Year Meg! May 2013 bring health and happiness to you and your family. Hope to run into you guys sometime soon!

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  7. Happy New Year Meg!

    Looks like 2012 has been a fantastic year for you and I wish the same for you in 2013.

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  8. Oh it's so great to see that all is good with all of you - how wonderful! Also so happy to hear that things are working out with your coach - I too am feeling much more on board with my second coach than my first. So happy you're so well and looking so all-round gorgeous!

    Come find me - I've moved my blog to wordpress - http://petraruns.wordpress.com

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  9. Love the Bow tie. Hey this is the first time I have had a coach, and am I doing it by Heart Rate. Who knew I was going too hard on my easy days. Well having a coach sure is paying off. Im glad you had a great injury free year, and many more to come. Don't take this the wrong way, but just to let you know, you look hot in that picture up there. Lookn like Grete Waitz, and btw, not every runner chic looks good in those runner skirt things. You kick it! Go Meg! Ant says hello too.

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