Life Lessons Learned from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

You may remember me presenting this old formula: run 32 km. Instantly feel better about yourself and life in general. 

While I only did about a third of that distance today, it sure went a long way to restoring some balance in my life at a time that feels very unbalanced. After running four marathons and nearly finishing a graduate degree as a 'mature' student, the thing in my life that remains the most challenging is dealing with a difficult family member.

I know mine is not an isolated issue. Everyone has a mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle, etc. they don't get along with. And the degree to which relationships are strained varies; it may be a minor annoyance, ranging to outright estrangement.  

Having to deal with difficult family is exhausting, but it's also an opportunity to learn, or perhaps, re-learn, lessons about one's self. Do I think this particular family member is a terrible person? Absolutely. No question. But there's no changing her. The only person I can control is myself.  

Today's run helped me remember what I feel is important, and how I want to aspire to live my life - specifically, one that is filled with gratitude, kindness, and humility. 

I want to be more accepting of others' situations, and understand that not everyone may believe or feel the same as I do; this doesn't mean they're wrong, but that they have a different perspective and outlook on the world. 

I want to remember, always, that everyone is dealing with their own challenges in life and that, sometimes, they may not have the capacity or ability to be the best version of themselves. When that happens, they might need time or space to just be. 

If I've hurt someone for any reason, I want to be able to say, "I'm sorry." And not only do I want to be able to say it, but I also want to really, truly mean it.

Most importantly, I never want anyone to feel that they owe me anything, just because I've done something nice for them. Gestures of kindness should be unconditional - done because one wants to, not because they expect anything in return.

As Amanda Fucking Palmer said on her epic multimedia blog post about TED 2014, BIL 2014 and #NINJAvan which all took place in Vancouver last week: "BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER."

All I can say to that is: WORD.

© 2014 Matthew Lowe and Squelch Design

Today's run: 10 km. Weather: cloudy, cool, light showers. Feeling prior to run: exhausted, emotionally drained and devoid of energy. Feeling post-run: better. That's all I could have asked for.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Quick update: I've pretty much quit marathon training.

Last year, a friend from my Master's program came to this realization: "To succeed at grad school, I have to fail at everything else in life."

While sad, I've found this to be absolutely true - especially in these last three months before finishing up. Why did I decide to try and train for a marathon at the same time as completing my grad degree? Because I'm stupid, that's why.

So, no. No more running right now. I don't have time. It's not an excuse. It's just the way life is at the moment. C'est la friggin' vie.

I don't know if this means whether number 5 in May is a complete bust. At this point, nothing is certain. Will update again when I can.

P.S. If you don't hear from me, just assume I've suffocated under the soul-crushing weight of my thesis.

Did That Just Happen?

I've been having a tough time with my running. Lack of motivation to stick to my training schedule, and feeling anxious about choosing between running and school work has sometimes left me paralyzed. The result has been a less-than-best effort put into, well, anything I'm doing right now.

In other words, definitely not winning at life at the moment.

I didn't run at all last week, which has put me slightly behind on my long mileage. This can be disheartening, as it only serves to feed into the mentality of, "Maybe I should just give up on training completely." But, miraculously, I forced myself out there today. It wasn't great, but it was better than nothing. Also, I don't know many other people who ran 19 km today, so I have to remind myself that any long distance is a good thing.

Sometimes after doing long runs I think to myself, "Did that just happen?" It sometimes feels a bit surreal, especially after periods of blah. But I have GPS and heart rate data to prove it, so it must've happened. Small wins, right?

Today's run: 19 km. Weather: dry and cool. Feeling: okay.

Side note: a male runner who passed me today said, "Nice gait!" At first I was all like, say what now? But then I found it funny - and a little flattering. He may or may not really know what good running form looks like, but it was still nice for him to say.

Props to everyone who ran the Pacific Road Runners First Half in support of Variety - The Children's Charity of British Columbia today. Hope you all enjoyed the race, and the brief periods of sun we had this morning!

I think gratitude, in any form, is a wonderful thing. Here's a little video from Variety saying thanks to the Pacific Road Runners for all their support over the years. Enjoy!

I, Long Distance Runner

Years ago, I blogged about some quirky traits people inherit when they get serious about running. After four marathons and many, many miles, I like to think I've also learned a thing or two about myself over the years:

• I am a long distance runner. 
• The first five or six km of any run is what I need to really warm up and settle in. 
• I'm no expert, but I don't need unsolicited advice about running. I know where to get good advice, thanks. Besides, not all advice works for everyone. 
• I like to run alone - not because I'm anti-social but because, as a wise man and fellow runner (The Oatmeal) once said: "The buzzing roar of the world is nothing compared to the noise inside my head. But when I run, the world grows quiet." 
• I also like to run alone because it affords me the opportunity to really pay attention to my body, run by feel, and allow my thoughts to drift in and out, as needed. This isn't possible if I'm running with someone else.
• And no, I'm not fast - but I love it, so I do it anyway. 

I love long distance running! Long distance running's my favourite.

Here's to introspection! Hope you're all staying warm despite the polar vortex. 

Today's run: 16 km. Weather: cold (we broke a record!) but sunny and glorious. Feeling: blessed. Totally.

Running Round-Up: New Year, New Marathon Edition

Happy New Year, friends! I hope all of you had a chance to wind down, sleep in and de-stress over the holidays. And now, here we are: 2014! I've had a lot on my mind but no single topics that warrant their own blog post, so here's another round-up for you on what I think about when I think about running (or, when I'm actually running). Hopefully my mind will stop wandering all over the place when classes start again on Monday.

Marathon Training
I've signed up for marathon #5 and realized this week that I've never before run a marathon in May. I realized this, when I went to work out my marathon training schedule earlier this week only to discover that I should have started training last weekend. Oooops. No matter... having missed the first two runs in the first week out of 18 total weeks of training is not a big deal. It just made me chuckle, is all.

My last ever marathon training schedule??

What a Difference a Day Makes
As per my schedule for this week, I ran 6 km yesterday and another 6 km today, which is more mileage in one week than I've run since October. And yesterday was a great day to start as well, as it was raining and cold...which most people would find depressing, but I find rather glorious: fewer people around the seawall, that certain aura of mystery that only rain and fog can bring i.e. you know, like X-Files' style. That cool quiet is part of the reason I fell in love with the west coast in the first place. Today was also glorious, but for other reasons. The city started its day enveloped in a thick, pea soup-like fog, but opened up to filtered sunshine and dry weather. Two very different days, but both amazing. Rain or shine, I guess I just have a love affair with this place. 

Vancouver fog: late 2013
© Alexis Birkill

Bit of Worry
Having let my fitness lapse a bit since marathon #4 at the end of September, and likely having put on a little turkey weight over the holidays, I'm definitely feeling a bit sluggish out there. The past few runs have been slow and plodding, and have pretty much taken up my entire morning. Being a slower long-distance runner than most (that's not being humble, it's fact) means that other runners are knocking off higher mileage in less amounts of time. Given that I have to commit more time to training because I'm a slower runner, deciding to train for a May marathon in my last semester of my graduate degree with three months to go before I have to defend my thesis makes me worry whether I've bitten off more than I can chew. I must be nuts, right? At the very least, it will be a good experiment in time management. We'll just have to see.

Slow and Steady
Speaking of plodding, on December 31, John Stanton's page on Facebook posted this status update: "Enjoy your run today...there is someone out there that is more happy than you...running a lot slower." Me being me, I commented with this: "I'm the slow one! No one is slower than me so, you're welcome, everybody!" The nice thing was, I got six likes and a few encouraging replies. Not a bad way to end the year.

Hope 2014 has been good to you all so far! What races are on your list for this year?

Running Round-Up: Santa Claus is Coming to Town Edition

Christmas is nearly here and, if you're like me, you're probably feeling a little terrorized by the Blerch right about now. Here's what I've been doing lately to try and keep my fat little cherub buddy at bay.

Cycling = Torture
I've had a teensy bit of a cold this past week but wanted to remain active, so I opted for some light indoor cross training. Although I have access to both upright and recumbent bikes in my apartment building, I have to say: I hate them both. 

I've never much enjoyed cycling. There was a time in my teens, when I took up mountain biking for about a year, mostly because my brother was into it and I wanted to give it a try. But I didn't really see the appeal then, and I still feel the same today.

However, I will concede this: cycling is a good workout. Even the stationary bikes kick my butt every time. It's obvious that cycling is not my sport of choice, but for a bit of cross training action it's a good option.

What do you do to cross train?

The Weather Outside is... Quite Nice, Actually
After a week and a half of being plunged into a deep freeze, the west coast settled back into its normal, rainy and temperate self. I went out for an 8 km run this morning to get a bit of fresh air and try and pre-empt the turkey-shaped muffin top that is bound to make an appearance in the next day or so. I also experimented a bit with the panorama settings on my camera phone - check it out.

Along the False Creek seawall

English Bay

My Holiday Running Wardrobe is Sorely Lacking
When getting ready for today's run, I had a sudden urge to adorn myself with a Santa hat. Sadly, I don't own one! Note to self: make sure to get a Santa hat for next year's holiday running.

Regardless of what festivities or religion you subscribe to, from Five by 35, I wish you all the best this holiday season! Stay happy and healthy out there, my friends. 

Running Round-Up: Arctic Outflow Edition

Hello friends! And merry (early) holidays to you all. My apologies for being MIA: insert usual school and end of term excuses here. Let's get to it, shall we?

Baby, It's Cold Outside
Canada is in a deep freeze right now courtesy of some cold Arctic air that's been pushing into the region. Unlike our prairie neighbours to the east, the west coast is thankfully not experiencing wind chill values below -40°C, although -14°C with wind chill is certainly much colder than us fair-weather Vancouverites are accustomed to. The one good thing about all this? Clear, sunny skies, and brisk running. Check out these gorgeous shots I captured on this morning's 5 km run (all unfiltered).

Science World and downtown Vancouver

Looking northward on the Cambie Street bridge

False Creek, downtown and mountains

Really? Really?
Whoever is writing the status updates on John Stanton's Facebook page has been a little preachy as of late when it comes to food and, quite frankly, it's getting annoying. For example:

• As a runner your food is your fuel…select your choices wisely
• Reward yourself with a run…rather than with food
• Think of your food as fuel for your performance …make your choices wisely
• As a runner you eat for performance … a non athletic person eats for pleasure …make your choices wisely

Don't get me wrong. I understand how important it is to make smart and healthy food decisions. But everything in moderation, right? Perhaps that includes reading these Facebook updates as well.

Announcement: Number 5!
I am officially registered for marathon #5 and I'm super excited! On Sunday, May 4, I will be alongside thousands of other walkers and runners at the BMO Vancouver Marathon as I endeavour to complete this "marathon" journey (ha, get it?). It's the marathon I've always wanted to run, in the best city on earth, in my own backyard. I cannot wait.

I'm planning to be on the blog more in the next few weeks, once I'm finished with everything for term. If you're in town and want to join me on a run, followed by a delicious, rewarding and satisfying meal of our own choosing (take that, Stanton), hit me up!