"I think I have a hobby"

Strange title, right? This post gets a little auto-biographical. Hang with me.

I grew up in a rural area--out in the sticks, one hour away from anything. Yes, we had a few little stores, a few gas stations (now there is one), and a K-12 school of 320 students (now there are 150). I grew up building forts, hiking trails, camping, and fishing with my dad. We also had a hoop outside, and I would spend hours playing basketball.

I worked hard in school and played every sport I could, and thanks to that hard work, I went on to a four-year University. The only real hobbies I had in high school were sports--specifically basketball. I wasn't great by any means, but it was a lot of fun! I also had a job every summer starting at age 13. I lived in a tourist area, so I cleaned rooms, worked front desks/gift shop, or in a restaurant.

Obviously college was a busy time. I studied, worked a job 15-20 hours a week, plus worked summers back home. I played a few seasons of intramural basketball, nothing serious. I can also recall specifically twice that I "worked out" during college. After gaining the Freshman 15 in 6 months, spring quarter I took an aerobics class, and I ran 3 times a week (probably no more than 3 miles each time), and I lost 20lbs. The other time was my senior year, realizing I put those 15-20lbs back on. This time I joined a gym, and I did weight training 2x a week and cardio 4-5 days a week--walking, jogging, or aerobics. I lost 12 lbs, but I was tracking my body fat percentage, and that dropped drastically. But when summer quarter ended, It was time to start student teaching. I moved back home.

Once back home, we were planning our wedding, I was student teaching, then got a long-term sub job. After our wedding, I worked two jobs--subbing and waiting tables back at my old summer job through high school/college. That summer, I got my first teaching job--back home! So while teaching, I also coached after school--jr. high basketball--girls first, then boys followed. You haven't lived until you coach jr. high basketball! That basically occupied my first two years of teaching. And at this point, I had gained several pounds back, but I didn't have the desire (or time...so I thought) to exercise. I changed grade levels those first two years (like from 1st grade to 6th grade!) so it was like being a first year teacher twice.

But I knew I needed a master's degree. At this point, I was 25 years old and living in the sticks again, so I signed up for a distance-learning Master's program and got to work. And three months later, I was pregnant with my daughter.

And at this point, life took a turn. Daughter was born prematurely, so the next two years were dedicated to getting her healthy, and I continued to teach, AND finish my Master's Degree. At this point, I was the biggest I had ever been. So I decided to try the Atkins diet, and in one year, I lost 40 lbs. The details of that are for another post... When my daughter was 2, I realized I didn't want to raise her out in no-man's land, so we moved to where we are today--A small town that at least has grocery stores and a movie theater.

After the move, I got a new job, and I wasn't feeling professionally challenged. I think what it amounted to was that my daughter was healthy, and I was bored. My husband would say, "You need to get a hobby." But soon I was signed up to start the National Board Certification process for teachers. And in two years, I gained back 25 pounds.

I got another new job closer to home (and I've been there 8 years! Love it!) and after I certified with National Board, we decided to try to have another baby. My mind was totally preoccupied with this. But a year later, all I had to show was a few possible miscarriages and no pregnancy. So in March 2008 we started the adoption process. In June 2009, we traveled to China to adopt our son. I see two things in those pictures: I see my beautiful boy, and I see his fat mom--me.

The next two years were something out of a text book about international adoption. The night terrors, control issues, behaviors...he also had a cleft palate, so we had surgeries and lots of speech therapy. I put every fiber of my being into my son. But let me say this too, he is a character and my kids are the lights of my life! But I read every book, joined every yahoo/internet/FB group, to find answers and support--and to support others. It's no picnic. We have seen amazing results...again, another post, another time.

And one night after all this...I saw my reflection in the window as I sat at the computer. I had never seen myself like this: a large, soft body, with a head attached. I saw this person that I did not recognize. That person in the reflection was not the person on the inside. I weighed 221 pounds.

So in August, 2011, I started exercising, and the weight started coming off slowly. And then I started running...and all these strange things have happened in the last year:

*I read books about running.
*I've joined running groups on FB, and I RUN WITH THOSE PEOPLE.
*I shop online and research gear and gadgets for running.
*I get up early or go to bed late so I can run.
*I set personal goals.

And in the last few days I realized....I'm not doing this to get ahead professionally. I'm not doing this for my kids. I'm not doing this because I have to. I'm not even doing it to lose weight anymore. I'm doing this because I WANT to. So I said to my husband (who has a zillion hobbies), "Honey, I think I have a hobby."

I used to think hobbies were ridiculous. Oh sure, I dabbled in stamping, scrapbooking...but nothing comes close to the love I have for running. But it is MORE than running. It's being OUTSIDE! I use the treadmill so that I can continue to be outside! I have a love-hate relationship with that thing....

And now I'm a year into this, and after 13 races last year, two of them half marathons, I started to feel a little...well....bored. You can tell I'm not one to stay on one thing long, right? But at just the right time, I've discovered TRAIL RUNNING! I posted here last summer about a trail run I went on back home while visiting the parents, and I knew that it lifted me up in a way that pavement didn't. I get it now. And as I look back at that post from last summer, I think, "How did I not see it!" Yes, I will still continue running, but if I get the chance, I'm hitting the trails.

Trails are home. Trails are like basketball. I don't play basketball much anymore unless I'm coaching my daughter, but like basketball, with trails you have to read what's in front of you and react. Just like offense and defenses change, so do trails. And trails are BEAUTIFUL.

So not only have a found a hobby, I found a hobby that challenges me and is healthy.

Some might call it obsessed.

I call it finally having some FUN.

I Can Do It! 13.1 miles to end 2012

If you would have told me on Dec. 31, 2011 that exactly a year later I'd be running my second half marathon and 13th running race of the year, I'd have said you were on drugs. Yet here I was, Dec. 31, 2012, getting ready to run my second half marathon at the Yukon Do It Marathon/Half Marathon/5K run. It was a small race, a total contrast to the Rock n Roll Half in Seattle that I did in June, but nontheless, 13 miles is 13 miles, no matter where you run them.

I couldn't decide whether or not to wear my crazy socks. The weather was a balmy 35ish degrees and cloudy, but no rain. Still, we would be running the first 4 and last 4 miles along the water (up and back course). As I was talking to other runners in the breakfast room at the hotel, they all said, "Wear them!" So...another thing I never thought I'd do...a bright yellow jacket with bright pink socks with skulls on them. (Thanks Angela! I'm now hooked on socks!)

My 1st goal was to finish in under 2:24. That would be an 11 min. per mile pace, and I knew I could push and get that. Compared with my 12.15 goal for June, this was a big goal for me. But I had another number in mind...2:20. If I could pull off a 10.45 pace, I could do it. For a long run, that would be pushing it for me, but I knew I had it in me...maybe. I had been fighting off a cold, so I just wasn't sure.

When I started the race, I felt good. I didn't look at my time, and that was my first mistake. What I did know was that at 1.5 miles in, I got a side ache. This has happened to me maybe 3 times total since I've been running. So I felt like I was running slow because of this. I finally stopped for about 10 seconds just to breathe it out, and by about mile 4, it was gone. At that point, I checked my watch...40.30. OH NO! or... OH YEAH! I wasn't sure. I was running just over 10 min miles, which for me, was fast. The only time I run 10 min miles is on a 4 mile run or a 10K race. Someday I'd like that to be a doable pace for a half marathon, but I'm not there yet. So I kept going, and so far the course had been flat.

Now I had studied the map of the course, and my husband and I drove most of it the night before. I thought I knew what was going on, so I felt like I could actually keep a pace of about 10:30-10:45 the rest of the race and I could meet my 2:20 goal. So I hit mile 5, and say whaaaat? What's this little hill with a turn around? OK, not biggie...and I'd do it on the way back too...no problem. OK, back to the road, say whaaaat? Again? Up another hill, around and down...and this is where we saw the camel, which was random and very cool, but still...I wasn't ready for this and had I known I'd have adjusted my speed to a slower pace much earlier. Now, one more jaunt that I did know about, down to a park and back, and this was the intersection I saw my husband. I had finished 7 miles in 1:13...that is the best I've ever done for 7 miles. When I saw my husband, I told him I had a few more hills (those ones headed back) and I was hoping for a time of 2:18. I knew when I hit that last little hill, it would be mile 8, and the last 5 miles would be fairly flat. No problem! Tough, yes, but doable.

And then...mile 9...I hit a wall. I don't know what happened, but my quads tightened up, my chest tightened up, and I felt like I just couldn't make it any farther. So I stopped to walk. Defeated...but my time was 1:35...I still had 45 minutes to make it 4.1 miles. Oh, I got this! And 49 minutes still would get me to 2:24, so I was OK. And again, I had never run 9 miles in 1:35. I was still at an average of just over 10:30 pace, so I had time to slow down. But I didn't plan on this.

Between miles 9-12, I had to walk a little, then run. My quads were so tight, it was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Clearly, I started too fast and pushed it harder on those hills than I should have. I watched my goal of 2:20 slip away, so then I said "OK, 2:22...I can do it." I was at 2:10.30 at mile 12. I was cold, tired, and just ready to be done. When I hit mile 12, I said to myself, "There is not a snowball's chance in hell I'm going to walk this last mile." So I pushed and ran it out.

Finishing time: 2:22.04. I did it! I may not have hit that 2:20 mark, but I know what I did wrong, and I know how to correct it next time. I was keeping time on my iPod, which is fine, but I am now waiting on a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch to help me in these kinds of situations. But for today, I got a new PR (Personal Record) over my previous time of 2:38.30 in my first half marathon. And...I still have a goal to chase!

So that was how I partied my way out of 2012...13.1 miles of fun fun fun! I'm not the best, I'm not the fastest; but on that day, I was the best I've ever been, and that was pretty cool.

I've taken the last two days off, allowing my muscles to calm down, and I have a little foot pain, nothing too serious, but the foot needed a break. I'm hoping to get out in the morning with a friend for a slow and easy run, not sure on Friday, then a few runs on Saturday and Sunday.

Then on Monday, the chaos begins again. Back to the classroom, daughter in two sports, kids in piano, Ty and his antics, and my fingers in a little bit of everything. I'm hoping that in 2013 I can lose the pounds that snuck up on me on the holidays, plus lose another 15. I hope to try some new workouts, but I'll keep running at least 3-4 days a week.

Thanks for following along, and Happy New Year!
Jolene