The Nearest Popsicle

            It’s five a.m. and I’m sitting in the wardroom at my ROTC unit.  I’m writing a paper on Tunisia for a history class, but I’m not entirely thrilled by it.  I’m tired, hungry and freezing, wondering where spring is hiding after all this time.  I sometimes joke that being in the wardroom when everyone’s at PT (since I’m injured and can’t go), is the most productive part of my day, because hey, what is there to distract you at 5 in the morning when you’re not connected to the crosstown school’s wifi and there’s no one around?  I plead the fifth because I’m writing a blog post right now (and I just posted two last night). 

            Today I want to talk to you a little about motivation.  And I mean, I’m not trying to bombard you with a pep talk this morning.  “Come on guys!  Get super hua.  Let’s go!”  But, I want to talk a little bit about what possesses human beings to do what they do.  And not in a psychology kind of way.  Just in a “People make choices and some of them seem way out there, until you’ve picked that way out there choice before, and then it’s way easier to pick again.”

            I mean you’d think I’d cry inside about waking up at 4 a.m.  And you’re one hundred percent correct.  Even after all this time, it still requires meticulous planning, far too many alarms, and a little bit of digging deep and giving it my all just to get out of bed and into uniform in the morning on early days.  But, hey, getting out of bed at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning to get in a 20 miler is no picnic either.  But, we do it.  Whether we do it for the cinnamon buns, because we told our friends we would, because then we can justify the long nap we’re gonna take or just blowing off our chores for a little while, or ----, we do it.  There’s something that pushes us to wake up, lace our sneakers up tight, fill up a water bottle, and just go. 

            I do it for me.  For moments where I’ve been running so long, my head is completely blank.  There’s nothing I can worry about.  There’s nothing to be afraid of.  I could have five finals the next day and not care.  I do it for me.  For the friendships I’ve formed, just striking up random conversations on the sixth (or sixteenth) mile of a marathon, because hey, when you’re running for three and a half hours, you’ve got all the time in the world to make friends.  But, literally.  I do it for me.  For the cardio benefits and the fact that I can get on the scale and be like, “It must be broken” because I weigh too little (beautiful, but rare feeling, by the way). 

            But, also, because no matter what’s going on in your life, your lot could always be worse, and if you have the time, muscular and mental capacity to run 20 miles, you could be doing a whole lot worse.  It gives you a chance to unwind, push yourself, succeed, fail, succeed again, die on the side of the bike path and walk home, kick back by the pool with your best friend and devour the cinnamon bun you just carried 5 miles. 

            Life is marked by a series of successes and failures unevenly spaced along the path that is your essence.  Each of those failures taught you something that made the impending success that much more important in the grand scheme of things.  Without failure, you are absolutely nothing.  Without that moment where you’re so thirsty, you turn back, or that realization that heat is not your thing and your new God given quest is to find the nearest popsicle, then there’s no need for motivation, no need for talent, no need to want it with the whole heart, because then you’re basically just capable of running a marathon in your sleep, all day and every day. 

            But, unless you’re at that point in your life where running across the country is not only what you want to do, but what you legitimately have time and money for, you will have runs where you feel like gold, and you will have runs where you feel like a pile of trash.  Hopefully the number of the former will outweigh the latter. 

            So learn to finish.  And next time you want to turn back, think about the logic behind sticking with it.  Think how nice your new splits will look on your stopwatch down the line, if you just give a little more this time. 
That's all I've got for now,

Sarah

A few words to start (or end) a day on

I've heard a lot of stories lately and have known a lot of people who have gotten medically disqualified or are afraid they are going to from the U.S. Military.  And although I don't expect I'll be DQ'd any time soon, I've thought a lot about what if that happened to me, because hey, it's a complete toss up.  Will this or that injury or whatever disqualify you?  How do you prove it no longer affects you?  I like to think I'm 100% healthy, but if the worst happened and this stupid fracture in my shin meant that my dreams were over, how angry would I be?  How hard would I cry?  I mean what do you say when you work hard and give your all in ROTC for a year or two and then somebody shakes their head, pats you on the back for a job well done but not quite well enough, and directs you the other way? I think that in that case, you just have to stand up and realize that there's going to be more for you in this life.  That you got the short end of the stick this time, but are going to win out in the future.  Because you always have a choice of how to deal with your lot in life, and while the choices aren't always glamorous, fighting hard until the fight is over never hurt anyone, as long as they learned how to accept the end when it finally came.  

 Ever since I got my first C, failed to get an award at an award ceremony and accepted my mediocrity, I've learned how to succeed more often than not.  But it's a joke to think that everything is going to go well all of the time, and I mean, even your greatest strength won't hold up every time it's put under a magnifying glass.  I mean, take me, for instance.  My biggest strength is my ability to push hard and never stop- at running mostly and on a bike and at PT- but even I am human, as shocked as I was to discover it, and even I have bones that can get weakened under overuse and even my body needs a long hiatus from endurance sports every now and then.  

A lot of people think that failure is a cue to stop trying.  But it's not.  I don't know any better way to explain that to people.  I started as a 12 year old scrawny kid who had a few good friends, good grades (but hey I was in 7th grade), played two instruments  halfway decently and was afraid of the ball.  Flash forward 7 years and I am three months shy of my 20th birthday (gosh, I'm old), and a Boston qualifier.  Beyond that, I'm a student, a ROTC midshipman, a cyclist, skier, sister, friend and daughter (and I'm still afraid of the ball, but this isn't middle school and in the world I have sought, that's ok as long as you strive to be a PT God and accept that you still have great lengths to improve when you fail miserably).  It amazes me how many people I have grown close to over the years, especially since I started college, how many places I have had the opportunity to travel to with and without my family and ultimately, just the experiences that have led me to become the young woman I am today.  So when I come across another failure, I'll probably fall down and I'll probably hate my life just a little, but to be fair and to offer a little sage advice at the wise old age of 19 and three quarters, you get a lot of chances in life.  

You will mess up, make mistakes and get kicked back a little, but you will also face the most beautiful moments in the world, that may be as simple as eating chocolate covered strawberries at a spring training baseball game with your parents or as self fulfilling as crossing the finish line of a marathon or bringing home straight As.  At some point in your life, I guarantee that you will disappoint yourself and you will disappoint others.  Sometimes it will be your own fault and other times you will have absolutely zero control.  But blame never got anyone anywhere.  You will remember later that hindsight is 20/20 and try to do better next time.  But for now, do your best and bask in the inherent simplicity of learning from your mistakes.  
That's all I've got for now,
Sarah

Brooks

            So first off, I’m sorry it’s been a while since I posted.  When I’m not running, my motivation to type words that have to do with running is unfortunately a lot lower than it should be.  Also, I’ve just been busy with school, spring break (I went to Arizona with the parents.  It was awesome and completely and utterly warm out, just what I needed), friends, life, ROTC, etcetera.  And here I claim to eat, breath and sleep running!  (Lies.  Haha). 

But, also my work out life has been at a lower point in the last month or so than it’s been in a long time.  A lot of swimming combined with the occasional crunch, sit up and flutter kick leads to lacking leg muscles and a retreating cardiovascular system.  But, the good news is that I made the lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon!!!  And later on, as we come closer to the race, we’ll get into the specifics of why everybody on this earth, runner or not, really needs to register for MCM and run MCM and why MCM is the most amazing thing on this earth.  Why MCM made me a marathoner and an all around better person (OK, I don’t know if I’d go that far), but you get the point…

But, for now, the goal is to make it to the start line.  And if something goes terribly or even slightly wrong over the next several months, and I make the decision under my doctors’ advice not to run in October, then so be it.  The primary goal right now is to make the finish line at Boston 2015, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.  Because Boston is- well, it’s THE Boston Marathon.  The awesomeness I was trying to portray with that statement is inherent in the title itself.  So that comes first (secondary primarily to my health of course, because I am a runner and a cyclist and an ROTC midshipman, and being on my two feet without crutches, a wheelchair or a walking boot or whatever the doctor orders is a priority).  And furthermore, it was insane and completely amazing to become a Boston qualifier on the first try, but I’m definitely not trying to be a has-been at 19.  So, to recap, healing up and running again comes first, Boston comes second, and MCM is a close third.    

So back to the point of this post, even though I haven’t been running lately (and I’m still in the walking boot), my shoes are wearing out, especially since I’m wearing the left to walk around campus and such, but not the right, so the left is bound to be worn out when I get the boot off, and the right won’t be evenly worn, since it’s been hiding in some unknown corner under my bed for the last several weeks, so coming back from an injury and training in unevenly worn out shoes is a severe problem (that only a runner obsessed engineering student would find the time to worry about, but hey, that’s me for you)… But, due to these unique circumstances and the not so unique fact that shoes wear out after a while, today I got new running shoes!!!  Even though I’m still a few months shy of running (and by running, I mean walk 5 minutes, run 1 minute, repeat 6 times… and so the back to running plan begins), I’m not too far off from losing the boot, and I was at the mall and they were on the shelf and they were $40 less than I paid for the last pair of the same model I got, so I jumped at them.

They’re Brooks Glycerin 11’s, neon pink, and I hope that this pair will serve me as well as the last did.  I mean, as a runner, you rarely admit how vital the little things are.  An ill fitting or worn out pair of shoes can lead to blisters, plantar fasciitis, shin splints (or gasp), stress fractures, although in my case it was a combination of supreme overuse, bad luck and semi-worn out combat boots of questionable quality.  The shoes won’t always break you, but because it has become my life goal to be as cliché as possible in this blog (but only when speaking the truth), they have the capability to make you or break you. 

So I’m not really into advertising, but today I will give a shout out for the Brooks Glycerin.  They provide a good amount of cushion, feel awesome, and hey- who doesn’t want neon pink shoes?  I know I do! 

That’s all I’ve got for now (and I can see you at your computer screen gasping with relief because I’m not pushing any more products on you, but to be fair, I’m not telling you to ditch your month old shoes and go out and get them today, but when your shoes wear out (and they will), just do it!)

Thanks for reading,

Sarah

Snack time: What's it gonna be?

            OK, so if you’re hungry right now, you’re probably going to hate me a little if you make it through the end of this post without eating your computer.  But, hey, I am a food-loving athlete, so here we go.

            Even though my poor food budget cannot afford to sustain me on all of the following, at the beginning of a week, right after I’ve gone grocery shopping (depending on my life choices for that week), snack opportunities are endless.  I can have granola bars of all varieties, crackers and cheese (or crackers and peanut butter), tostitos and salsa, carrots and hummus, a banana, etc… A handful of walnuts and raisins.  A bowl of cereal with soymilk.  And maybe if it’s a splurge week, there’ll be some fig newtons laying around. 

            The best part about all of those things is that a lot of them double as meals.  Walnuts and raisins in a bowl of oatmeal with a little brown sugar?  May as well be Julia Childs if you eat like that.  A pita with a little chicken, hummus, walnuts, apple slices, carrots, lettuce even, is to die for.  Veggie burgers in a pita hit the spot too. 

            But, instead of me ranting on and on about all the foods I love, let’s make something clear.  A runner’s must have tastables: 

1.     Peanut butter (It goes great with crackers of any type, pitas, toast, jelly and bread, apples, celery, etcetera.  I could go on all day, but my friends on the ski team will tell you that oreos and peanut butter are the way to go (but that’s not on your diet, is it?)

2.     Pasta:  I have no fewer than 5 pounds of spaghetti in my cupboard right now just begging me to eat it.  Add parmesan, cheddar, tomato sauce, broccoli, butter… The possibilities are again endless.  Just eat it.  You’ll want the carbs on race day. 

3.     Granola Bars: Life without granola bars would be very sad… I am a proud consumer of Belvita, Nature Valley, and Nutrigrain and I love Chewy too.  Bottom line: They’re easy to pack, quick to eat, and good for breakfast or snack time any day. 

4.     Gatorade: I used to only use Gatorade for special situations, like race days, and then I became a marathoner.  I usually keep a few bottles around, but since that goes so fast, I buy the powdered type too, so that when I’m feeling dehydrated, it’s easy to access. 

5.     Popsicles: I really like Edy’s real fruit fruit bars.  The big strawberry ones are the way to go, but the mixed packs with lime, wild berry and strawberry are delicious too.  I also discovered Chapman’s “Electrolyte Sport Popsicles” this summer.  It’s basically like frozen Gatorade on a stick and it’s super fulfilling after a long run.  Popsicles are basically unappealing (at least for me) after about mid-September.  As soon as you start coming in from your runs freezing to death, it’s acceptable to cross ‘em off the shopping list, but in the summer, when you barely survive a hot run, definitely the way to go. 

What are your top five foods at this moment? 

That’s all I’ve got for now,

Sarah

Great Vacation Spots

Spring break is coming, with summer not far behind, so it's time to choose your vacation destinations.  So I am going to be completely biased with the following post.  If you are not a runner, cyclist or skier, you should probably look away.  If you are, then we should be able to find something to suit you.

(In no particular order)
Top Vacation Spots for An Athlete

1. Iowa: So we all know that Iowa gets a bad rep for being a “in the middle of nowhere” state.  Famous

Me with a Turkin in Iowa

for the movie, Field of Dreams, a bunch of cows, soybeans, corn and absolutely nothing else, you’re probably shocked to see the state on my list.  However, Iowa’s most exciting feature is RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).  One day, some people working for the newspaper, the Des Moines Register decided to bike across the state, river to river.  What started as a few people, turned into a 10,000-20,000 person journey that occurs every July.  As a six-time RAGBRAI rider, I have done everything from seeing the world’s largest horse, to dunking a nun in a dunk tank to visiting a state penitentiary to asking Lance Armstrong in person how many miles he rides his bike a year (25,000) to hitting up tons of cool water parks, public pools, lakes and slip 'n slides.  There’s also loads of delicious pork and pie.  If you are a cyclist (or pie lover) who hasn’t tried RAGBRAI, I urge you to log onto the website and register now.  It will be an adventure you never forget.   

RAGBRAI

2. Washington D.C.: D.C. is a great place not only to explore American history and culture, but also for notable athletic events like the Marine Corps Marathon.  One of the largest marathons in the United States, registration for the lottery is open today, so don't tarry in signing up!  You won't regret it.


3.  Destin, FL:  Some call it the "Redneck Riviera", others the "Emerald Coast".  To me, it's home

away from home, since I've been going there my entire life.  What began as a fishing village has now become a booming tourist destination, full of golf courses, tennis courts, pools and beautiful white sandy beaches.  Located on the panhandle, not far from Pensacola Naval Air Base, and right next to
Eglan Air Force Base, Destin is a great place to kick back for a few days and work on your tan.  And if you need a work out, hit up the nearby Crossfit Gym, race one of several road races in the area, swim in the ocean or run, bike and rollerblade, all the while enjoying the delicious seafood the Destin Area has to offer.

Beach: Destin FL

4. Ottawa, ON: If you're looking for a change of pace, head to Canada, where you'll be met with maple sugar candy and maple syrup, tons of awesome museums, and a proud hockey team.  In winter, head over to nearby Quebec and try your hand nordic skiing at the Gatineau Loppet!

5. Toronto, ON: See a show, ride to the top of the CN Tower, go to the Royal Ontario Museum, go to a hockey game, shop, cheer on the home team at a Blue Jays game.  The possibilities are endless.  Just go!

Covered Bridge at the Outdoor Center 

6. Bethel, ME: Home to Carter's XC Area, the Bethel Inn (which offers several kilometers of tracked and groomed nordic trails and operates two locations, one by Bethel Inn and one by Sunday River Ski Area), Gould Academy (which also has a nordic center of its own which offers several races throughout the nordic season, and also only a few minutes away from Sunday River, where you can enjoy a nice ride up on the Chondola (Half chair/ Half Gondola) and amazing downhill skiing, you will enjoy a meal at the Matterhorn and skiing you'll never forget.




7. Utah: Ski in winter, bike in summer.  What more can you want but beauteous national parks and great riding/ skiing?

Niagara Falls from the Canadian side

8. Buffalo, NY: So I'm biased, since I lived there for most of my life, but even though Buffalo has a bad rep for the snow and low population, it has so much to offer.  We have snacks and meals you won't find anywhere else, which include Beef on Weck, Original Chicken Wings and sponge candy, among others.  Not far from the Erie Canal, Canadian bike paths, great skiing, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines where Steve Bauer (former pro cyclist who medaled in the Olympics) hosts a ride every year, and Toronto, Buffalo is not to be missed.  We also offer the Ride For Roswell, Buffalo Marathon and Half Marathon, among other
athletic endeavors not to be missed.

Delaware Park in Buffalo NY in winter

Other Notable Destinations:
Czech Republic
Cleveland, OH
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Atlanta, Georgia
Rhode Island
Antigua, Guatemala

On the bucket list:
Antarctica
Oregon Coast
Yellowstone
TBD