Julie Says... The Right Attitude

May 18th?? Where did the month go?! I can't believe I've had my VFFs (Vibram FiveFingers) almost a month and just had my first proper run in them.

Let's see:
Week 1: Went to DLF Conference with Beverly in Raleigh... although we got home Wednesday evening, I spent Thursday recovering and Fri/Sat working.
Week 2: I had to work 4 whole (half) days this week! The horror! What kind of crazy world is this? I kid... I kid. Sort of. I'm amazed at how busy I feel when I have nothing pressing to do. I'll have to remember this when I re-enter the real world. Apparently, I like to feel stressed.

So...

1. Travel


2. Work


3. Excessive amounts of rain. According to the NWS, Charlottesville Station, total rainfall so far this month: 5 in. Days with rain: 12/18. Yes, I do melt in the rain. Whether it's because I'm made of sugar or a witch has yet to be determined. Best to avoid the wet stuff either way.

(pardon me while I spin the Excuse-Ometer just one more time)


4. A cat bit me. I only wish I were kidding. What this has to do with not running, I don't know. Aforementioned Excuse-Ometer has its limitations.

This morning I did 30 minutes around the ball field in VFFs using the Polar HRM. My praise for the VFFs is so first-love-effusive that I'm reluctant to say anything at all. I fear over-praise may turn people off, or that I am setting myself up for disappointment. For now, I'll keep it to two points.

1. When I put them on, I just want to go. Man, what a good feeling. The first day I had the VFFs, I was rocketing around the yard and woods like a crazed person. My sweet, slightly-off cat, Squeaky, had a blast following me around. When I finally pooped out somewhere in the middle of the woods, she wound around my legs purring for minute, then began a thorough inspection of the things on my feet. She sniffed and sniffed and sniffed, then walked a full circle around me, eyes locked on shoes. She concluded by walking across the tops of my feet. The next day, when I walked outside with the VFFs on, Squeaky took one look at my feet and ZOOMED off the porch. Pfft. Zip. Zoom. White streak into the woods. What can I say? These shoes are contagious.



2. I hate shoes. Let me amend. I love shoes. I can spend hours shopping and admiring pretty shoes. I just hate to wear them. I spend most of my day barefoot. Obviously, if I'm in public I wear shoes, but since I'm a hermit, that's not that often. In the winter, when the ground is covered in seed pods, I'll usually throw on flip flops to walk through the yard. Otherwise, no shoes. When I walk through the door, the first thing I do is kick off my shoes. So why didn't I try barefoot (or more precisely, barefoot-alternative) running before? Because marketing tells me I need shoes! The Army told me I need shoes! Society tells me I need shoes! Also, sharp things hurt (hello, fang through hand, ouch). VFFs for me are a perfect compromise. They feel very much like being barefoot, only maybe better, because I can let go of the fear of stepping on sharp things. These are the only shoes I have ever worn that I don't rip off as soon as possible. I can actually forget that I'm wearing them. Matter of fact, I'm wearing them right now :)

At minute 23 this morning, I looked at the time and was surprised. I felt good. So good, in fact, I thought I might push to 45 minutes, maybe even a full hour. I was definitely sweating despite the 55 degree weather, but my legs felt good and thanks to the HRM, my breathing was under control. Not 30 seconds later, the Parks & Rec maintenance trucks showed up. It would be nice if they would stick to a schedule, so I could avoid being mowed over. I finished up my scheduled 30 minutes by running circles in the yard. Gah. Not fun. Although I'm disappointed that I don't feel like I had a workout, I am proud of my attitude. There have been few times in my life I ever reached the end of a workout and wanted to keep pushing. I have many times pushed myself beyond my given constraints, but rarely with joy. I'm sure the VFFs have something to do with the joy, since this is the first time I have run pain-free since I was in my teens.

I also suspect it may have something to do with my reading ultra-marathoner blogs. These guys run insane distances! And they like it! It's great to read about how they deal with pain and obstacles. There is never any sort of defeatist attitude or punishment/reward associated with their accomplishments and failures. They simply do the best they can and accept the consequences. No excuses -- only opportunity for growth. What went right? Do it again. What went wrong? Prevent it in the future. So when I hit minute 23, I can think about one of these guys at mile 23, and it is easy to want to keep going.