Peanut Butter
I finally did it. I purchased a jar of natural peanut butter. There will be people out there who, upon reading that sentence, will automatically scoff and scrunch up their faces in disgust. "Blek," they will say. Well, I have to admit, there's a good reason for that reaction.
When you get right down to it, natural peanut butter is just not as sweet. It's grainy. The oil separates from the rest of it and rises to the top of the jar. You have to stir it. You have to refrigerate it. And, at the end of the day, it contains essentially the same amount of fat and calories as its "unnatural" counterpart. In fact, according to the Peanut Institute (yes, this actually exists), a jar of peanut butter - unnatural or natural - has to contain a minimum of 90 percent peanuts and no artificial sweeteners in order to be deemed "peanut butter."
So, what's the point? I believe, after forcing myself to eat the stuff for about a week now, that there are psychological benefits to choosing the natural version of this household treat. You feel good about eating it. Truth is, there is no added sugar, so that's a good thing. And they don't add whatever else the commercial peanut butter companies add to prevent the separation of the peanuts and the oil. Plus, there are no preservatives (hence the need for refrigeration). So you feel like it's better for you.
And what can I say, I'm totally a convert now. After my initial reaction, and then the seemingly endless days of force-feeding it to myself, it's finally starting to grow on me. I no longer expect it to be sweet, so I'm over that hurdle. And that psychological, "this is clearly better for me" Kool-Aid has seeped into my brain.
All of this is to say that natural peanut butter, with a slice a bread, is now my go-to power snack before long runs. I always make myself a mini sandwich of peanut butter and bread before any run longer than five miles - and now I use natural peanut butter instead. Sometimes, when I long for the sweetness of the other stuff, I think, "I'm so hardcore for eating this crap." And that somehow motivates me.
Lake
I must have stumbled around that lake a thousand times as a kid. But there I was. Thirty years old and running around it for the first time in my entire life.
I wasn't what you might call an "athletic" child. Sure, I fooled around during the summers like any kid would whose grandparents lived on a lake. But I also fell down a lot. And I was never the one who took risks or did much behind my mother's back. I was a good, well-mannered, overly cautious little girl.
One summer day a group of us went for a bike ride around the lake. I was trying to keep up with my cousins and took a turn slightly too fast, resulting in me sprawled out on the side of the road in tears. My left knee was a mess of gravel and blood. I was about 10 years old and, pretty much, humiliated. One person in our group opted to play Superman and race back to my grandparents' house for help. They came back for me in the golf cart and drove me back to safety. I still have a small stone in my knee as a memento of that day.
Now, practically 20 years later, I was facing the circumference of the lake yet again. Only this time it felt very different. I was older, taller - and I was running. In all of the summers I spent there, I never once ran around it. I felt invigorated and fresh as I breathed in the lake air. It was about 10 am, so most of the summer residents were still waking up. The quiet was somehow energizing, so I started off strong.
As I ran, I started to remember scenes from my childhood. The bike accident scene. The shallow cove where my sister, cousin and I would "dive" for golf balls. The country club where we'd get burgers and shrimp cocktail. The view of my grandparents' place from across the water, now altered with newly built buildings covering some of the green space. The "haunted" house where my friend and I tried to scare ourselves into thinking we were in a horror movie. The paddle boat race course. The spot where my uncle's bikini-wearing male friend anchored his sail boat. So many memories were flooding my brain.
And the more I remembered, the slower I ran. I wanted to savor every second of every thought. I did the loop twice, totaling about five miles.
As my lake memories dwindled and I started my post-run stretch, I experienced a shorter-term memory of about a year ago, when I decided to start running. That was when I signed up for that first 5K. I was still so overly cautious, even at 29. And my nerves definitely got the best of me - as my many trips to the port-o-potty the day of the 5K no doubt confirm.
But here I was, 20 years later and one year into this running fiasco, looking out over the lake and the memories that continue to shape me today. And I thought, you know what? Even if I fall flat on my face during one of my runs - I don't think I need that golf cart anymore. I stared at the lake for a few minutes and, when I was walking back, my uncle stopped me and said, "Hey was that you running earlier?" I confirmed his suspicion and he said, unknowingly echoing what I was feeling, "Really? You looked taller."
Shorts
Some runners worry about what type of clothes they wear - whether they're heat resistant or designed for cold weather, tight-fitting or loose, long-sleeved or short-sleeved, you get the point. Me, however, I just worry I have clothes.
I went to work yesterday with the intention of running in the park that night. Usually this means I take my running clothes with me to work, change in the office and then drive straight to the park. I'm all about efficiency. Yesterday didn't go exactly as planned, however. While in the process of changing, I quickly realized I had forgotten a key element of my running outfit. I forgot my shorts.
I sifted through everything in that damn bag - my old heart rate monitor, my winter hat, a few energy chew things, an old plastic bag, my first race bib, my lucky hat and tons of other useless items (i.e., junk) only to discover that yes, I was indeed shortless. I considered running in my work pants, but they weren't super comfy and plus it was about 90 degrees outside. So I gave in to the notion that I had to head home first and I'd probably end up running around the neighborhood. Hotter, yes. But at least I'd have shorts.
I suppose I could have headed home, retrieved the shorts and then ran in the park, but time was of the essence. Cheeseburgers were on the menu last night. And I love a good cheeseburger.
So I packed up all the junk that was, at this point, strewn about my office, and made my way out of the building. Ever making conversation with strangers, I ended up telling the entire story to a poor, innocent woman in the elevator. She was dressed in gym clothes, so I guess I figured she'd understand the frustration of forgetting shorts. She was sympathetic, thankfully. When we parted ways at the ground level, she yelled out, "Now go get those shorts. Wouldn't want you running around that park with no bottoms!"
Her words inspired me, and despite the unyielding heat, I ran a decent five.
Heat
So despite being secretly down in the dumps for some time, I managed to accomplish quite the feat. I finished my first half marathon on Sunday, June 6. That was just about a month ago. I use the word "first" intentionally. I'm totally addicted now, and there will be more. I'm addicted to the high, to the feelings of accomplishment, control and euphoria. I'm addicted to the sweat. I'm addicted to weather.com, to my iPod and to hydration. And no matter how ridiculously hot it is outside, I'm addicted to my lucky hat.
Speaking of heat. Seriously, Mother Nature, what the ... I think since "the half" back in June, there have been maybe three solid days where I haven't soaked through every layer of clothing during a run. Maybe. Two of those days might have been inside the gym, now that I think about it. Not surprisingly, according to the Baltimore Sun, last month was the second hottest June on record since 1943. We experienced a streak of 11 straight days of 90 plus temperatures. And there are too many record highs to list.
Unfortunately, there isn't much of a break in sight. In fact, as we speak, the headline on weather.com is "Deadly Heat Saturates East Coast." Scary.
So how do you run in this? I'm clearly not the expert, but I've learned a few things recently. First, there's always the option of running inside on a treadmill, especially if you already have a gym membership. I have a hard time with this, personally, because I have problems running on treadmills. It has something to do with literally going nowhere. I work really hard, only to realize I've gone, yep, nowhere. Plus my feet start to fall asleep, perhaps also realizing the complete futility of all their effort.
Other options include running outside, but early in the mornings. This is also a tough one for me, but it's definitely better than a treadmill. Yesterday, for example, it was a brisk 79 degrees at 5:20 am, compared to the 105 degrees we reached later in the day. Twenty-five degrees is a huge difference for anyone's body. Just have to be willing to set the alarm earlier than normal, which, you know, is not fun.
Looking for shaded runs is also good. My favorite is running on a shaded path around a lake near our house. The water cools the air just a little bit, but it's worth it. The only issue with this method is that you have to find a lake big enough for any long runs. Or, you could do what I do, and just run around your loop three or four times. The people on benches start to look at you funny, which is entertaining.
Lastly, I'd say hydration is really the key to all of this. I'm not a water guzzler by any means. And especially at night, I'd 10 times out of 10 prefer to sip a glass of wine than a glass of water. In fact, I'd prefer to avoid water altogether when drinking wine. Why wash it away and confuse my taste buds? But, alas, I force myself to at least have one glass of H2O before I hit the pillow. Gatorade and other electrolyte drinks are great too - for right before, during or right after a tough run. And despite worrying that I'm counteracting my hard work, I've learned that those extra calories are exactly what my body needs.
In the end, running in plague-like heat is not ideal and it's also not recommended by most experts. But, if you have to, try opting for the gym, early mornings, shaded loops and try replacing maybe one beer with a glass of water.