“I Want To Be a Strong Runner.”

A joint creative effort with a fellow FB commenter.

My fitness journey has been just that; an ever changing journey. Just when I think I have things all figured out, something changes. Those changes have been in the form of my schedule, an injury, a pregnancy, illness, or unexplained weight gain. It is at the time that I come across a change or perceived need for a change that I evaluate what I am eating, how many miles I am running, what other form of exercise I am participating in…you get the picture. Recently, I have found yet another need to examine my fitness journey and make a change.

When I first started running on the regular I did it 6 days/week. I can’t even believe that, but it is true. I loved it so much! Not every run looked the same. Sometimes I ran with partners who were faster than me, sometimes I ran with partners slower than me and sometimes I ran solo. Almost always I ran at 6 am back then. It became such a big part of me that my boys could tell if I had missed my run. My all-in on running lasted from 2003 to 2008 and included completing three full marathons. In 2003 we relocated from Northern CA to San Diego.

We landed in the Carmel Valley community just east of Del Mar. I distinctly remember walking into a grocery store and noticing my fellow shoppers. There was definitely something unique about the area we had moved to…everyone seemed so FIT! And I don’t mean thin, I mean toned muscles on display in all of the right places. I am imaging a woman’s arm reaching out for a selected red pepper in the produce selection of Von’s in Del Mar and me thinking, “Wow! nice biceps and triceps.”

I started to make friends and voiced my observations. Fitness was, for sure, valued by this community. I soon became aware that many of my close friends had worked with the same trainer: shout out to Deanne Ryder and Forever Fit, San Diego. I hired Deanne and she told me that I needed to find an alternate exercise to running. It was hard to hear but made good sense. I started going to outdoor bootcamps with Forever Fit and found I loved exercising with a community. In fact, for several years I published a blog for Deanne and her community. At this point, I was running 3x/week and doing boot camp 2x/week. I feel like I was able to achieve the best shape of my life {up to that point} back in 2009. I trained and completed, albeit injured, the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon.

Next change came in the form of job/schedule changes that precluded me from my routine. I wasn’t as consistent but stayed pretty much 75% running/25% bootcamp, yoga, hiking etc. Maintained that routine from 2009-2014. Somewhere within that time, I found out my iron had plummeted. I had so many strange symptoms that later were linked to becoming anemic. If you are a woman and suddenly find yourself not able to run as far as you once did, have an unexplainable need to chew ice or have odd perceptions of something crawling up your leg with nothing on your leg, orrrr your gum tissue is extremely light pink….get your iron checked! Mine was so so low by the time I actually go it checked.

But I digress…initially started writing about my most recent fitness journey transformation and then I decided you must know it all. I’m a bit like that. Anyway…one of my running partners back in Norcal {one of the fast ones} was Heather Adams. She was amazing! She would roll out of bed…had little babies at home…and literally run with us in whatever she had slept in that night. I think half the runs her eyes were closed. She didn’t wear the typical running watch or care much about her milage, she just ran. And sidenote…her very first marathon she BQ’d. {Boston Qualified} She was definitely a natural. Anyway…promise I will get back to present day.

Fast forward to 2022 and I am living in Utah, working my way through the womanly change {Yet another blog post or two, for sure} and I come across Heather’s IG feed. Wow! She looked{s} incredible!! And I don’t mean just skinny or even thin…I mean..she makes those San Diego fit bits look like weaklings. Heather looks strong and happy and fit. I look a bit into her story and discover she has become a trainer. So…here is my most recent fitness journey detour: I am now a LIFTER!

I know! I can’t believe it either, but now that I have actually gone to the gym and lifted {Following Heather’s app} 10 times I pretty much can call myself a lifter, right?

Pretty cool app. Check out Heather Adams Fitness.

When I approached Heather with my request to work with her and what that would look like, she told me that her program was set up for 4 days/week of lifting. The other days were recommended to be rest days with possibly brisk walking. Apparently, Heather doesn’t run much anymore. I told her that I would like to continue running. She then said, “What is your goal? Do you want to be a runner or get stronger?” I said, “I want to be a strong runner.” Ha! Since we were texting, I am not sure of Heather’s reaction. I am hoping that I will be able to reach my goal. I realize that it may take me longer to get stronger since I am only lifting 3x/week. For now, I am running 3 days/week and lifting 3 days/week.

OMG! You guys! Have you been to the gym? I mean seriously been to the gym? I have gone to classes. I have even had a trainer make up a few workouts for me with some of the machines but this app…this has introduced me to a world of lifting I had no understanding of. It has been an adjustment and a good practice in loving myself through ignorance. I had to order ankle strap thingys and grip things that I just today figured out how to really use, I think.

Maybe next blog post will be all of my gym outtakes. That would be hilarious and excruciating all wrapped up in one post. Buuut, my point is that fitness is a journey and one I am genuinely grateful to take part in. I honestly thank God everyday that I have a body that I can run and lift and move. I also pray for the emotional strength to eat what I need to and leave the rest in the pantry. Metabolizing our feelings has little to do with digestion, just sayin’. And so, so easy to say.

When I earned my Life Coach certification through the Life Coach School, I became certified as a Life and Weight Loss Coach. We did a lot of training on weight loss and emotional eating. There is so much more to being fit than eating on protocol and moving your body. It is really the “why” behind our actions that is so important to understand. Hint: has to do with your thoughts and feelings. SO MUCH BRAIN WORK!

Anyway…tell me all your gym stories. I think my next post may consist of lessons learned+outtakes from the gym. For now, I have decided to choose amused over humiliated while at the gym; just feels better to me.

If you’d like help on your journey, fitness or life, sign up for a free consult and let’s explore how I can support you best! It’ll be a blast!!