Dehydration Headache

So I ran 9 miles today in the hot sun on spring water trail. It was an amazing run, I am kind of excited that I was able to do it at all since I really haven't done mileage like this in a while. However, I kind of screwed up. I mean I ran 5 miles and then had some water, and 5 miles back in 90 degree weather. This really dehydrated me pretty badly and now I am suffering from a dehydration headache/ stomach ache.

I am not happy about it at all. I mean I drank a lot of water,and then felt so sick... Eventually I ended up upchucking protein bar and water. Not attractive. Oye....... So after a little google searching I am drinking beer, and wonders of wonders it is working.  Is my research bad??? Has anybody else heard of this?

It feels good to get back into the swing of things. In other news it is really time to hit the coast. I so need a good coast run while it is nice out, and a water belt so this dehydration bit doesn't happen again.  :)

Finding Stability

So in the last couple of weeks I have gotten a job, and started work. Its not an ideal job, slinging drinks in a bar, but hey the money is good and I like the people I am working with.  Now, with training complete, I can begin to find some stability, and really get back into my rhythm that I had in the winter.  I have been working out, but I have not been keeping track of it. So now its time to get back into the swing of things, and figure a way to build my resume so that I can find more professional work in this incredibly brutal economy. So onward ho!! You only fail when you give up.

Putting life into perspective

Alright so here is the game plan. When I go to work I am constantly moving and on my feet. According to the pedometer I am averaging about six miles at work, some days even more. So on those days I am going to try and keep my mileage low, and focus on the weights. On my days off I am going to hit the running hard, and try and up my mileage. I am excited about this plan. 

Life is good, and if I have learned anything in the last year, it is to lead with a smile and a positive attitude, which attracts people into your life who you would like to surround yourself with. 

Early morning running

So its 4 am and I am at the track. I decided to show up early so that I could get in some work before Rahana got there. The drive there was dark and a little scary. It is kind of strange drive through the empty streets of Oregon City, and then onto the freeway towards Portland filled with people who are heading to work and the gym.  I have been coaching Rahana from 5am to 6am on a track near Clackamas. It is gratifying, if not a little strange. I mean I just can't imagine that I really am capable of helping her, but I am making her sweat so I must be doing something right.

Running in the morning, when it is still dark is just bizarre...it's surreal. Like a timeout from my life. Yes that is a good way to describe it....running in the morning is like taking a timeout from my life...not that I need a timeout, just that putting on life pause, while I can just exist outside of it is liberating....Actually now that I think about it, that is how I feel about running in general, it is a timeout, an escape, and good way to wash away each and every day.

Rahana reminds me all of time that I am lucky. I think sometimes it is hard to appreciate where you are, because there is always someone who is faster, who is stronger, and skinnier. But to Rahana it would be an accomplishment to run one quarter of a mile like it was easy, and effortless. Her body is weighed down, and I know that she really struggles to be free of it. How lucky am I that I can just float over the track somedays. I can only imagine how wonderful it must feel to others who are skinnier, and in better shape. Maybe someday I will be able to feel that too.

Number one running goal...... Find a soft trail. My knees kind of hurt from all of the hard surfaces I have been on.

Uphill

The truth is that life is not flat, roads are not flat, and in real running there are uphills and downhills. Lately I have been running a lot of hills. It feels more satisfying to do so. It seems to help lift some of the weight that was on my chest even if it is just for a while....

So I guess that this is what it is all about

1. Breathe deep

2.Do what you can

3. Try not to focus to hard on the slope

4. And move forward....just move forward

New Life in O City

So I am now living in Oregon City. It is a strange city/town. It is on the brink of being a small town, but struggles do so in the face of the big city. I think that is why I like it the way I do. Originally I chose this place because it was close to work, was affordable, gave Greg the privacy he wanted, and gave us access to Salem.

Where I am living is on top of a hill and I often run to the bottom, to the main highway, and along the Clackamas river. The surface is really way to hard for running on, but you know the truth is I do it anyway. I like to look at all the old historic buildings built before 1900, back when Oregon didn't have much a white modern identity. It is strange to think that so many people traveled from all over the world to come to the U.S and then they packed their wagons, and walked to Oregon City.  Oregon City sits at the end of the Oregon trail, it is the first town in Oregon, and of all the places that people could have stopped those settlers chose this place. It is almost kind of mystical if you think about it.

Anyways I have begun to pray that the restlessness inside me will be at peace. That I will be able to stay in one place, and I think that if I could do it anywhere it would be here. The other day I watched a documentary that said that African Nomads saw houses as coffins for the living.  I understood exactly what that meant. It made me sad, because I think that there are only a few things in life that are innate, and that feeling of restlessness is one of those innate primal components. It is the cavewoman in me...

Still life is good. Running is good, and I am enjoying the journey, no matter where it takes me.