Category Archives: Races

My Worst Running Tragedy so far….

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

Tragedy definition according to Google:

  1. an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.
  2. a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.

Both of these definitions work for me at this point.  Although the 2nd definition is a bit dramatic, it works for the way I feel right now…or at least as of yesterday.

I started this blog yesterday and had to draft it because something just wasn’t clicking for me.  And lo and behold, when I “let go” of my obsession with this tragedy, all of the sudden everything became very clear to me.

Let’s start where I was yesterday:

If you read my last blog post, What?  The ChiRunning Instructor is injured??, you know I am now facing an injury, plantar fasciitis.  Since my last blog post I’ve been doing everything I know to do from rolling my foot on a frozen water bottle 3-4x a day to stretching daily and not running (only ran 3x in the last 13 days).  I have to say it’s feeling much better and I’m looking forward to an appointment with Dr. Calvin this week from One Accord Physical Therapy (where I teach my ChiRunning classes) to get a more detailed assessment.

So where is the tragedy?  I have 2 races that are coming up that I REALLY REALLY want to do for various reasons.

  1. My first one, the CYA (Cool Your Ass) 6/12/24hr on 7/12 in Prescott.  I originally signed up for the 12 hours for this race since it would be pushing me outside my comfort zone.  The longest run for me has been 8 hours and 24 minutes (31 miles).  I’ve also completed 5 marathons so I figured I might just be able to do 50 miles in 12 hours….so this was my next big goal this year. I also wanted to be part of the 2014 Equality Walk but couldn’t commit to the time involved so I figured I could use this as a fundraiser to help them raise money (I walked 100 miles in 2012 for Marriage Equality in AZ).  I’ve been training intensely for the last 3 months for this event which is pretty much how I allowed my injury to happen.
  2. The 2nd one is the Skyline to Sea Marathon on October 11th.  My boyfriend and I are doing a road trip to Napa, CA for my cousin’s wedding and of course I had to google races in the area and found this one.  I wanted to do this one because it sounds sooo pretty.  I love trails more and more I figured it would be great timing after the CYA race.  It’s also a chance for me to do a race solo. I love love being a running coach and running with my friends but sometimes, I like to have a race or an event that is just mine and this one was perfect.

Until yesterday, I’ve been obsessing about these 2 races and trying to figure out how I could still make them happen.  I kept saying I wasn’t going to complete 12 hours because that would be just stupid on a foot with an injury but I’ll do the best that I can and see what happens.  (As much as I believed these words, I know myself enough to say that if I have 12 hours, I probably will take them because I don’t want to stop before I’m supposed to)  And on that day, who knows with the adrenaline, etc, I might not feel any pain in my foot and be OK. Who am I kidding? I also kept thinking about all that mileage that I built up over the last 3 months and how I’m “wasting” it and I’m going to have to start all over again….I’ve literally been a wreck about these events since I realized what my injury was….

So yesterday I stopped writing this original blog and decided to take a break and stretch and ice again.  I felt my frustration as I was trying to relax my calf muscles while I stretched and could body sense that relaxation was not happening. All of the sudden I thought:

What if I do the 6 hour race instead of 12 hours?  What if I decide not to run that race in CA in October?

surrender

My body literally relaxed immediately and I had a complete sense of peace and joy.  Body sensing is a huge component of ChiRunning/Walking and I’m amazed every time I have a moment like this how true it is…your body always knows best and will tell you what to do…you may know it as your “gut instinct”  and it really does work if you know how to pay attention to your body and what it’s telling you. I’m getting better and better at it because of ChiRunning but it still amazes me that it works when needing to make a decision about something. I think about it, detach and let go of the outcome and listen to my body.

Fast forward to after this epiphany:

I realized that it would not be the end of the world to drop down to the 6 hours because it would be safe and there would be no temptation to do anymore than that (and if I’m feeling my heal during this time I will stop). And as much as I REALLY REALLY wanted to do the race in CA, I know I would be rushing through the training and potentially making this injury worst. The race will be there next year….and if not, there will always be another race!

All of the sudden, I’m feeling so much better about my recovery process.  I’m getting excited about other things that I can focus on. I’m looking forward to spending more time doing strength training, especially for my glute medius and core muscles.  I’m looking forward to spending more time stretching (which I rarely do).  Last but not least, as I taught another ChiRunning workshop this morning, I realized, I can get back to the basics and remember what it was like to train for a 5K!  Almost like I’m starting the process all over again but with more knowledge now. (Have you ever said I’d go back to high school but only knowing what I know now?  Same idea 😉 ).

Self awareness can be a curse and a blessing at the same time. This whole time I knew I was creating all this extra negative energy about these races but I allowed myself to be self aware yet let it be OK to be mad about it…..NOW, I’m over it (even though still bummed) and I know that I’m only going to be stronger physically and mentally when I train my body again for my longer distances. expectnothing

Have you ever had a running tragedy?  How did you handle it?

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

You’re doing what at 69 years old?

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

If you know me, you know that I LOVE LOVE when “older” people are doing amazing things when it comes to fitness and running. Too many people think it’s too late or just give up on themselves because of their age…and I always say it’s never too late!

Or as one of my oldest ChiRunning students, Richard “Doc” Gooding from Strategic Advantage, told me this morning “You’re as old as you think you are.” …. and that’s the truth!

You may remember his last testimonial that I posted on my blog on 10/13, Testimonial from a 68 year old Triathlete.

Well a few weeks ago, I was thinking about him and sent him an email to see how things were going. After I received his response, I invited him to join me on a trail run this morning.  As always, I’m so inspired by him….not just because of his age but I forgot that he had a pacemaker!  He actually had to ask his Doctor to change it because I guess most doctors don’t assume their patients are athletes and it was limiting his abilities.  Here was his email to me on 4/28/14:

“Things have been going really well. Here is the record…

Sept 2013 Lifetime Triathlon – came in 1st in my age group (65-69) beat second place by 45 min. Run pace 11:41 for 5K.

 Nov 2013 Phoenix 10K – Run pace 10:29 (time 1:05)

 April  2104 Lifetime Triathlon – came in 1st in age group (70-74) beat second place by 35 min. Run pace 11:29 for 5k.

 April 2014 Pat’s Run – Run pace 10:30 (time 43:10) beat my 2013 time by 9 MINUTES! (and by the way, he raised $3000 for this event as well!)
 So, things are going well…getting stronger and faster…and most importantly…injury free!”
I mean take a look at the guy, does he even look like he’s 69 years old?  Fountain of youth?  Well, exercise is known to slow down the aging process….physically and  mentally 😉 He was even able to get off his blood pressure medication because of his lifestyle…and keep in mind he’s lost 30 lbs since I met him too!
Doc and I
Life is short so don’t let your age stop you. Everyone has to start somewhere and even if it’s baby steps along the way, as Doc said to me today ‘I’d rather die on a trail doing what I love to do than die on the couch watching TV.”
From My Running Story to Yours….

(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Tutu or not to Tutu, that is the question….

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I wasn’t planning on blogging today because I have a million other things to do but because this is getting so much publicity on facebook, I felt the need to say a few things.  Remember, the reason why I started this blog is because everyone has their own running story and you should never compare yourself to what any other runner is doing.

On that note, have you read about this?  I normally don’t get worked up about these things but this really irked me today.  Self used this photo for their magazine but not in the way one would expect from a magazine that promotes health, wellness and self esteem for women.  I’m copy/pasting what Glam Runner posted on their facebook page today in regards to this photo:

selfmag

“The real story behind this photo is that Tara and Monika, pictured here, are board members for Girls on the Run San Diego. They founded Glam Runner, a business that sells running tutus, to raise funds for the council. They are dedicated to helping grow the program in their community. The real story behind this photo is that the awesome duo were running the LA Marathon while Monika was receiving chemotherapy treatments for brain cancer.

One of our core values is to stand up for yourself and others, so we are standing up for Tara and Monika, as well as every other runner who has finished a race feeling awesome in a tutu.”

Self Magazine editor-in-chief, Lucy Danziger, just submitted a public apology about an hour ago.

But seriously Lucy…why would you even consider having a piece on your magazine that is making fun of anyone running?  Aren’t you supposed to be encouraging women to be fit and healthy?  Aren’t you trying to help women improve their self-esteem?  Aren’t you supposed to encourage women to give back to charity?

Apology or not, I think you’ve ticked off a lot of people that won’t be buying or subscribing to your magazine.

Personally, I’ve never ran a race in a tutu but for no other reason than I just haven’t.

I don’t care how you decide to run a race: wear a tutu, wear bunny ears, wear a Super Hero costume, whatever…if you are out there running a race, getting healthy and fit with your friends and more than likely supporting a charity with that race, MORE POWER TO YOU!

It’s Your Running Story and you get to write it however you want!

Thought?

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

You had me at pumpkin pie….and Coke (1st 50K recap)

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

WOW!  Where do I even begin? Another major goal achieved in My Running Story:  my first 50K. The most exciting part about this is that I feel like a baby learning a bunch of new things about trail and ultra running….it Continue Reading →


Prepping for my 1st 50K-4 days to go

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I figured I would share a few short posts before Saturday to let you know what I’m doing this week to prep for my 1st 50K.  Would love to hear from you as well…share any suggestions you have for me via comments below!  I appreciate them!  As of right now, I’m very excited and can’t wait until Saturday.  I’m confident in my training and ready for it!

Here are some more specific things I’m doing:

  • Making it a point to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night if my body lets me 😉
  • Drinking lots of water and avoiding foods/drinks that dehydrate me.  I almost had a 2nd double espresso yesterday and didn’t…almost had a beer last night but decided to save that for Running for Brews tonight (it is my Birthday Eve 😉 )
  • Trying to focus on good nutrition and carbing up… I know I’ll be cheating a bit tomorrow. After Wednesday, I’m planning on eating the regular foods I eat before big my races days which are quinoa, grits, baked potatoes, oatmeal and pasta.
  • I took a Gentle Restorative Yoga class on Saturday
  • I belong to a Facebook group called Trail and Ultra Running and ironically someone posed this question yesterday: If you could give only ONE piece of advice to a new ultra runner, what would it be?  Here are some of the comments that made sense for me at this point being 4 days away:   Get calories every hour; Start out very, very slow; Walk (I’ll be ChiWalking when needed for sure!); Don’t think so much about getting to the finish line…when you’re out on the trails, enjoy being where you are, the scenery, the challenge, the other runners, the ability to be alone with yourself, etc.; Understand the difference between running and racing; Sleep, sleep, sleep….the week leading up to your event! Be fully rested. ; smile ; If you think your running too fast,you are; 1. Eat before you’re hungry 2. Drink before you’re thirsty 3. Walk before you’re tired  4. Don’t give up until you’ve crossed the finish line; Don’t start it’s addictive (this one made me laugh because I know it’s so true); Encourage your fellow runners along the way, thank your volunteers, and smile at the crowd (if there is one). The spiritual lift you’ll get from smiling and thanking and motivating will do your heart/mind/body good, as well as lifting up those around you.
  • Today I walk/ran 5 miles and will be doing another 3 at Running for Brews.  Tomorrow and Thursday I’ll walk a bit but nothing crazy.

Please let me know if you have any other advice for this week or race day!  Thanks in advance!

 

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

How I shaved 13 minutes off my marathon time…

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I’m on cloud 9 right now!  I can’t believe my time for the Sedona marathon.  I’m not a bragger and this is a bit uncomfortable for me but feeling pretty proud of myself considering the difficulty of this course! Continue Reading →


Execution plan for marathon #5

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

Saturday 2/1, I will run my 5th marathon.  Remember, I swore that I would never run a half marathon but apparently I’m addicted to running now.

I did the Pf Changs Rock N Roll marathon a few weeks ago with my friends and blogged about it here.

Saturday’s Sedona Marathon is for me, so to speak.  Ironically it’s just another training run before my first 50K race on 2/22.  I already had it in my head that it might take me 6 hours to complete it due to the hills. I remember when I did the half last year, it was longer than my “regular” time.

But today, I looked up my half marathon time from last year (2:30) and my PR on my last full marathon was 5:12 (The Lost Dutchman last year which is also hilly but doesn’t have the elevation of Sedona).

So now I’m trying to come up with a game plan for Sunday and here it goes:

  • I’ve already been carbing up and drinking lots of water to get hydrated.
  • I’m taking the 2 days before the race off of running to rest my legs and body for Sunday.
  • I’ve been doing a little extra stretching, foam rolling and leg drains.
  • I’ll listen to my new hypnosis session from Dr. John at Peak Performance Online a few times.
  • My new goal now (after reviewing my stats from last year) is have a PR at this race, which means at least 5:11.  I hesitate to put this in writing however between all the trail running and conditioning I’ve been doing in the last year, I feel it’s a realistic goal.  I also found out that half the course is dirt which I’m very excited about it!
  • Last but not least, even though I have that goal, I’m detached from the outcome. This is a skill I learned through my 7 Laws of Spiritual Success meditations.  The Law of Detachment basically means that I’m not attached to this goal. I want to achieve it but by allowing myself to accept uncertainty in this situation, I won’t “worry” about it and have that negative energy weighing me down.

So, I’m heading up to Sedona with my friends and boyfriend today.

Tomorrow I’ll focus on my ChiRunning technique (use my app if I need some help so I don’t have to think about my Form Focuses), and have music available if necessary but I know the gorgeous views will keep me occupied.

Before I started this blog, I googled quotes on “execution”.  Love this one from Dr. Wayne Dyer; it’s perfect for Saturday and really any other situation in life as he says:

Great quote to apply to anything in life!

Great quote to apply to anything in life!

 

What do you do when you are getting ready for a race?  How do you prepare mentally?

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

My Slowest Marathon ever….

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….yet one of my most momentous.

As a runner (or coach) have you ever been in the situation where you had to make a choice on how to run a race:

Do I run this race for me?  
OR
Do I run this race with my friends?

Let me preface this blog by saying I really would love to get your comments below if you’ve been in this situation. I believe it’s a hard choice to make and I’d like to know how you’ve made your decisions in the past so we can learn from each other.

I originally signed up for the Pf Changs Rock N Roll Marathon to run it with a friend who was planning on doing her first marathon.  My plan was to run the Sedona Marathon on 2/1/14 so it would be another training run (along with my 50K on 2/22 now).  My friend realized she was not ready for it and decided to do the half instead (which I told her was a great call on her part, so long as she was making that choice consciously and would not be mad at herself for changing her plan).

In the mean time, I had 5 of my friends/students running their first marathon at this event.  So here I was faced with “dilemma” of what to do?  Do I run this race for me or do I run it with friends?   As I deliberated, here were the questions that ran through my head:

Q.  Why are you running this marathon?  Honestly, for me it was another training run.  It’s marathon #4 and since I’am working on 2 other distance events, my reason was to get a long run in at a race.  I try to plan it this way if it works with the training schedule. Even if I’m paying for this training run/race, I get a new t-shirt, a medal and race experience.

Q.  Do you care how fast you complete this marathon?  Speed is rarely a concern for me.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy pushing myself and beating my own personal records (PR) but sometimes it’s just not about speed but the experience. The Women’s Half marathon for example is usually my PR race for a half so that decision is always made to run it for myself.

Q. Do I care that the official records will show my marathon results and everyone else will know my speed?  Hell no….Again, there are times where this is just not relevant, especially as a coach.  And personally I’ve worked a lot on not caring what other people think 😉 (It’s very liberating…of course I value other people’s opinion but learning to detach from their opinion is another story…)

So as I pondered over this, one of my friends asked me if I would run the marathon with them.  I knew this was going to be my slowest group but also the group that “needed” me the most.  Based on the responses above that of course I would love to run with them as they complete their first marathon (a coach’s dream would be to cross the finish line with all their students but that can’t always be possible either).

So we start the race together and one of my friends starts having some serious pain in her hip.  The others wanted to keep moving so I decided to stay with her and help her get through it.  My heart ached for her.  The pain was persistent.   She was such a trooper. We walked as fast as her hip would allow her…at one point we turned around and realized we were the last 2 people in the race…sag wagon right behind us….As much as I knew I could mentally get her to the end, I know her hip was not going to make it and I didn’t want her to push her body to the point of not being able to run ever again.  We talked and pondered and she finally made the decision to get in the sag wagon.  After months of training and excitement to complete her first marathon, I can’t even imagine how hard of a decision that was for her. I have a huge amount of respect for her determination and perseverance and I would’ve made the same call if I were in her shoes.

At this point I thought I would start running and find the rest of the group. I selfishly admit that I loved every minute of the run.  My other friend called me and asked me where I was and we realized that I was about a quarter of a mile away from them so I sped up to catch up.

Let me preface that this friend was pretty much coerced into running the marathon. She was planning on the half but just started training with our group and before you know it, she’s sucked into doing a full marathon. When I reached the two of them, one wanted to run and the other was not feeling too hot and just wanted to walk.  At that point, I knew who needed me the most (we were half way done so still 13 more miles to go).

I did the same things that I did for my other friend: remind them of their ChiRunning/ChiWalking form focuses, stay positive, gather energy from nature and all the spectators cheering, and talk about things to keep their mind off the time.

We pretty much walked that last 13 miles and my official time was 6:17:10.  My best time was a 5:12:01.

Do I care that I was over an hour longer than my first one?  HELL NO!  

Was experiencing two amazing women give it all they had in their heart and their body worth it?  HELL YES!

So how have you dealt with this dilemma? If the answers to my question above were different, I would’ve had no problem running the race for me either.  My friends felt “bad” because they knew I could run faster.  I told them it was an absolute conscious choice and that if I wanted to PR the race and run, I would’ve made that decision.

Looking back to yesterday, I wouldn’t change a thing….

Here we go...

Here we go…

6:17 finish and Ann completes her first marathon

6:17 finish and Ann completes her first marathon

26.2 miles done!

26.2 miles done!

Great caption from the ChiMarathon book

Great caption from the ChiMarathon book

Another medal for the collection...

Another medal for the collection…

Hello, my name is Lisa and I’m an addict….

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I remember several years ago when I was an avid hiker and I’d see people running on the trails and  I’d think: “Are these people crazy? What’s wrong with them?  They’re going to freakin’ hurt themselves!   Continue Reading →


“Free your mind….

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

and the rest will follow.”  Anyone remember that En Vogue song from 1992?  This post has nothing to do with the song other than the fact that when I freed my mind about this race, everything really did just follow…. Continue Reading →