Let’s Learn from THEM, $$$ & a New Allergy That I Have?

I am writing about taking breaks right now! I just learned about how longer breaks are really good for us, not just rest days. I was going to post it Monday and thought it was funny that you brought it up to! Haha. We’re on the same page here.

I’d use the money towards a house!

I have an intolerance to watermelon and walnuts. I don’t get really sick like people with food allergies do but my mouth gets sores and my throat gets scratchy so I bet that’s what you have. At least yours isn’t to watermelon :)

No allergies to foods – just penicillan for me.

I’m an older runner (51) and started running at 45-ish. The thought of taking a running break scares me some – I worked really hard to attain the fitness I have, and the thought of losing any fitness is worrisome! I probably should take a break because I’ve found that the older I get, the more I need recovery time.

My motivation has been lagging a lot lately. Personal issues and cold weather have really put a damper on my excitement to run. It’ll come back eventually – I just hang on until then!

If I won $75,000 I’d try and figure a way to start a scholarship or something like that in musical education to honor my father. He was a very talented professional musician and loved teaching (he would frequently provide free lessons to kids who couldn’t afford them) – I’d be so proud to be able to honor him with some kind of legacy like that. <3

Hope everyone has a great day today!

Oh no! Grapes are hands down one of my favorite fruits. I’m sad you’re allergic now. :/

I didn’t know Desi had taken so much time off from running. I think it’s healthy to do that every so often, especially when you run SO much like she does and put a lot of pressure on yourself to train well and race well. Love hearing her story!

If I had $75,000, I would definitely pay off some of my student loans and debt. I’d also probably buy a plane ticket to visit my family in Texas.

Oh my gosh, I have been going back on forth on buying those chocolate covered mangos for like, our last 3 Costco trips! I couldn’t tell if they would be gross or delicious, so I may just have to try them now.

That is so odd about your sudden allergy to grapes! Sometimes apples give both my husband and I weird reactions, but that’s only randomly so who knows.

And I’m like you…if I won $75,000 it would go straight towards a down payment towards the house we are trying to build! It would be so nice to have that money and not have to think about draining our savings account….haha

I also thought it was interesting that both Shalane and Des took breaks before their big wins! I haven’t taken too many complete breaks from running (except while injured) but I did make a decision a few years back to stop doing marathons for a while and focus on getting faster and doing some halfs. I just felt like I was training for all these marathons and my time was basically the same at all of them, so I wanted to work on getting faster/ stronger overall before tackling that distance again. Last fall was my first marathon in about 3 years and I a 15 minute PR! I think the break was a huge help in letting me focus on different aspects of running and take a mental break from all those hours of training. Now I’m re-focusing on some shorter races for this year and already feel like I’m getting even faster. Hope that pays off when I’m ready to return to the marathon next spring!

I already did my run this morning, but Des and all the awesome Boston runners have definitely been motivating me all week! Good luck on your run today! I’m sure you will crush it!

If I won $75,000 – I would put most of it into saving for a future house. But I would also take a really nice trip somewhere like Italy, South Africa, Indonesia.

x Elise – http://www.thirtythoughtstoday.com

no allergies to food, just to cat dander!

breaks from running is always frustrating but my body enjoys the breaks. the hardest part is starting all over from scratch again i think. then motivation to keep it going after starting again from scratch.

my motivation today is keeping the schedule! today is an easy run, thank goodness. yesterday was fartlek and ugh it was hard. we had wild strong winds – not pleasant. i stopped 3 times during my w/u to get my laces in order. too tight on top of foot, but too loose at the ankle. anyway i knew it would be hard, prior. then yes, it was hard during. and whew was glad when it was over!

if i won $75K, i’d try to think of somewhere to put it that wouldn’t incur a tax burden – like totally put it away in our daughters 529 so she could keep each dollar to her education tax-free.

Maybe its a new/certain pesticide being used on those grapes you are allergic to and not the grapes? I read somewhere that grapes have over 17 pesticides used on them, so maybe when the organic ones are available again later this summer, try those! (Grapes naturally have such a short growing season that the organic ones are hard to find outside of their season)

I know that doesn’t really help you out now though :)

I am allergic to penicillin and sulfa-based drugs. So basically if I need an antibiotic, I have to take one that takes forever to work and makes my mouth taste like nickels. Thankfully I am healthy and have only needed antibiotics about 5 times in my life. My husband is allergic to anything that lives in the water. He is also allergic to cats so if he is around a cat, his sensitivity shoots up. Ask about the hour I spent walking around a hospital parking lot last Mother’s Day as he figured out whether he needed adrenaline or not!

I don’t really have any food allergies that I know of… I am a little allergic to cats (just have to wash my hands afterwards) and I’ve only noticed this with a friends dog only (all other dogs seem fine) but when he scratches me, the scratches get a little itchy and raised.
If I won $75k, I’d probably take half and put it towards my house payment, half of what’s left to savings, and the rest for a vacation and anything else fun!
I’ve never taken any intentional breaks, but I’ve definitely gone through times of not running and doing other stuff, but I always come back to running. I’m currently taking a break due to being pregnant. At 31 weeks, I stopped running since it got painful and plan to take the full 6 weeks off the baby, so this will be the longest break where I want to run and I can’t. I’m currently 35 weeks, so still have another month-ish til her arrival, so it feels like a long time!

FYI Krista Duchene is Canadian, doesn’t get the sponsorship or money that a lot of the us elite runners get which makes her placing even more impressive.

Raw bananas will sometimes make me itchy and give me a stomach ache! It’s a bummer because they are so easy for a snack. I took one break after having my son, it was definitely good for me but I did feel almost awkward/tired my first run back. I’m usually motivated to run because I know how good I’ll feel after! Hmmmm I would probably put it towards a down payment on a house- But I probably couldn’t resist a vacation either, maybe a runcation!

I’m a day late, but thought I’d better give you my Boston update!! It was THE MOST amazing experience ever!!!! I took my daughters (ages 15 and 12) and we toured Boston for a few days before the race (walking way too much!) — I was so happy to have that time with them — we had never been to Boston before and LOVED it.
Unfortunately, I have what seems to be a chronic sciatic nerve issue — it was really bad in the fall, settled down Jan to March, but then flared up again 10 days before the Marathon. I was so stressed about it that I wasn’t as worried about the weather as everyone else. Actually, heat is my enemy…I live in a very rainy part of Canada, so I’m okay with rain. But the WIND — YIKES!!!! I was hoping for a PR (I have only ran two marathons so there was a good chance), but between my leg and the weather it didn’t happen. However I felt amazingly strong at the end — passing people like crazy which felt awesome. I ended up getting a BQ but only by 1:22 so not enough to get back in…I was curious throughout the race about which woman won — finally the 4th volunteer I asked (at the finish line) told me!! I had listened to Ali’s podcast with her and was thrilled. I was also thrilled about Krista’s 3rd place — as I am also in my 40s and a mother of 3 from Canada. (I had listened to the podcast with her too — thank you again for getting me onto those!). Oh, a week or so before Boston I read that the bombs had gone off at 2:49 pm…well, just as I was about to cross the line they announced it was the exact time of the bombs — big chills and I was an emotional mess! It was an experience I will never forget and I am still very emotional just thinking about it all.