Weekending Highlights + Is this holding you back?

Six miles with my sister to start off my Saturday morning.  I’m definitely holding my sister back on our runs but luckily she just wants to have someone to run with so she happily takes any breaks that I need and runs whatever pace I feel like each time.

The highlight of the run was when JARED WARD ran by with his crew.  They were all talking and laughing at what looked like a 6:00 mile pace.  I cannot wait to see how he does in London!  I am a paparazzi when it comes to my favorite elites.

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Then we were off to Brooke’s soccer game.  She is still loving the midfield game and the runner in me just needs to know how far she runs each game.

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Our next adventure for the day was going up to Sundance to ride the lift.  Andrew was thrilled to see that others are putting out Halloween decorations months in advance too;)

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The weather was perfect and all of the colors were the best.

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Dinner of champions for me.  Jamba and Great Harvest combine into a wonderful meal.

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As for our Sunday… the two highlights were taking pictures for Knox’s baptism invitations that is coming up in a few weeks.

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And having my family over for chicken cream cheese chicken chili!

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Let’s start off this little chat by talking about two of my running ‘failures’…

1) Tuscon Marathon 2015.  I had the goal to sub 3 and I had been working for years to get that goal.  At mile 19.5 I watched my dream slip away more and more with each mile.  I finished the race feeling completely defeated and not sure I ever wanted to run again let alone risk failing at not hitting my goals again in the marathon.

I finished thinking I would have been ‘enough’ if I had finished the marathon 11 minutes faster than I had finished it but I didn’t.

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2) CIM 2019.  My goal was to OTQ and I finished 13 minutes slower than that.  I had trained harder than ever before (I look back and it seems like the training/recovery was basically a full time job) and came up short of what my coach and I felt I was in the shape for.  I knew from the very beginning of the race that something was off but held on the best I could for the day.  I finished feeling drained, super bummed out about not hitting my goals but knowing I wanted to keep running forever and keep trying to hit my goals because failing wasn’t going to keep me from trying.

I finished feeling like no matter what that clock said, I was enough because the results of my running was not going to change my worth as a human.

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These next two excerpts and quote at the end are from the ‘Happy Runner‘ and I just love them so much.  They talk about how if we can make friends with failure, we will be unstoppable.  If we can focus more on the process of running vs the results of running… we are going to be a much happier runner.  If we can go into these goals and races knowing that we are enough regardless of whatever place we finish in or how we look at the end of the training cycle or whether or not our watch tells us we hit a new PR… We are going to go farther with our running and enjoy the process of running more than ever.

There were years and years that I would go into every speed workout with my stomach in knots because I was so nervous that I wouldn’t hit my goal paces.  I’ve started many races sick to my stomach because I couldn’t handle the pressure I was putting on myself to avoid failing.  Now the results still matter to me BUT I know that failing is part of the game and that it isn’t going to change who I am. It has made it so that I don’t get those knots or feel all of the stress over a race and get to actually enjoy the experience of doing hard workouts and races because if the results don’t change my worth then there is nothing to stop me from trying!

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I think as runners we sometimes think we can really control everything about our running and racing.  But we can’t and if we are so afraid of failure then when the uncontrollable factors pop up, we are going to really struggle with the outcome.

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You are enough no matter what is happening or not happening with your running.  Don’t let the risk of failing keep you from sleeping at night, feeling good about yourself or trying something new/hard!

“The Yellow Brick Road would be way less interesting without the Wicked Witch.”  No matter what is on your running path right now, the lows make the highs that much better and your journey a whole lot more interesting too.

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What was the highlight of your weekend?

Ever seen an elite runner out for a normal run?

What is something that you have learned from one of your running ‘failures’?!

Tell me what your run is today!  Give me the details.  

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29 comments

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Oh I love this post so much!!! Also, how tiny was Brooke in that picture from 2015?!! Kids grow way too fast. :(
A big highlight this weekend was my long run. I had an easy 18 miles that I ended up doing solo, and I totally winged the route (aka didn’t plan it at all). It was so fun, I ran some new roads and saw a HUGE deer. The weather was gorgeous (60s!!!! It felt so cold!!) and I didn’t have to stop once to adjust my shoes or get more water or anything. It was just perfect. And I ended about 3/4 of a mile from my house so I had a nice walk back too.
I’m from San Diego, so we would see Meb haha. We were all obsessed with him in HS.
My run today is an easy 9, and it’s another cool day so I’m not dreading it! :)

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Mollie! Wish I could join you for your 9 today! I am SO so happy about how your long run went this weekend, you deserve it after all of the hard work you’ve put in during this hot summer. Way to go!! And seeing meb run.. that would be amazing! I hope you have a fabulous day!

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AHHHHH! Jared Ward! I think I would have embarrassed myself horribly by screaming as he ran by.
Love the thoughts about ‘failing.” It’s all part of the process. Think how boring life would be if we reached all our goals on the first try!
Hope you’re having a great day!

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Hahaha last time I saw him running I did do that so I had to bite my tongue this time to avoid embarrassing my sister?. Seriously, the failure keeps things interesting. I hope your week is off to a great start, Jenny!

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I’m so glad the kids recovered from the hornets! When I was about their EXACT age, the neighborhood kids and I were out in my backyard and I stepped on a hornets nest – exactly like Knox did! My Dad heard screaming and came and rescued us. He threw my sister and I into a tub and then slabbed us with calamine lotion (is that even a thing anymore??)! My sister is terrified of bees now.

Highlights of the weekend – walk with friends around our hometown in the glorious weather, more dog walks, massage Sunday afternoon. Heaven :)

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Ahhh no way! My kids can now relate with you and your sis so much. So glad your dad came to the rescue. I am so glad you had such a great weekend and I want to come out for a walk with you in your area… I bet it is gorgeous. Have a great week, Amanda!

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Oh, I love ALL of that you shared at the end. I remember listening to Carly Gill on Ali on the Run talk about how LUCKY we are to get to do this–it’s not our job, and while we have big goals and dreams with running, if we fail, it’s not the end of our world because we GET to do this. Being sidelined right now has made me start to reframe my definition of “runner.” I know I’m still a runner even if I’m taking time off, but I’ve started thinking of myself as an “athlete.” Because athletes do all kinds of training and readjust when they need to, which has helped my mindset for crosstraining. I know runners are all of those things, too–but it’s making me miss running a bit less to think this way!

Would you consider doing a post talking more about what baptism means to you? I know you’ve spoken about faith and religion before, but I am always really curious to learn more!

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Hey Kristin! Oh I love that so much. It really is such a blessing that we get to go out and do this. Okay, what you said about seeing yourself as an athlete gave me goosebumps. I’ll be using that soon as I take time off from running and need the reminder of how important it is to do those things. I really hope you are back running soon, you are incredible. Yes, I’ll share more in Knox’s baptism post and Brooke’s has a bit there too:

https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2020/09/brookes-baptism-and.html

Thanks for wanting to know, that means a lot to us. Have a beautiful day.

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AHHHHHHHH celebrity run sighting! So cool.

Utah sure is beautiful, and that chili dinner looks amazing.

Mental perspective is so important for running and life, what a great write up.

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You are always invited over for Sunday dinner and last year we should have gone for a hike while you were here. I hope your day is a great one Victoria!

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I’m 99% sure I saw Des Linden running in Central Park a day or two before the marathon a couple years ago. I was shocked because nobody else seemed to notice her! I was whispering to my dad so he would see her and we wouldn’t bring unwanted attention to her haha.

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Ahhhh that is so so cool! I would love to see Des out running. I hope you have a beautiful day, Mariah.

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That is so cool that you saw Jared Ward! How fun to live in the same area as an elite, and run on the same streets!
Oh this post is so good! Such a good reminder that running doesn’t define us. Sure it’s one of many things that makes us us, but it’s not the only thing. So good.
I haven’t exactly decided what I’m running today. I think that’s been fun lately… Heading out the door and not really knowing where I’m running until I’m in the run. But it will probably be 4 or 5 miles to start my week ?
Have a good Monday.

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It really did make me feel so cool to be running on the same street as an Olympian! Wish I could join you for your miles today and I agree… that is such a fun way to run! Have a great day, Wendy.

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Thank you for this! I needed to read those passages- for running and for performance in just daily life (parenting, being a loving partner etc).. Happy Fall! It was 34 degrees when I woke at 5am today…brr.

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I am so glad Nadya! I totally agree… it works for every area. I hope you have some hot chocolate today. Happy Monday Nadya.

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Too cool that Brooke is a mid-fielder. I played field hockey once upon a time, and I was on defense (funny, I hated to run back then! ha ha). I was always amazed at how much running the middies did!!!! And I was glad I wasn’t one of them! ha ha It’s too perfect for Brooke though.
Okay, so once upon a time, a neighboring town here had an AMAZING Great Harvest. My favorites, of course, were their sweet breads, like cherry pie or apple pie bread, but then it closed, and your posts always make me miss it so very much. lol I want a Cafe Rio, too! There are none of those in PA where I live!
And, in regard to your “failures” as a runner, I really think it’s interesting how much we evolve and mature mentally as runners. I’m not saying that I’m necessarily mentally tougher, but you just get smarter, if that makes sense—as far as easing off when you feel a niggle, realizing it’s not the end of the world if you don’t meet a goal, realizing that who cares what other people might think of your easy pace on Strava, realizing that no one really cares nearly as much about your running/winning/placing/times as YOU care, realizing—looking back—that you were kicking butt, however all you were doing was criticizing yourself. Time is a great teacher!!!! (And with the “you” up there, I just mean “you” in general, not YOU specifically :)
My weekend was good. The start of the year has been HARD and CRAZY, and I’ve felt like I”m losing my mind with hybrid learning/teaching, but I might finally be getting into a tiny rhythm here, and my weekend was laid-back but just good; I felt happy :) And,my run today is 6 easy/recovery miles on the trail, and I can’t wait to run them at that nice EASY PEASY pace :)

I hope you have a beautiful day, Janae!!!!!!

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Jen! I am sure glad you love running now! And I need to ship some great harvest out to you ASAP. “Time is a great teacher”… okay, I love that SO much and I agree, it’s amazing how much we evolve as runners! I cannot even imagine how hard hybrid teaching is, you are incredible and your students are so lucky to have you. Wish I could join you on your 6 today. Have a great day Jen and I am so glad you are getting into your rhythm.

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I had my first chilly outdoor run this morning as the sun was coming up. I’ve been treadmilling it all summer (Tennessee is so humid!), but this morning was PERFECT! I run so much more joyfully outside – my steps are lighter and faster and my heart is happier.

A random weekend story unrelated to anything – yesterday my boyfriend and I went hiking in the Smokies – we live very near the park. I made us a big breakfast and we weren’t in a great hurry to get started like we usually are. On our way back down the mountain, we came upon a lady who was alone and scared. She had taken a wrong turn and was many more miles from her trailhead than she was able to hike back safely. We took her down our trail and drove her back. She kept thanking us, but we were happy to help her and were either paying a kindness forward or back. I just feel like we are inundated by so much negativity and hostility these days. It did my heart good to remember that we are all still people that need each other sometimes and that we all have opportunities every day to do good things in this world.

I have everyone has a wonderful week!

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I see the past DII national champion college men’s cross country team fairly regularly – they blow by me at almost elite speeds – they might (kind of) count. There are a lot of elite runners two towns north of me (Boulder) but we rarely, if ever, cross paths.

I did a hilly 5-miler with a friend this morning. Up and down x 6. Good run, medium pace, but legs still stiff from Friday/Saturday back-to-back longish runs (Friday trails, Saturday flat start/end, rolling hills middle).

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Hi Janae! Great post! I think that’s awesome you saw Jared Ward. Today I’m going to run with my friend! I haven’t run with someone else for what feels like forever so I am pretty stoked. Happy Monday!

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Weekend highlight for sure was watching the Tour de France time trail!!!

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Wait, wait a minute! Wasn’t Brooke going to wear the Garmin during games? I think you’ll want a few games to work out any single game anomalies. Brooke could be marathon-in-two-weeks.

Friends with failure, what a concept! It’s not how I was raised, but I like it!! This is a terrific post, especially for people with my rearing. Although I was raised differently, I’m open to it. As I read those sections above, it feels right. It’s a hard thing to be raised thinking/ trusting you have to win every time. So, if you don’t win, there is something wrong with you/ you’re lacking in a serious way. Yet we don’t feel lack inside. This is for a solo activity! Grace in defeat is always important, and possibly EMPHASIZED, in team activities. Someone said something about marriage above – definitely a team activity, family too.

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The highlight of my weekend was finally running my first ever half marathon! It has literally been something I’ve been aiming for for 12 years and haven’t been able to achieve due to back injuries, knee injuries, pregnancy, and probably just a lot of fear of failure. But I did it and I’m so so happy! It was a slow one, 2:15:55! But I was hoping to get under 2:20 so very happy with that! This is hugely in part due to your constant encouragement and seeing you fail and succeed so I am very grateful for your vulnerability through this blog. So thank you Janae for sharing your life xx

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LEIGH,
2:15:55 is not slow! That is an awesome time and great accomplishment! Congrats! As a friend of mine told me, some people don’t even like to drive 13 miles!

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LEIGH!! Ahhhhhh huge congrats on your amazing accomplishment. You have overcome so much to accomplish your first half ever and your time is AWESOME! I hope you are soaking up your accomplishment and feeling so proud. Have a beautiful rest of your day and thank you so much, that means a lot to me. Keep me updated on everything!

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Thanks John! That’s really nice of you to say. Maybe I’m too busy comparing my time with other super speedy people. I was just so proud to run the whole thing without stopping!

And truly Janae I am so grateful for everything you share! It helped immensely! I’m hoping to do another half in November and hopefully this one won’t be virtual like my first ended up being and I’ll get to experience a real race feel even!

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Is Andrew an A’s fan now? Confused because I thought he was way into the Angels. (Does it show how much of a creepier I am to even notice? ?).
My sons favorite runner is Jared Ward. His highlight of spectating Boston 2019 was cheering him at the finish.

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It’s comforting to know that we are not defined by our success and even more so, our failures. Wheather we succeed or fail has no bearing on our value or worth as a human being. One day we will all see those talents, abilities, etc. cease to bring in reawards and on that day, I will be thankful that I found my confidence in something bigger than myself as I know you will too.

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