Robin Roberts is an Inspiration

"There is something liberating about not being afraid. Being afraid, but still doing it. Because if we wait until there’s no fear, we’re going to be waiting a long time on the sidelines."

Robin Roberts, as quoted from her appearance on 20/20 Friday night.

First off, it's interesting that my daughter is writing a paper about "bravery" this evening.  I think this quote screams bravery. She wrote that when you are afraid to do something "to be brave is to DO that thing . . . for as long and as hard as you can!"  Amazing how a 9 year old gets things!

While Good Morning America's Robin Roberts is not a runner, this quote is inspirational for runners and non-runners.  She bravely faced down her fears and continued on despite being afraid.  Not many of us can say we did that.  That's bravery!

Robin, you are braver than most and you are stronger that you realize . . . that is inspirational!  I'm still training for the Vermont City Marathon to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and every dollar I raise will help patients like Robin.  Brave, fearless, inspirational patients.

Robin had a form of blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome or MDS which meant she needed a bone marrow transplant.  She found a match in her sister, who donated her own bone marrow.

I may not be donating my bone marrow, but I'm doing the next best thing.  I'm helping make such procedures possible for more patients.  That makes me feel like Robin's sister and that's a pretty good feeling.  However, I'm not doing this alone; I have plenty of supporters.  Some more vocal than others, but I do have plenty.  Thank you everyone who is supporting me.  I couldn't do this without the team I have in you.  Have you joined the team?

So far, the training is going great.  I'm running 10 miles on Saturday (see my next blog post for more on that).  It's been fun getting back in shape and preparing for my next race.  I'm also glad that I joined Team in Training.  It is quite an organization and what they do to help cancer patients is amazing.  Talk about inspirational!  If anyone is thinking about running a marathon, triathlon, or another endurance event for a good cause, Team in Training and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society make quite a team.  Worth considering!  If you have questions, or if you have done this before, post comments below.

How Silence Helps You Run Better

Throughout the ages people of wisdom have found time to muse, ponder, and spend time alone with their thoughts.  Scientists, artists, poets, and musicians know all to well the many hours of silence that precede a breakthrough to a creative idea.  Runners can find this success in silence too.

If you try to meditate while running you can create a more peaceful and enjoyable run while both improving your running abilities and reducing your likelihood of injuries.  Try running in the moment, increase your body awareness, and clearing your mind.  It's a great experience and it's quite uplifting.

Running provides a great opportunity to meditate like this.  Focus on our breath and on your form as you continuously move forward in a fluid motion.  This will help you clear your mind and focus on your body.  As you focus on our muscles, your stride, your breathing, and all the other sensations that rise to the surface when your are running, you can very easily clear your mind of the everyday issues that can create stress and tension in your body.  Your job, finances, home, family issues, etc...they all melt away when you run.

I'm no expert in this, but I'm learning.  The first steps is to leave all of your tech gadgets at home and make it a solo run.  It doesn't have to be every run, but at least once a week is a good start.  I've done it on a few long runs and it's great!  It's up to you; just keep it consistent.

Learn more about meditative running in this entertaining Runners World article http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/transcendental-steps?page=single.  Also, if you want to do some in depth reading on the topic, a good book to pick up (which I admit I have not finished reading yet) is Running with the Mind of Meditation by Sakyong Mipham, a leader of Shambhala, a global community of meditation retreat centers grounded in realizing basic goodness and enlightened society through daily life.

So try something new.  Try silent, meditative, running!

Nice Quote

"I run because I can. When I get tired, I remember those who can’t run, what they’d give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them. I know they would do the same for me."
- Anonymous


'Nuff said.

Finding a New Rhythm

"The rhythm of life is when you experience your own body, mind and soul."

-- Quote from Yogi tea bag

I love this quote because while it's applicable to life, it's also applicable to running.  Think about it, you need to be in touch with your body, mind, and soul to run well. 

Most people can understand the concept of being in touch with your body.  In order to run, you have to have a fit body and you have to know your body's limitations.  You also need confidence, and that means that means having your head in the game, so to speak.  That's the way running should be.  When you are fully connected to your body, and you understand your body's rhythm, you can develop a stronger connection to your mind.

But what about the soul?  How do you connect with your soul, and find a rhythm?  I'm no philosopher, but I can imagine that somewhere deep inside there is a part of all of us that yearns to transcend the mundane and find a zone where everything is in sync and the outside world can't intrude.  Whether you're working on a new computer program, writing a brief, or running, sometimes all your cylinders firing in perfect rhythm.  When this happens, magic happens.

This happened to me on a recent run.  The rhythm was there, everything was perfect, and was floating.  I was in that zone, in the moment, and nothing could have distracted me from that.  My mind was clear, my body was relaxed, and I touched my soul.  It was awesome!

Training to Beat Cancer...No Matter What the Obstacles!

What better way to start off my training season than to have my first group long run cancelled due to Winter Storm Nemo!  Fortunately, I was able to get my run in on my treadmill, and I got in some good cross training clearing my driveway...for 4 hours!

Well, snow aside, I am getting into a good routine as I kick-off my new training program.  My long runs are going to start increasing in distance soon, and before I know it I'll be doing 20 miles again.  I've learned that it's important to remember that while training for an endurance event it's all about building slowly and letting your body adapt to change.  Any runner will tell you that the best approach is to follow the 10% rule, where you only increase your distance or intensity by 10% week to week.  This means that when you compare total mileage week to week, they should differ by no more than 10%. This approach helps reduce the incidence of injury and allows your body to adapt to the increase in mileage over time.

I like to think of this as a journey and not a destination. Every workout, every plan, every week is just as important as the final goal.  How you get there is more important that the goal itself.  In fact, how you get there dictates whether or not you will even achieve your goal.  One needs to trust the process; that's key!

Being part of the Team-In-Training program I have a coach and teammates to help me through the process.  Better yet, I get to help my fellow teammates through the process too!  I've run one marathon, so I have some wisdom (very little) to impart.  How exciting!  What a community affair!  I'll keep posting updates.  I hope you will read these, and please support me in my efforts.

Go TEAM!


7 races, 62.4 miles, one Team
You can support me at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/vermont13/nealgrasso

Challenge = Hard = Good!

Overcoming a challenging situation takes work and can sometimes be hard.  However, when we are successful, we feel good.  Therefore, I postulate that Hard = Good. 

The scientist in me screams for a mathematical equation.  It will be easy math, for the mathematically challenged out there.

If, C = Challenge, H = Hard, and G = Good, then:

C = H

C = G

so

H = G

See...simple.  I'm preparing myself for a hard training season ahead.  More importantly, I have the challenge of making sure all of my runs are "Quality Runs".  What do I mean by "Quality Runs"?

Most running books and articles use this term to define a run with a purpose.  Speed intervals, hill intervals, a tempo run (where you maintain a consistent pace at marathon or half-marathon pace), or a long run. 

I was recently reading a running forum where someone posted a question about this and one of the comments read "Every run is quality....good, bad and ugly."  I suppose this is true if you learn something from every run. 

So, to be able to run 26.2 miles is hard.  You have to train hard, challenge your self, and stretch yourself beyond what you previously thought was possible (see last post).  In the end...it's all good!

Run hard...Run happy!

On Goal Setting

I like thinking about goal setting.  I am returning to this concept, having written about it this summer on my old blog, Training for a Cause, because it's so important to revisit your goals on an on going basis.

Goals are not something you set and forget.  If you want to achieve your goals you must remain focused on them like a laser.   Every time you check in on your progress towards a goal you move one step closer to success.

Set goals that will push you beyond what you think you can accomplish.

I read this once in some training materials that I received from my employer.  Goal setting is something that applies to every aspect of our lives, not just our professional life.  Whether it's completing repairs around your house over a weekend or training for months to run a marathon.  You set a goal to challenge yourself so that when you reach your goal you can be proud of your efforts.

The alternative is to set goals that are easy.  Where is the challenge in that?  If you know you can do it without much effort then why do it?

I have always striven to achieve goals that are beyond what I thought I could achieve.  For example, when I was a senior in high school my guidance councilor directed me towards colleges that were "easy" to get into.  I thought she was nuts!  Yeah, you have to have a safety school (one you are guaranteed to get into) but I decided to shoot for much harder schools.  I did that and got into one of my reach schools, Skidmore College.  Once there I continued this trend.  Now as an adult I continue to stretch myself by reaching outside of my comfort zone to achieve more than I originally thought possible

Doc Emmet Brown, the crazy doctor who invented a time machine out of a DeLorean in the 1985 movie Back to the Future, would say "if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything."  I'll amend that to include your body too.  Happy running!  No go out and achieve something!