theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

Milestones

filed under: friends, running, yes!

This weekend, I was supposed to run the American River Parkway Half Marathon with my friend Tanja. 

A couple of months ago, I had talked Tanja, a self-proclaimed NON-runner (but avid cyclist), into putting a half marathon on her bucket list and signing up for the walk option of this race. We talked about training for the distance with a run/walk-interval-strategy. I know she’s always up for a good challenge, so I am not surprised that she followed through and started training right away (cursing me under her breath multiple times, I am sure. Ha!). 

Of course, we were extremely bummed when because of Corona, the race was postponed and Tanja had to cancel her visit. Was all this training for nothing? No way! So, we decided to still run a virtual race on Saturday. Separate, but together in spirit. So, we both set out for our respective races early in the morning.

This was supposed to be a goal race for me. If you have followed me for a while, you know that I’ve repeatedly mentioned the goal to break the 2-hour mark in the half marathon. It’s been a process, to say the least. Turns out, it’s harder than I previously thought to shave a ‘few minutes’ off a long distance PR (my previous PR was 2:02:39).

Running a virtual race is hard. Running a virtual goal race is harder. You can’t rely on other runners, spectators, and the energy of the race to carry you through. You gotta be your own cheerleader along the way. I always underestimated how much adrenaline you get from the race atmosphere alone.

I’ve been running some of my training runs with the Nike Run Club app, which has guided run options which put “Coach Bennett” in your ear on your runs. He checks in with you every couple of miles, reminds you to breathe right and watch your running form, and he coaches and cheers you on along the way. If you do a lot of solo runs and sometimes struggle to focus, this is something I’d recommend you try. It definitely helped me through my virtual race on Saturday. He didn’t let me give up on myself.

I (felt as I) was cruising all the way through mile 9 and I was hitting my goal pace, which was really awesome, but then the last 3-4 miles got hard. My legs were ready to quit, but my head told me – looking at my watch – that I’d have major regrets if I wasn’t at least trying to see this through. So, I kept pushing (and repeated to myself that Tanja all the way down in Irvine wasn’t giving up either!).

And what can I say? It’s not an official result, but I did it! I finally ran a sub-2 half marathon on Saturday. I couldn’t believe it. It was close, but 1:59:49 is a sub-2 race, #thankyouverymuch, and I am beyond ecstatic.

Untitled

Of course, I am hoping I’ll be able to repeat this on an official course sometime when race running is possible again, but at least I could prove to myself that I can do it and that hard work does eventually pay off. 

Untitled

I just wish I could have celebrated the completion of Tanja’s first half marathon (woot!) and this milestone PR for me with a well-deserved brunch and mimosas with my friend, not just a virtual high five. Sigh.

My Red Sox ♥ won the World Series

filed under: love, sports, yes!

I don’t think it’s a mystery to anyone who has been reading my blog for a while that I am a huge Red Sox fan and on Sunday night, my team won the World Series!

It was such a fun season (with the best record in franchise history), but the post-season beat all my expectations. The Red Sox allowed only one game against the Yankees (in one of the ALDS series), one game against the Astros (in the ALCS series), and one game against the LA Dodgers in the World Series. This team has been so much fun to watch.

David Price was outstanding Sunday night, Steve Pearce was on fire, but so were all of the other players really throughout this season! JBJ (Jackie Bradley Jr.) had some really amazing hits. Andrew Benintendi is the king of the left field, and Mookie Betts can’t do anything wrong if he tried.  I love how Craig Kimbrel (the closer) owns his pre-pitch pose (check out his Twitter pic!), which numerous people (grown adults, mind you!)  in the stands have mocked him for, but he had an absolutely stellar performance this season and he is the youngest pitcher in MLB history to record 300 saves. So hey, whatever works for you, right? 

In all honesty, I should list all the players by name here, because I am so freakin’ proud of all of them. Every single player in this team did their part to turn this season into what it was. There was a different guy at every game coming through for everybody else. This is what team sport is all about and the Red Sox are a real team. They never gave up. They always stayed calm and focused until the very end and this is how they were able to make magic happen again this year.

Congratulations, Red Sox!

On International Women’s Day

filed under: I am the kind of woman, yes!

Today is International Women’s Day and I want to give a shout-out to all the amazing women that I am lucky to know and call my family + friends.

I am not really a self-described feminist, which merely is to say I don’t throw around the label a lot, but I do believe in the power and strength of women. I can only imagine what our country would look like if we had elected our first female president (something that is not so earth (or should I say ‘ceiling’-) shattering in other countries, I would like to remind you), but let’s not go there right now.

Contrary to popular belief, feminists are not man-haters. Feminists simply believe in the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.

I am currently reading ‘Shrill: Notes from a loud woman’ by Lindy West and it has – unsurprisingly – much to do with feminism, a woman’s place in this world, and how women are still perceived as ‘less’ in so many contexts.  Less accepted, less knowledgeable, less experienced, less believable, less valuable. Why is it still such a hard concept to accept women as equals?

Today is for celebrating the strong women who face insurmountable odds and who nevertheless persist, and for recognizing what women (have) accomplish(ed). Let’s face it, our societies, where power and privilege is still so often claimed by men, would totally crumble without women (and all they do without calling attention to it every. single. minute. of. every. day.).

Are you wearing red today in solidarity? (I realized, I don’t own very many red items of clothing, but man do I love those sneakers.)  #womensrightsarehumanrights #neverthelessshespersisted

13.1 lessons I learned from training for and running a half marathon

filed under: about me, fitness, running, yes!

phonto (1)

I never had the ambition to participate in a running race. I am still a little bit surprised myself that I signed up for and finished my first half-marathon a month ago. If you had told me this two years ago, I would have laughed in your face and called you crazy.

I just didn’t see myself as a (race) runner, like, AT ALL. 

BUT, this has been an interesting experience for me and taught me some lessons (which I think can be applied to other areas of life).

1) I always do better with a plan.

It might be self-imposed, but if I write down my goal and line up a plan, it’s so much easier to stick to a schedule. Sure, I could just tell myself to get out and run on a regular basis, but it’s so much easier to just look up what training session is next on your plan and just “do it” than make that decision anew every single day (I am not good at mundane decision-making). Besides, sticking to a training plan also puts some “thought” behind your workouts and is designed to improve your performance over time – duh!

2) I can do things that are hard.

Determination: I have it. Sometimes you have to stop thinking, and just start doing. Once I had committed to the race, it was “on”. I wanted to work for this, and work hard.

3) Listen to your body (before your run).

Remember how they tell you to just trust your gut sometimes? That’s exactly what this is. Trusting your gut can mean putting in the extra effort (on a good day), or giving your body some rest (on a bad one). It’s not always easy to figure out if you’re just up against fighting your inner Schweinehund (pig-dog) or if you truly need a break. Your inner Schweinehund is the part of you that wants you to stay on the couch and watch Netflix instead of going for your run, but you will know – with time – when your body is legitimately telling you that it needs a break. 

4) Listen to your body (during your run).

Don’t judge a run by the first mile (95% of the time it’ll feel miserable, but believe me, it gets better) and run based on how you feel that day. If it’s 100F and 80% humidity outside, running by effort is way more important than running a certain pace. It’s also ok to walk if you feel like you need to walk. Training is there to condition, but also to get to know your body.

5) Trust your training.

I had ‘easy’ training sessions that felt impossible. I had “interval days” that felt like a breeze. The last two longer runs before the race felt awful and I doubted that I was ready for the half. And then it all worked out in the end. Trust that all the hard work you put in over weeks and weeks will pay off  – because it will.

6) You get out of things (your body) what you put into them.

Literally. I have always been ‘health-conscious’, I’d say, but nutrition and especially hydration have been major focus points during my half marathon training. I used to be … ahem… not very good at staying hydrated, but guess what? Your body wants to shut down if you subject it to increased training activity, but don’t fuel properly. Running on an empty stomach and little hydration? Let’s just say, you learn to pay attention real fast.

7) Setbacks are part of the journey.

I was very lucky that I didn’t get injured during my half marathon training (well, except for a bumped, bloody toe that forced me to skip two training runs, but that was a home accident and not directly related to my training). I did have quite a few days though where my runs felt less than stellar and where doubt crept in that I was not really cut out for this. The strange thing was: it made me want it even more.

8) Life starts at the end of your comfort zone.

Haha. Isn’t that the truth? Nothing worth having comes easy and that is true for running as well. If you want to get better and achieve a goal, you have to work for it and sometimes that is hard.

9) You’re capable of so much more than you think.

Like I mentioned elsewhere, I never thought that I ever could – or even wanted to – run more than 3 miles. 5k is a respectable distance and I was totally fine with it. Until I wasn’t. Because once you put in a little bit of work, you’ll be surprised to see what you’re capable of and you naturally want more. I ran 13.1 miles. I didn’t think that was possible.

10) Running is not just physical, but also mental.

There were days when my body was ready to do the work, but my mind was not. There were days when I was mentally ready to go, but my body was not. Finding that sweet spot where body and mind agree is not always easy, but I found to be true more often than not that when your body wants to give up, your mind can help you push through and vice versa.

11) Run your own race.

I am no stranger to the comparison game, but if we’re completely honest, you can really only compete with yourself. You really  cannot care about someone else’s pace or finish time, because you can only work on yourself being better than yesterday. It’s all relative. What’s slow for one person, might be the fastest pace for someone else.

12) Support is everything.

It’s hard to admit, especially if you think you’re running/racing mainly for yourself (which we all do!), but it’s so important to have people who support you in your endeavors. It matters during training (when words of encouragement get you through the tough parts) and it matters during the race.

Following and supporting other runners on social media and receiving support in return? An incredible community.
Signing up for a race with a friend? Holding each other accountable and encouraging each other during training is priceless.
Knowing that my whole family was tracking my race through the race app – even from 6000 miles away – and cheering me on? Carried me at least half of the way.
Having people come out on race day to cheer on complete strangers? It’s one of the kindest acts of humanity (I swear, it meant so much!).

I never ever want to bore anyone with my talk about running or racing, but I want those who have supported and checked in with me along the way to know that it was tremendously important for my success and so very much appreciated. Having cheerleaders on the sidelines, whatever journey you might be on, might be one of the most important pieces in order to accomplish your goals.

13. I am a runner.

For the longest time, I suffered from “imposter syndrome”, because I wasn’t sure that I could call myself a runner. There was no official set of rules that separates the “runners” from the “non-runners” and I am not sure where I thought that line was, but I had always been more on the humble side and so I placed myself on the “non-runners” side of that line for a very long time. Until I realized that runners come in all shapes and sizes and everyone who laces up their shoes and goes for a run is a runner. Mind-boggling epiphany, I know!

13.1 – I did it.

Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. You are going to be a little high on running when you cross that finish line and it’s totally ok to brag a little.

 

One final note before I go… (because more than one person has asked me about it): 

No, I have not signed up for a marathon.

I think I have a pretty good grasp on my own abilities and as much as the adrenaline rush after the half had me scream “where can I sign up for a full?”,  I know I am not ready for it, mentally or physically.  At the end of the half-marathon, I was done. Did I have a few more miles in me? Maybe. Would I have wanted to do the whole 13.1 again? No way. It will take a lot more training and hopefully more race experiences along the way, before I feel ready to tackle 26.2. But it’s a future goal that I wouldn’t completely rule out at this point (← haha. Did I really just say that?)

I’m linking up with Rachel, Suz, Lora, and Debbie for Running Coaches’Corner 

 coachescorner WildWorkoutWednesday

 

 

 

 

 

 

and with  with Jen, Nicole, Annmarie, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday.

I love surprises, don’t you?

filed under: family, love, marriage, yes!

395

Ok, so I might be slightly biased, but I have to say that my Mom and Dad are pretty awesome people and I hate not being able to hang out with them on a regular basis.  

This last week, they’ve been on a trip in the Mediterranean to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, and you guys, I am so over the moon excited. My sister and I pulled off a fantastic surprise for them. Originally, the idea had been for them to come visit us here in California and bring my sister and her family, too; have a big family celebration here with us.

Unfortunately, there were few events that prevented that plan from coming to fruition (my Dad was hospitalized earlier this year and is supposed to be having minor surgery this summer, my sister and BIL bought a house, yadda, yadda), but I am really glad my parents decided to still do something special for their anniversary, because holy cow…. 40 years of love and life together is amazing!

My sister and I racked our brains what we could do to surprise them with something special for this special anniversary and for sticking it out with each other for such an impressive amount of time. It’s hard to organize a surprise when you’re 6000 miles away and  when they’re away from home.
Luckily, my Dad enjoys planning and talking about trips whenever he can. We obviously knew where they were going, but we also knew where they were going  to stay, where they wanted to eat and what they were going to see and explore on their trip.

First, I informed the hotel that they were staying at about my parents’ reason for the trip and asked them to welcome them with a bottle of champagne and a fruit basket upon their arrival. That was a fairly easy thing to arrange and we were pretty sure that it would help make them unsuspecting of anything else to come.

But the bigger surprise was organized for Saturday, which was my parents’ actual anniversary. My Dad had talked about a really good, well-known restaurant, Trespais, that had been shortlisted for their anniversary dinner. I emailed the restaurant and asked if they’d be able to help my sister and me to plan a surprise for our parents.  Basically our plan was to try and get them to go to the restaurant,  have a fantastic evening with wine and delicious food, and then have the restaurant staff deliver our best wishes for a wonderful anniversary  in lieu of the bill.

The restaurant owners were super-nice and cooperative and they were excited and willing to help with the surprise without any hesitation.

I reserved a table (under my parents’ last name) in advance to make sure they had room to accommodate them, but also told them that the plan was to get my Dad to make a reservation himself, so that we could avoid telling them what we were up to and really make this a total surprise. So, before my parents left for their trip, my sister persistently – but as unsuspiciously as possible – tried to get my Dad to reserve a table at the restaurant for their anniversary dinner. He finally did one day before they left.

On Saturday, my sister and I were texting back and forth because we were so nervous and excited to find out how the surprise played out. My sister said that she would stay up until my parents would get in touch with us. And sure enough, at 11 p.m. (German time), my Mom finally texted. They were completely overwhelmed and confused when the restaurant owner presented them the bill…. which was a card that simply read “Happy anniversary from Sandra and Nina”.

Apparently, the restaurant owners and staff had just as much fun with the surprise as we did, because my Mom told us that the owner said that she couldn’t help but have a huge smile on her face every time she passed my parents’ table and that it was hard to not blow the surprise until the very end.

And my parents were truly blown away. They were raving about the excellent food, the outstanding service and the overall ambience of the restaurant – and the fantastic, completely unexpected surprise, of course! –  and walked out without paying a dime.

Awesomeness!

I am so, so happy we were able to pull off this surprise for them. It’s usually really hard to organize something and keep it a secret from both our parents. In the past, for one reason or another, one of them always had to be let in on any surprises in advance. This time, we were able to completely keep it a secret and surprise both of them. They were absolutely clueless (although my Dad says that, in retrospect, my sister was really pushy about him making that reservation at the restaurant. Haha!).

Have you successfully surprised someone before? How did you pull it off?