Monday, February 20, 2012

Sometimes things click.. oh..and COOKIES!

http://www.exoticgolfclubs.com/your-dream-golf-swing-can-be-a-reality/

Ok... so what does a picture of a crushing golf swing have to do with anything?  Well, there was a point in time where I attempted to be a less than bad golfer.  I would go through long stretches of whiffs, slices, hooks, and horrible divot digging swings... BUT... about the time I was ready to give it up, everything would click into place and I would just nail a perfect swing... enjoying that moment of stepping back and watching that irritating little golf ball just rocket off exactly where I wanted it to go..  and the feeling I got from that swing would be enough to carry me through the next 50 crappy swings that would inevitably follow.

Now that was a long time ago, but that feeling came back to me today.  I've been participating in the 120 Days of Running: The Challenge and today was day 14.  The past two or three runs for me have been really tough.  The distances weren't long... anywhere from 1 to 3.5 miles, but for some reason they were just not any fun.  Mentally all I thought about was just stopping.  Everything felt heavy... like running in thick mud.  I started thinking about why I was pushing myself to do something that I obviously am really bad at. BUT... like the crushing swing, my 5K + run today was the best time that I have run...  things just clicked and it felt great the whole way.  Not that it was super easy, but mentally and physically I was able to enjoy the effort and to push a littler harder.  In many ways, coasting back into the driveway was much like enjoying that perfect swing...   Let's hope that feeling gets me through the runs to come...  I like it much better when I feel like this guy..



Speaking of runs, Saturday will be my first 10K when I run the 4th and final race of the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series.  I'm a little nervous, since it will be the longest distance I've run, since I started running 10 months ago.  But, I've found that I seem to do better when running an event, versus out on the trail or road alone.

Oh... and before I forget..... COOKIES!   Yes...  in my quest to find good for you, yet good tasting treats, I came across an awesome recipe for gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, dairy-free, processed sugar-free cookies!  Now, after a list of "free's" like that, you are probably thinking of something akin to a cardboard chunk or a road apple.  BUT.. you have to try these... they truly are amazing...and super easy!

Banana-Coconut cookies from http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2012/02/banana-coconut-cookies-grain-free-sugar.html

These are from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen and are not only yummy, but are packed with protein.  I've added this recipe to the "Recipes" tab above, along with a few of my own notes.

Of course... they are amazing with a great cup of coffee.....


Hope you all have a great week, and that all your running (and golfing) adventures are ones that just "click"!

Happy Trails!

http://barefootinclined.blogspot.com/

11 comments:

  1. Jeff - This post mirrors a conversation that I had with my MT running gals at 5:30 this morning as we were getting in our miles - I was saying how after 28 miles in 3 days, I needed to remind myself, that I run for FUN, because I love it, not because I HAVE to fit in a certain # of miles today!! ENJOY your 10K this weekend, it is a GREAT distance, one you will grow to LOVE!

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    1. Those taste-free cookies ..... I dunno :) .... but the coffee?? OH YES!!! :)

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    2. ha! yeah... well, let me tell you.. if you substitute peanut butter, and add the choc chips... they are pretty darn good :-). But absolutely with you on the coffee!

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  2. I am the worst golfer in the history of the world. Which is a shame, because my mother-in-law is amazing and actually wins tournaments. I mean multiple hole-in-one amazing.

    Maybe she's just good with hyphenating. But I do not have the patience for golf. Or cookies that claim to be healthy. *eating a chocolate covered peep*

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  3. I wish that someone or something in the universe could explain to us why it is that one day we have a crap run and the next it's amazing. What gives!? It's the oddest thing. I want weeks and days of endless runs where my legs are light! HAHAHAH! I can keep wishing :)

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  4. My husbands father missed his pro golf card by 1 stroke!!!!!! I've golfed before and I really enjoyed it

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  5. I've tried to apply logic to those bad days followed by nothing but amazing. No can do so I'll just keep sucking up the lousy ones and look forward to the Superwoman ones. So how did the 10K go? Certainly was a gorgeous day for it!

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    1. Hey Kathy... it went really great. It was truly a beautiful day. There were a couple of really long grinding hills which wore me down a bit.. switched to walking fast when I realized my "running" was slower than a walk! But other than that, I got in close to 3 min faster than my goal, met some great folks, and just had a great time... looking forward to the next race!

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  6. Jeff, first off congrats on finishing your first 10K. I still remember all my first longer races. Running is a journey, somedays we have lows in running and somedays we have "runners high". Remember that we all are not born Kenyan's and we have to work at it. Be proud of what you are doing, there are MANY people who only dream of what we can do. When I find myself in a low I find that if I sign myself up for another race as quickly as possible, it keeps me focused and on top of my running. An outstanding goal I still have is to break into the 20 minute 5K time and to finish in the top 3 of something. After all I was an Athena runner and cold not run to the end of the block with out gasping for air. You will find your "happy place" with running and when you do, it will change you forever. Keep up the good work my friend you may never know how may you inspire along your journery.

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    1. Thanks Tiffany! I was a little nervous about it before, but now I feel great, and am ready to run another one! All I know is that I'm hooked :-). Was great seeing you and Kim and meeting Bradley today.. Also met a really nice guy in the last 1.5 mi today.. he was running in VFF's so I had to ask him about them.. we chatted and paced to the end, which was great. Next up is the Nielsen 2m.. I've done it 3 times, but the timing has been of the last several months.

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