Chasing Kris

My step dad, who came to our family late in life with a colorful and glorious past as a professional athlete and an accomplished Ironman , has plenty of great tips and advice about running for me.  He's in his sixties now and is retired and helps people find and enjoy fitness in their lives.  He's a lovely man with a soft spoken demeanor who radiates encouragement.  This Spring, I went out for a training run with him along a shady patch of the Sacramento River.  He rode alongside on his bike, talking about the mechanics of running and the ups and downs of what an athlete goes through.  Along the way he said, "You're becoming a runner."  He meant it as an encouraging thing, to give myself time and check my expectations at the door.  He meant it to tell me not to be discouraged at the setbacks.  And I didn't really respond to it at the time, but it stuck with me because I didn't really agree with him.  There is no such thing as becoming a runner.  If yo

I'm not one of those determined Type A individuals who can make a decision to do something and then doggedly keep at it until it is finished, brushing off obstacles and setting aside distractions until I've met my goal.  I'm more of a high functioning Type B sort of person: It get stuff done, but I juggle distractions and sidestep obstacles all along the way even if it means a few trips down tangent trails until I loop back around to my original track.  Somehow, I get to the finish line but it's definitely in a more relaxed manner.  I know this because I live and run with a Type A husband and he and I have very different attack strategies when it comes to things. Take running as an example.  In 2000, he decided (rather out of the blue) that he would like to get into running.  He'd never been a runner before, but somehow he decided he'd like to take up the sport.  Being the Type A determined guy that he is, he decided his first big goal would be no less than th

As I've dabbled in this running hobby I've come to realize just how much information is out there about running.  Whereas before I didn't know there were books on the subject, I've now read an eclectic assortment including a fun book by Alexandra Heminsley's  titled " Running Like a Girl " and the more spiritual and eye opening " Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.  I've joined the local chapter of a national free running group called Moms Run This Town where I've met an amazing array of women like me who are running because we we found we need to move our bodies to feel complete, we need something for ourselves, and frankly, we need to get out of the house and away from our jobs with other ladies in a social environment that makes us feel great! The biggest lesson I've learned is that running is a culture.  It's more than a hobby, it's a way of being.  I started this by walking 10 minutes and running 2, doing those int