Monday, December 31, 2012

Re-Veducating Myself

It occurred to me when talking with my husband, that I really don't know how to commit to something whole heartily.  Admittedly I was the kid in high school that could sort of half-ass things and still make good grades.  I could do just enough to play sports and not be the worst on the team.  DH is the complete opposite of me.

If there is anyone I could look up to, it would be him.  In high school he was a multi-sport athlete, and really excellent at all three, his dedication was obvious, although even he is the first to admit it didn't always help him in the classroom.  So needless to say, we were on opposite ends of the spectrum.  One of us could semi-study, the other could conquer the field.

But what he did take away from all those athletic activities and holding down a job was dedication, commitment and 'stick to itness,' which are traits that, frankly I've never had.  And have been a B**TC* to figure out as an adult.  I'm getting better at it where school is concerned, but my health and my running....I can 'get by' with just the bare minimum, so I never feel strongly about putting out more.

Until I saw this movie called "Vegducated."  I had tried once before to do the whole vegetarian thing, but I was still eating chicken and then I just totally fell off the wagon.  Mostly because I did not learn how to actually cook anything that was vegetarian and I was replacing it with fast food that might just have chicken in it.

This has been an eye-opening year for me, mostly because I've come to learn a great deal about myself.  I've had to learn that commitment is not the same as perfection, we can be committed to doing better everyday without expecting ourselves to be perfect 100% of the time.

I really really love animals, and watching Veducated has shown me how horrific the conditions are for not just factory farms, but family farms too, who now have to use the same practices in order to keep up with corporate backed farms.  It hurts my heart that I've spent almost 29 years of my life contributing to something so cruel.  Pigs for instance, have the intelligence of a 3 or 4 year old...we wouldn't do these things to a toddler, why is this acceptable for other creatures? Paul McCartney said something to the effect that if all slaughterhouses were made of glass, everyone would be a vegetarian.  I think he is right.  What upsets me more is the fact that I allowed myself to be ignorant, that so many of us enable the ignorance. 

Even if you don't love animals as much as me, you can't ignore the fact that the meat industry causes more pollution than the transportation industry, both in emissions and what it does to drinking water and destruction of the forests!!!

Now, don't get me wrong, I get it.  Hubby came from a meat and potatoes family and they cook everything with meat in it, shoot the green beans had ham in them (what happened to just eating green beans??) At the holiday party at work, I think I was the only person who supplied food that was not a starch.  So, I understand that food tends to be an integral part of traditions within families and it is sacrosanct...but even if we all tried, once a week, twice a week, part-time to eat whole foods that grow out of the earth, to put a variety of colorful foods on our plate, to not eat meat, we would save lives and contribute to preserving a better future.  I personally believe that I will be moving to a vegan or plant based lifestyle.  I can't fathom the idea of another little moomoo ending up on my plate.  Even if you won't join me totally, I hope you will consider going meat free once or twice a week.

Some would say that 'I alone can't make a difference, so why even bother.'  Giving up meat for one year saves almost 100 lives, so yes, that difference is made to that cow or chicken.  Others say that "they'll just kill it for someone else who still eats meat."  Guess what, positive meaningful change does not happen overnight, it is slow and takes time to gestate...people were probably afraid of Henry Fords new fangled contraption, or thought that the Wright Brothers were just a couple of insane guys out to kill themselves...look at how these individuals set the ball in motion.

If we as a community take charge of our food source, eventually the market will have to change, maybe not soon, maybe not in my lifetime...but that doesn't mean I'm not going to put my best "hoof" forward.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

RnRBunny Did WHAT!

I registered for a 50 mile race.  Yes, you did in fact read that correctly.  I registered for a 50 mile race.  Originally I thought I might have another commitment in May, but that fell through and so I bumped up my goal of the 50 miler to May. 

Back in 2006 I ran my first marathon, the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio.  It took me 6 hours to finish, mostly because I really had not trained well for the race, but I finished nonetheless.  Immediately after that race I discovered that people participated in these races called Ultra's.  And that there were even distances of 100+ miles.

That was quite awhile ago, and I have completed one 50k in 2011.  But, I've never quite been in a place where I felt like I was capable of running that kind of distance, and who knows maybe I still can't.

I did sign up last year, but as I've mentioned before my year kind of fell apart, but I decided I would make 2013 my year.  So I signed up for the 50's For Yo Momma race in May.


Honestly, I'm really nervous.  But in keeping with my goals (the one about dreaming big, but working even harder) I thought that I should just go for it!

All of this is in preparation for my big goal of completing the 100 miler.  I don't have one officially picked out yet.  Mostly because the idea of registering for a 100 miler scares me shitless (apologies for the language).  I have just never been the model student when it comes to training, and I am trying to change that.

God bless my hubby.  I told him last night that I registered and the first thing out of his mouth was, need a buddy to run with?  I can help you train...

That's why I married him :)

I hope 2013 brings lots of fun races and good times.  I know it will be hard work, but it'll be good for me.

And I side note, I changed the title of my blog a little bit.  It's now called Running My Cottontail Off :)  I still like to think of myself as the RnRBunny...but I thought the blog could use a little more catchy title.  Hope you will continue to follow me.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

Where does the time go?  Mom always said I was the kid that looked ahead-that I was impatient with the present and in too much of a hurry for the future.  When it was winter, I wanted spring, spring summer.  Well, it's a few weeks early yet, but Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!!

What I have gotten much wiser about over the years is understanding the importance of the past, without letting it dictate everything you do in the future.  2012 was a sucky year for me, both in terms of races, general running, and in other aspects of life.  I've been thinking quite a bit about what I could do differently so I (hopefully) don't repeat that same performance this year.  I'd really like to meet the goals I set for myself.

1) You are what you eat- no seriously...you are.  It is incredibly important to pay attention to the kinds of things you are eating so you can stay healthy and run.  I was sick with some kind of nasty cold on and off the whole year.  So, DH hid the scale from me and instead I am just paying attention to the kinds of foods I am eating.

2) Dream Big, Work Even Harder- it is important to have big dreams, but that means very little if you don't intend to work hard for those dreams.  This is something I am constantly striving to be better at.

3) Don't let a bad run, or several, make you give up- For most of us, running is painful.  Perhaps we are all masochists, but running is not easy most of the time.  If you have to, leave the watch at home and remember that consistency matters.

4) Do a 5k for fun- for no other reason than just to be out there with your fellow runner and walker folk.  It is rejuvenating to see everyone.

5) Volunteer for a race- the last couple of years I have raised money or volunteer directed a race and it has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

These are my 5 lessons learned and my 5 goals to keep in mind for 2013.  What are your goals?