Ride it… that Pony…

I’m climbing back on the pony. I have a back log of posts to publish related to the marathon (Spoiler Alert! I came (not literally, marathon horse-riding is not my sport, heh, sorry for the jab, horse-people), I ran, and I conquered as much as a marathon virgin charity runner can) and my life radically veered in the months since my last post, so I have a lot of new material to roll out. In the works: job stress, a trip down therapy lane, the re-discovery of gatorade, moving across the country, and unemployment. In the past three months.

I have a whole new city to explore and a whole new hobby (urban organic gardening, NO I DID NOT MOVE TO PORTLANDIA) to learn about. I’m still running, and I need to write. I have no excuses–I’m looking for work full-time.

As my 7th grade English teacher wrote in my Middle School Yearbook: “You are a writer and you must write. For better or for worse.”

7th Grade me took this waaay too seriously, but the sentiment is true. As I am a runner and I must run, I am a writer and I must write. Even if I’m mediocre at best at both.

Check out the bandit ruining my finish line fist pump...

Spirit Animal?

Sorry if the title of my post is an example of cultural appropriation, but I think “Spirit Animal” has entered the lexicon in the tradition of “Woman” à la Murray in Clueless.

Joey Greco, my writing guru

Even though I’m pretty sure Joey Greco doesn’t actually write the overwrought, awesome prose for Cheaters, nor is he the primary narrator, I like to imagine he does, and is. He is my current writing inspiration.

I’m also sitting on a baseball right now to massage my piriformis muscle.

Why? Part I

I started thinking about running the Boston Marathon at two distinct times: the first, a mere fantasy on the treadmill at my mom’s condo gym; the second, this past August, when I turned 25.

I didn’t fully comprehend the insanity surrounding the Boston Marathon at either time. The Boston Marathon is not on my “Bucket List” (I don’t have one) nor is it, for me, the ultimate measure of my worth as a runner, like it apparently is for so many other runners.  Come to think of it, I’m not sure if the Boston Marathon insanity even reached a fever pitch until the registration fiasco this year.

For me, I fantasized about Boston because it was the only marathon I’ve ever witnessed. It’s in my town. I wasn’t drawn to it because it’s elite, or because it’s old. Although now, I like that my first marathon is going to be Boston for these reasons.

As a charity runner, I’m exempt from the qualifying madness. Consequentially, I’m seen as a pariah by some of the more intense runners.

Quite honestly, I don’t care. I’m running this for my own reasons and reasons of community. Boston is my community, my home, and if someone from elsewhere is upset because they don’t get to come to Boston to run the marathon after qualifying, and want to blame the charity runners for filling up the field, that’s their problem.

Boston is my community and I think that the charity program is both critical and fantastic for this city and Greater Boston Area. As a community member and runner I have only positive things to say about my experiences as a charity runner and the program, and I haven’t heard much objection from anyone in this city, including the elites, to the program. If anything, Boston Qualifiers who live in Boston have been encouraging and inspiring to the charity runners, in my experience. It’s been wonderful.

I’ve talked a lot in my fundraising letters and appeals about my reasons for running in relation to the charity I’m running for (SCORES), but I’ve shied away from the personal reasons I tumbled down the rabbit hole decided to ultimately train for and run the Boston Marathon this year.

To be continued…

Going to the Vet

I’ve been feeling under-the-weather despite generally keeping up with running and life. My wellbeing took a nosedive this week, so I made an appointment to see my GP. Aside from my malaise, I figured I should see a doctor, especially since I’m running a marathon in less than 2 months. I go to Fenway Community Health, and I have a few things to say about my experiences there, the current political climate, and my personal state.

First of all, I love the two GPs I see at Fenway Community Health. I’ve been going to Fenway since I was in college and my university health center couldn’t see me immediately for something silly like a cough that wouldn’t go away. At the time, Fenway was over near TT’s Pub (!) on–I think–Haviland Street.

Fenway blew my mind: I wasn’t familiar with the community health centers that dot Boston and Fenway’s history—a hole-in-the-wall treatment center in the South End providing care to people with HIV, that, at the time, carried even more of a stigma then it does now, and other underserved individuals, like gay men—really touched me.

Today, Fenway is a thriving community health center in a state-of-the-art, spanking new building on Boylston Street, and it’s still dedicated to providing care to persons who identify as LGBT, individuals who are underserved by the typical health care system in the U.S., and anyone in the community.

Fenway also has a pharmacy, eye care, dental care, and a holistic medicine practice including acupuncture. Affiliated with some of the top medical universities and hospitals in the country, Fenway strikes this amazing balance between holistic care, respect for the patient—undoubtedly from its roots in and continued commitment to the LGBT community and serving the LGBT community’s evolving needs (for example, cutting-edge AIDS prevention research that does not sex-shame to parental counseling for same-sex couples who wish to start a family)—and fantastic, straightforward medical care.

Fenway has a women’s health practice, and I love that I can go in and see a GP attuned to women’s health issues. I’ve NEVER had a bad experience at Fenway. Every GP I have seen has been extremely knowledgeable, kind, straightforward, smart, funny, and caring. Most if not all of the practitioners I have seen are committed to accessible, universal health care for all, and they seem to get, immediately, that physical symptoms do not exist in a vacuum: they see the human body and patient as a whole being whose physical, mental, and what-have-you lives are inexorably linked.

All of this talk about Fenway, which I plan to make one of my causes in 2011 (Oh, to be a philanthropist. I already have my causes picked out!), reminds me of a healthcare provider that has been just as significant to me, and is in deep shit right now.

Planned Parenthood.

Is. Amazing. Everything I just said about Fenway, Planned Parenthood has been doing for YEARS and all over the country, and in areas where progressive community health centers do not exist.

I don’t know how to discuss this without ranting, or having to slow down and write a research paper (I just don’t have the time), but this vitriol against women’s health, against our bodies, and against our sovereignty over our bodies, even OUTSIDE of the realm of childbearing, is just too much for me to handle, and it relates to how I feel about my body, my running, my health.

I’ve been SO lucky to have amazing, often female, healthcare providers, who GET the complexities of women’s health, and how health IS holistic, and how it’s nonsensically an EXTREME privilege in this country to have access to even SHITTY healthcare. I thank my lucky stars every time I go into the beautiful Fenway building (funded by private donors, grants, and the government!), and am able to see a fabulous doctor. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PRIVILEGE, a privilege of where I live, the fact that I have health insurance through my job, and that I was LUCKY enough to stumble upon Fenway as an alternative when I was 18. Just like it SHOULD NOT BE A PRIVILEGE for women of ALL AGES to be able to go to a healthcare provider for confidential, free (or extremely cheap) consult and care for women’s health issues, the exact services that Planned Parenthood provides.

I’m not intending for my running blog to be a political soapbox, but it’s just too important. I really wonder if any of the republicans who voted against ALL FUNDING for PP, for things like pre-natal care, general reproductive health (like routine pap smears), testing for men and women, and counseling in ALL methods of family planning, including the much-loved rhythm method by those opposed to other forms of contraceptives, have ever stepped FOOT in a Planned Parenthood. Or if their wives, daughters, female friends (do they have any?) ever stepped foot in a Planned Parenthood (I guess they would never tell them if they had.) They would probably be blown away (oh god, bad word choice) by the quality of care, attention to women, and how it’s just like any other health care clinic, not some scary Christian baby killing operation headed by evil commie fruity arugula-eating doctors.

Anyway, sign the damn petition:

https://secure.ppaction.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=pp_ppol_ws_I_Stand_with_PP&s_src=standwithppfeb2011_taf&JServSessionIdr004=puixq6m4l1.app210b

I’m done!

Ok, so back to my appointment, and why my Doctor is so awesome:

1. Sent me to the lab to get my Vitamin D levels tested and other random blood work done (medical approach), and also looked at my history of stomach issues from last year (aka THE PARASITE) and any medications, etc. that could be irritating me.
2. Referred me to a bunch of area counselors, with information on how to get free ‘crisis’ counseling, etc. to deal with the immense amount of stress I’m currently under (psychological approach).
3. Told me I need a vacation, and wrote a note to my employer. (She actually commanded that I take time off and wrote me a Dr.’s note, but I’m not sure if I really need to… I probably do, but you know…).
4. Recommended I take some Benadryl if I’m having trouble sleeping, and to just “knock yourself out” and get the rest I need.
5. Told me that I better not win the Boston Marathon, because then she’ll know I didn’t take her advice. I assured her that this was not a remote possibility. She countered with “at least stop comparing yourself to the other runners” Fair point, Doc!
6. Get a massage.
7. Referred me to an interesting anonymous group (no I do not have substance abuse issues) and a book related to it, because she thought the stories of the participants might help me understand the stress I’m going through.
8. ***TMI ALERT*** Censored for the sake of my family. (Steady Gentleman Caller LOVES my Doctor!)

Now that’s the holistic approach!

When I went to get some blood work done, the technician said “You can relax now, you know?” and I replied, “Oh, I don’t mind getting my blood drawn, I’m fine” she countered with “No, I can tell you don’t care about this. You’re just stressing all over the place, fidgeting, sitting there all straight, you need to chill out, girl!” Laughing, I said “Yeah, that’s what the Dr. just told me.”

So, uh, guess I’ve been a little high-strung lately?

Maybe it’s this batshit country we live in.

I’m off to make cocktails… found some HFCS-free Grenadine today!

Goals

1. Make it to the start

2. Make it to the finish

***BONUS GOAL***

3. Run the Boston Marathon in under 4:30 (remember, I’m a marathon virgin and a charity runner)

Apparel Flyer

Logs Forthcoming

I have nearly a week’s worth of a food log and I’m working on putting together my training log (ideal vs. actual) to post as well. The food log is a bit hilarious, i.e. “Played beer pong… drank a shitton of bad beer. Calories? Gajillion.”

This week got crazy real quick, but I’ve been somewhat productive: filed my taxes, planned a brief trip to Florida in March, kinda sorta got stuff done at work, rolled change and brought it to the bank (I’m an adult!), etc.

I had two pretty great runs this week: one, last night, with the team @ Marathon Sports. It was so pleasant outside! I’m loving this weather turn-around. The other night I did a speed workout and/or a tempo run (can someone please explain to me what a tempo run is in plain English?) on the dreadmill. I was definitely raging on the treadmill, grimacing and punching the air as I sprinted along to Girl Talk. I apologize to the poor girl next to me who was running at 4.5 mph and then slowing to a walk every couple minutes for my general cloud of anger (and yes, she was pissing me off). Sorry chick!