Another Day 1

This morning I re-started a C25k program. The first day was a 1 mile walk. I stretched it out to 2 miles because I had to baby strapped to my chest and we were going pretty slowly (18 min/mile). I loaded up the Zombies, RUN! C25k program at the same time so I could have something interesting to listen to.

The walk was nice. But it's so hard to keep starting over. This is the third time I've started the Zombies 5k program. I tried breaking into a jog last week, but was still to sloshy to run more than 1/2 block. Well, I guess there's nowhere to go but up!

Lie to Me

"I can't do interval training because if I stop to walk I won't be able to start running again."

The entire time I was training for that Marathon I kept thinking, "If I stop I won't start again." I practiced drinking water while running, taking on and off layers while running, not peeing for 4 hours... all on the assumption that slowing down or stopping would mean I had failed. 

God, that was such a mind f*ck. 

I'm learning so much going through this C25K program. The most important thing: take a break. You'll do much better after 60 seconds of catching your breath than if you try to gut out the next 25 minutes without it. 

A crazy man once told me to live like a wave crashes on the beach. Waves don't always swell- sometimes they recede. It's ok to recede. It'll make the swell that much sweeter. 

Grasshopper. 

Bad-assery

I might have stolen that word from somewhere. Regardless. It was 6 degrees on Friday with a -16 windchill. This is what I wore for a 35 minute run:

Top from left to right: Waterproof windbreaker. Fleece zip-up. Black face mask. Pink and white hat. Long underwear waffle shirt. Blue Under Armor base layer. Bra. Thin running gloves. Heavy running mittens.

Bottom: Dog (did not come with). Waterproof windproof pants. Thermal leggings. Shoes. RoadID. Socks.

I tried to take a picture of my frozen eyelashes and sheet of ice that covered the inside of every layer of clothing. But the camera wasn't cooperating and it all melted quickly.

Why have I started running again now that it's frigid and frozen in Chicago?? I don't know. I'm back after six weeks really slow, following the Zombies, RUN! 5k Plan. REALLY slow. But when it's time to run I really let loose and sprint. And sprinting in the winter, through the rain or snow, is more like playing. It's more like romping. More like fun.

I love stretching out my legs for the 30 second strides. I love it because I know I don't have to maintain it for long. I know I can slow down and walk when I get tired, and it doesn't reflect on me as a person. I am just playing. I don't have a race planned, a pace goal, a distance milestone or a demon to stare-down. This is a liberating type of running, despite not being able to 'put my arms down.'

Dim Sum

-or-

A post about a lot of little things.


Alrighty people. Go getcha selves a cupa tea. This one is gonna be a doozie.


First. Zombies. Several of the Zombie transmissions are recorded under the premis that the person talking has no idea if there's anyone listening. They're talking and letting their ideas out into the universe without knowing if they're being received. Sometimes I feel like that. I type words. I hit "Publish." And then.... I have no idea what happens after that. I know I've picked up a few readers from my activity on the Runner's World Facebook page... and it's possible my family might still have saved the link. But... I don't know. Echo... tap tap... is this thing on?

Second. Scoring a different game. Cancer was a big deal. I was 29. It was Melanoma- the deadliest form of skin cancer. I loved the sun. I actually had a tanning package at the time because it helped me ward off the winter blahs. With one punch-biopsy my life changed. No more sun. Gotta lose weight. Check ups every 3 months, then every 6 months for the next ten years. I wasn't going to take Cancer laying down. I "shut up and put my shoes on." Cancer changed my game, and I rose to meet the challenge.

Third. Acceptance. (Which I realize should have been the first step... but whatever.) The morning I was waiting on the phone call from the doctor about my current Cancer condition I had my game face on. I was ready. I wrote a manifesto about it. It was titled, "If it's Cancer..." The good news: it wasn't Cancer. The bad news... later that day I showed up to an appointment with a psychotherapist. This wasn't my first appointment. I was feeling pretty invincible after getting the good news. I felt great. By the end of our 50-minute hour I walked out of the office with a brand-new diagnosis: bipolar II.

I know, I know. I've heard it all in the last few weeks...
"Aren't all women bipolar?"
"Well, there's something wrong with everyone..."
"This sounds made-up."
"If that's what's wrong with you- I wonder what's wrong with me??"
"Yeah, I knew that. How did you not know that?"
"That's crap. The therapist's kids must need braces."

Regardless of what anyone in the world says, this disease kills 20% of the people who have it. And that number rises with several factors. And many of those factors apply to me. So I can't blow this off. I gotta do bipolar with the same gusto as I would have done Cancer. I can't ignore 20%.

What's the care-plan for bipolar II?
For now, we as a family, are choosing against pharmaceuticals. The therapist told us that this is NOT recommended. This is definitely a different path for this diagnosis. But we're ok with that. Stephan is a medical professional. We really trust our therapist. We're not going into this blindly. At the first sign of the Alternative Medicine failing we're getting back onto the med-train. But for now, this week, we're focusing on three things: Sleep, Eating, Exercise.

I'm supposed to write down how I'm doing in each of those three categories and bring it to my next session. Of course, this is ME we're talking about, so I've already created a 'tool' to measure how I'm doing using numerical values so I can compare them on a spreadsheet over the next few weeks.

So, there you go, Internet (or echo, or whatever). That's what's going on with Anna lately. It does make the, "Just be Anna" directive a little more complicated. "Anna" feels a little under construction at the moment. Stay tuned for updates.

Spreading like Herpes

So by now you guys know I'm addicted to Zombies, RUN! What you might not know is that I should really start getting a commission on this thing. A man came to do an estimate on replacing our windows and I talked so much about Zombies that he downloaded it to his phone before he even left.

With that guy, that makes 4 people in the last month I've pressured into playing the game. Do you play? Share your experience with me in the comments!!

Little Pieces of Paper

This is a spoiler blog post about Zombies, Run!

Dude!!!!! This is so much cooler than I expected it to be!!! So when you're running you "pick up" items like water bottles, USB keys, sports bras, etc. If you run too slow and a zombie catches up to you, you drop some of the supplies to distract them. Sometimes, you pick up really specialized things. "Artifacts" like an article from a newspaper. Or... A note from Netrophil.

Netrophil??

Netrophil.

The paper I picked up had an email address on it. I googled the address, found out it was part of the game, and then emailed them.

Dude. I got an email back. With more information about the game. These guys have websites set up, Twitter accounts, and email addresses. I can't WAIT to get to the bottom of this game- and the only way to do that is to RUN!!!

Copyright Infringement

So... I guess my Zombie-iPhone-game-is-a-government-training-program idea has already been done.

And it's been done well, my friends. Very well indeed.....

Chapter 1

While I was on a Zombie run this morning I passed an unmarked police car. The man inside was on a phone watching out the window. He was in plainclothes. He stared at me while he spoke into the phone.

Which leads me to this:


Zombies, Run! How an iPhone App Saved the World.

Chapter 1

We thought it was just a fun way to run. We thought it was helping our interval training. We thought it was just a game. We were wrong.... It was actually a sophisticated recruitment program for an apocalypse the government knew was coming. They had the Zombies, now all they needed was the antidote. With thousands of trained runners already up to date on the lingo, the missions, and the goals, all they needed to do was to activate a world of Runner 5's to connect the desolate outposts that had survived the initial outbreak.

Worlds Colliding

Zombie. Time. People. Zombies.

Do you have an iPhone? Or an Android phone? Yes? DOWNLOAD THIS APP. NOW!!!!

I thought that running to a story line would just be fun. This is more than fun. I don't want to give anything away if you're actually going to do this. But the first 30 minute Mission this morning got me emotionally involved in a story while I was running. This is way better than listening to Water for Elephants on long runs. And way WAY better than jumping over baby rattle snakes.

The voice actors are amazing. The timing of the information and story is perfect. They told me they were raising the gates to let me in and I literally ducked. There's something about the physiological position your brain is in while you're running that makes this story so truly believable. When they told me a female zombie was behind me, the Lizard Brain believed it. And I ran.

I ran so far away....

No no. I just mostly ran faster. And longer- because I didn't want to quit before I completed the mission. And I seriously can't wait to get out there again.

Summary: best $7.99 I've ever spent for my health.

Bi-Bi

Although I'm still convinced that this is NOT a cancer blog, I just wanted to share that I have yet another biopsy next week. This time, it's on my face. So here's hoping it's nothing too terrible.

Also, I got a new phone. Who cares? Me. And Nike+ GPS. And.....

More drum roll....

Even more.....

More still....

Zombies, that's who.