Heart of a Marathoner

I'm absolutely fascinated by the stories my friend Glenda shares. She's so fun to get to know. Especially around mile 6 when she starts to really open up! Yesterday, she shared with me that her resting heart rate was 48. When the nurse said "I need to check that again," Glenda of course asked why? The nurse's response was that a resting heart rate that low indicated she had the heart of a marathoner. Glenda proudly told her, "well, I am in training for a marathon."

I am so proud that other people recognize the heart of a marathoner!

(p.s. I tested my resting heart rate and it's just over 60. I blame the caffeine that I am addicted to.)

On the medical side, a marathoner's heart has a slower resting heart rate because 1-- the arteries are less clogged so it doesn't have to pump as hard and fast to get blood flowing and 2-- the heart is stronger, pushing through a greater volume at each squeeze, making it more efficient at pushing oxygen fresh blood through the cardiovascular system, and thus, slower. The marathoner's heart is stronger and less stressed.

But in non-medical-technical terms, what does it mean to have the heart of a marathoner?

I know many of us crazy running chicks may not be marathoners.

But the truth is, we probably have hearts for endurance whether or not we acknowledge it.

We wake up running-- running kids to school, running errands, running the office, running the household, cooking, cleaning, listening, encouraging, giving, laundering, baking, more cleaning, chauferring, loving... We are in it, for the long haul, day after day.

And when the heart gets stronger it gets less stressed.

I don't know about you, but somedays I don't know about that "less stressed" part. In fact, some days I'm holding on with everything I've got looking forward to some down time. That's when it's time-- passed time-- to listen to my heart and SLOW DOWN.

I had the opportunity to go to Medora to cook for a retreat this weekend, a crafting retreat of about 20 ladies, plus myself and the director. On Sunday, as I was making brunch for 20, I was asked if I was going to relax after working so hard all weekend. I smiled and said that it was my long run day, so I was headed out for 13 miles, followed by a birthday party, followed by pancake supper at my church. The person just said "wow, you're busy."

Yes, I am. But you will never hear me complain  about it.

A few years ago, I was sitting with two other women on a planning committee. Admittedly, I wasn't fond of these other two women. And we had to spend the first 15 minutes of our meeting chatting about how overly busy and stressed they were, each seeking sympathy and empathy. And as I sat there listening to their kids' hockey schedules, dance schedules, swim team schedules, not to mention finding the time to pack for vacation-- all I could think of was how ungrateful they seemed.

Which is why I don't complain about being busy. If God has chosen to fill my life with abundance and opportunity and adventures, who am I to complain about it? I am grateful for every little thing that comes our way!

And do I still take time to go train for a marathon in the middle of it? Yep. Yes, I was exhausted this weekend after long hours in a hot kitchen. But God has given me a strong, healthy body to endure working in His ministries and still go run outside, enjoying the beautiful world around me! Ironically, the long run was my slow-down time.

I know it seems like life is too hectic sometimes. I know I would rather stay home than go to the grocery stores. I know my legs feel weak some days and I would rather veg out in front of the tv than lace up my shoes again. But my heart IS strong. And my heart IS trained for endurance. And I can push myself just a little more, just enough to open it up to love and abundance again. Just enough to strengthen it just a little more, so that it's less stressed when I'm resting.

I know you have a heart for endurance too. I know whatever piles up in your day, in your path, you can conquer it, one step at a time. I know, whether or not you admit it, you have the heart of a marathoner too.

Happy Heart, Happy Running! ~Jen

the end of the holidays-- the start of your running goals!

It's that day-- the second of January-- where you feel the blues from putting away all of the sparkly Christmas magic and you felt super motivated yesterday because it was the start of a brand new year and everyone's Facebook status was all mushy and inspiring-- but today, you're just back to your normal existence, trying to decide between doing something about those New Year's Resolutions or just having  Eloise/Twilight movie marathons.

(Just GUESS which one I'm doing at my house RIGHT NOW!)

Or maybe you're back at work wishing you had just a little leftover spiked eggnog.

Whatever it is, lemme say that since you're getting back to normal, it's time for a new normal-- start making those resolutions/goals part of your everyday focus!

So just a quick little plug or two:

Fargo Marathon!! May 19th!!! No lie, we have highs in the 50s this week. In January. In North Dakota. What global warming?? The winds are a little discouraging but the training weather has been just lovely! Becky, Glenda, Kathy, and I are all looking forward to the Fargo Marathon, and a little worried that our winter, on delay it seems, might make for an interesting marathon. We'll see! But it's on the books. The Fargo Marathon is ranked as one of the top 10 Marathons in the US for crowd support, clean city, value for the money. I participated in it last year as part of a relay team and it was a pretty good marathon. I didn't like the running round and round through neighborhoods but I did think it was pretty neat that we saw familiar faces all along the route.

Missoula Marathon-- thinking about this one. 3300 feet elevation, though. We'll see.

Estes Park Marathon-- this is on Becky's list. She said she's "racing" the Fargo Marathon and just "enjoying" the EP marathon. Small marathon and the elevation on this one will be tricky but I can't wait to see her pictures, should be BEAUTIFUL!

Couch to 5K program-- if you are thinking about starting to run, in any capacity, this is a free program I recommend to EVERYONE because everyone who has used it loved it!

Rock my Run-- if you love music to run to, they have something for everyone. I've been into the DubStep mixes, check them out. I've found myself going through an entire 50 minute playlist and not even realizing it was 50 minutes already!

And if you are starting to run, let me tell you what every runner knows: the first step out the door is the hardest. Even for those of us who absolutely love it. And after that, the first mile is the next hardest. It takes a while for your body to reach homeostasis-- that balance between the oxygen required and the oxygen you're getting-- so that awful huffing and puffing and chugging you're doing? totally normal. Stick with it. You can do this.

Happy New Year everyone, make it a great one!
~Jen