Mondauk to Marathon

Mondauk to Marathon:
Because I am an athlete, specifically a runner, people tend to assume that I have always been active. In my case, this could not be further from the truth. It wasn’t until I got some disappointing news from my doctor at the ripe age of 26 that I had high cholesterol and I needed to change my habits. Which meant, no more trips to Mickey D’s for the 2 for 1 special on Big Macs, cut down on the sweets and that investing in a gym membership wasn’t such a bad idea. I honestly had no interest in doing any of these things but I knew I should. At the time I happened to be dating someone who cared about health and fitness. He also seemed to care about mine as well because he finally said to me one day, "When are you going actually join a gym instead of just talking about it?"
Darn!!! Nothing being called on the carpet by someone you’re trying to impress in the first place…why don’t ya just add another layer of pressure! Coupled with an eye roll, I joined a local gym.
One of my girlfriends was a weightlifter so she let me borrow some books that helped get her into this fitness nonsense…errr….I mean, business! Fitness business!
As time moved on, I continued to weight train, and took cardio classes at the gym and I saw results. I was much stronger than I ever thought possible and more importantly my cholesterol numbers really improved. I even had a group that I ‘lifted’ with at the gym but I wanted to find a way to burn more fat. So I decided to start running. Mondauk Park was near my workplace that had a dirt running track around it. It was a mile long and had ¼ mile markers. So wearing my cute Nike workout outfit and my CD player in hand, I took off….for about 1/8^{th of a mile. I wish I was kidding but I’m not. I was sucking air so hard people were staring and my entire body hurt and felt like it was burning! Quite honestly, nothing was more painful than this.}
I don’t remember how long I ran that day or if I even finished that mile. I do know that I kept at it, 2-3 times a week I went to that park till I could complete a mile. Pretty soon, I was up to 3 miles. I also spent time running through Wissahickon Valley Park which had ½ mile markers. I finally got up to 6 miles at Wissahickon! I almost threw a party!! After that, I never really looked back. I did get together with some gym members and we ran together on Thursdays and held each other accountable to running (hills) each week and sometimes on the weekend. We also worked out together during week and took cardio kickboxing classes together.
I entered my first race in April 2005, the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in Washington D.C. A co-worker that was an experienced marathoner offered to create a training plan and let me pick his brain. I spent two months training for this race and got ‘lucky’ enough to experience some of the crappy D.C. weather ever. Wind that would blow rain sideways as we’d run over the bridges. It was a tough 10 miles but after I crossed that finish line in less than 90 minutes (which was my goal) I felt like I could conquer the world! After this experience, I was hooked on running races. I signed up for the Virginia Beach Rock n’ Roll ½ Marathon and the Philadelphia Distance Classic (also a half marathon 2 weeks later). Both were fairly successful by reaching my goal and running them under 2 hours. Next up, the wicked Marathon Distance!!
July 9, 2006, I pinned my bib on; No. 547 and stood at the start line of the Seafair Marathon in Bellevue, Washington. My family had mapped out meeting places where they would have GU, Aleve, a wet towel and water on hand for me; along with a camera and a video camera. (My family included, Mom, Dad #1, Dad #2, Aunt Dana, Friends - Shelley and Alan, later to join was my sister & nephew) My ‘coach’ had continued to support me through the half marathons and created a plan for me to train for this full marathon.
I was pretty nervous at the start line. How was I going to accomplish a full 26.2 mile race? Seriously! Sure, my training went extremely well for a first timer and I had followed all the rules that ‘coach’ had set out for me but how the next four hours were going to go was a complete mystery. The gun went off and thank goodness my mother was there to distract me with a video camera and loud voice screaming "Go Tara!" I acted excited and immediately began the self talk: ‘I have a long distance to go. Start out slow.’
Well, I had no choice but to start out slow because the first 9 miles were up hill!! OMG!! I became the little engine that could working my Big Mac Butt up the hills. I met my parents shortly after the 9 mile marker. Of course, this had to be in front of a McDonald’s! For the first time in my life, I did not want to be anywhere near that place. Puke o rama! I got my stuff and got outta there!
The next time I saw them was just before mile 13; almost the half way mark which of course, was a the top of a hill. Oh goody, goody gum drops! Gum drops? Yuck again!
About mile 20, also at the top of another hill, I saw my mom and aunt waving and cheering and I couldn’t help but smile! My dad told me that after that spot it was downhill till the end. Well, he was wrong because Shelley met me at mile 21 and she was also perched at the top of a frickin’ hill!!! I said a short ‘hey’ and continued on. After this point, so many people that had been running about my pace were starting to die. While I can’t lie and say I was bursting with energy, I wasn’t necessarily struggling either; not like they were. With each runner that dropped off I felt stronger. At 25, I was getting pretty stinkin’ tired! My childhood friend, Alan, joined me and had grabbed a sports drink for me and began jogging next to me. He said to me, "Ok, Tara, I’m going to run with you for a bit."
"K." (That’s all I had. As a side note, Alan was wearing khaki shorts, flip flops and carrying a travel coffee cup.)
A full mile passed and I saw a hill in front of me and I was like "Do I have to run up that?"
"Yeah, I think you do."
"Uuuggghhh."
Before I knew it, I was at the top of that hill and Alan dropped off saying, "This is it Tara! Go get ‘em!"
I was in the last moments of the marathon and the crowd totally re-energized me! I barreled through that finish line like a wrecking ball. 4:08 finish time! What made the moment sweeter was my sister crying handing me roses and my nephew grinning from ear to ear so proud of Aunt Tara!!
Less than 5 years later, I’ve put a few more marathons and several shorter distances under my belt. I also coach kids and adults. I feel that if I can pass on my experience and knowledge to others that maybe their world will change just like mine did: for the better. I am closer to my family, friends and more importantly, myself.
See, we all have to start somewhere and it doesn't happen overnight! So quit thinking you can't or won't be good at something you've always wanted to do. Because you can't spend the rest of your life wondering if you'll be a good runner, swimmer, snowboarder, etc. WHATEVER!!! Get out there - Live life, Be brave!

Live Life: Joyful Tenacity

Live Life: Joyful Tenacity: "Joyful TenacityOne of my greatest passions in life is kids. They are so full of life and fearless, for me, it's hard not to be motivated by ..."

Joyful Tenacity

Joyful Tenacity

One of my greatest passions in life is kids. They are so full of life and fearless, for me, it's hard not to be motivated by their energy. For the past four years, I've had the opportunity to coach kids at the club level for Cross Country and a couple of seasons of Track. With their ages ranging from 7 -1 4, I've seen many different maturity levels and personalities but they all seem to hold a desire to work hard and to work together.

At the beginning of practice, the kids show up eager to play and see their friends. They chit chat, goof off and tease each other through the dynamics and stretching sections of the workout. However, when it's time to run, the gloves come off! They are all business. The chit chat ends and the conversation becomes about “splits” or their fastest 5K time. They put every ounce of their heart and soul into each step. Their little faces turn red and sweat pours from them and soaks their clothes. They just push harder and harder.

When they toe the line at a meet, they bring a level of determination that it is tough to match at a Master’s race. They race like it is the first and last race they’ll ever participate in! A lot of times they cross the finish line exhausted, beat up and sometimes crumpled on the ground or bent over puking! They know they’ve executed everything they practiced; pace, technique, and strategy. They have given every last fiber of their being into that one race.

This is why I admire them; I’m motivated by their strength, their fearless attitudes and their dedication to the goal. I am continuously inspired and amazed by their excitement for living! Without even knowing it, they set the example of how we (adults) should be living life. We should meet life with the same fearless focus. Whatever our goal, occupation or passion is we need to apply the same determination that kids do. The odd thing is that we always hear “that adults need to set the example for their kids.” While I agree with this wholeheartedly, I tend to learn from their example more often. Whenever I train for a race or lace on a timing chip, I am reminded of the love and passion they have for racing and for life and it always reminds me to push harder and love it all at the same time!

The truth is I think we all have something to learn from kids. I think we can learn how to be joyful, fearless and tenacious. So the next time you’re in the presence of children, see what you can learn from their excitement and joy for life!

Share with me your inspiration for life or how a child has transformed your view on life! And of course, I’m always open to hear your feedback!

“Life is so much better when you live it!”

-Tara

Live Life: "Life is so much better when you live it!" -Tara P...

Live Life: "Life is so much better when you live it!" -Tara P...: "As New Year's approached this year, I was craving doing something very different than years past. Typically, I spend NYE with my family, eat..."

"Life is so much better when you live it!" -Tara Peterson

As New Year's approached this year, I was craving doing something very different than years past. Typically, I spend NYE with my family, eating a big meal and playing games which I love to do and it's always a riot but this year I was restless. I wanted to play!

A couple of weeks back, I was invited by a friend to go snowboarding for a beginner's day on the slopes. Too bad for everyone else, I was the only one that showed up! So patiently, my friend spent the day teaching me how to go down a mountain w/ my two feet strapped to a board. I had been snowboarding many years back but never got good at it so I gave up. I was already a little better than I remembered, I didn't get as tired as I used to and I was having way more fun! However, I knew I was going to have to stick with it to play with the big kids some day.

When the invite came to go to Steven's Pass for New Year's, I was so in! Most of my evening was spent on the kids’ slope avoiding small children and other beginners. With each run, I got a little braver. The other challenge I faced was the chair lift. Being the chicken I was, this was my biggest fear because I knew that if, I mean, when I fell, there was a good chance another skier or snowboarder would railroad me when they got off the lift. I had one successful chair lift exit out of four but with each face plant, I got faster at getting back on my feet, into the binding and heading down the slope!

In addition to night snowboarding, the plan was to snowshoe up a mountain, as far as we could before midnight, then ring in the new year on the mountain. The climb was pretty steep in places and the 'ring leader' decided that the best way to get down some of these tougher spots was to sit on your butt and slide down. So he went first and the rest of us followed, including his mom who turned 58 on New Year's Eve! Admittedly, I was a bit scared but I am so glad I did it anyway because as soon as I started sliding I instantly felt like a kid again! This was so much fun!

I didn’t start this blog to share my awesome snowboarding skills or butt sliding techniques. I started it because I want to encourage others to push themselves to actually “live” life, be brave and do new things. Whether you end up liking it or not, do it anyway. How else will you know? So far, any time I’ve challenged myself to do something new, weight training, running, hiking, writing, coaching, meeting new people, snowboarding, butt sliding, etc. I have never regretted it! My only regret is that I missed the first two and half decades of my life not living.  

While I intend to keep doing new things to challenge myself I also want to share these experiences with everyone else. So, as much as I am able, I will write about my experiences which could be anything from a daily workout, experiences with my dog, training for a race, life lessons or new recipes. I also want to hear from you, the reader. Tell me about your adventures, your strengths and struggles. Give me your feedback on this blog or ideas you have for me! (I ask that you keep the language clean and appropriate.)

I’m learning that life is constantly presenting us with new opportunities, big and small. It’s up to each individual to decide how they want to handle those opportunities. As I mentioned before, I’ve never regretted doing something new but it took me a long time (maybe too long) to get to a place where I felt comfortable attacking new adventures. And maybe I’m still not totally there but I’m so on my way! My hope is that others will be encouraged to get off their 'youknowwhat' and go LIVE! Ready, set...GO!!