Live a Life less Ordinary: I Run For Series

We were surprised when my sister announced that they were having a baby. As a high school teacher who seemed to enjoy small children at a distance, she was the last person I expected to sign up for motherhood.  But sign up she did, and the baby preparations started at a whirlwind pace.

If you have ever been pregnant, the eighteen week ultrasound is well-known as a happy and exciting event. You find out if you’re having a boy or a girl, count the fingers, count the toes and put the blurry pictures on your fridge so everyone can admire your upcoming bundle of joy. This wasn’t so in my sister’s case. The ultrasound was halted when the tech mumbled something was wrong and disappeared. Shortly later, a doctor looked at the scan and gave a prognosis: Spina Bifida.

For those not familiar with Spina Bifida it is the most common birth defect with a worldwide incident report of about 1 in every 1000 births. There is no known cause or cure. In some cases a patient is not aware that anything is wrong until later in life. Spina Bifida is caused by a failure of the neural tube to close in the early stages of pregnancy, essentially a spinal cord injury. In Ellie’s case (and other severe cases), people are paralyzed to a certain degree, have related hydrocephalus (a condition more commonly known as “water on brain”, cerebrospinal fluid does not drain properly and requires a shunt to help the fluid drain), and what is known as the Chiari malformation of the cerebellum (or the hindbrain, the cerebellum is pulled down and looks more like a banana rather than a ball), as well as other medical concerns. 

Kids with disabilities were an unknown in our family and with every doctor telling us something different, we couldn’t fathom a future for her because there were too many variables. In the past three years of Ellie’s life she has had eight surgeries to correct life threatening problems with her shunted hydrocephalus. She has also had surgeries to correct the positioning of her feet. Another surgery to close the hole in her back where her spine protruded. She is paralyzed, wears braces on her legs and walks assisted by a walker. Her outlook is good, but the family joke is that Ellie is not allowed to get sick, any illness will result in a trip to the emergency room and that often leads to something much worse.

So I started running. I first started running to forget. To cloud my mind over with exhaustion and to push the “what if’s” out of my mind. To try to forget the hell that my sister and her husband were going through; a joyful experience suddenly changed into the most frightening thing in their lives. I ran through every airlift to the hospital, every ambulance ride, every MRI and CT scan. But running is a double edged sword: the more you run, the more you think, and what you often think about isn’t good. But there is a flip side, as the miles slip by you realize that any problem has a solution you just need to run a little further to find it.

So I run for Ellie and our new life less ordinary.

Ellie enjoying her first horse and carriage ride.

“Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me
Live a life less sedentary
Live a life evolutionary with me
Well I hate to be a bother,
But it's you and there's no other, I do believe;
You can call me naive but...
you know me very well (at least as far as I can tell
And I know what I need).

The day you came into my life
Well it took the bones of me, took the bones of
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me, shook the bones of me
Just in time to, catch a ride to,
Something great, so come along and we can leave today.

Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me
My face had said too much
Before our hands could even touch
To greet a 'hello'
(So much for going slow...)
So race along with me lets
fill ourselves with curiosity
search around and find
something different every time
look inside the day
one looks is all it really takes
to live and learn and grow, along every path we go.

The day you came into my life
Well it took the bones of me, took the bones of me
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me, shook the bones of me.
Just in time to, catch a ride to,
Something great, so come along and we can leave today.”

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey

Life Less Ordinary

Lyrics by Carbon Leaf

Ellie’s favorite song and mantra for Team Ellie

Ellie (center) with mom Patti (right) and me (left) at 2013 Walk and Roll

If you are interested in donating to Team Ellie at upcoming Spina Bifida Walk and Roll just let me know and I will send you information as it becomes available.

Best,

Cheryl

Updates to the Dirty Mother Runner Posts

The two posts for the trail series have been updated and are current as of today, May 28. Make sure you look at Shirts and Skirts: 2014 Dirty Mother Runner Summer Series and Dirty Mother Runner Summer Series 2014 *UPDATED INFORMATION*. 

If you have any questions please comment below or post on Facebook.

 

I Run For…

Another call for submissions to this blog.

We all run for a reason: our health, enjoyment of the outdoors, the challenge of a meeting a specific goal, being with friends or even for someone we care about. Since this blog is member focused, I am looking for posts about why you got started running or what motivates you to run. I know several of our members run for people who cannot run so I would also like to post about that.

Just email me the details along with some photos at keeperterrier@gmail.com and I will post them for you.

I run for Ellie (more coming on that soon),

Cheryl

Don't miss a post, make sure you subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the "Follow by Email" box on the right.

Race Reports Please

 

Me at the Mission Inn Run

As blog readership and membership to the Riverside Chapter of MRTT continues to grow, I would like to be able to highlight some of the races that our members have been attending. These posts will be a little different from what we are used to seeing on Facebook. Since Facebook highlights what happens in the moment or tends to be very brief, a blog post can be a little more comprehensive. We can talk about who event was raising funds for or even who won. If it was a small and well run race, your impressions might bring more people to the event, which is a good thing for everyone.

 

Sounds like something you want to do? Great!

 

Your humble blogger at Hometown Heroes

For your submission, I will need the following:

1.       Pictures. If you already posted them on Facebook,  just remind me and I can pull the pictures from there.

2.       Name of the event, date and city it took place in. This will help me look for a press release about the event so I can add a little more to the report.

3.       Most importantly, your experience. Be as detailed or as simple as you want.

So send any race reports you want to share and I will publish them for you. My email address is keeperterrier@gmail.com.

Saving my pennies for the next race,

Cheryl

Shirts, Skirts and Headbands: 2014 Dirty Mother Runner Summer Series

June 28: More updates just in! Look for the text in blue!

We have lots of cute shirts, a skirt and now Sweatheads headbands to pick from for the summer trail series and honestly, I can’t pick just one. Someone please hide my credit card!? Enough already!

How cute are the Sweatheads headbands with the Lily Bomb skirt?

Headband ordering and general information:
Michel at Sweatheads is offering headbands for our trail series with free shipping and a MRTT discount. The rainbow/Zebra print is $5 (usually $8) and the Run Dirty wide embroidered with your choice of color is $10 (usually $12). You can order directly through Michel. PayPal info is grllynch09@hotmail.com.

Shirts and skirts ordering and general information:
When you make your decision let Tyree know which one you want and send money via PayPal (select friends and family when making a payment) to calltyree@calltyree.com or contact Tyree at 760-912-1599 to make other arrangements. Watch for updates on Facebook and I will also try to get them posted on the blog.

 

Tech Shirts

Tech short sleeve shirts for $15 each. Also available in a lime green tech tank (picture coming soon). They’re different from last year’s shirts, they run a little big.

The first round of shirt orders are closed, but you can still order a shirt and have it later this summer. The second order will be placed July 1, so get your order in soon!

Heathered Bright Turquoise





Heathered Pink Raspberry

Everyday color shirts in a cotton/poly blend. They will also have the logo. These shirts will be available around the same time as the second run. Also $15.




Exclusive Lily Bomb Athletic Wear Skirt

This just in! News flash! An exclusive Lily Bomb skirt for only $15! The same style as her $25 Wonder Woman skirt, but at a discount just for this MRTT. I was told that the pink tech shirt goes really well with this but I can see just about any color shirt matching it. Make sure you check out her Etsy store https://www.etsy.com/shop/LilyBombAthleticWear for product reviews and other fun skirts.

 

Close-up of 2014 Logo

Any questions? Comment here or post them on Facebook.

Cheryl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Dirty Mother Runner Summer Series 2014 *UPDATED INFORMATION*

Sycamore Canyon, Riverside

AUGUST 8 UPDATES ARE IN BLUE!

Big thank you to Tyree for helping me complete this FAQ and catching my mistakes. Enjoy the new, improved and updated post.

Our 2^nd Annual Summer Series is coming. Love trails? Love running with friends? Not afraid to get dirty? Then this series is for you! With three runs to pick from, you can run just one, pick any two or run all three events to qualify for a special ‘Beast Mode’ pendant. Medals with swag can be reserved for $15 by sending funds via PayPal (select friends and family when making a payment) to calltyree@calltyree.com or contact Tyree at 760-912-1599 to make other arrangements. T-shirts will also be available for purchase, check back for more details.

So as requested by several members, here is what you need to know all in one place. Make sure to check the event pages on Facebook for last minute updates and changes. If you are not on the MRTT Facebook page, please ask to join because it really is a fantastic source for all of our club happenings.

 1.       When and where?

Event 1: July 12 at 6 am Harford Springs Reserve Park Gavilan Hills. The address is 21470 Gavilan Road, Perris. There is one port-o-potty at the entrance. Parking is free but space is limited, however there is additional parking across the street in the residential neighborhood.

 

Event 2: August 9 at 6 am Box Springs Mountain Regional Park, Moreno Valley. This is a two loop option. The first loop is for all levels and has beautiful views. Distance is approximately three miles, but we will get the actual distance for you soon. For those seeking something more challenging, we will have an additional loop. The regional park has a bathroom and picnic tables. To help maintain the park, they do suggest and appreciate parking donations. There is a payment box near the entrance.

 

Event 3: September 27 at 6 am Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park. We will be starting from Barton Entrance off of Alessandro. There are no bathrooms at this entrance but for a true trail experience there are plenty of “bushes” provided but there is a gas station nearby!

 

 

2.       Do I need to register?

Yes please. In order to provide adequate support we need to have a head count. To register simply join the event you wish to attend, preferably in the Riverside MRTT chapter’s Facebook page, but there are a few events also provided in some of our sister chapters.

 

3.       Is there a charge to run?

No the event is free but space is limited.

 

4.       Where can I buy the medals? SOLD OUT!

You can order them now and the price includes a swag bag. The preorder price is $15 and $18 at the event but supplies at the event are limited. You can send payment to Tyree at calltyree@calltyree.com via PayPal using the friends and family option, and specify that you like to “run dirty.” Or contact Tyree Lauritzen for other payment arrangements. The medal order needs to go in ASAP, so the $15 price is only good until June 1 and the price will increase to $18. Contact Tyree via Facebook or send her an email. As of today medal orders are closed. So if you haven't ordered yours yet, they are still available in limited quantities. After June 1 the prices will go up to $18. Along with your medal, there will be a goodie bag with some great surprises inside. Additional goodies will be available at run #2 and #3. So if you run all three, and purchase a medal you can get some really good swag. As of today PayPal orders for medals are closed, cash only at the event. MEDALS ARE SOLD OUT!

 

5.       Do I get a medal if I just run one of the events in the series? MEDALS ARE SOLD OUT

Yes! You only need to run one of the three events to qualify for a medal. We have a special 'Run Dirty' charm for those “BEAST” enough to run all three. Looks like we will be able to provide you with the Beast Mode pendant for FREE but you have to run all three events.  MEDALS ARE SOLD OUT!!!!

 

6.       Where can I buy shirts?

Shirts are now available! Cost is $15 and you will use the same payment system as the medals. The first round of shirt orders are closed, but you can still order a shirt and have it later this summer. The second order will be placed July 1, so get your order in soon!

 

7.       Will there be a swag bag or raffles?

Yes, raffles are in the works. Swag bags will be included with the purchase of a medal. We will have a raffle at each run with lots of great prizes: running shorts, tutus, R.U.N. Charms, headbands, gym memberships, etc. One ticket purchase comes with a goodie bag. Tickets are $1 each or six tickets for $5 and are available at the event. SWAG BAGS ARE SOLD OUT!

 

8.       I have something I would like to donate to the swag bag or a future raffle, whom do I contact?

 

       THANK YOU, yes! You can message Tyree or Cecilia via Facebook. Per MRTT National rules business advertising is not permitted on the main page except through Chapter events. If you want to get your business out there to our members there are a few ways you can do this: by donating items for our raffles and putting your business cards in swag bags; by donating samples in the swag bags with your business card; paying a $5 donation to be able to include your business card in our swag bags. You can also arrange to sell your items at the events. We are still accepting donations, so if you are interested please message Tyree.

 

9.       What should I expect at the run?

Expect everything from fire roads to technical single track. There will be hills and changing terrain so be prepared. Mostly expect to have a blast!

 

10.   Will there be water stops or snacks on the trail?

There will be water and refreshments available at the start and finish. Please bring a refillable water bottle for the trail. We will provide a drop spot to refill your containers on the trail. Don’t worry if you forget your water bottle, we will have some disposable water bottles available for you.

 

     11.    I love the medal! Can I “Run Dirty” as a virtual?

Yes! To receive a medal, please provide a photo of your trail run and either post it to the Riverside MRTT Facebook page or email it to Tyree. When you purchase the medal, please provide your mailing address with the following in the comments: “Run Dirty Virtual”. Note: Due to shipping costs, there will be no swag available for those running virtually and remember medal supplies are limited.

 

12.    Anything else???

There are unconfirmed rumors of brunch after the events. Yum brunch.

 

Hope this helps and I will update this post as more information comes available. If you see anything that needs to be corrected, just drop me a comment. 

Still wishing for better running weather,

Cheryl and Tyree

Music? Yeah I Got That

First a confession: I am addicted to my iPod when running or cycling. Leaving my little shuffle at home is almost like forgetting my shoes. But what are the rules for listening to music when you’re exercising? Is it rude to be jamming to your tunes while you’re running with a group of friends? What about on the trails when you’re supposed to be enjoying the sounds of nature? What about those nighttime solo runs when being distracted by music may not be safe? Races? Although I am not the Miss Manners of what to do or not to do while running, I am willing to take a shot.

Races will often have rules about running with headphones on so it is always a good idea to check in advance. I have never seen a race outright ban headphones, but it is always a good idea to leave one ear bud out so you can hear the officials. Besides, if you have your trusty noise canceling headphones in your ears, you’ll miss out on cheering crowds and talking to other runners. I try not to be too dependent on music; what happens if my battery dies or my shuffle locks up?

With training runs, headphones are optional but I often find that I need the distraction of music especially on long solo runs. When running solo, I only use one headphone. You need to be able to hear approaching cars, cyclists and other potential hazards BECAUSE YOU COULD DIE DIE DIE!!!! Ok just kidding about that, but when I try to pass you on my bike screaming “ON YOUR LEFT” and you don’t hear me…! When I train with friends, I leave the iPod at home or tucked away somewhere in my fuel belt because the miles pass more quickly when you are chatting away about important stuff. Here’s a thought: sometimes a faster or slower song can impact your cadence and therefore overall running speed! So maybe that pokey run last week wasn’t my fault…hmmm?

With smart phones getting more and more…ummm…smart, there is a wealth of apps that can provide you with some new tunes when your iPod playlist starts to feel stale. Pandora is one of my favorites, but I was reading a New York Times article that mentions a few apps that can provide playlists that match what you are doing on your run. Using your phone’s motion sensors, some of these apps can figure out how fast you are going and provide you with tunes that match your average cadence! RockMyRun and PaceDJ are a few of the apps out there. More information on these apps can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/technology/personaltech/while-on-a-run-apps-to-match-the-playlist-to-your-pace.html?_r=0.

Yesterday I was trail running (one headphone in) and another runner approached me blaring his music over his phone’s speakers. I find that as distracting and as tasteful as someone singing in a library. So just remember: be aware of your surroundings by using only one headphone, make sure you are enjoying and interacting with your running buddies and PLEASE don’t torture innocent people with your tunes. Lastly, consider just turning the music off every once and a while. Listen to your heart, feet hitting the pavement, enjoy the singing of birds and be glad of the chance to get lost in your thoughts and the quiet that we so rarely get these days.

Comments make me happy, so tell me what your favorite running songs are. Also, if you like/hate running with music and why.

Writing this with both ear buds in because the coffee shop is a noisy place,

Cheryl

Trail Running: Let’s Get DIRTY

With the start of the Dirty Mother Runners trail series looming ahead like the dog days of summer, it is time to think about how trail running differs from your average road run. Trail running, for me at least, is very rewarding and relaxing. Honestly, I would rather worry about a snake coming down the road than a car speeding past me any day. But if you are used to running on the roads, the trails are going to be an enjoyable learning experience.

1.       Shoes

Trail shoes are not necessary but very helpful. Unlike road shoes, trail shoes are designed to protect your toes from the hazards of rocks and give you more stability underfoot on uneven terrain. Trail shoes tend to be more “grippy” so you’ll have more confidence running up and down dirt hills…which brings us to…

2.       Hills!

We live in a great area for trail running but gosh, is anything flat out here? The best way to conquer a hill going up is to lean into the hill and shorten your stride taking quick steps. Going down, I was taught to skip sideways. Remember the more hills you run, the better you’ll get at them.

3.       Hydration

Bringing water in some sort of a belt or backpack is a must when running in Southern California but more so on trails because there is little shade and no friendly garden hoses for a quick drink. There are many options on the market so find something that will work for you. I personally use the same hydration belt that I use for road running. Figure at least 12 -20 oz. of water for every hour spent running.

4.       Clothes

I overheard someone saying that you can always spot a trail runner in a group of road runners. The trail runners look homeless. That being said, you’re going to get dirty on the trail so don’t bring your brand new running skirt and expect it to stay clean. Solomon offers a line of clothes designed for trail running but I just bring out my old stuff. If I fall down, or something gets snagged and torn on a branch I won’t be too upset.

5.       Safety

I am an idiot, I enjoy the quiet of the trails and being lost inside my own head, so I often trail run by myself. Not a good idea and I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone. Make sure you bring a friend (even if they are faster or slower, then you at least know someone is there) or tell a friend where you are running and when you expect to be done. Carry pepper spray and your phone, but don’t rely on your phone because coverage can get spotty. Expect to get lost if you are in an unfamiliar area so plan accordingly. Sometimes it is helpful to study maps online or talk to other runners who have been there run that. One headphone in one ear or none at all. Be aware of your surroundings. All common sense stuff but when you are having fun, common sense (at least in my case) is the first to go.

6.       Respect the area, pack it in and pack it out

Another no brainer, but leave no trace. Keep the trails nice for this girl and future kiddos.

Box Springs Mountain Park, Riverside CA

There are tons of places to trail run in Riverside. Some of my favorite places are: Sycamore Canyon, March Air Force Base Bunker Trail, Two Trees and the Gage Canal (not really a trail but it is dirt). With the Dirty Mother Trail series coming up you’ll have an opportunity to discover more places to run with your MRTT friends. See our Facebook page for more information on the Trail series.

Got something to add? Don’t agree with something I said? Add to the conversation by leaving a comment, just play nice.

See you on the trail,

Cheryl