At-home Yoga Studio

Last week outside…

…and inside!

Week of January 20, 2014:

Monday: Afternoon walk (untimed)

Tuesday: Bike commute to campus

Wednesday: Another bike commute to campus

Thursday: Off

Friday: Evening yoga (Morning Flow #1)

Saturday: Afternoon walk + evening run.  For the run: 53 minutes total, 30 minutes of running.

Sunday: Afternoon walk around the neighborhood (untimed)

Total minutes walked/run: 53. Total estimated miles: 4.5.

Well, we had our annual snowfall in Texas last week—all half an inch of it.  Still, it’s been an unusually cold winter, even for us, and I admit that the cold weather has had a negative effect on my running motivation.  Tonight I managed to get out for a good run, about 4.5 miles through my neighborhoods, and I’m super proud of myself for that.  I almost, ALMOST talked myself out of it.  Nobody ever says, “I wish I hadn’t gone for that run,” and that’s a motto I’m keeping close at hand these days.

Check out my candlelit yoga studio up there!  It’s just the living room, with candles and Christmas lights providing soft illumination.  I’m trying to get back into a yoga habit, mostly because I miss it after not doing much yoga for many months.  Also, I love how yoga can kick my butt when I’ve been away from it for a while.  It’s a good butt-kicking, one that makes me eager for more.

PS  My new office mate says hello.

Link Love: Here & Now

{Like a Woman, Always Cold}

{Work, Play, Get It Done}

{Spring Forward & A Giveaway}

I’m a little late with this post, but that’s because I wrote to the lovely Jessica of Here & Now to get her permission to share a few photos!  She graciously wrote back and said yes (“as long as I look good”) to which I would reply that she always looks stunning on her blog.  What really caught my attention though is that she is going to teach high school biology, which I think is awesome.  It takes some serious courage to leave the research world to pursue other things—there is a lot of pressure to stay in research and not a lot of resources and encouragement for graduate students and PhDs to seek their fortunes elsewhere.  I have also spent a lot of time struggling to find the right “job fit” for me.  Even after I left what I thought would be my first and only postdoc position, I have taken two other research lab positions: a short second postdoc and now a lab manager position.  Thankfully, despite keeping a toehold in research, I have made the transition onto a new path, and I’m so, so happy to be tutoring science and writing students.  It is a great job.

So hurray for fresh starts and pretty clothes and science!  Onto the links!

* I love this entire outfit.  That gorgeous dress!  The cute sweater!  Fall colors!

* This dress is beautiful.  Apparently I love every dress made by this new-to-me company, Gentle Fawn.  Where have you been all my life, Gentle Fawn?!?

* Holy moly, there’s a difference between plaid and gingham!  I did not know this!  Apparently I am pattern blind.

* This wintertime outfit is perfection.  I’ve kinda given up on maxi-length anything because it’s not bike-able, but I can still admire.  Plus, Jess is wearing one of my favorite three-color combos here: black, purple, and grey.  So lovely!

* This look is great.  I love a lacy, pretty dress with a vest.  I am now the proud owner of two vests—a cardigan-style sweater vest and a neon-pink sporty vest from Brooks—and I am now plotting to wear them both with more dresses…and skirts + tops!  I gotta get on that.

* GAH, THAT DRESS!  I totally signed up for the waitlist in the event that eShakti starts carrying it again. 

* I am a big fan of shirtdresses, and this windowpane pattern is right up my alley.  I love how black and white outfits make it easy to switch different “accessory” colors in and out.

* Posh’mina wrap?!?  What a brilliant idea!  I think a wrap like this could be a staple for Texas winter and spring weather, where a light layer is wanted and needed.  And you can wear it like a scarf on colder days when you need more warmth.

The irony of writing this post is that a crumb of commonsense would tell me that I shouldn’t be shopping this month.  But the only crumbs I like are cookie crumbs.

Happy Sunday, my dears!

Still Catching Up…

I haven’t been taking many photos lately, so here’s a view of things from the archives a year ago…

Week of January 13, 2014:

Monday: Evening DIY yoga

Tuesday: Evening walk (untimed)

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Went for a run!  49 minutes total with 30 minutes of running

Friday: Afternoon bike ride with Paul and his roommate Matt

Saturday: Went for another run!  34 minute total with 21 minutes of running

Sunday: Went for an afternoon walk (untimed)

Total timed minutes spent walking/running: 83.  Total estimated miles: 7.2.

I’m still catching up on blogging over here.  Actually, I feel like I’m catching up on life, which is a funny thing to say because I’m not working full time right now.  But last week I was fighting a double-whammy on the health front: a cold plus a lot of period pain.  On top of that, I’m learning how to juggle two jobs.  I like my jobs, but the amount of information that I need to manage and remember is challenging.  I’m still figuring it out.

Plus: the internet.  Since I’ve been feeling stressed this week, I am turning to my favorite lazy comfort: reading blogs and looking at pretty pictures.  My latest find?  Here & Now, a new-to-me style blog written by Jessica, a biomedical research PhD student at Vanderbilt.  I’m super impressed with her blogging ambition, keeping up a near-daily posting habit on top of working the long hours that science grad students are expected to work.  I lack that ambition, which is why I have finally, finally switched paths to pursue something that it is a better fit for me.  But!  I can still admire other people’s work.  I like Jessica’s current goal of building a timeless wardrobe that will take her through graduate school and into life after the PhD.  I certainly did not have that foresight when I was in grad school.  But I was also perfectly happy to buy sweaters for $1 and jeans for $5 at thrift stores.  When those pieces wore out after several years of wear, I could look back fondly at all the days I spent in the lab, wearing those items.

It occurs to me right now, thinking about someone who is still working on her PhD versus me, that perhaps this year is a recalibration of ambition.  I’ve grown sort of used to describing myself as lazy because I’m just not motivated by what my old path (hard-core research) has to offer.  I believe that the business of doing academic science is broken and that things are getting worse for everyone, especially the youngest and most vulnerable members of our profession.  My recent experience in being laid off has solidified this viewpoint.  On the one hand, I’m angry and sad about the reality of what academic science has become, and I feel like I need to stop caring because it’s too painful for me.  On the other hand, I am really motivated to help the new tutoring students who are coming into my life.  It’s fair to say that once I start working with a student, I am willing to go the extra distance to help him or her as best I can.  I’m learning as I go, of course.  Best of all, the feeling of tutoring is wonderful: I am energized by it and eager to make it work.

This post has suddenly become very deep!  I need to wrap things up so I can get to work, but I think I’ll pop in tomorrow and share some of my favorite posts from Here & Now with you.  It will be fun to pick them out from the dozens I read in the last two days!

Happy Friday, my dears!  

Here We Go Again!

Week of January 6, 2014:

Monday: Evening yoga (oof, this was a good one)

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Morning run.  40 minutes total, 30 minutes of running.

Thursday: Off

Friday: To the bank on foot + early evening run.  66 minutes total, 30 minutes of running

Saturday: Short bike ride + evening walk

Sunday: LONG RUN!  65 minutes total, 55 minutes of running

Total minutes walked/ran: 171.  Total estimated miles: 15.2.

I swear, my cat does more than just sleep, but she does spend a lot of her time napping.  She’s so cute that I can’t help but grab the camera so that I can share her cuteness with the world.  Look at her pretty white belly!  Look at how she basks in a sunbeam!

Hurray for the first fitness post of 2014!  As usual, I’m behind in my blogging, but you must be used to that by now.  “Never on time, always cheerful”: that’s my motto.  So far, I’m doing well on my resolution to run 40 miles in January.  I’m ramping up my long runs in anticipation of the half-marathon on March, and I’m striving for three runs per week.  Last week was most successful in all ways, with about 11 miles of running spread out over three runs.  That’s a good running week for me.

I’m going to keep this short, because I’ve got work to do today, so for now, I’ll wish you a happy Sunday and a great start to the new week!

Until next time, sweet friends!

2014 Running Goals: Full Speed Ahead!

I’m still reveling in the fresh, clean feel of a new year!  How about you?  My 2014 has been wonderful so far: a memorable road trip to New Orleans, some much-needed slow time at home, perusing an inspiring cookbook, a slow ramp-up to new work in the new year—I feel restored and ready to go.  I’ve been doing a little running to start training for the Armadillo Dash half-marathon in March, and I’m excited to settle into a running rhythm. 

This year I have a big-picture idea of where I want to go with my fitness, so I decided to lay out some goals to give me a road map.  I only have one race on the calendar for 2014, but I’m hoping to run another marathon in 2015: Toronto! I had such a good experience running Detroit in 2013 that I’m coming back for more.  Friends, if Toronto intrigues you, drop me a line!  I think it would be amazing to have some of you there with me.  At this point, my friends JD, Josh, and perhaps Val(?) are interested in running Toronto with me.  Maybe I can even convince Paul to make the big trip north to spend time with me in that city.  That would be just lovely, methinks.

For now, let’s talk about goals!   

* Run 40 miles or more each month in January, February, and March.

I had set this as an aspirational goal in November and December but fell short.  Now’s the time to make it happen, especially with a half-marathon on the schedule in March!

* Run the Armadillo Dash half-marathon in March.

Self-explanatory.

* Bike commute to campus once a week, just for the love of biking!

I feel like I’ve fallen out of my biking habits, and I want to reconnect with my pedaling self.  I’ll be on campus 3-4 days a week this semester for work, so biking to and from campus is an easy way to get back in the habit.

* In the fall, build a solid running base in order to train for the Toronto Marathon in 2015.

My running book suggests that a solid base for marathon training is four 30-minute runs per week.  I’ve found that running four days a week is hard for me, but three days a week plus activity (walking, biking, yoga, etc.) is a good balance.  With that in mind, three 30-minute runs per week in the last two or three months of 2014 will be my goal.

I know that many of you have already posted your 2014 fitness goals, so I’ll ask you this: how are things going for you? I wish you the best of luck on your fitness journey!

Running Year in Review: 2013

 

{Winter * Spring * Summer* Fall}

What an incredible year of running it has been!  It’s been a wild, wonderful year in many ways, but tied for first place in “Best Experience of 2013” for me is running the Detroit Marathon.  (My other “Best Experience” is meeting Paul.  I think he’s okay with sharing the honor with the marathon…)

My two racing highlights of the year were the marathon and the Armadillo Dash half-marathon.  During both races, I was able to set new PRs, which is always gratifying.  Since the marathon was my first, of course I set a new PR but more significantly, I set a new Personal Distance Record.  What an amazing feeling when that happens!

I ran a third race in June with my friend JD, but we didn’t race it.  Running with JD every time I was in Michigan this year was a real treat.  I love that I can look forward to a good catch-up and solid run with him whenever I’m in the Mitten.

By far the biggest challenge and biggest reward of my running year was the marathon.  Training for a marathon in the midst of other life changes is both good and bad.  As JD pointed out, running regularly is a positive, uplifting experience.  It reinforces your self-confidence and reminds you that you can get stuff done.  It moves you forward, toward a tangible goal.  However, it can be hard to find a running rhythm during life changes, and I think that’s where I really struggled.  My focus was elsewhere: packing, traveling, [ahem] Pinterest….During the first half of marathon training, my goal was travel (SO MUCH TRAVEL!).  During the second half, I was focused on settling into my new job, which took a lot of my personal resources (time, energy, attention).  Marathon training often felt like a puzzle piece that just would not fit into the rest of my life.  It was frustrating and demoralizing.  But amazingly, I was able to run a great marathon.  I think we should always judge our race performances against our own criteria, not someone else’s.  A tiny part of me wondered if I could finish in under five hours.  I didn’t even want to listen to that voice because I feared being disappointed at the end of 26.2 miles.  When my watch told me, late in the race, that an under-five-hour finish was possible, I went for it.  How could I not?  Here was my chance to put everything I had into this race, and I’m so glad I did.  The feeling of triumph from that finish has lingered with me—it was a very sweet end to a long and bumpy road to the marathon.

Finally, it was such a pleasure to interview my friend Josh on his running journey from basement treadmill to Detroit Marathon.  We had a great time chatting about running, health, community, and the life-changing experience that is racing.  I’m tickled to see that this post is among the most viewed for the blog.

I think that I am very lucky to have an enduring relationship with running.  Even when my dedication is waning, I find I am still able to return to the sport and get something positive out of it.  My ability to run is deep within my body and my mind.  I’m happy that I had such a wonderful experience with my first marathon; it makes me eager to sign up for another one (but not until 2015!).  Much of 2013 seemed to center around testing my limits, both personal and professional.  I like to think that I ended the year in a more positive place in all ways.  I may have stumbled a lot over life’s potholes, but I found my footing and feel more confident that I am on the right trail now toward a path of health and happiness.

Onward and upward, friends!

Josh’s Story: “I Wanted It Too.” A Romance with Running, from Basement Treadmill to Detroit Marathon.

I’ve known Joshua James for a long time.  We attended Albion College together and shared a social circle.  We even dated briefly, which makes me smile now when I think back on “that one time I dated a musician.”  After college, we lost touch as we moved in different directions.  Today, Josh is a musician and music teacher, performing and teaching in the Detroit area.  He’s a self-made runner who ran his first marathon in October, the Detroit Marathon.  Josh finished in a super-speedy 4:02:58—smokin’ fast!  We reconnected via Facebook because of the marathon, and he was kind enough to do an interview with me about his newfound love for running.

Our interview is a long one, but I think Josh tells a great story.  So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, maybe some Christmas cookies, and settle in for a good read. 

Rose-Anne:  I'll start. What sparked your interest in running?

Josh: Well, here's how it REALLY started.  About two years ago I was in terrible shape, and I had some pretty bad health issues.  A combination of stress at my job (teaching) coupled with a musician's lifestyle (late night gigs, food runs at 3 AM, drinking until the sun came up) left me pushing 267 pounds with terrible blood pressure and a heart arrhythmia.

I had a treadmill in the basement (from the previous homeowner), and I forced myself to start getting on it every day.  When I started, I could barely do a 12-minute mile for 10 minutes...

Rose-Anne: Yikes!  Yes, musicians are kinda famous for the health hazards of their work.

Josh:  Indeed, we are terrible with our bodies…so as I started forcing myself to get on the treadmill, I started seeing some great results.  The weight was coming off (fast), and I was sleeping MUCH better at night.  I began eating healthier compared to musician standards.  I got down to 220 after about eight months, and I stayed there for a long while.

At this point my doctor noticed how, despite my [healthy] upswing, the previous years of "hard-livin" had taken a toll on my ticker, and I was placed on some pretty serious blood-pressure meds that I didn't like.  I had some bad reactions to [them].

Rose-Anne:  Ah, no!

Josh:  I realized at that point that if I truly took my health—mental as well as physical—that I could beat this thing without the meds.  (I HATE taking meds unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.)

Rose-Anne:  That must have been a powerful moment for you—that feeling of complete responsibility.  ABLE to respond to this challenge.

Josh:  Oh, for sure. Because of those positive side-effects [from running], I redoubled my efforts on exercise, added some mild meditation, and just began a general push towards "chilling out."

But again, Rose-Anne, I was still just running on a treadmill; I hadn't ever run outside, let alone with people, until late March of this year.

Rose-Anne:  Let’s back up a moment to the challenges of being a healthy musician when the default model is “work hard, play even harder.”  Was it easier to back off of drinking when you started exercising?

Josh:  Regarding the drinking, yes, exercise curbed it considerably.  I'm not dry by any means, but I find now I drink a lot less.  There was time I laid off of beer for eight months.  I really lost weight during that time.

Rose-Anne:  I'm not dry either!  I'm definitely an everything-in-moderation person.

Josh:  Me too, now.  It's taken me a long time to learn that lesson.

Rose-Anne:  But you have, and you did it by adding stuff first.

Josh:  For sure.

Rose-Anne:  Which is always interesting to me--the idea of changing habits by starting something good rather than cutting back on something that can be...well, too much.

Josh:  I decided one day to sign up for Cranbrook's "5k/10k Fun Run" in April.  [The experience was] exhilarating because it felt amazing.  (And it was a trail run, too.)  But I had only prepped for a 5K, and the stupid kids working the course sent me to the 10k path instead of the 5K split.  Those bastards!

Rose-Anne:  Haha!  They knew you were a marathoner-to-be!

Josh:  I never knew what my time was; I ran like 4.5 miles and left in frustration!!

Rose-Anne:  Oh, man!  That sucks!  That kinda sounds like my first cross-country race.  Except I got myself lost because I was so damn slow.  And dumb, apparently.

Josh:  But on my way home I realized how much fun I had, and that I actually could run outside, in races, with people.

Rose-Anne:  Did you feel at all nervous about running with people at the race?

Josh:  I was nervous as hell!  But I wanted to see what all these people could do, and if I could do it, too.

Now here comes the cool part.  So [my wife] Kat came across this post on Facebook of some mutual friends who were thinking of starting a Ferndale runners’ group.  They were calling all ages, all paces.  Kat felt I should maybe join them, at the very least for advice and some experience.

Rose-Anne:  What did you think?

Josh:  I did, and I realized I could actually "hang" at something athletic.  I immediately fell in love with it.  [And they] are now some of my best friends.

Rose-Anne:  Aw! That is awesome.  How was your first group run with them?

Josh:  My first run was similar to my Cranbrook fun run; I got lost along the way! But that's how I met my friend Brian, and we've been bosom buddies ever since. 

Rose-Anne:  It must have been so refreshing to leave the basement and find camaraderie in sneakers.

Josh:  Shit yeah!!!  Brian encouraged me to run my first 10-mile race.  That was a great experience...

Rose-Anne:  It's funny how we start running for the health benefits and we stay for something deeper.  Running involves too much pain and inconvenience to be worth it for one thing only.  So which race did you choose for the first ten-miler?  Crim?

Josh:  No, the Kona in Northville. That Hines Park hill was a bitch!!

Rose-Anne:  Oh, shit. Northville is a brutal place to run.

Josh:  So dig this...I had only run for 10 miles the week before, on my own, visiting Kat's mom in Florida.  THAT was brutal!  Brian practically peer-pressured me into signing up last minute for the Kona.  Humid as a rhino's...well, you know.

Rose-Anne:  Heh. Running friends are the worst…(and the best!)

Josh:  So on the Kona, I told Brian..."I'm just gonna ride your hip."  Brian and I helped each other out on that race.  He helped me, and I helped [him] get past those hills.

Rose-Anne:  Ah, so you're a hill runner!

Josh:  Hey, what can I say, I love self-abuse!

Rose-Anne: YES!  Your masochistic streak found a new outlet!

Josh:  When July came around, I decided to just go for the FREEP.

Rose-Anne:  Wow!

Josh:  That's it exactly!!!  A fellow music teacher/cellist friend of mine has run a ton of marathons in her life.  She is a very dear friend.

Rose-Anne:  So you had about three months of serious time to train for the marathon.

Josh:  Yes.

Rose-Anne:  And a good running base to support you.

Josh:  Yes, for sure, but it was more than that.  I remembered how she (my friend Jen) spoke of running...I remembered your experience with running...

Rose-Anne:  Romantically?

Josh:  I looked around and saw all of my friends [and their] relationship with running...Yes, it was and is a romantic view.  All these long-term relationships, and I wanted it, too!

Rose-Anne:  It really is.  "I want what they have!"  That is beautiful.

Josh:  Yes!!!!!

Rose-Anne:  It's a good metaphor, too.

Josh:  Here's the thing; now I'm hooked!

Rose-Anne:  That's the risk you run...

Josh:  It's like a drug!!!!

Rose-Anne:  Wearing ridiculous clothes, spending too much money on races...Getting up early to run?  WTF?!?

Josh:  Haha, yeah...

Rose-Anne:  We are ridiculous.

Josh:  I know, right!?  We surely are...but we're also a deep community!

Rose-Anne:  The highest of highs, the lowest of lows...

Josh:  Dig this…I was thinking a lot about the marathon yesterday...about everyone who's been training...you...me...[our friend] JD....my running crew...and everybody else...

Not one of us...I mean, if we're really into this...not one of us is ever competing against each other.  We are only ever competing ourselves.

Rose-Anne:  It's true.

Josh:  And all of us...the community of runners...is trying to help everyone else take that first step...and then the next one.

Rose-Anne:  I feel nothing but admiration for our community.  Running is HARD. Even after all these years, it's still hard for me.

Josh:  Rose-Anne, that is the one thing I love the most about running...the community.

Rose-Anne:  You're going to make me cry...Our community is incredible!

Josh:  I LOVE seeing all of the different people on races. And even just out and about in the neighborhood.  I love running past another runner, giving them a nod, and getting one in return.  It IS incredible.

Rose-Anne:  I love waxing romantically about running!  Hearing someone else do it is wonderful.  So tell me more about your marathon training.  How many days a week did you run?

Josh:  Four days a week.  I did the Higdon novice II schedule.  Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat.  [Check out Josh’s marathon schedule here.]

Rose-Anne:  Ah, awesome.  How did you feel the first time you ran more than 10 miles?

Josh:  Yeah...I felt amazing!!

Rose-Anne:  INVINCIBLE!

Josh:  I couldn't believe I could run that far!  Heck yeah!!!

Rose-Anne:  I know, right?  How well did your body respond to the increasing distances?  Any bumps along the way during training?  And how often were you running with your running group?  Did you have marathon training buddies?

Josh:  [My body] was doing okay.  At times I had some lower back pains.  But then my massage therapist hipped to running thumbs-up…that helped with the hips!  I ran with the group all during the summer...Mondays at 6 PM, and Wednesday and Friday mornings at 6 AM.

Rose-Anne:  My hips are my weak spot too.

Josh:  I even corralled my sister-in-law to run, too.  Thumbs-up will help a ton!!!  I was always on my own for long runs.

Rose-Anne:  Thumbs-up posture-wise?

Josh:  Everyone had their own thing.

Rose-Anne:  For alignment, maybe?

Josh:  Yes...it forces your arms to move like a locomotive engine.

Rose-Anne:  Ah!  Good form.  Did you like the solo long runs?

Josh:  At first no, but then yes!  I love coming up with new routes.  The old Albion [College] Midnight Runners gave me a great idea, too…cemetery runs.

Rose-Anne:  Gah, the idea of running at midnight right now strikes me as more insane than a marathon.  I am an old lady.

Josh:  I run down to Woodlawn Cemetery in the Palmer Woods neighborhood. Never past 7 PM, of course.  I'd get a shiv in the back if I ran at midnight down there!

Rose-Anne:  Yikes!

Josh:  I'm more of a morning runner.

Rose-Anne:  Less of a shiv-in-the-back runner?

Josh:  Uh, yes.

Rose-Anne:  Ha!   What was your most memorable training run during the marathon cycle?

Josh:  Most memorable...Kat and I were vacationing in Traverse City for my birthday in August.  I woke up super early and ran along the T.A.R.T. trail from Traverse City to Sutton's Bay.  Kat met me there and picked me up for breakfast.  15 miles.  That was a great morning.

Rose-Anne:  Oh, that sounds great.  A perfect morning.

Josh:  It was actually on my birthday, too. It was a great memory.  I drank some good beer later that day, too. 

Rose-Anne:  Aw!  What a way to celebrate.  Beer's good for recovery from long runs.  Right?  Refill those glycogen stores.  Okay, one last question: what was your favorite part about the Detroit Marathon?

Josh:  Oh boy...

Rose-Anne:  Obviously you had an amazing finish, but before that...

Josh:  Brian and his friend Jeni, the three of us, we're all trying to run a four-hour race.  So we're running together…and despite the fact that Jeni and I lost Brian behind us around 12 miles, and I lost Jeni behind me around mile 18, the three of us were constantly looking out for each other.  That was my favorite part.  Oh yeah, and crying like a toddler when I saw the finish line after I turned the corner.

Rose-Anne:  I do not blame you!  I almost cried too, but it was from the pain!

Josh:  I had no tears, of course, but you know what I mean.

Rose-Anne:  I do.  If I had started crying before the finish, I wouldn't have been ABLE to finish.  I'm so proud of you, Josh!  Your story is amazing and deeply inspiring.  I kinda want to go for a run right now...

Josh:  Rose-Anne, I 'm proud of you, too!!!!!

Rose-Anne:  Aw!  You are very sweet.

Josh:  I'm jonesing to get back into training mode again.

Rose-Anne:  Me, too. (But don't tell anyone!)  I struggled through my training this year.

Josh:  Toronto 2015 sounds great!

Rose-Anne:  Yes!  JD is PUMPED about Toronto.  If I plan to run it way in advance, I can probably make the scheduling happen.  So that's good.

Josh:  I saw the web traffic about that spill you had in Texas. Man, Kat and I were sending positive vibes your way.

Rose-Anne:  Yeah, that was freaky and terrible.  [You can read about that accident here.]

Josh:  But hey, chica, you beat its ass the moment you ran across the start line!!!

Rose-Anne:  The worst part of it?  Thinking I'd have to give up the marathon.  Because I wouldn't be able to train for it in the Texas heat/humidity.

Josh:  Just showing up is amazing.

Rose-Anne:  So I power-walked most of my "long runs."

Josh:  I'm glad you kept it going.

Rose-Anne:  And it worked!  I finished!  [You can read my marathon race report here.]

Josh:  You're a trooper training down there!!!  Geez louise!!!

Rose-Anne:  Aw! I just wanted to experience the marathon.  You know?

Josh:  I do indeed.

Rose-Anne:  Thank you so much [for the interview].  You are terrific.

Josh:  Thanks for asking. Let's keep in touch.

Rose-Anne:  Toronto 2015...get it tattooed somewhere

Josh:  I'll run if you do.

Rose-Anne:  Yes, awesome!

Josh:  Hahaha...I'll do it...

Rose-Anne:  And yes, let's keep in touch.

* * *

Remember how I said earlier that Josh is a self-made runner?  I’m not so sure about that after this interview.  In fact, after the marathon, he said to me, “Rose-Anne Meissner, it’s ALWAYS we.  If running a marathon has taught me anything, it's that one immutable fact.”

Maybe we take that first step by ourselves, tentative and hoping we’re taking a step toward changing our lives.  But if we’re lucky, we find our running communities, on-line and at races, around town and in runners’ groups.  Once you start feeling a connection with someone because hey, they run too! then you know you have made it.  You have become a runner.

Congratulations, Josh.  Not only did you smoke the Detroit Marathon, you are officially a runner.  I am so very proud of you.

(Toronto 2015!)

All photos courtesy of Josh James and his Facebook page.