My most recent posts to ecomii are at the top of the list.  Let me know what you think!

Develop Intuition Through Exercise July 14, 2010

Improve Your Performance with the Power of Suggestion June 15, 2010

Exercise as Meditation made it to Yahoo! News! Thank you to all of you that read the post and voted!

Exercise as Meditation picked up by Yahoo!Green. Vote for it! May 20, 2010

Exercise as Meditation: 5 Techniques for Success May 13, 2010

Meditation is all about the Breath May 7, 2010

5 Ways to Boost Performance with a Breathing Practice April 28, 2010

The Importance of a Breathing Practice April 22, 2010

Angela Ewari Biography

This process is associated with the new year, as a time to reflect on all aspects of life and focus on goals for the future. I am not a resolution person, after all, Be The Best You Can Be Today, has to do with being the best person you can be in this moment.  This new year holiday season, however, did set a tone for 2010.

After I ran the Nice-Cannes Marathon in France a couple of months ago (click to read about my experience) I had no desire to have any set goals for 2010.  I just wanted to run and find the joy in running again.  Training for a marathon is a huge commitment of time and I was happy to have more free time and relax.  Well, so  much for that!  I’ve recovered and time has erased the memories of the stress of getting in training runs around life’s commitments and I’m looking forward to new challenges and accomplishments.

I had a friend run the Pikes Peak Ascent last August and she was telling me I should do it but I was hesitant to commit.  Plus I like road running and I haven’t done any trail running.  And this isn’t just any trail run.  It is a half-marathon, 13.1 miles, with roughly 8000′ vertical climb. The organizers say you should plan on it taking the same amount of time it would take you to complete a road marathon. I live and train at 6000′ feet , a good base to start, but this is going to require different training strategies than I have previously used.  So I couldn’t commit – yet.

While at the summit of Pikes Peak in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates was inspired and a poem came to life in her mind - now known as America the Beautiful.

Everest as motivation for a runner

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day the Discovery Channel had the new season of Everest: Beyond the Limit.  I had watched the series the last time it was on and was so awed at what the body was put through. One of the ultimate tests for the body putting it at death’s doorsteps, the closest earthly entrance to heaven’s pearly gates at 29,028′.  This endeavor is living the definition of pushing the body to the ultimate physical, mental, emotional and spiritual limit.

I have been told twice over the last two months I should read, Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, written over 10 years ago about a fateful Mt. Everest expedition in May 1996.  A confluence of events made that year the deadliest in Everest expedition history. After discussing Everest at  a New Year’s Eve party my friend lent me her copy of the book and it took me less than 2 days to read. To use her words, it was captivating.  When I first started reading the book, I made the decision I was running the Pikes Peak Ascent.  Now the peak at 14,115′ is still 3500′ below Base Camp on Everest at 17,600′, but by the end of the book I was a little concerned about the commitment I had made.  A vertical climb of 8000′ is nothing to take lightly, but I know with proper training this is going to be a test beyond what I have experienced before.

Listen for your next inspiration

The important thing is I’m motivated again, and it feels really good.  It’s always important to pay attention, to listen and be alert, you never know where the next inspiration will come from. I would never have thought my inspiration would have come from Everest. I’m not a roughing-it-in-the-wilderness kind of gal, more of a guaranteed-hot-running-water type, and preferably inside a spa serving champagne.  I know this is an event I can’t slack on the training or I will feel the pain. I’m excited to step out of my comfort zone for the new challenge.

So take a moment and think about what would be a good challenge this year.  Yes it’s freezing outside, the snow is lingering, but it’s a great time to start putting in some easy miles and think about what you want to achieve this year. Set some new goals and find what will motivate you. Discover your new adventure for 2010.  A new decade, a new start. Go out and conquer your limits.

The Start - Nice Cote d'Azur. Perfect running weather, overcast skies and a slight breeze.

The 2^nd edition (as they say in France) of the Marathon des Alpes-Maritime, aka Nice-Cannes Marathon, aka French Riviera Marathon (www.marathon06.com) took place on November 8, 2009. The course starts in historic Nice, France with its picturesque coastline at the foot of the French Alps. The course runs along the Cote d’Azur, the mystical and romantic Mediterranean Coast, and finishes in Cannes at the steps of the Palais de Festivals, where the movie stars walk the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival.

The course runs through five villages before reaching the finish line in Cannes. As much as I fantasized about running along the blue coast and losing track of how much time I was actually on my feet running, I was glad for the change of scenery when we went inland. The architecture is a nice distraction, with a mix of modern apartment buildings, ancient forts, and colorful villages.

Pre-race jitters, don't look for port-a-potties, they don't exist. If you find a bush, use it. Men are lucky they can line up at the sea.

Coming from a land-locked state, I was mesmerized by the number and size of the yachts in all the marinas the course passes. Hitting the hills with its lush vegetation around mile 15 took us up for some amazing views. After several miles of these hills dotted with million dollar homes, cafes and cheering spectators yelling “Bravo, Madame and Monsieur, Allez” you see Cannes in the distance. “Finally, the finish line” crosses the mind, but it is deceptively farther than is perceived.

As runners our site is always on the finish line, even when training, and training is an event itself. There are setbacks and gains, highs and lows, excitement and dread. I felt some guilt for leaving my family behind and taking this trip by myself. As a family we shared the flu for two weeks instead of my training. Unfortunately, the flu came at the peak of my training, so I missed the two weeks of my highest mileage. I had the conflicting doubt and confidence that I could do this, and do it better this time around.

Entering Antibes

I set a comfortable pace and was surprised my pace was faster than any of my training runs. I was breathing easy and my legs felt light. I live and train at 6000 feet and the benefits of training at altitude were immediate while running at sea level. I was surprised at how quickly the miles slid by and I was on a goal-setting pace.

I passed mile 20, the final 10K. I was loose and running the hills strong. I was pumped. Then, what seemed like instantly, I got tight. I tried to consciously get my hips to stay loose and keep them coming around full circle. It was getting harder. The mental game set in and I made adjustments to keep my IT band from hurting. It works for now but I can feel my stride getting shorter.

Fort Carre' - built 1565

Apparently this effort is not only perceptible to me but to an English gentleman who comes up to me and strikes up a conversation.  He tells me he likes my shorts, their gorgeous, but having been in my own mental world for so long I have a hard time understanding his strong accent. He asks if I’m American, I say yes, and he says he figures with those shorts. It makes me laugh and brings me out of my fog and he becomes a much needed distraction. He is running his 85^th marathon and I’m guessing he’s seen many a runner struggling like I am and he becomes my guardian angel. He is gunning for the 100 marathon club; he is running his 25^th marathon of this year. He tells me he gets next weekend off, and it gives me some perspective. He drops back as we go through the water station and I pick up my pace again and regain my focus. But shortly afterward I am struggling. The pacer, with his flamboyant outfit and peppy attitude, passes me and I am deflated.

Cannes in the distance

My Englishman angel shows up again and tells me, “Bring it home, Angela, only 2K left.” He helps me set my pace again, which he can’t sustain and has to walk. I continue for him and I cross the finish line with a personal best by 10 minutes. Even with a bit of disappointment I didn’t reach my goal time, I am so thankful I still had a PR. I never see my angel again, but he gets my special thanks and best wishes that he achieves his goal of completing a hundred marathons.

As I’ve been writing this I’ve been watching one of the amazingly beautiful sunrises that Colorado can produce with the clouds hues of oranges and pinks set in an azure sky. I am happy to be home. This marathon was an experience of a lifetime, and I hope all of you reading this will push yourselves to also have such an experience in your lifetime, whatever your level of participation. The important thing is live the experience and take in all it has to offer.

Beaches of Cannes

Palais des Festivals - site of the Cannes Film Festival and the Finish Line

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