Kristy Maute

Staying Afloat

In less than two weeks, I’ll be lining up to run the Shamrock Half-Marathon. I wasn’t sure if this race was even a reality a few weeks ago. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a quality long run. In fact, my last double-digit run was at the Surfin Santa 10-miler the first weekend in December. The weeks after that race lead me to drop down to the half marathon from the full marathon. They also lead me to an ankle injury.

*******

I’m really good at sinking the ship. My husband has told me this more times than I can count. In arguments, when our ship is starting to take on water, I don’t bail water. I add water to the boat. The ship is going down, and I speed up the process. This bad habit has followed me my whole life.

*******

When I ran the Richmond marathon in November, my ship started to take on water at mile 10. I threw up. For the first time (maybe ever), I didn’t sink the ship. I collected myself, I started running again, and I moved on to Plan B. And then plan C, D and E. After I got sick each time, I just kept moving forward. I bailed water!

The same thing happened at the Surfin Santa 10-miler. The miles on the boardwalk in the wind left me flat. When I got off the boardwalk with two more miles to run, I collected myself and kept going. I bailed water again.

When I reflected on both of these races, this lesson missed me. I never saw either race from this perception until I had a conversation with Jerry from J&A Racing. He casually pointed out that I stayed mentally engaged when I could have given up.

I came home that night happy to tell my husband that I was learning to bail water.

*******

In January I started running with Coach Ryan Carroll. When my ankle injury happened, he constantly reminded me to keep moving. Injuries, while annoying and a blow to my cardiovascular endurance, can be a great opportunity to find strength in other aspects of life. Ryan got me back on my bike, something that hasn’t happened in three years. In every conversation we’ve had, he’s reminded me to keep moving. He’s reminded me to bail water.

After easing back into training, this Saturday was my first long run where I planned on testing my legs. The outcome was far better than I expected: 10 miles at a 9:23 pace. All that’s left now is to show up on race day and run what my coach tells me to run. This race isn’t a goal race. It’s a starting point for 2014. While I have some time goals in mind, my mission on race day is to keep my ship afloat.

*******

I would never wish for an injury, but this injury delivered so many gifts. I took away all my excuses to not bike. It has given me permission to run shamrock free of self-imposed expectations. It’s showed me that maybe, just maybe, bailing water is now my approach to life.

This ship isn’t sinking! Hand me a bucket. I finally know how to bail water!

Soup-er Sunday: Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

disclaimer: I made this Friday night, and plan on enjoying the leftovers tonight.

If there is one thing I am learning about soup, it is that it is hard to mess up. Add some veggies, add some chicken, and its almost always good. When I found this recipe, I was intrigued. I did some modifying to meet my food preferences, and found another soup favorite for my family.

Chet wasn’t interested in it, but Cole and Christian have voted it to be their new favorite.

Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

1 1/4 chicken tenderloins (I used chicken breasts)

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil (I used coconut oil)

green, red, and yellow peppers, chopped

zucchini, chopped

1 cup Portobello mushrooms, chopped (I omitted)

1/3 cup chopped red onion (I used yellow)

1/3 cup chopped prosciutto (I omitted)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans chicken broth

1 can Italian diced tomatoes

3/4 cup kidney beans (I used 1 can)

1/2 cup frozen peas

3 tbsp tomato paste (I used 1 small can)

1 package potato gnocchi, 16 ozs

shredded Asiago

chopped fresh basil

1. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, salt, and pepper. In dutch oven cook chicken in oil (I pre cooked in slow cooker and shredded)

2. Cook veggies

3. Add prosciutto, cook for one minute

4. Add broth, tomatoes, beans, peas, tomato paste, and chicken. Cook for 20 mins

5. Cook gnocchi separately and add to soup

6. Top with cheese and basil

Enjoy!

Breathing Room, February Edition

February always feels like of month of settling to me. I’ve recovered from the holidays. We have some breathing room (pun not intended) between Chet’s birthday and the marathon birthday cycle that comes with spring. Our family patterns always seem to settle in to place in February.

This February, with my focus on bringing breathing room back into my life, I’m noticing wonderful changes. As I eliminate clutter and unnecessary commitments, I’ve made room for things I value: my marriage, my kids and friendship. Laughter and smiles are filling up the space that was once cluttered.

Date nights, time with friends, running and biking are the high lights from this month.

More love, more laughs, more breathing.

(And running out of ice cream which created a great laugh when my husband delivered the bite that was left.)

Trapped in a Moment

Over a decade ago my life consisted of college classes and work. Determined to graduate in five years after slacking off for the first three, my school schedule was packed. I also worked a lot. One of my jobs in college was at Nordstrom. In a rush from work to class, I made a mad dash past the children’s section of Nordstrom. As I rushed past one of the mirrored columns, I caught a glimpse of myself. I saw a pretty girl with long legs and long arms. I saw a girl who looked happy with a messy pony tail and all black clothes. “She’s pretty,” I thought to myself. Then I realized it was just my reflection. The messy pony tail now looked sloppy. The all black clothes looked uninspired. I looked tired and wore out.

The class I was rushing to was my favorite class: creative writing. We were working on different forms of poetry. The focus for that day: a sestina. The form and word repetition was strict. The topic was up to me. As I stared at my blank piece of paper, I couldn’t shake the feeling of catching my own reflection in the mirror. Why was I so pretty until I knew it was me?

********

Trapped in a Moment

For a single moment

before exhaling and after inhaling, I become

the image of who I am, an innocent person

trapped

in reflection, not knowing that it’s myself staring

back at me, purely, clearly.

It is me, once I look clearly.

But as I walked by, for a moment

I saw myself in my true form, a form distorted by staring

at myself. Looking too closely, I forced myself to become

trapped

viewing myself as more than a person.

I examine my reflection more than any person

should. All my flaws laid out clearly

in front of me. It would be easier to turn away but I am trapped

in the moment

when the image of who I am and who I want to become

appear next to each other. Staring.

Minutes feel like hours as the staring

contest between myself and the person

I wish to become

blend together. I no longer clearly

see myself as I did the moment

I accidentally caught my reflection and became trapped.

If my image could remain trapped

in memory as it was before the staring

began, remembering myself in that surprise moment,

I would like the person

who everybody sees clearly.

They see the person I’ve become.

In front of a mirror I become

trapped

forcing myself to clearly

see the reflection, not of who I am, but an image staring

back at me resembling a person

lost and distorted by the disruption of a moment.

********

For some reason, a reason I wish I could devote time and effort to studying, we are taught to be our own worst critics. We are taught to scrutinize every inch of our bodies. We are taught that what is on the outside matters more than anything on the inside. It’s everywhere, and it’s exhausting.

In that moment when I realized how critical I was of myself, as I processed my thoughts and my actions on paper, I made a promise to myself. I would be gentle with myself. I would be my own cheerleader. I would never beat myself up.

I think the tide is changing for our world. Companies that are visible to everyone are beginning to promote this crazy concept of self-love. The Today Show is on board. Professional runner Lauren Fleshman is keeping it real for her fans. More and more people are rejecting the idea that we have to look perfect in order to be of value.

Life isn’t about perfection. The one thing we all have in common is our ability to love. There is never too much. We never run out. It’s time for everyone to look at themselves in the mirror and love the person that they see instead of an image that has been distorted by staring too long.

Shamrock Spotlight: Carly Hunter

We are so excited to be bringing you the “Shamrock Spotlight Series” on our blogs! The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 8k Races bring thousands of runners, of all ages, abilities and locations, to the Virginia Beach oceanfront every year! As J&A Racing Live Love Run Ambassadors, we decided we wanted to celebrate these races, J&A Racing, and our community by doing a series that highlights participants, both local and out of town, on their journey to this years’ races.

We were incredibly fortunate to get the response we did when asking for volunteers to be spotlighted, and are grateful for the opportunity to share their stories with you!

Kristy and Lesleyanne

SHAMROCK SPOTLIGHT SERIES: CARLY HUNTER

Age: 31

Current City: Virginia Beach

Training for the Shamrock 8k

“My name is Carly Hunter. I am married to my best friend and an inspirational runner, Rob. We are blessed to have 2 amazing kiddos, Alivia (5yrs) and Holden (2yrs) who keep me very busy. I have met so many amazing runners/friends who have helped encourage me to pursue running. My amazing coach, Ryan Carroll has been training me for my first ever Shamrock race! Shamrock 8k, HERE I COME!”

Why are you are running a Shamrock race in 2014? I have made a goal for myself to run every J&A race in 2014.

When did you start running? I started running in 2011.

How many races have you done and what’s your favorite? I have run 6 races. Four 5ks and one 6k. My favorite was the “Virginia is For Lovers” 6k because it was my longest race and I am very proud of my finishing time.

Where do you prefer to run? I prefer to run with friends but more often than not due to scheduling I run in my neighborhood.

What’s the longest distance you’ve run? The longest distance I have ever run is 8 miles.

What is the one thing you DON’T like about running? I’d have to say the one thing I do not like about running is the anxiety that I get before my scheduled runs/workouts.

Favorite post-run indulgence? My favorite post run indulgence is to simply relax!

Favorite running shoe? I think my favorite running shoe is my Brooks Pure Flows.

Favorite song to run to? I have such a hard time running without my music. Currently my favorite song to run to is Volbeat’s “Lola Montez”.

Favorite website to waste time on? I find that I waste the most time on Pinterest! The possibilities are endless!

Favorite running moment? My favorite running “moments” are anytime when Rob and my friends are cheering me on at the finish line!

If you could pick one celebrity to run with, who would it be? If I could pick one celebrity to run with it would have to be Sammy Hagar! Love him! Love his music! Running with him would be epic!

GOOD LUCK CARLY!

You can follow Carly’s journey to Shamrock on Facebook.