Laws of Motion

I took a physics class in high school. It was horrible. I did NOT take physics in college. In fact, if I recall correctly, physics class is the only time I earned (use earned in a loose sense here) a 'C' in high school. Maybe that 8% test score wasn't such a helpful thing. At least I got my name right on the exam. Although the class was sheer misery for me- I did enjoy the thought of it or more specifically the laws involved in all that babble-for I feel like they tend to explain a lot about the world around us. So after I did some extensive Wikipedia and Google researching, I am going to explain how good ol' Newton's laws of motions relate to me. Because I'm fairly egotistical and I don't enjoy math equations this early in the morning...especially before I've had my second goblet of tea. 


Newton's Laws of Motion are--in so many words:


Newton's First Law of Motion: An object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force. An object at rest stays at rest until acted upon by an outside force.

Newtons's Second Law of Motion: The acceleration (a) of a body is parallel and directly proportional to the new force (F) and inversely proportional to the mass (m). Meaning: F=ma

Newton's Third Law of Motion: The mutual forces of an action and reaction between two bodies are equal, opposite and collinear. Aka- To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction: or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions.

Why would I reference Newton, who is clearly speaking in mathematical terms, you ask? Well, at work the other day, I overheard a familiar conversation happening at the hub of the office- the copy machine. It went something like this:


Coworker 1: ::lets out exasperated sigh: "Ughhhhh"


Coworker 2: "Ohh I know. Me too. At least it's Wednesday"


This conversation stopped me mid bounce on my fitness orb. Gasp! I could somewhat relate. I thought, "What does that even mean? Are we just 'getting by' during the week, schlepping along 40+ hours of each week (2,080 hours a YEAR!) just to do what we want on the weekends??" If that's the case, something has got to change. 


Que First Law of Motion
I could see where it would be easy to get into the habit of thinking like that and living for the weekend because the past few months I had a lingering feeling that I was in some sort of rut aka an object at rest. It was a comfortable rut, nothing was really going wrong, I had no big stressors or catastrophes. Things were ok and I had mastered the art of getting by. But on the other hand, nothing really great was occurring either.
Que Second Law i.e. motivation.
Upon realizing that I didn't want to remain in said rut motivation was the force that moved me to make some changes in my life. I didn't know entirely how quick these unknown changes would happen, but as long as I kept moving forward in the direction of change, I would get there eventually. (Which, by the way, is the first law of ultra running.)
Que Third Law of Motion:
Change did happen and with it more change. I scored two new jobs which meant I had to leave my job at AHA. And now- well in the future- will have ample time on my hands. Which I romantically assume I will spend much of it in the mountains frolicking about with friends- though I'm sure it won't be exactly like that. No matter what the future looks like, it will surely be different than what I was doing. 

Pointing at my future 

Change, moving on, growing- these are not things meant to be avoided or feared. They are all natural things in life. Laws even. Whether or not we want something to change, it is going to happen at some rate. Though if you do desire change, sometimes a little extra applied force helps to accelerate things. 

Our only security is our ability to change. ~John Lilly

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." -Maya Angelou

Never Never Land

As the end of May approaches, I can almost feel the excitement and anticipation for summer in the air when I pass a school. You can literally see the joy flood out of the school bus doors when they open at a stop. The end of the school year approaches for thousands of kids and with it the end of a tight schedule. The hours of solving math equations, dissecting frogs, studying US history and gossiping are now replaced with playing capture the flag, eating freeze pops, having sleep overs- MID WEEK, and running around barefoot, chasing fireflies.

Top of Pikes- Boulder Hopping

Cooling off after a 20 mile jaunt

Driving down to Mantiou Springs this past Memorial Day weekend, passing numerous schools and buses, I found it impossible to not reflect on my own end of school year experiences and how exciting the time right before summer used to be. I could remember everyone getting their yearbooks signed (“Keep in touch!”  “TTYL” “Have a fun summer!”) and talking about how awesome and relaxing life will be without the toils of school. Talk of vacations, camps and pool parties. All pleasant thoughts to keep my mind busy, especially in holiday weekend traffic. Though at some point during the weekend, a thought hit me like a slammer hitting a stack of pogs. Maybe it was the thought of my mom saying, “You’ll ruin your dinner!” as I ate spoonfuls of peanut butter at 5:34 (Typically a Ruland Family dinner hour). Or maybe it was when Brandon and I were playing leap frog, from boulder to boulder, on top of Pikes Peak. Or perhaps it was when I was singing along to Britney Spears and Back Street Boys. I’m not sure what it was, but I realized that not much has changed since grade school. I’m just a kid with a bank account now.

After a Pikes Peak run

Lost Creek Jig

I probably don’t look much older than I did 10 years ago, but I have in fact graduated college, gotten a ‘real’ job, have rent and bills to pay, but my sense of wonder and excitement has yet to dissipate. My pogs and slammers have been replaced with money. I trade gels as if they were playing cards. The slap bracelets (which I’m told have been banned due to the severe lacerations they caused) have morphed into GPS watches. My races have grown in distance- before it was from mailbox to the tree. Now it’s expanded to 50 mile out and back/lollipop/loops… I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that work is just another term for school- as soon as that bell rings, or the clock hits quitting time, its time to go home, hit the trails or play in the mountains- Done sitting inside, starring out the window waiting for recess to begin.

Growing up is inevitable. At least getting older is. My co workers tell me that all the time- especially when they hear about the 60 miles I ran in the mountains. They tell me that their knees just can’t do that kind of stuff anymore. When I hear this, I can’t help but think (hope!) I’ll still be this way 32 years from now, still plotting my next escape or adventure. Who knows, maybe I’m just some kind of Tinkerbell, lost in Peter Pan’s Never Never Land, avoiding reality, because the alternative is a bigger and better adventure. I don’t rightly know why I’ve managed to hold on to my sense of wonder while others have lost theirs. I try not to think too hard about it, perhaps so I don’t tarnish it. But I do know that I still get excited every May for the approaching summertime. Because I still run around outside with my friends- only now my playground is just a bit bigger.

So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land.

Detached Parenting

The recent TIME magazine cover and article got me thinking about my childhood and how vastly different it was from the ones that were written about. The article described the trend of "attachment parenting." Meaning- the child is literally connected/touching/attached to the parent for-in my opinion- far too long. Some children were breast fed until the age of 7. Yikes. This method is supposed to build a strong bond between parent and child. I'm sure the article talked about several other benefits, but I got hung up on that one, mainly because my rearing was so incredibly polar, yet yielded similar, perhaps better, results. (Note: I'm completely biased here. Mom, dad- feel free to shower me with presents after I publicly applaud your parenting style.)

Very fashion forward

Growing up, my parents encouraged independence and exploration. I'm going to say that the reason for this was not because we weren't perfect angels, but rather, they wanted us to cultivate self-confidence by allowing us to learn from our mistakes and experiences. For instance, when I was 4, my family took a most epic road trip from Pennsylvania to Montana. We spent a majority of the time hiking and exploring in some of the most beautiful landscapes our country has to offer. Our parents didn’t have us on leashes, in strange marsupial looking pouches or anything of that nature. No- we were encouraged to hike up ahead. (Maybe they thought if a bear came along, we would serve as a nice appetizer before it got to them…) When our vacation drew to an end, my sisters and I had become quite good at the business of hiking, camping and avoiding dangerous wilderness shenanigans. Soon after the trip concluded it became quite apparent that we all wanted to continue exploring. We started rafting-sans parents, orienteering, hiking and camping on a regular basis. And when we couldn’t go somewhere new to camp- we just set up the tent in the backyard. A little away time from the parental units was never a bad thing, though I can’t help but think they missed us dearly and hated the peace and quite that soon took over the house upon our departure.

Greece

Our enthusiasm for exploration and consequently, independence, continued on far past our youth and has become something that is part of our character. My sisters and I have all moved away from our parents’ home in Maryland to different parts of the country. Yet, despite the physical distance it didn’t foster a sense of emotional distance. Just because we weren’t attached at the hip (or other body parts..) of our mom, we didn’t develop a rift or separation among one another. Our “detached” upbringing was something of a blessing. We grew to appreciate our time together, but didn’t feel lost when we were off on our own. Today when we visit each one another its comforting to know that a 40 mile backpacking trip is likely to be on the agenda- where I’m sure we will recount the time when I was 4 and totally smoked everyone on that hike in Glacier. We can look back on our pictures of our youth and fondly rehash our own accounts of what happened, the struggles of the particular hike, and our outfit choices (unfortunately, my parents let us pick our own clothing out). We have successfully mastered the art of doing things together, yet separately.

The point is-if there is one- that during my reading of the article, I realized that sometimes being detached or separated from the ones you love can get you to appreciate the time you spend together. I’m sure this isn’t always the case and somehow my family just managed to turn out freakishly perfect despite the odds being against us.  But, had it turned out any other way- I can at the very least be thankful we can look back on these pictures and captured moments in time with kind eyes, because I can’t say I’d do the same about some of the photos in the TIME article.

Also- Mom: can this count as a Mother's Day present? 

These are a few of my favorite things

There are certain things that when they occur in my everyday life, I am filled with momentary glee. For instance:

• Actually remembering to use the coupon I stuck in my wallet.
• Walking into a public restroom and realizing I'm the first person to use it after it has been cleaned.
• Just when I think I've finished my cup of tea, I tilt my mug to see that there is in fact still a sip left.
• Getting to use my 10 cent discount at a gas station- despite knowing I'm barely saving any money.
• Realizing that my running shorts match the shirt I'm wearing. Actually- anytime I realize what I'm wearing matches.
• Making every green light on my way home from work. (Or seeing that despite my excessive speeding, that cop didn't just pull out of the parking lot...)
• Checking into a Southwest flight and landing a spot in the A seating group. Pfh- I don't need to pay $10 for your early check in. I'm better than the the system.
• Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
• Walking to to Whole Foods on a Saturday afternoon, finding it isn't packed and there are TONS of samples. Especially samples involving those awesome chips.
• Getting an actual letter in the mail- not a bill or a letter from Discover Card telling me I qualify for their card. (I'm flattered, but no thanks.)

I would consider these mini surprises of daily life- things that I don't expect to happen, but when they do- a brief smile crosses my face- inside I'm completely  thrilled with myself and the situation that just happened.

In December I came down with some serious shin splints which caused me to put the kabash on running. And while I realize that being hurt isn't the end of the world (I'm barely out of the woods!) the time away from the trails have caused me to add two items to the list  The first is running. Running used to be just something I did on a daily basis. It wasn't a surprise- it just happened. Then I got hurt and that all changed. Going out for a run- a run that actually didn't hurt- became a wonderful surprise. I may not be running 30 miles on a Saturday or running fast (heck yea 9 minute pace), but 45 minutes is good enough for me. Hell, 20 minutes keeps me sane.

The second thing that I added to the list is the number of people who have on a daily basis continued to listen to my rants and complaints when running was out of the question. At times it seems absurd that I am whimpering about not being able to run. Most people don't even like the idea of running and here I am depressed, wallowing in my own self pity because I can't run around in the mountains. Despite this being somewhat ridiculous sounding to 87% of the population, the people I encounter still ask about the progress of my injury, let me vent endlessly about how drab life is, and most importantly- offer support and encouragement that I will get back on the trails soon. If I have gained anything from being injured (aside from learning how to cross train...) it would have to be a deeper appreciation for the people in my life. I have always been grateful for them, but the capacity to which they have supported me is probably more than I deserve. I can honestly say that the support from my family, friends, boyfriend, and coworkers have helped me get better as much as the countless hours I've devoted to PT and pool running.  For that I am incredibly thankful.

Now that I'm (hopefully) on the path to recovery, you can all look forward to hearing about all the races I want to run, stories about my weekend jaunts in the mountains and viewing the endless photo albums of awesome pictures from these runs. You're thrilled I'm sure!!

My uber fashionable RockTape.

"Time and health are two precious assets that we don't recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted."- Denis Waitley

It's not you, it's me.

Dear left AND right shins,

I'm going to cut right to the chase here. The three of us have had a tough couple months. We are constantly fighting- and just when I think things are getting better, we go on some lovely date-a quick jaunt up Flagstaff- and when I ask how you both are I get, "FINE!" Clearly you aren't fine. If you were, I doubt you would shout your response at me, then go back to giving me a cockeyed look. Let's just start being honest with each other. I'll start.

I don't like to admit when I am in the wrong, be cause I don't have much experience in it, but I AM wrong- just this once. I have enough endurance to run 50 miles but can't manage to take more than one day off of running or working out. For that I am truly sorry. I've probably been smothering you like enchilada sauce on tasty Mexican dishes. I just really enjoy- nay LOVE- our time together. Remember the time we went on a run through the aspens in Fall? Or how we spent Thanksgiving together..Yea me too. I miss those days of jovial blissful togetherness. Where did we go so wrong?



Christmas time in WA- with my sister!

The three of us after Devil Mtn 50. Giving props to the real work horses.

I think therapy is really helping us. And I hope you've been enjoying the couples massages as much as I have been. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get us back on track. (PS- did you really have the change our status to, 'it's complicated'..really? that was low..even for you two.) Let's put an end to our IcyHot attitudes- I miss you two. Maybe we can meet up this weekend for tea and an easy stroll on some single track?? Let me know- you know where to find me- on the stationary trainer. Don't give up on me just yet, people can change.

A recent run- Trying out my new Montrail's ' Photo: Basit Mustafa

Us in Moab with another friendly runner.

Love,
Reese

Trifecta of Toughness

Ultra runners have varying strengths on the course- some are great at vertical gain or technical trails, while others excel at flat courses (if you are terrible at that, you may want to seek help..) and downhill running. So I had this idea of creating a three day event for some of my friends. Day one being Vertical Gain and Loss. Day Two being flat and fast and day three consisting of technical trails. Because I have a jammed packed calender full of tea drinking, day dreaming and catching up on my paint by numbers techniques, I haven't had enough time to really plan it all out. So in the meantime, Dakota and I came up with a rough draft of what it might look like.


REESE RULAND’S TRIFECTA OF TOUGHNESS

Are you an endurance athlete that just hasn’t been challenged enough lately? Do ULTRAMARATHONS feel too SLOW? TRIATHLONS too BORING? MOUNTAINEERING BLASÉ? Then you’re going to love REESE RULAND’S TRIFECTA OF TOUGHNESS! It’s the perfect combination of DISTANCE, SPEED AND ABILITY in a CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT! Other races don’t offer LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESSES or BONE-SHATTERING IMPACTS like the TRIFECTA, which boasts the MOST MIND-ALTERING SUBSTANCES and HIGHEST WEAPON-to-COMPETITOR RATIO of any race on the planet! The TRIFECTA is a three-day event designed to put you in the PAAAAIIIINNN CAAAAVVVVE. A single look at the itinerary will have wusses like you running for cover:

Events:
12:00 am – 5:00 am every night: Random blowing of air horns. Bring as many earplugs as you like – they won’t help you.
“Red Hot Biathlon” – Each competitor places three drops of Tabasco sauce in each eye and heads out on the ten-mile dirt course on a snowboard, both feet attached. At each odd-numbered mile competitors must kill the fierce, hungry predator racing toward them, and at each even-number mile competitors must kill the litter of defenseless baby animals searching hopelessly for love and shelter. This will all be done with a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun, buckshot only.
“Bingo Burnout” – Competitors must play and win ten rounds of bingo with a grandmother figure, and appear as if they are enjoying it.
“Paintball Base Jumping” – Competitors will begin in a corral 200 feet from the edge of a 1000-foot cliff, armed with a paintball gun and full hopper of paintballs as well as a base-jumping kit. The point is to get to the finish line at the bottom of the cliff fastest, with the fewest hits. Death is an automatic disqualifier.
“Three-Legged Downhill Mountain Biking” – Using two bikes, each two-person team must tie their legs together so that their feet are touching, then navigate the 4,000 vertical feet of world-class cliffs, drops and turns. To add an inventive for speed, we have traced the course with a one-foot-wide continuous line of gasoline, which we will light from the top ten seconds after you begin.
“Whitewater Scuba” – We have chained either your first-born child (where applicable) or your mother to the bottom of a boulder in class-five whitewater. Don’t worry - they have plenty of oxygen. Unfortunately they also have three sticks of watertight napalm strapped to their chests with a thirty-minute timer. And don’t lose the key! It’s shorter than this sentence.
“Cardiac Arrest” – This stage features twelve stations, each with a dying patient in mortal agony next to three to five living human organs on ice. Competitors must diagnose the patient, choose the correct organ, and surgically attach it before the patient dies. Dead patients place the competitor at legal fault, and nearby police officers will be on hand to place any negligent competitors under arrest.

“Political Turmoil” – Competitors will mix Valium and Cocaine and run for like forever before they realize they are in PAKISTAN! Or maybe SOMALIA! Or NORTH KOREA! And then they’ll have to explain themselves to the authorities, who will have been alerted prior to their arrival. The quality of our product means they will still be tripping hard, and the authorities will soon find guns, child pornography and more drugs on their person. Remember, this is a timed event, so any hostage-taking that lasts beyond the three days of the event will be automatically disqualified.

Are you TOUGH ENOUGH to complete the TRIFECTA? This three-day event will sell out soon, so SIGN UP NOW! Competitors who sign up before March 30 will receive a FREE KALASHNIKOV RIFLE AND AN OUNCE OF MESCALINE (both good for when you’re FREAKINGTHEFUCKOUT!!!!!!!!) Log on to our website at DEATHBYCHOICE.COM and EMBRACE YOUR DEEEEEESSSSTINNNYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

Rules:

1) All calories you plan to need for this 3 day event must be consumed prior to the start of the race. We recommend at least 24,000. No chances to refuel. If you are found eating, you will be kicked in the stomach and forced to vomit up contents. Only then will you be disqualified.
2) Leave no trace. All waste- both trash and human fecal matter must be packed out by runner. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
3) Do not cut course. In case of course cutting, runner will incur any and or all of the following- swirly, head shoved in yak shit, swift kick to sensitive regions of the body, forced to listen to Kenny G for 39 hours while seated in a chair made out of elk antlers. And lastly, disqualification.
4) Crying. Punishable by death and or disqualification. Buck up you sissy.
5) Use of personal MP3 player. Your left ear will be cut off and fed to pigs. Disqualification may occur depending on what artists are found on your play list. Hansen, Vanilla Ice, and select Owl City songs are terms of immediate disqualification
6) Use of medicine- in case of injury, put a slab of raw meat in your mouth, throw salt on wound, pinch skin together, hot glue gun shut. Have closest person smack wound to insure a tight seal. If it hurts, have them smack your face. If you wince- disqualification may be pending.
7) Blogging or tweeting about your emotions leading up to the event. Automatic disqualification. No one gives a crap about your feelings. If you want to win this race, you probably should ignore or suppress them. Get your shit together man.
8) Photos- If you have time to take photos, you aren't running hard enough. Your "accidental" death will be caught on film and later posted on events website. Disqualification after death photos.
9) Failure to pay entry fee- every day it is late, you will be charged 4% interest. Disqualification will not occur- we want your money and as much of it as we can get.

Awards:
o First place- A 5 inch knife wound across cheek.
o Second place- Gets shanked with a shiv
o Third- third degree burns
o Fourth- Death. Your mother was right- you'd never be good for anything.


Seriously- I'll get something together- perhaps a little less intense- though those awards ARE hard to beat.

Anti Resolution

I’ve never been a big fan of making a new year’s resolution. Mainly because everyone else is doing it and I’m so not main stream. But if for whatever reason (peer pressure, wanting to fit in, a weak moment) I have made some lofty goal for myself, I find that somewhere between January 7th at 9:34 am and Jan 8th at 12:31pm, I’ve either given it up or forgotten about it. Which is why today, the first day of Febuary is a good day to reevaluate any resolutions you’ve let slip your mind or think about making what I like to refer to as the anti-resolution.
Now I’m sure you are wondering what an anti resolution is. Is it the new “it word” in fitness? The new super one hit wonder cure all idea that will get you on your way to success? An ideology that will help you shed pounds, take 5 minutes off your PR and stop world hunger? No, unfortunately it’s none of those. I know what a let down, right? Let me explain-
The idea of the anti resolution hit me last week when I was “running” on the elliptical. I’ve been going to the gym since the beginning of January because I got a bit too carried away playing outside and incurred a muscle injury. Naturally the gym was a complete cluster during the first week of January with New Year’s resolutions fresh in everyone’s mind. Though over the past few weeks I noticed that not only was the number of people at the gym falling, but the enthusiastic smiles that once graced their faces were as well. It was as if they had overdosed on game replays or reality show drama on the TV screen in front of them. Puzzled, I naturally badgered some people to get to the bottom of this. I mean, trashy reality TV has its lulls, but it shouldn’t be THAT painful to watch. Right?
After a barrage of questions- I went home to mull over the answers that I received from these wary gym goers. After a nice yoga stretching session and a piping hot mug of tea I had come to some general conclusions about why people seemed to fall off the resolution bandwagon. Based on my observations at the gym and the responses to my questions, this is what I concluded: Very few people are at the gym to have boat loads of fun and create lasting memories. WHOA. Calm down..Don't take that the wrong way. I'm not saying that I think the gym is the devil. It has its place for sure. (Although I'm going to guess its unlikely there are photoalbums dedicated to the many gyms you've traveled to.) What I'm saying is that most (not all!!) people are at the gym to a) get in shape b) lose weight or c) fit into those skinny jeans. While these are terrific reasons to be active, I personally feel like something is wrong when it takes TV, magazines, and iPads to get us to spend time working out. That something is fun. Exercise and fitness do not have to equal spending hours at the gym. You can get fit and have fun (at at cheaper cost) by hitting the trails with some friends, skiing, backpacking, snowshoeing- all in the great outdoors. I doubt on the drive home from the gym, you'll look over at your friend and say, "I feel like we really bonded today when we put our ipods on, simulated running moments and ignored each other for 60 minutes." On the other hand, you might just have some awesome stories and pictures to share after a day spent in nature.
This leads me to the anti resolution. This year, make a resolution not to change yourself, but to change the way you look at fitness. Don't work out with the end goal of losing weight- instead try to guantify fitness by the amount of fun you are having. You might find that the more fun you have, the more likely you'll successfully remember and follow through with your anti resolution.
Ideas to Busy yourself at the gym-

1) Listen- no join in on- the phone conversation the person on the machine next to you is having.
2) Someone’s iPod music so obnoxiously loud that you are able to hear it blaring from their headphones? Impromptu dance party.
3) Want to run for a long long time? Listen to the entire audio book of any of the following titles- “War and Peace, “God’s and Generals” and/or all books from the Twilight/Harry Potter series.
4) Multi task- buy language leaning CDs. To really get a good vibe, have it playing in your head phones, but practice out loud.
5) Dress in race day gear- bib number, GPS watch etc- and race the person on the closest machine.
6) Not really sure what all the grunting is about in the free weight section? Yeah, me neither, but try it out anyway.
7) During the course of your run, get off the machine and ask staff how far away the next aid station is. Keep this up for at least 3 hours. If a “never” or a confused look is the response than--
Wear a hydration pack or several water bottles. Maybe even a visor.
9) Take pictures of you with different machines. Ask others to take your picture as well.
10) Talk to others at length and great detail about your trail races.

Other Recommendation:

1) Do not step off the treadmill like you are stepping off the side of the trail to use the restroom.
2) Don’t talk about politics, religion or money. You might offend someone
3) Don’t get ready to go to the gym- aka no make up or perfect outfit required.
4) No littering.
5) Do not cut the course.
6) Don’t forget to check into every aid station.

If you commit of the above mentioned items, you are subject to disqualification.


I'm pretty sure I was regretting this hike, as I missed a Real Housewives marathon.