Forecast:: cold

It's cold. It's freezing and it will be cold until the end of time. The new ice age is upon us.

Ok, ok, it's just winter here in the district.

But it feels like it's been winter FOREVER already and I am so cold that I am completely unmotivated to run. However, I know that if I do not run, the marathon in March will seem like a HUGE mistake and I certainly don't want to feel like running is a mistake. So I must force myself to get out of bed and into my spandex.

I should buy some new spandex.

This morning I got up at 5 and went down to the Washington Monument and back. It was cold. COLD! I was disappointed to see that the National Tree does not in fact stay on all night for people like me who are up at crazy times. We would like to see some holiday cheer! In reality, December is a great time to run outside even in the cold, because of all the holiday lights that people have up. It's very cheerful and festive, even at 5am. No, really, I'm not joking.

So now all I have to do is convince everyone to leave it up until March...

Last weekend, I did a Jingle All the Way 10k. During that run, I saw a guy with a vest on that said "blind athlete." I realized that he had his wrist tied to a woman who was pacing with him, making sure he stayed on course, and making sure that he didn't trip on anything.

I was so impressed by this! Perhaps one day I will be a blind runner's guide! Perhaps one day I will NEED a guide! So who will sign up for this task now? I want to have this lined up, I have very poor eyesight already, so if the day should ever come that contacts don't fix it anymore, I need someone to be willing to go my pace and tie themselves to me for 4 hours.

Who's in?

A visit to the podiatrist

Because I am 50, I went to the podiatrist today.

Ok, not really. I went to the podiatrist because I've still been having some ankle pain from the Nike marathon. I finally scheduled an appointment last week because I was TERRIFIED of being sidelined now that I signed up to do another marathon.

Because I am a hypochondriac, there probably was no real reason for worry.

That statement is more true than the first one I made, but actually I think it was a good thing that I went. The podiatrist I randomly selected from Google Maps turned out to be a runner, which is always good in my book. I like it when someone in their profession can actually have some insight in the activities of their patients. (However, that is not the sort of thing I discuss in great detail with my gynecologist, although I suppose you could)

Basically, I have strained my Peroneus, which is a big muscle in my ankle. If I had done too much after the marathon, I could have seriously screwed it up, but luckily I am a cautious, somewhat sane individual (with somewhat sane-er friends who forbid me from running) and I did not do that.

The solution?

Stretching.

Oh, the irony...

4 months to marathon?

HAHAHAHA! I have signed up for my next marathon!!! Gales of laughter are hiding my nerves. I signed up for the Nation’s Marathon on March 20, 2010. This will definitely give me an incentive to run throughout winter and focus on bringing my time down. My goal is to finish this one in 4 hours or less. Then the next one I’ll cut off the next 20 minutes and qualify for Boston. If all goes accordingly.

What a thrill it is to sign up for a marathon. There’s the initial hesitation – you might go to the site several times, enter your name and contact info, and then when it comes to payment, you chicken out. You might tell people that you’re thinking of it and then laugh, to try to gauge their reaction to your insane idea. Or you might secretly hide it so that you don’t have to hear THEIR laughter. Then when you actually register, there’s a flood of relief followed by imminent panic. Panic then succumbs to reason – you can do this. It’s just 26.2 miles. Then reason dies an instant death to JOY! Another marathon! HUZZAH!

Well…perhaps you were with me until the joy part.

Anyway…the main point here is that next year I will be doing multiple marathons and now I’m well on my way. I will not let cold weather or lack of training time or swollen ankles or black toenails or the swine flu or the bird flu or anything else stand in my way to Boston!

Always reaching for the next challenge

If anyone is truly an avid reader, you will notice that the top of my blog no longer reads: 2009: The Year of the Triathlon. Now it reads: Goal: Boston 2011.

Yes, my friends. I have decided that my new challenge will be to learn a new skill - how to run fast. In order to qualify for Boston, I must complete a marathon in 3:40:00. This means I have to cut off 43 minutes from my best marathon time and basically run 26.2 miles at a 9.16 pace. That's the maximum I can do in order to reach this time.

How is this going to happen? I'm not really sure yet. I know that I will have to learn how to do 7 miles in an hour consistently. I know that I will have to do speed drills. It's possible that I will have to talk to a coach. But I think this is a good challenge. I'm hoping to complete this at the Marine Corps marathon 2010, which is in general a flat, easy course with lots of cheerleaders!

In the meantime, I will need to find multiple races to run between now and then. I'm not giving myself a lot of time here - the 2011 race is less than 2 years away. This is going to take some dedicated running and I will actually have to focus on my time now - not my favorite thing to do.

Away we go!

Why I Love the NY Times

Why do I love the NY Times? Because they print articles like this!!

What's the moral of the story? Running is not only good for you, but human beings are MADE TO RUN! We are born for it! When God created Adam and Eve, He was like, go, move your gluteus maximus (butt) as I have made it ONLY FOR RUNNING!!!!!

Are you not inspired!? How can you not be? What a fantastic article, New York Times. I applaud you for your efforts in the fight against American Obesity.

Also...I found out today that my birthday is on WORLD RUN DAY! Was I born under a lucky star or WHAT.

Details here


(Please note my advanced use of hyperlinks in this post.)

And so I run another marathon

On Sunday, October 18th, I was in San Francisco. I was surrounded by friends and family. The weather was perfect. My sneakers were set.

And I was NERVOUS.

We arrived on Friday around noon. Our hotel was the St Francis at Union Square, which was right where the race started. Nike had TAKEN OVER Union Square for the expo and I knew that I wouldn't be comfortable until I went to get my bib number. After checking into the hotel, my parents, sister and brother-in-law went with me to get the goods.

The expo was...chaotic. They didn't assign you a number based on your time and they actually were letting people pick their corrals. Bad. Idea. As much as it hurts your self-esteem to be in the lower corrals, they work for a reason. The start line is crazy enough without people running in front of you at a madly slow pace. The rest of the expo had smoothies from Safeway, manicures from JetBlue (I declined), and some samples of Kashi, Ghiradelli, and Luna moons. However...there was no where to buy GU. No where to pick up last minute supplies. I couldn't believe that a destination marathon, with people coming from all over, wouldn't have more amenities. We went to the nearby Nike store (my name was on the wall!!!) but they didn't have any either. They didn't even know what it was!!

We went on to do some touristy things in San Fran...my dad took us all out to a really nice restaurant on Friday night and we watched the sun set over Alcatraz. On Saturday, I got to see a very good friend of mine who moved out there! She and her boyfriend took my bf and me around and even took me to a sporting goods store to get my GU. RELIEF! No GU = bad racing for me.

That night, I was all nerves. I made my boyfriend turn down a fancy dinner that my dad (and the rest of my family) got invited to, and he stayed in the hotel room with me and ordered room service. Meal of choice? Spaghetti of course. Still, I felt extremely nervous, almost like it was my first race. My parents stopped by and gave me a new arm band for my ipod, which cheered me up a little. Mostly, I was just ready to run.

Sunday morning came quickly and I was up at 5am. By 6, I was dressed, ready, and waiting! I had my race day Clif bar and went over to my parents' room. they were also ready and a little nervous about finding me. We went down to meet my friend who had braved the nerves and decided to do this feat with me.

The starting line was SO disorganized. Hoards of insane women hungry for Ghiradelli and Tiffany's crowded Union Square. My friend pulled me close to the start and we awaited the starting gun. My boyfriend, who was not there, said that he heard every word of the announcer, he was so loud, and with a burst of Beyonce's "Single Ladies," we were sent forth into San Francisco.

The race, of course, is something of a blur by now. The weather was insanely perfect and the views were absolutely amazing! I was impressed by how many people were out to cheer us on. We went through several neighborhoods where people had come outside to cheer. Nike had set up some pretty cool signs along the course to remind us to have fun.

The hills were brutal. I can't lie and say they weren't. The uphill was ok, especially since I had practiced it. But the downhill was treacherous and by mile 16, I could feel it in my ankles. It was an intense pain, something I hadn't ever really felt before. I also hadn't found my family yet. I didn't find them until mile 19 - after running by the beach, the Golden Gate Park, and the piers. My parents suddenly appeared and my mom ran out to run a mile with me! She carried the sign she made for me with her and got everyone to cheer for me! That was definitely the high point of my race! :)

But at this point, my ankles in severe pain. They felt like they were grinding. Several times I felt like I was going to cry and I could only remember my mother's words, "only 6 miles to go! you're going to finish it!" as I moved forward. Each step was painful and I had to stop to try to stretch them out. Nothing helped. I passed the Ghiradelli stop and couldn't even eat the chocolate. The view stopped being so beautiful...all I wanted was to finish.

And then...I did. In a blur, I was done. I hardly remember it. I passed the firefighters, who looked dapper in their tuxedos. They handed me a Tiffany's box. I took my timing chip off my shoe and turned it in. I found my sister and her husband at the finish line, where they hugged me in spite of my stinkiness.

All I wanted to do was sit down.

Slowly, everyone found us. My parents, my boyfriend, my friend who had braved the roads to come see me. I opened my Tiffany's box to reveal an adorable necklace that says, Run like a Girl. And then my boyfriend and my mother walked with me behind everyone else as I tried to make it to my friend's car. My ankles and the arches of my feet screamed every time I put pressure down on them.

Now, a week later, they still hurt. I'm not really sure why, I think it's because of the downhills. They hurt less now, more of an ache than a grinding pain...but in general I was still pretty happy. I finish in 4 hours and 42 minutes...about 20 minutes more than the Marine Corps. With the hills, I'm happy I finished in under 5 hours! I reached the half point in just over 2 hours. This one is not a good one to try to hit Boston for!!

Yesterday was the Marine Corps here in DC...I went to watch and cheered my brains out! It is really fun to cheer, especially when you know what people need to hear. But it's also really hard to watch and not be able to participate. I wanted to be one of the runners so badly! The looks of agony, the grins at a good cheer, the limping, the bloody spots on shirts where nipple rub had gone too far....oh man, I was jealous.

Somewhere in my race on the 18th, I thought to myself, "I need a new hobby." And at the time...yeah. I thought I did. But this is really what I love to do. I really love running. And I can't wait for the next one!

19 days till Marathon

It seems like my triathlon was already a long time ago. If you just read my last post, you never would think that I did one. I expected it to kind of be this life changing event. And while I do think that I learned a lot from it, I think that like every "life event," the lessons are just added to the ball of knowledge that you've been accumulating since birth.

It will make a good essay in case I ever apply to grad school though.

Now, it is time for the Nike Women's Marathon! In only 19 days, I will be in lovely California! Running a marathon! To get a Tiffany's necklace! OMG I AM SO EXCITED! I'm trying not to think too much about it, since I will stress myself out if I do. Basically, I know that I can finish it. I'm aware that it will be painful and that my training for this was not as good as for the one I did last year. But I've also decided that this one is for fun.

I might already be planning for next year. I want to do one of the Big 5: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and New York City. At least one. It would be fun to do all in one year, wouldn't it? Too bad I have to qualify for most of them...

An Exciting Morning in the Yoga Studio

Last night, I was trying to figure out a workout schedule for this week. I figured I might as well log onto some of the yoga studios I’ve been to so that I could try to sign up for a morning class, since my office location has a shower on site (very important as I try not to stink on a regular basis). I logged into Flow Yoga to check out their schedule and saw there was a Pilates class at 7am…and I realized that I recognized the name of the girl teaching.
She was an instructor at GW when I was there, and I took Pilates with her my junior year. She was teaching a 7am cardio class first semester of my senior year and, being overly enthusiastic after her Pilates class, I signed up. This was spring of my junior year. Summer passed and I started my senior year of college. And realized that a 7am cardio conditioning class twice a week was maybe not exactly a typical thing to sign up for. Naturally, I skipped the first class, planning on dropping it. She remembered my name and email, and proceeded to email me and tell me that she hoped I’d be there the next class.
I never missed another one.
I was SO EXCITED to go this morning. This girl is just so energetic and cheerful without being annoying. She is one of those rare people who can push you without making you go insane. She understands that some days you’re just not on.
I arrived early and was one of the first few students in class. I was sitting there, trying to restrain myself, since I wanted to tell everyone who came in how excited I was.
This probably sounds really creepy…but it’s just amazing how someone can affect your workout. When someone is leading a class, they need to have the energy and the passion to reach out to everyone, but the intelligence and people smarts to back off when their input isn’t wanted. I’ve been to too many boring classes and had to listen to too many weird instructors.
So anyway, I’m sitting in this class, just SO EXCITED to go. It was a great class. She always has AWESOME music too. Then in the middle of the class, she came over, looked me right in the eye and said, “you were in my cardio conditioning class at GW, weren’t you!?” OMG I WAS SO EXCITED. It was like a celebrity recognized me! AND she remembered my name.
Ok, so now I’m seriously thinking about buying a big pass to Flow again. I just really like having an instructor that I could go to on a regular basis and already know. I’ve always been jealous of the people who know the instructors and NOW I AM ONE OF THEM.

Triathlete

It's really hard for me to blog about this. I'm trying so hard to put the right words into this to convey how yesterday went. I've never had trouble with this before - I just write what I think.

The triathlon was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I thought it wouldn't be that bad. In some ways, I was right. My body, although sore, isn't feeling quite as punished as after the marathon. Everyone said that I was in a better mood yesterday than after the marathon. In some ways, it was less physically challenging. But in many ways, it was much, much worse.

The weekend started on Friday, with a race orientation. I felt strong during that, although I was noticing that everyone was VERY hard core. It's not like running, where people can kind of just sign up on a whim. I've noticed that most people, unlike me, do not just sign up for a triathlon on a whim. Most people are very, very dedicated to it. But I still wasn't too concerned and I left feeling confident.

On Saturday, I took my bike down to the transition area. Wow...there were a LOT of bike racks!!! I was in row 41 and there were a lot of women my age in my area. I managed to deflate my back tire and finally had to ask someone for help. Yeah...it's true. I still have trouble with my tires, haha. The girl who helped me said that last year she had talked to a girl who didn't know how to pump air into her tires and laughed...I failed to admit that I was in the same spot. Silly pride!

Later, my parents arrived in DC and we went over to my friend's house for dinner. My friend Emily and I cooked for my parents and our boyfriends and we had a really nice dinner. I was completely distracted and relaxed - I have awesome friends and family :) I felt really lucky to be able to be with them the night before the race.

Race day arrived quickly. All of the sudden it was 4:45 am and I was awake and drinking coffee. I had my bag packed and ready and at 5:30 my parents picked me up and drove me down to the transition area. I was feeling pretty hard core as I walked in with all the other athletes. I went over to my transition area and waited. I set up my transition towel with my shoes, helmet, sunglasses, race belt...a girl came over and told me that the mechanics on duty would pump air into your tires FOR YOU, so naturally I ran my bike over. He mentioned that my tires were pretty low...I said it must have lost a lot of air, haha.

I put on some body glide and put my wetsuit on to my waist. We were herded out of the transition area at 7am and into the swim pen. Even now as I write this I am becoming apprehensive! What will happen to our young heroine?

Time flew as I waited with everyone for my swim wave to be called. The elite group did the swim in under a half hour - insanity!! We watched them jealously as they came back in to their bikes. I kept telling myself that it would be me soon...but I almost didn't believe it. As we slowly lined up, my dad appeared on the sidelines! I was so happy to see him. He told me my mom was closer to the water and they both cheered me on as I approached the water.

I was high on adrenaline or SOMETHING, because I tried very hard to be excited and not nervous. But as soon as they let us jump in the water, I felt my ego deflate. I could see NOTHING as soon as my head was submerged. Nothing. Just a murky, scary mess. They told us to get ready, to GO! And we were off!

IMMEDIATELY, I started to hyperventilate. Not enough that I couldn't move but enough to make scary gasping sounds. I wasn't scared of drowning, I knew the strokes but I couldn't move. I don't really know why it was so hard. It was completely psychological. I slowly, painfully made my way forward. I won't lie to you dear readers, I barely put my head under the entire time. When I did, it made breathing that much more difficult. I knew that if I got under the Memorial Bridge, I might see my boyfriend and friends. But I was just in a complete blind panic. The bridge I knew was pretty far, so by the time I got there, I was tired and still gasping for my strength. I FINALLY found a kayak to hold onto at a buoy.

USA Triathlon official rules state that you can hold onto a kayak as long as they don't move you forward. I tried earlier to find one but couldn't find one that wouldn't take me far off the course. Honestly, if I had found one earlier, I think I would have told him to take me in. I was petrified, I'm not going to lie. Before I even got to the bridge, I just wanted them to take me out. It was only thinking about all the people who had come to see me, all the people I had bragged to, whined to, that kept me going. At the time, I was doing it for them, not for myself.

At this first kayak, he told me the next buoy, actually visible, was the halfway point. But other than that he didn't really talk much. I finally pulled myself together and with a few hail Mary's, made my way to the next buoy. There was another kayak there and I flagged him down. This guy was much more talkative. I asked him if I was more than halfway. I searched for confirmation that there was an end in site. I told him that I didn't know if I could do it. He asked me if I wanted water, then told me that I was fine. That I would finish. He told me, don't worry, you'll finish.

This man saved me. He saved me and I wish that I could thank him for it. He saved my race. The rest of the way, as I pushed forward, I just remembered that he believed in me, this stranger who I never met, believed in me. If he said I would finish, I would finish. I didn't hold onto another kayak the whole time - I just pushed forward. It wasn't easy, it never got easy. But I knew that I was going to finish.

When I saw the final turn, I knew I would continue.

An interesting side note...I read online that it's easier to just pee into your wetsuit than to find a portapotty. so I figured at the beginning of the swim that I would just do that in the water. But I was too scared the whole time to even pee!! But as I ran out of the water, I knew that I would not make it through the bike ride unless I peed. But I didn't want to stop at a port-a-potty, ESPECIALLY since I was barefoot. So I made an unfortunate decision. As I arrived at my bike, I stood there and peed into my wetsuit. Yep. I peed myself. You make interesting choices during a race like this. I have never done that in any running race, but then again, you don't wear a wetsuit in a marathon.

Then I yanked off my wetsuit and pulled on my cycling shoes. As I tried to run with my bike to the point where I could mount, I saw my friends and family all together, cheering me on! It pumped me up and I was off!

The cycling really wasn't that bad. I think I approached it too recreationally and didn't really push myself as hard as maybe I could have. But honestly, I wanted it to be a little enjoyable. But it seemed to go quickly. I realized that I was pretty far at the end of the pack. Being in one of the last swim waves and being REALLY slow in it didn't help at all. I passed a lot of people on the bike, but by this point I didn't care about time. I just wanted to finish. I saw a woman who was seriously injured at the beginning and a bunch of people who had technical problems with their bikes - flats, broken chains, one woman whose pedal had come off..I knew I was lucky.

By the end of the cycling part, I tried to run my bike in. I was pretty bow-legged. I saw my cheer group again and was cheered up! I knew that this was my time - it was the run!!! But my legs were so sore! I wasn't really anticipating it to be as bad as it was. This transition was quicker and I made it out to the run. A LOT of people were walking it. It was painful for the first few miles, then it kind of evened out. I was really excited to be in my comfort zone.

The run was pretty easy - only 6 miles. I was feeling pretty good for most of it. Near the end my mom found me and ran with me for a little bit! It's amazing how much someone can boost your spirits. Having my mom and my dad and my friends there just changed the race for me. It made it more than just about me. I was doing it for them too. I wanted to be faster so I could see them again.

At the end, there they were, cheering and high fiving me! It was the best to see them there! I got my medal and handed back my race chip and immediately went off to find them.

And now, it's over. It's done. I've done it. Several times during the race I had to remind myself that this was it! This was my race! It was what I'd been waiting for! But at the time it was just so important to focus on what I was doing. And now it's over and I'm convinced that I will never do one again. Never again will I put myself through such torture! IronMan tattoo be damned! Who needs it!?

Well...at least...that's what I say now.

But in reality, I'm proud. It was the challenge I was looking for and instead of quitting I finished. I never could have done it without everyone's support - everyone was out there with me during it in my head. But in the end, I had to buckle down and finish it with my own body, my own strength, and my own commitment.

And now it's over. There's a reason why my blog is called MarathonMennone and not TriathlonMennone. It's back to the marathons for me!

1 day, 15 hours to go

How did it go from 12 days to 1?

Tomorrow, I will be eating dinner with friends and family. And in a little more than 39 hours, I will be in the Potomac. And in a little less than 45 hours, I will be a triathlete.

Wow. Feeling a little overwhelmed. I haven't really been sleeping well since I'm starting to get pretty nervous. Today I have to go to my race orientation and get my number and my packet. They have a half hour mandatory information session. The whole thing is really intense and professional. It makes me feel like an Olympic athlete! And why shouldn't I, it is an Olympic sized tri! (never mind that I am not actually an Olympic athlete).


I probably won't post until it's over, so I really just want to say thank you to everyone who's offered their support over the last few months and days. I'm really touched by everyone's encouragement and that is seriously what will keep me going through this race. I know that I am very lucky to have people who will come out and cheer me on!! It means so much to me just to have someone remember that I'm doing this. So thank you thank you thank you!

You like me, you really like me!!!! (CLICHE!)

Forward Momentum

It's 9 days till raceday and I'm already thinking about what I can do next.

Wait, wait, you say. Is this the same girl who has been awaiting this day with dread? Who has been waiting for the chance to buy a roadbike instead of a racebike so that she can just be done with all this mechanical crap? The same girl who hates swimming? She's actually wondering if she can do an IRONMAN!?!?!?!?

When will it end?? Just last night I had a minor meltdown about how I don't have an "off" button. I don't know the meaning of stop and it wears me down. Isn't this something I'll have to teach myself, by just STOPPING so that I can breathe?

NO! What kind of blog do you think this is? Who do you think I am? Someone who writes a whole stinking blog about running isn't the kind of person who will just transition it into one about cooking!

Now that the initial terror has worn off a bit, I'm convinced that I must own my own wetsuit so that I can participate in half iron mans (HIM) and work my way up to the full Ironman. What does an IM consist of?

Let me tell you:
2.4 mile swim
112 mile bike ride FOLLOWED BY
a MARATHON!!!!! 26.2 miles!

WHO WANTS TO DO IT WITH ME!?!?!?!?!

Rant!

I'm starting to feel the pressure of last minute training. I don't really want to do anything but prepare for this race, but at the same time, everything around me is a hotbed of activity. Work has heated up for me and we have a company meeting next Thursday that's going to go until 10pm. I've been traveling for my job, meaning foreign cities and no time/place to train. Friends and family have been great at being here for me, but that also means that I feel pressure to actually spend time with them instead of blowing everyone off to train, which is what I really want to do.

That's right. I'm feeling incredibly anti-social and mean, even as I send out emails telling people to come cheer for me. That's selfish isn't it. But it doesn't seem fair that I can't train for this event that has come to mean so much to me. I just want everyone to stop telling me how much they want to see me until after 12pm on September 13th. I want to go to sleep at 9pm and get up at 5 and then train again after work. I don't want to go home to PA or to visit people in their own homes. I want to sleep in my own bed with my stupid cat who wakes me up in the middle of the night. I want to eat cereal and pasta and ignore meat. I want to eat GU every day because I'm working so hard.

I feel like I'm pretty social and friendly the rest of the year, so why can't I just have these next 10 days to do what I want to do? I'll tell you why. Because I'm too nice to tell anyone this in person. So I write it out in a lame blog.

Countdown: 12 days

I'm slowly pulling myself out of the funk of terror and into excitement. I kind of just want to get this race over with! Also...I'm kind of getting excited!

Today I woke up, went outside and was cold. It was 64 degrees this morning!!! Where did summer go? It is still officially August folks. It's not even fall yet. The fall solstice is not even until AFTER the tri! This is completely unacceptable and I demand that it get warm again. I went out at lunch and bought a long sleeved shirt!

After work today, I'm planning on running. I'm looking forward to a nice long run without worrying about my tires, my helmet, my shoes...I just want to get out there and be able to lose myself in my own thoughts. I went to a new pool yesterday, the Wilson Aquatics Center, here in DC. It took me forever to find, but it was so worth it. I couldn't believe how nice it was! They really did a great job, it was one of the nicest pools I've ever been to, DC or anywhere else. But I was thinking about how hard it is for me to just be able to think while I swim. When I'm running, I'm continually thinking about new ideas for the blog, things I need to do, planning my life, singing along to my ipod. When I'm swimming, the only thing I can do is count the strokes until I can breathe again. That pretty much takes up all my energy. And it makes it SO much more tedious. Time passes so much more quickly when you don't have to think about the same thing over and over again. I tried to think about what I could write in my blog while I was swimming, but the continuous gasping for air cut me off each time.

Still, little snippets of thought made it through anyway. I was really just impressed with this pool. The water was so clear, it had so many windows that everything was just bursting with sunlight. It almost made me understand how people could love to swim, scuba dive, in general, how people love the water. I'm definitely gaining an appreciation through this and I think I'm going to keep swimming even when I'm done training. But I don't know if I will ever love the water. When I was little, I think I was entertained by it. But I don't think I've ever been the kind of person who LOVES water. Water is more of an acquaintance of mine. We have mutual respect. I have a healthy fear of drowning; what's more, I have the waning phobia of fish. Yep. I hate what lives in the water. Seals, sea turtles, manatees, otters...those are all ok. But I don't think they will be in the Potomac. Fish, whales, even dolphins are a bit much for me. Don't even get me started on eels. I have nightmares about being trapped underwater with these creatures. Needless to say, I haven't been to an aquarium in a long time. When I was little, I took swimming lessons, but couldn't wear my glasses (obviously). This meant that I couldn't see anything, making any body of water a murky, scary place. Being able to see underwater in a beautiful pool makes me a little less fearful. But I will maintain my respect for the water in the hopes that it will be mutual on September 13th.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

STILL NEEDED BEFORE TRIATHLON

1. tri shorts - done. ordered today!
2. tri/bike top
3. GU holder for bike & run
4. water bottle holder for bike
5. new water bottle
6. bike gloves
7. new swim cap (must be pink!)
8. portable bike pump?
9. bike maintenance road kit?
10. possibly a new running hat for the mess my hair will be after swimming, biking!!

My color scheme is going to be pink...who would've guessed?!!

I AM COMPLETELY INSANE

Just made the HUGE, CATASTROPHIC mistake of looking at the Nation's Triathlon photo gallery.

WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING!!?!?!?!?!?

These photos scared the CRAP out of me! How am I supposed to swim for a MILE?!? Goodness gracious, I have completely lost my mind. If I'm not crying, vomiting, or delirious throughout this ENTIRE race, I will consider it a success. Right now my big fear is that they will be dragging me out of the water, a deranged, babbling mess after I try to doggie paddle my way back. And then what? Only on to a terrifying bike ride of doom.

The weekend forecasts are for rain, meaning that I won't even be able to seriously train.

I am going to die. That is the basic moral of the story. There is no way that I will ever survive this and I am absolutely doubting my sanity.

Advice for Parents

Some of you may be thinking that this is a bizarre title. I know what you're thinking: sure, she has an adorable, spoiled cat, but that does not make her an expert on parenting. He's not even toilet trained.

Also, I know what the rest of you are thinking. She had a great childhood. Her parents are great people, I know them, I've met them. But does she have to brag?

Stay with me here. Over time I've developed a list of things that are vital for parents to make sure their children learn, as it will help them later in life when they decide to do a triathlon. I'd like to share that list with you today.

Things Every Parent Should Teach Their Child:

1. How to Swim. We're not just talking about taking them in the hotel pool when they go on vacation. I mean send them off to swimming lessons when they are 6. As I spend more time honing my swimming, I've been remembering summers spent at the Ken Gril pool in Shillington, PA, learning to put my face in the water and kick. While I may not be the best swimmer, and I never was as a child either, I definitely have the advantage of at least having the basics down. I can't imagine being 23 and having to start completely from scratch.

2. How to ride a bike. Similar lines here. Every kid should know how to ride a bike. Whether they do a triathlon or just date someone who does, they will want to ride a bike. Now that we live in the age of "green," bikes are all the rage. Also we 23-30 year olds tend to live in the age of "poor," so it's better than a car.

3. How to pump air in a bike tire. This is where my parents let me down. Either they taught me and I forgot, or they never gave me this valuable talk. To make things easier, let's just blame them. Now that I live 3 hours away from them, I turn to my boyfriend to get the air into my race tires. I'm sure he loves this responsibility, especially when I call him in tears because I tried to do it myself and am then staring at the flatest of tires oozing onto the hardwood floors of my apartment.

4. How to be early. This sounds like a stupid one. It sounds like a really lame whine of a morning person trapped in a world of night owls. Ok, that is part of it. But seriously, it can help. When you start working out a 7pm instead of 6pm, suddenly you're riding your bike home in the dark. When you get to a race at 6:30am instead of 6am, suddenly you have no time to prep. When you wake up at 7am instead of 5am on a training day, well, you're out of luck for training. I still remember my dad coming into my room during the summer if I slept too late and opening the blinds. It was really annoying. But in retrospect, it was helpful.

5. How to spend money wisely. Final one on the list here and this one is key. These races that I do are not cheap. The costs of training, traveling, and racing can really add up. I've spent more than I expected to with this triathlon. But I've found some shortcuts that only came from remembering my mom asking me if I really needed the $80 jeans when the $40 pair didn't even need to be hemmed to fit my short, stumpy legs. Ok she didn't really phrase it like that...For example, my bike is a hand-me-down, 1980s racebike. It's hardcore, sure, but it's not top of the line or anything. I saved hundreds of dollars by using this bike instead of buying a new one. I've put some maintenance into it, but I would've spent a lot more if I had gotten a new one. This lesson goes both ways though. I know that there are some things that I just have to buy. Like cycling shoes (I bought them this weekend and I LOVE THEM). I'm doing this race full time. I'm not half-assing it. So I've had to spend some money.


Ok, those are some of the things I've thought of during my long runs and bike rides. I don't really think of anything as I swim, except sea monsters. Those are scary. You have to teach your kids that those don't exist too, add that to your list.

I wonder what I'll find in the Potomac?

An Athlete in Civilian Clothing (thanks MOM!)

Yesterday, I worked from home. I was supposed to go to a meeting that was never confirmed and then I just never put pants on. So I stayed home.

In the back of my mind was my mom's voice, "I sent you a present." I love presents. Presents are fun. I'm also incredibly easy to shop for, since I like almost anything. New underwear? I'm game. A wind-up toy? Favorite gift EVER! Running sneakers? I love you, I love you, I love you! She actually had just sent me new sneakers last week (they are fantastic), so I was really surprised when she called me last week and told me that a present was coming my way.

I'm excellent at guessing gifts. Every Christmas I am prohibited from shaking because I always end up guessing. So I was pretty confident that I knew what this was. It was one of 2 things:
1. a shoe wallet
2. a toy for my cat, Dexter

Why? Because I've been bugging her for weeks about a shoe wallet (I lost mine). And because she bought my sister a cat toy for her own cat this week so I figured she couldn't resist. So all morning and afternoon, I ran up and down my apartment building's stairs to see if the mail came.

By 6pm, UPS came up and hand delivered my package, haha.

The box was not the correct size for either a shoe wallet or a cat toy, but in a traditional sense. You got me stumped, Mom. I eagerly ripped it open, confused, excited, wildly surprised. I stuck my hand in and found...a glasses case.

OH NO SHE DIDN'T!!!!!!!!!!!

OH YES SHE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She sent me my very own, beautiful pair of OAKLEY SUNGLASSES!!!!!!!!!!

OMG THEY ARE SO COOL. I walked around all last night in them (I ran in the morning). They look so awesome and hard core. I go from civilian to athlete in no time. They are so perfect for my upcoming races!

Let's recap.

1. It is, in fact, possible to surprise me.
2. I look extra cool when I'm running.
3. No longer will I squint.
4. I can now run after work instead of before work.
5. I have the BEST MOM in the ENTIRE WORLD

Product Review: Luna Moons

On Sunday, I decided to go for a long run. I went out for about 3 hours in the heat of the day, which was really dumb. I have a big welt on my left hip from where my fuel belt rubbed. I was very hot and slow by the end and had to walk for a bit. I don't know how far I went but I was out for a looong time.

I decided to try Luna moons, because I've been telling people that they can try the gummies instead of the gels. I've personally been a big GU fan since I started out, but I figure I can give it a shot. I got the pomegranate flavor (when are they in season btw?) and I was excited to try them. I started out running and I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the first 5-6 miles to go by so I could eat one.

Reactions?

They were really soft and chewy, but that was irritating to me. I wanted them to be gummier but at the same time I was frustrated by chewing because my mother taught me to chew with my mouth closed. When you're running and it's 98 degrees and humid out, it's really hard to close your mouth to chew. The gummy stuck to my teeth for a few minutes afterwards, meaning I had to close my mouth again to try to get it out. I thought that was really irritating and I missed my GU, which I can suck down with ease.

However, there were definitely some pluses. They are quite tasty, mmm. Not a weird or bad flavor at all and almost more pleasant than chocolate GU. Certainly more refreshing. Also, I could eat a pack over the course of an hour, meaning that I didn't just eat and go, I could actually get the benefits over a longer period of time. But maybe that's bad - after all, there's only 100 calories in one pack. You need to be getting those in your system during a long run.

I'll probably buy them again cause they're tasty...but I think GU is still the way to go.

In Favor of Running in the Morning

I know I've talked a lot about how much I love to run in the morning. I know that very few of you believe me, but recently I've just been overwhelmed by how different DC is at 5:30am. Right up till about 6:45, it is a completely different city. Most mornings, I just go down to the Washington monument and back. For anyone who's been to DC at least once in their life, you must have horrible memories of all the tourists standing around in the intense heat, cyclists trying to get around you, obese children dripping ice cream on your foot. It's nothing like that early in the morning. There are a few other runners who silently give you a respectful nod as you pass, as if you somehow share a bond. Cyclists whiz by you without a word, because there's actually room on the sidewalk. Cars drive by at a slower pace, because there's no traffic and no need to accelerate so early in the morning. Usually as I head back the sun starts to rise over the Capitol and the sky behind the Washington Monument turns a golden pink.

In other news, I've found that I can still register for the Marine Corps marathon or the NY Marathon (2 weeks after the one in San Fran) if I join a charity team. Temptation is great, but I need to focus on swimming. But why not take a stab at another one? After that winter is upon us and it will be difficult to do another one until next year...

Take that, cyclists!!

Today I'm writing in response to an article I found in the NY Times. I read something about this a few months ago and wanted to include it, but then couldn't find the study again. The Times pulled through for me though, so here we go!



So apparently, cycling isn't all it's cracked up to be. You can crack a lot of your bones in it. Hahahha. Cough. For some reason (they don't seem to have determined why yet), cycling causes bone density to drop severely, resulting in bones breaking more easily. Which is horrible, since when you're on a bike, you're traveling pretty fast and there's usually/often lots of cars and crazy children on tricycles around. What would be a good way to prevent that? OH OH OH I KNOW!! Add running into your training!

I think triathlons have gotten a bad rap recently. People think they're dangerous and scary, but really they prevent things like broken collarbones (or induce them by bringing people like me in who never would ride a bike otherwise). But seriously, all that cross training has to be good for people. It's forcing me out of my comfort zone and slowly I'm learning to appreciate it. Last night I went swimming and felt like my stroke was a little bit stronger. It made me feel really good, like I had accomplished something. Actually, not "like" I accomplished something, because I really did! I've gone from afraid to swim to eager to improve. Not bad for a fish out of water!

Falling Flat

This weekend: meltdown!

Actually, the weather was lovely, I just almost lost it!

A local bike shop offers weekly group rides (supposedly) for beginners on Saturday mornings at 10am. I figured since the bike has taken a backseat to running (because I love it) and swimming (because I hate it/can't do it), I should give it some love.

With great bravado, I went to the bike shop and waited outside. Since it was a beginner's ride, I figured I would at least be middle of the pack, as I am, arguably, in good shape.

Oh no, no, no. I was met by a LOT of yuppies on fancy bikes with padded bike shorts, clip in shoes, at least 3 bottles of water attached on their bikes, fancy sunglasses...they were intimidating to say the least. I started to feel panicky, wondering if I had come to the right group ride, but no one else seemed to have ever gone to the Sunday ride (which is SUPPOSED to be for intense, crazy cyclists!). However, everyone was really very nice. They were all encouraging, eager to answer my questions and support me in my silly efforts of riding my ancient (CLASSIC) bike through Washington, DC. HA! Victory! I will conquer my fears! I kept telling myself that even if I looked stupid on a bike, even if everyone has to wait for me after a hill or a tough spot, I will still go and do my best because that's how you learn. I'm ok with looking dumb.

So we set off!

And when we got across the street, the group leader pointed out that I had a flat tire already!

So I walked back to the bike store, dropped off my bike, went over to my boyfriend's apartment and proceeded to bawl. Because I am a mature grown up and a tough athlete.

Here's the thing (which I pointed out to my boyfriend several times): I can handle the race being hard. I can handle tough training. I can handle falling off and scraping my leg open. What I cannot stand is not even being able to START my training. It brought me down so low this weekend that I even talked about backing out of this stupid triathlon. I mean, I was looking for a challenge, but I want to be able to actually finish! I guess there's that whole element of, be careful what you wish for. This is a bigger challenge than I realized it would be. Don't ask me WHY I thought a triathlon would be easy, I just thought it would.

In the end, I went out for a run and then came back and got back on the stupid bike. Instead of going for a group ride, I went for a date ride, meaning that my boyfriend helped me get back out on the road. Which was much more fun than a group ride anyway :)

Also, on Sunday I went out to the park by my house and did "yoga in the park." Free yoga! Do you know what a great deal this is?? Yoga at a studio costs anywhere from $15-$20 per session. And it was so much more interesting to do yoga outside. I could let my mind wander a lot more and I didn't really need to listen to the instructor - I just watched what other people were doing and listened to the drum circle playing nearby. I would absolutely recommend doing Yoga in the Park - it is a great way to get introduced to yoga in a non-threatening setting.

Full speed ahead! (again)

I got back from vacation a week ago yesterday. Israel is a beautiful country! We had a fantastic time. Tel Aviv has a gorgeous beach with a very pedestrian friendly promenade. I was CONVINCED that I would run on in while we were there...and then proceeded to sleep in every single day. It was really hot and we wanted to do touristy things during the day and by nighttime, we had walked about 12 miles and all I wanted to do was eat a bucket of hummus and go to bed.

So I came back last week and didn't even run or bike until Friday. This week I'm starting to feel like I'm actually making some progress. I did about 10 miles on Monday night and another 5 this morning. Tonight I'm hitting the pool (oops, I meant to look up a swim workout...). I have to admit that even with almost 2 weeks off, I still feel pretty good. I know that it can hurt a training schedule to take that much time off, but I didn't stress during my vacation. I can't imagine how that would have affected my time abroad and I'm really glad that I didn't let it worry me.

The triathlon is really starting to nip at my heels, though. It's time to sink or swim (unfortunately that is literal). I need to get my head in the game. I've decided to start twice a day workouts a few times a week. My problem is that my default is to run. I don't like swimming or biking nearly as much, but I need to work on that. Two of my friends are doing bike races, so maybe I'll reach out to them to work out with me! Buddy workouts might be easier on a bike? They certainly seem to be easy while swimming since no one can really talk, but I am still slow in the water.

I need to start a list of "things to buy," so that I won't have to buy everything the week of. Maybe that will be the next post...

No good product reviews, but I am getting a new shoe wallet! I lost it during the Cherry Blossom Run (luckily it was empty!!!) but my mom is getting me a new one at work. Still one of the best buys out there!

Back on Track and a Product Review

This weekend I finally got kind of sort of back on track with my training. Sunday included both a run and a bike ride and Monday had a 2 hour bike ride in store for me.

I also ate like a pig (and ate a lot of pig) this weekend, so I don't know how good it actually did for me.

I felt pretty on target though, only to have a busy week with few workout prospects ahead of me. Drat! Then next week I leave for my vacation (FINALLY) so who knows when I'll actually be able to train? I determined that I have 21 weeks before my marathon, so that poses little risk. I think I peaked in my training too early last time, so who knows? Maybe I'll be able to improve my time. The triathlon will be tricky of course, but I'm feeling more like my cocky old self now that I actually got on the bike and went somewhere. Hopefully I'll be able to get in a swim this week.

And now, a product review.

I'm not sure if I'm willing to give the fit flop my unpaid endorsement yet. After all, I've only had them for about a week and they *were* $60 flipflops. Yes they have sequins on them and they are supposed to trim my bum (quote, unquote), but they are still $60 flipflops in the end.

They are the revolutionary flipflops designed to trim you and tone you WHILE YOU WALK! UNbelieveable, right? Well that's the part that I'm trying to get past. I'm already in pretty decent shape, so I highly doubt that I'm going to see inches melt off my body. But they provide way better stability than regular flipflops and they are actually really comfortable. So why not wear them on my 30 minute walk to work in the morning? And then on the way home? If I can sneak in an extra workout, why not give it a shot?

(also, I have to admit that I've been intrigued by these shoes for a REALLY LONG TIME and I reeeeeeally wanted them. I know. It's so tacky and I fall for gimmicks so easily. Darn marketing!! Also, I am a shoe aficionado. Aficionada?)

I always take remarkably to placebos (hypochondriac, anyone?), so I'm not really the best person to use in a study for shoes like this. I thought that I could feel some glute work on the first day I wore them, now I don't really know. But like I said, they're super comfortable AND they have sequins!

I guess if you have an extra $60 lying around, it's worth it. But if not, I say just get off the bus and walk the 30 mins in the morning and you're doing yourself a good enough favor anyway.

They put sequins on regular flipflops anyway.

The Luckiest Girl

I think if someone were to examine my life, they might come to the conclusion that I am very brave indeed.

I run marathons for kicks and I sign up for triathlons when I get bored. I’m going to swim in the Potomac. I live in my own apartment when under the age of 25 and it’s not in a building with a doorman and a security guard. I go on vacation to places like Zimbabwe and Israel (to be fair, Zimbabwe was like 9 years ago, haha). I’ve studied abroad and traveled alone. I’ve gone on safaris and gone snorkeling. I can hear you all now. What a brave and exciting individual. Oh yes, and I ride my bike around the streets of a city.

Well, kind of.

To be honest, I’m not brave at all, which my poor boyfriend got to see last night. After my previous bad experience on the bike, he rode up to meet me to go for a ride with me. First, I whined about the seat (I am still sore). Then I refused to leave the park near my house. I was perfectly content to ride around in circles for an hour or two, but he was convinced that I should go out on the road and get a little bit more experience. Did I whine? Oh yes, I whined and I cried a little and I moped and I said over and over again, “I don’t like this!!!!” very mature, very brave. I was absolutely terrified to go out next to the cars, despite his assurances that the idea was worse than the actual act. I saw images of my head bashed open in the streets of DC and homeless men coming to eat my brains (ok I just added that part now).

But I think the worst part is that my confidence has worn a little thin lately. I’m no longer the cocky girl who said, oh yeah sure, I can do a triathlon. Now I’m seriously doubting my ability to finish this race without crying or breaking down. I’m scared to fail. I really don’t want to fail, but I’m scared that race day will come and I’ll roll over in my bed and say, meh, whatever.

So I was very lucky to have someone with me who a) didn’t yell at me when I cried. B) didn’t pressure me into doing it c) waited until I was ready and d) acted the whole time like he knew I could do it. Here’s the thing – everyone is different. Maybe you need someone who can yell at you. Maybe you need to figure this stuff out alone. I don’t know. But if you can find someone who can figure out how to help you and then just do it because they care…well. I feel pretty lucky right now.

Social Networking

In my job, I read a lot of advertising and marketing journals (who would've guessed that I'd ever be reading those?). The big thing right now is social networking. Social networking is huge! It's everywhere!

FACEBOOK

MYSPACE

LINKEDIN

TWITTER

BLOGS

cough.

Yep, everyone it seems is doing it. All the cool kids. All the dorky kids. All the nerds. We love it. It's a way to connect with others without ever having to speak a word out loud or look someone in the eye. Fantastic!

Obviously, I'm slightly skeptical. When facebook came out, I used it fanatically as a procrastination tool (you could always tell when someone was working on a term paper by the number of changes they made to their profile). Now, I'm more apathetic towards it. I like it, but I don't really care about it. It's a nice way to stay in touch with people so that I can, say, decline invitations to my 5 year high school reunion, but other than that I haven't really gotten into it.

But last night I was feeling pretty bad about myself, as I tried to ride my new bike and was unsuccessful. (I need to get new pedals). I moped a little bit, cried a little bit, ate an ice cream sandwich or two for dinner and then felt fat and completely unable to do anything. My newly framed marathon photos adorn my wall, making me feel so far away from the girl who ran 26.2 miles. So I pulled up the DC Tri Club website and started to peruse. I joined the Dc Tri Club a couple months ago, sending in my $30 and receiving a t-shirt, water bottle, and sticker for it. But I didn't do anything with the actual club. Now I've learned, Surprise!, that joining the dc tri club doesn't make me a triathlete. That requires actual energy and action.

One of the first threads I read in the "forum" (obviously, this is some sort of social networking tool, otherwise I wouldn't be bringing this up) was from some people who live very close to my new apartment. And all the threads were about staying motivated and finding training buddies! So now I'm in touch with some people about biking, swimming together (still on the fence for running since I'm known to be an anti-social runner).

Conclusions? It's important to utilize the resources out there. If it's social networking, so be it. I'm all for the internet. Yay internet! They also have lists of free group workouts that you can go to. How awesome is that? Maybe I don't need to invest as much money into this as I thought...just time.

(Also, it's important to note that I do not endorse eating ice cream sandwiches for dinner. They are a delightful snack, but not a sufficient meal.)

Trying to give it my all

I think I need to step it up guys. I've let training take a backseat to moving, working, playing, eating, sleeping, showering...there's really no excuse for that. Here I am, trying to help other people train and I'm not even setting a good example.

End Goal: Triathlon is quickly approaching and add-on Marathon is close behind. I think my lack of training has really got me down and I'm starting to doubt my ability to do this. It's one of those things where you absolutely have to invest some time and money into it if you want to finish and finish strong. For me, there is no other option than finishing.

So I think I might have to look into personal training or a triathlon training course. I'm ok with getting help and working with other people and it might be time for me to invest a little more cash into this project.

I'm feeling pretty run down and I think it's time to revamp my training. Any ideas?

Courage

You know how when you ride a horse, they tell you to remain calm no matter what because if a horse can sense that you're nervous, they will become nervous? I'm very much like a horse. I pick up on people's emotional discharges and even if I can hide it, it gets to me in most situations and makes me uncomfortable.

For example, I moved this weekend. I went from one questionable neighborhood in DC, Southeast, to another, U St/Columbia Heights. I didn't realize that the area where my new house is was considered so...urban. It's right next door to the Embassy of Ecuador, so it has to be safe...right?

But I've had a few people tell me that I still have to be careful. I'm not sure if this means that it's actually a dangerous neighborhood or if it means that everyone still sees me as a 12 year old who looks like she just walked out of a bubble. I've been sheltered, sure, but I've learned to fend for myself. In my opinion, I do pretty well. I play it safe and smart. But hearing everyone tell me scary stories doesn't do much to make me feel good. I love my apartment but now I'm leaning towards "terrified of sticking my nose out the door." Which I don't want to do. Once again, I find myself searching for inspiration in my training.

When I first said that I would run a marathon, people told me to be careful. They told me horror stories of how people die in them and I read scary stories about overhydration, dehydration, wronghydration, etc. There were days when I ran and then threw up in my mouth and it was scary. But I made it through and I ran the marathon. So I guess it really is just doing everything one day at a time and trying not to see it as 26 miles but just one mile at a time. One day at a time and I will be ok. I'm not alone, ever. The people who cheer me on when I run are the same people who will hold my hand in the middle of the night when I'm scared, both physically and figuratively. Being afraid because people tell you to be won't help, because ultimately, you'll just end up flying over a cliff like a crazy horse. If people tell me to be scared, then I better be the one who calls it out and says, no. I will not be afraid and I will not live my life on the nervous energy of others.

thank you, that was very therapeutic.

I want to ride my bicycle

This weekend, I finally took in the bike that my mom's friend donated to the Sarah Mennone Insanity Cause (ie my triathlon training). It hasn't been used in about 20 years or so (ok at least 10), so it needs some work, but in general, it's a good bike. Someone at the bike shop even offered to buy it (I turned them down since it's a short bike and I'd have trouble finding a frame that small again). I have to wait until next Wednesday to get it back, but luckily I have a sweet boyfriend who offered to rent bikes with me yesterday. We went to a shop in Georgetown, they handed us 2 bikes and shooed us back out. No helmet, no instructions, just be back by 6.

So...they say you never forget how to ride a bike. I didn't forget, but I think there were some experiences that I never got around to as a kid. For example, riding up a hill. Or riding next to cars. I grew up in a residential neighborhood, where if someone whizzed past you over the 25 mph speed limit, your mom probably knew you they were and would ream them out later. Or if she didn't know, your neighbor did, and would follow similar lines. But now if someone yells at me for going too slow or not making it up a hill, if a car honks or swerves too close, there's no one to fix it. A terrifying and necessary realization to come to.

In general, I need to dedicate some serious bike time now that the weather has gotten nicer. My butt is sore, so I must have done something right! I'm looking forward to learning a lot as I move forward in my training.

By the way, does anyone know how gears work?

Talent

There are several definitions that we can use for this word. Let’s explore.

“A unit of value equal to the value of a talent of gold or silver.”

Uhh…I don’t really feel like talking about money in this entry. Although if anyone cares to know, I prefer gold to silver.

“The natural endowments of a person.”

By this definition, my “talent” is encased in my chest. Let’s find another definition that doesn’t require a bra.

“A special often athletic, creative or artistic aptitude; general intelligence or mental power.”

Ah. Let us linger here. This one is much better. I suppose the question of talent comes up quite often when you’re growing up – oh little Jimmy is so talented at coloring. Little Tommy is so talented at singing the alphabet. Etc Etc. Fantastic, but is that really a talent? Is it possible to grow in and out of talents? I suppose like all things they must be honed and refined with constant effort, but the very definition seems to imply that it’s natural, something that just happens. How do we know if we’re talented? I assume that it’s something obvious to other people. I’m always amazed by the talent of other people around me, and it makes me wonder if everyone has one, or if some of us are doomed to go through life with effort without talent. And is that such a bad thing? I’m trying to decide.

I guess what I’m getting at here is that I’m by no means talented at running. It’s not a talent, I have no great athletic aptitude, it’s not that I’m doing something that other people can’t be doing. It’s a lot of legwork. Hahahaha. But seriously people, I’m not fast, I’m not constant, and I’m not anything but dedicated. Can “being dedicated” be classified as a talent? No, that’s more of a personal character trait.

What’s so fantastic about this is that it means that really anyone can be doing what I’m doing. Whether you’ve never run before or whether you’ve run your whole life, you can reach and surpass what I’ve done. What’s so humbling about this is that you can reach and surpass what I’ve done. I am forced to admit that although I maintain a blog and am vocal about my love for running and physical fitness (yay step classes!), I have very little natural talent, in this area, or in other areas of my life. There’s really no such thing as artificial talent, is there. So I am basically a noisy, loud cesspool of talentless waste in our society. How sad!

But inspiring for you! If a noisy, loud, cesspool of talentless waste can run a marathon…..YOU CAN TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

(ok I know this was a self-pitying, whiney post….but don’t worry about me. I have my natural endowments to fall back on.)

The Runner Who Was a Bicycle

Every runner has run into problems with cyclists. You might love them, you might be one of them when you’re not running. But when you’re running down the sidewalk, street, path and out of nowhere pops a manic cyclist with their dang bell that you can’t hear through your ipod, well, they seem like nothing more than a dinky, but dangerous, car. Personally, it always makes me wonder why they don’t just find a way to stay out of the way of runners since they are faster and consider themselves more agile. I’ve almost gotten hit many a time, especially when I’m down by the Potomac.

But actually, this is a story about swimming.

Last night I went over to the public pool at Eastern Market and got in to do some laps. I was the first person in the slow lane and after I had completed a few laps in glorious solitude, a girl came over and joined me. First of all, I know that some people don’t have any other bathing suit than a bikini, but it really does look stupid in an indoor public pool. Just saying. Then she started doing weird laps – not swimming but kind of walking back and forth in the lane. It took me a while to realize that she was running underwater and it just looked like she was walking because of the resistance. I finally asked her if she was a runner, hoping to gain some great training secret for my triathlon. But she just told me that she was a runner and she was injured, so this helped her maintain her cardio while she couldn’t run. Great. I was all sympathy for my fellow runner, my fellow champion of the pavement.

But we weren’t on the pavement, we were in a 3-4 foot wide lane in a swimming pool and when 2 other people came in our lane (who, by the way, were definitely not slow swimmers, but I decided to find solidarity with them as well), I expected her to move. Not like I thought she would, more like I thought she should. And I thought she’d figure it out, but she didn’t. she kept going back and forth on one side, making us swim around her, almost making me crash into another swimmer once or twice. And she was not going all the way back to the end of the lane when she was done, presumably so that we couldn’t ask her to get the heck out of our lane. There is an area of the pool for people not swimming laps and I really wished that she would move there. I know that when I do my triathlon there will be other people in the water, but probably not going in all different directions? Also the fact that I’m training for my triathlon, not READY for my triathlon, makes a big difference in how I approach working with other people in my workouts. I also realize that not everyone is training for a triathlon, some people are training for other events and some people are just there because they can swim and like to show off. But somewhere in there, we have to find respect for everyone and this chick was definitely not doing it. Therefore, she was the bicycle in our lane and I really wanted to just knock her bell off, if you know what I mean. I’ll share the road with you, but let’s get some space in the lane.

To the spectators...

To the brave people who wake up early and come out on the course with their dunkin donuts cups…to the kind souls who break out the cow bells and the clappers…to the rebels who bring beer and Dixie cups for the runners, for the thoughtful mothers who put Vaseline on tongue depressors and hold them out as we pass, to the folks who hand out the Gatorade and the water…to my mother who held a sign up throughout my entire first marathon…this post is for you.

I did the Cherry Blossom 10 miler on Sunday. It was a pretty race, but incredibly disorganized. I was really irritated by the lines at bib pickup – it was chaotic, they sent us one way, then herded us another. At the end of the race, the usual corrals that they pass us through like sheep or cows were absent. And it did NOT WORK. Chaos and panic ensued. We sighed in bitter agony as we attempted to find our post race bananas. Don’t mess with a runner who can’t find his banana.

But what also irked me about this race was…well there were 2 things. First, a TON of people in the race had headphones on. It took me a while to get there but I fully support the headphone ban in races. I hate trying to weave around people who are so completely zoned out. I hate trying to comfort someone who is obviously suffering but Nelly Furtado is blaring in their ears. I hate hearing the soft strains of Nelly Furtado invade my race as someone who has their ipod turned up too loud comes up and jogs next to me as if to say, go ahead, I dare you. Rip my headphones out.

I think that this discouraged our spectators from cheering. Or else they didn’t have their Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee. Because they were soooo quiet! One of the best parts of a race is that people are there to yell and scream and cheer! But there were stretches where I just wanted to yell at the crowds, I wanted to cheer on our cheerleaders, to give them some pep to pass back. The Marine Corps Marathon had absolutely the best cheering crowds and I guess I got spoiled. I think it's the nicest, most wonderful thing to do. I hold some of those people in higher regard than myself and my companions in the race - after all, we are the ones who paid money and trained. If we didn't come we would just be copping out. Their presence is a genuine show of support, love, and manic cruelty (who wants to watch people run a marathon?!?!!). I don't think I would even do races if there weren't crowds.

Whenever I pass a race now (if I randomly find one that I’m not running in), I yell and I clap and I pull out my emergency cowbell. Cause believe it or not, hearing someone scream, go runners you can do it! Is way more motivating than Kanye West telling you that he’s not saying she’s a golddigger.

Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm addicted to running

Registration for the Marine Corps Marathon opened at noon yesterday. To my great horror, I am overwhelmed with the desire to register. Not like, haha that would be fun to do 2 marathons in 2 weeks. It’s more of an urge: could I possibly overcome such a great and wonderous feat? Doing some research on this, I find that I would not be the first person to do this, obviously. Looking at one site, I found a man who had done 6 marathons in 6 weeks for his 60th birthday…and then 7 in 7 weeks for his 70th birthday! Some people do 2 marathons in one day! Granted, the admittance of such acts were under a title of “Insanity at its purest level.” But apparently a common insanity, not one that just strikes every 50 years. This is a daily occurrence! Lots of people do this!

But I am trying to keep a level head here. I think I wouldn’t hesitate if this didn’t occur one month after my first triathlon. Why is it that the triathlon seems so tiny? It’s obviously a much bigger deal, it’s caused much more worry in all of your hearts, and I signed up so that I would have a bigger challenge. And yet I find myself poo-pooing my participation, scoffing at the 10k run at the end (is this a race or child’s play?), mocking the 24 mile bike course (so what if there’s hills? Hills are there to make your butt tight, as I read in a recent posting), and the swim? Well the swim is the intimidating part, but you use different muscles with swimming than for running, so really it doesn’t affect my running ability. Or so I’m telling myself.

Why does this idea thrill me so much? I can’t really say. I haven’t quite figured that out yet. I think a part of it is that I’m so intimidated by so much in my life. I’m not sitting in my room plagued by fear and worry, but at the same time there are some things that I just haven’t mastered yet. There are parts of my life that seem so uncertain, so complicated, and so out of control. Or out of my control. Having something like this, having a challenge like this, makes me feel like I’m stronger, more assured. I feel like I’ve found my niche and while I am lacking talent in many areas of my life (I’ve yet to learn to carry a tune for example and although I have convinced myself that I am an excellent dancer, something tells me I am actually only spinning in continuous circles….), I seem to have found some sort of natural ability in the form of self torture/running. Perhaps I’m not fast and perhaps endurance isn’t exactly a talent, but it is a habit, a part of myself that I have honed and developed. And now it is something that I want to test.

There is also the irritating fact that the Marine Corps Marathon is a mere $88. While many marathons are far more, this seems like a bargain and being the faithful shopper that I am, it’s really hard to pass up a good bargain. $88 to challenge myself and for the 4.5 hours of glory running and having people cheer me on, yell my name, and the excuse to consume GU? Man….that’s cheap.

So far everyone thinks I’m nuts…is there ANYONE who would support this? I’m so tempted to do it on the sly, but then again, how the HECK do you run a marathon on the sly?

Public Service Announcement

BEEP BEEP BEEP BOOP BOOP BEEP

So I don't think I mentioned this...but I have made it into the Nike Women's Marathon this October!

(yes this is one month after my triathlon)

YAY!!!!!!! Now I will not be jealously grabbing my friend's Tiffany's necklace! But the best news is that 3 of my friends are going with me and to help them out, I've developed a NEW training blog: http://trainermennone.blogspot.com!

WOW!

AMAZING!

A TRAINING BLOG!

HOW FANTASTICAL!

5:30am Coffee Break

For anyone who keeps up with running literature, or even follows the NY Times, you may have noticed a recent article about the benefits of coffee before running. Caffeine is the only stimulant currently legal to use in running (drat!...wait...what else could you possibly use? I don't even know). The articles that I read said that it's a great way to get a burst of energy (WOW coffee does that?!?! who knew!??) and that many runners will go on a caffeine fast for a few weeks before a big race to get a really good jolt the day of.

So, I got up this morning at 5:30 (actually birds woke me up at 4:18 and I never really fell back asleep) and was going to go to the gym. I thought I'd do a cycling class, but that didn't pan out, but, details, details, who needs them? I figured I might as well have some coffee before my workout since I had gotten up so early with those stupid birds. I made about 2 cups (measuring here, not actual cups that I drank) of delicious hazelnut coffee and gulped them down as I got ready.

Results? Ok first I must admit that I am somewhat of a caffeine junkie and I probably have somewhat of a buildup in my system. I think it was more of a placebo effect and I didn't get anything out of it. Coffee has a bad reputation as being a poop catalyst, but I didn't have that problem when I was working out. Was anyone eating breakfast just now? Bet you're done!

Would I drink coffee again before working out? Yes and no. I do like starting my day with coffee and it does have a placebo effect on me. I don't like have to make coffee before 6am, because it takes a little while and it requires effort, which I lack when I first get up. Jury's still out on caffeine.

A Quickie Post That is Longer than Regular Ones

Lots to cover today, lots to cover. Are you bored at work? Are you tired and trying to stay awake? Are you trying to fall asleep? Are you trying to find inspiration for a run? Find all that and more in today's post....

I guess I'll start with today, since it is freshest in my mind. Today I went to the gym at lunchtime. Why? A few reasons. Sometimes I don't get home until after 9 or 10 because I go to the gym and then run errands after work/make out with my boyfriend. Another reason is that I found an interesting work out for lunchtime that promised to kick my butt in under 20 minutes. Find that workout here: www.fitnessmagazine.com/lunchtime.

I guess it was good. I guess I feel more toned and energized for my afternoon. I guess I enjoyed doing weights, which I haven't done in a million years. I guess it's good to have my afternoon free. But there is something about a 20 minute workout that does NOT do it for me. I called my boyfriend afterwards and he mentioned something like, that's barely enough time for you to warm up. Which is completely true, considering that many of my workouts are over an hour. I don't know if I can really get behind a 20 minute workout, but I'm trying. If I could take one day a week and switch to a power lunch workout (power lunch is better than quickie workout), I could have another free afternoon, which my poor cat would like very much. I feel like a very irresponsible cat mommy, leaving him alone all the time.

So the jury is still out on the Fitness Magazine work out - why don't you give it a try and tell me what you think? Thanks, I'd appreciate it.

This weekend I also saw my cousin, whose wedding I'm in in 2010. We had a really nice dinner and we discussed the idea of blogging. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about this whole deal, as much as I love doing it. We agreed that there are strict rules to adhere to when blogging, like keep it related to a hobby or critiques of some sort (movies, books, music, politics...) and don't relate every detail of your life. So I will NOT tell you what we had for dinner, even though it was delicious.

We also realized that we have a lot in common, probably because of genetics. My family, in case I haven't mentioned it before, carries the worry gene. I'm not sure if this is scientifically proven yet, but anyone trying to prove it should contact me and study my family. It seems to run more in the women, but it definitely carries from generation to generation and I think it gets worse each time.

Pondering this later, I realized that running has really become one of the main things that keeps me from going insane. Whenever I'm sad, tired, scared, worried, panicked, anxious, happy, hungry, ok not hungry...bloated, excited, angry, etc, I get out there and run. It alleviates the bad things and enhances the good things. I think being outside and being able to see things that I past and know that I'm getting somewhere is a positive experience.

Anyway, that's the majority of my rants. Congrats to my coworker who completed a 10k in 1 hour, 2 min! Also, I'm currently in the midst of drafting a marathon training plan for anyone interesting. "in the midst" = the idea has occurred to me. I'm willing to personalize any/all plans.

Getting lost is fun!

On Saturday, I got up at 5:45, dashed out the door and ran a half marathon. It was really fun - through DC, it started almost next door to my house. I decided to go for time - usually I go just to finish. But I felt like pushing myself a little bit.

When I was waiting outside in the cold, I kind of had second thoughts. Why the heck am I outside, before the sun is up, on a Saturday morning? Negative thoughts shocked through my system and I had to scold myself a little bit to keep from returning home to bed. But there really is something about that start gun. And once I do one mile, my addiction floods back and I have to do another. And another. I didn't even notice the first 5 miles.

Ok so really, I don't know if I even noticed any of the miles. It was cool to see the mile markers fly by, but I really wasn't paying much attention. I was in the zone - I didn't even realize it then, but looking back now, I see that I was completely in this race.

I don't ever look at the race map too closely before a run. There are times when this is bad, like when you can see people looping back towards you and you're wondering when you get to the turn around, but most of the time it keeps my interest piqued and I stop worrying about when I will get there and more about how I'm getting to the end. I know this would drive some people crazy, but I think this is why I hate treadmills - you always know where you are. I like running outside cause you can get lost - I like getting lost in a race because it makes you more alert.

I tried to convince myself that I didn't want to be doing a full marathon anyway, but it kept bugging me that I had a "HALF" sign on my back and when I finished, other people where doing more than me. We split off from the marathoners right at 13 miles, which is when I began to pick up the pace. I saw the finish line and looked down at my watch - I was going to make it in under 2 hours. As I rounded close to the finish line, I heard the announcer say that we were going to make it in under 2 hours - then he started the countdown. What??? I looked up at the finish clock and there were only 12 seconds left to 9:00am. I really had to sprint to make it in before that time! (My chip start time was actually a little bit after 7:00am, so I think I was pretty well under 2 hours anyway).

Then on Monday, I went over to the pool that is close to my house. I was kind of wary, since it's a public pool in Southeast DC (not hatin' just wondering!). But it was a GORGEOUS pool, a lot bigger than the ones I've been swimming in and it's FREE for DC residents! I only swam for about a half hour, but I will definitely be going back there.

And that is why the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center receives....

SARAH'S UNPAID ENDORSEMENT!

What more could you want from a pool than free, not too crowded, clean, and managed well? I mean you could have lockers that worked a little bit better, but let's not get greedy here. If you happen to be able to get to Eastern Market, this is the place to go. Well worth a commute and well worth a trip, even if it's just for fun. They have those noodles there for you to use. You know what I'm talking about. You know you still use them even though they're for 5 year olds. I know you know.

William H Rumsey Aquatic Center
635 North Carolina Ave SE

Right by the Eastern Market hall.
Cost: FREE for DC residents
Locker rooms available - bring a quarter to make sure they lock!
Showers on site.
Clean locker rooms.
Kickboards and other swim tools available for use.
Lifeguard on duty.

I'll Stand By You

Man, what is UP with the lame post titles?? My creative juices must be getting peed out as I try to hydrate for my half marathon this Saturday...

This week, a coworker registered for a 10k (this will prove to me that you're actually reading this...you know who you are!!!). And my friend in Delaware (resisting Dela-WHERE joke) called me in a blind panic this morning with the statement, "I have a charge on my credit card for that stupid marathon you made me register for!" Whoops. the whole point of getting people to do that was so that I could do it with them! But alas, my credit card remains sadly uncharged, leading me to believe that I will not be joining the ranks of runners in October.

First of all, to both these beautiful ladies, I just want to say, wow, I am so proud of you! It takes a big step to run a race, even if you're just doing it for fun! I know that both of you are going to do a great job and dedicate your time and your heart to a huge accomplishment!

Second, my marathon friend pointed out something interesting to me: running a marathon requires running intensive training. To me, this is great news. It never occurred to me that this could be disturbing for someone.

But here's the thing - it doesn't have to be. Training for a race requires a lot more than just running. You have to cross train or else you run the risk of injury. You have to swim, use the elliptical, do yoga, and take days off. Heck, she will probably do better than me because if you add more cross training it, you learn more about your body and what it can take and what it can't. My downfall was that running became the only thing I would do and it got to the point where I had my on/off button - am I running or not? I found it difficult to vary things and push myself by the end. That's why I'm training for a triathlon.

Which brings me to a very important point. I'm putting this in writing, so you know I have to stick with it.

If you are doing a race and want my support, I'm not just going to be there at the finish line, chugging a beer while I give you a high five. I'm going to be running at 6am with you and if you live in Delaware, I'm going to call you at 5:30 so that you can get on the road by 6. with me. I'll be out there too. If you want someone to jump into a race (cough illegally cough) and be there for you during mile 22, I'm going to be there. I'm training with you, I'm standing by you, I'm celebrating with you, I'm crying with you. I'm not a personal trainer, I'm not trained professional to help you do this.

I'm just your friend.

How to be healthy

I'm struggling with this myself, to be honest. I try to work out a lot and I've tried to replace my snack bars and granola bars with fruit. I've replaced bagels with oatmeal and I try to drink a lot of water and stretch once every 2 weeks at least. I don't take vitamins, but I have contemplated it on many occasions. I don't sleep enough, but I'm semi-aware of this. Kind of. Sort of.

This morning I got up and went for a half hour run before work. I've been pretty wiped out lately, but I convinced myself that it was a good idea. It felt good to run, but as I was out this morning, I realized that I haven't done a lot for other people lately. I haven't done any sort of volunteer work in a long time and random acts of kindness should be a daily occurrence - it's not something you pat yourself on the back for every few months.

Did you know that people who do volunteer work are clinically happier? Psychologists will sometimes encourage people who are depressed to do volunteer work, because it just makes you feel better. I mean...I think that human beings often need to find a personal gain in order to be incentivized to do something (that's not a real word, I know. work with me here). But if you're going to find personal gain in anything, why not find it in someone else's joy?

Can we ever be really healthy without working out our soul? Yeah, I know I'm entering the dangerous world of drum circles and chants of kum-bai-ya. But I think that people often end up searching for something, even with personal accomplishments like marathons or triathlons. No matter how many races you run, it's your place in the human race that really matters.

I'm sorry, but can we take a minute to applaud my pun?

I feel good (na na na na na na na)

Horrible title for a post. I know. *hides face in shame*

This morning I woke up at 5:05am. BAM! My alarm went off and I was AWAKE. It was awesome, cause usually when I get up for an early morning run, I have to have a little chat with myself to remind my brain why it has to function so early in the morning. Not this morning. This morning I was out the door before 5:20.

There's not a lot of people out that early in the morning. I was out before the buses even start picking up people. Surprisingly, even a lot of other runners seem to have something better to be doing (I can't imagine what???). I didn't even see another runner until I was on my way home. But it was one of those days where it just felt really GOOD to run, when I felt like I could go for hours (silly work) and not get tired. It energized me and now I can't believe I've already been awake for almost 5 hours...

I'm a worry-ier by nature. It's in my blood, it's how I function. My mind is in a constant whirl of "what will happen next!?!?!" It's really irritating. One of the few ways I've found to combat this is running. So even though the worry wolves were nipping at my heels (yes, even at 5:30am they come out to play), I find that I can run away from those thoughts, that it is possible to push them out and just be positive and feel my body working. I felt very alive this morning.

It's spring now, so you can hear birds chirping even at 5:05am. Which is nice when I'm running...but on the rare morning when I can sleep in? Makes me want a bb gun. (bebe gun? beeebeeee gun?)

Variety

I was planning on going to the gym after going out to dinner after work today (I know...I sound like a lunatic), but having bought plane tickets to Israel, I've decided that I'm too excited and would rather drink instead. Possibly a regrettable decision, but after all, one does not buy tickets for a vacation in Israel just any old day.

So I have made the decision to leave my gym bag at work. This seems unthinkable at first, leave my baby at work???? But then I realized...I don't need anything in it. Which made me realize...

I have like 6 pairs of sneakers. In good condition. Hard core, nike or aasics or some other brand name sneakers. Perhaps overkill? That's absurd you say?

But wait, it gets better. I also have a large tupperware (like 2.5 feet high and 3 feet long) FULL, OVERFLOWING with gym clothes. Sometimes I forget what I have, I have so many gym clothes. I have running skirts and tennis skirts. I have shorts with pockets and shorts without pockets. I have spandex and sweats. I have hoodies and zip up sweater jackets and underamour and overarmour (ok I made that up). I have sports bras and sports underwear. I have shirts that have bras built in and shirts that cannot be worn without one. I have tank tops and t-shirts and 3/4 sleeve shirts and lightweight shirts and heavyweight shirts. I have tennis t-shirts and running t-shirts.

And most of it is brand name, cause my mom works at a running/tennis store.

Speaking of tennis, I got to play this weekend!!

But seriously...this is not a bragging post. This post is really to say that this stuff is, well, kinda necessary. Maybe not for everyone. But it's necessary to have enough clothes that you don't have to do laundry every two days. It's necessary, I would argue, to feel cute when you work out. I would argue that if you have more than 1 pair of sneakers, you can leave one in the office and then there's no excuse for not working out.

Variety is, after all, the spice of life.

Except when it comes to peanut butter. Then there is only Skippy.

A Challenge

*email sent out to my friends and family today*

Hello Women of my Life.

Some of you may have heard me talk about this before. For some of you, this may sound absolutely crazy. You'll be all, what is she THINKING? But I am issuing you a challenge right here, right now. A smack down. (Is that the right phrase?)

This October is the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. This is one of the most popular races in the United States. It is for women. It is for us. And do you know how they make it for us?

~a ghiradelli chocolate stop
~a change your sock station right when your feet feel gross
~firefighters in tuxedos at the end who
~hand you a tiffany's necklace designed specifically for this event
~massages and facials after the race
~in San Francisco. So we can shop when we're done. And see the sea lions. :-D

It's so popular that the only way to register is through a lottery. This is happening NOW: http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/category/events/nike-womens-marathon/

So look....here's what I'm saying. This could be the funnest weekend ever. Why don't you let fate decide? Just register. Go online, fill our your name, etc and see if you're chosen. If you're chosen, then Nike has deemed you ready. If this will be your first marathon, if you never thought you'd run a marathon, if you never thought you'd run more than 10 minutes in your life (stupid gym class), just take a minute and think about what a huge accomplishment this will be. And I will train with anyone who wants to do this. Even if you get through the lottery and I don't.

Just think about it....just register...just do it.


HAHAHAH I SHOULD BE A PROMOTION WRITER FOR NIKE

The backs of my thighs

I think I've officially decided that I sincerely dislike bikram yoga. Sorry, Dupont studio, but no endorsement for you. I went again on Sunday and couldn't even make it through one pose without having to sit down, EVEN THOUGH I was sitting by a window. For shame, Bikram yoga (of course it's not MY fault). I went with boyfriend and with a friend who easily touched her forehead to her knee...life is so unfair. All those flexible people.

I've found an interesting flaw in my body. In general, running and chasing my cat around my house and cycling classes and occasional swimming (cough) keeps me in shape. I've even started doing ab classes. But the other day I noticed that the backs of my thighs are less than taut. They're not flabby per se, but they're certainly not up to par with the rest of my body. The fronts of my thighs (I believe those are the quads) are, dare I say, ripped. My calves have and probably always will be one of the most muscular areas of my body. My butt, in case you were wondering, isn't exactly a big sack of fat attached to my body either. However, the backs of my thighs, an area often overlooked, need some TLC. Or the opposite of TLC whatever that is. I'm immediately starting to do squats and lunges again at least twice a week (did them on Sunday...still feeling it). But what an odd thing to notice. Why wouldn't the backs be the same as the front? I use my whole leg when I run, in fact, I use both of them. So why is only half how I want it?

Some girls worry about their stomachs. Some worry about their butts. Some worry about their arm flab. Some worry about their whole thigh. But not me.

I'm so low maintenance.

40th Post Blowout!!!!

How have I only posted on this blog 40 times? I feel like I'm always talking and there should be hundreds of entries filled with my wit and anecdotes.

Maybe it's just that my 40 entries are EQUIVALENT to hundreds of entries because they're so darn long. Some people don't even read my blog cause it's just so daunting (you know who you are). I talk a lot.

Yesterday I got up at 5 to run and when I was on my way back home I heard some weird noises. I had just downloaded some new Britney (do NOT judge me) and I was thinking that she had some funky sound effects that were annoying instead of funky, but then I realized that stuff was hitting me on the head too. Was Britney, the queen of pop, able to add not only sound effects but atmosphere when you listened to her songs? No, actually it had started to hail. Ouch! I was almost home but I congratulated myself on being so hard core to be running in the hail.

Should I keep this entry short?

Do I even know how to do that?

Let's give it a shot...till next time my darlings...keep running.

Bikram Yoga and a Half Marathon

Perhaps I should save this post for until I have a real opinion on Bikram Yoga. But let's face it, patient we are not, and I am as eager to share my thoughts as you are hungry for my words, so let's get this post going!

Bikram yoga (or hot yoga, as I call it) is a series of 26 stretches and like 3 breathing exercises (ok I don't know that part, but there's definitely 26 stretches. I think. I've never been able to count) that you do in a room heated to 105 degrees at least with 40% humidity. So basically as soon as you walk into the room, you start sweating and you feel like you're going to pass out. Awesome.

So far I've done this a whooping two times. The first time, I thought I was going to pass out or cry during most of it (did I mention this goes on for 90 minutes? yeah didn't think so). I’m pretty sure that I audibly moaned a couple of times, but I don’t really remember. I hobbled out of the studio that night and cursed my boyfriend, who had done it before (and gone with me for moral support) and told me that I would love it. I was downright cantankerous for about an hour after it ended and I vowed never again would I put myself through such torture.

Naturally, I returned 5 days later. This time, I barreled my way over to a window spot and was pleasantly surprised to have an instructor who did not tell me to breathe through my spleen or anything weird like that but rather kept saying stuff like, “why are you all frowning? This is yoga guys, it’s fun, you’re having a good time now!” while simultaneously keeping the class super focused and intense. Being by the window definitely helped, I felt a lot less like I was going to vomit and pass out in said vomit. I guess I might try it again soon. It’s the same poses over and over again, so you just focus on improvement every time. And while that sounds like it could get boring, I guess the heat provides new challenges and torture with each class. But still, no endorsement yet.

AND IN THE NEWS…

Yesterday I quietly signed up for a half marathon. Now I’m loudly announcing it on the internets. Oh yeah and it’s in less than a month, HA! I’m very excited, it’s on March 21, all I have to do is roll out of bed and out the door cause it starts right by my house! So, a quick run at 7am, back before 10. I figured it would be a good motivator and a good experience to have on my running resume, which is suddenly starting to expand rapidly. Let’s see…by the time I do the triathlon, I will have done:

~Cherry Blossom 10 miler, 2008, 2009 (April 5, 2009, mark your calendars!)
~Marine Corps Marathon 2008
~Jingle all the way 10k 2008
~National Half Marathon 2009
~Run Amuck 5k (completely dependent on if I can get someone *cough boyfriend* to run it with me…you run a 5k through obstacle courses, rope courses, over walls, up hills, and through mud IN COSTUME)
~Nation’s Triathlon

I think I need to find some more summer races to do. I also need to find some open water swims since I’ve like never done that. Ever. When I was little and we went to the beach I used to avoid the water and just make lame, ugly sand castles before complaining that I was bored.

OH, I am also in line to get my BIKE, a necessary piece of equipment for a triathlon! My mom’s friend has very sweetly offered her old bike that she used for a triathlon in the past!

Lots of news for you, sorry to have been AWOL for so long. I leave in a few hours for a weekend getaway in London (no joke) and tea with the Queen (joke) so this will kind of be a rest week for me, which I HATE, but it just means that I have an excuse to up the intensity when I return.