Bullshit, etc...

On the blog:
First off, as much as I HATE filling out the stupid word decoder thingy on other people's blogs when I leave a comment. I'm turning it back on here. I got 63 spam emails yesterday from "anonymous commenters" and 24 already this morning. YOU WILL NOT WIN SPAMBOTS. Sorry, I know it's annoying and probably discourages people from commenting, but I can't handle anymore of those emails.

On the Run Bitches:
Also, just thought I'd share with you the original prototype for the Run Bitches shirts:

Same Front.

But a slightly different wording on the back:

Classy, right?

Probably for the best we went the less offensive route.

On my Health:
I went to the doctor on Monday for my yearly check-up and got lots of red on my results.

No need to panic, I'm only borderline anemic.

Anyway, after self/google diagnosing myself with Pernicious Anemia, turns out my doc isn't worried about my numbers, at all and initially told me my results were fine. (And then I nagged him about WHY IS THERE SO MUCH FUCKING RED ON MY RESULTS and that's when I got the... you're fine, but you're borderline anemic. Take a supplement if you want, you whiny bitch). But hey, my cholesterol went down 28 points from last year whogivesaflyingfuckaboutcholesterolatage32?!

So, I'm going to continue with my B, B-12, and Iron supplements. And possibly experiment a bit more with the amounts and the timing of when I take them.

On Running:
Speaking of that, holy shit balls, y'all. I've started running some after work lately and like whoa... I kinda/sorta like it! Obvs I picked the best possible time for this: when daylight savings ends. But, whatever. Generally, my legs feel really good in the afternoons. I'm not sure if it's because of my lunch, or the supplements I take after lunch, or just because I wasn't sleeping approximately 10 minutes beforehand? I'm not giving up on morning runs entirely, but I'm definitely enjoying mixing it up with an afternoon run occasionally.

On Eating and Running:
I never eat before a run in the morning. Races are slightly different. I'll generally eat half of an energy bar a couple hours before a race of 13 miles or longer. And in a marathon, I'll usually use shotblox a little during the race.

And I'm thinking maybe it's time to experiment a little more. Particularly since I had an amazing run on Sunday after eating an enormous breakfast. Not that I should be eating a pound of homefries before a long run or race, but maybe having a little something on the stomach isn't a bad thing. I'm so nervous about my GI issues flaring up, that I generally think that no food is best. But... maybe some white carbs wouldn't be so bad before a race? I actually just purchased these items to test out tomorrow morning: Kryptonite Peanut Butter Puffins and Lemon Zest Luna Bar:

Breakfast of champions or just the breakfast of my dreams?

Swoon.

Everyone is different. So tell me... what fueling plan works best for you?

On Friends:
Shout out to my BFF, Lauren who is going to kill it at the Richmond Marathon this weekend. School some bitches, girl!

To Yoga or to Not Yoga...

Disclaimer: I realize this post is going to totally make me sound like a privileged asshole, but whatev.

So, I'm running a race on Saturday. Yay! It's a 10k that is supposed to be very flat and considering my last 10k was hella hilly, I'm counting on a PR. Hopefully a massive PR (but we'll just keep that between you and me).

Anyhow, since I'm in the throes of marathon training right now and this isn't really a GOAL race for me, I'm only just barely adjusting my weekly running routine.

So... my big decision of the week is whether or not to go to yoga class on Thursday night. (I know, the universe just flipped me a big ole bird. See Disclaimer Above). The thing is... my Thursday night yoga class is my FAVORITE yoga class in Nashville. This particular class is only offered on Thursday nights and the only time I miss it is if I'm out of town (and I skipped it the week of my half marathon race).

Fake best day of my life ever scenario:

What's that? You want to go out for Mexican food, beer AND tequila shots, ice cream, and then you have a free ticket with a backstage pass to see Oasis (let's just assume that they got back together)?

Ohhhh, wait, it's on Thursday between the times 5-7:15? Yeah, sorry. I can't go, I've got a yoga class.

It sounds ridiculous, I know. Who cares, right? The class will be there next week. But, without getting all boring yoga-y on you, I really, really appreciate this class. It's a led Ashtanga class, but it's slowed down significantly and we do a meditation to start class and a breathing exercise to end class. I've been taking this class with this teacher since last February and he knows me and knows my practice and he's seen my practice develop over the course of the last year. And there are about 4-5 other regulars in the class and we just have a good time. It's a great vibe and I always go to class excited and leave feeling centered. 

Annnnnd... every Saturday morning I wake up with sore hamstrings. Which is where the dilemma comes in. How much of an effect would sore hamstrings have on my race?

Honestly, now that I've started to think about it and the fact that I'm wrestling with the decision so much (and writing an actual blog post about it, jeez louise, I'm a total mental case sometimes), tells me that I should take Thursday off. If only because I'm clearly too attached to my Thursday night class (attachment=bad yogi).

Okay then. Well, thanks for that.

But, just so that the 10 minutes that it took for me to bang this post out doesn't go completely to waste, I'm still curious to know for future reference... how much of an impact you think that sore hamstrings would have on a race outcome? Thoughts? Anyone?

Let's Talk...

...Sports Bras.

I have a confession to make. I've basically been wearing the same sports bras since I started running ohhhhh wayyy back in 2005.  My justification has always been that I'm a two bra-wearer... so, it's okay that the sports bras might be a little "loose."

To clarify... when I say I wear two bras... I mean I literally wear two bras... I wear one ACTUAL bra (I have a bunch of racerback bras without any sport of padding, but they do have underwire) and then I pull on a sports bra on over top.

All the sports bras I own are too big Target C9 bras (with the exception of my race bra... which is some sort of super tight and super awesome bra from Wal-Mart that I can no longer find. And even now... it's not as super tight or super awesome as it once was... 3 years ago).

This was all working just fine.. but lately, I've noticed that the bras (even with my two-bra system) are not doing a good job. When I start running, I feel like I'm flopping around all the over the place. This worries me... I'm 31 years old and my girls are already saggier than I'd like... They need some support!

Furthermore, I wear the same bras for yoga sometimes (alone, not with the real bra) and they're even a little loose for Yoga. TOO LOOSE FOR YOGA.

This is where I'm hoping you come in. I'm willing to finally invest in some GOOD sports bras. At first I was just going to go buy a bunch of the C9 bras from target (in the right size, for chrissakes) and continue on with wearing another bra underneath...

But the thing is.. I don't have that big of a chest. I mean, honestly.. I shouldn't really have to wear two bras. I would call my chest a medium, and I know that there are plenty of women with bigger chests than me running around in just one really awesome sports bra! But, my girls are big enough that I can't get away with just wearing one of the C9 bras on their own. I need a little more support than that!

So... HELP ME. Shout out your favorite sports bras! I realize I could just go out and try on a bunch of bras, but let's be honest.. just because you try one on in a store and kinda jump around and run in place in the dressing room in it... you have no idea how well it's going to perform when you're really out there running. So, I want some REAL life reviews and suggestions!!

My girls and I thank you in advance...

On Compression Socks for Recovery.

So, just to bring you up to speed here... Saturday I'm running a 50k. And then the next weekend, I'm running the Chicago Marathon. This shouldn't really come as much of a surprise to most of you... because I'm an idiot.

I honestly feel like I'm in good shape to do this (No, I'm not in denial... I'm being legit, yo). But, I did get a brilliant idea yesterday... COMPRESSION SOCKS.

I've always shied away from things that I feel are mostly for "fast" runners or "serious" runners (I mean, it took me like 4 years of running to buy a Garmin for chrissakes), so, I've stayed away from the socks. But, I'm thinking that they might help with my recovery between the two races.

So, I need your help folks... Should I jump onto the sock wagon and shell out the dough for a pair of recovery compression socks? Do you have a pair? Are they worth it? What brand did you buy?

Bah Hambug.

Well, just as I should have expected.. setting myself a crazy/dumb ass goal has not made me excited to go out and run more... in fact... it has made me want to run less.
You'd think, being a 31 year old fairly self-aware individual I'd have known better...

Digressing...

UGH. What can I do to get excited about running long distances again???? TELL ME PEOPLE, I NEED HELP.

** This message brought to you by... Amy's OCD tendencies and her thighs... who both need running more than you can imagine...

Thank you.

I love having a blog... ask and ye shall receive. You guys are awesome! So, since a lot of you offered up great suggestions (okay, well there were actually only 8 comments, 2 of which were spambot comments about viagra and online casinos that I had to delete... but 6 legit comments is a lot for this little blog!) I thought it was only fair to address the suggestions and comments.

I do have a disclaimer though... for those of you who don't know me in real life (you lucky bastards), I've been accused a few times in my life of being called a contrarian. In fact, I recall one crazy ex boyfriend telling me that there was a picture of me in the dictionary next to the word, contrarian. Which obviously isn't true... but, I have to admit... I am kind of that way... and I know it's frustrating to all my friends... I ask for help, advice, etc they dutifully dish it out and then I go and do the complete opposite and whine and bitch and moan about the outcome. I blame it on my parents for making me the youngest child. So there.

Now onto the suggestions!

1. The Triathlon. a-ha! This is seriously a brilliant idea. I've always wanted to do one (if for no other reason than to be able to have the license plate holder that says something to the effect of : "triathletes do it three ways." Which, to be fair, I don't even really fully understand the pun that it's trying to make, but nonetheless it sounds simultaneously smutty and hardcore which I of course LOVE). But there is one thing holding me back from training for a triathlon right now: M-O-N-E-Y. Ugh. I don't own a bike. (The last bike I owned had a purple banana seat, a white basket in the front and a a kick-ass unicorn license plate). Or a helmet. Both of which I assume are requirements for triathlon training and competing. And... I don't have a gym membership in which to practice swimming nor the money to pay for proper swimming lessons. I'm pretty sure that dogpaddling and flailing aren't really legit swimming strokes. So... one day.. yes, I will be all over the triathlon and doing it 3 ways all over the damn place and whatnot. Just not this year.

2. The Warrior Dash:  Matt suggested that I RACE a race (I'll come back to that point) or run some awesome obstacle course race that includes mud and beer called the Warrior Dash. Which.. does sounds pretty freaking awesome, but.. A. I don't think there's really any training involved in preparing for that race.. at least not training I would practice. I'm already pretty damn good at the drinking part. And B. I'm running a marathon that weekend. Wah-wah. Thanks for the idea though... I'm game for next year!

3. Train and Race a Shorter Distance: Now, I gotta admit.. at first I was like... ehhh.. I hate racing and I blew the idea off. But, I started thinking about it... and maybe you guys are right. Maybe that is a good idea. So, I'm thinking about running a 10k the weekend before Big Sur. It's about a month away and will give me something small to focus while still plugging away at the miles for Big Sur. I've also got a Half Marathon planned for April 3, and am hoping that attempting to semi-race that will also break me out of my funk.

So, in the end... I actually am taking your advice. Which means.. come mid-April, if I'm still feeling this crappy, I have like 3-4 of you to blame. Muahhahahahaha. Passing the buck, baby. That's what I do.

Recovering

See that circled spot on my leg? That's the point of injury. If you pay attention to the sidebar of the blog, you know that there's a place where you can check out our mileage or workouts for the past few days. And if you pay extra close attention, you know that my mileage has been missing for the past couple of weeks. Yeah yeah, sometimes I'm lazy and don't actually get my workouts entered into RunningAhead, but this time, that's not the case. I've actually been sidelined by a pulled groin/upper thigh injury.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a horrible long run. It was only 12 miles...pretty short in the grand scheme of things...but it seemed so. freakin. long. And hard. And hot. And miserable. And by the end of it, painful. By the end of the run, I could barely walk due to shooting pains in above circled area. So I went home, iced it and pretty much stayed off of it for the remainder of the day.

It's been a couple of weeks now and I am just now feeling like I can run without a lot of pain. I've squeezed out a few 2 and 3 milers and today I got in 4 slow miles. I can pretty much run fine as long as I make it through the first quarter mile of painful limp running. By that time, I'm warmed up nicely and can go with little to no pain. And another plus is that I'm not experiencing any pain after the workout. In my book, that's a sign that I'm good to go and good to get back on track with the marathon training.

Here is my dilemma. I'm not sure of the best way to get back into the routine without pushing it too much and going backwards with the healing process. This is week 8 of the training schedule and I think I can get through the week's runs with no problem...4 and 7 mile runs. It's the 15 miler that's on the calendar for this weekend that I'm worried about. Is it dumb to strive for all 15 after 2 weeks off? My last long run was 12 and then I missed a 9 and a 14 miler. Should I go for the 9? The 14? And if I don't do the full 15, when is the best time to return to the exact training plan? Questions. Questions.

I'm leaning toward running 12 or 13 miles and just assessing the situation at that time. I'm not too worried about my time off, but I cant really afford any more!

Decisions Decisions

The beginning of marathon training is just around the corner and I need some help. With all the training programs out there, how can I know which is best for me? Trial and error with different plans over the course of a running career is probably the best way to hone in one the perfect program, but I've only got one marathon under my belt so far. For that marathon, I loosely followed a Runner's World program and it worked ok. My goal was to finish and I did. When I was training for my second program, I followed Coach Hal (Higdon), but that ended when I got injured. I am interested in seeing the Coach Hal program through, but when I was injured, I got to thinking that maybe there was a better program out there...one that promotes staying injury free. That's a BIG deal to me.

There's Jeff Galloway, who says that incorporating short walk breaks while running is the way to go. He argues that it can even improve your time, which (side note here) I'm not really interested in PRing cause my first marathon was so long ago. It would be great, but I just want to run it and finish it and not get injured in the process. That's not too much to ask, is it? I know people who swear by this method of running/walking.

And then there's the FIRST training plan, which promotes "run less, run faster." I hear that Melanie and Spike are following this plan. I'm kind of a slacker, so running 3 days a week sounds alright to me, but those 3 days of running have to be KEY workouts, which means lots of pace running and speed workouts and lots of using a stopwatch, I believe. I'm not so keen on that.

Now let's take a look at a sort of opposite method of training called RUNNING YOUR ASS OFF. Amy is currently following this plan with her 70 freakin miles per week (you overachieving showoff hussy you. just kidding. sort of.) and it seems to be working for her. However, this plan requires hard work, time, and lots of dedication, which lets be honest here, I'm not always willing to put forth. Like I said before, I'm a lazy biotch sometimes. RunnerMom is also just getting started with a high mileage, but slow pace marathon program and I'm very interested to see how that goes for her. The benefit of this plan is that I don't have to worry about killer paces and such. Plus, I'd like to be able to say that I run a helluvan amount of miles every week. I'm very vain like that. I like to portray myself as a bad ass.

So you see, I have a decision to make. Won't you please chime in with your .02?

Oh and...

Good Luck Amy!!!

Happy Shins

I've been plagued by shin splints off and on for the past year. If you've ever had them, then you know just how much they suck. They are sneaky little bastards, they really are. One day you feel just fine and dandy and the next day you can hardly take a step without splitting pains in your shins. The following is historical account of my shin splints:

Day 1- Ouch. My shins are really aching. I wonder what's up. Do I have shin splints?
Day 2- Ouch. My shins still really hurt, but its a dull sort of ache...maybe I can just run through it. Yep, I'm just going to run through it. I'm tough. I can take it.
Day 3- Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. The dull pain is no longer dull. Now the pain feels like little knives stabbing my shins every time my foot hits the ground.
Day 4- Ouch. It hurts to walk. This sucks. I guess I'll have to take a few days off from running.
Day 5-Break
Day 6- Break
Day 7- Break
Day 8- Hmmm...My shins are still aching, but only just a little. I think I can run through it. I'm tough. I can take it.
Repeat.

And basically that's it. Throughout this vicious cycle, I also tried all the other stuff like icing, ibuprofen, stretching, strength training exercises for the calves and shin areas, and rest periods for much longer than 3 days. But alas, nothing seemed to work.

Finally, I decided that it was time to up the exercises. I also got new shoes and I've been trying my best to stay off the concrete and asphalt if at all possible. And guess what? I think that maybe, just maybe, all of that is starting to pay off!! I experienced some pain during a 5k on Saturday morning, but an easy run after the race, a second race on Sunday (race reports to come) and this morning's run went great! No pain at all! It was awesome. I just hope it continues.

Last week, I made an appointment for this morning with my doctor to have some x-rays made. I wanted to be sure I didn't have hairline fractures in my shins...and I don't. So that is super good news and I'm pumped!

Something else I'm looking into are calf compression sleeves. Has anyone used these? Do they work? I'm going to take every step possible to prevent because hard-core April training mode is just around the corner!

Fuel me up...

So, it's Wednesday... an unplanned rest day for me (although, I should have been able to look at the calendar and realize that the day AFTER St. Patricks Day was going to be a rest day). But, it's time for me to start thinking about the weekend...

Saturday is installment #2 of the 20 milers and I'm trying to plan accordingly. After the debacle of my first 20+ a few weeks ago, it's clear that I need to institute a few changes into my preparation and my actual training runs themselves.

I've pretty much figured out the preparation part... PIZZA. Baked potatoes, Pasta, etc.. So, that just leaves fueling my runs while running. I need it, as much as I've tried to train without any kind of energy gels, jelly beans, etc... I really feel like they would help my runs significantly.

Soooo... I'm jumping back onto the fuel bandwagon... But, I need to find something that is going to work for me and my oh so sensitive stomach. Not an easy feat.

A long time ago... I used to use Sport Beans. And then they started giving me heartburn while running (which, was funny... because I had never had heartburn before, so it took me awhile to realize that's what it was, and that my heart wasn't actually burning from the running). So, yeah.. Sports Beans are out.

Next up: Gels. I find gels to be messy (sticky fingers! arg!), gross, and hard for me to get down. I also find that I drink too much water with them... which sloshes around in my stomach with the gel and makes me sick.

I do like the Gatorade/Acclerade option. But, it's not that easy to carry on you. (I do have a hydration belt... but, ugghhh.. I just feel so lame and sloshy while wearing it). And the gatorade on race courses is always that watered down gatorade made from a mix.

I'm going to head to my local running shop tonight or tomorrow night and check out my other options. I'm thinking I'd like the Clif Shot Bloks. I definitely want something with electrolytes and possibly extra sodium, since I'm one of those runners that ends up with a white, crusty shell on my skin after runs.

Anybody got some good suggestions for me? How do you fuel up during runs? And... as importantly... at what points during the run/race?

The Longest Run...

DISCLAIMER: If you aren't a runner, then you might not understand this post... and even if you are, you might be disgusted by this post. I will be discussing bodily functions very candidly and if you can't handle poop talk, then you might just want to check back with me later in the week.

(And of course... I've just piqued everyone's interest even more, I'm sure... who doesn't love a good poop story, right??).

It's not a new or unusual thing for me... I've dealt with Runner's Trots before. But, usually... by this point in my training (more than half-way through), I've got the issues worked out. Saturday morning... it became clear about 4 miles into my 20+ training run... that this time around, they're not quite worked out.

First, let's identify how I threw caution to the wind in my preparations and then we'll talk about that came back to bite me in the ass on saturday morning (literally, in fact).

Friday night: I was all pumped for pizza, right? I mean, it's my surefire, lucky pre-long run meal. Well, I got home on Friday night and was feeling rather sloth-like, so I decided to try out the Jillian Michaels Shred work-out on demand. After sweating 3 gallons for 20 minutes (seriously, that is one kick ass workout), pizza just didn't sound good to me. I decided to pick up some sushi (brown rice sushi, in fact) instead. My thoughts? Well, it's got carbs and protein... shouldn't be a bad pick for the night before a long run, right? (I know, I'm an idiot).

Saturday morning: I woke up around 5:00 and immediately headed to the kitchen. I only had an hour till I had to pick up Vandy-Montana, so, I ate two pieces of toast (whole wheat, cause that's all I have) with peanut butter on them, a banana, and a cup of yogurt. I drank some water, took care of some business and felt like I was all ready and prepared for the run.

As soon as I stepped out of my car at the park at 6:25am, I thought... "oh shit... " (literally). I could definitely go, right now. I thought it just might be a nervous stomach... so, I tried to relax and not think about it (because there are no bathrooms at the start of this run). It worked and I was feeling good.

This training run includes the 11.2 loop and then an out and back to another park here in town. I have fallen in love with the 11.2. Like... seriously, I want to make some t-shirts up that say I HEART the 11.2. It's a killer, challenging route, but it's fun and because I'm always dreading the end of the run (mile 9 is a beast and my least favorite hill in the route), so I always seem to get to it quick and then by the time you conquer that beast... you're practically done and it's mostly downhill from there. So, I was happy to be starting out with this course.

Along the way, I got recognized again (I know, I'm getting so famous... I need to start wearing makeup or something on these runs... haha yeah right). Shout out to Matt! Thanks for introducing yourself and nice work on the 11.2!!! Good luck this weekend, too!

So, yeah, things are good. I'm cruising along, enjoying eavesdropping on other conversations, etc. and then around mile 4 I start to feel a little something deep inside. It's not super urgent, so I figure, it'll pass.

By the time we pass 7 mile hill, I'm desperately looking for a porta-potty. And around mile 8, I spot one... but it's fairly far off the trail and I'm not feeling so bad that I feel like it warrants stopping and using it. Plus, I was kind of afraid that it might be like... "breaking the seal." And it was still early in the run. I ran past it and started to regret it fairly soon thereafter.

Once we chugged up 9 mile hill, I finally mentioned to Vandy-Montana that I wasn't feeling quite so well. The mile downhill towards the end of the loop had to be ran at a much slower pace than usual, because the jarring of the downhill steps was not helping my situation. AT ALL. After the 11.2 there was a water station, so I had a little water and a little gatorade and we set out again. I was really struggling at this point. I knew that it was about 4 miles to the visitor center at the next park (where there is a bathroom) and that there would only be houses along the way there.

About a half mile into the out and back, I urged Vandy Montana to go ahead, he told me I was running at a 10:00/mile pace and he took off. I kept him in my sights for a good while, but the urge to go slowed me down significantly at certain points. At one point, I SERIOUSLY thought I was going to crap my pants. Like... here I was, on one of the most expensive streets in Nashville, million dollar homes with long driveways and no inconspicuous places to stop and take a crap ANYWHERE. I had to stop and walk for a couple of minutes and prayed to God that he spare me the humiliation of crapping my pants in the middle of a training run in a residential area with 6 miles left to go. I was clenching my ass tighter than a newbie in the prison shower.

Finally... I got to the visitors center and spent about 15-20 minutes in there. I had no concept of time, because I didn't wear a watch or my ipod. By the time I emerged and started running again (an uphill... like, seriously... we couldn't just turn around at the damn water table? Ugh). I am utterly exhausted. It's like... I spent so much energy for so long... holding it in, that my body was just wrecked. My stomach was so sore and achy and though I didn't have the urge to poop anymore (had to be completely empty in there, folks) my stomach was cramping and hurting with every step I took. The last 4 miles back... were the longest 4 miles. I mean, I actually think they were worse than holding it in (granted, there's no way I could have lasted another 4 miles holding it in).

I kept looking down at my Road id thinking... hmmm... I might actually need this, today. I mean seriously. It was bleak for awhile. Finally, I finished and I was proud of getting all the miles in and not dying. But, it was definitely a wake up call that I have to take fueling my body properly a little more seriously from now on. (I mean, when your ass is actually SORE the next day from clenching it tight for so long... you KNOW you have an issue that needs to be addressed).

My ideas on how to correct this issue:
1. Everything in my house is whole wheat/whole grain. I seriously buy nothing that's not. That's a great thing in general... but fiber is something that I should probably be avoiding before a long run, so I should keep some "white stuff" on hand to eat before a long run.
2. I need to fuel up in general better for runs. I need to eat some white pasta, some baked potatoes, etc... Diet or no diet, fueling my body for running is most important right now.
3. I need to either... eat NOTHING before my runs... or, I need to get up 2-4 hours before the run starts and eat something. Even if that means getting up at 2am to eat something. I have to have time to digest it.
4. I need to stop drinking caffeine around 5pm the night before, apparently caffeine can contribute to a "loose bowel" (yeah, that's right... I said it).
5. I need to start working Gu into my routine. I usually try to avoid it because I'm afraid it will mess with my stomach, but I kind of think, I might need it...

Any other ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Danger in the Dark

Doesn't the title of this post sound like the title of an R.L. Stine novel? Do y'all remember him?

I read the hell out of some R.L. Stine when I was a pre-teen. That was before the days of the Goosebumps series, when he was putting out horror novel after horror novel with amazingly cheesy and awesome titles. Funny-I don't even like scary movies or books anymore. I guess I was a braver child than I am an adult.

So anyway, don't be alarmed by the title of the post and think that I was chased down by an axe murderer or haunted by the ghost of my great aunt, Myrtle. I'm just being mellow dramatic. (You're so surprised...I know.)

What it looks like when I run...Photo courtesy of Amy

The danger in the dark that I refer to is actually just that-the dark-and the fear of things that can happen when you run in the dark. Like getting hit by a car, tripping on something hidden in a huge pile of leaves, or tripping over the curb while trying to dodge those fallen branches and leaves. And let me tell you...our neighborhood has tons of trees and that makes for tons of leaves covering the sidewalk and street. Like I could probably jump anywhere and land softly and safely into the leaves. I'm not talking a pile that someone has raked up, I'm talking about any random place in the neighborhood. There is also the possibility of twisting my ankle by landing in a leaf-covered grate on the street. The dangers are endless, especially if you are clumsy like me.

It's dark during morning and evening runs, both, so the only daylight running I get is on the weekend. I run on the road, as opposed to the sidewalk, because it's better on my achy knees. And I try to be really cautious and watch for cars and stuff that has gathered up against the curb, but sometimes stuff happens, you know? I've yet to get hit by a car (knock on wood), but I do stumble quite a bit. To make the matters worse, because it's fall and all the leaves have fallen, I sometimes avoid them all together and run on the visible ground, which pretty much puts me in the middle of the road. In the dark. Yeeeeaaaah...that's not too safe.

I usually wear this jacket:

Which, as you can see, reflects light pretty well on the front, but I'm not sure it's enough. So my question to you is: Do you have a jacket that does a great job of alerting drivers of a runner up ahead?

What's the alternative? A neon jacket or flashing lights? Please! I have to maintain my cool factor. I have an image to uphold, you know.

My other issue (which has to do with Fall and not darkness) is these:
I don't know what they're really called...I've always called them gumballs. And these gumballs get stuck in my shoes. I guess nothing can really be done about this problem...I just felt like venting. So there. (I'd also like to take this time to bitch and vent about my camera that sucks and can't focus.)

In closing, please recommend a jacket for me to wear in the dark before something tragic happens and the ghost of April starts haunting YOU.

Wicking Fabric... a discussion.

When I first starting running back in 2005, I wore cotton everything. Cotton yoga-y pants, cotton long sleeve tshirts, cotton socks. And even for my first half marathon, I wore a cotton t-shirt (I think I had finally broken down and purchased actual running shorts by that point). The point is... no matter how many crazy new fabrics athletic wear makers come up with (with crazy price tags)... you don't have to go out and buy fancy dancy running clothes.

But... because once I started running more and more, I started wanting to look cuter as I was doing so... and so I started picking up the occasional cute running top and matching shorts, etc. And over the years, I've accumulated a whole drawer full of running tops that I RARELY wear. Because, now... instead of wanting to look matchy-matchy and cute... I just want to be comfortable on my runs.

Awhile back, I posted about how much I sweat during runs (with a picture included). In the pic, I was wearing my now standard running "uniform." An oversized cotton tshirt and running shorts.
April, left this comment...

April said...

Dude...it's because you love running in 100% cotton t-shirts!! You have like the biggest running wardrobe of anyone I know...wear your dri-weave shirts!! Or just don't wear gray...it shows sweat the most. White will disguise:)

And that got me thinking... Dri-weave, moisture wicking, etc... what are these fabrics REALLY supposed to do? Their purpose isn't to keep you from sweating... their purpose is to pull the sweat off your skin and into the fabric... where it is supposed to dry quickly. Right?? (I mean, I have no idea, and I tried wikipedia-ing it, and didn't come up with anything, but this is my general knowledge of the subject). Well, that's all fine and dandy if you are just out for a casual stroll on a hot day. But, if you're engaged in an activity such as running... where you are just constantly sweating more and more... the fabric doesn't have a chance to dry quickly, right? So, you just end up with a wet fabric (though, the fabric is usually lighter in weight than a cotton tshirt) hugging your body.

I decided to test out a couple of my supposed "moisture wicking shirts"

This is the shirt that I bought for the Memphis Marathon last year. It's a Nike Tech shirt. Fully synthetic, fully NASA tested or whatev (so that they can charge $35 bucks for it). I wore this a month or so ago on a long run and was so uncomfortable during the run, due to the heavy, clingy sweat saturated fabric that I was daydreaming about wearing a cotton t-shirt. It was so bad, that I took this picture when I got home to show my dissatisfaction for the fabric...

Seriously... look at that. The two lighter pink triangles around my boobs are the color that the shirt is when it's dry. I'm not sure how well you can see, but it's like I could have wringed the shirt out and 10 ozs of sweat would have came out. It's soaked with sweat. (And you can see my dis-satisfaction by my face, in case the thumbs down and pout don't do it for you). Granted, it was a hot day, probably mid-70s for the run,

This morning... it was 51 degrees and cloudy. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test out another shirt. This one is the race shirt I got from the Eugene Marathon. It's a Nike dri-fit t-shirt. I figured, sure I'd sweat some this morning.... but hopefully with the cooler temps, I could see if the dri-fit really did dry faster...

Hmmm... nope.

And, it's not just Nike. I have some Under Armour tops, too that do the same thing. I will say that I do like wearing "moisture wicking" fabrics as a base layer in the winter. They may not wick sweat, but they are usually a pretty good wind-breaker and good at keeping you warm and toasty.

Any of y'all have really good luck with any particular brand? If not, then I'm just going to stick with what I got and not spend the dough on tech-wear (unless it's just like really cool or something).

And in the end...

I will not be running the Marine Corps Marathon.

If you read this blog on any kind of consistent basis, you know that I’ve been training for the MCM, which is in approximately 2 weeks. You also know that my training has been sub-par due to injury caused by over-training. When a runner is plagued by shin splints and IT Band pain that just won’t go away, it’s a sign of pushing too hard, too fast.

Now I’m not a super-experienced hardcore runner, but I wouldn't classify myself as a beginner either. I’ve got one marathon under my belt, dozens of shorter-distance races and about 9 years of running experience. I own 7 or 8 books that only “serious runners” would buy and look forward to my copy of Runner’s World each month. I browse Cool Running, Running Times and the Memphis Runner’s websites everytime I get a chance and I read all of your fantastic running blogs just about everyday. So you see, I consider myself fairly well-read on the subject of running. That’s why it makes absolutely no sense that I am injured enough to have to drop out of my upcoming marathon. Shouldn’t my super-educated running brain know when to hold back and when to persevere and push through the pain? Apparently not. Cause here I am. Out of the race with injuries that I haven’t dealt with since I was a beginning runner back in high school.

I’m not sure why or how it all began, but it’s been a vicious cycle…run too much too soon, suffer the consequences and become forced to take a few days off, try to play catch up, run too much too soon, suffer the consequences and become forced to take a few days off, try to play catch up….

Yes, it is frustrating, and yes, I want to ignore the pain and do whatever it takes to finish that race. However, that would be really really dumb and I don’t want to waste all that I’ve worked toward, thus far, by doing something dumb. I want to run a good marathon-one that I’m prepared for and one that I’m healthy enough to complete without risking blowing out my knee for a year.

That’s why I’m going to postpone my marathon.

So many wonderful people have sponsored me by generously donating money to The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. I promised those people that I’d run a marathon and I will. I will run a marathon. It won’t be the Marine Corps Marathon, but I promise you that I will run 26.2 miles as soon as I possibly can, in honor of Meme.

I’ve taken a good amount of time off to properly recover (fingers crossed) and have slowly been getting back into my routine. I’m making myself take it slow until I can gauge exactly where I am in my training schedule. Once I determine where I stand, I’ll pick the appropriate marathon and do my best to stay healthy and injury-free until I’ve got marathon #2 under my belt. Since I already made my plans for travel and meeting up with old friends in DC, I’m still going on my trip. I’m looking forward to cheering on my fellow teammates on the MMRF Marathon Team. But that means that my vacation time is gone and so I’ll have to run a local marathon. Here are my options:

St. Jude Marathon in Memphis-12/6/08

MS Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS-1/3/09
Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans-2/1/09
Little Rock Marathon in Arkansas-3/15/09

Knoxville Marathon-3/29/09

Anyone got any input on these races? I'm leaning toward doing the half in Memphis and the full in Jackson. I think that 10 weeks will give me enough time to get back on track.

Maybe...just maybe...

I could finish the whole marathon if I alternated walking and running? Last night, when I went out for my run (in the oh-so-wonderful cool weather) I really focused on paying attention to how my knee felt. The first mile and a half were fine, but then my knee started feeling a little tweaky-not really pain, but just not right. I pressed on. At two miles, it did start to hurt so I stopped and walked for a bit. When I started running again, the pain was gone. The pain came back quicker than it had before and this time felt like it was spreading from the left side to the center. I walked again. I did this for about five miles before calling it a day. But it got me thinking...tons of people walk entire marathons. Sure, it may take all day, but at least they finish, right? If I can run/walk it, maybe I can keep the pain at bay and finish all 26.2.

What do you think? Smart or not? While I have been running regularly, my long runs are still not where they need to be...but to run and walk a marathon, is that really, absolutely necessary? Anyone have experience with this?

Dream Weaver

Although technically my long runs are supposed to be at 15 miles at this point in my training, I'm a bit behind due to my shin splints. So I decided that I'd be good for 12 this weekend and I'd take on 15 next weekend. Not bad...just a week behind. I most always do long runs on Saturday morning, but that didn't happen this past weekend. Saturday turned into Sunday and Sunday turned into Monday. I actually went out last night, intending for it to be a long run, but didn't really feel like keeping my music low to hear traffic. There seemed to be a lot of crazy drivers out and I also didn't feel like getting hit by a car. Sooo, I did a quick 4 and headed home with the plan of getting up at 4:30AM to run my 12. I was determined.

I even slept on the couch, thinking that it would help me get up and get going in the early hours. I must have been mentally preparing because I had a crazy running dream. Please interpret if you can:

I was with a girl (not sure who it was) and we were getting ready to run 26.2 miles. It wasn't a marathon...we were just going to run that distance. The run was to be around (and up) a big mountain and some very beautiful and scenic forests. As soon as we began our run, my body physically went into slow motion. I was trying with all my might, trying to run normally, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't even walk, only run in slow motion....like a movie. My running partner had already run ahead and circled back to see what was wrong with me. I tried to explain what was happening, but I couldn't really even speak coherently. At some point, my brother, Logan, drove by in his car and asked if we wanted to ride. We said that we did and my actions and speech returned to normal. He drove us around the 26.2 mile course and back to our starting point, which was Cool Beans, a place where my friends and I hung out a lot in college. We decided to take a break and start again. And then my alarm went off.

My dream makes me think that I am feeling incapable of running my upcoming marathon...like maybe it has something to do with me not being exactly where I should be with my training. However, I've actually had this type of dream before...where I was trying to run, but physically couldn't...the same slow motion thing...but last time I had it, I was in great shape with my training. So hmmmm....What does it mean?!? The good news is that I ran 12.6 miles and it felt wonderful!

And as a last note...congrats to Tomescu Dita for the gold in the women's marathon!

Power Up!

Vitamins are important-or at least that's what they tell me. It would be great if I could get all my nutrients in my daily diet, but lets be reasonable here...we can't eat full servings of fruits and veggies everyday! That's why I take a multi-vitamin. I also take calcium for strong bones and glucosimine for my knees. The glucosimine takes about a month to build up in your system, but once it does...your achy joints will thank you! It's great for runners. The glucosimine is nice because I can actually tell that it's working. I feel the benefits. However, I don't feel any better or worse when I take the multi and the calcium. I just assume they are good for me.

I'm always trying to catch the latest news or studies about vitamins...I mean, what if there is something really great out there that I'm not taking?!? Before I got married, I was obsessed with making sure my skin was perfect for the big day. I wanted to be all glowy...you know, the blushing bride. So when I saw Olay Vitamins Total Effects 7x that were supposed to make your skin glow, your nails grow and your hair shine, I knew I had to try them. Each box came with 30 days worth of supplements...each contained a multivitamin, vitamin E, CoQ10 and alpha lipoic with green tea. Now I wasn't really sure what all that stuff meant, but I figured I'd give them a shot. So I religiously took them every single day for a few months up to my big day...and you know...I did have a good skin day on the day of my wedding. Who knows if they were really the magic they claimed to be. I don't pay too much attention to good or bad skin/hair/nails days and their connection to whether or not I've been taking my daily vitamins, but I'll sure welcome more pills if they make me look better.

Those Olay supplements have since been discontinued...maybe because they just didn't catch on or maybe because they were a bunch of BS. Who knows...but I'm curious...

What vitamins or supplements do you guys take?

Do you really notice any difference?

Oh, my achin calves...

This is just getting annoying. Just about every time I run lately, both of my calf muscles begin to ache and throb. The pain progresses to the point that they feel so freakin tight that they just might snap. And while I'm all about some tight and toned calf muscles, they feel abnormally solid to the touch. My usual reaction is to stop and try to stretch them out on a curb or something, but they are so tight that doing so causes extreme discomfort and agony for a few moments. I wish I were exaggerating. I can only stretch them after allowing them to loosen up by walking it out. That's all good, but when I start running again, the tortuous cycle repeats itself. The good news is that this problem only lasts for the first 2-3 miles. After that, I guess they are warmed and loosened up enough.

During my 3 mile easy run last night, I acquired another pain on my right, inner calf. This strained spot (I guess it's a strain...) is on top of the overall calf pain. So now I have an injury on top of excruciating pain. Spectacular. I'm guessing that this was caused by trying to stretch it out during the run when it was so tight. When I got home, I did some good thorough stretching and iced it. This was in addition to icing my eye where Greg elbowed me. No, no...it wasn't intentional!! It was actually sorta, kinda my fault since it was a startled reaction to my tickling. Fortunately, I do not have a black eye today.

So anyway, back to the problem at hand...This morning, I decided to do my lower body pilates DVD before my run for some pre-run stretching and warming-up and it did seem to make a bit of a difference. My calves still both hurt all over and I still felt the strained area flaring up, but it subsided more quickly than usual.

What do you guys think? Have you ever experienced this? And is icing the right thing to do? Right now, it isn't stopping me from my running, but I'm afraid it will lead to a more serious injury that will. Please help!