A Fool of Myself

Well, I’ve found three more blogs to add to my regular reading. All three are members of the Running Blog Family (as am I), and it’s through that feed that I found them. I’m not horribly picky when it comes to regularly reading a runner’s blog—pretty much they need to talk about running on occasion, talk about the rest of their lives, and have a quirky writing style that keeps me reading. These three have made the list:

• Curly Su (she’s a musician and a triathloner)
• Frayed Laces (she’s a graduate student in Hawaii who has issues with her toes)
• Junk Miles (she’s another Sarah and lives in Idaho)

I’m also adding these blogs to my Technorati favorites (you’ll find all my favorite blogs listed there).

We’re half-way through the 100-Mile / 8-Week Challenge, and I’m just under halfway finished with my miles. In sum, I’m at 47 miles, and I’m feeling pretty good about finishing. I’m mostly running, so the miles add up slowly, but I can pad the numbers with a cycling class or two if it really comes down to the wire. More next week…

Let’s pretend that I’m publishing this issue of For-the-Love-of-Links Friday on Friday instead of Monday. I had good intentions; in fact, I had the links selected and everything but never had a chance to get this sucker published. So here we go…

B-Fit B-Day Challenge
I’ll be 26 this year, and I don’t want to wait until I’m 30 or 40 to prove to myself how fit I am, so this challenge will help me to be fit no matter what my birthday cake says.

Does Donating Blood Effect Your Running?
OK, it’s been a while since I’ve given blood, but it’s on my calendar to do this Sunday at my church’s blood drive. This article gives us runners the skinny on how donating will effect our running.

Too Cold to Exercise? Try Another Excuse
We had quite the cold spell in the Ozarks last week, and I admit I was a weenie and ran inside. I miss running outside, and this article motivated me to get on the road, no matter the temperature.

The Life Cycle of Cells Phones
I’m on my fourth or fifth cell phone since starting college, and I never quite know what to do with my old phone when I replace it. Come to find out, cell phones are toxic to the environment when left in landfills and whole phones and phone parts can be recycled. GeekSugar filled me in on the details, and now I know what to do with those phones I have laying around the house.

Linden’s New Year’s Resolutions
I know it’s the end of January and that it’s a bit late to be making New Year’s resolutions, but I could not pass up mentioning Linden’s New Year’s Resolutions. Since moving to Germany in September, Linden has turned herself inside out, upside down by staying organized in her office and home, by losing weight and working out, and by having an overall better outlook on life. I am so proud of “Linden 2.0.”

I love this smoothie recipe because it has the extra protein that I find my daily diet lacking and its versatile. Any juice/fruit/yogurt combinations that I can think of are possible! So give it a try, and let me know if you all like it!

1/2 C juice
1/2 C fruit—fresh or canned (I think oranges or bananas work best)
1 C fruit—frozen (I’m a big fan of berries)
1 C yogurt—plain or flavored
1 scoop protein powder (vanilla probably tastes the best, but chocolate works too)
2 t. honey

Blend the juice, yogurt, protein powder, and honey, and make sure the protein powder mixes in well. Add the fruit and blend well.

Need flavor suggestions? I’m a personal fan of pomegranate juice, frozen mixed berries, an orange, and vanilla yogurt.

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Image source

I think I’ve redeemed myself this week—week three’s mileage brings me to 31.45 miles, which gets me back on track for the eight-week challenge.

Did some speed work on the treadmill tonight: 5 x 400m at 5K pace. Not especially easy, but it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. And the treadmill helps me to know how fast I’m supposed to be moving.

Yesterday I did a “long run” of four miles at the Y. It’s so stinkin’ cold right now that I hate venturing outside. In fact, I went outside for about three minutes on Saturday, but my cheeks were so cold, that I turned around and came home, which is why I spent yesterday afternoon on the indoor track. After the four miles, I did some plyometrics: butt kicks, high knees, bounds, and strides—twice each.

All in all, I can’t complain about how well I’ve bounced back from knee problems. I have a healthy lifestyles appointment at the Y on Friday, and my consultant is a runner, so I’m going to talk to her about my running/cross training/strength training/yoga/speed schedule. If all continues to go well, half marathon training starts Monday!

It’s no secret that I’m addicted to gReader because I love to read and stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the world and my friends’ lives. I regularly “share” items through gReader, but those shared items are sort of random, and if you don’t know me, they may not make sense. For this reason, I’m introducing a new feature on my blog: For-the-Love-of-Links Fridays. I’ll review the items I shared from the week, and pick a handful to explain and share with you all. (And if you want to know what I’m sharing all week long, you can subscribe to my shared items straight from the source.)

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
When I started running and committed to some longer distances, I discovered the Goofy Challenge (runners run both the half-marathon and full marathon) as part of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, and ever since I’ve wanted to tackle the challenge. The WDWMW was last weekend, and many of the bloggers in the Running Blog Family were in Orlando for the fun. Check out these reports from the runaudreyrun, cdnrunnergal, and eatdrinkrunwoman blogs.

Blogging Tips
I’m relatively knew to the blogosphere, and I’m overly competitive with myself about how many people subscribe and read A Fool of Myself, so blogging tips that come across gReader are especially valuable to me. For those who are new to blogging and need a blogging primer, you’ll find this post over at TeamCrossWorld helpful. And if you’re a blogging veteran and want to take your blog to the next level, this post over at NorthxEast lists 31 Ways to Become a Better Blogger.

Punctuation News
I’m a writer by trade and a lover of grammar, mechanics, and style, so the news that Panic at the Disco dropped the exclamation mark in their name fascinated me this week. This article from MTV News will fill you in on the latest punctuation drama.

Juno Movie Review
The hubby and I watched Juno last weekend with a bunch of teenagers at our local theater. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Need more convincing than my expert advice? Just reading Relevant Magazine’s coverage of the movie makes me want to watch it again (not that I need much encouragement).

Someone Else Who Loves Mr. P as Much as I Do
My office is full of Mr. Potato Head paraphernalia, so when I read about this octopus who won’t let his spud go, I totally understood how he felt.

Stay tuned for more link lovin’ next Friday!

Bear with me. My coverage of this week’s Y classes will explain to you why I need advice.

I really liked Wednesday’s cycling class in the it’s-horrible-awesome kind of way. It was horrible because it hurt me, but it was awesome because I rode 9.4 miles. We did several “running” intervals during the class, and when the instructor said, “We’ll be focusing on running today,” I was thrilled because I know I can run. Well, it turns out that bike running is a heckuva lot harder than real running. I definitely want to add a regular cycling class to my cross-training schedule.

Today’s Tone to the Max class wasn’t too bad. We had an instructor-in-training, so the flow of the class wasn’t as smooth as it usually is, and she used too much equipment: Bosu ball, medicine ball, squishy-weighted ball, exercise ball, and dumbbells. The only thing we didn’t use was a body bar. I’m all about mixing it up, but let’s limit the equipment to an essential 2 or 3.

After TTTM, I took the Yoga for Athletes class, which I really enjoyed! I’d never taken an actual yoga class before, but it wasn’t a problem. We used our shoulders for a lot of the stances, and they were already tired from TTTM, but I don’t think I’ll let that stop me from taking the class in the future. I really need to work on my flexibility, and I think this just might do the trick.

So all these classes present a bit of a problem. If all continues to go well with my knee, I start my half-marathon training a week from Monday. During my training, I want to keep strength training (TTTM) and working on my flexibility (YFA). I know I should do some cross training (cycling and eventually swimming), and I want to do one day of speed work. Plus I have three other days of running (including a long run) to do. Am I being too ambitious? Can I drop a day of running for the cycling? Can cycling count for speed work? I feel like I need a trainer to tell me, “Do this. Don’t do that.” Advice, anyone?

Had an awesome, yet miserable time in Tone to the Max this morning. Heaven, have mercy, what our instructor did to us bordered on torture. Forget waterboarding! There should be Congressional hearings on Sumo squats. I’ll gladly testify!

Today makes two days of strength training and running in a row, so tomorrow I’m taking my first cycling class. I’m way nervous but my faithful friend HJM is coming with me. I love having this gym membership because I can try something different nearly every time I go. Cycling, yoga, and swimming are all out of my comfort zone, but I figure, if I’m paying for them, I should take advantage of them, right?

I ran three miles after class. My knee twinged a bit in the middle of my third mile, but felt fine with some walking and has felt fine all day. That’s another reason for cycling tomorrow—give my knee a little break. I’ll have more tomorrow!

This video just came across my gReader and is a happy little reminder to focus on my body’s assets rather than its rejects. What’s my favorite feature? My adorable, totally awesome toes! Watch this…

I’m off to a slow start on my own challenge: a mere 9.8 miles in sum. But in my defense, I am taking a two different strength training classes two times a week each, so I am getting in my exercise. I did two miles this morning walking and running (but mostly running), and my knee still feels good. I guess it really takes time off due to an injury to really appreciate being healthy! I’m calling the next two weeks half-marathon preliminary training; if all continues to go well with my knee, I’ll officially start training for the Country Music Half Marathon on Monday, 1/28! More mileage next week…I swear!