Archive for February, 2008
Well, the ice is finally melting, and Chris and I were finally able to escape his mom’s house this morning. I say escape sarcastically because Martha is awesome! We have this great king-sized bed to sleep in at her house, and she has more food in her pantry than will ever fit in my kitchen. And her cooking is unbelievable. And of course, she has cable and a big-screen TV that we like, too.
Ravi, our black cat, was a bit anti-social this morning when we got home. Leaving him home was the best for him, but he was lonely and hungry this morning and quite unhappy that we had to turn around and leave for work. He’ll get extra tuna treats and snuggle time tonight.
I’m coming down with the flu, methinks. It’s all in my chest, and I feel like crap. But I’m at work anyway since I didn’t come in on Monday or Tuesday. Luckily, I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow for my knee, so I can have the doc check on my lungs, too. I’m doped up on DayQuil this afternoon, so things are a bit fuzzy.
That said, I’ll probably not work out the rest of this week. Rest and fluids are on my agenda. Plus, that will give my knee a few more days of rest.
No big plans for Valentine’s Day. We might go to dinner this weekend, but I imagine we might just stay in and enjoy being at home. Even though I’m married, I’m still not a fan of this holiday, but I still like doodles from my hubby:
P.S. And yes, that’s Ravi in the middle dreaming of tuna treats.
February 13th, 2008
I’ve dabbled with yoga since college, mostly teaching myself through magazine articles and videos, but only in the last month have I actually attended a yoga class. Now, it’s Yoga for Athletes, so we don’t hold the poses for a super long time, but I’m already seeing how it’s going to positively affect my running. In fact, thanks to Beth who sent it to Linden who sent it to me, the Yoga Journal has a great article about how running and yoga make the perfect pairing.
The authors Baron Baptiste and Kathleen Finn Mendola make the argument that though yoga and running are “on opposite ends of the exercise spectrum,” we shouldn’t exclude one for the other. They say, “Running and yoga make a good marriage of strength and flexibility” (2)
Runners frequently get a bad rap for being inflexible, and the experts always tell us to improve our flexibility to prevent injury, right? I, too, am guilty of bypassing pre- and post-run stretching because I’m in a hurry or have something more important to do. But after a hard workout or race, we still feel the effects of that work on our bodies days later. Yoga balances the muscle pounding, tightening, and shortening from running and restores, loosens, and elongates those same muscles (4).
As part of our training, runners learn to push through the pain of side stitches, burning quads, stiff knees, and sore feet. Part of that ability comes from the endorphins running produces, but we all know runners who have ignored their bodies and pushed through the pain only to regret it later when they’re sidelined with an injury. Yoga teaches us to listen to our bodies and gives us confidence in how we respond to our bodies signals (8). This awareness can improve our workouts because we’ll know when our bodies are ready to handle an all-out, knock-em-dead workout/race or when they just need an easy run (9). Yoga can also teach us how to relax and how to breathe properly (10, 11).
We don’t need to be kinesiology experts to know that when our bodies are misaligned in one place, the rest of our bodies try to counterbalance the alignment. Usually, this misalignment and counterbalancing results in discomfort, and if we ignore it, it will lead to injury. We can use yoga to strengthen our bodies so all their pieces stay in place (13). By doing so, we can prevent injury, and that makes us all happy.
Like most of you, I, too, knew that flexibility was important to my running, but I didn’t do much about it when I was training for last fall’s half marathon. As a result, I developed a little knee problem that probably could have been prevented with the strength and flexibility yoga offers. Now I schedule my yoga just like I schedule my running; it’s just another part of my training. For 45 minutes twice a week, I’m instructed in elongating, loosening, and restoring my muscles. The instruction is important because I don’t have to figure out how to be more flexible and strong on my own; it’s sort of done for me, so that’s one less thing I have to think about.
I’ve merely summarized the Yoga Journal article—there is so much more to glean from it—but hopefully, you, my fellow runners in the blogosphere, will consider adding yoga to their training regimen.
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Image source
February 12th, 2008
I’ve seven miles to go until I meet my 100 mile goal for 2008! That’s right, I’m up to 93 miles in just six weeks.
I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow for my knee. I’m just going to my family doctor because that will be cheaper than going to a specialist right away. Hopefully, by this time next week, we’ll know what’s wrong with it. Then we’ll be able to make it better.
Chris and I are iced in today. Yep, an ice storm hit the Ozarks this morning, and the weather man said to stay home if you can, so that’s what we’re doing. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to go grocery shopping yesterday, so we’re out of orange juice and milk. That means I can’t make waffles or pancakes or mac ‘n cheese, which are our comfort food staples around here.
We were crazy last night and stayed up until nearly 3 to finish our Financial Peace University homework. We’re taking the course through our church, and we’re working to get our finances in order. Last night’s assignment was a working budget, savings plan, extra income plan, and cash flow. We started at 8 and worked until 3, but we finished it!
Hmm, not much else to report, so I’ll sign off for now. Just don’t be surprised if make some random posts this afternoon. These soap operas are pretty boring!
February 11th, 2008
Quick post tonight, but those of you who are bloggers, runners, and Facebook users might find this fun. The Complete Running Network has a group and a page that you can join on Facebook. I think it’s fun to see one another in a different context sometimes, and this is one more way to support our CRN family.
And if you happen to be an Ozark Mountain Ridge Runner, I created a group for us, too!
February 10th, 2008
Well, for once I’m going to post my link lovin’ on a Friday. This week’s links feature some great videos, a Google game, some running-blogger (or is it blogging-runner?) shout outs, Google Reader tips, and another reminder that sleep is really important.
Running-Blogger Shout Outs
This week, three posts in particular stood out to me, and as we all know, there’s really no rhyme or reason as to why one post is more interesting to me than another. First, Harri Lammi over at 52Lives.com makes the argument for not losing weight. Ah, yes, we’ve all forgotten our New Year’s resolutions, so we need to convince ourselves that we didn’t need to lose the weight anyway. No really, the argument is to focus on fat loss and muscle gain and not necessarily the numbers on the scale.
Second, Vanilla at Half-Fast.org is about the luckiest guy in the world. Read how he scored some free swag with his blog.
Third, I’ve been following the pregnancy progress at Ugly Toes, and I think it’s awesome how MG is still running in her eighth month of pregnancy. She totally gets hard-core points from me!
Fantastic Flicks, err, Videos
Two videos struck my fancy this week. Thanks to CurlySu for posting the funny dog-peeing-on-the-dude video, and thanks to Taryn for posting the elections-aren’t-just-a-popularity-contest video.
Sleepy Sleeperson
I wish I could post a picture of my cat sleeping on the couch next to me as I write this post, but let’s just say he’s pretty darn cute. David Moldawer wrote this piece about making sleep our number-one priority over at LifeClever.com this week. I followed his advice and slept until 10 this morning. Blissful!
For the Love of Google
It’s no secret that I love Google and that I’m addicted to Google Reader, so I found this guide to Reader keyboard shortcuts especially helpful to my gReader use.
And finally, here’s a game you can use to waste the rest of your Friday. It gives you a handful of images generated by a search on Google, and you have to guess the keyword. If you’re fast enough, you get time bonuses. Oh, go ahead and try it. You know you want to!
That’s it for this week, more lovin’ next Friday!
February 8th, 2008
The folks over at RunnersLounge.com are discussing half marathons for “Take It and Run Thursday,” so I’m tossing my two cents into the conversation.
For the record, I’ve just done one half marathon, the Cohick Half Marathon in Springfield, MO. That was last November. Currently, I’m training for the Country Music Half Marathon in April (but only if I get my recurring knee flare-ups under control soon). Even though my experience with the half marathon is limited, I learned so much in training, during the race, and after the race that I’ve compiled this list of half-marathon dos and don’ts (and actually, you can probably apply these to other distances, too).
Dos
- Get regular pedicures. As runners, we sometimes forget how much work our feet do for us. Yes, our legs do most of the work, but we pound on our tootsies a lot. Find a good pedicurist (hey, if she’s a runner, even better) who will file off your callouses and massage out the toxins that build up in your feet. She can also pull out plantar warts you may develop and make those black toenails more presentable. Whatever you do, don’t get a pedicure within a week before your race! The massaging and filing might make your feet a little tender, and they need some time to recover.
Edit: For the guys reading this, pedicures don’t have to include color. I have a few manly guy friends who have had pedicures, and they were sort of mad that women had been keeping the secret wonders of a pedicure from them.
- Train on the race route. I was fortunate for my first half-marathon to be in the same town where I train, so I was able to train on the actual race route. By the end of my training, I had run the entire course several times and knew where all the mile markers were and knew that I could make it over the huge pedestrian overpass at miles 8 and 11. Training on the route made me mentally tougher during the race because I knew what to expect and how to handle it.
- Train with a group. The Springfield area has an awesome running club, and the Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners sponsored a training group for the local race. We met every weekend for our long run, and they had energy replacements, water, and Powerade for us. They organized seminars about nutrition and injuries, and they hosted pre-race and post-race pizza and pasta parties to brief and de-brief our races.
- Go to the race-sponsored pre-race pasta party. Free food, hundreds of runners, and motivation—what else could you want before your race?
- Eat/swallow an energy replacement gel at the starting line. And eat/swallow one every 20-30 minutes, especially during the first hour of your race. The longer I run, the less I feel like eating, especially during a race, but I diligently swallowed my energy replacements during the first hour of my race, and I know they’re the reason I was able to finish it. Twenty minutes into the race may seem too soon, but you want to replace energy as you’re using it. You certainly don’t want to wait until all your energy is gone to start replacing it!
- Find a running buddy. This goes for training and race day. If your training buddy doesn’t run the race with you, find someone at about your pace and run with them during your race. I met up with a gal named Cynthia at about mile six, and we kept each other going. We were able to carry on a conversation (the indication that you’re not working too hard), and we pushed each other to finish strong.
- Make attendance mandatory. My parents, brother, and in-laws all lived within driving distance of my November race, so I made it clear to them early in my training that I expected them to be there. I didn’t have to twist their arms too badly, but I brought a box of Krispy Kremes for them to share on race day morning.
- Make signs and race-chasing mandatory.Not only did I require my family to come to my race, I required them to follow me. Before the race, I made a Google Map of the course and marked the locations I wanted them to meet me. I even made a spreadsheet of expected times of arrival for each location. My mom and mother-in-law got in the spirit of the event and made signs that said, “Go Sarah!” and pretty much made idiots of themselves the entire race as they cheered for me. But I and every other Sarah who ran the race loved them for it
- Get a massage after your race. I waited until the Tuesday after my race for my massage, and it was wonderful having all the kinks in my muscles worked out. Splurge for an hour-long session; my half-hour massage was too short.
Don’ts
I only have one don’t for my first half marathon (and really it was out of my control): Don’t let your training buddy move to Germany four weeks before your race. Maybe it’s just me, but I really bared my soul to my training partner. She is more than just someone to run with; she became my best friend over all those miles, so it was really difficult to retrain myself to run alone after she left. Fortunately, she was able to find a half marathon to run shortly after she moved, so neither of us had to give up our half marathon dreams.
This list is pretty unorthodox for a list of running tips, but you can find lists telling you what to wear and eat and do anywhere. I hope some of these things that worked for me also work for you in your half marathon.
February 7th, 2008
I have nothing to say today. Well, not really, just nothing profound, and I feel compelled to say something. And since I have nothing profound of my own rattling around in my brain, I’ll borrow some profound thoughts from some other people:
If you’re a person who doesn’t like language, does that make you anti-semantic? —Chris Austin
Poop on a stick. Poop really thick. Poop a big brick. —Amy Perryman
I want my girls to grow up recognizing the beauty of strength, the exuberance of endurance, and the core confidence residing in a well-tended body and spirit. … I want them to enjoy food that is delicious, feed their bodies with wisdom and intent, and give themselves freedom to indulge. —Kristin Armstrong
I don’t want [my daughters] to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I’d rather they were independent, interesting … a thousand things before ‘thin.’ —J.K. Rowling
Oh. My. God. Ouch. Terrible. —Lance Armstrong, after finishing the 2006 NYC Marathon
Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel as if I should be doing something else. —Gloria Steinem
When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap! —Cynthia Heimel
I’ll keep running because it’s good for my marriage. I’m not sure if I get really crabby when I don’t run. Or if my husband just gets more annoying when it rains. —Shoe ad
I am running for my skinny jeans. There are many forces that motivate you to run. Emotional stability. Mental clarity. Skinny jeans. Luckily once you motivate to lace up your shoes, the running part has a way of taking care of itself. —Shoe ad
Women are like tea: You don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water. —someone profound
OK, some of those were really stupid, but I love them because they come from people you don’t know, and I love those people, and that’s all that matters. I hope you enjoyed the serious ones.
February 5th, 2008
Only three weeks of this challenge left, and I only have 29 miles left! That’s right, I’m up to 71 miles. Thank you, cycling class!
And it looks like I’ll be in cycling class a little more often in the next few days (or weeks). I had an excellent six-miler Saturday afternoon and probably could have gone another mile or two, but my knee flared up again. Pooh.
So I have a new game plan:
- First, find out what’s wrong with said knee by going to the doctor. Get whatever x-rays, MRIs, etc. that are necessary and suck up the price tag.
- Second, rehab like crazy and follow doctor’s orders. Find a good physical therapist if necessary.
- Third, get happy with Plan B. I might not be able to run the half-marathon in April, but I can go and cheer for Sarah (I already have signs). I will likely be spending a lot of time in cycling class, which will get me ready for the MS 150 in September. So far, cycling has not hurt my knee. Actually, the only thing that hurts my knee is running.
- Fourth, be content with the outcome. I asked the Lord to break me back in the summer, and he certainly didn’t pick the way I wanted. He took away Linden (stupid Germany), and he is messing with my running; however, I am going to rejoice in my trials even if I feel like the whole world is crashing around me.
That said, my “training plan” this week looks like this:
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 40-minute cycling class
- Tuesday and Thursday: 60-minute Tone to the Max class + 45-minute Yoga for Athletes class
- Saturday: Hmm, we’ll see. Maybe it’ll be nice enough that I can ride my bike outside.
In a related knee note, I wonder if bad knees are hereditary? My dad has had arthroscopic surgery for torn menisci for both his knees, one grandpa has had one knee replaced, and the other has had both knees replaced. I’d like to think that the manual labor they do/did (i.e. climbing on and off construction equipment and crawling under houses) is really the problem. Since I don’t do either of those things, I hope I’m not destined for knee problems, too.
OK, I’ve rambled way to much for one little post. More later…
February 4th, 2008
The Barna Group issued a press release this morning that summarizes the results of its latest study. Here are the highlights:
One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be (1).
In the last several elections, the born-again population has supported the Republican candidate and have “represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S.” (3). In past races, the evangelicals (a subset of born-agains) have quickly aligned with the Republican party, but this year just 45% say they would support the Republican nominee (9). This means that “the born-again and evangelical vote is up for grabs” (15).
Barna concludes with this:
Today we have a greater proportion of faith-driven voters who are concerned about issues that are often thought of as ‘liberal’ social policy concerns, such as poverty and health care. Abortion and family protection remain significant issues to the faith constituency, but they are not the only issues that matter to the group - or even the driving issues. Relying upon traditional stereotypes of born again or evangelical voters will not serve candidates well this year (16).
It is so good to know that I’m not the only evangelical Christian in this world who is ready to turn her back on the Republican Party! Sometimes I wish I could close my eyes and follow them, but I just can’t do that anymore. Technically, I’m still an independent, but I’m voting for a Democrat in Missouri’s primary tomorrow. Who? Well, it’s still hard to say since my golden boy John Edwards punked out last week.
And if you’re one of those lucky people who gets to participate in Super Tuesday tomorrow, VOTE! Men and women have died for you to have that right; the least you can do is honor them with your voice.
OK, I’m done being political and am stepping down from my soap box. More later…
February 4th, 2008
Again, I’m a day late on the link lovin’, but at least I’m sticking to my commitment to share what I’ve been reading, right? Here goes nothing…
Kansas City Tornado Policy
My friend Maggie wrote this note on Facebook this week, so unless you have a Facebook account, the link won’t do much for you. Her Kansas City Weather Procedure was so funny, I had to include it:
Weather Update Procedure
NEW TORNADO POLICY for Kansas City, MO
In case of possible tornadoes sweeping through the State of Missouri, we ask that all Missourians take shelter at Arrowhead Stadium. We are certain that a touchdown will not occur there. Thank you for your cooperation.
I love the Kansas City Chiefs as much as anyone, but let’s deal with reality and just say it: The Chiefs suck.
Should You Vote On Super Tuesday?
It’s no secret that I enjoy politics, so when I took the quiz at DontVote.org I certainly didn’t think I would fail. Apparently I do better at recognizing celebrities than I do at recognizing politicians, but in my defense, I don’t think it’s fair that the quiz is based on pictures…I listen to the radio, for crying out loud!
Improv at Grand Central Station
This is totally random, but totally awesome! Over 200 Improve Everywhere agents freeze at Grand Central Station at the exact same time and stay that way for five minutes. This video highlights the escapade. You’ll love it!
Running Blog Shout Outs
This week, FrayedLaces and RunningTwig had posts that I loved. FrayedLaces explained the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Runners” and Running Twig identifies the 31 things she’s thankful for on her 31st birthday. What a great idea for all of us!
More next week, and maybe I’ll get them posted on Friday!
February 1st, 2008
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