NPR

NPR, nope, not National Public Radio.  It’s initials are also for “Naked Pumpkin Run.”  Yes, this really exists.  It originated in Boulder, CO ten years ago, and now has other locations in Phoenix, AZ; Bloomington, IN; Littleton, CO; and Seattle, WA.  Boston, Chicago, and Denver are “mysterious.” 

If you can’t guess, yes, people really do run naked with a pumpkin on their head.  The website doesn’t say how long the run is, but I can’t imagine it to be that long.  I mean really running naked for a long distance, err, might be difficult.  Heck, I think running long distances with clothes on is hard enough!

Though I’m sure this is an “interesting” event, it’s not one on my list.  I guess I’m a little on the conservative side when it comes to the body.  Not that I don’t think the human form is a beautiful thing, I just prefer clothes while running.  Plus, I’d be way too worried about female body parts jiggling all over the place.  That’s just not cool or fun to me.  I like things to errr, stay in place.

Well, I guess to each their own.  More power to those who run this.  I think it takes a lot of courage.

Interesting advice for Radcliffe

I came across this article from Running Times about what Paula Radcliffe would need to do to win in the 2012 Olympics.  According to marathoner, Ingrid Kristiansen, who won the 1983 Houston Marathon five months after birthing her first child, “If she wants to win in London, I am afraid she cannot keep going with so much training for four more years without having a lot of injuries…”

She also thinks that having another baby could be in Radcliffe’s favor.  Studies are a bit inconclusive about this except that blood volume increases during pregnancy and remains so for 4-8 weeks postpartum.

One thing is that Radcliffe doesn’t have time in her favor as she will be 38 when the next Olympics rolls around, and that is unfortunately getting up there for an elite marathoner’s running life.  It’s sad really, but running is less forgiving than some of the other sports out there. 

Secondly, she seems to be vey injury prone which can also be problematic.  I don’t know what will happen, and 4 years is a long way off.  Anything can happen by then, so it is best to never rule anyone out.

Back to reality

I got back from the dog conference this Sunday.  There were a lot of positives to the conference, including learning a lot of information, meeting and socializing with old and new friends, and getting to hear some great speakers. 

Now, for the negative.  I did zero exercising while there.  I found I had no time between multiple meetings, seminars, and late night schmoozing.  The nice exercise gym had fairly early hours, closing at 10 PM and opening at only 6 AM.  Neither were workable for me.  So besides walking in the hotel a lot, I did go up 14 flights of stairs one day, but that was it for my “exercise.”  This was probably a good thing for my body, however, I had some knee and back pain all throughout the conference.  That was so aggravating to deal with!

The other bad thing was I got lost one day driving.  I wound up having to drive a speaker to a workshop destination.  I got the speaker there in plenty of time, but I got very lost on the way back.  *Note to self: crossing some bridges puts you in another state!  Eek!  In the end, I learned to laugh about it with everyone else.  This was a good thing since I tend to get a little “mazeophobic,” fear of driving in unfamiliar places.

Lastly, I think I caught a cold towards the end of the conference.  I’m jacking it up to the fact that the hotel was pretty darn cold.  I wound up having no less than three layers the entire conference!

Now, I’m trying to come back to reality.  That’s one thing when you have two major events so close together, it can mess with your mind a bit.   Hopefully, I won’t get any of those “post-vacation” blues. 

I took my first run this evening.  I’ve found since the weather is getting cooler, my body has to readjust itself.  The run felt good after over a week.  I did have some knee pain about halfway through, but it wasn’t enough to stop.  One good thing about running at this time of year is the spectacular color changes of the

trees and leaves. 

It’s such a beautiful sight.  I think for the next couple of weeks, I’m going to do easy, light runs until I make up my mind about a spring marathon.  I know the time will come fast, so I do need to have a general idea soon.

That’s it for my latest report on things.  Sometimes moving back into reality really bites.  Decisions to be made, things to cosider, and just taking everything one day at a time.

See you in a week

I took an easy 7.5 miles run this evening.  My left hamstring is beginning to feel a little better, but my right knee is acting funny.  :sigh:  This will probably be my last outdoor run until next week.  I’m leaving for a conference tomorrow, and apparently, several people have told me it is not wise to run outdoors when it is dark.  So that scratches out evening and early morning runs.  I’m not too happy about this and will likely have to suck it up on the dreadmill.  I’m so not treadmill oriented.  I get super bored even with my ipod on.  I may wind up just using the elliptical or stationary bike at the hotel.   I guess if nothing else, it can be a good cross training week. 

I’ll be back on Sunday evening and will report then.  Have a good week.

Back running sort of…

Yesterday was going to be my first day of running after the marathon.  Besides being a little sore (not much really), my three days after the marathon were filled with visiting family, friends, and shopping.  When I got back, I was itching to go for a run, especially with my new shoes. 

This time, I’m trying the Saucony Progrid Guide. They felt great in the store, so the test was on the road.

I also wanted to check out how my new haircut felt while running.  Yes, I know, a little cheesy, but that’s just how I am. 

So, I go to leave yesterday evening all ready to go.  And my first steps, all I felt was some tightening in my left hamstring.  Shit, I thought, this was not happening.  I hadn’t run for three days.  How could my leg be sore?  This, by the way, was not the hamstring that had been causing my problems this past year.  This was different, and in a totally different place–more over my tendon and not in the main muscle. 

Since I’m not well known for stopping, I tried to continue on, and each step just felt it pull or something.  Argh!  I stopped and walked, thinking maybe it would stretch out but to no avail.  I decided to not push it any further in case something like Misty May-Treanor on “Dancing with the Stars” happened.  I don’t know if any of you caught the sound of her Achilles tendon snapping, but it was an awful sound.  I did not want my hamstring to do that. 

The run/walk, more like walking really wound up being only 3 miles which felt very pathetic (any run is no shorter than 6.0 miles), but I know it was for the best that day.  When I got home, I iced and stretched it, and took an anti-inflammatory.  I’m hoping this is just a three-day fluke and everything will be okay.  For some reason in my head, I jus keep thinking if I stretch and stretch, it will get bettr.  Hmm, sometimes injuries work that way, other times not.  Again, hoping this is a glitch.  I’ll keep you posted.

On hair and running

I don’t consider myself a “feminine” type person, at least in a classical sense.  You won’t catch me in a dress or skirt unless I have to be.  Most days, it’s jeans, a V-neck shirt, sweater or zip-up hoodie, and tennis shoes.  At work (which is with dogs), it’s scrub pants (they are the best to wear in the summer, because they dry fast), shirt, and fleece or sweatshirt. 

However, my one very feminine trait has always been my hair.  Ever since I was young, I have wanted long hair.  At one point, I really hated my hair–felt it was too straight and boring.  It really wasn’t until my fifth grade teacher who noticed I was so negative about my hair, that I began to look at my hair differently.  Or maybe it was just that I was less negative?  Whichever the case, I realized the nice hair I do have.  It’s the one part of my body I do not scrutinize to every inch.  I always say that if I had to go through chemo, losing my hair would be the most difficult thing.  The closest I ever had to that was taking interferon which thinned out my hair and left me feeling pretty awful. 

Hair has also become an identity factor for me.  People know I run, but they really know it is me by my hair.  Naturally, changing that is hard.  There is something beautiful about long hair flowing in the wind.  However, on this trip, I did cut my hair.  It was supposed to have been done back in May, but I didn’t muster my courage until now. 

So how many inches did I cut?  14!  

Doesn’t this picture remind you of a dead fish on a table?

Anyway, my hair now sits just below my shoulders.  I can still easily pull it back into a ponytail.  My stylist added a few layers in the front which makes my hair look very cute.  Even in a ponytail, I have that teardrop shape.  I must admit even though I had trepidation about cutting off so much hair, in the end, I really like it and still feel feminine.  The hair has a nice bounce, looks healthier, makes my face look thinner, and some people have said I look taller which is an added advantage.  Now, what I’m wondering is whether it’ll shave off a few second off my time.  I doubt it, but it’s a nice thought.

p.s.–my chopped hair will go to good use as a donation for Locks of Love

Wineglass Race Report

Sorry it has taken me a few days to write a race report.  I just got back today and wanted to download a few photos. 

My parents and I drove up to NY on Sat.  Apparently, my father misjudged the distance and thought we could get there in 6 hours.  Umm, it was more like 7-8 hours!  I missed the Sat. registration.  Just curious, was there anything interesting in the bags?  We headed to the hotel and later drove to the start of the race, so we knew where to go on Sunday morning.  Much to my surprise, a lot of people registered on Sunday morning which made me feel a lot better. 

The race started out at somewhere between 37-39 degrees, but warmed up into the 40s by the end of the race.  When everyone started, I could tell the atmosphere was much different in this race compared to the Flying Pig.  I commented this to a young woman about my age, and she agreed.  We got to talking, or more like I started talking, and she was nice enough to chat with me.  We wound up having a lot of similarities which was very cool.  I ran with her for about the first ten miles but slowed down after that.  She was trying to qualify for Boston and was running a much faster pace than me.  But I thought it was great that I kept her pace for so long. 

So the first ten miles, I was running a 7:58/mile pace.  By the end, it was an average of 8:33/mile, so my pace was really 9:38/mile or so.  Though I still sort of died towards the end, it was not nearly as bad as in the Flying Pig.  I did not have that feeling like I was going to pass out either which was a good thing, just felt like a zombie running from lack of sleep.  I think eating more gels during the race was quite helpful.  My final fun time was 3:44:07, my chip time said 3:43:50.  I was oh so close to qualifying for Boston, but really, I am happy with how I did.  This set a PR for me by about 25 minutes!  So maybe the number three marathon will be the charm, and I’ll qualify. 

Positives of the race:

*small size, so less jostling between runners and my parents could actually see me from the course, *crowd support was good even though it was small, *pretty scenic course, *nice glass finisher’s medal 

 

 Negatives:                                                                                                                                                           *I got a huge blood blister on my foot,                                                                                                                                             *Not enough porta-potties, so many runners went over the banks, behind buildings, etc., *Ran out of size medium shirts.  

None of these negatives are a deal breaker for not running the race again, just little stuff.  I’d definitely recommend running this race for those interested.

p.s. to Elle–I looked for you.  I thought you might be wearing those faux pearls!                                                             

Wineglass…in a few days

Well, it’s two days until the Wineglass Marathon.  I’m excited but nervous.  My run on Wed. evening went well, so I decided to end on a good note.  The biggest thing for this marathon is really about the mind.  It’s about being able to keep yourself going even when you feel tired.  I’m hoping with some different strategies, this will help.  I will post again after the marathon.  For now, I’ve gotto get to bed to make a long drive tomorrow to my mom’s house.  Then, from there, we’ll leave on Saturday to head north.  I hope I come back to report good news.

Tongue movement

I said I would report back on the new Mizunos.  I took two runs, trying to break them in.  I find whenever I’m breaking in new shoes, the ball of my foot always gets sore.  These shoes were no exception, so I dismissed this problem.  However, there is a larger flaw.  The tongue of the shoes moves.  The right one wasn’t as bad as the left, but still, it is not like I can continuously look down at my shoes to check tongue movement.  The left tongue literally moves upward so the bottom part of the laces are not supporting it.  Needless to say, I am pretty disappointed and am going to return them.  This doesn’t mean I’m giving up on Mizunos completely, I’ll just have to try a different model.  It could be the shoe too I guess, but I think it may be a design flaw.  Anyone else have this problem? 

For now, I’m still searching for my perfect shoe.  When I’m at the Expo this weekend, I may check out some shoes.  I know Brooks is a sponsor and will be having some older models.  There may be something suitable.  I just need to get a good shoe since mine are about shot.

Time to start the countdown

I completed my final long run on Tuesday.  It was 17.3 miles.  I was happy with it overall.  I tried a few different things like using a

 and salt intermittently.  I found the GU gel not to leave me so thirsty like the Clif shot I tried on a long run a few weeks ago.  I continue to use the Clif shot bloks and Luna Moons which are small and easy to carry.  I’m still not exactly sure how many I need for the race, so I’m going to guesstimate that one and hopefully not crash towards the end of the race.  The good thing about this final run was that I still felt energetic and capable to push myself faster.  It’s a good psych booster if anything else. 

A few interesting things on my run: some guy I saw (luckily clothed) was lying on his side by the side of the road.  It looked like he might be staring at something.  I kind of gave a wave and then continued on.  It was just a strange scene. 

The other which was a much better scene was watching these blackbirds take off into the sky.  As I approached them, they suddenly flew into the air.  There must have been 50 or more of them.  It was all so fast.  It was like a National Geographic moment.  Okay, maybe not quite, but it really would have made a beautiful picture. 

I also saw a vulture eating a dead possum.  That one isn’t unusual, but this vulture let me get pretty close.  One day, I hope to capture a photo of this.  Although it is kind of gross, I prefer to think it’s more the beauty of how nature cycles. 

The rest of my runs will be fairly short, sprinkled with a few fast runs.  Today, I’ll be trying out my new Mizunos which came in yesterday.  I’m hoping these shoes are doable, because mine are much more worn than I expected.  I’ll report back what I think of the shoes.