Recently in Uncategorized Category

I wasn't lying yesterday when I said I would announce upcoming races. See, while some people over promise and under deliver, I am the exact opposite. (This is part of the program where the drumroll would start -- if this were actually suspenseful. Or if this were a classic game show. But it's not. It's just a blog. Sorry.) Here's the lineup:


June 28 -- Time to Fly 5K A scenic race along the beautiful Mississippi River, the sponsoring parties claim that this is a "family-friendly event" and that "there is something for every age and ability level." What this actually means is that there is something for families, and everybody else has to run around the strollers. What will make this race awesome is that it's on my birthday, and I plan on milking that for all it's worth. (Oh, and it also benefits cancer research.)

 
July 20 -- Highland Fest 5K Another race along the river, except this time we get to run past the -- ready for this? -- Ford Motor factory! Talk about picturesque. (Photo by Mollivan Jon.)

 
July 26 -- Boston Scientific Heart of Summer 10K This race benefits Very Important Things, and will be my first "official" 10K. In other words, there will be other runners there and I will have to try extra hard not to fall down, as well as keep my singing to a socially acceptable volume.

August/September -- Some other events I haven't picked yet What? I'm not that organized.

 

October 5 -- Medtronic TC 10 Mile Why would I want to pay more than $60 to run 10 miles? Beats me, but I'm registered for the race and the Running Room training clinic, so there's no turning back now. And it's the 10th anniversary of the TC 10 mile, which means it's actually like running 100 miles. Beat that.
------
That's the plan right now. After the 10 mile in October, I am starting to look for potential (gulp) half marathons. We'll see how the 10 mile training goes. I may decide that only crazy people run more than 3 miles. Then again, we've already established that I'm loopy pickins. One final thought before the weekend (from Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD, in his book Happier):

"The choice we face is between passively reacting to extrinsic demands and actively creating our life."

---

As I wrote this post, The New York Times confirmed that Tim Russert died today of a heart attack at the age of 58. Regular readers know that I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Tim's smirk and Sunday-morning antics. I would be remiss not to mention him.

Have ya'll seen this article on how we're "wrecking our feet"? It's definitely an interesting (if a bit one-sided) look at the biomechanics of walking.

We've covered this topic in the past (see "Bare Your Sole" and"The Shoe for You"), and I'm torn. On one hand, I love my stability shoes. They've all but eliminated my knee issues and just feel better. On the other hand, I want to run as efficiently as possible, and my body will never learn and adapt if I don't give it the option. Throw ChiRunning into the mix, and I'm just starting to feel downright befuddled.

What are your thoughts on barefoot training? When it comes to shoes, is less actually more?

In honor of Runners' Lounge Take It and Run Thursday, here is what I have learned about running in 13 words or less:

The rewards of running are worth the pain and frustration. ...I think.

I know that the hard runs are worth it when they make it possible to have the really, really good runs. But it does seem like runners put our bodies and minds through all sorts of beatings. And yet even when I question why I run, I still run. I have to run. It's become this inescapable part of who I am. Hm, kind of sounds like some sort of chronic condition. Wow, I sure make running sound awesome, don't I??

Some other possibilities:
Even when you question if it's worth the trouble, keep running.
You may never simultaneously love and hate something more than running.

Those are my thoughts on the matter, or at least the best I can come up with at 8 a.m. on a rainy Thursday morning. I dare you to try and summarize your running/life/fitness philosophy into 13 words or less.

Two Three things:

1. After much hemming and hawing, I have added a "before and after" photos page. How fun for you (and slightly mortifying for me).

2. I'm participating in the Shave Your 5K Challenge over at Half-Fast. Entrants submit their "stubble" time (i.e., the best 5K time you've earned as of March-ish) and then attempt to shave their times in subsequent races. Winners get a new car, or world domination -- er, something like that.

3. If you're new to my blog, you can read more about me here or in my first post "Does This Blog Make Me Look Fat?" (And you can find the answer to that question on the Before and After page . . .) In any case, thanks for stopping by!