lastplacerunner

Rain!

2010-12-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

It's rained here for 4 days straight. That's 4 days of continuous, every minute, 24/7 rain of varying intensity. If you saw the national news of the rain here in California where they showed someone in one of those fold out row boats, that was a video taken in the little town just 20 miles or so north of my home. 2 nearby towns have had evacuation notices. I am fortunately high and dry with no water in my home but I'm experiencing a serious case of cabin fever. I'm stuck on the treadmill until the rain stops. It's currently not raining but that won't last long enough for me to get in even a short run.

Since I have to use the treadmill (which I hate with the white hot passion of a thousand suns) I decided to run shorter distances, but bump up the intensity. I run hard for 1/4 mile, then recover, then another 1/4 mile sprint for 4 miles. If I'm feeling really frisky, I'll finish up with a quick 1 mile walk with the incline bumped up as high as my treadmill will go-12%. We'll see if this translates to better running out doors when I'm finally able to get in a real run.

Pub Night

2010-12-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not a bar hopping kind of person. I don't feel comfortable in a bar and I think I've figured out why-but that's for another post. This is about a most interesting night in a a local Irish style pub when I did agree to meet some friends for drinks after a local parade. We got to the pub first (which I hate doing-again, another post...) so we hung around a bit and watched the parade participants wander in. The first group there was the belly dancers. A nice enough bunch of ladies, dressed in the usual belly dancing attire, who would occasionally break into a little dancing. Then our friends showed up, who happen to be a bagpipe band, complete with drums. So now we had belly dancers mixing with kilt clad pipers and drummers and the dancing got really interesting. I thought this was about as odd as it would get for the night until the roller derby girls showed up-yes they were in their derby costumes, circa 1950's, and yes they were on skates, with nicknames emblazoned across their rear ends like "Thunderwear" and "Black Bomber". So now we had belly dancers and roller derby queens cheering on the pipers who needed no encouragement whatsoever to play for the crowd. It was a very odd, very entertaining night.

Please Say Yes

2010-11-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

I saw the doctor Friday and the only question I had for him was "Can I run?". And he said yes, I can start running again.

I hit the road first thing this morning. I felt awkward and clumsy for the first mile but I didn't care-I was running. I went out without a Garmin or heart rate strap or music; I just wanted to run again. By mile 2 I felt normal and relaxed. I managed an easy, slow 3 miles and I'm ok with that; it's been almost a month since my last run and I'm fine with building up a nice base over the days to come.

I decided that if my goal is to be a lifetime runner, then an occasional set back won't matter-it's only the big picture that counts, and in that big picture I'll be 80 years old and still out there knocking out the miles.

I'm on the "no running" list

2010-11-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

I have not posted in some time now because, sadly, I have not been allowed to run since October 21st, 2010. This is because I had surgery on my left ear, and my surgeon is not a runner. I knew I would not be running for at least 2 weeks and I figured that was OK; as all runners know, you can go for 2 weeks of no running and pretty much pick up where you left off with no worries. It is now 3 weeks and I am still not allowed to run because I have a ruptured ear drum ( that's a tympanic membrane for your doctorly types...). I'm taking scads of pills right now-steroids and antibiotics, and I'm trying to walk a lot on my treadmill but it just isn't the same. I long for the wind on my face and the pavement under my feet.

If my surgeon was a runner, I'm convinced that while his admonishment against running would stand, he would at least be more sympathetic when he tells me I still can't run. He would understand what I'm losing. Cross you fingers for me-I see him on Friday and I'm praying for those magic words-
"You can start running again".

Van:0 Runner:1

2010-10-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we can finally score a point in favor of runners. I was out running my customary 6 miles early yesterday morning, and I had a really scary close encounter with a service van-this was probably the closest I've ever come to being hit by a vehicle.

I was running southbound in the northbound lane on a usually quiet, traffic free street. I noticed a service van across the street backing out and I assumed he would either turn into the lane closest to him and head south, or he might back all the way into the next lane and go north-either way, I figured it was a really wide street and he had lots of room without even coming close to me, so I continued running south.

I realized he had chosen option 2 and was backing in to my lane. OK, I say to myself, there's still plenty of room. What I didn't count on was that the driver would take a third option-he was backing into my lane all the way to the curb. He was well into the bike lane where I was running and kept coming, forcing me to jump the curb and land in knee high weeds. He was right next to me before he ever saw me-then there was a sudden screech of brakes and his tires hit the curb hard so I figured I must have startled him when he saw me in his side mirror. Now I was pissed, so I smacked the side of his van really hard with my hand.

The driver came running around the van to my side with a look of absolute, complete terror on his face and I realized that when I smacked his van he must have thought that he hit me. The look on his face told the story of his thoughts-"Oh crap oh crap oh crap I just hit that runner I'm gonna lose my license and my job and I'll be sued and thrown in jail oh crap oh crap oh crap!"

Seriously-I thought I was going to have to give the guy CPR and I'm trying to remember the BeeGees song that has the correct rhythm for the compressions (is it How Deep is your Love? No, that can't be right, it's too slow, oh yeah, Stayin Alive....) and all the guy could do was tell me over and over that he was really sorry and was I ok and he didn't see me until the last minute and where did I get hit?

I took pity on the guy and told him he didn't hit me, but that he should be a little more careful-there's lots of kids on that street especially in the afternoon when school gets out and they may not be as observant as I was. He agreed, apologized again, and we went our separate ways.

If I had realized sooner that he thought he hit me, I would have laid down in the street and played dead. That REALLY would have given him a heart attack!

My Favorite Quote

2010-10-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

"A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame or money, but even without any hope of doing it well."
Oliver Herford

I love this quote. It pretty much sums up my running addiction as well as everything else I've every tried to master. Fortunately, I've learned over the years that I can gain a pretty hefty sense of accomplishment from my best attempt at something even if that attempt falls short of being exceptional. I can revel in a mediocre outcome so long as I know I gave it everything I had. Running, shooting, playing a musical instrument-I'll continue to work very hard at everything I do even with the knowledge that average is the best I'll ever manage.

Edinburgh-the Good and the Bad

2010-09-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

We returned from our vacation this week and overall, it was a really nice trip. We spent 3 weeks in Edinburgh with a couple of excursions to the countryside in a rental car, and the trip has left me with some observations about this venerable city that can only come from hours and hours of walking the streets both major and minor; I'm one of the few people who can go on vacation and lose 5 pounds.

I was organizing notes and maps and stuff to take on the trip and I found the notes a friend had made about places to visit for our previous trip to Edinburgh in 2007. At the last minute I tossed his notes in with mine and and I'm truly glad I did because that's how I discovered Dean Village. My friends notes said "Dean Village-feels like you've stepped back in time. Will seem like you've left the city and entered a tiny ancient village". That's exactly what it felt like. It was quiet and peaceful with no traffic or tourists or shops selling cheap kilts-definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

I found my favorite shop in the city. Royal Mile Antiques sells very nice Victorian jewelry and silver and a nice selection of Scottish pebble jewelry. Hubby and I befriended the owner (making 3 purchases didn't hurt...) and we had some nice conversations about the differences between Great Britain and the states.

There were only 2 aspects of the trip that were not enjoyable. We rented a car on 2 occasions to get out of the city and visit the countryside. A right hand drive car was not an issue for Hubby; he's been driving right hand drive cars for years and was quite comfortable with it. Driving on the left side of the road, however, was another story. He told me that he had to constantly think about every move he made because it just felt so wrong. As the passenger, I must say while just driving straight down the road was OK, every time we made a turn it was terrifying. I'm not even going to tell you, faithful readers, what I think of roundabouts. I only know that if I lead a very bad life and I am consigned to an eternity in hell, it will probably be an eternity in a roundabout somewhere between Edinburgh and Stirling.

The only other complaint I have regarding Edinburgh is how difficult it was for me to cross the streets. In the small town where I live, you could stand in the middle of the main road for at least 15 minutes, maybe longer, before you see a car and have to move to the shoulder. This is not the case in Edinburgh and because the streets are not laid out in a nice, orderly grid, the cars come at you from all different directions. And they drive on the wrong side of the road. I never did figure out what direction I should be watching for oncoming traffic and therefore I stood on the side of the road trying to watch every direction at once. We were in the city with another couple and they, as well as Hubby, caught on very nicely as to how to cross the streets. This meant that time after time they would scurry across the road and I would be left behind. Even at the lighted intersections I didn't feel safe and twice I almost got hit by someone who ran the red light. Honestly-would someone from Edinburgh please explain to me how the locals know to cross a few seconds before the light actually changes?

My Beloved Camaro

2010-08-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is the reason I returned to work earlier this year. This is Big Blue, my faithful 1967 Camaro. I bought the car 12 years ago; I needed a daily driver for work and I decided my replacement car had to be fun to drive; it had to be pretty, and it had be a pre-smog car. I've been fond of the mighty Camaro ever since I was a teenager and my older sister had one and refused to let me drive hers.

When I bought Big Blue, he was perfect in every way except for his horrible paint job. It was positively criminal to take a beautiful, straight, mechanically sound car like this one and put a $99 Earl Scheib weekend special paint job on it. Sadly, that is what I lived with for 12 years because good paint jobs are very, very expensive and I lacked the means to do a proper job. Then, the offer came from my former boss to return to work and I decided I would work just long enough to paint Big Blue and return him to his former glory. And that is exactly what I did. Since I worked for a car dealership, I basically took my paychecks and handed them directly to the body shop. They had Big Blue for 3 months. The color is Nantucket blue, an original 1967 color although not Big Blues original shade-he came from the factory with a Deepwater blue paint job but I fell in love with this color the minute I saw the paint chip.

It's almost like having a new car. Big Blue was always fun to drive-there's something about that big block Chevy engine that puts a smile on my face every time I roll him out of the garage. I even managed to earn enough money to have him reshod with new tires. So if you see a middle aged woman cruising around the central coast of California in a blue 1967 Camaro, grinning like an idiot, it's probably me...

A New Age Group!

2010-08-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and being a runner it has a whole different and very special meaning that a non-runner just wouldn't understand. So, faithful reader, you might ask what makes this particular birthday so special? Is it a nice dinner in a fancy restaurant with real tablecloths and an actual wine list? Is it a gift that comes in a very small black velvet box or the delivery of flowers from the local florist?

Actually, none of the above examples apply to me. This birthday is extra special because this year I'm in a new age group for races! So all you ladies in the 55 to 60 group, especially at the Bull Canyon Run-there's a new kid on the block!

Oh, crud. I just realized that the lady that kicks my butt at every single race I enter is the same age as me....

A Good Run!

2010-08-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

My runs lately have been lackluster, to put it mildly. I've had to force myself out the door and I haven't always been successful at that. Today, however, reminded me why I still love running. I hit the pavement at 8:00 am with a plan of an easy 7 miler and I wondered if I would even be able to accomplish that. I soon discovered that my mojo tank was topped off and at 6 miles I knew I would finish a 7 miler easily. At 7 miles I decided to tack on an extra mile just because I could. Running conditions were absolutely perfect-we're still enjoying our cool coastal weather with a heavy layer of clouds well into the afternoon; I could feel the moisture from the fog on my skin while I ran. I've always felt that the whole "runner's high" thing was a cruel myth; I've never felt a high from running. But today's run was pretty close to perfect and maybe my version of a runners high is just feeling a serious sense of accomplishment after a good run.

Weather Report

2010-07-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to apologize to my faithful readers right from the get go for this post. I know some of you are going to be very, very jealous of my situation right now...

You don't need to watch the weather reports on the news to know it's been extremely hot across the nation lately. The national weather map is one big, humongous blaze of red almost from sea to shining sea-I say almost because there's one tiny exception to our national heat wave. When the weather guy shows that national map and you see all that red indicating hot weather, look closely at California. Almost dead smack in the middle of the coast is a little strip of green indicating an oasis of cool weather. That is where I live. It hasn't even made it into the 70's for several days and we've had a blanket of cool clouds that doesn't lift until the afternoon. I ran yesterday at 10:00 and it was perfect running conditions-cloudy, cool, and just foggy enough that I could feel the moisture on my skin as I ran.

To those of you living in hotter climates, if I could send this weather your way, I would share it with you.

Horse VS Bird

2010-07-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back to a regular running schedule although my weekly mileage is still only 25 mpw. I'm building my base back up but dang, it's hard-if anyone tells you that you'll be bored and not have anything to do if you retire early, don't believe them; what I've discovered is that generally I'm so busy that I still have stuff on my to-do list by the end of the day.

So, yesterday I went out for an easy 4 miler and who am I trying to kid? They're ALL easy runs for me because I'm so slow. So I'm on my usual route and I round the corner at mile 2 and there's this really nice Palimino in a large pasture right on the corner. The horse was standing in the corner of his pasture with his butt up against the fence. I'm pretty sure he was scratching his butt on the fence post; this is a pretty common activity for horses.

So, there's the horse doing his thing, and between the horse and me was a crow worrying at something on the ground. The crow hopped into the pasture to avoid me and he startled the horse. The horse kicked at him and KILLED THE BIRD! Yup, the horse commited aviary murder right in front of me-Mr. Ed nailed the hapless bird right in the head. I checked on the bird, thinking maybe he was only stunned but he was absolutely, completely, without a doubt dead. No CSI crew was needed to make that assessment.

I happen to like crows because they're so smart and I felt badly for this one. At lease it was a quick death.

Best 4th of July-EVER!

2010-07-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

I got to do something this 4rth of July holiday that was the most fun I've had in a long time-Hubby and I were invited to join the volunteer crew that sets off the fireworks display for a local beach community-my rule is that if someone asks you if you want to do something that involves fuses and requires a lot of safety gear and fire extinguishers, you always say yes. So there we were on the beach with our motorcycle helmets and eye protection and ear plugs around 5:00 pm. A huge section of the beach had already been cordoned off and most of the fireworks stuff was on the beach. We had to lug the mortar racks and the boxes of fireworks down to the shore then set up the racks and load them with the fireworks. It involved a lot of heavy lifting and shoveling so I decided to consider it cross training, since I skipped my usual run that morning. We got the mortar racks set up and now the fun part-loading them with the fireworks. The fireworks come in various sizes from 3" to 5" and look like small cannon balls wrapped in brown paper, with long fuses hanging out of them. My main job at this point was to make sure that the fireworks were varied, and that we didn't have a whole row of blue ones or magenta or gold, so I walked down the 5 rows of mortars, swapping out the fireworks-that part was fun. Then we carefully dropped the fireworks down the mortars with the fuses hanging out. After taping the fuses down we were ready for the show and the only thing left to do was to wait for dusk.

The crowds had gathered on the beach on both sides of our area and everyone was in a holiday mood. And here's the totally cool part-the guy in charge told Hubby and me that newbies always go first when it comes time to set off the fireworks, so I got to fire off the first row. We were given careful instruction on how to do it safely and finally I was handed a road flare and it was show time. I stepped up to the first rack of mortars, pulled of the paper guard on the end of the fuse, lit it and then turned away as I had been instructed to do. I heard a "ffffft" and then BOOM and the crowds of people on both sides cheered! With the guy in charge watching closely I continued down the row, lighting each one carefully. I really didn't get to see the ones I set off but every time I lit one I heard a highly satisfying cheer from the onlookers and I felt like a rock star each time.

Finally my row was done and it was Hubby's turn. He started lighting each mortar and I was able to enjoy the fireworks from a unique perspective, since we were directly underneath the display. We had embers and bits of burning paper raining down around us and it was amazing. After Hubby lit off all his mortars it was time for the more expert volunteers to light the cakes. These are large boxes full of fireworks designed to fire right from the ground, rather than being shot into the air and then exploding. They kind of fire in rows, and when these were set off we REALLY got showered with embers. It was an incredible experience, in which I felt like I was standing right in the middle of the fireworks display. And yet, through it all, I never felt like I was in an unsafe situation. The other volunteers had years of experience and several of them were firemen; and the guy in charge was extremely cautious.

Finally we had set off the rows of mortars with the more experienced volunteers setting off the fireworks in multiples rather than one by one as I did, and it was time for the grand finale. There was a flurry of activity and everyone had an assigned task except for Hubby and me; our task was to stay out of everyones way and enjoy the show. There were the last mortars and several cakes set off in quick succession and the show was over. Now, we had to clean up the beach and lug all the mortar racks and gear and trash up to the waiting van and get it torn down and loaded up. We didn't finish until almost midnight and we were exhausted but it was worth all the work.

Hubby and I were completely done in by the time we got home and we slept in Monday morning; and somehow I managed to jack up my foot when we were setting up the mortars and it's so sore I doubt if I'll be running for at least a week, and I now have an old jacket with some interesting holes burned in it, and the evening was totally worth it. I told the guy in charge that we'll volunteer to help again next year, and I have a new goal to aspire to-some day, I want to be part of the crew that sets off the finale!

Ahh, Retirement-again!

2010-06-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

I seem to remember, several posts back, stating that I absolutely, positively, was not going to return to work after my last gig training a newbie. But....I got yet another call from my former boss and she wanted me to go to another location and do just a little training for 2 days so I said yes. I mean, come on, folks-before you judge me, remember that it was only for 2 days and I got paid travel time and I didn't have to drive (drove up with the boss) so how could I say no? Damn this work ethic!

So on Wednesday, we drove up the coast to a small business for training day. I spent about 2 hours in the business office, sitting in the corner and twiddling my fingers, watching the office staff work and give me the hairy eyeball because they knew something was afoot and they didn't know what my role in the drama would be. Finally my boss came in from her meeting and told me that one of the people I was supposed to work with was not there that day and I wouldn't be doing anything that day. So I sat for another 2 hours while she finished up with her meeting and we drove home-they paid me a lot of money to sit in an office and twiddle my fingers. I wish I had brought my DS. At least I got a really good lunch out of the day-a chicken and artichoke salad in a restaurant that I normally avoid because it's so expensive-it's the kind with a martini bar and real tablecloths.

So we head back up the coast bright and early Thursday and at least everyone is present for training. I sat in on a meeting trying to look attentive and intelligent; I've learned over the years that the best way to do that is to look at anyone who is talking and to keep my own mouth securely shut. There was one woman at the meeting that my boss warned me about-she's worked there for years doing the same work and she is very resistant to any changes to her job. She had a complete meltdown when we told her that her job would be changing quite a bit. Seriously-I thought she would start crying at any moment, which I hate. Women have enough problems in the business world without crying at the drop of a hat. So the meeting comes to an end and Crying Woman looks like she's about to have a stroke, then she looks just plain pissed off, and we return to the office where I have my little training session. It was very, very awkward.

Every time I told the staff about a procedure I wanted them to follow, someone would pipe in a nd say "we already do that". It got very annoying and I had to tell them that since I didn't know what their current procedures were, that I would probably give them a lot of advice that they didn't need; but my boss insisted that I follow a plan and go over certain specific items. I'm so glad it was only a 2 day gig because these people really did not want me to be there.

Sooooo...no more work for me-again!

Happy Runniversary to me!

2010-06-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I quit working yesterday. I imparted as much wisdom and common sense and accounting secrets as I could and my protege is now ready to fly solo. So this morning was my first run in over a week. I wish I could say it felt good but it didn't; my legs felt heavy and I was sluggish and slow, even for me. So the new plan is a week of easy 4 milers and then I'll start building up my mileage again.

May 30 was my runniversary. In my modest little first running log I wrote this entry:

"I did it! I ran the full length of Euc. (short for Eucalyptus street) without stopping. I can do this-I think I'll be running 2 miles soon."

That run was right at 1 mile and thus, the start of my running career. 4 years later, I'm still running. If you had told me on that day that I would someday complete a marathon I would have laughed and considered that just crazy talk. It's been an interesting journey, usually fun, sometimes painful, but always interesting. I hope I'll be celebrating my runniversary many years from now.

Soon to be Retired-Again!

2010-05-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'll be finally winding down my current working gig, and next week will be my last week as a cubicle monkey. The last 2 weeks have been the worst-I've had to make sure all the work gets done as well as make sure my trainee gets properly trained and understands her role as a very small cog in a very large machine. So it's been 2 weeks of overtime and little running. I can't seem to get up early enough to fit in a run; I've been oversleeping (that means I get up at 5:00 instead of 4:00) and I think I've just really needed the extra sleep. I managed 4 miles yesterday morning and it felt wonderful, albeit slow. So I'm hoping I haven't lost too much conditioning and I'll be able to get back to running some decent miles soon.

I scored a very awesome treasure for my freezer yesterday. I was talking to a co-worker, and the conversation was about favorite foods. I mentioned that I loved lumpias-I call them Filipino egg rolls, but I only get to enjoy them at filipino weddings. My co-worker, whose wife is Filipino, told me he had about 6 dozen lumpias, home made by his wife's grandmother, in his freezer. So we arranged a trade-I made him a batch of chocolate chip cookies and he gave me 2 dozen lumpias. Now if I can just find a co-worker who makes tamales from scratch....

Work is a Drag

2010-05-14T05:11:00.001-07:00

Sadly, my new work gig is putting a serious dent in my ability to run. I can't manage more than maybe 5 miles in the morning before work and trying to run after work is impossible, mostly because I hate running in the evening almost as much as I hate the deadmill. So I'm going to keep knocking out those pre-dawn 5 milers and try to squeeze in a longer run on the weekends. I'm thinking that if I can't maintain the kind of mileage that I want, maybe this is a good time to work on my speed. I've only been back to work for 1 week and already I can't wait for it to be done so I can go back to loafing on the sofa, watching Dr. Phil and eating bon bons.

As for my trainee, she's a very nice girl who is a quick learner. And-how about this-of all the gazillion or so people that I've trained to be cubicle monkeys, she is the only one that thanked me for training her! That's right, she actually said "Thank you for taking the time to train me. I appreciate that you're being so patient with me".

Give me a moment here as I wipe a tear from my eye....

Bull Canyon Run

2010-05-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I once again attempted to break the 1 hour 10k barrier on the mighty Bull Canyon Run. It's an out and back with a rather nasty hill just before the turn around point; my strategy this year (my 4th attempt) was to run a reasonable pace to begin, power walk up the hill, then run like hell downhill to the finish line. Alas, I didn't even come close, finishing with a time of 1:06 and some seconds. I was actually closer last year (1:01:something) and I'm wondering if I should just tough it out and run up the hill. It was still a fun day; Hubby and I know lots of people both organizing and running this race and I met a few new runners during the day. So next year I will try yet again...

And I'm returning to work next Tuesday. I'm hoping my newbie trainee catches on quick because I'm going to try and have her trained and ready to go in 2 weeks, 3 weeks tops. This won't be a fun gig because I can't make my own hours this time around and I'll once again be a slave to the deadmill.

Back to Work-Again!

2010-04-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

I noticed some time ago that the title of my last post was "Obverservations". I almost corrected the spelling then decided to let it stand; for some reason I like the new spelling and the fact that I've invented a new word. Since one of the definitions of obverse is "constituting the opposite aspect of the same fact" this title seemed appropriate for the post.

And now, faithful readers, the real subject of this particular post-yes, I am returning to work, possibly as early as next week. Hopefully this will be a short gig of no more than 2 or 3 weeks; I'll be training someone for the job that I used to do. I enjoy training and with the right trainee it can actually be sort of fun, showing them all the shortcuts I learned after almost 20 years as a cubicle monkey. The bad part of returning to work is that this time I won't be able to adjust my work hours to accomodate my running schedule, since I'll have to be at work bright and early to work with the newbie.

After this stint, I am absolutely, positively, without question, done working (unless my boss calls me again..).

Some Obverservations

2010-04-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

A few things I realized somewhere between mile 6 and 7 during a slow, tedious 8 mile run today:

The intensity of the need to scratch an itch on your back during a run will be in direct proportion to your inability to reach the itch.
The awesomeness of your muscled, toned legs after 4 years of running is in direct proportion to the ugliness of your feet after 4 years of running.
The importance of the run you want to do as early as possible on any given morning is in direct proportion to the number of issues that will come up that will prevent you from getting out the door and completing the run.
The more important and impressive your last race was, the less likely that you will meet up with any runner type people to whom you can brag and who will understand how amazing it was.

Seriously-if any of you, my faithful readers, could see my feet, you would understand the second point. I've considered posting pictures, but I'm pretty sure there's a law against it.

Shizo Kanakuri

2010-04-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

While I vacillate on an almost daily basis between embracing my slowness and just living with it, and actually doing something about being so slow by-you guessed it-running faster, I've discovered a runner who has me beat all to heck in the pace department. Shizo Kanakuri ran the marathon in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, that is, he ran part of the race, then stopped for a drink and a nap. Feeling great shame for not finishing the race, Mr. Kanakuri left Stockholm and returned to Japan without notifying the race officials; the Swedish officials considered him missing for about 50 years. Mr. Kanakuri was invited to return to Sweden and finish the race; thus, he has a finish time of 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes 20.3 seconds (in running terms, would it be 54:08:06:08:32:20.3) which makes my 6 hour marathon finish seem pretty dang fast. I guess speed is all relative after all-isn't that what Einstein said?

Buzzards

2010-03-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I opened my local weekly paper and found this little cartoon. I can really relate to the cartoon, being such a slow runner. I'm pretty sure there were a couple of buzzards circling above me somewhere around mile 18 when I was completing the Las Vegas Marathon. Not only is it a really funny cartoon, but the artist happens to be my neighbor and I pass him frequently while I'm running and he's walking his dog. Leigh is a heck of a nice guy and a bit of a celebrity in our small town, being a published cartoonist and all. Stop by his website and check out his stuff- http://www.rubescartoons.com/

Rubes Cartoon copyright 2010
by Leigh Rubin. Used with permission

Cashier Hell

2010-03-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

I managed a pretty decent 6.2 miler Sunday; it was the first run in 3 weeks that actually felt good. My pace is still really slow but I can live with that.

I finished my last day in cashier hell today. Tomorrow I return to my boring little cubicle cluttered with contracts and post it notes and phone messages. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to being retired again, mostly because I can run when I darn well feel like running again instead of being at the mercy of my work schedule.

The Bull Canyon 10k is approaching soon and it's kind of a big deal around here; I just talked to a coworker who will be running it this year, her first race. She's not someone I normally talk to much, but we spent about an hour talking about the course and the killer hill that starts around mile 3 and goes on forever. She's a novice runner but should do well; she ran 6 miles this weekend and told me she actually felt like she could have gone farther. Today as I was leaving work I stopped by her desk and we were talking about the best time to run-we both agreed that running after work sucks and running first thing in the morning is the best. Another employee was listening to our conversation and asked us how early we get up to run; we both get up around 4:00 so we can hit the road at sunrise. Our co-worker decided we were both crazy and no one should have to get up that early just so they can run. My new running friend and I just looked at each other knowingly-we told him we didn't expect him to understand; it's a running thing...

My Real Life Dwight

2010-03-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, Funderson, since you asked, I suppose enough years have passed since this incident occurred that I can safely tell you as well as all my other faithful readers about my worst Dwight episode at work without fear of a lawsuit or repurcussions from former co-workers...

My Dwight looked nothing like the TV Dwight but mine was just as weird as the TV version. He was a car salesman and not a very good one; I think his customers were creeped out by his demeanor as much as his co-workers were. He called himself a survivalist and apparently in his mind this meant that he would survive the end of civilization while presumably the rest of us poor schmucks would die lingering, horrible deaths due to starvation, radiation poisoning, or zombie attacks.

Dwight had a girlfriend and his girlfried had a young son; most mornings the girlfriend would drop Dwight off at work and then take the little boy to school. On the morning of the "Dwight incident", Dwight got out of the car and was talking to his lady friend before she left the dealership. The woman didn't realize that her son had decided to get out of the car (I'm thinking he probably wanted to switch to the front seat). The kid was halfway out of the car when Mom started to back out of the parking spot. Somehow the boy got caught by the back door swinging shut and it slammed pretty hard on his arm.

So now, the unfortunate child is screaming in pain, Mom is in a panic, and several dealership employees are trying to figure out what happened and what they should do. This is where Dwight steps in. He yelled at the little boy to stop crying, grabbed his injured arm and started to examine it, manipulating it back and forth and asking the boy "does it hurt more now, or when I do this?". Mom is watching, kind of confused, and Dwight turns to her and says "I don't think we need to take him to the hospital. I think It's broken, but I can set a broken bone. He'll be fine". Several employees heard what he said and realized what Dwight intended to do. The service manager told the mother that she needed to take the boy to the emergency department and have a doctor check the boy; I think the mother realized that yes, of course that was what she should do. An employee drove her to the hospital and the day returned to sort of normal. Dwight later told us that setting broken bones was one of the skills he needed to be a good survivalist. I asked him if he had ever set a broken bone before, and he said that while he had never actually done it, he had read lots of books about how it was done and he would have done exactly what a doctor would have done for a lot less money.

So there you have it-my real life Dwight was willing to set a child's broken arm. Dwight was fired shortly after this incident; luckily for the dealership we had a little rule that if you were a car salesman and you didn't sell any cars you couldn't keep you job. I never saw him again and I'm glad for that. And the little boy's arm was not broken as Dwight thought, but it was very badly sprained and bruised. I guess Dwight needed to work on his diagnostic skills.

The Office

2010-03-12T04:52:00.000-08:00

I've managed some pretty decent short runs outdoors this week; I've been going to work around 9:00 am and thus I can run in the morning which I prefer to evening runs. My boss is on vacation so there's no one at work to complain about my late appearances. Since I'm a short timer it doesn't matter anyway. I've been working at the cashier's counter these last 2 weeks and I really do hate cashiering-but only a couple of more weeks and I'll be free once again!

I've been a fan of The Office since the first season. The show used to make me want to cry a little because I could so easily relate to every character-I've worked with every one of those people at different periods in my career, including Dwight. While Dwight is really funny to watch on the show, he's creepy and scary to work with in real life. I could tell you about one incident with my real life Dwight but I'm afraid you might not believe me.

The office I work in now is not so much like the TV version; my co-workers are a pretty quiet, average group of hard working, capable women. My former work place, however, was the one that was almost exactly like the show. My former boss was a female Micheal Scott. She never did any actual work except at the end of the month when we were closing our books; then she put in a couple of days of actual, real work. One day, she came to work with a rubberband gun. She started pretending she was a Charlie's Angel (she said she was the Farrah Fawcett angel..)and she ran around the office, hiding behind cubicle walls, and popping out to shoot rubber bands at us. This was while I was buried up to my neck with paperwork for a fleet sale the dealership was doing that involved the sale of 200 cars to a rental company.

I was so angry and frustrated with her behavior and yet I knew there was nothing I could do short of finding another job-my boss, the Charlie's Angel wannabe, was the owner's daughter. This meant that there was no one we could complain to about her ridiculous behavior. The Charlie's Angel phase was only one incident amongst many-seriously, I could be a writer for The Office, and all my episodes would be drawn from experience.

And Now, the Local News...

2010-03-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

Open letter to the morning newscaster lady:

Dear Newscaster lady,

This morning on the 5:00 am local news, you reported that a man was rescued from our local marina by the Coast Guard, and you said that he was recuperating at a local hospital after being treated for hypothermia due to exposure. You said that the cause of the accident was unknown, and that he fell out of his dingy. Please note that when the word "dingy" is used in this context, it is pronounced "ding-ee", as in a small boat powered by oars; you do not pronounce it "din-gee" as in grimy or dirty as you did this morning. You sounded silly and even the a.m. DJ on the radio station I listen to on my way to work was making fun of you.

Ted Baxter would have been very proud of you.

I Quit

2010-03-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

I gave notice last week-I will work through March, then I'm done. I don't enjoy it and I would quit sooner but my boss would like me to cover the cashier counter while the cashier is on vacation and I agreed. Funny thing is cashiering is my least favorite job in the office. Customers, as a rule, are never happy when they have to pay a bill for service on their car and since I'll be the last person they see as they leave the dealership I'll be the one that they will voice their displeasure to. And this will definitely wreak havoc on my running schedule since I'll have to be the first person there and the last person to leave. The only thing that will save me, running-wise, is there should still be enough daylight to squeeze in a run after work if I manage to hit the road as soon as I get home.

I finally got in a slow 5 miler today. The hips and legs felt better but I'm ridiculously slow-no, really, I'm slower than that. I've decided to accept my slowness and just focus on building up the miles; I wanted this to be the year that I saw some decent times at a few races but there's always next year...

Missing my Mojo

2010-03-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get back into running in a serious way and I'm somehow missing the mark. I've been forced to run almost exclusively on the deadmill because of the rain and the fact that I'm pretty much working full time again; and just when I was ready to tell my boss I'm done working and she doesn't really need me, she asked me to work through March to cover for a girl going on vacation and to help cover her vacation. So of course, I said yes. I just can't say no to the money. I don't need it; Hubby and I are pretty secure financially, but I just can't say no to an opportunity like this. But I am DEFINITELY, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY quitting at the end of March, not matter what she offers me.

I've only managed a couple of outdoor runs this week and they were sucky in the extreme. The best I've done is 4 miles. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing I have a 1ok in May. My last deadmill run totally sucked; the only thing that kept me on the mill was to play with the pace-every time I wanted to call it quits, I bumped up the speed-as in, "Take that, legs-that will teach you to try and quit on me!".

So-I'm going to try and sneak out of work early tomorrow, and if it's not raining I'm going to try a 5 miler, slow and easy. I'm just going to consider this time as a little speedbump in my running life, a minor blip that I will overcome as soon as I quit work and can once again run any time the mood and the weather suits me.

The Shoe Whisperer

2010-02-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Why hello there, my beloved running shoes...it's been a while. Remember me? We logged some lovely miles last year; you both carried me through the miles of training I needed to train for a marathon, and then we crossed the finish line in Las Vegas together, as a team. It's good to have you back on my feet and on the road. The 3 miler we did today was a little tough but we made it. I know, my legs complained a little and we felt a little awkward and clumsy but there's really nothing new about that-you both knew the first day I laced you up and went for a run that you hadn't been sold to an elite runner.

So here we are, together again, a little sooner than the dr. suggested; but what does he know? He's not a runner. And I am.

Thank You, my Online Running Buddies!

2010-02-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

Today was a tough non-running day. It was overcast and cool; perfect for a run. We did some shopping in the big city and I saw several people out doing what I wanted to do and it made me want to cry a little. I started fantasizing that maybe the break from running was actually a really good thing and I would actually feel stronger when I finally start to run again.

Thank you Sarah, Bruce and Wendy for your support and kind words. I know you guys get it; I know you've all been there too! I did get something good in the mail yesterday-a race application for the mighty Bull Canyon Run. It's my favorite 10k and if I follow the ban on running to the first of March, then start running in earnest, I should be just about ready for a May race.

The problem with running and ear surgery is balance and dizziness, both of which I don't have. I'm doing a lot of walking on the treadmill to try and keep at least some level of fitness and I discovered a neat feature on my mill that I've never used before-it has a hill program that varies the incline and speed by quite a bit. Since I'm on the dang thing for about 90 minutes of walking it helps break up the monotony.

I'm thinking of sneaking out tomorrow for a really, really short easy run-like just a bit around the block to prove I can still run. You know, like just 2 slow miles. Maybe 3...

Still No Running...

2010-02-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

I've been put on the Do Not Run List-again. The Dr. extended my running ban from 2 weeks post surgery to 1 month which will be my next little visit with him. He wants me to wait just to be on the safe side after my emergency run down to see him last week. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be on the safe side of, but being the compliant patient that I am and valuing my hearing means I will follow his advice. Sadly, he's not a runner (I always ask!) so he doesn't understand just what he's asking of me. I can feel the running mojo draining from my body even as I type this. There's a whole pool of it right now under my desk and I'm wondering if I can scoop it up and save it for later. Does running mojo freeze well? Would I need to drink it when I'm ready to return to running, or rub it on my lazy, soft leg muscles?

The Dr was so unconcerned when he told me not to run-like, well, you can just take it up after our next office visit; no big deal. Sure-no big deal for him. After a month of not running I'm pretty sure I'll be back to square one. He should have been more concerned, more kind and gentle, more Dr. Welby-ish. He should have patted my hand gently, and told me he understood what a huge blow this was, but it was for the best and he wouldn't ask me to do this if it weren't in my best interests.

So here I sit in a big pool of running mojo getting fatter by the minute. I have to remind myself it's all good, I can hear properly, the tv volume is half of what it used to be, and I constantly have to remind Hubby to please use his inside voice....

The Olympics!

2010-02-15T04:59:00.000-08:00

My bionic ear is now working brilliantly. We made a bonzai run to the really really big city on Friday because my ear stopped working-as in oh my God, I've gone completely deaf; a quick call to the dr led to a trip south to find out everything is normal-it's all part of the healing process. I just wish I had a little warning before the surgery that this might happen. fortunately, my hearing returned to normal-no, wait, it's better than normal. Hearing is a very good thing!

I love the Olympics, both the summer and winter versions. My only complaint is that the networks usually don't air the more esotoric sports, sticking to the more popular figure skating, snowboarding and skiing events. I was pleasantly surprised when Hubby and I caught the biathlon-definitely a favorite sport to watch, being a target shooter and all...

I have a very nice little 22 target rifle that's an older version of the Russian biathlon gun. If you watched the sport on tv, you saw that the guns have a toggle rather than a bolt for jacking a new round into the chamber; thus, the shooter taps the bolt, squeezes the trigger, and shoots. You may have noticed that the athlete didn't look up as he did this, keeping his eye on his targets. I have yet to master this skill. I'm not nearly as smooth as these world class shooters, even on my best day under perfect conditions. I've tried toggling a round into the chamber without moving the gun or looking up and I just can't do it. This is why these people are Olympic athletes. You have to be a shooter to understand just how difficult this skill is to attain. And then, lets add a little high cardio cross country skiing into the mix-now, not only do you need to be a rock steady, robot accurate shooter, you have to be a fast skier. You have to control your heart rate and bring yourself back to the zen of accurate shooting a split second after a heart pumping ski trek. I noticed that a lot of the competitors missed their first shot, and this didn't surprise me. I'm convinced that no amount of training will teach the body to drop from a fast heartrate to a slow calm demeanor that quickly. I am absolutely in awe of the competitors in this particular sport, because in my own very small way, being a shooter and a runner, I can understand the difficulty in what they do.

The last few times that Hubby and I have gone shooting, we've mostly played with new black powder toys and I haven't fired my target rifle in a while. Watching the Olympics has inspired me to take the gun out and see how many holes I can poke in a paper target. I want to try, yet again, to fire 5 rounds without having to look away from the scope. Hmmm...we don't have anything going on this afternoon....

No Running for Me!

2010-02-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

So, we just got back today from the really, really big city (Los Angeles) and the bad news is I won't be allowed to run for 2 weeks. This is because I had surgery at a very big fancy schmancy hospital that will restore my ability to hear in my right ear. I've been pretty much deaf on the right side for years. I always thought there was nothing that could be done about it and that someday when it got really bad I would just get a hearing aid and be done with it. I realized that time had come because lately I'm missing a lot of conversations. I've developed some good coping skills to handle the inability to hear but lately it just hasn't been working and I knew my hearing was much worse.

So I finally mentioned it to my doctor and asked him to recommend an audiologist so I could get a hearing aid. Being the thorough guy that he is, he wondered what kind of hearing loss I had and whether there wasn't something else that could be done for me; this resulted in a visit with an ent (ear, nose throat specialist) and a really, really in depth assessment of my hearing. So the bottom line is my hearing loss can be corrected with surgery which I had done this week. Now for the bad part-no running for 2 weeks; no weight training or exercising of any kind-for 2 weeks. The only thing I'm allowed to do is walking.

So, you may ask-why wouldn't I be allowed to run, since the surgery was on my ear and that's a long way away from my legs? The reason is because the surgeon took out a very tiny bone in my middle ear that stopped working and replaced it with a high tech doohickey that will replace the bone and actually work. I can't do anything that might dislodge or move the doohickey-so, no running, exercising, sneezing, coughing, burping, or anything that might cause pressure in my ear.

And-the surgeon prefers that I run on the deadmill since I may have dizziness (I don't.). Don't get me wrong-I'm very grateful for the ability to hear. I knew the surgery worked immediately when I could hear the nurses and doctors talking and I wondered why they were talking so loudly. Modern medicine is amazing-I'm truly blown away with the idea that after a one hour surgery I'll be able to hear again. I just wish it didn't cut in to my running...

Work Still Sucks...

2010-01-31T17:49:00.001-08:00

I haven't been posting much lately because I've been really really busy at work. The last two weeks have been spent on a big project and it's meant working full time every day of the week plus Saturdays, and it sucks like a Hoover. A big, giant, oversized Hoover vacuum cleaner-that's been my job the last two weeks. But the good news is I got it done, with one day to spare, and next week I'll be back to my customary part-time sneak out the back door at lunch time routine.

Yeah, baby-I am the data entering, schedule cross referencing, mistake finding and correcting queen of accounting! And how many atta-girl, great job, pats on the back did I get for my efforts? None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Yup, returning to work after a couple of years of retirement has truly taught me something-nothing ever changes.

My work schedule these last two weeks has meant more deadmill running even though the weather has been fairly nice. The only way I can fit in my runs is if I get up at the crack of dawn and hit the dreaded machine. Don't get me wrong-I'm glad it's right there in my bedroom so I can use it when I need to, but I still hate it.

Ice Skating

2010-01-24T14:19:00.001-08:00

When I'm doing housework I usually have the tv on, mostly for background noise and occasionally to listen to a movie or program I'm kind of interested in. I only have 3 channels so my programming choices are limited especially on Sundays because I'm not much of a pro sports fan. So today, while working on a sewing project, I have a choice of a football game, an infomercial for some kitchen gadget, or figure skating. I opted for figure skating, and I've come to a major conclusion regarding the male ice skaters. I watched them for most of the afternoon and my opinion is based on certain moves they make during their performances and their costume choices.

I have determined that the movie "Blades of Glory" was not a funny spoof of male figure skaters. It was a documentary.

Here Comes the Sun

2010-01-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

So I wake up early this morning and what do I see? Is it possible? Could that be...the SUN? I mean I haven't seen that big golden sort of glowy thing in the sky for a long time but I seem to remember it vaguely-it's all warm and bright and it means I'm off the deadmill! I hit the streets for a 6.2 miler this morning and it was glorious. I felt like I was flying and my feet never touched the pavement. Let's face it, faithful readers-running outdoors beats the deadmill all to heck-there is just no comparison. And I had the lovely experience of dodging rain puddles through the whole run!

More Rain

2010-01-22T04:45:00.000-08:00

Every run this week has been on the deadmill and today will not be an exception. I almost ran yesterday outdoors after work-the rain stopped for a bit and I thought I could squeeze a 4 miler in between thunder storms; but just as I was getting changed into my running gear it started to pour, then it started to hail and I knew it would be another deadmill run. There's more rain forecast for today and I will be on the deadmill yet again. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the mill-I'm glad it's there, just in case I need it, but when I'm on it I hate every minute.

And here's a special message to my favorite co-worker-you know who you are. You're the one that gave me a huge project this week because you were falling behind and couldn't finish it. I did exactly what you told me to do; I pulled stacks and stacks of vendor files and started a spreadsheet and entered all that boring data and then I put all the files back in storage. So why did you choose yesterday at 4:00 to tell me that you forgot to mention that there's one vital extra piece of information that needs to be on that spreadsheet? Now I will spend all day today and probably all day Saturday pulling all those files so I can tease out that bit of information and add it to the spreadsheet. Thanks so much. You should know that I believe in karma and I believe that you will be punished-perhaps not soon and perhaps not by me, but you will pay for this...

monsoon season

2010-01-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

Our beautiful warm weather has come to an end; we now have weeks of rain to look forward to. This won't be the light, misty, yeah you can run outdoors rain. This is downpour rain with flooding and trees knocked down and power outages. I've been forced to use the treadmill all week and I'm dreading Friday's 8 mile run.

So, our power was off all day yesterday and do you know what my only real fear was? Let's see...what would scare someone about a potential power outage that could last for days as it has in the past-could it be the food spoilage because the fridge isn't refridgerating? Or perhaps no heat in the house? Or nothing to do but read books and play with a Nintendo ds for days on end? Nope, none of the above. What I feared most about a power outage was that I couldn't run outdoors because of the rain, and I couldn't use the treadmill because of the power outage, so how was I going run? I actually considered trying to run outdoors despite the weather and Hubby pointed out the lunacy of that plan. Fortunately the power came back on and the treadmill is again an option!

70 Degrees!

2010-01-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

I'm back on a running schedule and I've been hitting the pavement around 6:00 am-yes, I'm back to pre-dawn runs and I'm really enjoying it. There's something really wonderful about running in moonlight, just before the sun rises and well before your average joe has even had his first cup of coffee.

And why, you may ask, am I running so early in the morning? The answer is twofold. First, I do it because I'm back at work and I prefer getting my run in before my work day starts rather than after I'm done; and secondly, because it's been averaging 65 to 70 degrees here in the afternoon. That's right, faithful readers, 70 degrees! I don't mean to make those of you who live in a colder climate jealous, but it's been downright balmy here and Hubby and I have even taken the Bugeye out for evening drives just before dinner.

Hubby keeps telling my I should just treadmill it and skip the outdoor runs; but then, he's not a runner. While he's really supportive of my ~~addiction~~habit, he just doesn't understand. Unfortunately he'll never know what it feels like to be running under a full moon in a quiet neighborhood with only a stray cat and an occasional horse in a pasture for company. It's mornings like I've had this week that make me wish I was a poet, and could describe the feeling so that a non-runner could understand why those of us who run do what we do.

I'm Slower than Oprah

2010-01-04T05:20:00.000-08:00

I found this website about celebrity marathoners and I was intriqued by the times of some of these people-dang, some of them are pretty fast! Most are faster than me, of course; but who knew that Will Ferrell is not only one of the funniest people on the big screen, but a pretty good runner as well? Meredith Baxter, Anthony Edwards, Lisa Ling-all faster than me. Al Gore is faster, too, and I wonder if he runs in organic shoes made with natural products that don't increase his carbon footprint? The one that stings a bit is Oprah-yup, you guessed it; faster than me. I mean really-Oprah? How is that possible? I guess if I had a personal coach and a nutritional expert at my side every day like she probably did I'd finish with a better time.

Happily, there were a couple of back of the packers in the list. I would be right behind Mario Lopez (5:41:41) and Freddie Prinz (5:50:49) and then we could all wait for David Lee Roth to cross the finish line in 6+ hours. I figure David Lee Roth is so slow because it must be really, really hard to run in spandex tights...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

So, faithful readers, it's a new year full of promise. I kind of floundered a bit, running-wise, after I finished the marathon; now it's time to focus on new goals. I haven't been running as much as I wanted to this last month. I took 2 weeks off after the race and then I caught a horrible cold so it's all been very short runs. I just filled in my calendar for the next 3 months and my goal is to rebuild my base and achieve a 40 mile average per week with at least a 12 mile long run-a 15 miler occasionally would be lovely! I have a race in February so there's plenty of time to prepare and all I have to do is decide if I want to do the 5k or the 10k.

I just checked my log and last year I ran a whopping total of 1426 miles. My longest run of the year, naturally was 26.2 miles. Oddly, I seem to have slowed down last year-perhaps I sacrificed speed for distance? That's another goal I'd like to meet for 2010-get faster. It would be nice to finish a half marathon ahead of another runner.

I'm still working and I hope the decision to return to work wasn't a mistake. I'm going to talk to my boss and reiterate that I'll be coming in late because I want to continue running in the mornings. It hasn't been a problem so far because we're so slow at work that I can make my own hours; however this month I'll be busy with year end projects and I'm going to have to get creative with my schedule to fit in my runs. As much as I hate it, the treadmill may become my new best friend this year.

So Happy New Year, everyone! Keep running and I hope you all have a healthy, prosperous new year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T04:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my faithful followers and blogging friends. I hope you all have a truly wonderful Christmas. I will be baking pies all day today; I'm going to work but only to drop off a gift for my one and only friend at work and then I'll sneak out. The business where I work always makes a huge deal out of Christmas Eve-I think it's because the powers that be feel guilty about making people work the day before Christmas so there's all sorts of goodies to eat, and the office where I work will order out for breakfast, and lots of gifts exchange hands from the managers to the clerks and so forth.

So the plan for today is a short visit to work, then a 6 mile run, then bake pumpkin pies while I watch a Christmas movie-probably It's a Wonderful Life, my favorite.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

My Daughters Runs Marathons, Too!

2009-12-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

I just had this conversation with a very nice lady at a Christmas party Saturday night. Several of the guests, close friends of mine, knew I ran the Las Vegas Marathon and while I was ~~boring~~ regaling them with the details of the race, this lady chimes in and tells me that her daughter runs marathons all the time. "That's wonderful", I replied; "Your daughter must be a very experienced runner". "Yes", she said. "She runs 3 or 4 every year". Wow, I think to myself-3 or 4 marathons a year? Most marathoners I know usually do only 1 a year; perhaps there are runners who can do 2 a year; but 3 or 4? The logistics of that astounded me. How do you train for that many marathons? How much time does this lady's daughter have between marathons to recuperate properly? Obviously, this required some investigation.

I asked this lady which races her daughter ran-were they the big races? She said her daughter ran mostly local races because she didn't like travelling too far from home by herself. That puzzled me-how many marathons can an area have in one year? Then it dawned on me what was happening here-I asked the lady "How far does your daughter run when she does her marathons?" She told me her daughter ran 13 mile marathons. I explained to her that her daughter ran half marathons, not full marathons, and that a full marathon was 26.2 miles.

This lady then explained to me that a marathon was any race over 10 miles and her daughter ran them all the time. She was very sure of herself and I got the impression that I would not be successful if I tried to argue with her about what constitutes a marathon, so I changed the subject to something more suitable, like the best recipe for lemon bars.

I wondered later that night about the daughter. If she was indeed running half marathons on a regular basis, then she really was an experienced runner. I wondered if the daughter knew her mother was telling people that she ran 13 mile marathons and that a marathon was anything over 10 miles. I would be mortified if my mother did that (hi Mom!). I have tried to educate my family about the ins and outs of running so that if they mention my running, they don't embarrass themselves with inaccurate bits of information like this woman.

Work Sucks.

2009-12-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

Work just plain sucks. After my mini vacation in Las Vegas, and FINISHING MY FIRST MARATHON, I came back to work invigorated and ready to roll. That didn't last 2 weeks; I'm back to my old, mean, bitchy self at work. The problem is I have to share a desk with a co-worker and there is no good way to share a desk-my philosophy is that if there is work on the desk that needs to be done, I will do it. My desk sharing co-worker, however, believes that I should not touch "her" work and leave it for her to finish. This would usually not be a problem except that a lot of the work we do is time sensitive and needs to be addressed immediately. I just can't leave a contract untouched or a check unmailed when I know it has to go out now.

We worked out an ok system whereby I work Tuesday through Friday until 3:00 and my co-worker comes in all day Monday and at 4:00 the rest of the week; this way I don't even have to see her. Yesterday I went to work early to process payroll for the salesmen. I had been at my desk for about an hour when the co-worker shows up and tells me she planned on doing the payroll. Umm, ok, fine. You do it, co-worker. I'm going home. I just wish she had told me or left me a note or something-it could have saved me a trip in to town.

If this continues much longer I'll just quit. I don't need the job and working will cut into my running time when I go back to running full time next week.

Neglect

2009-12-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

It seems I've been neglecting my little corner of the blogosphere; what with FINISHING MY FIRST MARATHON and going back to work and all, it's not as easy to get over here and post my brilliant observations. I will, however, be back soon with some absolutely wonderful posts about running and working; I already have some ideas I think you, faithful readers, will enjoy. Stay tuned for more!

I Now Remember Why I Retired Early!

2009-11-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

I went back to work today. Yup, that's right-I'm a member of the working force again, a cubicle monkey, a nameless, faceless clerk, a very tiny cog in a huge machine-I don't know what part of my brain thought it was a good idea to say yes when my former boss called and asked me to come back, but that particular part of my brain needs to be punished severely. I had to get up at 4:00 am in order to get in a 6 mile run before work, and I was out the door and running in the pre-dawn chill, scared to death of cars or coyote or bears, oh my! I got home from the run with barely enough time to shower and dress and head out for work. I forgot about all that morning routine-stuff like makeup and actually doing something with my hair rather than just combing it flat and putting on clean clothes rather than the jeans and t-shirt I wore yesterday..

The good news is the work routine came back pretty quickly. When I finally started actually posting contracts and receipts and all the other flotsam and jetsam of my boring work day, things started to click and I actually started remembering account numbers and bits and pieces of information I will need to do my job.

The bad news is I have to wear nice shoes instead of comfy former running shoes that have lost their bounce for runs, but are fine for doing chores around the house and grocery shopping. But alas, dirty running shoes just don't work with nice button down shirts and skirts.

The question is-how long will it be before I start despising my co-workers, and I remember exactly why I needed to retire?

Why I Hate Main Stream Media

2009-11-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

What is it lately with inflammatory, inaccurate articles lately about marathons? First it was the "Plodders don't belong in marathons" thing that I posted about yesterday; then it was the CNBC article regarding the winner of the New York Marathon in which the writer believes that Meb Keflezghi's win is hollow because Keflezghi is not a natural born citizen to the U.S. And on top of all that, last night's news on the telly went on and on about all the deaths lately in marathons and whether people should even be attempting to run 26.2 miles. The part that really got me angry was when the reporter interviewed the obligatory doctor, a cardiologist, who stated that "he recommended that his patients only need to walk 1/2 an hour every day for optimum health". Well, of course he recommends 1/2 hour of walking a day. He's a cardiologist; his patients consist of heart attack survivors, bypass surgery patients, and people with congenital heart problems. I wish I had been interviewing the good doctor- I would have asked him if he thought a healthy person with no heart problems who has been running regularly for a few years was capable of training for and running a marathon-never mind what he recommends for his ailing patients. I'm pretty sure he would have answered in the positive to that one, but of course then NBC wouldn't have a really scary story about how you're going to die if you run a marathon. Now I have to deal with my mother in law telling me how scared she is for me and all this running I'm doing...

I'm a plodder, and proud of it

2009-11-03T05:37:00.001-08:00

I just can't let this go. I've been thinking about the New York Times article in which faster runners are complaining that those of us that are plodding away at the back of the pack are somehow ruining the mystique of the marathon.

If there is some sort of mystique about the marathon that is based on how fast you can run it, perhaps the distance should be reserved for the Olympics-that would really give the 4 hour marathoners a goal to shoot for. Or go one step further-as one commenter put it, if we want to preserve the "mystique" of the marathon, then everybody who runs it should be naked, and die of heat stroke.

I'm thinking that the runners who don't want your average Joe running a marathon want to keep the race for themselves because running is how they define who they are and running marathons makes them really special; thus, if the average person can complete a marathon then the faster runners aren't all that special, are they?

The interesting thing is, since the article came out, I've read comments from some truly elite runners-the people who can actually win a marathon. They all seem to share the view that a marathon is for anybody who wants to train for it and complete the distance-the more the merrier.

Don't get me wrong-I think the 26.2 miles should be respected and no one should attempt a marathon without a solid running base and months of training. I will be the first person in line to discourage an inexperienced newbie runner from signing up for a marathon. It takes months of hard work and discipline to prepare for a marathon. But if you've been running a few years, and have a decent running base, and you've trained for a couple of half marathons-I say go for it. And stopping on the marathon course to have lunch-not cool.

Finally-one last comment about the runner in the article who will accost people in marathon shirts, ask them what their time was, and then make a nasty comment if she deems their time too slow-the fact that she is capable of doing something so mean and small speaks volumes about her character. I guess every sport has its bullies..

Volunteerism

2009-10-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

I worked as a volunteer all weekend for a car show; it supports a good cause (our local hospice) and all my friends were there, either as volunteers or exhibiting a car. After we spent an exhausting afternoon marking the golf course for the cars on Saturday, I was up and at my post Sunday morning, checking in the cars and handing our exhibitors packets. Every driver, WITH ONE EXCEPTION, was friendly and helpful with information about their cars. So.....this is an open letter to the ONE UNFRIENDLY ~~TOOL~~ gentleman I encountered:

Dear Sir:

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with me as I tried to check in your car for the show. I failed to recognize your car as a BMW and I called it an Audi and you got very angry. You made a nasty and insulting comment about hiring the handicapped. I would just like to clarify a few points with you:

1. I was not hired for this car show. I volunteered. Not only did I volunteer, but I volunteered to help line up cars on the golf course, not check them in. I got recruited to check in cars when that volunteer did not show up; that is why I could not answer any of your ~~stupid assed, lame~~ pertinant questions.

2. I apologize for not recognizing that your car was a BMW. I guess that after spending all morning checking in really interesting cars like Duesenbergs, a beautiful coffin nosed Cord, and a veritible herd of vintage Ferraris, your boring, off the street, nuthin special except the grotesque pricetag BMW just didn't register on my Special Car Radar.

3. I also apologize for not having a packet ready for you with a pre-printed dash card. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you REGISTER LATE for an event. I did not have a nice felt tipped pen to fill out the blank dash card because the organizers did not provide one for me and I did not know I might need one; otherwise I would have brought my own from home. I hope you didn't mind that I listed the make and model of your car as a 1966 Dodge Dart.

4. Yes, I do know how to spell BMW. I spell it J-E-R-K.

I Love It When You Say That...

2009-10-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

If you were a fan of The Addams Family as I was, then perhaps you remember how occasionally Gomez would speak to Morticia in French. I never knew what he said to her, but she obviously loved it. My hubby does not speak French; but being a wife of many years, there are certain things he can say to me that, like Morticia, give me goose bumps of ecstacy, such as:

Have you lost weight? Because those jeans make you look really skinny.

These chocolate chip cookies are better than the ones my Mom makes.

Put the hamburger back in the fridge-let's go out to dinner tonight.

Since I'm now one of those runnerly types, I have some new additions to the list of things I love to here the Hubster say:

You're back already? That was one of your faster runs.

Ya know, since they're doing a marathon in Santa Barbara now, you could do a marathon every year.

You seem tense-why don't you go for a run?

I'm going to the Big City after work today; do you want me to pick you up, and we can stop by your FNRS?

Your legs look fantastic..

I Love My FNRS*

2009-10-12T11:18:00.001-07:00

Another reason to shop at your FNRS-free shoes! I went in to purchase GU Chomps, and discovered that with my last shoe purchase, I qualified for a free pair. Hubby suggested that I buy a pair as well; with these 2 new pairs of shoes, I should be all set in the shoe department for the marathon. I think it will be cool to run the race in free shoes!

*FNRS-Friendly Neighborhood Running Store

200th Blogiversary

2009-10-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

My last post was my 200th post. I had this whole thing planned in celebration-my favorite posts, some great comments from famous people, cake and ice cream; honestly, it was going to be really, really great. We were all going to have so much fun! But somehow, I missed the magic 200th post and I wasted it on a silly post about Biggest Loser. Now, you'll all have to wait for my 300th Blogiversary, and I'm not sure I can pull the party together like I had planned for the 200th Blogiversary. I'm so sorry, faithful readers-I know how dissapointed you all are. And I was even going to bake the best chocolate chip cookies you have ever eaten-seriously, if you were a condemned person and you were requesting your last meal, you would ask for only one thing-my chocolate chip cookies. Now you'll just have to use your imagination to realize how much fun we would have had. I was even going to have pony rides..

Biggest Loser

2009-09-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been watching Biggest Loser since the first season. I was trying to lose weight at that time, and I would slog away on my elliptical machine while watching the program and imagining Jillian cursing at me. So after a few seasons, I know the routine for the show. The contestants will be given choices that will affect the outcome of that week's weigh-in, and thus could determine who goes home and who stays. The contestants know not to take the challenge in the early weeks of the show; all that does is to make enemies with the other people and assure that you will be voted off the show if you fall below the yellow line. During the first weeks of the show, the only goal of the contestants is to lose weight and stay above the yellow line so they can stay on the Biggest Loser Ranch. I always assumed that if you are applying for a spot on the show, you've actually watched the show and understand the rules, both written and tacit. Apparently, that's not the case...

Last night, the contestants were given two opportunities to manipulate the game, one involving a 2 pound advantage at the weigh in, but only if they gave up the trainers for the week; then later they were given a challenge that, if they accepted it and won the challenge, they would choose who would weigh in for each team. I won't bore you, faithful readers, with the gory details, but Tracy accepted the first challenge and won the second one by eating a handful of cupcakes. Is she insane? Has she never watched the show? Does she not understand that she has now made enemies of everyone at the ranch, and will be eliminated the first time she falls below the yellow line? I couldn't even feel sorry for her when Jillian made her cry. I don't think Tracy realized what she had done to her chances to stay on the ranch until she posted an 11 pound loss, and there was no clapping or cheering. Was it me, or did anyone else see the huge bulls eye on her back?

Hubby Humor

2009-09-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

I really love my husband-he's the greatest guy, and while he is not a runner, he supports my passion completely and he tries to understand as best as a non runner can. Hubby does, however, possess a wicked sense of humor and he knows that I'm just the teensiest bit sensitive about my lack of speed. So, keeping that in mind, here's the conversation we had yesterday while grazing through the free samples at Costco-or what I like to call a "cheap date":

Me: Honey, you're walking really slow-like really, REALLY slow. I know you like to look at everything, but this is ridiculous. Can't you pick up the pace a bit? I don't think I can walk that slowly.

Hubby: You can't walk that slow? Well, why don't you just run-that should solve the problem.

It took me just a moment to realize that what the Hubster was saying was that my running pace is slower than my walking pace.

Yeah, he's a funny, funny guy..

Barbie doll pink

2009-09-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

I did an 18 miler on Friday and it was good. I was tired; I was sore; but I did it, running 3 mile stretches and then walking while drinking Cytomax and chowing down on GU Chomps. It took forever but I did it. Yay me!

I also got new shoes-Asics Nimbus 11, and they're great. I love them except for one minor detail, which leads to an open letter to the Asics company:

Dear Asics Company:

I love your shoes. I really do. They've kept me comfortably running for some time now with nary a black toenail and practically no blisters. I just have one tiny, minor,trifling complaint. Do you HAVE to trim the shoes in Barbie Doll Pink and glittery silver? Would it be possible to make a pair in, oh, I don't know, how about plain WHITE? Or gray, or blue-anything but pink. Because that was the only color my FNRS had in stock and I really wanted a new pair of shoes. the nice clerk warned me that they were bright pink before he pulled them out of the box, but I wasn't prepared and dear God they are PINK!

You see, Asics Company, when these shoes have lost their bounce for running, they will become my walking around grocery shopping and walk to the post office shoes. I will wear them around people who don't run. Those people will be staring at my pink clad feet, wondering what I was thinking when I bought them because the shoes are so stinking pink. I do not want people staring at me feet. Can you please, PLEASE tone down the colors?

Thank you.

Sincerely, lastplacerunner.

One of the good things about living in a small town

2009-09-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is a great time of year if you love fresh veggies and you live in a small town like I do. We were driving home yesterday afternoon from the Big City, driving down the country roads of my little town, and the vegetable stand that we pass almost daily finally had something besides squash to offer-they had tomatoes! We stopped and bought beautiful, fat, ripe tomatoes as well as two baskets of absolutely perfect cherry tomatoes. These stands are all over town as people sell the excess produce from their back yard gardens; the stands are on the honor system and come equipped with a sign showing the prices and a jar for the money. You can buy home made honey or jam, strawberries, apples, tons of fresh vegetables-anything that can be grown in someone's back yard will be offered. I even know a house that, once a week, has fresh eggs for sale from an ice chest packed in ice. You bring your own container and you get a dozen fresh from the hen eggs for a dollar. You have to get there early, though-the eggs will be sold out by 9 am. I happen to know the egg seller; he tells me he just wants to make enough money to pay for the hen feed. So-lunch today will be whole wheat pasta with diced tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and a little vinegar...

It's NOT a trailer park!

2009-09-06T10:03:00.001-07:00

I've been taken to task for calling a trailer park a trailer park-a very nice elderly lady informed me that they are mobile home communities. So, here's what I saw in my local mobile home community this morning during my 6 mile run-3 young 20-something women are leaving their ~~trailer~~ mobile home, and getting in their car. They are wearing the ~~trailer park~~ mobile home community weekend uniform of a tank top with a visible bra, pajama bottoms and dirty fuzzy slippers. So, faithful readers, where do you think one of the women carries her cell phone? That's right, there it was, tucked snugly between her breasts. I swear I am not making this up. They must have been headed for Walmart..

Racing in the heat

2009-08-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

There were 2 races quite close to my home this weekend and while I didn't sign up for either one, I felt badly for the runners. This has been the hottest weekend we've had to date and it was already heating up by 5:00 when I got up. One of the races is a half marathon that will run through the local strawberry fields. There's no trees or shade of any kind on those roads; I know because I run them often and just last Thursday I was struggling through a 16 miler on those very roads. And there are rolling hills-one right after the other. The other run isn't quite so bad, since it runs on the beach and through the dunes, but it will be pretty hot as well. It's the first year for the half marathon and I hope that the organizers have lots of well supplied water stops along the way.

Oil and Water

2009-08-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

We all know that oil and water do not mix. That is why you want to keep the two elements separate in a car engine, which leads me to the question of the day:

You are adding coolant to the radiator in your favorite vintage car. You watch the coolant level slowly go down, yet there's no water coming out underneath the car. You then check the oil dipstick, and the oil, which should be a clear golden color, is a milky, yukky gray, and the oil level is slowly going up.

So, faithful readers, where do you think the water from the radiator is going? That's right-straight into the engine. Now watch as my checkbook balance slowly goes down...

It feels like Fall-in August!

2009-08-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a morning runner. I love the cooler weather, the lack of traffic, and I've always been a morning person anyway. If I'm going to be up at 6 am, I might as well be running. In the summer it's advantagous to run in the morning in order to avoid the afternoon heat. Lately, however, it's been downright cold in the morning. We've had a heavy layer of fog that you can feel on your skin and that wets the pavement. I'm not complaining; it's perfect running weather and unseasonable even for those of us who live near the coast. The air has a distinctive fall feeling to it. I know, you're all saying California doesn't have seasons and that simply isn't true. We have seasons, they're just more subtle than the rest of the country experiences. I've lived here long enough to know what Fall feels like and I'm telling you it's here now, in August. For those of you in less temperate climates, I wish I could bottle it up and send it to you.

I Spy with my Little Eye

2009-08-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

You just never know what you'll see when running; I think I hit the perfect trifecta of a trailer park vignette during my long run Saturday. Yes, part of my run takes me for a cruise through a trailer park. Let me just say that most of the people living in the park appear to be upstanding citizens of the retired kind, and this post is not meant to be a reflection on them. It is, however, a reflection on the minority of people who live in the park and have a negative tooth to tattoo ratio. And I swear I am not making this up.

Seen in the trailer park, neatly lined up against the curb:

4 empty bottles of beer (domestic brand).
1 McDonalds bag.
1 pregnancy test kit box.

I think this is just the dregs left behind from your typical trailer park date night...

No Justice

2009-08-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

I spent yet another day yesterday in court to protect my rights as a victim and see a little justice served to the pondslime woman who was involved in the burglary at my home. This was to be the day she was sentenced; I knew her sentence would not be nearly what she deserved (one year in jail and 3 years probation). I just wanted to see her sentenced and know she was finally punished. However, the case took yet another unexpected turn. I didn't see the thieving, lying lowlife with the other miscreants in their orange jumpsuits and she also was not in the gallery with the law abiding citizens like myself. When her case was called and it became obvious that she was not present, the judge issued a bench warrant for her arrest. This means that if she is still in California, and if she gets pulled over for a broken tail light on her car or if she calls the cops for a domestic abuse case or if she does anything at all that brings her to the attention of the police, she'll be arrested. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

The bad thing about this is she was my last, final hope for getting back any of my stolen property. I just have to let it go and move forward-all that stuff that meant so much to me is gone forever. Damn.

Anger on the Run

2009-08-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

When I hit the road later in the morning like I did today, I usually see a lot of kids out doing stuff-riding bikes or skateboards, walking to the park or their friends houses; there's lots of kids around here and for the most part they're pretty friendly. Today, however, was different. I've been home long enough to take a shower and warm up my left over coffee and I'm still mad.

I'm somewhere between mile 4 and 5 of an 8 miler and I'm running on a fairly busy (well, busy for my little town..)street and I see a group of 5 kids ahead of me, ranging in age from maybe 13 or 14 to a little girl of maybe 7 years old. The little girl is lagging 10 yards or so behind the older kids and the gap is getting wider with every step she takes. And why, you may ask, is she falling so far behind? The little girl is struggling to keep up with the group because she's the only one in the group carrying a backpack-a huge backpack almost as big as she is. That's right, faithful readers, 5 able bodied kids and they make the littlest one carry the backpack. They weren't even watching her on this busy street with no sidewalk. I caught up with the little girl and I couldn't help myself. I told her to take a break for a minute and while she looked a little confused, she gratefully dropped the backpack and stopped walking. "HEY!" I yelled at the older kids. "GET BACK HERE!" They turned and just stood there, staring at me. I yelled again, and they walked back to me and the girl. I decided to try the nice approach first with the oldest girl. "You need to help this kid. She's little. Help her so she can keep up". OK, I'm thinking, this will be a test of the teenager's character. She'll either help the little one or she'll flip me off and keep walking.

The teenager gave me an arrogant stare, then she picked up the backpack and started walking. OK, I'm thinking, I didn't get the finger or any foul language. Let's see if we can make a little more progress. "Hold her hand, and walk slower. She's little and she can't walk as fast as you can. You need to take care of her". Again, the arrogant stare. She took the child's hand and the group walked away, at a much slower pace.

I'm pretty sure the next time these kids are out walking, they'll still make the little girl carry the backpack. But at least on this day they were forced to do the right thing.

Challenged by a dog

2009-07-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

I encounter dogs frequently on my runs-nothing unusual in that. For the most part, the dogs in my neighborhood are friendly and contained by fences; the occasional loose dog is not a threat. I am, however, careful when I see a dog I don't know. I will usually stop running and cross the street and just stay away from them, just in case. Today's encounter was unique. As I ran down a residential street, a Bassett Hound came charging down his driveway to engage me in battle. Yes, that's right-a Bassett Hound-long, floppy ears, sad sack eyes, and stumpy little legs. He charged me, doing the weirdest bark/howl the whole time. He stopped just at the edge of his driveway, bark howling and standing his ground. It stopped me in my tracks-he was so comical I had to laugh. I mean, seriously-I know I'm a slow runner, but I'm pretty sure in a race between me and a Basset Hound, I would smoke him. His legs were, oh, I don't know-maybe 2 inches long. When I stopped running he seemed satisfied that he had properly protected the family estate from peril and he calmly walked up the driveway without even a glance in my direction. What a funny, silly looking dog!

And, another funny thing today-while driving in the big city with Hubby, we saw a vanity license plate that read "RUN4UST". I was trying to puzzle out the meaning of the plate without much success when Hubby figured it out-RUN4UST=run, Forrest! It absolutely has to be a runner that would have a vanity plate like that!

The mighty Sharps

2009-07-22T09:53:00.001-07:00

I ran a really nice 4 miler early this morning. Conditions were perfect-extremely cool and foggy. So, why couldn't it have been like that on Saturday when I ran such a miserable half marathon?

Hubby and I went to the shooting range yesterday and I finally got to shoot my Spencer as well as my latest toy, the mighty Sharps model 1874. When I told Hubby I wanted a Sharps, he asked if I wanted a new replica or an old original. Well, duh. Of course it had to be an original and dang if Hubby didn't find one at the gun show Saturday. The Sharps is the longer gun at the top of the picture with the Spencer below it. More about the Sharps later-we shot the Spencer first and may I just say that it was highly satisfying-hardly any kick, a very pleasant bang and a big puff of smoke. I learned how to bore sight a gun, but I still couldn't shoot it with any accuracy; I figured I did ok when I hit the paper at 25 yards, never mind trying for a bulls eye.

Then we got out the Sharps. The Sharps is big, heavy, and kicks like a mule. My Sharps has a set trigger. This means there are 2 triggers-set the set trigger, and it makes an already touchy firing trigger frighteningly light. If you saw the movie "Quigley Down Under", you might remember how Tom Selleck fired the gun-he did it very gently and carefully. I now have an understanding for why he fired that way. The Hubster and I discussed at length how we were going to fire this gun in a safe way. I had to be really, really careful because "hair trigger" does not accurately describe how sensitive the trigger becomes after the set trigger is engaged. Honestly, I never squeezed the trigger-I barely touched it and the gun fired.

My Sharps has no rear sight. In order to aim accurately, I tried to center down the barrel to the front sight, all the while trying to not even breathe weird because I knew it would fire at the slightest touch-which brings us to the picture of the target. I put a nickel next to the round I shot with the Sharps. The nickel is to give you an idea of how big these rounds are-at least they seem big to me (I'm more used to my trusty 22 caliber). So, with no rear sight I managed to put a round pretty darned close to dead center. I'm proud of that shot, even though Hubby claims it was just a lucky shot. He's just jealous because I shot better than him. He's currently on the hunt for a rear sight and it should be interesting to see how accurate the Sharps is with proper sights.

Last place again-WOOT!

2009-07-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

I just ran the Guadalupe half marathon this morning, and I'm very happy to report that I regained my title of last place runner! That's right, faithful readers, I came in dead. freakin. last. again. Don't get me wrong-I'm not complaining. There is some glory in last place. All the course volunteers are really, really happy to see you go by; it means they can go home. And I made one CHP officer's day-he blocks traffic on the one road on the course so runners can cross safely. He was schmoozing with the water stop ladies when I approached. After stopping a couple of cars for me, as I crossed the road I told him I was the last runner. A huge grin broke out on his face and I heard him tell the volunteers that he was going home.

There was one last volunteer on the course at the 2 mile mark to make sure we all turned left. I told him I was the last runner. He asked "are you sure there's no one else?" Yes, I was sure. I think I'm capable of figuring out on an out and back course that if I see no one going the other way after I make the turnaround, then I am indeed the last runner. It was a little embarrassing as I crossed the finish line; the volunteers and a lot of the runners were cheering me on as if I was breaking records at Boston. Honestly, they can skip that part. Just let me cross the finish line and let's get on with the awards ceremony. I'm thinking that next year I'm going to tell the race director not to wait for me to come in before she starts handing out awards..I'm pretty sure I'll hold on to my last place title next year.

Another day in court

2009-07-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

I ran an easy, slow 12 miler yesterday; no running today! Next week is a half marathon race, a very small local race in which I've always placed last or almost last. Then marathon training starts!

I had yet another day in court, following up on the ~~thieving, lying pondslime~~ misguided soul who stole my stuff and sold it around the county. This was supposed to be the day when she gets sentenced and I'm allowed to make a comment or two; I was dreading it because speaking before a group of people is the one thing that will bring me to the point of fainting. But I steeled myself for it, prepared a short comment and decided to just do it.

So I sitting in court and I notice she's not sitting with the rest of the defendants in their customary orange jumpsuits. And then, she walks in-a free woman, allowed to mingle with those of us who follow the law and stay out of trouble. And she sits down-right next to me. She doesn't know who I am, so her choice of seats was purely random. But I certainly know her. This is what I wanted to do-I wanted to throw her to the floor, put my knee across her neck and ask her what she did with my stuff. However, being a court of law, with bailiffs and judges and such, I decided that was probably a poor choice and I got up and moved to a different seat.

And to top it all off, she got yet another court date. Nothing was settled; no sentence was handed down; and she's on the streets to continue to steal. So much for justice.

Girls gone wild

2009-07-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Please don't draw any conclusions from today's title, faithful readers. There will be no pictures of drunken co-eds flashing their naughty bits on this blog; my title refers to an incident that Hubby witnessed many years ago, before I became a runner.

The Hubster came home from work with a huge grin on his face and a story to tell. While driving home from work he saw a young woman in a tank top and shorts out for an evening run; and while this is not a terribly noteworthy event, what happened next is-because one of her girls escaped her tank top and popped out the arm hole! Hubby said that she stopped running just long enough to gather up her errant breast and pop it back into hiding, then continued running.

At the time, it was just a very funny story we shared at the dinner table between the salad and the entree. Now that I'm a runner, I occasionally think about that girl and I wonder why she wasn't wearing a bra? Or perhaps she was and it wasn't a proper sports bra? Was she new to running and didn't realize the importance of good undergarment support? I'll never know the answers to my questions. I just know that now that I'm a runner, my girls are encased in some seriously heavy duty lycra and spandex. Judging by the difficulty I have when I skinny out of my new sports bras after a run, my girls have no chance of escaping during a run.

Sports Bras

2009-06-26T05:57:00.001-07:00

My trusty, cheap, off brand sports bras are all dying and it's time to replace them. I decided to throw financial caution to the wind and shop for some really good quality sports bras. My need for a good bra is also fueled by my experience at my last race-as I crossed the finish line and headed for the women's check in table, a volunteer tried to steer me to the men's table. OK-I know I have really short hair, and of course I don't wear makeup for a race (heck, I rarely wear makeup for anything any more!) and I know my customary race sports bra really squooshes in the girls, but to be mistaken for a man-how very embarrassing!

So I went shopping. I finally bought a couple of Champion bras for an absolutely ridiculous price, and that was a sale price! My only complaint is the same one I've always had with sports bras-no hooks in the back. Honestly, there's nothing worse than wrestling a stinky, sweat soaked sports bra off over one's head after a long and tiring run. I looked at a couple of bras that had hooks, and there was one with a zipper down the front, but they were all in much larger sizes than I needed. Honestly, Mr. Bra Manufacturer-even those of us who are minimally endowed would like a sports bras that's easy to take off.

Owls, part 2

2009-06-17T20:17:00.001-07:00

The baby owls are flying, and I have a terrific picture to prove it, but I can't get it downloaded so you'll have to take my word for it. According to my neighbor, the barn owl expert, they'll only live here a few more days then mom will kick them out and they're on their own. They'll look much cuter to me when I see one of them with a gopher in his talons.

I haven't run for 2 days. It's ok-I'm not sick or injured, just busy. I'm in the middle of a fall back week and the runs I've missed are short ones anyway so it's still all good. I should be able to get out tomorrow for a run, I haven't decided how many miles yet-I may just leave the Garmin home and run until I don't feel like running any more.

Barn Owls

2009-06-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

I took an extra day off this week-I didn't run my customary 8 miles yesterday; there just weren't enough hours in the day to squeeze in a run. I finally came home last night and considered trying to knock out a few miles on the deadmill and decided against it. I figured I would be better served to get to bed early and run today instead. So I was out the door early this morning, did 8 miles and felt pretty good. An occasional day off can be a good thing.

My neighbor put up owl boxes a couple of years ago, and he finally had owls move in. There are 6 baby owls in the box who will take flight any day now. This is an actual picture of the occupants-my neighbor is a pretty clever man and he's managed to take several pictures by attaching his camera to a pole, setting the timer, and holding it up to the box opening.

Every night for the last week the neighbors gather at the fence across from my house to watch the owls and wait for them to take their first flight. We bring our wine glasses and sometimes snacks to share; most of the neighbors bring their dogs and we watch them play in the pasture under the owl boxes. If the babies don't come out by nightfall we break up the party and go home, always with the expectation that tomorrow night will be the big night.

I've mentioned that I live in a pretty small town. This gives you an idea of just how small it is-an exciting night here is standing in the street watching an owl box. I wouldn't have it any other way..

12 Miles on a treadmill-bad bad bad!

2009-06-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was forced by circumstances to do my 12 miler today on the deadmill-yeah, you heard me right-12 miles on a mill. I hated every painful minute of it and the only way to get through it was to take a short walking break every 2 miles. I guess it was good training for this winter, since I know some of my long runs will have to be on the mill. I'll do it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!

RunnerDude posted some interesting comments regarding marathon amnesia-that phenomenom whereby a person runs a marathon, vows "never again", then promptly starts planning the next marathon. They apparently forget the pain soon after the race and only remember the sense of accomplishment and pride from completing the race. I haven't completed a marathon yet, but I can relate. This very thing happens to me every time I finish a tough long run. I'm tired, my legs hurt, and I'm soaked in sweat. I start wondering why I do this to myself-I'm not a masochist, and yet I punish my body on a weekly basis. But by the time I've finished my shower I'm thinking about the next long run-should I extend the distance? Perhaps try a different course? It doesn't take long for me to forget the discomfort.

I don't know if I'll be one of those people who say "never again" after my marathon in December. I'm thinking it will be a one time thing. But who knows-I may be planning my next marathon by the time I get to my hotel room and finish my shower!

Running in the Rain

2009-06-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

I did a 7 miler today with perfect running conditions-overcast and cool. Somewhere around mile 5 it started to rain. So I decided to run home and finish up on the treadmill. Then I realized it would be another mile in the rain just to get home; and if I had to do 6 miles I might as well finish up my scheduled 7 and not be such a wuss-after all, my mother always told me I'm not made of sugar, and I won't melt. Turns out she's right. I finished the 7 miler in the rain and I didn't melt, in fact it was rather refreshing. I got home soaked to the bone and feeling really good. If you have the chance to run in the rain I highly recommend it! Now all I have to do is figure out a way to dry out my shoes!

Running Skirts

2009-05-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

There were women in running skirts at my last race. This is a rather conservative area and new, risque trends take time to show up here, so I was glad to see the skirt thing finally make it. I happen to like running skirts. I have a couple and they're comfortable and flattering to my pancake butt. Having said that, I can't bring myself to wear one to a race. Wearing a skirt while running around my quiet neighborhood is one thing; wearing one in front of hundreds of runners is an entirely different matter. I'm afraid everyone is going to think I'm one of "those" women-you know what I mean. I don't want to be a middle aged woman who looks like she's trying to dress like her teen aged daughter, or in my case, my young niece. I've reached an age when dressing appropriately is getting just the teensiest bit tricky. I don't want to be dowdy and unfashionable, but I know I can't pull off the latest trend. One fashion accessory too many, and BAM! You're one of "those" women.

I did see a perfect example of "what not to wear" recently. My mom and I were in court yet again to see justice served on a platter to the people who burgled my house in December, and there was a woman in the courtroom who needed a serious make-over. Trust me, after a certain age, skirts should come down squarely to the knees and not an inch shorter, especially when your legs aren't your best feature-or your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best feature. In my case, I happen to have really good legs due to all the running I do, and I still don't wear short skirts. As I've said-it's a very fine line between "wow, she has great legs" and "Holy cow, doesn't she have mirror at home?"

Running naked

2009-05-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

I did another 11 miler Friday; it wasn't my best effort and I attribute that to running out of Cytomax and being forced to use Gatorade which I hate; and I didn't have Shot Blox, either. I tried a Powerbar and it sucked like a Hoover-so lesson learned. Stick with what works. I visited my FNRS yesterday, picked up a huge container of Cytomax, and some GU Chomps to sample. The very nice clerk at the store, who happens to be an ultra marathoner, suggested the Chomps and also recommended a post run supplement to sample. I'll let you all know how the Chomps work after my next long run.

So, faithful readers, I know you're piqued by my title. No, I do not run naked. Aside from the legal issues, I do not want to scare the inhabitants of this small community with my bare, pale body. I did, however, cruise over to a website with a video of the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco which is apparently clothing optional. Clearly exhibited in the video were the naked behinds of several men-naked, except for a heart rate strap and running shoes! So I have some questions for anyone who chooses to run in such a minimalist fashion-how do you pin on your race bib? And for the gentlemen-are'nt there some serious bounce issues? I think it could be rather painful to run naked, what with the outdoor plumbing and all that. Seriously-let me know how you guys deal with this stuff-inquiring minds want to know!

Tag-you're it!

2009-05-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

I ran a very nice 6 miler this morning. I really need to get out the door earlier-it's starting to warm up here and my runs are always better in the cooler mornings. It was a good run, however; I got into the zone and just ran-no thought about pace or heart rate, I just ran by feel, thinking about running lightly and reveling in how good it felt!

So, since you've all been waiting with baited breath to learn more about me, the most boring average person on the planet, here's my tag answers:

8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Mom's visit next week
2. My friends' wedding next month
3. The half marathon I'm running in July
4. My shooting date with friends next Sunday-I finally get to shoot the mighty Spencer!
5. I ordered a watch to replace the one stolen in December-it should be here next week!
6. Hubby quitting his "temporary" job that was supposed to be done in 2 months, and has now lasted almost a year.
7. Going to Disneyland this summer with the nephews.
8. And of course, the biggie-the Las Vegas Rock & Roll Marathon in December!

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Baked cookies-oatmeal with walnuts and chocolate chips, and they were excellent!
2. Washed the car-it was disgustingly dirty!
3. Did some laundry
4. Pulled weeds, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my planters..
5. Cooked dinner-soft tacos with my own version of spanish style rice.
6. Worked a bit on a newsletter I write for the Scottish Society we belong to
7. Played with the neighbor's new baby goats
8. Started cleaning the spare bedroom in preparation for Mom's visit

8 things I would like to do:
1. Learn to tango
2. Take a road trip across Canada, then back across the USA
3. Go back to Paris and have more than one day to spend in that beautiful city
4. Run all the way around the island of Bora Bora
5. Clean out the attic-and I do mean clean it out. There's stuff up there that's absolutely useless and I don't know why we've kept it.
6. Have our wedding vowsrenewed by Elvis in a little chapel in Las Vegas. I've been threatening Hubby that this is what we're going to do in December!
7. Learn to cook well. I can bake but I really can't cook.
8. Go back to Midland, Texas and see if I can find the little house I remember from my childhood.

8 shows I watch:
1. House-it's on even as we speak, I'm listening to it while I'm posting!
2. Biggest Loser
3. Amazing Race
4. Dr. Phil-it's my afternoon guilty pleasure!
5. America's got Talent
6. The Office
7. My name is Earl
8. Parks and Recreation

8 people I tag:
1. Mountain Mama and she's the only one I'm tagging since Bruce and I follow the same blogs and they've all pretty much already been tagged

See, I told you I was boring. There's not a single exceptional thing in any of those lists. I wish it was more exotic; such is the life of your average middle class woman.

I've been tagged!

2009-05-15T15:30:00.001-07:00

I ran a very easy 11 miles this morning. It should have been a 10 miler but when the running mojo is good and the weather is cool how can a runner resist adding a mile or 2? I used Gatorade because that's all I had; I need to get to my FNRS to pick up more CytoMax and Shot Blox. I'll probably try something new, instead of the Shot Blox-they had Sharkies the last time I was there and I intend to get some and try them. I like the Shot Blox but they're so stinkin gummy!

I got tagged by Bruce! I'll have to think about this before I respond with all sorts of information about myself; I'm always tempted to fib just a bit since my life is incredibly boring, mundane and average. Honestly, faithful readers-there is absolutely nothing particularly intriguing about me.

Tread lightly

2009-05-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

I saw the results of the Bull Canyon 10k today online. I finished 4th in my age group-4th. 2 minutes faster and I would have been in the medals. This is how a runner's mind works: I saw the clock when I crossed the finish line; I read my garmie which pretty much confirmed the clock. And yet I still hoped against hope that somehow the official time recorded online for all eternity would be under one hour. Maybe the clock and garmie were both wrong-don't laugh, it could happen....the good news is that next year this race will be chip timed. They really need to do this since there are close to 1000 runners participating in this race and I know I wasted precious seconds just getting to the start line while the clock ticked away.

I'm really focused on improving my form. Hubby got a good picture of me starting the race and my form is terrible. The best way to approach this is to identify the problems and correct them one at a time-if a runner tries to correct everything at once, it gets overwhelming; it can be too many things to think about at the same time. So if I can address one problem and focus on correcting it for 2 to 3 weeks, then hopefully it will become a habit and I can then move on to the next problem.

So my current issue is to run lightly-to try to hit the ground gently rather than pounding the pavement. This seems to be the easiest problem to resolve. I ran 8 miles yesterday and about every 1/4 mile or so I reminded myself to run lightly rather than heavy, trying to make the sound of my running dissapear. I wasn't entirely successful but I'm convinced I can do better. I don't want to continue to be one of those runners you can hear coming from miles away!

Bull Canyon 10k

2009-05-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

I ran the Bull Canyon 10K yesterday. Honestly, I thought I was just going to treat it like a regular old any day of the week training run, but you know how that goes-you get out there on the starting line with about 800 of your closest friends, and BAM! The competitive spirit kicks in, the adrenaline starts to flow, and you're racing even if you don't want to.

As I headed up the canyon, I watched the returning runners-the speedy guys. I was hoping maybe, just maybe to finish in the medals in my age group so I was scoping out the returning women and trying to determine if they were in my age group. I finally saw the third one going the other way and I knew I was out of the medals. OK, I told myself. Go for goal number 2. Try to make this your sub one hour 10k. So I knew my pace was fast (well, fast for me) and I thought it might be do-able. This was before I hit the dreaded 1/2 mile hill just before the turn around. I hit the hill and slogged up really, really slowly. I made it to the top and focused on taking advantage of that long downhill slide. I was cutting tangents like crazy through the entire race-this course is made for cuttng corners as it's very curvy.

I hit the last stretch, really hopeful that I had finally cracked the 1hour mark. I glanced at garmie and I knew I wouldn't make it unless I could run like a Kenyan for the last 1/4 mile or so. When I saw the finish line and the clock read 1:01:29 I knew I had just missed the mark. The Kenyan in me just didn't kick in soon enough.

It was still a good race. I had fun, I visited with runner friends that I only see at races, and I decided to sign up for a half in July. I wasn't going to do it, but I realized I'm scheduled to run 12 miles that day anyway, and my runner friends convinced me I should do it. If I'm going to be out there running anyway, I might as well do it somewhere different and get a really good breakfast afterwards.

My day in court

2009-05-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

I spent all day Monday at our friendly county courthouse. It was the arraignment date for one of the rotten bastards-in this case, a rotten b&%*h since it's a female, who was involved in the robbery at my house in December. I had to drive to the big city, find parking, and figure out the maze that is the county building to find the correct department. Finally, in the bowels of a 4 story building (please don't laugh-that's considered a skyscraper around here!), I waited in courtroom no. 7 for my particular pondslime lady to be arraigned. After waiting through 10 other arraignments her name was finally called and I could put a face with the name.

There's nothing exceptional about her-she wouldn't stand out in a typical crowd of 30 something lower middle class women; she just looks average. I did get some serious satisfaction in seeing her sporting an orange jumpsuit and chains; and her demeanor was a combination of resignation and just a hint of fear. Unfortunately, after spending all day at the courthouse, they didn't arraign her. Her attorney wasn't there and the one that showed up for her asked the court to give her another arraignment date. Damn-that means I'll be spending next Monday at the courthouse again.

The attorney for the D.A. that I spoke to told me that there are several charges against her including selling stolen property (that would be my stolen property) and a felony charge for something else. He thinks she'll plead either no contest or guilty and the most she will probably get is a year in the county jail with time served. That means she'll probably be back on the street in just a few months time.

this has been very frustrating for me. I can't get any answers out of the sheriffs department about when I can get my stuff back that they're holding for evidence. The victims assistance people tell me to talk to the sheriffs department; the sheriff's department says it's up to the district attorney's office. The district attorney's office says to talk to the evidence officer with the sheriff's office, and he hasn't returned any calls. And everybody has tried to discourage me from attending the arraignments and court dates, and they tell me that making a victims statement is unneccessary since this person has several charges against her and she's getting the maximum sentence anyway.

The only positive note in this mess is that the detective handling this case still seems to believe that the one item I really want returned-a family heirloom that has little value on the street and a great deal of value to me and my family-may still surface. I don't know why he thinks that but he does. I hope he's right, but as time has passed I've resigned myself to the loss.

A negative split

2009-04-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

I did an easy long run of 10 miles Friday and it was one of my best long runs yet. And dang if I didn't manage a negative split-on a 10 miler! I've gone over the numbers about a gazillion times and it comes up the same-a definite negative split by 2 minutes and some change. I knew between mile 7 and 8 that this was a good run. I got into that "zone" that on rare occasions I enter where the legs feel good and the body can do whatever I ask it to do. I was chomping Shot Bloks and swilling Cytomax during a short walk break every 2 miles or so, and I started with a really slow pace-that's probably the major factor in my ability to do a negative split; it's easy to run faster the second half of a run when the first half is so slow.

I have a race in 2 weeks and I was debating how to handle a taper before the race. I've learned that all I really need for a 10k is a week of easy running. The problem is, I'm scheduled to fall back this week, not next week. Shame on me for not studying the calendar a little more carefully-I've known about this race for months and I could have planned for it better weeks ago. So, do I run an extra week at my now customary 35 mpw and take next week as a fall back, which will be tiring but will put me on schedule for a good taper before the race, or do I take 2 weeks as a taper? I've decided to split the difference. I'm going to run a couple of good medium-long runs this week (maybe 3), then skip my 10 mile long run and have a little longer taper for the race. My runs lately have been really good so a few extra runs before the taper will probably be ok, and a couple of extra days of taper shouldn't hurt. I'm not really planning on racing, I just want to run this race; so I could probably do it without a taper at all. But who knows-I might get out there, get race-crazy, and go for it. I'm still trying to do a 10k in under 1 hour and this could be the race. Or not...

Happy Runniversary

2009-04-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know my runniversary is around this time of year, but I can't find my very first running log so I can't pin down the exact date. I count my runniversary from the first 1 mile run I completed, and I distinctly remember being elated to be able to run 1 whole mile! Here I am, 3 years later, contemplating a marathon in December-go figure!

So, now that I am a runner, here's the stuff I did not know about running, but I know now:

A marathon is 26.2 miles. I had no idea-I just knew it was a stinkin long way to run. Ask me after December 6 how long I think 26.2 miles is to run.
Runners generally don't run every day-they take rest days. Oh, sure, there are runners who do run every day, but most don't. I thought if you take a day off, all that training would somehow just fall away from your body and the next day, when you went out to run, you wouldn't be a runner.
Shoes wear out really fast. And they don't look worn out-they look fine, but they're worn out anyway, and your legs will know they're worn out and you will think something has gone terribly wrong when in fact you just need new shoes.
People have different gaits and need different shoes to compensate. Now I know that's why there's about a gazillion different kinds of running shoes on the market.
Runners taper before a race. They actually cut back on their miles and rest up. I figured you just ran as much as you could right up to the race, and then you just ran the race.
Runners aren't jocks. At least the runners I've met aren't jocks, and by jocks I mean anyone who is a snob about their sport and doesn't like talking to neophytes. Sure, there are probably runners out there like that, but I've never met them. When I ran my first race, and the other runners found out it was my first, they were really friendly and helpful and cheered me on.
When you run a race, you put the bib (that's what runners call the number they pin to their shirts) on the front, not the back.
Don't ever, EVER, wear the shirt they give you at a race before you run the race. Seriously. This is like a very bad race etiquette thing-I think you're supposed to earn the right to wear the tshirt by running the race first.
Cotton is evil. I ran in cotton tshirts when I first started and it was fine for short runs. Somewhere around my first 2 miler I realized cotton is evil and there was something better out there for running

There's a lot more I learned over the last 3 years or so, but those are the highlights. Some time ago, fellow blogger Bruce reminded me of my own words whereby I had said something like "I don't need to run any farther than 5 miles". Funny how stuff like that changes with time. Now, 5 miles seems like nothing-a throw away run. I'm glad I've learned all this stuff and I hope to learn a lot more as time goes by and I continue to run. Happy runniversary to me!

What I like about Asics

2009-04-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

I had to arise before the crack of dawn today in order to get in an 8 miler before the heat. After a week of clouds and cool weather, we're having another mini heat wave and if I'm not out the door by 6:00 I'm screwed. It's a delicate balancing act-it has to be light enough to see and be seen, yet early enough to be cool. This will be the case for probably the next 2 weeks, so my mornings of sleeping in and cruising the net before I run are over.

I received comments on my new shoes from Lauren and Patrick, both wondering how I came to choose the Asics Nimbus 10s. It's simple, really; the shoes were chosen for me. That's what happens when you shop at your FNRS and they know what they're talking about.

I shop for running stuff at GH Sports, a local store dedicated to running and cycling. When I started running, like most neophytes, I just ran in whatever shoes I had on hand, which in my case was a 5 year old pair of Nike crosstrainers I picked up at an outlet store because they were cheap. When it became obvious that I would continue to run, I bought a pair of Avias at a big box store, again because they were cheap and they said they were for running-I didn't know squat about pronation, superpronation, cushioning, stabilizing-all that stuff we learn when we become "serious" runners. The Avias didn't hold up very well and were falling apart after about 3 months. That's when I started researching running online and realized I needed proper running shoes. I found the website for GH Sports and when I read that they did a "gait assessment" I figured even if I didn't know what a gait assessment was, I wanted one.

So one Saturday afternoon Hubby and I drove to the big city in search of my gait assessment. It turns out a gait assessment is kind of a big deal-it involves a treadmill with a camera at foot height; a foot print was taken to show what my arches looked like; and some measurements were taken of my feet. Honestly, if I had realized what was involved I would have gotten a pedicure. then after all this running and measuring it was determined that I have high arches ad a neutral gait and a very nice pair of Mizunos were recommended. I loved those shoes-my first real running shoes! They served me well until I got into longer runs; suddenly I was losing toenails right and left because the toe box was too tight. Another trip to GH Sports and I was fitted with my first pair of Asics-the Nimbus 9s. they were cushiony, lightweight, and my toes had enough room to throw a party and invite guests.

I went through 3 pairs of the 9s and then switched to the 10s simply because they were the upgraded 9s (I think in my previous post I said I wore the Asics Cumulus, but they're actually the Nimbus-my bad). Again, this was at the suggestion of the guy in the store. He runs marathons, he should know his shoes, and he does.

This is why I shop at GH Sports. I know that I could get shoes cheaper on line, but I like supporting a local business. They're friendly, they're knowledgable, they're runners. They don't roll their eyes when I say I'm going to run a marathon; they want to know which marathon. I hope they stay in business forever, or at least as long as I'm a runner.

New Shoes

2009-04-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

I was bored yesterday, with nothing to do but house work. Wednesdays are my rest day, and I didn't feel like doing gardening, and I didn't want to wash my embarrassingly dirty car, and no one was home to go visit-except me. So I decided to cruise to the big city and visit my FNRS and see what was on sale. And besides, while I haven't had that "dead leg" feeling I can attribute to shoes that have lost their bounce, I knew I would soon be due for a new pair, and why wait for the inevitable? So I took the back roads to the big city, cruising along at my usual leisurely pace. It turns out, not only did I get a new pair of shoes (Asics Cumulus 10s, my current favorites) but they had tech shirts on sale for 5 bucks! I bought every one they had, even though they're size large. They're big on me but big is fine. How can you turn down good shirts on sale? And I happen to like the fact that they're made right there in the store where I buy shoes and stuff-they have a workshop attached to the store and produce their own clothing line for runners and cyclists.

Fellow blogger Lily asked how it's going, regarding the robbery at my home in December. Funny you should ask, Lily-I just got a call from the detective yesterday about the case, and I met with an officer to look at some jewelry he recovered recently. None of it was mine, so if anyone out there is missing some cheap costume jewelry and a very nice expensive looking pair of lapis lazuli cuff links, let me know-that's what the officer showed me. He told me the files on 3 of the rotten bastards have been turned over to the DA and will probably be in court soon. The detective is still trying to get one of the rotten bastards to turn over one particular item they stole from me that I really, really, badly want returned.

The officer I talked to yesterday told me that the person that was selling my stuff told officers that "Some Dude" gave him the stuff and offered him 20 bucks to sell it. Rotten Bastard said he didn't know the name of Some Dude. Yeah, right. So some complete stranger comes up to you, gives you a hand full of expensive looking jewelry, and offers you 20 bucks to take it to a shop and sell it? And you think, yeah, this sounds like a good idea, I think I'll help Some Dude out and sell this for him. Sheesh. I am not that stupid, Rotten Bastard, and the detectives aren't that stupid either. We know you're the one that broke in to my house and stole everything. We just can't prove it. Yet.

Fooling the brain

2009-04-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

I won my Ebay auction and I'm one happy camper. I found an antique oak jewelry chest, I'm guessing circa 1920 or so, that was the perfect replacement for the jewelry box some rotten bastard stole from me in December. I'm a sucker for anything that's a mission style, arts and crafts, quarter sawn oak kind of thing and this is the first jewelry chest I've ever seen in that style. I got my last bid in 5 SECONDS before the auction closed and it was nerve wracking. That's what you gotta do on Ebay if you really want to win something!

I did an easy, slow 8 miler today. I'm getting really bored with my same old running course; seriously, I've been running the same streets for so long now that I'm convinced there's a rut in the pavement. So I decided today to change it up a little without actually leaving this neighborhood. There are a lot of cross streets on my route and I started doing a criss-cross kind of thing-down one cross street to a main road, then back the other direction down the next cross street, then back again down the next cross street. The crazy thing is when I came to my next mile marker, which normally would have been the 5 mile mark, I was at 6.2 miles! I gained a whole mile by criss crossing and the weird thing is I felt like I had shortened my run by a mile-how crazy is that? I mean, I still ran 8 miles, I just left off the top loop of my usual course and ran a more direct path home. It just felt shorter, somehow, like my brain was saying, whoa, dude-Garmie says you've done 6.2 but this is always where Garmie says 5. You're a whole mile ahead of the game! you don't have to run up the hill past the big poodles and the horse barn! Man, my brain is really, really stupid sometimes.

And why, you may ask, do I always run the same old roads, day in and day out, when I live in a nice, quiet rural community with some lovely potential runs past strawberry fields and green pastures? It's because I'm a woman and I run alone. There have been a couple of times when I've been on an isolated road and my "spidey senses" start to tingle a bit and I start feeling a little scared and insecure. I've actually had runs where I felt like somebody was watching me and it creeps me out. So I stay where I feel safe, where there's lots of people out walking their dogs or taking kids to school or where I see a sheriff's car drive by occasionally. By now, I know all the walkers, and they all know me. Better safe than sorry!

Ebay obssession

2009-04-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

I ran 10 miles yesterday at my usual snail's pace. I now walk up the one big hill on my run and it really makes a difference in how I feel at the end of the run, and surprisingly, it doesn't much affect my overall pace-that's probably the only advantage to being a really slow runner.

Ah, Ebay. Lately I've been so addicted to your siren call. I won an auction just last week and now I'm watching another item that will end today. And I really, REALLY want this particular item. I'm not telling you, faithful readers, what exactly I'm looking at because I don't want you to see it and start bidding against me. I go in spurts with Ebay-I will check for my favorite stuff for weeks without finding anything I absolutely have to own, then suddenly there will be all sorts of goodies that I just can't live without and my "watch" list will be long and varied. So I will spend my day today watching and waiting...watching and waiting...then BAM! Get my bid in and it's mine mine mine!

It makes me think of Lord of the Rings-my precious....gollum gollum

Ebay

2009-04-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

I did a nice slow 8 miler practically at the crack of dawn today and it was COLD-cold enough that there was still frost on the grass. I had no choice but to run early, and it was Ebay's fault. There was an auction I've been following for days now that closed this morning so my choice was to run before it closed, or after it closed and run in the heat. Given that choice, I'll take the cold any time. And remember-that's California cold, so it was about 50ish degrees.

I got back from my run with plenty of time to watch my auction. I was bidding on a letter written by my ancestor in the 1600's and I really wanted that letter. There was someone else also bidding furiously right along with me and we kept upping each other's bid (he's probably a cousin-who else would want a 400 year old letter?). So I let him keep the high bid for about 2 hours-this gives him confidence, you see, and he might think that I've given up and perhaps he'll leave his final bid and I can POUNCE in there at the last minute and win the auction. So with 10 seconds left, I put in my final bid and I was high bidder-for 5 seconds. That's when cousin #2 out pounced me and entered the winning bid. I hope he enjoys the letter from great (insert several more greats here) grandpa John.

A Healthy Diet is Good for You!

2009-04-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

So a new study comes out regarding the DASH diet (DASH=Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). The study concludes that a diet high in vegetables and fruits and low in meat, sodium and fat, and combined with regular exercise, is good for your heart. Really? Wow. Who knew that eating a healthy diet would be healthy? Amazing that a healthy diet and exercise is good for you. I mean, who knew? We REALLY needed this study to tell us to stop eating crap and get off our rear ends and exercise. I wonder how much money was spent on this study. Because honestly, faithful readers, even though I don't know how much money was spent on this particular study, they could have given me half the money and I could have told them the same thing. Seriously.

Cytomax

2009-03-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'm going to review one of the freebies I got at the last health fair-Cytomax. It's a powder designed to be dissolved in water and you drink it during and after running. So I mixed it up and dumped it in my water bottle, figuring my 9 miler on Friday would be a good day to check it out. I modified my run a bit so that I was at the in law's house a 1/2 mile into the run, allowing me to stash my water bottle in their mailbox. my loop takes me by their house about every 2 miles making it a good place for a water stop.

I FORCED myself to run slow from the get go. I have a habit of starting out way too fast on my long runs so naturally I usually burn out early and struggle at the end of a long run. My goal was to keep my heart rate below 140. So off I go and soon I was back at the water stash and ready for a chug of Cytomax. It actually tastes pretty good, a mild lemon flavor that went well with the Clif shot bloks I was also using. I don't know if the Cytomax break at 2 mile intervals helped or the fact that I kept my pace incredibly slow, but I felt really good at mile 9 and decided to bump it up to a 10 miler. I completed the 10 miler with no aches or pains and finished the last of the Cytomax on my walk home. All in all it was an excellent run and now I'm hooked on both Cytomax and Shot blocs. My heart rate did go over 140 a few times as the elevation increased so I wasn't successfull with that, but I can continue to work on it.

Next week is a fall back week-all easy short runs and an extra rest day-yay!

Recognition!

2009-03-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Sarah for the Sisterhood Award. It's always nice to get a little recognition and I appreciate it very much! Sarah, I do try to have a positive attitude. I'm a fairly upbeat person by nature and that helps. At one time in my life I was really unhappy with my job-I felt stuck in a dead end, low paying, unappreciated, difficult job that just plain sucked. I was complaining about this to a very close friend, really whining about how terrible my job was, and he gave me some advice-he said "you know, you have to work, right? So you can choose to do your job and be miserable and unhappy about it, or you can choose to do your job and be positive about the fact that you have a job and you get paid for it-your choice. Either way, you still have to do your job." That was an epiphany for me-we can't always choose our circumstances, but we can absolutely choose out attitude towards those circumstances. So thank you Sarah!

Beeg Doggie

2009-03-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

I did a very nice 9 miler early this morning, to avoid our current heat wave-it's been in the upper 70s the last few days and spring is definitely here. All in all it was a very good run so the sacrificed chicken and old running shoes I burned on the altar to the Running Gods must have worked.

I always see a lot of hispanic women on my earlier runs as they walk their grandchildren to school. This morning, around mile 5, a woman with 3 small children in tow and one in a stroller stopped me on my run. "There is a beeg doggie", she said, pointing up the road. "A beeg, mean doggie; bark! bark!". Yes, she barked to show me how mean the doggie was. I asked her if the doggie was loose on the street. "No, he ees in yard, but he ees beeg and mean. He scares the ninos". I realized she was probably talking about a shepard mix who challenged me every time I ran by his house-he was indeed beeg and mean, and he could easily jump the fence surrounding his property if he was smart enough to realize he could do it.

I thanked the lady for the warning and assured her I would be careful. I found her concern to be rather sweet, and from now on the shepard mix has the new name of Beeg Doggie.

An Experiment With a .22 at 100 Yards

2009-03-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Running Gods gave me a gentle tap on the shoulder this week, sort of a reminder to not get quite so cocky, missy. I did an 8 miler today and it was tough. I finished it, barely. I think I angered the Gods by bragging about how good my runs have been lately. I will have to sacrifice a chicken on their alter and burn a pair of running shoes (old ones, of course) to try and get back in their good graces.

We went to the gun club barbeque and shootin match Sunday and I did very well, if I do say so myself. I shot a couple of Hubby's big guns and I have the bruise to show for it. I still tend to snug the gun into the wrong spot and I always pay for that mistake. I did finally get off a couple of shots where it didn't hurt because I held the gun properly. I started by shooting at 100 yard targets with open sights with WWI vintage guns ( I can't remember which ones I shot-they were big and beefy). Then I switched to my beloved 22 target rifle, again at the 100 yard range, and I rocked. There were 4 large steel targets hanging on chains and I was shooting sub sonic ammo. This means that I would first hear the report of the rifle (pop!) and then a clear, bell like ping a split second later as the bullet hit the target-VERY satisfying!

My friend Hillary and I realized that the 4 targets each had a distinctly different sound. So we're discussing this interesting discovery, and someone tells me to fire off 4 rounds, one into each different target so we could all really hear the difference. OH CRUD, I thought. This is a test of sorts. I'm with some of the best shots in the county and they want me to pull off 4 shots, quickly, at 100 yards, without missing. OK, so I take a deep breath, aim carefully about 4 inches above and center on the first target, hold my breath for just a tick and fire. Ping! One down. Quickly on to target no.2-Ping! Target no.3-Ping! Target no.4-Ping! All 4 targets were hit and sent spinning a bit and I didn't have to go home hanging my head down in shame!

So after we did this purely non-scientific experiment, Hillary and I thought wouldn't it be fun to set up a whole row of steel targets, cut them to different sizes so we could essentially tune them, then have a row of shooters with 22's and see if we could play Christmas carols? I think it's do-able, given the talented shooters we have in the club. I'm thinking this would be a great U Tube hit!

The Running Gods

2009-03-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Running Gods smiled upon me yesterday, and I managed a very nice, slow 7 miler. I planned a 6er, but it just felt so good and right that I went for an extra mile and I probably could have done more. I cut it short at 7, however, because I respect the Running Gods and I understand that if I get too cocky and proud they will smite me with an injury or intestinal issues or a very mean dog.

My gun project is coming along nicely. I've stripped the wood of that nasty plastic finish; now I have to figure out what to do about the ugly black stuff someone used to fill in the dings and scratches in the wood. I don't understand why someone thinks they need to do things like that. This gun is over 100 years old. It is going to show its age, just as we all do. Why not allow a gun to age gracefully, with all the dents and scratches that come with a century of use? And as usually happens when I start a project, it's not enough now that I just refinish the stock. I'm thinking I really don't like the odd black finish on the metal parts. I'm wondering if I should consult my gun-expert friends and find out if I can strip the metal and reapply a nice subtle blued finish-nothing fancy, just a little bluing.

And finally-I've cobbled together a marathon training plan-I think. I have months to consider what to do; things could change depending on what I find on the internet. I will be posting my schedule over at my other blog just to see if I get any feedback on how my plan looks.

I got a new gun-woohoo!

2009-03-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, no running to blog about today, faithful readers; it's not because I haven't been running, it's just that there's been nothing exceptional to report about. I go out; I run; I come home. this is a fall back week anyway. Next week-a mighty 10 miler, or not. I haven't decided whether to tackle a double digit run or to start a new plan I found online, a sort of pre-marathon marathon training plan designed to build a base before marathon training. We'll see how I feel next week..

Now-the new gun news. Several weeks ago, Hubby was cruising the net looking at old guns. I glanced over his shoulder at the website he had up, and saw a very neat gun-honestly, it was just plain pretty. "What's that?" I quizzed the Hubster. "It's a Spencer lever action carbine", he replied. "It's civil war era, and it's the gun Morgan Freeman carried in that movie Unforgiven". "Wow, I says; I like that. Ya know, you could buy me one of those for my birthday and I would be a very happy camper".

So, next thing you know, Hubby is at a gun show last weekend and he finds one and buys it for me-and it's just as pretty in real life as it is in a picture. Mine has been modified so it shoots cheaper ammo than the original, so this will be a "shooter", not a "hanger", as in a gun that you just hang on the wall and look at. The only thing I don't like about the gun is some previous owner finished the stock with a very shiny varathane kind of finish-it looks like it was dipped in plastic, not a good look for a civil war carbine. So I'm in the process of stripping and refinishing the wood.

So I tell Hubby, "Gosh, if this is the gun from Unforgiven, maybe someday I could get the gun from Quigley Down under, one of my favorite movies"? And he says yeah, they're available, kind of pricey, but someday. So then I say, "Gosh, it seems we have a theme going here. How about the gun John Wayne carried when he was Rooster Cogburn"? Hubby tells me that gun would cost, oh somewhere around 30,000 bucks or so. I don't think I'll be getting that gun...

The cool thing, too, is this is my birthday present, and my birthday isn't until August!

A New Plan

2009-03-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Picking the right plan to train for a marathon is tough. There's too many choices, to many variables to consider. I finally chose a plan by Hal Higdon and figured ok, no worries; it's any easy beginner's plan that won't kill me in the preparation. Let's let the marathon itself attempt to kill me.

Then I had second thoughts. I had 2 concerns with the plan-it only built up to 35 mile weeks, and many of the long runs were 50% of the total miles for that week. I know from training for half marathons that I need lots of time on the road to really feel ready, and while this plan would probably get me to the finish line it would'nt do it very comfortably.

So I started looking for a new plan, one with more weekly mileage. I found one that builds up to 45 miles, but it seems too aggressive. I need something between these 2 plans-sort of like Goldilocks looking for the bed that's just right. I'll have to do some major tweakage with this second plan to get it to fit my needs. Mostly I'll add several weeks so I can get used to the high mileage. One of the things I like about the second plan is it comes with a base building plan I can jump into now; I'm fairly close to the biggest week in that plan. Once I get to that week I can maintain that weekly mileage until I start the marathon training plan.

Of course, this could all change tomorrow...

Biggest Loser Controversy

2009-03-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

Today's run was a nice, slow, easy 3 miler. I'll go into a fall back week, cut back on the miles, than back at it again-Hopefully my next long run will be 10 miles.

I know some of you, my faithful readers, watch Biggest Loser. I've been a fan of the show since it's first season, when I would watch while exercising on my elliptical. I've always found it inspirational and I admire the contestants, as well as the coaches. I've fantasized about having Bob as a trainer for a marathon. However, the controversy regarding Dane, the last contestant to be booted from the show, and his "marathon", ticks me off.

At the end of last week's show, they said that Dane completed a marathon with a time of 3:53. I was surprised and a little confused. I wondered just how much Dane had been running at the ranch to be ready to train for and run a marathon, and I couldn't believe he had that kind of time for a first marathon-I figured he must be a natural runner, to post that kind of time his first time out. But there he was, crossing the finish line with his wife, and proudly posing with his medal.
Then it all comes out-the producers actually picked Dane up in a van and drove him a portion of the course, something like 3 miles, then let him out to "finish" the race for the cameras.

What really annoyed me was Danes wife explaining that if Dane hadn't been held up during the race by the film crew filming at water stops and such, he would have been able to finish the race, so therefore, he did in fact finish the race. He did not finish the race. He and his wife were disqualified, as they should be. I just wish that when the producers tried to get Dane and his wife to go for a ride in the van, that they had said no thanks and finished the race under their own power. Even if they didn't make it in under the 6 hour limit, at least they could have said they did in fact complete a marathon distance. There's no shame in coming in last or not finishing in the time alloted. There's a great deal of shame in accepting a ride in a van and then posing with a smile and a finisher's medal around your neck. And that fantastic time they credited Dane with? His actual time was closer to the 6 hour mark. No shame there, either, if he had actually finished the race.

Nine miles of heaven!

2009-02-28T21:40:00.001-08:00

I did my 9 miler yesterday, and may I just say it was fan-freaking-tastic! I felt comfortable the whole run and even considered stretching it to 10 miles but I held back-I've stretched my miles enough this week, no need to over do it. I used Clif Shot Bloks again at 3 mile intervals; I don't know if the Shot Bloks are the reason for my last 2 long runs being so comfy but if that's the case, I'm addicted. No leg aches, tiredness or heaviness, even at the end of the run. I even felt just a little sprint might be possible for the last half mile or so. Could it be-is it possible, that I'm finally truly becoming a distance runner? I really needed this run as a mental confidence builder. Next week is a nice easy fall back week, then I go for a 10 mile long run.

I have a friend who's returned to running after a year long hiatus; I'm hoping to entice her into entering a race with me in May. Her Hubby is friendly with my Hubby, so I figure the guys can keep each other entertained while we do our thing during the race. I've learned my lesson, however, with racing with friends. I told her that while we'll start together, once we cross the start line, we race-meaning she can run her best pace, I'll run mine, and we'll meet up after crossing the finish line. She's a lot younger than me, so this actually means that she doesn't have to plod along at my pace during the race, and I think she was glad I made it clear that entering a race together does not mean finishing the race together.

Mojo

2009-02-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

I had a really good 4 miler today. It certainly wasn't fast, but somehow it just felt right, like ok, this is what I've been working towards all this time. I felt really comfortable throughout the whole run, and I felt great afterwards-no soreness or achey legs. Could it be the improved diet and stretching is helping? I hope my 9 miler Friday feels as good...

As I mentioned before, I have started a blog to track my progress for the Las Vegas Marathon, posted here. I think I will only post occasionally there until I actually start training this summer. I'll let you, faithful readers, know when I have something pithy to remark at my second home-it will be sort of like a summer home for my blogger friends. We can head over there when the weather warms up; we'll drink beer, eat chips and guacamole, and play cards while we swat mosquitos. In the meantime this location that I've had for a few months will remain my daily bloggy home.

Please stop raining!

2009-02-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here at the computer, staring out the window, praying that the rain will stop so I can run outdoors, and it ain't happenin! I did a 3 miler on the deadmill yesterday and I'm dreading 4 miles today. So, yes, I know we need the rain and I'm probably the only person in the county wishing for clear skies. All I need is 40 minutes, 50 tops-is that too much to ask for?

I'm questioning the plan I was going to use for the Las Vegas Marathon. My concern is that there aren't enough miles during the week to support the long run. I know the rule of thumb about the ratio of miles in the long run to weekly miles (25% to 30%) and this plan has a lot of weeks where the long run is 50% of the weekly miles-that's pretty extreme. In the one week that I would run a 20 mile long run, there would be only three 5 milers that week prior to the 20 miler! This plan will get me to the finish line-the question is, how comfortably will it get me there? It's going to take a lot of tweaking on my part to make it workable, and an 18 week plan is morphing into a 24 week plan. I think it's finally hitting me how huge this is. Huge as in Holy Crap, what am I thinking? A marathon? Seriously? I have GOT to get my marathon blog up and running because I need help. Seriously.

Finally-I have, as promised, started my new blog just for the Las Vegas Marathon. I haven't customized it yet, so it's a work in progress, but it's here none the less- . I hope to see you all there in the future! If you can't get there from here, go to my profile and click on it there.

Shot Bloks

2009-02-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

I did an 8 miler this morning, and as promised to you, faithful readers, I tried one of the free samples I received at the health fair on this run-Clif Shot Bloks. My completely unbiased and unscientific review follows:

I decided that in the interest of scientific observation, I would take a shot blok at 1/2 hour intervals during my run. So somewhere soon after mile 3, I pulled one out. These things are big-quite a bit bigger than the sport beans I'm used to. And they are gummy, as in stick to your teeth, gooey, messy gummy. They are also sweet but the flavor isn't too bad, definitely better than gu's which I can't stand. I did notice during today's run that while I didn't feel a huge difference in my stamina, there may have been a slight decrease in the usual discomfort I've come to expect in a long run. And I still had some gas in the tank at the end of the run. I considered going an additional mile but decided in favor of sticking to my plan and heading home after 8 miles. Here's the interesting thing about this run-I checked my log and realized that this was the fastest pace I've ever done for an 8 miler by almost a minute. So I'll give credit to the Shot Bloks for allowing me to finish the run in 1:23:03 and I'll give them a thumbs up. We'll see how the other products stack up. But the next time I use these things, I'm cutting them into more bite sized pieces. Seriously-these could choke a horse.