Run For Your Life

Day Ten

2010-02-27T14:38:00.001-08:00

In Which Our Heroine Forgets and Sings the Ding Dong Song Out Loud

Holy shin splints, Batman!

Seriously. The shin splints? Makes running a beatch. Each step -- pound, pound, pound -- on the sidewalk -- pound, pound, pound -- on my bones. My boss, who is a big time runner, says I need to invest in better (read more $$$$) shoes. Maybe I can convince him to give me a raise??

I have to say, I am officially the dorkiest looking runner out there. I got some of those giant ear phones I've been gritching about. The wire is half the size of my ipod and if I let it, drapes down to my knees. I ran it under my shirt and tried to tuck some of it in my pants, giving myself a creepy wiry bulge on my hip. The good news for my waistline is that my jogging pants which fit before are loosening up a tad. Bad news is that I kept having to hike them back up, dislodging the headphones wire. I almost bought one of those arm things to hold my ipod, but the head phones were pricey enough do I didn't. I'm still running with the ipod in one hand and my key in the other (dear jogging pants corporations -- they're called pockets, please provide some).

Thanks to everyone who sent song selections. I need more ideas though (because, frankly, some of the songs were not me -- I just can't run to country no matter how much it rocks). Happy songs are better than angry songs, and dorky songs are even more better. I just have to remember not to sing them out loud. Which is challenging for me.

Day Nine

2010-02-24T13:24:00.001-08:00

In Which our Heroine Does, Well, Pretty Well

What a lovely day! The sun finally graced us with its presence and the temperature climbed up into the upper 40s. There was no excuse not to run. Children roams the sidewalks on their way home from school, so I ran most of the way in the street. For some reason I feel self-conscious around them, even though I know they probably don't notice me at all, another mama running in the street listening to music. At least half of them are looking down at their own electronic devices, tapping at their iphone screens, updating their facebook statuses: Walking home.

I walked/ran about 2 miles today, taking a much longer route than normal. My running portions are still not terribly long, but I do seem to be making improvement. Today I ignored the couch to 5K plan and just ran until I felt tired and walked until I felt like running again. I'm hopeful that today's run will quell some of the stress I've been feeling lately.

Day Eight

2010-02-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

In Which Our Heroine Has Running Pangs

I don't have the words to express how much I did not want to run today. I sought excuses (I need to go to the grocery store and clean the house as we are having company tomorrow), but the universe thwarted me and I found myself with the perfect running time. I have a terrible pain in my left thigh. I don't know if I pulled a muscle or hit it on something or what. It woke me up last night. I worried with it all day and finally gave in; perhaps the run would help work out the kink. That remains to be seen. I pulled on my running clothes, inserted those stupid ear buds in my ears (I loathe them and covet those big old-school padded headphones), and opened the front door. Sitting on my porch was a box from Anthropologie, a dress I ordered Tuesday. Yes, I know, that was fast, and yes, I chose regular shipping. I tossed the box in the house and hauled my fat butt down the street.

The scale was not kind to me this morning. While Gary kindly suggested it was due to muscle, I know that's a lie. I am a bit worried that I won't fit in to the dress.

While the weather has warmed up (mid-50s), the sun lost its way behind bruise-colored clouds. The air smelled like smoke. At first I thought one of my neighbors had the fireplace going but the woodsy odor followed me on the entire route, which makes me think one of the neighboring pastures was on fire. I couldn't see a plume.

I am still in need of a good playlist. Today I ran to The Finches, Kimya Dawson, Sunscreem, and (I'm a little embarrassed to admit this is on my ipod), Eminem.

Day Seven

2010-02-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

In Which Our Heroine Contemplates Ending the Whole Endeavor

The trouble with starting over is that it's, well, starting over. Any ground gained is lost. And thus I am still panting, even though I got home from today's run several minutes ago.

2010 has not been of to a good start, which gives me hope it will be a good finish. In addition to identity theft and child-centered drama, I caught a cold which turned into a terribly painful bout of Bell's Palsy, which was followed by yet another cold. In the midst of all this, we experienced record low temps and record high snowfall.

I love the snow. I think it is beautiful. I do not, however, want to run through it. Considering the fall I sustained on the ice while getting into my husband's car (resulting in the splits and a bruised knee), I should probably avoid all ice sprints.

There. I admit it. I am a clumsy, pudgy girl, who has never been athletic.

Well, that's not entirely true. One year in elementary school, I forget which, I won a blue ribbon on Field Day for the 50 yard dash. Everyone was surprised, although no one more than myself. I can remember how it felt, even though it was many, many years ago, sprinting, the ground moving beneath my feet at such speed, it was like my body had a mind of its own and I was just along for the ride.

This was not, I'm afraid, the story of today's run. Today's run was awkward and jiggly. It has also come to my attention that my music collection does not support running. I like mellow acoustic songs. I need fast paced happy songs. Suggestions?

And please. Can someone make a jogging bra that holds everything in place without crushing my ribs?

Day Six

2010-01-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

In Which A Cat Howls

On today's run I saw a stout woman in a puffy coat buttoned all the way up to her chin. On a white leash she walked an obese orange and white cat. With every step, the cat's belly heaved back and forth and it let out a yowl. I smiled at them and she scowled back and I couldn't help but giggle at the sight. It took my mind off my shin splints.

Day Five

2010-01-18T12:09:00.001-08:00

In Which Our Heroine Scrapes Her Darling Daughter Off The Track

I warmed up with the Wii before today's run with a little yoga followed by the marching band game on the Wii fit plus. My inner nerd adores that game. After that, the family and I went to the trails at a lake not far from our home. We chose a 1 mile trail. About a quarter of a mile in, my five year old face planted into the dirt.

Running with the kids is challenging. They like the intervals that I still need to do (I am proud to note that the length of time I am able to run is increasing). But there are many distractions. They either zoom ahead or fall behind. I turned around at one point and found my son had left the trail to throw rocks in the lake (near a fisher, much to the fisher's dismay). When Darling Daughter crashed we stopped to ensure she was okay. A few minor scrapes. She was fine but did not want to run any more.

In the end we convinced her to continue and completed the 1 mile trail. I'd guess we ran just more than half of it, walked the rest. When we started we planned to do the circuit twice, which I think I could have done.

My shin splints were bad today, although I found they improved the further I went. It also seems easier on my body to run faster. The trouble with that is I run out of steam quicker.

Day Four

2010-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

In Which Our Heroine Rescues Her Dog From a School Bus

According to Salad, going for a walk is almost as much fun as digging in fresh mud. Salad is my dog. He's a mid-sized mutt, with some Australian Shepherd and Lab mixed in. I let him in the house, the thin black leash dangling from my fingertips and he goes berserk. His body shakes in anticipation, not just his tail wagging, but the entire back half of his body. I tell him to sit, which he attempts, but the excitement is too much for him to contain, and it take us a moment to get the collar over his floppy ears. He bolts for the door, strangling himself in the process. I grab my keys and follow him. He clotheslines himself again on the porch while I lock up the door.

Salad keeps me going. When I get tired, he pulls me along. His excitement is contagious, although his frequent stops to stiff something or other are difficult, and I trip over the leash more than once. We make the mistake of leaving home just as school is getting out. Our neighborhood is invaded with giant yellow school buses, which, I should have remembered, are terrifying.

Salad cowers each time one drives by, trying fruitlessly to back out of his collar. I try to channel The Dog Whisperer and be the Alpha, and guide him past the steel demons.

Meanwhile, my shins hurt when I run. What is that about and how can I make it stop?

Day Three

2010-01-06T13:40:00.001-08:00

In Which Our Heroine Loses Feeling in Her Ears

I think we have pretty well established that I dislike the cold. During my lunch hour today I went to Target and purchased a pair of heather-grey jogging pants. The walk from the parking lot to the store was so frigid I resolved that even with the pants, I, like the groundhog, would not venture out until spring.

After lunch, Amber stopped me with the killer question. "How's the running going?"

"It's too cold," I said.

This morning a blast email was sent to all employees, asking us to leave our office lights on over night to help save the pipes from the impending arctic blast. (For the record, it is currently 40 degrees outside, although the prediction is that we will tumble into the teens tonight). (Also for the record, I am skeptical that leaving the fluorescent bulbs burning would do anything at all to help the pipes).

"I hate being cold too," Amber said. "Although... the only time I feel warm is when I take a shower or when I run."

Amber is one of the people who got me into this mess. She is a health educator and one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. I made the mistake of asking her to help me get motivated.

I thought about this: Running makes you warm.

At home I changed into my new pants. I put on some long sleeves and a University of North Texas jacket that belongs to my husband. I popped my ipod earbuds into my ears (I hate those earbuds -- I need to invest in some old school headphones so I can truly look like a dork, and to keep my ears from freezing off). I affixed a Dora the Explorer band-aid over my almost-healed blister and snuck out the door.

Two things learned today. Running is easier with the Moldy Peaches. And running makes you warm.

Day Two

2010-01-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

In Which Our Heroine is Felled By a Blister and a Demon Cat

First off, let me acknowledge the significant lapse in time between Day One and Day Two. I have been on vacation. My husband and I took our running shoes, with plans to resume our running along Town Lake. It was cold (and me without pants to run in -- I was not going to wear the mismatched yoga digs among all the better, cooler runners there), plus we had the dog, grandma, and the kids. We did manage a pretty generous walk at a decent pace which was nice.

Second, I found the paper with the couch to 5k plan and realized I'd misread. I was supposed to jog 60 seconds and walk 90, not 30/60. The good news though is that we clocked the bit we'd run on Day One and discovered it is .75 miles. Not too too shabby for beginners, right?

Today. Day Two. After hours and hours of driving home from Austin, a run seemed like a good idea. The weather cooperated (50 degrees). Hubby agreed to watch the kids so I could go it alone.

My ipod was dead. This should have been a sign.

But no matter, I thought.

I changed into the spiffy blue shorts I'd bought at the sporting goods store and threw on one of Hubby's sweatshirts and I was out the door. A brisk walk to the end of my road, round the corner, and I was off. Jogging. At a slow pace. But jogging.

Yesterday we saw Avatar in 3D. It was spectacular. A big fat raspberry to the critics who analyzed the plot and found it lacking. Who cares? This is not a movie you see for the spot! It's all about the special effects. Wow. If you haven't seen it, the story involves humans who go mining on the planet Pandora. Beautiful, tall, thin, blue people live there. The people are very in tune to their planet. They are also very in turn with their bodies. Their bodies are strong, and they trust their bodies to climb, leap, to run though the forest.

I am not in tune with my body. I am cerebral. I sit in front of a computer most days, and spend a significant amount of time on the couch reading. You won't find me leaping any where. But I watched that movie and I wanted to. I wanted to leap from the limbs of a giant tree, trusting the leaves to break my fall (you've got to see the movie to understand this desire).

I jogged 60 seconds and returned to walking, counting in my head as I went. I felt a twinge on the back of my right heel, and imagined the skin rubbing off with each step. 90 seconds, and jogging again.

I passed a large white two story home with black shutters. I rounded the corner and jogged along the white fence of the backyard. And smelled cat pee. Cats are using their bushes, I thought. Gross. I continued past the house. But I could still smell the pee. I jogged across the street.

And then I had a realization.

I lifted the sweatshirt to my nose and winced at the acidic smell.

At this point, I was at the furthest point on my route from my house. I switched to walking again. The blister on my heel hurt. I glanced down and saw a half moon of blood winking from the top of my shoe. I tried to remember the blue aliens and how I wanted to be strong in my body. I started to jog again, favoring the blistered heel. Which resulted in a sharp pain in my ankle.

I reached my block and sprinted the rest of the way home.

Inside, I stripped of the pee shirt. My daughter asked, 'Mama? When are you going on your run?'

Day One

2009-12-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

Let me catch my breath.

The snow and cold created some delays and made me question the likely success of this little endeavor. After all, I live in a land of harsh climate, and if I could not weather running in 30 degree cold there would be no hope when summer presented 110 degree heat. I thought perhaps I should give it up and watch a DVD (especially since I got season 2 of the Big Bang Theory for Christmas).

This was coupled with 2 days of miserable soreness from several hours of playing virtual tennis on the new Wii. Perhaps though that was the motivation to get through today, the idea that virtual tennis could take out the entire family (actually my husband's downfall was virtual boxing), or at least the adults in the family.

Today the temperature rose to a balmy 47 degrees. The snow has mostly melted. I realized I should have bought socks at the sporting goods store. And pants. Instead, I wore an old black t-shirt with an old black hoodie, some ancient blue yoga pants (capris), with some grey and maroon plaid knee socks, and my brilliant white Nikes. Can you say sexy??

I am not sure how far we ran. I should drive the route to measure it, but I am a little afraid it would embarrass the hell out of me (.25 miles? .5?). Following the couch to 5k plan I found (or at least what I could remember of it as I left my print-out at the office), we walked 60 seconds, ran 30 seconds, walked 60, ran 30, on and on. Each time I started to jog the dog tried to rip my arm from the socket in a high spirited sprint. My husband and children went with me, which made me happy. It was enough to get the blood flowing but not enough to make me want to vomit.

And you know what? I actually feel pretty good.

Thormahlen Family Fundraiser

2009-12-25T17:14:00.002-08:00

A very old friend my mine, Peter Thormahlen, was shot in a convenience store robbery while buying juice for his toddler. He had not been on the job long, and lost his health insurance. He has spinal and other internal injuries. Feeling generous? He could use the help. Thank you.

2009-12-25T17:14:00.001-08:00

The best laid plans of mice and men

2009-12-24T12:18:00.001-08:00

Well. Today was supposed to be the big day. The start of the running.

And then it snowed.

Not just snow. A full-on blizzard. (Well, our version of a blizzard anyway.)

Yesterday, buying that new pair of shorts seemed like a fabulous idea. That's because it was 74 degrees outside.

Today? Lower 30s and dropping fast. But we get snow so seldom that we like it. It's a happy this to find we will have a white Christmas.

Happy Holidays!!

On shoes

2009-12-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

A peek into my closet and you will see that I adore ballerina flats. I have them in black patent leather. Black lace. Green with bobbles on the toes. Brown with fluted edging. Black knit with gray and turquoise stripes and a large button (my favorites). Keds ballerinas in scarlet and in faded denim. I also have a fabulous pair of purple t-strap wedges from Anthropologie. Purple ostrich sandals that I wore on my honeymoon. Strappy sandals of all flavors. Pink wedges.

I wear brown leather Sketchers. Black shoes with that urban sneaker look (that really borderline on the ballerina theme again). I have a pair of green Vans that don't see much day light. Oh, and black knee high boots. And a pair of Crocs and a bunch of cheap flip flops.

I have nothing that even resembles a running shoe.

Running shoes are hideous.

I dragged my family to a big box sporting goods shop, which they did not appreciate, this being the eve of Christmas Eve, when shoppers were out in mass searching for last minute gifts. I took them out for a dinner pancakes and french toast afterwards.

There were hundreds of hideous shoes. Nothing that even vaguely resembled anything I might normally wear.

On the advice of my friend Amber, we meandered to the last row of shoes, where the sale items were cleverly hidden away. My daughter picked up some black Nikes, with a sassy baby blue stripe on the side.

I liked them too.

They were $150.

Now, as you might have guessed from above, I have on occasion plopped down a few dollars for shoes in the past. It doesn't happen often, mind you. I am more likely to get the $12 flats from Old Navy. The Anthropologie were a Christmas gift, and someone bought me the honeymoon sandals. But still, I am willing to do go there when the situation warrants. But $150? For hideous shoes? Nope. Can't go there.

I picked up the on-sale $39 Nikes. White. Also with a blue stripe, although not as sassy. My daughter informed me that they were hideous. Great minds and all.

But let me tell you something about those hideous shoes. They were dern comfortable.

Wow.

I tried them on and hopped around for a bit until a sales person came over and asked me if I needed help. I suspect he thought I was having some sort of fit.

I took them off and put them back in the box. Then we were off to buy an Ace bandage-looking sports bra (priced the same as the shoes) and a pair of blue running shorts on sale. Because, it's true, no only did I not own a single pair of shoes I could run in, I also didn't own any shorts. Well, aside from some to-the-knee trousers I occasionally wear to work.

I plopped down the credit card. My husband chocked a bit at the total and told me that if I wasn't committed before (with my incessant bragging), I was now.

Tomorrow: Christmas Eve. And my first attempted at running.

I have officially lost my mind

2009-12-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

I committed myself to running a 5k in April for National Public Health Week.

Let me put this into some perspective. I am NOT a runner. I am not athletic. I never have been. I was in the band in high school. I read. I like to watch movies while knitting; that is one of my favorite pass times. I have a seldom-used elliptical machine.

In the last few weeks though, I've noticed something. My pants are a bit snug. When I stop moving, it take a bit for all of my body to catch up. My BMI is creeping up out of the okay zone and into the overweight zone. And (gulp) I am approaching 40.

I am an epidemiologist. I know all about all sorts of risk factors for both acute and chronic diseases. I know the major causes of early death. And being physically fit is at the top of the list for prevention. Damn it.

I'm too told to ignore this any more.

Because fear of humiliation is a motivating force for me, I have committed (somewhat loudly) to family, friends, and colleagues that I will run in this 5k. I posted it on Facebook. I have told all these people (and now the entire online reading world) that they may make fun of me mercilessly should I fail to follow through.

So. This is a chronicle of my endeavour. Not an original idea, but one that should keep me more or less on track. I mean, even my mom and my dad read my blogs.

This afternoon I am off to purchase running shoes and a sports bra. Because I do not own either.