Not the Object of Your Affection

This morning, after a particularly difficult-for-no-good-reason run, I was fininshing my cool-down (which is really just walking for a few minutes until I get home) when a man drove past and whistled at me.  For the sake of the story, I will disclose that he was a fat, middle-aged man driving a rather large silver pick-up truck.  However, homeboy could have been Ryan Gosling and my reaction would have been the same.  I quickly turned around, stopped in the middle of the road and yelled, "Really?!   You want to start with me at 7:00 in the morning?  Really?!"  While it was actually 6:45, the time, like his appearance, had nothing to do with it.  As he slowed down, eyeing me in his mirrors, likely trying to figure out if I was about to chase after him, I continued to give him a death stare and then focused in as though I was memorizing his license plate despite not really being able to see it.  My hope is that he spends the entire day worried that the lady who yelled at him will somehow find him and destroy him. 

This is not the first time this has happened to me but it still fills me with rage.  I am dragging my ass out of bed at 5:30 in the morning to run, not to be sexualized and objectified!  Further, I never want to be sexualized and objectified while going about my business, running or otherwise.  I really don't understand how some men still think that whistling or calling out to women is an appropriate behavior.  Obviously some part of them knows it is wrong, otherwise it wouldn't be limited to when they are in the safety of their car or when I am sans a male companion.  Not once have I been whistled at while with a guy, be it my husband, brother, dad, or friend.  However, get me out alone mid-run all sweaty and red-faced, looking like a total mess, and the animals turn loose!  Do I need to starting running with a blow-up man doll?

And I know there are women who welcome this kind of barbaric behavior because it makes them feel good.  And I feel sorry for them.  And I know that there are men who will say to just ignore it or it isn't meant to be harmful or threatening.  And to this I say, Really?!  You really want to start with me?  Really?!

We All Fall Down

When my alarm went off this morning I used every ounce of will power to DRAG myself out of bed.  I should have slept in.  Barely half a mile into my run, I fell and landed on the T tracks.  This was not a trip and stumble kind of fall, this was a full body slamming into the gravel/concrete/asphalt/tracks kind of fall.  Every part of my body south of my shoulders hit the ground.  I quickly popped myself up and got off the tracks while assuring the 2 women who were standing at the train stop that I was indeed, OK.  Luckily I hadn't gone far and hobbled home to clean myself up.  I had briefly considered continuting my run but after surveying the damage, I realized that anyone who saw me running would think I had just escaped a some kind of brutal attack.  Also, I kept thinking about that girl who fell off her homemade zip line and gashed her leg and later lost said leg due to an infection from the wound.  I am not interested in losing any limbs and since I was bleeding from all 4, I decided that disinfection was priority #1.  The reason for my fall is unclear.  As I told Dutch, I have run over those tracks hundreds of times without a problem.  I was not distracted, I didn't feel myself trip over anything, I just felt the ground as my body slammed into it, proving once again that rock beats epidermis.  So now I am all bandaged up but event that was an issue.  We were out of regular size bandages at home but did have some large ones.  The large bandages worked out for most of the wounds because they are rather large.  However, I have a gash on my pink finger near the base of the finger that required a smaller sized remedy.  The only solution I could find was a bandage roll we bought in Ireland last summer.  It's basically one big strip that you can cut to size.  After several attempts, I finally got the right size and shape.  I'd like to think that after a start like that, the day can only go up.  However, I am going to put some band-aids in my pocket, just in case.         

Back on the Run and the Return of Wine Monday

I was forced into a week long break from running because of a nasty virus that held my body hostage, mostly via cough and sinus congestion.  Yesterday morning I finally got back to my routine and was pleasantly surprised with how good I felt. I did 5 miles at an 8:38 average and didn't have a coughing attack or any chest pains. In fact, someone called me fast! Me! Fast!

This triumphant return is all the more note-worthy because Monday night marked the official return of Wine Monday! I had not participated for over a month, giving it up for my last few weeks of training before the half marathon. During last week's Wine Monday I wasn't feeling great and didn't imbibe. This week however, I made up for lost time. With some help from Dutch, my partner in crime, I managed to polish off a wonderful bottle of Petite Syrah.

So to recap: sick for a week, drank a lot of wine, ran 5 miles. Fast!

SUCCESS!

Yesterday was the Pittsburgh Marathon and Half Marathon.  After running 13.1 miles I went to brunch, did some errands around town, cleaned, and made dinner and I can still walk today!  My goal was to complete the course in 2 hours or less.  According to my Garmin watch (I won't get my official race time until tomorrow), I ran 13.25 miles (must have taken some of the curves too wide!) in 1:53:20 which is an average pace of 8:33 per mile!  It got a little warm and I was definitely sore when I reached the finish line but I felt great overall.  A big thanks to all my donors who helped me raise $705 for the National MS Society.  Also a big thanks to my husband and dad who came out to watch the race.  My mom has a big test this week so she wasn't able to make the trip but my dad drove out from Illinois to take pictures and report back to her.  Now that I'm done, I'm thinking about tackling the full 26.2.  I would definitely need to find a race on a flat terrain - midewest somewhere - but I think I could handle it.  It's officially on the 2013 "to do" list!   

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

The half marathon is tomorrow!

Banana-rama

Bananas are a staple food for most runners.  I often enjoy one in my lunch as it is a perfect complement to my "gourmet" PB&J sammich.  Yesterday's banana had a sticker on it along with a bar/scan code (still don't quite understand how those work).  The sticker told me I could turn my banana into yonana.  Apparently there is a machine called the Yonana that makes frozen delights out of bananas and other fruits.  The frozen banana serves as the base and when processed, looks and tastes (allegedly) like soft serve ice cream.  The end product shares the same name as the machine, Yonana.  I assume the name, is a spin off of fro-yo despite not having any yogurt.  I get that this is healthy alternative to ice cream or frozen yogurt.  What I don't get is: why?  If I want to be healthy, I will eat the banana.  If I want dessert, Iamma get some 'zerts!  And PS folks, you can freeze whatever you want and shove it into that machine, but eating too much of anything will make you fat! 

In other banana related news, I made (what I consider to be) a hilarious banana joke yesterday.  Are you ready?  Here's the set-up: I was leaving for lunch, putting my banana in my bag, when a co-worker walked by my desk.

Co-worker: Is that thing loaded?
Me: Yeah, with postassium! 



 

Heat Wave

Yikes! It's been quite a while since my last post. I've been pretty busy but have maintained my training plan. The half marathon is just 18 days away. Aside from some aching hips after my long runs, I'm feeling pretty good and still hoping to finish in under 2 hours. Yesterday's Boston Marathon served as not only as motivation but warning. With temperatures in the mid 70s at the race's start in Hopkinton, everyone from first timers to elite runners had to reconsider their strategy. Just one year after a course record was broken, yesterday's runners had to economize their energy to maintain a pace that would keep them in the race to the finish line. It's one of the great tragedies of road races - no matter how hard you train, you can't control the weather on race day. Even training in warm temperatures doesn't guarantee a strong finish, it just makes the heat less of a surprise. Pittsburgh has had a fair number of warm days, including yesterday when the temperature reached a high of 84. However, today's high is 62 and we won't get there until 4:00 this afternoon. I absolutely hate running in the heat, so much so that I choose only to run in events that allow me to train in cooler weather. Therefore I'm going to start praying to God/Mother Nature/The Great and Powerful Oz/Al Gore - whoever it is that controls the weather up there - for a nice cool morning on May 6th. 50 degrees and a slight overcast would be just wonderful, thank you very much!

Around the Neighborhood

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. Mother Nature rewarded us for not complaining too much about losing an hour of sleep by providing plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s. I decided to take a long run around my neighborhood rather than my usual trail run. My plan was to do 10 miles, my reality was 8.5. There were several factors that contributed to my abbreviated run and they are, in no particular order, as follows:

1. 65 and sunny mid-day is great for a lot of things, running for an extended period of time is not one of them.
2. Running cap. In addition to my thick layer of sunblock, I also wore my running cap to protect my sensitive Irish skin. The cap is basically a baseball hat but is white and ventilated. However, there was not enough ventilation to keep me from getting overheated.
3. The cheeseburger and margarita I had for dinner the night before.
4. HILLS! It is hard to find a non-hilly route in my neighborhood. Adding extra miles to my regular route required that I add about 4 additional hills.

I guess I could have pushed through and finished the 10 like I had planned but the word on weather.com is that yesterday was just a preview for the rest of the week. Giving myself a break was more of way to conserve resources for the rest of the week, including a 5 miler lunch run today!

Fundraising Goal

I have exceeded my minimum fundraising goal for the National MS Society! My goal was to raise $550 by February 27th and as of today I have raised $640. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to my generous family and friends who were willing to help me meet this minimum. Donations will be accepted for another 68 days so there is still time to contribute if you have not done so.

I was talking to my mom the other week and she was telling me about the online courses the MS Society offers. She mentioned a course she was taking that was focused on self-employment. At first she thought it was odd that the materials kept going back to the idea of being able to start your own business in your home, never really mentioning starting a business outside of the home. Then she realized that many of the people taking the course have MS that has progressed significantly, meaning they may be confined to a wheelchair, suffer vision loss, or experience intense physical pain. Individuals with advanced MS may need to rely on homebound, self-employment because they are unable to work outside of the home. It was a reminder of how fortunate I am to have the ease and ability to move around as I please. I also felt incredibly lucky that my mom has not suffered significantly since her MS diagnosis in 2003.

This is why I'm running, this is why I'm fundraising.

31 for 31

Last week was my birthday and I decided to run one mile for every year I have been alive. I am glad to say, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Not only was I able to run 31 miles last week, I completed my 10 miler the following Sunday in under 90 minutes! Given that time, I may actually complete my half marathon in 2 hours. My goal when I started training was to finish the half in 2 hrs and 2 minutes. Shaving 2 minutes off of my goal time would be pretty incredible. Of course my long runs don't have any hills, but I keep hearing that the Pgh course had changed yet again to eliminate as many hills as possible. This week has gone pretty well: 20 miles down, 10 to go. Plus, I got new shoes! You can't have a bad week with new shoes - it's science...or something.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I turn 31! To celebrate I ran 6 miles this morning. I only need to run another 11.5 miles between now and Saturday to make my 31 mile goal for the week! Tonight I will celebrate with libations, an array of fancy meats and cheeses, and artisanal bread :)

In lieu of gifts

Tomorrow is my birthday! I am one of those annoying people who really, really loves birthdays. However, if you were planning on getting me a gift or even just a card, STOP. I would much rather you donate the money you would have spent to the MS Society. You can use the handy link that's just in the top left corner of this page! See how I've made it so easy for you to donate to an incredible and deserving cause? You're welcome!

This week I am going to try to run 31 miles because I am turning 31. This goal will also help compensate for the "it's my birthday" mentality I will have towards food for the entire week :)

Hot Yoga

Tonight I am going to hot yoga for the first time since November (YIKES!). I am really excited though because 1. I think I will feel awesome afterwards and 2. it is part of a new monthly series called I <3 Music Yoga. Usually the classes are accompanied only by the sounds of people breathing loudly and the instructions from the teacher, but tonight the class will be set to the music of Tori Amos. Hooray! So to re-cap, I am spending my Friday night driving in my Subaru wagon to my hot yoga class where I will pin back my very short hair and sweat to the soothing sounds of Tori Amos. I don't want to sterotype, but it sounds like I am having a lesbian start to my weekend.

What a difference a day makes

Yesterday's run was warm and sunny. Today's run was cool and cloudy. Now all I need is cool and sunny - the perfect combo!

European Youth Hostel Shower

Today I celebrated the first day of February by going for a lunch run and then treating myself to a chocolate covered pretzel for a post-run snack. It is another unseasonably warm day here in Pittsburgh, 52 degrees and sunny. I was dressed for a 40 degree run so it got a little hot. My husband thinks it's gross that I go on runs in the middle of the work day since I don't have access to a shower. I admit that it is not an ideal situation but I do have a clean-up routine. I like to call it the "European Youth Hostel Shower System." Anyone who has stayed in a hostel in Europe (and perhaps other places, my experience is limited to Europe) may have a good idea of what this involves. Most youth hostels have showers but there are several problems in terms of using them. 1. Most shower facilities are co-ed. As a young woman backpacking through Europe with some other ladies, nothing was scarier than the thought of using a co-ed shower. Boys are disgusting. Boys that are strangers are creepy and disgusting. 2. Most facilities are dingy. Youth hostels are dirt cheap, that's why young people stay in them. There is not a lot of money invested in the upkeep of the bathtub that someone attached a shower hose to. Furthermore, getting a comfortable temperature for a consistent period of time is almost impossible. No youth hostel owner wants to pay for your hot water bill! 3. No towels. Again, youth hostels are cheap. They are not about absorb (WORD PLAY!) the cost of providing towel service. Thus, if you want to dry off, you must bring your own towel. Towels are a pain to travel with and therefore better left at home. Alas, showering in the conventional sense was problematic. The solution to this shower situation was simply to take a washcloth (the small size makes it travel-friendly) or a paper towel, get it wet and soapy, and wipe yourself down. After cleaning all the necessary parts, add baby powder to stay fresh, deodorant, and perhaps some kind of perfume/cologne. When I go for my runs at work I replicate this process except I substitute the washcloth with body wipes (they are basically baby butt wipes). Again, it's not ideal.. However, I don't sweat a ton and I only have to get through 4 hours of work and then I can go home and take a real shower! I wonder if my co-workers have an opinion on this...

Today's mantra on my HORRIBLE run

Ice Trail

January started off with a bit of a running slump so I decided to give myself a fresh start on Sunday and went for my long run on the running trail. The two days before we were slammed with a mix of snow and sleet and the result was a 1" layer of ice covered with snow. Here are some random thoughts from that run.

1. People who aren't running on the ice trail look at you like you're a crazy person for running.

2. Dogs are even more adorable when walking in the snow.

3. I will silently judge you if you are wearing shorts on the ice trail. SHORTS! What happens if you fall, tough guy?

4. Staying verticle requires a lot of stability. Everytime I slouched or didn't keep my hips squared my foot slipped when it pushed off the ground. Snow + Ice + Trail Run = Impecible Form

5. Just because you have stroller doesn't entitle you to take up the entire trail - ever!

Overall, the trail run was great. I didn't fall, my pace wasn't dramatically affected by the ice, and I felt energized afterward. It was the perfect start to my fresh start!

Forced Break

I was forced into a 4 day break from running. My scheduled day off was last Thursday, which worked out well because I went home sick from work with a flash of flu-like symptoms. I was hoping that it was nothing, especially since I had planned on going to Cleveland for the weekend to see some super cool friends. The 16 hours of sleep I logged-in between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning seemed to help as I was feeling much, much better on Friday and even went to work. However, I am no longer a college kid and I know my body well enough to realize that a one day rebound does not mean a full recovery. Sadly, I canceled my trip to the Cleve and opted to keep the weekend low-key. I am glad I did because I felt sluggish and beat up for a majority of Saturday and Sunday. My upset stomach and fatigue were exacerbated by a sore tooth. I scheduled an appointment with the dentist on Saturday and she suspected I needed a root canal (be jealous) and referred me to an endodontist. Fast forward to 1:45 this afternoon when I had my appointment with said endodontist and subsequent root canal. The good news is I woke up this morning feeling fully recovered from the germ invasion that had held me hostage all weekend and I was able to put in an easy four on the treadmill. The other good news is, having a root canal is a first world problem. Not only was I able to schedule the procedure today, a PAID holiday, but my insurance covered most of it! The only downside is that my mouth won't stay numb forever and I will be able to feel the pain soon enough. It is supposed to be unseasonably warm tomorrow - hopefully the mouth pain will be fleeting and I can go on an early morning run. A four day break isn't any fun when it's not by choice!

Resolution Runners?

While I was out on my morning run yesterday I saw 9 other people out running, which was surprising since I usually see 2 or 3, tops. Today I saw 5. I wonder if these were New Year's Resolution runners. When I belonged to gym, I always dreaded going in January because it was packed with people who had recently joined or had decided to actually use their membership because of a resolution to "get in shape" for the new year. It's not that i wasn't happy that these newbies were focuses on their health and well-being, it's just that I didn't want them to monopolilze my favorite elliptical while they did it.

Now that I don't compete for space, I enjoy seeing the new early morning runners. It can feel a bit isolating when you run alone, in the dark, and no one else is around. All of these new faces are comforting - a reminder that I'm not alone and that other people are just as "crazy" as I am :)

Thanks, donors!

A big thank you to everyone who has donated to the MS Society as part of my fundraising efforts! I have never been great at selling - even as a girl scout I kept my cookie sales limited to family members and close friends. My comfort level when it comes to asking people for money is still pretty low. However, this is a cause that I really believe in so I have wandered outside my comfort zone by sending e-mails and posting requests on Facebook to solicit donations. I really appreciate those of you who have already donated. If you are considering a donation, use the "Fundraising Information" link on the top left corner of the page. The link will not only take you to an online donation page but it will also provide information about MS and why the cause is important to me.

Dear Millionaire

Dear Million Dollar Home Owner,

Wow, you have a big ass house! It looks pretty sweet from out here in the street. Is that an in-ground pool in your backyard? Do you actually have 4 cars in your 4 car garage? Kudos on living large. If MTV was still producing episodes of Cribs, you could easily be featured as a suburban baller. Anyhoo, now that I have your attention, can I ask why you have yet to shovel your sidewalk? I honestly would not have noticed except that I almost broke my neck while running in front of your million dollar home at 5:30 this morning. I know it hasn't snowed much, really it's only been 2 days, but isn't that all the more reason for you to have taken care of this ice-sludge mess? Usually by early January we have been slammed with snow in Western PA, so most people start to get lazy. I can sympathize with that. This year, however, we haven't seen flakes since October. Surely you cannot still be recovering from October! Could you not afford a shovel and salt because you spend $200/week filling your luxury SUVs with gas? Or have you simply forgotten what it's like to be one of us "common folk" who actually use public sidewalks? Isn't all of this ice on your sidewalk an insurance liability? I'm sure you would lawyer up in the event of an accident, but a bag of salt is much cheaper than a retainer fee. Certainly, even if you don't have the time to shovel and salt, you have an extra 10 bucks to throw at some neighborhood kid to come out and take care of this for you. I'm not asking for much, millionaire, just some safe sidewalk space so I can run in relative safety. Thanks for your time!

Best,

RunRebRun