Ow.

Folks - I'm posting this from the ER. I got up at 4:30am today to get my 3 miler in. I forgot my headlamp, and the garbage truck that hit me couldn't see me. My right foot is pretty mangled....Mom uploaded the x-ray here.

A Few Rules To Run By

It's a rest day! That's good - I'm a little sore from my rage-driven run yesterday. My friend Benita sent me this great link to a story by Mark Remy from Runner's World. It's a hilarious look at some of the unspoken, unwritten "Rules of Running."

Some of my favorite quotes:

My dog, a shepherd mix named Cooper, doesn't care where we are or what time of day it is, or even what the weather is like. He doesn't know what his resting heart rate is and rarely bothers to wear a watch. He just loves to run. And every time he does, his face and his body telegraph one simple message: This. Is. AWESOME. I'm runningrunningrunningrunning!

The "Run Like a Dog" Workout (Including Warmup and Cooldown) Walk 8 seconds. Trot 4 seconds. Stop. Sniff. Sprint 7 seconds. Freeze. Walk 5 seconds in any direction but forward. Stare 9 seconds. Lunge at rabbit. Double back, walk 3 seconds. Urinate. Repeat six times. Collapse on rug.

Ha! My dog Finny is exactly like this! She's impossible to do a focused run with because she's constantly stopping, sniffing, staring, backtracking, etc.

There's also:

Before you remove your new running shoes from the box, you must smell them. Open the box. Peel back the tissue paper. Behold those pristine shoes. Then lift the box to your face and breathe deeply. Mmmm. Smells like potential. And possibly toxins. But mostly potential.

Mmmmmm.....toxins.....

Check out the "Running Rules of Thumb" on the second page. And "Learn the Master the Art of The Farmer's Blow". Don't know what a "Farmer's Blow" is? Consider yourself lucky!!
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Fun link of the day:
The Creepiest Children's Books Ever

Anger, Filth and Disgust

Today dawned chilly and dreary, with a driving rain that would not stop. I woke up at 5am, thinking I'd go for my 2 miler and get it over with before work.

Inertia - it's a hell of a force.

I didn't overcome it. Instead, I packed my running stuff, and headed into work, thinking I'd hit the treadmill at the filthy gym at lunch. I was completely unmotivated, dreading the run, not excited in the least to get it done.

This was directly in my line of sight as I climbed on the machine:


Grrr.

Screw you, stupid motivational poster! I know my attitude is bad! I'm motivated to rip you off the wall!!

I got so motivated, I had run 3 miles in 35 minutes (in the sweltering heat with no air circulation) before I realized it.

IN YOUR FACE, DUMB POSTER!

Apparently, filth, anger, and disgust are fantastic motivators for me.

In other news, I'm starting to get that cool feeling that comes about a week or so after I start a new training program. My body feels like it's subtly rearranging, reorganizing itself, redistributing things to work more efficiently. It's a really good feeling. I like it!!

Today's fun link:
Michael Buble Being Stalked By A Velociraptor

Ugly Shirt Monday!

Today is a rest day, and I'm out of "why I'm running" pep talks, so I'm instituting "Ugly Shirt Mondays"! Not sure if it will be a weekly feature...

Today's Ugly Shirt:


I'm not sure what makes this shirt so hideous. I mean, I like peacocks. Peacocks are pretty, and when you see one in the zoo or on some posh upperclass British twit's lawn, they take your breath away. Because they're pretty. This shirt isn't pretty. I don't think we were meant to see peacock feathers this close. Because on this shirt, the eye-thingies look like glow-in-the-dark mutant bacteria slowing sliding down this poor girl's chest.

Or maybe it's because it's paired with shorts. If you're going to make a shirt this ugly, try classing it up with some gauchos, huh?
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If you have an ugly shirt to share, send it to me at train.endure@gmail.com

Weekend re-cap

Sometimes, the best-laid plans of runners are run aground by microbes.

I had planned to attend the TNT training at Lion's Park Saturday morning, but the microbes in my gut had other plans. I awoke at 1am Saturday morning with violent stomach pains, [details redacted for the squeamish], and decided to get some rest instead of heading out to the trail at 7am.

By 3pm I was feeling better, and after taking a look at the training calendar, I decided to flip Saturday's and Sunday's run. I clocked in 2 miles Saturday afternoon in 25 minutes, and did a 4 miler on Sunday in just about an hour.

I'm not happy about the finishing times, but I didn't slack on my mileage this week, and that's what counts!