The Anti-Running Runner

As this is a review about a running book, I thought it fitting to include on both my writing blog and my running blog. I’m actively submitting my novel, Sprinter , to agents and publishers. In the meantime, besides working on other writing, I’m searching for books similar to mine because that is a question often asked in the submission guidelines: which books are similar to yours? When I found The Lola Papers , I thought it might be somewhat similar to my book. In some ways it is, as both main characters are female, runners, and pursuing running goals while taking note of how much running parallels life. In other ways, not so much. My book is fiction, Lola is non-fiction. But I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it. Lola is a runner’s journey from sporadic and half-hearted running to serious racing. Her coach, Mr. Speedy Pants, provides the wisdom and insight of a seasoned and studly runner who isn’t ashamed of his own awesomeness. Following our main character throug...

Part 1 of...who knows how many When it comes to relays, Hood 2 Coast is the largest in the country. World maybe? I should really fact check before I start throwing out statistics. Mt. Hood is near Portland, Oregon. My place of birth. For the race, they created a trek from Timberline on Mt. Hood to Seaside (on the coast, naturally) about 200 miles away. I think. Again, I should fact check. I do know that the race is happening AS I TYPE. It is very fitting that I reminisce about Hood 2 Coast while thousands of people are running, driving, not sleeping, watering their runners, cheering their runners, finding places to park, finding places to sleep briefly, loading up on Gatorade and Imodium, trying not to smell while using the Honey Buckets, searching for flashlights to carry, and running some more.  And I found it. Something with facts on it. At least in 2006 it was the largest relay in the world. They have a website and I particularly enjoyed reading about the history...

I went six miles in the Vibrams last Sunday. It was really hot, so that was a challenge. The toes were okay. I had remembered to Body Glide them. Yesterday, after a rainy day, the weather was fantastic. The air felt cool. I left work, ran my waterfront route around the St. Pete Pier, and felt awesome the entire time. Except my toes...I forgot to Body Glide them. P.S. I don't have pretty feet. The tape is keeping the bandaids on so far. Oh, and I had to stop for a bathroom break that took quite a while, but you don't want to hear about that. Toes were painful, but I finished the distance and now you see how my feet look today. It was so sad, too, because I felt so great otherwise. Not often the case. As my hubby points out, raw toes is a problem that may mean these are not the shoes I should wear for my half marathon. But I'm stubborn. I want these to work so bad! I love how they feel. When my toes haven't been rubbed raw, they are great. So...

As promised, another tale of my past running adventures. I had to share the story of my first half marathon because it will forever stand out in my mind. Disclaimer: I do not condone "rogue running" or whatever it's called when you race without a number. But these were extreme circumstances. So I do not apologize for what happened in the following story. And neither do my heroes: Alyssa and Jenni. In 2008, I was signed up to run the Disney Half Marathon. I had run a 15K before, so I felt confident that I could make it, especially because my dear cousin, Alyssa, would be running with me. Alone meant possible failure. With her, I could do anything. My dad drove us to the race, and Alyssa's best friend, Jenni, joined us. This is the same Alyssa and Jenni who ran the Miami Marathon, and I ran the half and blogged about that crazy adventure earlier this year. In fact, Alyssa and Jenni just moved into a house together. Hubby and I went to help them with some pr...

I've been wanting to write some of my past running stories. In particular, events or things that happened before I started the blog. I have fond memories of my first half marathon, Hood 2 Coast, some not-so-fond memories of my first marathon, and other running tales I could share. To get the ball rolling, I wanted to explain what happened to me on my run today. On Tuesday, I finally managed to run five miles with the Vibrams. Yay! It was a humid day, but cloudy. Not so much blazing hot sun beating down. But for some reason every gnat in Florida was out for an evening...stroll flight?....on my running route to the St. Pete Pier. I have a bug phobia, so that wasn't fun, but I was glad that my toes didn't hurt. Today, I left work intending to run the same route. It was sunny and hot at first, but I noticed some dark clouds in the distance. They moved in and I had that glorious sensation of cooler air for about a mile before the rain began. It felt so good. I was loving i...

I continue to build mileage with the Vibrams, but it's going much slower than I anticipated. I ran four miles in Georgia, and that is the farthest distance I have gone. Love, love, love running around my sister's neighborhood in Georgia After that, I felt a little tenderness on the bottom of my feet, but not terrible. The next time I ran, one of my big toes blistered on the bottom and ripped. That hurt. A lot. So I took a break. A week later, after only running once in my Saucony's, I ran again with the Vibram's. The other toe felt like it was blistering. It hurt, though not as bad as the other one. Sigh...I think it's still a matter of building up callouses, but it's just taking a lot of time. I'm still not sure if I'll be able to run the half marathon in October with the Vibrams, though I'd like to. If not, I'll be searching for some new Saucony's as my old favs were discontinued. Sunday, my dear friend, Hea, let me watch the O...