The Anti-Running Runner

At 6:30 AM on Jan 19th, hubby dropped Alyssa and I off at Coachman Park. A ride to and from any race is such a blessing. Alyssa and I have decided it's essential for a marathon. We don't recommend driving yourself if you don't have to. A side trip about my pre-race eating habits: I have finally learned what works best for me and my uber-tender running stomach. It tells me loud and clear what it does and doesn't like. The problem? During long runs when I haven't eaten the way my body wants me to, what I have often felt is motion sickness. At least, that's the closest thing I can compare it to. Once in the fall during a late evening run with Hea (18 miles), it felt like that creature from Alien was about to burst through my diaphragm. Mainly because I ate a sea salted almond around mile eight. Body rejected. It should've been an unsalted almond, but now I can't eat any type of almonds before or during a run. The other thing I've learned is tha...

To the person who honked at me today: you may be someone I know, but I have no idea. As a general rule, if you honk because we know each other, I will probably never figure it out in that moment. It's too hard to make out a person's face in the car, especially tinted windows. I am a spaced-out kind of runner. I'm aware of my surroundings, but not so much auditory awareness. Meaning loud noises are shocking and usually obnoxious. I'm almost always listening to podcasts. Not so loud that I'm unable to hear things around me. But it means there is someone talking in my ear and I'm trying to listen, whether it be Two Gomers Run For Their Lives or one of the many fiction podcasts I subscribe to ( Dunesteef , TGMG , Journey Into , Podcastle , Escape Pod , Pseudopod , Beneath Ceaseless Skies , The Roundtable Podcast ) which are all really good and entertaining. Helpful distractions while running. The thing about getting honked at while running, it never has the in...

This is one of those races I'll remember forever. And this is why... My cousin, Alyssa, and I ran in costume FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! If you can't tell....she is Tinkerbell and I am Ariel. Well, we are their running versions. We talked about doing a Disney race dressed up, but we gave up and finally decided this Halloween race would be the perfect opportunity for way less $$. She brought her two friends, Alicia and Katherine, who were so sweet and fun.   Katherine is a fairy friend of Tinkerbell's and Alicia is Cruella De Ville. I was so shocked that Alyssa and I finished in 2:21 because I thought the wig at least would slow me way down. Turns out the outfit was one of the best I've ever run in. I got the shirt because it was purple and looked mermaidish. I just can't run in a sports bra, and I know that probably would have made it more obvious that I was Ariel, but oh well. It was such a comfy top. The running skirt had spa...

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...

Next Saturday, I'll be doing the Gasparilla 15K with my hubby, his coworker, and his coworker's wife. I'm excited to be doing less than a half this time. I'm also excited that my husband's coworker talked him into the race because he's not a fan of road races, which he considers boring, so he rarely runs them with me. Today I plan to run around 6 or 7 miles, and maybe a few shorter runs next week. I'm enjoying the cooler winter weather and I hope it will stick around longer this year. By April last year, it was hot and didn't really cool down again until the end of October. Don't get me wrong, I love the heat, but training in it can be a challenge. The following Saturday after that, Team Hea and Bria will be doing the Race for the Greys 5K. I'm looking forward to that and still debating whether to bring Lance along. He's a good runner, but I worry about how he'll behave in a large crowd of dogs if hubby is not able to come. So we...

Sometimes, it's hard for me when a week goes by before I get in another run. However, this was a very important week as I was attending the Florida Writers Association (FWA) Conference in Orlando Oct. 21-23. I wanted to feel prepared, and that included pausing the usual every-other-day running routine. If you're interested in my time at the FWA Conference, click HERE . I finally got to run about 4 miles yesterday, almost a week since the last time, and it felt great. Again, great weather with a pleasant breeze along my usual waterfront route. I found myself behind a woman near the end of my jog, and though I knew I couldn't pass her, I matched her stride to see if I could keep the same distance behind her. It's so funny because she didn't appear to be going fast, but when I started to feel how quickly my feet moved to keep in line with her, I realized how slow I truly am. Honestly, I don't mind, but I am often amazed at other distance runners.