The Anti-Running Runner

As described in my profile, I'm not only a runner but also a writer. Some of you may have visited my writing blog , but for those who haven't, I'm taking a tangent from running chat to announce my first e-book publication. I have two wild and crazy pets who are so adorable and fun. Lance is an English Springer Spaniel and Ringo is a long-haired domestic cat. A few months ago, I started writing fictionalized short stories from their perspective. I started a blog to promote the stories. Contest: Right now, I'm running the first contest on the Lance & Ringo Tails  blog. Click the link, post a comment anywhere on that blog, and you'll be to entered to win a set of handmade bookmarks. Tail One: The first story is available now. Click the title to purchase for $0.99 in the Kindle Store. Amazon Prime members can borrow for free. O Brother, What Art Thou?  I'm already working on Tail Two and having a ton of fun with these stories. I hope to have a...

After my rare and delightful runner's high, I pretty much expected a runner's low. The twelve-miler was a week and three days prior to the Rock N Roll Half Marathon, so I decided to rest until the race. I ran one stair jog, but that was it. The half marathon was tons of fun, especially while running and chatting with my dear cousin, Alyssa. Like last year, they had bands every mile. Music helps mentally boost me. Catching up with Alyssa for 2:21:47 (our chip time) feeds my soul.  Lyssi and I having a ball. Thanks, Jeremy Carlson, for taking pictures! Our good friend, J.J., spotted us on the course, so we got to have some of the race documented. I don't like carrying things, such as phone/camera, so it's really nice to have friends taking photos. This was not a low after all, but nothing close to the high either. Around mile nine or ten, I felt the normal challenges of a half marathon. Legs hurting, my right glute started going numb, making it diffi...

Verse speaking to me: 1 Corinthians 9:26 Song speaking to me: Starálfur by Sigur Rós Today, the goal was twelve miles after work. My last twelve before St. Pete Rock N Roll Half. Thursday is not my early day, so hubby asked me to be careful running downtown. Inevitably, it would be dark when I finished. I estimated 7pm so he'd have an idea when to expect the call with a panting, "dun." He's got good reason for concern, as you will see later in the post. I don't even know if I can describe what happened. The entire experience was surreal. I started out kinda fast for me. Then I thought, just go with it. Maybe you can finish quicker, less running in the dark. If not, whatever. I'd slow down when I needed to. The weird thing is, I didn't need to. It was almost out-of-body, but not quite. I felt the visceral experience that is a runner's high, and I LIKED IT. Even when I got home, it didn't go away. So naturally, I made a video of my runner...

About once a week, I try to run stairs. Some weeks I miss, meaning the next time will likely be harder. Stairs are not forgiving when missed. Florida, for the most part, is flat. I have relatives near the Clermont area where there are some rolling hills. Not in St. Pete. I don't think overpasses count. Often, I run stairs at the five-story parking garage at work. My routine is to jog up and down seven times. The quick workout makes me feel like I've accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Why? Because it hurts! Stairs never fail to push me. I'd like to be able to do more, but I'm usually dragging and out of breath by the last rep. Especially if I've missed a week or more.  At the top of the world! Er, the fifth floor  The way down is not always better than the way up, either. At the beginning, sure, it's nice. But soon jelly legs kick in. I think I could grab the rails if I needed to prevent a tumble.  ...