As humans, we spend a lot of time on the ground (duh). Unless you are George Clooney's character in "Up in the Air" or the cute old man in "Up" then your feet are usually firmly planted on the ground (any George Strait fans out there...name that song).
Don't get me wrong. I like to pound the pavement. I like being able to use my legs and tire my body out. Thank goodness for gravity. But sometimes, just sometimes, I get the knack to be up in the air, weightless. And I'm not talking about jumping on an airplane and jetsetting around the world. I think Carl Fredrickson of "Up" had the right idea. Why not just tie a whole bunch of balloons to your house and fly to a magical place? Wouldn't it be great to get away from all of the grime and dirt and concrete that covers our world? I want to fly north like the crows and south like the geese
The main reason, though, to attempt to be airborne is to see things from a different perspective. What does the world look like from the air? Do the fields and cities fit together like a piece-work quilt? Do the millions of trees blend into a goregous green canvas that blankets the globe? Is there really a layer of smog over some of those cities? Hopefully those balloons will get us above that ugliness...
Like every runner, I have my usual running routes that get used on a weekly basis. I know the cracks in the sidewalk, where the cops hide in the early morning haze and how long the "walk" signs blink for. I'm comfortable with the routine-ness of it. I blame my mother for being comfortable in a rut (sorry, mom). What I need every now and again is a different perspective. What better way to do that than go up in the air (and change my running routes)? Anyone know where I can get a thousand helium balloons?
Update: according to Pixar (through Twitter), Carl Fredrickson from "Up" had to attach 10,297 balloons to his house to get it to lift off the ground. My rough estimate of 1,000 was slightly off. Don't hold it against me...I'm not one of those magic guessers who win the "count how many jellybeans are in the jar" contests.
Monday, April 18, 2011
One Day I'll Fly Away...
Monday, April 11, 2011
A Listy List
I was truly wracking my brain for a blog idea today. Nothing substantial has happened in my running life and inspiration was hard to come by. Maybe it's because it's a Monday...always blame Monday.
So, I decided to try to bring together a lot of the information I've found on barefoot running into one spot. Below are some links to barefoot posts I've seen, sites I've visited and Twitter users I follow. Hopefully, somewhere out there in the wide world of the Internet will get some use out of them.
Twitter:
@RunCompetitor Competitor Magazine
@Cool_Running Cool Running
@dailymile dailymile
@RunBareCompany RunBare
@Vibram5Fingers Vibram FiveFingers
Websites:
Barefoot Runner's Society: http://www.barefootrunners.org/
The Running Barefoot: http://therunningbarefoot.com/
*Touted as "original Barefoot Running website since 1997" this is the website for Barefoot Ken Bob, one of the original barefooters.
Run Bare: http://www.runbare.com/
*Michael Sandler was the guy I interviewed for my Denver Post article on barefoot running. You could say that he sparked that barefoot fire in me. I owe him.
Christopher McDougall's Blog: http://www.chrismcdougall.com/blog/
*For anyone who has read Born to Run, this is a bookmark-worthy site.
Barefoot articles:
"You Walk Wrong" by New York Magazine
"At submax pace, barefooting uses 2-5.7% less oxygen (more economical) than shod running" Study by University of Nebraska
"To Run Better, Start by Ditching Your Nikes" by Wired Magazine
"Long-Awaited Barefoot Running Study Finds Sneakers Are Harmful" by Popular Science
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Every Girl Wants Some
Being a runner brings a lot of perks. You get to eat whatever you want. You get to climb the stairs without huffing and puffing like your office mates. There's really nothing sexier than a razor-back tan line. You usually have a rockin' hot bod.
I consider my legs my best features. I inherited my dad's thighs and I'm not afraid to say that it's a little creepy how similar they look. But nonetheless, they serve their purpose and get me through those awesomely fantastic hill repeats. And now, since I've become a barefoot runner, my calves have become nice and defined. They look like those attached to women who have worn heels all of their lives -- fortunately for me, I don't have the pain that they do.
But everyone wants the grass that's on the other side of the fence. So, here's what I'm envious of...
No, I don't want to have Michelle Obama's fabulous fashion sense or Sarah Jessica Parker's super-cute do or Kelly Ripa's gorgeous smile.
I want their arms.
Yup, I said it. Mock me all you want. But I'm envious of their extremely toned and svelte arms.
I've always had twig arms. Arms that could easily be snapped if twisted or turned the wrong way. Please no one get any ideas now.
I am going to a big convention/party/black-tie dinner at the end of May, so my goal is to work on my arms as much as possible to see if I can hold a candle to Michelle. I wanna look good in that strappy dress, dang it!
I was once watching "Live with Regis & Kelly" and Kelly swore on her life that she got those arms by doing this one exercise (ok, and having a personal trainer and countless hours to workout doesn't harm anything either). She said to take a can of soup and while standing, "write" out the alphabet in the air with the can of soup. So, you'd hold out your arms and make the motions to create each letter. I've started to do that with 5 lb. dumbells and let me tell you...it's a burner. Every muscle in your arms are being worked and by W, you hate that the alphabet has 26 letters.
Anyways, here's to women who have arms that I want. Hopefully with a good two months of work, I'll be able to be proud of my biceps and not feel like they've been drawn onto my body by a five-year-old in art class. They should take a page from my leg book....now those are beauts.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
What Is Truly Important
It's so easy to get caught up in the daily running and training grind. Getting up in the darkness after a late night before and the struggle it is to lace up the shoes (oh, wait, I don't wear any). It all becomes second nature and at points, boring. In short, we take for granted the fact that we can run at all.
A friend sent this article to me today. It tells a story about a true friendship between two Army Rangers. One, Lance Vogeler, died while in his 12th deployment. The other, Andrew Wallace, was Sonic the Hedgehog to Lance's Tails. They had deployed and lived together many a time. And now, after losing his best friend in life and on the battlefield, Andrew is taking matters into his own hands to help support Lance's family (a wife and three children, one who never met Lance). He's pledged to run the Boston Marathon barefoot. Andrew is running, in collaboration with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, to raise $30,000 for Lance's kid's college educations. And he's going at it without shoes. How inspiring!
For me, this story was important because it put a face on an otherwise faceless war that we at home know very little about. Sure, it made me feel good that I'm not the only crazy person out there running barefoot. But it's about so much more than that. It is about realizing that people just like us -- who obsess over seconds gained or seconds lost on a training loop and the newest GU flavor -- risk their lives so I can obsess over those seconds lost (hopefully) whenever I want. I can do what I love to do because they do what they do.
Taking a second and thinking about what is truly important -- freedom -- is all I'm asking. Think about that when you go out on your run today. Think about what it means to be able to step out onto the street without worrying about whether you'll make it back to your house in one piece.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Likes long runs on the beach
I saw something the other day that I wanted so badly. No, it wasn't compression socks. Or the latest running gear. Or even a really, really big burger after a really, really long run (although, now that you mention it...).
No, it was a couple running with a jogging stroller that was carrying a cute little baby curled up inside. The kicker to my gut - they were running TOGETHER. It was a family outing. Not to the store or to Chuck E. Cheese. But out and about on a Sunday morning run. The mom & dad were talking as they pushed the stroller. I imagined them discussing the cute thing the baby had done, or whose turn it was to cook dinner that night. Or maybe they were just talking about how much they loved each other.
Having someone share what I love so much has become an increasingly important piece in what I search for in a man. Is he active, first of all? But more importantly, does he get up before the sun and shimmy into shorts & tennies (do guys shimmy?)? Does he understand my need for 100 water bottles around the house? Does he want to share my Stick and foam roller or does he laugh at how silly they look piled in the corner of my bedroom?
I'm not looking for a 2:15 marathoner or someone who is an ultra-running freak. I just want someone to truly understand what it means to be a runner: he joys of the sport, the down-in-the-dumps moments that are inevitable, the early nights (and mornings), the understanding of a mind turning on itself and the increasing fascination with GU.
I believe he's out there. Somewhere. So, calling all single runners...
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Making Friends In the Early A.M.
At 5:45 am, Redondo Beach is anything but quiet. Cars start slowly peeking out of garages, prepping for long commutes. Brave cyclists bust out the bright headlights and cold-weather gear to combat the stinging wind chill. Cops slowly cruise around the neighborhoods, waiting to catch...anything? And then, of course, there are the runners. Those early-to-bed, early-to-rise folks. I was one of them this morning, and I'm so glad I did. Not only because I got a workout in and was able to watch the orange and pink sunrise from the top of the hill, but because I made a running friend.
I don't know his name, but I do know his age...63. We met at a corner as we waited for the walk sign to beckon us to the other side. The first words out of his mouth: "Are you training for the L.A. Marathon?" I chuckled to myself, because I had been sizing him up as we made our way down the hill to the intersection. He was wearing a reflective vest, a knit cap very similar to the one my grandpa used to sleep in and had on sweats. I pegged him for a "jogger." I know, I know. It's mean to judge a book by it's cover.
It was at this intersection, and a few blocks later as we ran side-by-side, that I learned that this gentleman, at the age of 63, was finally going to run a marathon, years after telling himself, "I'm going to do it one of these days." He told me that he usually runs 3 days a week because he works and that his long runs are on the weekend (aren't they all?). Last weekend, he went 3 hours. I couldn't help but be impressed by him. He was finally going to accomplish his goal, and the fact that he was in his 60's...wow.
It's amazing how running brings people together at all stages of their lives (and all times of day). As he turned right and I turned left, I couldn't help but have a smile on my face. This man, who I didn't even know his name, had made my run so much more enjoyable. I felt excited for him and his training to run the marathon. I felt hope that one day, I could push my body like that. And I felt happiness that we had both found something that we loved to do. Running rocks.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
A Running Buddy
"As a puppy she was inexhaustible, with the crazed eyes and restless bearing of an escaped convict. She needed almost constant attention."
Runner's World editor-in-chief David Willey wrote this in a recent post about his canine running companion, Trucha. He got her as a puppy and logged countless miles throughout her life. If you're a dog lover (or a running fiend), this is definitely a truly touching read...sad, but good (cue the Marley & Me music).
As soon as I read it, I posted it to Facebook, adding that the article "made me want to get a dog/running companion so badly!"
You can see where this is going...
enter...
the latest addition to my family (ok, basically to me)...
a new puppy!!
This little guy is a terrier/boxer mix and was abandoned with his four sisters in a box by the railroad tracks (cue Marley & Me music once again).
Clearly, his life is on the right track now. I adopted him this past weekend and he is now a permanent part of the household.
And let me tell you...he's a handful. He looks calm and docile in this photo, but he let's loose when not in your arms. Already, he's unrolled 1/2 a roll of toilet paper, woken me up in the middle of the night crying, had accident after accident in the house (I'm sure there's more of that to come) and is a bully when it comes to sharing toys with the other dog in the house, Brady. Was it worth it when he curled up in my lap and fell asleep with his little head in the crook of my knee? Of course.
Also, you may have noticed that he doesn't have a name yet. As of right now (Thursday 2/24 at 5:45 pm), he's Inmate 453083. Eventually, he will have a name. The hardest part is trying to please everyone. My mom likes the name Willie. My best friend is pulling for Cam. I added Manny to the short list. It's too much pressure!
Whatever his name ends up being, I want him to be my running companion. My running buddy. The crazy dog on the leash pulling me down the street at 6 am. I can't wait to get him out and about (not quite yet cuz he doesn't have all of his shots). What I'm really excited about is creating a deep bond with him. Yes, I've had dogs before and I've loved both of them. But this one is MINE and he relies on me, and only me, to give him food, exercise and love.
Again, from David Willey's post, "We logged more miles together than I could begin to count, and I never doubted that she could keep going, even when I couldn’t."
I can't wait for that.
I'll leave you with this parting shot for good measure. Check back for more updates on his name. :)
