See Nat Run

TIART: It's a bird, it's a plane.

Today's topic for Take it and Run Thursday is to define your running super power.

I must admit as I was treating my still chafed thigh this evening for the first run in the blowing snow (INSERT A LONG LIST OF EXPLETIVES HERE), I dreamed of having one of those bodies that didn't get all jiggly and sweaty and chafed. As I got into my Ninja wear, trying to figure out what the heck would keep me confortable and warm. But not too warm. In dawned on me that what I would really like is for Edna Mode to design my running suit, a la Dash -- one that made me look smoking hot. (Go check out the video link --- "And it's machine washable. That's a new feature.")

To wish for speed I don't think is quite enough. I'd miss all the stories at the back of the pack. But maybe I could just design a secret potion that I could take to go really fast to qualify for Boston. If you are going to have a super power, you know you want it to be good. You want it to make a difference, you want it BIG.

I'd say I'd like to run the races at pace every time and finish proud and happy. But knowing this would no doubt ruin the fun of running the races for me. So let me tell you about tonight. Tonight it's 0C/32F and very windy. Tonight, I hit the farm for a loop and discovered a lot of blowing snow AND gusts of wind that stopped me dead in my tracks. (Like hill training when you don't know how long or steep the hill is.) So I have decided, that I would like the ability the control the wind. (It would make for interesting times in the race city if I needed a bit of a push from the wind.) A cool breeze in the sun. Perfect.

Wait, Weight, and Weights.

I have been forced to take a few days off running because of this chafing on my leg. (Yes, it's THAT bad -- Polysporin and bandaids.) Stupid blubber jiggling all over the place. Teach me to forget the Body Glide. However, after seeing the race pictures in which I look a hell of a lot like a manatee in spandex, I promised myself that I would actually do my weight training. I am determined to drop 10 by Christmas. I know strength training is good not only for my weight but will help with my running as well. It's just a good thing to do. I'm just trying to decide if I full contact round of DDR counts as cross training.

I hate the weight training. There is no zen there. However, it does give me a chance to catch up on the Nova Vodcast -- I actually found the bit about repairing Hubble to be rather fascinating. I may have to go check out the fractals too. Not only I am a manatee... I am geeky manatee. And I may just have a wee bit of a crush on Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Final report: 2 sets. I can't hold a front plank for more than 30 seconds. And well, my glutes bridge is nothing to write home about either. It did however burn off a bit of stress. I wonder if

In other news, I am having flash backs to the winter of the 16 minute mile, as the first "Winter Storm Warning" came into effect tonight. Every single long run in snow last winter. God... who knew shoveling would serve as cross training. So if you're looking for me, I'm sitting here by the fire. Rocking myself quietly hoping that the snow thing is just a teaser.

Rattle Me Bones 10K - 2008

Any race that serves cookies in the post-runner area is ok by me. Those lovely great big chocolate coconut jobbies that no one seems to love but me. Love it.

This is the third time I've run this 10K. I work for the hospital so it seems to be a given that I'll run it. It's a 10K during a good time of year. And well, cookies. The good cookies I can't seem to resist during the events with food. The course seems to have a nasty incline at the end -- kills me every time although it didnt' seem so bad this time. And for some reason, they ditched the waterstation at the 3K mark. (Some of the folks looked like the could have used it.)

The problem being that about 2 minutes before the start I see one of the organizers I know. I think brilliant, I'm not going to have to ditch my sweater after all.
"Hey, can you do me a huge favour and ditch this somewhere for me?"
"No problem at all."

It is at this point that I notice the silver-haired man standing next to her. It's the CEO. Around fellow runners I don't mind being in running tights. Around my family and friends, and yes, even coworkers I don't give a shit. But I reckon, I'd rather not have the CEO see my lumpy ass. aaaaaaaaaaaarg....

"Natalie, I didn't know you jogged."
Now, my normal reaction to this is that I don't jog. I run. But, it doesn't pay to get into the finer points of running terminology with the man who signs your pay cheque. I explain about the half and all that jazz. Meander my way to the back of the back.

It was a good run. I keep to pace, slow and steady. I aimed a 12 minute/mil pace. Slow and easy. Got it done. Met some people I'd seen there last year. (I think.) The woman I was supposed to run with didn't show. (I'm actually a bit concerned.) Came in at a Garmin time of 73 minutes and change. No complaints around here. I don't think I pushed it hard enough. But I'd also been feeling like crap all week. Easy, fun was the motto.

I chucked my Addidas running tights after they developed a hole -- which my blubber jiggled out of and I have the worse thigh chaffing I have EVER had. (odd spot too) It's about 4 inches wide and angry. EEEEEeeeek. It was so sore and tender that I'll be wearing pants all week in addition to a bandage over the wounds. Tres mad. It's too bad too, I have another pair of running pants from Addidas that I adore. And today, I am taking a day off. (The thought of any exercise involving movement of my lower body makes me want to scream.)

Still, I love runs like the one I had. I needed a happy space and I found it. (And if any of my avid readers would like to suggest a good brand of stay in place tights, it would be much appreciated.)

Invasion of the closet gnomes

Distances: We: 3.33 miles/ Thurs 3.43/ Sat 6.54 miles
Weigh-in: Down 2 (Eighteen to go.)

Well. I love the fall. There is something about this time of year that makes me go out there and sprint. And now that the Virus from Mars has stopped causing volcanic eruptions of snot throughout the household, it feels good to be out there and working out again.

Last week, I dug out the fall clothing -- discovered gnomes had made them all smaller. When I stepped on the scales and discovered that the closet gnomes had messed with it too. I decided that this called for drastic action. It called for a plan. Like the running the plan has to be flexible. Because a life without cookies is sad. It's let's hold a telethon sad. I was reading a blog, I don't remember which one. (Pat's blog maybe) One of the blog's where the dude has lost at least a baby's worth of weight (The Boy was 10 pounds, that's a babies worth) and this guy had kept track of calories and nutrients using Fitday.com.

Basically for free, it allows me to keep track of my eating, my activities and nutrients*. Did I mention I am a bit of a geek? Did I mention that someone once told me I was obsessed with running, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam and that they didn't get that I didn't think this was a problem? (Do you?) Did I mention that I love a chart?

Totally obsessed with this fitday thing. All in all, when I focus on it my diet is pretty balanced. (Also realizing that RDA of vitamins is slightly political and up for debate, still it's a good place to start.) Still there are some holes. Vitamin E and vitamin D are in short supply. (D is scary because up here in the winter we don't get enough sunlight to produce in through sun exposure.)

All in all week one of eat right and exercise has yielded some very important lessons:

• Suddenly and dramatically increasing your water consumption will results in going to the bathroom 7 times in 6 hours. This will dramatically reduce your productivity. You even have to cut down on your blog reading time. (The Nerve.)
  
• All the time spent walking to the restroom is good for your activity level.
  
• Still it will not result in any weight loss.
  
• You need eat roughly 16.7 kiwis in order to get your RDA of vitamin E.
  
• It's now dark at 6:30 p.m. When running through the farm at that hour EVERY ONE looks like a serial killer. Even the 70 year old woman walking her dog.
  
• And maybe just maybe I am getting my groove back...

Next week is the Rattle Me Bones 10K run. Miss G and I are going to run it slowly together. I am thinking about the Hypothermic Half Marathon... I know I said I wouldn't do it again.

Pumpkin Run

One of the issues with being a working mom, (and the guilt too) is that I just can't make it to all the school things. (I make it to a lot of them.)

For the last few weeks, The Boy has been going on and on about the running they've been doing in gym class. They were training for the Pumpkin Run. His age group 7-8 was doing the 1500m. He also said he comes in dead last every time. (But really seemed ok with it, much to my surprise really.)

Today was the big event, and I couldn't make it. It was clear across town (30 minutes from my office) for what (should be at most a 7-minute event.) Le sigh. But I felt very bad. (Yes, I realize I am making excuses.) So I pick him up tonight, and two girls from his class come up to me à propos of nothing and say "The Boy did really well today in his run." From what I can gather he just kept running and passed a bunch of kids who just couldn't do it anymore, and finish well ahead of at least a 5 or six kids. "Well Mom, I said thanks for stopping as I passed them..." (guffaw.)

"Well, Mme Cheryl (Gym Teacher), said all she cared about was that we finished and that we ran the whole thing. I knew I could do it because I'd done it with you guys."

I must admit that when I dropped him off this morning, I was a bit concerned that he'd be crushed by his performance. But he's really really proud of himself. He had fun today. He did what he wanted to do... and he's ok with that. We talked about my coming in last prior to this, I'd like to think he was listening.

More than this though, given the hellish, awful, dreadful, cruel, sadistic, gym teachers I have had. I think Mme Cheryl really deserves a big nod for making sure all the kids understood about effort and talent. I remember the running block (fuck I hated them) in grade school. And I remember mandatory running in gym in high school and the pressure to keep up. (It's why I chuckled to myself when I run now.) The pressure to always win. Don't get me wrong, the kids are stoked their other classmates came in first (boys and girls) -- but it was really sweet that they were impressed that The Boy did so well and they recognized his effort. That's not the kind of thing you can teach, I think that's the kind of thing you show. And for that Mme Cheryl is elevated to one of my favourite teachers. I think I may write to tell the Principal about it.

TIART: Can you repeat that?

Today's topic from Runners Lounge is "Quotes and Phrases" that motivate you, or stimulate you or do whatever it is you need to get you through the tough stuff.

Most of what keeps me going is stupid and really rather inane. Here's a few things the keep me going.

• I was (still am really) obsessed with time. Until one day, someone said to me "It takes the time that it takes." When the body is just not willing to shave that extra 30 seconds off that mile even though I have done it in the past.
• Back of the pack motivation: "The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself." (That's from that Every body's Free (To wear sunscreen) spoken word hit thingy from the '90s.)
• As you all know, there are some song lyrics that really get me going.
  "Success is my only fucking option, failures not..." Eminem, Lose Yourself. The f-bomb definitely work when I get angry with myself.
• "I love myself Today, not like yesterday
  I'm cool, I'm calm, I'm going to be ok..." Bif Naked, I love Myself Today
• "That's 41 km for you sister!" spoken to me as I was completing my first marathon in a rush of half marathoners. She looked genuinely thrilled for me.
• But sometimes the hilarity of situation hits me. During this last half, a woman recognized me (the horror) lycra spectacle that I was, and screamed "Oh my god Joey, That's your soccer coach." This is funny because I am pretty sure that if you were to ask anyone who knew me even 10 years ago: soccer coach and marathon runner are definitely NOT two things you'd ever use to describe me.

15 seconds of fame!

Amy not only got angel wings from me last week, she and Tom bestowed upon me FREE SHOES!! from onlineshoes.com* for my post about Believing, which I posted over at Runners Lounge. Aren't these guys just the best for the prizes.

But that wasn't enough, they decided to interview me for The Blog. Possibly the most long winded, non-sensical ever posted there... be warned but do go check it out. Tell them I sent you.

How fat is Nat's ass?

I have a cold and chronic laziness so I have done nothing all week. In truth I am preparing for a very difficult, soul wrenching, month long endurance challenge.

Viv's second weight loss challenge. It has a name I think it's something like "Nat's ass is really that fat." If it's not it should be. In preparation, Nancy and I are taking the unusual step of double stuffing our pie holes. (Ok, maybe in my case it's not that unusual.) So there will be whining about the lack of cookies... a lot of whining.

Why you ask am I starting a weight loss three days prior to Thanksgiving? Because I love a challenge. I promise to think twice before a second dollop of stuffing. Then I will probably have it anyway. You see for me, stuffing is like the Borg -- Resistance is futile.

The goal is to drop a good 10 pounds by Christmas. (Round #2 of stuffing.)

Seriously if food was just made to be fuel it wouldn't be so darned tasty.

On the running front, I am on hiatus this week thanks to the attack of snot monster. Life sucks when I don't run. So I am going to run tomorrow night, and see how much my lungs hate me.