Another marathon memento to put around my neck

The other day I saw a website that made necklaces for athletes.

I decided I HAD to HAVE a necklace in honor of the marathon I ran...2 years ago.

Isn't it spiffy?  You get to customize the charm piece with a map of the town you ran the race in.

My only question is.... Do I need 13 of them for each half marathon I've run?????

Check out thesilvermaple.com for more ideas.

Don't judge a book by its cover

A few weeks ago I went for a run in the morning before work (which I hadn't done for a while - even to say it hasn't been a while would be an exaggeration).  I noticed an older boat of a car parked in an odd spot (kind of the middle of nowhere). A man was standing outside of it with the trunk open and passenger door open. He was Windexing the passenger window - it was 5:45 in the morning.

The scene was definitely weird to me and my mind started to come up with random scenarios.

The one it settled on was that he was a kidnapper. I don't know why - the man was not threatening in any way - but it was the combo of the car (with the trunk open) and him windexing the freaking window at 5:45 AM.

I noticed there was a lady behind me walking her dogs. I kept running and let my mind wonder at the possibilities. "Does he use the people he kidnaps skin to make a skin outfit for himself - no wait - that's silence of the lambs".   "Does he like tall women, chubby women, redheads, etc."

{Side note - for those of you who think I am a freak - tell me what else my mind should be thinking about when I run. It has to drift off somewhere, doesn't it?}

I decided to change my route home - I was just too freaked out to go by the car again.  In my heart of hearts I new there was no harm or immediate threat to myself, but I secretly decided to watch the news that night to see if he made the crime report. 

I then wondered about the lady I saw behind me walking the dogs and wondered if he kidnapped her. (Can we say wild imagination?)

Luckily, I saw her down the road so I ran past her, and against all my better judgement - I decided to ask her if she was as creeped out by the guy windexing his windows with the trunk open.  She said no -he is there all the time. He's a runner and usually is stretching or something.

Boy did I feel like a ding bat (or rather I decided my imagination was a ding bat - I was just looking out for it - ha ha).

Fast forward to this week. I went running in the morning again (woo hoo - twice in one summer - wow).  On the return loop I ran past the street I had seen the man before and low and behold he was there running in my direction.  He make the corner before I got there. I figured, in my young age, I would eventually pass him (I estimate his age at 65+).  He was slightly ahead of me and I COULD NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME CATCH UP WITH HIM. He is freaking fast!   I was shocked and appalled. I know I'm no speed demon - but come on - there's gotta be a 30 year age gap!  Nope - not a chance - the dude was gone!

So - the moral of the story is to never judge a book by its cover...

(or if you Windex your car windows in the wee early hours of the morning... with the trunk open... you'll run faster).

The 26.2 most important reasons why women run - part 1

I just got this book from the library (yea library) and am already hooked and I am only on page 4! 

"I am not a good runner because I am me, I am a good me because I am a runner....Running is connected to my family, my parenting, my spiritual life, my fitness, my friendships, my health, my sanity, my peace. I can clear my head and solve problems when I run, or make peace with not knowing. I can find beauty, or at least redemption, no matter what."

I can only hope the next 272 pages are as good as the first 4. I will keep you posted!

(The book is called Mile Markers and it is written by Kristin Armstrong.)

Three things I can't run without

This one is for my runner friends.

If you've ever seen some of my running photos, you will probably notice 3 things that show up in every photos because they are 3 things that you will not see me run a race without...

1) A Sweatvac visor.   I love these things and own several colors. I have a large head (gotta put the brains somewhere) and what's nice about the visor is that it has an elastic stretch thing in the back to expand. That way I can adjust it if I need to add ear warmers in the winter time. I find that the backing of a normal hat/visor doesn't adjust large enough sometimes and gives me a headache.  My only complaint is that I've run out of colors to purchase - and I wish there were more design options for the front. Other than that - they rock (and they are machine washable). My hubby wears the hat version and loves it too.

As if on cue - I got an email from with with a promotional offer - woo hoo!! Like em on Facebook and get 25% off.

2) My Ultimate Direction water bottle. I can't quite put in to words how much I love this H2O bottle. I love the soft piece that you suck out of, I love the hand holder with pocket to put things in, and I love how versatile it is - at a race they were offering beer at the end and ran out of cups so I used my bottle to fill er up.  I know there are lots of other great water bottles out there - for instance my husband prefers his Nathan - but I will stick with my ultimate direction!!  I find the ones with hard plastic pieces that you have to bite down on to open too painful/cumbersome for my liking.  I bought my original one at a local running store, but they stopped carrying them so I recently found them at REI.

3) I saved the best for last - my balega socks! O-M-G these rock. I got them at my local running store and have since then highly recommended them to all other runners. They may be pricey (approx $10 a pair) but they are so worth it. Your feet will thank you, your shoes will thank you, and the little piggy that went wee wee wee all the way home will thank you.  I will still occasionally get a random blister, but other than that they've been wonderful. My husband prefers the more cushioned version, but I rock the ones with the small band on top - mainly so we can tell who they belong to when they come out of the drier.

Look - even the dog is drooling over them.

How running became a part of who I am...

Today was one of those bliss filled days where a seven mile run turned into a nine mile run because it simply felt good.  I’m not sure if it was the temperature, scenery, feet finally falling into a perfect rhythm, or relaxed breathing but today’s run gave me the time to reflect on why I run and what it means to me.  Today I realized that I’ve been running for five years now.  Who knew that an innocent phone call from a friend in 2007 challenging me to try the couch to 5K program  would turn me in to somebody who has completed 28 small runs, 11 half marathons, and 1 full marathon…somebody who has run in five different states and on 2 islands. 

I consider myself an average joe. I’m not artistic, athletic, or talented.  When I realized that I didn’t have trophies, plagues, certificates, or awards from my childhood to show my children I was disappointed.  Running has now changed that.  Years from now when my children or grandchildren ask me what I was like at their age, I imagine myself grabbing a cane, climbing an old rickety ladder into an attic where I will grab a small box filled with my running mementos. Thanks to running I will now have trophies, photos, medals, and a coveted beer stein to show them.  I will proudly explain to them that although I was never first in a race, I was happy that I finished and always did MY best.

Running has also given back to me.  No, I’m not talking about blackened toe nails, blisters, bowel issues or chaffing in unmentionable places.  I’m talking about pride, a sense of being, and an outlet to relief stress.  (When I find myself being crabby around my family I know that it is time to go for a run to clear my mind and emotions.)  I am blessed to have shared running with my spouse, offspring, sibling, sister-in-law, nephew, co-worker, and friends from high school and college.  Running has blossomed old friendships into new running buddies. It has turned an acquaintance into a cherished running partner. I realize that not everybody I know will love running, or even be willing to give it a try. I am fine with that, but I hope they know that, if interested, it will be a great pleasure of mine to accompany any of them during their first 5K race.

Ever since I got my first medal from a race (a medal that is given to every finisher) there has been a part of me that has always wanted to take a Michael Phelps inspired photo. I’m sure you can all conjure up the image of the Sports Illustrated cover of him with his eight Olympic medals.  I can finally fulfill that desire.  I will never be an Olympian or come close to his athletic caliber, but by golly I can at least enjoy the personal gratification of eight of my own medals hanging around my neck.

After two more half marathons this fall (which will bring my total to 13) I will have to come up with a new running goal. I am not sure what it will be yet, but I am sure I will have plenty of inspiring runs like today that will help me come up with something.  

Enjoy and happy running.