18 Divided By 2 Equals 9!

No, today's post isn't a math lesson!  I found out yesterday that I'll be runner #9.  In case you didn't know, 18 is my favorite & my lucky number.

So when I found out I was going to be runner #9, my first thought was, "Cool!  That's 18 divided by 2!"  (Keep in mind that I'm a math geek, so I'm always looking for mathy things like that.)

While I don't have the longest distances to run, I don't have the shortest ones either.  This is what I'll be tackling.

The longest leg is only 8.1 miles.  That's totally do-able!  (Don't roll your eyes at the "only 8.1 miles" comment.  You know what I mean!)

I'm a Medium!

Remember the last post?  (You best be shaking your head saying, "Yes.")  Well, I heard from the team captain that I'm a medium.  No, not the psychic kind of medium, although that would be really cool!

In case you're wondering, no, I have not gained weight, so it's also not the medium-sized t-shirt either.  

(Gosh, I'd probably be swimming in that, don't you think?!)

I mean "medium" in terms of distance!  Apparently, all of the longer distances have already been requested.  Who knew those would be the popular ones?!  Team captain Andy said I'd most likely get something in the 15-18 mile range.  Hey, that's cool with me!  During the Keys100 relay in May, I covered 18.64 miles.  (Linky with details & other good numbers.)

According to the distances chart, that means I could end up possibly being runner 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, or 12.

Time for a Grandma story!  I was talking with her today, and when I brought up this relay, she said, "Oh gosh!  I've got to start getting ready for that!"  Yes, Grandma, you do!  Just like my other races, especially the Keys100, I want you there with me!  You drink your Dr. L while I run.  We're a great team like that!  :-)

Less Than 2 Months to Go!

It's less than 2 months until Ragnar!  Woo hoo!  Time to start thinking about what legs of the relay I'll run.  Well, honestly, I'm not thinking about it too much.  As the "outsider" to the group, I'm flexible and agreeable and all of those other -ables that you want to use.  I'm not against running the shorter totals, and I'm not against running the longer ones either.  Unlike the Keys100 relay where you can sort of pick your order & distances, Ragnar is more structured.  Take a look at what's below to get a feel for what I'm talking about.

Maybe runner #3 doesn't have my name written all over it.  (Did you see that part, especially legs 2 and 3?!  In my best George Takei voice, "Oh my!"  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you need to watch the short clip below.)

 

Nah, you know me!  I'm up for any challenge!  :-)

Note to Self: Don't Eat Yogurt Before a Run

Please take note, and feel free to remind me if I forget this: yogurt before a run is not good, but yogurt after a run is totally fine.

Would you like to guess what I ate before my run this morning?  (It was this, but it was the raspberry flavor.  Very delicious but not good before a run!  I should have stuck to my usual pre-run snack, a banana, and saved the yogurt for after.)

That is all...

Reunited (with My Long Runs) and It Feels So Good!

In honor of today's post, I've got to give you the true "Reunited and It Feels So Good" song.  It's well worth the 6 minutes and 14 seconds.  Go watch, and then return here after you're thoroughly mellowed out!

Today was my first "long run" since (I kid you not) July 8th.  Why do I have "long run" in quotes?  Well, opinions vary, but mine is that 6 miles really doesn't qualify as "long."  Had you asked me back in May or June or even July what a "long run" was, I'd have certainly said a minimum of 10 miles.  However, beggars (or, more accurately, those returning from an injury) can't be choosers; if the physical therapist says 6 miles is today's long run, so be it!

This 6 mile run, though, felt so good!  It was slow, as per the PT's instructions.  Long runs aren't about speed; they're about muscle endurance and getting your muscles to accept longer amounts of time over which they must work.  So today's run was just that: slow!  Don't believe me?  Check out a screen shot of my RunKeeper results.  A pace of 8:45 is slow!

Despite my psuedo-bitching, I have to admit that it felt so good to be out there!  It was probably the easiest 6 mile run I've ever done, but it was a great one to ease back into the game!

Race Day...Even for Me!

Thanksgiving morning really was a time to give thanks!  It was my first "real running" day since early September.  Yes, almost 3 months had gone by since I had run outside, on pavement, in an unassisted manner.  My return to racing took place in Palm City at the 5k Turkey Trot.

It was a cold morning.  So cold, in fact, that I didn't even look at any temperature readings before the race.  It had to be in the upper 40s, and it was windy too!  I ran wearing my fleece over my team jersey; there's your proof that it was damn cold!  (Although, to be totally honest with you, at about a half mile in, I did wish that I had skipped the fleece.)

So being that it was my first race in pretty close to 6 months, my philosophy was to take it easy.  What does that mean?  The hell if I know!  Haha!  No, seriously, most of my AlterG runs were at paces between 8:10-ish and 8:30-ish per mile.  I figured that I'd be happy with anything under 9 minutes per mile.  Well, at one minute into the race, I got my first RunKeeper update.  My pace was something around 8:24.  Ok, not bad.  Each minute after that, got a little faster.  Before you start yelling at me because I was going take it easy, you've got to realize that 8:24 (or whatever it was) felt easy; in fact, it felt way too easy.  I just ran comfortably.  (Hmmmm, should I say that I ran at the edge of discomfort?)  While I certainly didn't set the world on fire or set any records, my average pace ended up being 7:47, and it was good enough for 3rd in my age group.  For my first race back, I was pretty happy!

Check out the goofy-yet-totally-cool trophy I won!

What's next?  Gettin' back to running my 'hood!  :-)

"Don't go crazy." What does that exactly mean?

I love ambiguous phrases like "don't overdo it" or "don't go crazy."  What do they mean?  My idea of not overdoing it might be someone else's idea of totally overdoing it!  Do you see where I'm going?

Today was the second time that my physical therapist, Bryan, has used the phrase "don't go crazy" with me.  That cracks me up because he obviously knows me!  Today, I could not help myself; I had to ask him to define what that meant.  You know that phrase, "Go big or go home"?  Well, I get that!  What's the point of doing something (heck, doing anything) if you're not going to go big!  Well, Bryan's "don't go crazy" is pretty much the exact opposite of "go big or go home," so it was probably a good thing I asked for a definition!

A quick recap for all you kiddos out there: physical therapy is going well, and I'm up to 95% of my weight on the AlterG.  I'll do one more session on Wednesday at 95%, and then, if all goes well and I feel good, I'm set free & can start running outside again!  Woo hoo!  But here's where the "don't go crazy" comes in!  My PT's definition of "don't go crazy" means no more than 4 days of running each week (totally do-able), starting off with a run combo of something around 2 short runs of about 3 miles each, 1 medium run of about 4 miles, and 1 long run around 6-7 miles (again, totally do-able), and not increasing overall mileage by more than 5-10% each week.  Did you notice that I didn't say "totally do-able" there?  I'm mathy.  I get numbers, and I'm pretty good at calculating 5% and 10% of any number out there.  It's just that 10% is so small, and 5% is so much smaller!  With a 3-3-4-6 type of week, 5% more would add just 0.8 miles.  Since I like round numbers, I'd bump that up to a 1.  (Come on, you know you would too!)

But here's the thing: you don't need to worry about me.  Yes, I will take it slowly, and yes, I'll be extra careful!  I've got 11 teammates for Ragnar who need me in just about another 10 weeks.  If you think I'd risk letting them down, you've got another thing comin'! 

Saturday was Race Day...For Everyone Except Me!

Saturday (11/16) was the Veteran's Memorial Bridge Run.  This was supposed to be my "coming out" party, and my first race after all this stress fracture malarky.  Did you notice that I used phrase "was supposed to be" in that previous sentence?  Yes, you know where this is going.  Yes, I was still a part of the event, but I finished in 26th place in my age group.  Do you know what that is?  I'll tell you: it's crap! 

It's a running race for Christ's sake, not a walking race, but I still haven't been cleared to run.  (It's getting close, though!!  Woo hoo!)  So the best I could do was power-walk my way to 26th place.  (For you "mathy" types, that corresponds to 367th place out of 579 runners who crossed the finish line.  Yes, shitty, I know.)  Had there been a power-walking division, I'm pretty sure I would've kicked some major butt there; alas, no such division existed, so I'm relegated to 367th.  Pitiful.

Ok, enough of this pity party!  Ready for some possibly good news?  Tomorrow, I'm set to be at 85% of my body weight on the AlterG and will be able to run the entire time!  Can I get a "woo hoo" from the crowd?! 

So, kiddos, keep your fingers, toes, and any other body parts crossed.  If 85% goes well on Wednesday, it'll be 90% on Friday!  Maybe the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot will be my "coming out" party!!!  As Mr. Shrives, my 5th grade teacher used to say, "Time will tell."  Or, as Andy Cohen from Bravo says, "Watch what happens!"

"I run at the edge of discomfort."

I cannot take credit for the title of today's blog post.  That actually came from Jake who was on my Keys100 team.  It's an interesting concept if you think about it.

I run with my phone.  Yes, it's a royal pain in the butt, but my RunKeeper app updates me every minute with my average pace and distance completed.  I love it, but I realize it's anoying to have to carry it the whole time.  (What, you expect me to wear it on my arm?!  What if I need an update before the next minute's update comes?!  Sheesh - you expect me to wait up to another 59 seconds?!  Talk to Grandma; she'll fill you in on just how patient I am!)

So back to the topic at hand: running at the edge of discomfort.  I forget the exact circumstance surrounding this, but during the Keys100 relay, either Jake's phone or watch stopped working.  Of course, had this happened to me, it would've been a major crisis, but he took it all in stride.  I asked how he knew if he was running too fast or too slow, and his response was, "I run at the edge of discomfort."  He reasoned that if he was running too hard (ie: going too fast), he'd be in too much discomfort; if he was running not hard enough (ie: going too slow), he'd be too comfortable.

I definitely like that line of thinking, and I can see how it works.  However, if you're a head-case like I am, and your body insists that it's working too hard (even though you know it's not), it might be too tempting to pull back.  In fact, a NY Times article pretty much said that: "Tell yourself during exercise that you’re not as tired as you think you are and you could make that statement true, a new study shows, reminding us that the body intertwines with the mind in ways that we are only starting to understand."

So my philosophy is just to go balls out (within reason, of course).  Yes, it depends on how far I'm going as to the pace I try to keep, but I take comfort in this (below).  Yes, I have seen this shirt at many races; no, that's not me wearing it!

Grandma's World: 99 Problems and My Running Shouldn't be One of Them!

I've got a good Grandma story for you.  If you're a past or current reader of my blogs, you know that Grandma stories are funny.  She's a hoot, and I wish I could introduce her to all of you!  So here's the latest: I call Grandma after each of my physical therapy appointments because, you know how grandmas are, she worries about everything!  The calls are always good ones because I've been letting her know that I'm slowly upping my weight percentage and am running more (ie: combinations of 5 minutes of running and 30 seconds of walking vs. 3 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking like I did in the beginning).  So on Wednesday, I call Grandma on my way home from the appointment and give her the update.  We talk about a bunch of stuff, some of it running-related and some of it not.  I told her how I'm going to do the November 16th bridge run.  She was worried about that, but I assured her that my physical therapist did know about that, and he's the one who said I should be good to go by then.  I reminded Grandma that if I didn't feel up to running, I could just walk the route.  You'd think that would make her feel better, right?  Her comment, in that slightly exhausted, head-shaking with concern voice was, "Oh, Kim, I worry about you running."  I just couldn't help it, but I busted out laughing and said, "Grandma, my running should be the least of your worries."  Even she got a good laugh out of that when she realized that running's pretty tame compared to some of the other things I have done and am planning to do: sky-diving, hang gliding, scuba diving, getting my motorcycle license, etc.

Gettin' Closer!

At first when I titled this post, I was thinking strictly in terms of time because each day really is getting closer to Ragnar in February. But, the more I think about it, it's also appropriate in terms of me getting closer to returning to running! Woo hoo! 

 Last week was my first time on the AlterG, or, as I call it when talking with Grandma, the "special treadmill."  I had 3 days when I used it, and it was fabulous!  I was at 65% of my weight and doing a Galloway-style of 3 minutes running with 1 minute of walking.  Everything felt great, and I loved that I could kind of get back to running!

Today was my 4th day, and I was given the go-ahead to move up to 75% of my weight and to increase the running to 4 minutes with only 30 seconds of walking.  Loved it!  Wednesday is my next appointment, and I'll be at 80% of my weight with 5 minutes of running and 30 seconds of walking.  OMG!  Too excited about that!

The weather is getting so perfect for running.  I think back to April and May when I was trying to train myself to get used to the sun, heat, and humidity that would be a part of the Keys100 relay.  While the sun will still be around, it won't be nearly as intense as it was in May; the heat, well, the real question is how much will there be?!  I got the cutest pair of RBX pants the other day; assuming it's cool enough to want to wear pants for some of the runs in February, they might be perfect!  Of course they're terribly cute too, but you already knew that, right?!  (I've searched Google & Bing images; can't find a good picture of these pants, so you'll just have to take my word for it as to the cuteness level.)

Today was AlterG day!

So today's pretty much been the day I've been waiting for since September 8th.  Does that day not ring a bell?  It was the day of my last run.  It's been 6 weeks (to the day, for those of you who are counting) of no running.  That's hard!  Oh, don't roll your eyes!  It really is hard for a runner to not run.  Back on topic: today was AlterG day!

This was me from about 9:30 to 10am:

Ok, maybe that wasn't me, but you get the picture!  Seriously, how cool is that thing?!  It felt so damn good to be back running again, albeit at 65% of my real self.  Yup, that's the whole thing behind why the AlterG is so special; you can literally run at a percentage of your true weight.

Over the next 4 weeks, I'll be using it 3 times each week at increasing percents.  The idea is to slowly get my bones to realize what's normal without throwing them right back into the mix at 100%!

There's a compliment in there somewhere...I think!

Let me preface this by saying I think (well, actually, I hope) there's a compliment masked by the statement for the scene I'm about to set for you.  I love the salon where I go for my pedicures & eyebrow waxes.  Lee Ping, the owner, is so sweet.  In case you couldn't tell, she's Chinese, and that fact will be important in a bit. 

Lee Ping knows of my love for running and of all of the races I've been a part of since February; she also knows of my injury and has seen me with my brace and, at other times, limping.  (Personally, I considered it more of a "saunter" than a "limp," but that's just me.)  As is the case with any salon, you talk about what's going on, so Lee Ping knows all about my "no running" directives from the doctors.  Well, it had been a good 3 or maybe even 4 weeks since she had last seen me, and when I walked in to the salon on Tuesday, after saying "hello" to her and the rest of the staff, her first words to me were, "You're not fat!"  Ummmmm, there's a compliment in there...right????

Now, to be fair, I know what Lee Ping really meant.  Those 3 words were really summarizing this: Wow, it's been a while since I've seen you; I know you're not running at all, but you still look like you always have.  Of course, it came out as simply, "You're not fat." 

I can't even remember what I said.  Honestly, it was hysterical, and I probably said something along the lines of "uhhhh, thanks!"  That is the correct reply when a compliment is given, right?  We had a good chuckle over it.  Maybe it was a language or cultural thing where the sentiment was there, but the words didn't quite express it correctly.  Either way, Lee Ping's still awesome, and, yeah, in case you're wondering because you haven't seen me in a while, she was right: I'm not fat.

:-)

Oh happy day (yesterday)!

I did not think I'd be writing this so soon, but I was officially cleared to run yesterday!  Yes, you read that right!  No, I'm not making that up!  Seriously!  :-)

Yesterday was my 4 week follow-up appointment with the ortho in Jupiter.  Honestly, I wasn't sure why I was even going, but I figured it was worth it just to go & ask about physical therapy.  It started out as the usual doctor visit with the "How's everything going?" question.  As has been my standard answer for about the last 4 weeks, "I feel great, but I'm not really doing anything where I shouldn't feel great."  We talked about my weekly mileage prior to the injury, the doctor did some mental math, and then said I could start running!  Half-mile run, a mile walk, a half-mile run, and that's it!  I can do that 4 times a week.  The following week, I can up it to a mile run, a mile walk, a mile run.  Of course, I asked how fast this could be.  While there wasn't a physical eye roll, I'm sure he was mentally doing that!  Honestly, my pace will suck.  I'll be lucky if I can do 8 min/mile (which was never anything "special" prior to the injury unless it was a 12+ mile run).  His answer, in case you're wondering, was to take an "average pace" and add 30 seconds per mile to it.

I know you think that I would come right home from that appointment yesterday and get right to running!  Trust me, I wanted to do just that!  But honestly, I don't want to hurt my crotch any more than I already have.  (My sister & I have had a running joke since this happened about how I hurt my crotch.  I know, it's slightly inappropriate, but if you can't be immature and inappropriate with your sister, who else would not find it offensive?  Miley Cirus????)  Here's my plan: I've got my physical therapy appointment for next Friday.  (They couldn't get me in any sooner; I asked and even begged!)  Between now & then, I'll continue to power-walk the 'hood and do some elliptical workouts.  It won't kill me (although it feels like it will) to not run a bit longer.  As Joan said, you know how fast a week goes!

Going nowhere fast

So by now, you know about my stress fracture and the strict "no running" orders that I've been given by multiple doctors.  That's why this blog post's theme is "going nowhere fast."  In the three-and-a-half weeks since the official diagnosis, I've been doing a whole lot of that.  Some of it's been fun, and some of it is God-awful boring.

I think I made it a whole week-and-a-half, well, maybe it wasn't even that long, before doing something semi-active: kayaking!  Even though it was not the fast-paced type of activity of which I'm fond, it was very fun and super relaxing!  Thanks, Joan, for sharing your passion with me and getting me to try something new that I've wanted to do do for a long time!  I've been on Craig's List trying to find a kayak to buy.  Who knew those things could be so much money?!

Another activity in which I've been partaking is walking.  As I said to Dave, this isn't "walking" as in taking a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood.  It's a definite power walk, but even that's not enough to really give a decent cardio workout...at least for me.  I guess I should look at it as a precursor to running.  It gets me out & about, it's fun to get some sun and see the neighborhood, and it's certainly better than doing nothing.  I've been tracking my walks on RunKeeper, so I know how far I go, what my pace is, etc.  Although, it is hard to hear those RunKeeper updates every minute and know where I would have been (distance-wise) had I been running.

While at the ACE Conference in Orlando, I did hit the gym at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista.  It was my first time on an elliptical in what feels like forever!  Man, oh man, did it feel good to be back to that!  Don't worry - I didn't "over do it."  (Although, to be totally honest, I did have to not tell my one doctor about this since he advised me to do nothing.  Yes, literally nothing.)  The Hilton ellipticals were really nice.  They were smooth and would constantly scroll between your RPMs and your speed in MPH.  It tracked the time and distance too, but you already knew that!  As much as I would've loved to spend a long time on there, conferences aren't very conducive to long workouts, so I'd only have about 30 minutes each day.  (Ok, ok, it was a bit longer because you can't just stop!  You've got to cool down!) 

My last morning at the conference, I hit the gym for one final elliptical session.  Bernadette said that when she walked by, she saw me, but thought I was on the treadmill running.  Of course, she knows that I'm not supposed to be doing that, so (in her words) she was about to do that panicked "mom knock" on the door to get me to stop running.  Luckily, before the first knock, she realized that I was on the elliptical and all was well with the world!  Thanks, Bernadette, for being a good friend and being ready to save me from myself!  LOL

Wednesday's my 4-week follow-up visit with my ortho in Jupiter.  Keep your fingers crossed that I can convince the doctor that physical therapy and the AlterG anti-gravity treadmill are good ideas!  It would be awesome to get back to running, even if it is only at a small percentage of my body weight.

So while I'm currently going nowhere fast, I'm hoping that my running friends (Stephanie, Susan, and Melanie) will enjoy their big races on the 12th & 13th!  Stephanie's running the Chicago Marathon, and both Susan and Melanie are doing the Key West Half Marathon!  Right now, I'm vicariously living my "running life" through them!  You go, girls!!!!

Time flies when you're having fun!

Yes, the above title is true.  But I wouldn't say that I've been having "fun" lately.  Why?  Well, let me sum it up for you in two words: stress fracture.  Yes.  Seriously.  Need more details?  Pelvic stress fracture.  Yes.  Seriously.  How did I do that?  Running, apparently.  Yes.  Seriously.  Who knew?!

Do you want the good news or the bad news?  Bad news first?  Ok, you got it!  No running!  Oh, you read that right, and you can imagine how incredibly fabulous that went over when I heard it.  Not just once, but from literally everyone: two orthos, a physical therapist, and my chiropractor.  Yeah, add in Grandma & Dad to that list too.  Ready for some good news?  According to the two orthos and the physical therapist, I can (and should) exercise while "recovering."  (Why do I have that word in quotes?  Heck if I know!  I guess because during 99.9% of my day, I don't feel "injured," so I don't really think of myself as "recovering.")  Want the bad news?  I've had a few people (1 chiropractor, 1 father, and 1 physical therapist (not the one referenced above)) tell me that I should do nothing for 12 weeks.  Ummmm, could you please repeat that word?  N-o-t-h-i-n-g?  I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that of which you speak.  Who does nothing?!  Certainly not me!  Need some good news?  I should be (fingers crossed, knock on wood, and any other good luck superstitions you can think of) be able to run in time to get back in shape for February's Ragnar relay!

Back to the topic at hand: pelvic stress fractures.  Do you know anyone who's had one?  My guess is "no."  Do I know anyone who's had one?  No, not really.  (Not unless you count Judy who told me after I told her that I thought I might have one that her niece who's in the military had one.  Mark that note; you'll be wanting to recall that fun fact later on in the blog.)  Over the last 2-3 months, I've read more than I've cared to on pelvic stress fractures.  What have I learned?  Basically, they suck big time.  This is not one of those "oh, take it easy for a few weeks, and you'll be back in the game" type of things.  It means weeks (well, really months) off of running and anything "impact-y" like that.  Oh, and what's the deal with this nonsense of "8 to 12 weeks."  I'm a math teacher, for crying out loud!  There's a huge difference between 8 and 12 weeks!  (50% if you want to be exact!)  I did learn something semi-interesting, although it doesn't make this suck any less.  Pelvic stress fractures, in the big picture of all of the types of stress fractures, are pretty uncommon.  (Shocking, right?!  Can you see my eyes rolling as I type that?)  But, where they are not uncommon (yes, I know - double negative) would be in two populations: female military recruits and female long distance runners.  Want to take a guess as to which category I fit?

I don't believe this was a case of "too many miles in too short of an amount of time."  Let's face it, when I was getting ready for the Keys100, I had many weeks where I was probably running more often and more miles (especially when I started my two-a-day runs in the heat).  I remember a great weekend up in NJ where I did 30 miles over just 4 days (7, 6.5, 10, and 6.5 for those of you who want to get technical).  Yes, when this happened, I might have been in my marathon training, and I might have been doing about 25 miles(ish) each week, but that's not really that much.  (If you're a non-runner, resist the temptation to tell me that it is that much!)  As my ortho in Jupiter said (a few different times), I have "small bones."  No shit - look at me!  You'd hardly think, "Damn, that's a big-boned girl!"  Plus, I hate to admit this, but Mom was right: I should've been taking calcium.  (Ladies, let this be a lesson to all y'all - take your calcium!)

So what's happening now?  A whole lot of not much.  I'm doing calcium like a crack addict, I started walking (God, it's so slow & boring), and I'm going to get back into doing my elliptical.  Those of you who know me know this absolutely blows the big one, but what can you do?  I have my pity party and the FML moments.  (If you don't know what FML stands for and are easily offended, don't look it up or ask me what it means.)  And then there are times that I say, "Well, if it had to happen, I'm glad it was now and not closer to February!"  Yes, this is my "year of the Kim," but that doesn't mean that 2014 can't (and won't) be "year of the Kim part 2."

Stay well, appreciate your bones, and take your calcium!!!!

Pickles are on sale!

I was so excited when I saw that pickles were BOGO at Publix yesterday.  Why do pickles put such a spark in me?  You must remember my past pickle post from the Keys100 blog.  (Click that linky to refresh your memory.)  Pickles or, more accurately, pickle juice is really wonderful!  Oh, don't be shaking your head or making that face like you just ate something sour.  Trust me, if you're ever experiencing a foot/leg cramp of epic proportions, pickle juice can be what saves you from what feels like excruciating torture.

With having one relay under my belt and knowing what foods I did and didn't eat during that, I'm looking forward to putting that experience and knowledge to use when I run Ragnar in February!  Pickles will probably be tops on my list.  (Before you ask, yes, I did buy pickles yesterday at Publix.  Who can turn down a BOGO like that?!  No, these won't be the pickles I take in February.  I'm sure they'll be long gone by then.  Yes, Mom, I'll make sure to buy fresh ones so I don't have to have the "it's a sell by date and not a use by date" discussion.)

What will be on my shopping list as February gets closer?  Pickles (like you didn't know that), Belvita cookies, granola bars (probably the Nature Valley Protein chewy bars that have dark chocolate on the bottom), water (duh), Gatorade (double duh), and some other stuff.  Last time, I brought yogurt, and Morgan and I each had one.  It was nice, but being that February probably won't be hot like May was, I don't know if I'll still bring them.  (Maybe one or two to be safe, right?!)  Also, I had some PB&J sandwiches last time; again, they were good, but you know how that goes: they've got to be packed just right or else they're going to end up smushed.  Oh, and speaking of smushed, yes, I'll be taking bananas, but I have got to put them in something to protect them!  I do love me some bananas, but not the mushy kind because they've been squished or sat on!

So what recommendations would you have as far as food goes?  I'm all ears!

It's February, it'll probably be cold...

Before I get to the true purpose of today's blog post, I've got to share a funny story with you about something that just happened!  I'm on my way back from Tallahassee and am finaaaaaaaaaaaaaaly on my connecting flight.  (Ugggh - weather!  Seriously, Mother Nature, of all the days to have bad weather over Tampa, it just haaaaaaaaaad to be today around 5:30pm?!)  Anyway, the flight attendant is this really young chick.  She's asking everyone if they'd like a drink, and when she gets to the guy across the isle from me, she says something like "You were on my earlier flight.  I remember you."  Now, let me paint the picture for you: the guy across the isle is an older man, so I'm sure he was getting quite an ego boost that this cute, young chippy remembered him!  But here's where that ego gets crushed.  She then continues on and says, "I remember your tie.  My dad has the same one."  Ouch!!!!!  I just had to look away at that point.

Ok, back to the real reason for today's blog post: what to wear!  Do you remember my "what to wear" quandry from the Keys100 in May?  (If not, shame on you!  Go read all about it by clicking here.)  But this is going to be the exact opposite situation!  In May, it was all about staying protected from the sun and still trying to stay cool despite the insane heat.  (Do you remember that?  If not, it's review time, kiddies!)

Last week, when I told my friend Lourdes about Ragnar, she said "I hope it's not cold."  Crap!  She's right!  It'll be February, and for you non-Floridians, Florida, even Miami and the Keys, can get damn cold in winter!  (Don't roll your eyes at me!  By "damn cold" I do mean less than 70...much less than 70!)  I'll be watching the weather closely as the days get closer to race time, but think about it for a moment: you need something that you can wear for running, it's got to be something that you can start in and not want to stop midway to take off because it gets too warm.  (Guys, get your minds out of the gutter!)  It's got to be something cute.  (Really?!  You expect me to run and wear something not cute?!  You know those pink Zensa calf sleeves are making another appearance, as will my blue ones!  (Thanks, Mom!))

So returning to the task at hand: will it be my shorts (cute Nike or Adidas spandex), my black spandex capris (they were the ones I wore when I ran the Molly's House Angel Run in March, so you know they're "lucky"), or my full-length leggings?  They're not spandex, so they don't really wick away the moisture, but they do make my legs look really long.  That's a good thing, right?!  (You best be shaking your head to say, "Yes, Kim, that's a good thing!")  But then there's more!  What about the rest of me?  Long sleeves?  Short sleeves?  Will the team do costumes or some other "theme" for the run?  I was thinking about that today.  What might be a fun theme?  80s punk rock?  70s disco?  I hate to admit it, but I am so not creative, so it's hard for me to come up with something original and fun.  (Got any ideas or suggestions, readers?  Post 'em up!!!!  Help a sista' out!)

And what if it's cold-cold, like 65?!  No, I'm kidding...kind of.  Going back to the Molly's House run, it was about 52 degrees at the start of that race, and it actually was perfect!  But like I said before, February can get damn cold.  40s, 30s, etc.  (Yes, Florida can get into the 30s!  I'm not BS-ing you!)

While the cold won't stop me, it might mean looking a little like I'm going skiing and not running.  Mittens?  Scarves?  Turtle Fur head band to cover the ears?  Hmmmmm, I'm going to have to think about this.  (Turtle Fur's cute, but I don't know if I could run with it for a while.)

What's a girl to do?  How about some good weather voodoo ju-ju dance?!  Want to join me??????  You know you do!  :-)

Ragnar Relays: 200 miles + 12 people + 2 vans = FUN!

Have you ever heard of a Ragnar relay? Unless you're in to running and in to races or events, you've probably never heard about it. The first time I heard about it was back in February when I started running with the Team Essen group in Palm City. Let me be honest, I simply heard about it.  (Reading between the lines, I'm sure you know that that means I knew nothing about it other than the name!)  You know how you hear of something for the first time, and then you see/hear it all over the place?  Yup - that's what started happening!  Be on the lookout for this logo (below).  You might be surprised how often you end up seeing it around.

 

In April, I did the 7 Mile Bridge Run in the Keys, and you know (or at least you should know) that's when my obsession with being part of the Keys100 relay started.  If you didn't follow my Keys100 blog, shame on you...but there's no time like the present to catch up on all of that fun!  Just be sure to read it from the bottom on up to the top so you don't miss out on any of the hilarity.  (Linky: http://kimskeys100adventure.blogspot.com/)  

The Keys100 was a 6-person 100-mile relay from Key Largo to Key West.  I was on a team with 5 Coast Guard members, and we had a beyond fabulous time!!!  (Check out the blog if you think I'm making that up!)  Well, since then, Joan has been wondering if I'd be asked back to be part of Team Cinco next year for the 2014 Keys100.  (Team Cinco, if you're reading this, I'd love, love, love to run with you again!!!)  Well, if you can't tell, no invitation's been extended (yet), but I did get the coolest email just a few days ago from Hans, one of the members of Team Cinco, asking if I'd be interesting in being on a Ragnar relay team.

Let's stop & reflect for a moment.  Do you remember my mom's comment when I told her back in April that I was going to run with people I'd never met?  In case you want to read it, click here.  If you want the summary, I'll give it to you now: "How do they know that you're not 300 pounds and planning to walk the entire thing?"  Obviously I'm not 300 pounds (not that there's anything wrong with that) and obviously I didn't walk the entire time (or at all!) during my portions of the Keys100.  (Yes, there is something wrong with walking during a running race!)  This is where I had my Sally Field moment: "You like me!"

By the way, did you know that she's often misquoted?! No, neither did I!  According to Wikipedia, it's often misquoted as "You like me, you really like me!"  But that's not from when she won the Academy Award!  It's from a spoof that she did of herself in a Charles Schwab commercial.

Ok, so getting back to the email, it was definitely my "You like me!" moment because I got asked to participate in this new relay!  Had I been a crappy runner and/or just a miserable person to be around, you know no invitation for Ragnar would've come my way.  :-)

Are you sitting there wondering what the heck I got myself into with this?  I'm sure the title gave it away, but here's the deal.  Ragnar relays happen all over the US.  (Linky if you'd like to see where they happen: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/events).  What they all have in common is this: it's a 200 mile (give or take) relay of 12 people and it goes throughout the night.  Yes, you read that correctly, running happens around the clock!  I don't yet know which legs I'll get or which times I'll be out running, but you know what?  I don't care!!!!  Maybe I'll be running at 7am.  Cool!  Maybe I'll be running at 4pm.  Good!  Maybe I'll be running at 2am.  Awesome!  (Seriously, I mean "awesome-awesome," not "awesome" in that "I'm really being sarcastic" type of way.)

Every now & then I'll have a Grandma story for you, and I've got the first Ragnar-related one!  Grandma was actually the first person who I told about getting invited to be in this relay.  She's so cute, and her reactions to my crazy adventures usually begin with a slightly exhausted-sounded comment of "Oh, Kim!"  (I can picture her saying that, shaking her head a bit, with a smile that says "you're a trip!")  A few days later, I call her and give her some more info about the race, and she says, "So what did Dave say about this?"  I told her that even though his initial reaction was something along the lines of, "You're doing what?!", he really was fine with it.  So Grandma, in typical Grandma style, says, "Well, if he's ok with it, I'm ok with it."  Ummmmm, shouldn't that be the other way around?!  If Grandma gives her 'ok' to something, then everyone else should be ok w/ it too!  :-)

So over the next 6 months, I'll be blogging about getting ready and other running-related moments.  Like my Keys100 relay, I plan to bring my netbook and blog throughout the race whenever I'm not actually out running.  Bookmark this page, ladies and gentlemen; you'll want to refer back to it every so often up through the beginning of February.  But come February 6th, 7th, and 8th, I expect each & every one of you to be glued to this site!  Post your replies or comments.  Let me know you're with me along the way!