Just in case

So I was thinking if this whole marathon thing doesn't work out for whatever reason, maybe you guys would want to train for this wife-carrying competition instead.

Go Ahead, Have a Drink

After reading this article, the world became a much happier place. Next year, I say we run in Bordeaux......

"There are few sights more peculiar than a parade of 8,000 costumed marathoners sipping wine as they run 26.2 miles . But that's exactly what happens each September at the Medoc Marathon in Bordeaux, where the course winds through 59 of France's most prized vineyards and elegant châteaus. Its aid stations eschew sports drinks and instead offer up such local refreshments as Lafite Rothschild and pâté. Winners take home their weight in grand crus.While there aren't any U.S. marathons serving fine wines on the course, American runners aren't immune to the pleasures of the ancient grape. In fact, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), serious recreational runners drink more alcohol than their sedentary counterparts. Even Olympian Deena Kastor enjoys a glass of red the night before big races--including her bronze-medal run in Athens last summer. This despite the fact that the ACSM also says that drinking alcohol before engaging in sports decreases strength, power, speed, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular endurance.But there's also mounting evidence that moderate alcohol consumption offers some real health benefits. Alcohol in moderation has been shown to increase the levels of "good" cholesterol in the bloodstream, preventing "bad" cholesterol from clogging arteries and causing heart attacks. It also relaxes the muscles in the arteries, which lowers blood pressure. Scientists have even shown that some alcoholic beverages help prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.Red wine drinkers in particular benefit. A Harvard Medical School study found that the cholesterol-fighting antioxidant resveratrol, present only in red wine, produces the same life-lengthening effects as calorie reduction. Other research has determined that red wine is full of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that lower the risk of heart disease. And scientists at the University of California-Davis have recently discovered plant compounds called saponins in wine that block the body's absorption of cholesterol. Nearly half the average daily intake of saponins is present in a single glass of red wine (white wine contains less), and the higher a wine's alcohol content, the more saponins it provides. And if you prefer hops to grapes, there's good news for you, too. British scientists have found that beer drinkers have 30 percent more vitamin B6 in their blood plasma, which prevents the buildup of a chemical that causes heart disease.But long-distance runners, of course, have to think about hydration and endurance. Are the benefits worth the risks? Maybe. New research suggests that alcohol is not as dehydrating as once thought. "Initially, alcohol can dehydrate you, but over the course of 24 hours, alcohol no longer has a dehydrating effect," says Nancy Clark, R.D., a sports nutritionist in Boston and author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Still, alcohol can produce up to a three-percent loss of body weight (in fluids) within four hours of consumption, which can have a negative impact on performance and even be dangerous when heat is a factor. Consequently, drinking alcohol in the hours just before a hard run or race is not a good idea. "But as long as runners who are accustomed to drinking wine are drinking extra water and taking in other carbohydrates," says Clark, "one glass of wine with dinner the night before a race doesn't concern me."

Continues....http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--7908-2-1X2-3,00.html

101 KICKS IN THE BUTT

Check out this page:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,ssssss6-238-267--11733-1-1X2X3-4,00.html
From the looks of #1, it appears that Erin already read this.

Richard, check out #12.

artichoke pizza; healthy alternative or devil in disguise?

Welcome K-Fed! glad to have you on board. Last night while watching the snow that had accumulated throughout the weekend slowly melt and run down the street, I decided it would be a great time to go for a run. After harrasing my lovely bride into going with me on her bike we bundled up and headed out the door. Felt pretty good right up to the point where I stepped in the new and improved chuck hole in the road thus soaking my foot for the remaining 4 miles (yes Mike, I used the "map your run" feature that you talked about). While I slogged my way up the hendricks park hill I couldnt help but think....why did I eat that last piece of artichoke pizza?

I'm in- I'm here- and I'm K Fed

I'm actually Kate (but K Fed brings to mind some funny imagery), Michelle knows me- so does Flood. I've been running off and on for awhile now. The farthest I've ever gone is around nine miles. I'm excited that Michelle and I got to 7 when we were aiming to run half that. Next time I get out there I'll probably die trying to run 2 miles- but hey, that's how it goes.

I look forward to sharing my tales of misery and accomplishments with y'all. Cheers to shelf-butts in the future.

See you soon

Ooohhh, Paaa-myyy...

Whither the Bomb?
That's right. I said 'whither'.
I mean, you can't be subtle with these things. Is she is or is she ain't?

hillwork.

Erin,
aside from going to see movies, drinks and a play with Mike(Lisa is strangly silent on this subject), The training is starting; I am up to 3ish mile runs at roughly 8.5 minute miles. I havent ran a long run in sometime and look to increase miles some time this week with a long run (barring any snow!) this weekend. Lisa and I are doing a snowshoe trip in two weeks and most of my workouts have been geared towards hill work. I am applying the slow and steady method!

T minus 7 days

I don't know what the T usually stands for but in this case it stands for training. And training starts next week. So far, we've made some good progress.

Self: Good job setting yourself up as some kind of Tony Robbins-type guru-coach, backing yourself into an irritatingly upbeat corner for the duration of the training. Which is gonna be awesome.

Amy: Nice work on getting your speed up. Shaving two minutes per mile is quite a gain in two weeks and I'm sure more will come. If you really feel that way about Melissa Manchester, I suggest you just keep it inside and learn how to hide your feelings.

Michelle: You might be getting carried away. 7 miles? We haven't even started yet. Or was that some kind of relay, like 3 1/2 for you and 3 1/2 for Kate? By the way, where is Kate? I put her in the stupid graphic, so she better sign on and introduce.

Mike: Way to get out there even when it's freezing cold. I don't know how you can run with whiskey in your stomach so that's pretty impressive too.

Richard: Aside from dating my boyfriend (movies? plays? drinks? what will your wife think?), I'm not sure how your running is going, but you probably don't want to hear my pep talks anyway.

Everyone has registered. That's the biggest hurdle. The training week starts on Monday, but you can run your runs whenever you want. I'm gonna shoot for a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule. You should take a day off before and after your long run, especially when they start to get really long. Treadmills are fine for short runs here and there, but getting out in the elements and actually propelling your body forward is what will simulate marathon conditions, so you'll want to do that as much as you can.

One more Conscripted Sucker makes 6

Kate and I ran today. She's in.

The run felt excellent and while I did not stoop as low as Micky D's, I am sucking down a chocolate hazelnut milkshake from Burgerville as I type. mmmmm.....mmmmm.....goodness.

Six and six and a half

Six is how many miles I treadmilled yesterday; six and a half is how many hours it will take me to finish the marathon at my current pace (on a treadmill). That's too many. However, I have increased my pace from fifteen minutes a mile to thirteen, and have increased my distance capacity from three miles to six, so I guess we are getting somewhere...albeit, slowly.

I watched the movie and loved it-thanks for the recommendation (orders), coachie. My favorite character, by a landslide, was the old guy who "does it for the t-shirt", probably because I relate to him most closely in terms of physical fitness, speed, and source of motivation [hubris]. I thought he was charming. Flood, I agree that watching the interactions with the Boston Marathon couple was uncomfortable and that they were distasteful. I loved Deena Kastor a lot because she kept making me cry. I was also charmed by Daniel Njenga, pretty sad when he didn't win, and delighted by the footage from Kenya, although it did make the think, "to hell with the marathon, I'm moving to Africa!". Leah Caille was annoying to me, partially because she said her six-year-old daughter was so supportive (not her daughter's six-year-old job, in my opinion) and also because she was a little melodramatic and weepy. I resolved to not allow any running events to incite melodrama or weepiness in me, so I guess that was something positive. And I liked the lady who was running for charity a lot. She seemed appropriately intimidated by the marathon, without being a drama queen. And I liked how she ran alone.

I'm glad we are not running some super-sized marathon like Chicago.

Feeding the machine

I have a McFession to make. And understand, I'm pretty much anti-fast food. It's not some big moral high ground or anything, it just never sounds good - probably because it isn't.

I didn't eat after my run. It was satisfying to feel my body metabolizing what it already had to work with. I liked feeling just a little bit hungry and maybe just a little bit light, if only in my mind. After about 3 hours though...I was hawngry.

So. Because it was about midnight and because I didn't really feel like paying $9 for a burger, I went to...you know. I got a big 'n tasty with cheese & large fries (no drink, please - soda is for suckers) for an unbelievably even amount of $5.

And I destroyed it!

I woke up craving spaghetti and meatballs.

Weird.

Friday

Yeah, I did the thing. Not because I had to - and it would have been easy not to - but very soon I'm going to have to, so I may as well get used to the idea of having to do the thing before I really do have to do it. Anyway it was short. 3-ish. But you know what? Toward the end, it actually started to feel kind of good. I mean, it was no jog of jubilation, like Erin experienced, but it was OK.

But the best part - the absolute near nirvana experience - came after the run (big surprise, right?). But seriously, instead of going inside, taking my post-run warm-up shot and hitting the stretches, I headed for the backyard. I haven't spent much time back there since the days got short and I mowed the lawn for the last time.

It was dry and crunchy and cold, where you exhale your CO2 like a locomotive and steam rises from your shoulders. I headed for the backyard and stretched out in the hammock. The canvas warmed to my body temperature in a second and it felt so good to just lie there, suspended, weightless; completely relaxed. I almost fell asleep inside of 2 minutes. Aaahhh...I hadn't done that since, like, September. I'm telling you, it's the best!

The Spirit of the Marathon

I guess the thing that spoke to me the most was when Dick Beardlsey said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that no matter how hard you've trained, no matter what kind of shape you're in, you never know what your body is going to do to you on race day. That's probably my greatest fear. I'm picturing 4 months of difficult, disciplined training and then on race day your shins go numb at about mile #3. That's the kind of stuff that I worry about. And so I'm just hoping that the spirit might move us all on May 31st.

Best Run Ever

I just had one of those runs that you come back to mentally over and over again. The kind that makes you go out and run even when you don't want to, in hopes of having that feeling again. The kind that you visualize on the ninth mile of an 18 mile run when you're starting to forget that this isn't torture, no, you love this. It is cold here. 32 and windy. But the sun is glorious over the Hudson and I have missed running in daylight.

On my way to the river path, a traffic cop hopped up and down with me while I waited for the light to change. I saw a woman biking with an empty tag-along, and then on my way back it was full of two-year-old. I saw some kids with skateboards trying to break into a fenced part of the pier. I saw a big-ass dog wearing a sweater. A guy in a rent-a-party truck yelled "lookin' good!" and gave me a thumbs up. I was looking good. I was looking awesome. Perhaps because I am awesome.

marathon spirits

I loved the movie and especially the sold-out theater full of runners. What a friendly and energetic bunch of freaks. Did it get you psyched for this marathon thing? I left there all "Woohoo! Marathon!" and then I bought some wine.

I thought it was interesting how the professional runners (Djenga/Kastor) seemed kind of normal and awesome and the competitive non-professionals (the passive/aggressive couple) seemed like jerks. At least their relationship was ugly to watch. And then the normal people - the old guy and the two first-timers. They were more my speed.

What did everyone think? Did it make you think you could do it? Whatever. You already know you can do it.

Maybe this year....

Daniel Njenga got 3rd place at the Chicago Marathon in 2007 too. Darn it, I really wanted him to win. Thanks for making me watch the movie, Flood. I feel inspired now.

This creepy 13 year old ran 50 miles. I'm just sayin'.

melissa manchester, tiger and the cold

Thank you for the warm reception! Erin, I wasnt sure I was going to do this either, right up to the point where I paid for the run! But as is so often the case, snap decisions made, blister on left foot results...or something like that. I will be attending the movie this evening and while I didnt run last night I did enjoy a frosty beverage that required complete concentration to quaff...(I may have exagarated the "complete concentration"). Mike, while looking at my 1/2 full beer glass I did notice the moon, and it was something to see! Also, I will take the advice on the tiger balm, does it come in five gallon tubs?

Wednesday

I went. It was cold. It's over. I'm glad.

I ran by a bank. It said 25 degrees. I don't know if you can trust a bank these days but that's what it said. I do know know this: every bit of water I saw on my way was frozen solid. Not icing over, mind you. Frozen. Solid. There wasn't much of it though; it's been clear, cold, sunny, bright and beautiful here all week - freezing the very moisture right out of the air. Still, you had to be careful.

On a more interesting topic, has anyone noticed the moon this week? Ohmygosh! It's been gorgeous: rising and setting huge and round and full - glowing low in the sky both morning and evening and carving a high arc across the night sky like the summer sun. It's startling. It catches me off guard sometimes and I stop and stare. I love it.

So. Everyone's seeing the movie tomorrow. Right? RIGHT?

Richards intro

Hello from Eugene,
This is my first attempt at "blogging" so please be patient all. I have taken up the Newport Marathon torch and because of my advancing age (pretty early to throw an age card but better to establish that right off the bat!) I am really looking forward to the advil, ben-gay and sauna's that are so often associated with a good run. But, Mike has assured me that this will be a fun, exciting and tremendously fulfilling endeavor....right?

Baby!

It's COLD outside!

OK, so maybe those of you who live in NEW YORK and UTAH don't really want to hear about it, but to those of us who reside out here in God's country, it's cold. Too damn cold to be running around outside after dark anyway.

At least it's dry.

Fortunately, I'm rarely inhibited by trivial notions like "common" sense (oh, there's a list) and so I cut the sleeves off of a sweatshirt, put it on as an extra layer and did the thing. You know, it hurt. Whatever. It's all good. I'm just hoping that I didn't catch this lungular frostbite I've been reading so much about.

Better take some more medicine just in case.

A Good One

I am due for a positive post and, luckily, my run today warrants one. Ok, so it was on a treadmill. But it was FUN! And I was faster than I thought (I will spare you the numbers, as you will think less of me...just consider it a morale victory)!

I think that I can credit the newly borrowed ipod to the day's success. I mean, how can you feel bad when Melissa Manchester hits the key change in the third verse of Don't Cry Out Loud? You can't. I was thinking that maybe Erin could just sing it over and over during the marathon, to keep our spirits up.

Between Melissa Manchester and Michael Jackson, I had a calm abdomen, a little spring in my step, and hope for the future. I didn't even have to distract myself with the Snoop Dogg show (which, interestingly, was on again. I guess it's a popular one). I ran three and a half miles, and I'm gonna do it again tomorrow morning.

running in the cold is totally fun

Unfortunately what I did tonight was more like a crookedy shuffle-hobble than a run. The looks on the faces of frigid New Yorkers when you blow past them is nice. And they're right. I'm crazy. But now that I'm getting feeling back in my legs, and the new-pant chafe is shifting from tingle to burn, I'm just not feeling that stoked on Winter.

There. I'm just like you. Whiny.

Why do you people have to complain all the time? And why's it so damn cold?

Bad Math, Nice Try

The weeks beginning:

1. February 4th
2. February 11th
3. February 18th
4. February 25th
5. March 3rd
6. March 10th
7. March 17th
8. March 24th
9. March 31st
10. April 7th
11. April 14th
12. April 21st
13. April 28th
14. May 5th
15. May 12th
16. May 19th
17. May 26th

Sorry, sugar. Months have at most 4 and 3/7ths weeks, which is "more like 4 and 1/2" than it is like 4, but in this case it still doesn't get you the right number of weeks.

• 4 and 1/7th (February)
• 4 and 3/7ths (March)
• 4 and 2/7ths (April)
• 4 and 3/7ths (May)

So that gives you what? 16 whole weeks and 9/7ths of a week for a total of 17 weeks and 2 days. But in fact it's less than that because training starts on a Monday and the race is on a Saturday. That's because the 1st three days of February should be subtracted. In other words, if you count days and divide by 7, you'll see. A valiant effort on your part. Commendable, really. But no, you can't wait another month.

Chicken and Waffles

I was writing the sixteen week countdown in my calendar (with marathon week as week sixteen, and working backward) and concluded that week one actually begins on February 18. If you count each month as having four weeks, sixteen weeks would begin four months before the day of the marathon (duh). BUT, since each month has more like four and a half weeks, the marathon training should actually start a bit later.

My final conclusion is that I must really be scared of this training if I am willing to engage my menial arithmetic skills to postpone it. Could someone double check? I have been known to get mixed up on these sorts of things. As I said, I'm not so great with numbers. If I am right, we still have a month before official training begins. I hope I am right.

Does anyone know why my entire abdomen might be seizing/cramping when I run? I hypothesized that it was induced by the fact that my gym plays Matchbox 20 on a regular basis (whose innards wouldn't seize?), but I just thought I would throw it out there in case anyone knows any good tricks (coach?). I am not talking about a little side stitch/intercostal muscle pinch here. I am talking about out-and-out visceral cries for mercy. Perhaps I should quit eating altogether.

In other news, I have, at least for the blizzardy moment, taken wholeheartedly to the treadmill. I found I was able to complete three miles easily (despite visceral mayhem) simply by following the subtitles on some show starring snoop dogg and, allegedly, his wife and children (I do not know if they were his real wife and children or not, but I prefer to think they were). He kept bitching at people to go get him roscoe's, and it was all quite amusing, but, unfortunately, resulted in an unfulfilled craving for fried chicken.

Am I still talking? Sorry. I'm just putting off going to the gym :)

Re: T Seeley's personal ponderings

How cool would THAT be? Um, I'm going to go with about an 11 on the cool-o-meter. Ponder until Thursday. Then see the movie. Then sign up. Then run a marathon with your daughter. Then we can all bask in the unparalleled coolness of it.

Admission

Been trotting on a treadmill. Don't hate me; it's cold. I know, I know. At least I have legs.

So, Ms. Flood, we are....

...conscripted suckers?

Excuses

Watch this, please:

What's the lesson here? That your excuses are boring. And having legs is awesome.

#2

Not much to tell. It was cold; probably near 30 degrees. I almost went to bed instead of going for a run. It was close. You can't tell from the map, but the first mile is up and over College Hill, which is formidable in both relative elevation and absolute grade. The north side is both longer and more steep than the south side. I've run it from both directions. Not that I'm either bitching or bragging. I'm just saying. At another time in my life it served alternately as both my personal demon and savior and I would run it both coming and going. But enough about all of that. I did it. It hurt. The whiskey helped. I think. No, it did. It totally did.

Now let's see if you can use the word both 5 times in a single post.

Plus one

You know that friend I mentioned earlier? Well, he claims to have registered. And with like almost no browbeating.

By way of partial introduction, Richard and I have worked, run, boxed, played soccer and hiked together for the better part of 10 years.

He's been invited, has the link and has been told the deal. We'll see if he chimes in.

Map this run, bitches!

So today I ran stairs for 25 minutes...



Well actually, I stood in one place in a hot smelly gym with lots of hot smelly people while I became hot, smelly, beet red and dripping in sweat on a stupid machine that looked like this and had one step that tipped forward:



Erin, I feel anger toward you right now; this is your fault. Okay, now that I have projected the blame onto someone else, I feel better.

What the...

Sinews and metal? I said that?

I was lying.

fine, i ran too.

I guess if I'm gonna go on about how not hard at all it is to run a marathon, I better start running, too. And weather.com was right. 35 does feel like 25. Fuuuuck. And not to be super positive about this, but I've been finding it fun and distracting to make up little chants for myself while I run. Seriously, trying to rhyme Cuisine of Pakistan (which is what I had for lunch, bad idea,) with something about how awesome I am can occupy my mind for miles. I think I may have to go multimedia and make a motivational video for you guys. Don't kill yourselves over how awful it is now. Cause it's gonna get worse. But it's gonna get better too. The point is to keep going out there until you can do it. Feed your bodies. Rest. Drink water. We'll get there. This is the first time I've run 5 miles at once since 2005. Amy, remember how you used to say you were sinews and metal? You still are. Go protein!

Spirit of the Marathon

A little cinematic inspiration is coming to a city near you. This full-length, award-winning, marathon documentary, featuring my running coach from the University of Oregon (by which I mean the guy who taught the 10K class that I dropped out of after 5 weeks cause my foot hurt and class was at 8 in the morning) is showing on January 24th in your city. Yes, I know where you live.

Go here and watch the trailer and get tickets. That is an assignment, from your coach, who is about to go running in the cold, along the Hudson River, wearing nothing but italics.

I went running. Sorta.

Upon inviting another friend to run this bad boy (I have been pretty into the idea of using the marathon to see every friend I've been missing for three years or more), she responded, "Apparently, if when you run you look more like a penguin than a gazelle, you are probably not biomechanically set up to be a runner."

How true. Yesterday I, too, took to the streets. And it weren't pretty. I met the bomb at the park and we 'ran' around the circumfrential trail, with occasionally desperately needed stints of walking. All in all, it was 3- miles worth and totally flat. I think that despite the relatively slow pace the bomb was able to maintain, she is not nearly so much of a penguin as I. At the start of the run, my ankle hurt real bad. I stopped, shook, and started again only to find that now it was my left tarsal bones that were in defiance. Another shake and I was on my way. The protests were silenced until after the run was over and my left knee and hip advised me that they had been displeased as well. Perhaps it's the new shoes. Either way, last night I didn't sleep well because I kept having dreams where a bad guys was coming to get me and I couldn't run. Yikes. I better get some motivational reading, and quick. And maybe some protein shakes (Ryan, my wife, who has been a novice bodybuilder for some time, advised me that adding a run to our normal routine at the gym may be causing a bodily freak-out called overtraining, and that he has found protein shakes are miracle workers). We shall see. The bomb and I are scheduled for another trot today at one thirty, so hopefully despite the poor night's sleep, I will be able to champ it.

Come to think of it, perhaps I should try booze instead of protein shakes. Seems like it's worked for you guys.

Taking it to the streets

It's like this:

It's 8:20 p.m. It's been dark in Eugene, OR for 3 1/2 hours. You're just getting home. It would be easy to crack open a buzzsaw brown and settle into your evening, such as it is. You really don't feel like it, but you want to show people what you're made of. As everyone knows, this could be done by either A.) running more than anyone else or 2.) not running at all until race day. Decisions, decisions.

Fortunately, you've spent the last 57 minutes parked in your driveway and talking to Coach Errin. Also, you know that you will feel better when you're done. The pendulum is carving a dangerous arc and it's up to you to reverse it's trajectory. You know this, but just 12 oz. of Deschutes seasonal could render all of that preposterous. Time to suck it up.

Sweats, shoes, knit cap, gloves. A few short and painful but unfortunately necessary stretches. 1 oz. whiskey. Go. Ease into it. It's OK.

It was raining hard a while ago, but the streets are just wet now. It's somewhere near 40 degrees. The clouds and new moon make it hard to see the numerous puddles along your route. Your joints stop hurting after the first 1/2 mile. The cold air burns your lungs - in not an entirely unpleasant way - and makes you cough, if you breathe deep enough. You start to get warm and feel loose. You notice that it's actually pleasant out.

Running north on Hilyard, you're tempted to stretch it out and really make this one count. You can actually feel the muscles in your legs, chest and the small of your back; its been a while. It feels good. You decide, instead, to stick to the plan. Turn left on 18th. Keep it short. It's a long road. No need to overdo it. There will plenty of time for that later.

Anyway, it's not much, but it's 3+ miles. On the ground. Old school, yo. Check it.

Tattoo on my forehead

Yea, the title has nothing to do with the content.

The page I use is http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/, but it looks much like the page that Ms. Flood uses.


So, just in case you are wondering, I am not quite the alcoholic I made myself out to be in my last blog (she says as she drinks a beer). I do make beer, but my New Years resolution was to drink less and exercise more which is why I am running this marathon. So now I just drink the brewski on those exceptionally crappy work days where I need the alcoholic crutch to keep from tearing out my hair and running down the street screaming...wait, what a good way to get in shape!


My accomplishments for the weekend. I did nothing active on Saturday but on Sunday I ran most of 5.5 miles. I say 'most of' cuz I am embarrassed to say that I walked some. My excuse....well, where to start, I have about 80. One of which is the beer belly of course, let me know if you want the other 79. I am working on getting another runner on board who lives in Portland and can train with me. Of course it will be nothing like training with Flood (but only because Kate is nice to me).


I did join a gym today so that I can train alone during these cold dark months without having to run through my ghetto neighborhood where drive-by shootings occur often, including at the bus stop right next to my house. Now if I actually go to the gym, it will make the huge membership fee worth it.


Glad to see you are committed, Mr. Messenger. We'll run next time I am in Eugene, which will be never.

Hope everyone had a shiny happy good weekend.

it is done

I'm paid. Better get shuf-shuf-shuffling.

Sheesh

First I'm supposed to get a tattoo, now you want me to go running too? C'mon, coach, have a heart! Ok, ok. So I'm scheduled for my first official run (more accurately, my first movement through space of any kind) today with the bomb. I'm excited. I think. And I did set the marathon training schedule as the backdrop on my computer, which means I will see it 8,934,534 times a day. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna write a song.

The Schedule

I posted the training schedule as an image at the bottom of the page. It will always appear at the bottom of the page but you may want to put it on your desktop, in your car, on your mirror, under your pillow or have it tattooed on your left arm as well. That's up to you. As you can see, it's really not that bad. Look at all those weeks chock-full of three-milers. That's nothing. That's a joke. You were made for this.

In order to plan, brag about and share your runs both awesome and terrible, you can use this site. It's great for figuring out mileage before or after you run and you can post the little maps to the blog. Michelle, don't you use a different site for this same purpose? You sent me a link once but I can't remember. Post it up. Maybe it's better.

See this crazy-ass walk I took on Saturday? Cuckoo!

Does everyone have good shoes? Has everyone started running a little? Did you tell your friends and family that you're running a marathon? Tell them. Commit. Write a song about it. I did.

greetings all around

Please excuse my tardiness, but I'm here. I'm in.

Pamy, nice to meet you. I've seen some of your work at Glamorous Life. I'm expecting big things from you. I'm guessing that we'll hear from the bomb when/if you get her properly roped in. I have a friend I've thought about inviting as well.

Bitches, a pleasure as always. I'd be curious to hear more about that beer.

A little bit about me:
OK, never mind. But I will tell you this - I ran a half-marathon. Once. Well, no. I mean, like Pamy, I didn't actually RUN. It's just what they say. I'm speaking in the vernacular. It's Track Town parlance. Try and keep up. ANyway. The point is, when I was done, I could have no more turn around and run that course backward than fly to the moon. SO. I'm ready for the program. I'm kind of curious to see what coach e-flood thinks she can do in order to keep me from failing at the mid-point. And I'm looking forward to every bit of it.

I am now financially committed

In the span of one hour I dropped two hundred bucks, so I'm in. I mean, really in. If I try to get out, my husband will be cranky about those two hundred bucks, and so will I. So there you go. I registered, pasta dinner and all, per coach's orders, and bought new shoes and insoles. Hopefully they will transform me into a 105 lb. woman with springs for heels.

Also, I invited a particularly delightful friend to join our ranks. She seemed thrilled, being a spontaneous and adventurous sort, so don't be surprised if an Ashley Sanders shows up on this blog. She's the bomb, you'll love her.

I have declared war on my big fat arse...

...and declared myself a marathoner. I am registered and resigned to do it now. I am glad to see that I have a few more weeks to continue my mostly sedentary life style before training begins. I will write a witty introduction later. For now, I am going to sign off so I can focus my whole being on the beer I am about to chug. Keg stands anyone?

Nice to meet you Amy!

So Erin Wants Me to Run a Marathon

Well, it's ok. She's allowed to be the inspiration for my first, since I was the inspiration for hers (even though I did not run it myself, due to straight bailing). I would tend to take issue with our web address, runyourassoff, because, let's face it, with an ass like mine, it ain't going off or anywhere else. Everything else about the blog works for me though. Thanks, Flood. You're a lamb.

So, Michael and Michelle, you don't know me, and you may never. I would like to say we can all get acquainted during our several hours of running together in May, but I am pretty sure I am going to be in the "dust-eating"category. I can run for thirty minutes, all right, but I only get two miles run (perhaps 'run' isn't the most precise word) during that time. So it may be a six hour trot for me. Perhaps my marathon would be more aptly placed in the slow-ass category than the run-your-ass-off category.

I hope I do get to know you, though, because, in my experience, Flood has impeccable taste. I am prepared to be charmed, and you should be too. I am no runner, but I like to do serious stuff (like get married; that was pretty serious). I have a silly blog that you can read if you want to get to know me better, but, beware, it's good and silly.

I am glad this is happening. As a stay at home mom with no kids, my life could use a little adventure, but I can't afford any of the more traditional types. This will be great. Let's go do the hardest thing we can think of together.

Nice to meet you.

So you wanna run a marathon?

Or you don't really want to, but you're going to do it anyway cause I called you names and made you feel like a sissy? Here's how it works.

There's this book that I've used, and so Michelle by extension has used it, because we ran Newport together in 2005(?). Amy, you've got the book. Mike, you've heard me rave about it. It's called The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer. If you want the book, it's here.

We're gonna use their schedule cause it works and it doesn't require you to quit your job to run three times a day and it only takes 16 weeks to get there. The book puts a lot of focus on mental preparation. You can be an utterly average runner and use your super awesome mental powers to do the marathon. As an utterly average runner myself, I can attest to this. You do have to train though. And that will be the focus of this blog.

Training will begin on February 4th. That's 3 and a half weeks to lay down the base and then 16 + 1 weeks till the big day. The extra week is for injury recovery, illness or unforeseen whathaveyou during your training. That's not a lot of wiggle room, but if you have too much it might psych you out.

I'm sure we're all at different levels of readiness but we're all gonna run this marathon. We don't have to run it side-by-side, but training as a (virtual) group and posting our runs should help us keep our momentum. To start the training, you must be able to run continuously for 30 minutes. You don't have to be able to enjoy doing that, but you have to be able to do it. Amy, you know how to get there and I have no doubt you can do it in three and a half weeks.

For the blog, I'll email everyone an invitation and we can record our runs, comments, complaints, injuries, inspirational tidbits, and toward the end of the training, our travel itineraries and plans for accommodations in sunny Newport, Oregon.

Let's all register today. Can we all register today? I'm gonna do it at 5PM Eastern time. Don't delay or see how it goes. That's an excuse not to do it. Spend the 50 bucks. Declare yourself a marathoner. Tell everyone you know that you're doing it. This is gonna be awesome.