I have to space out signing up for races around when I get paid.

Just one more to pay for this year so far– Madison Half Marathon.

My running/racing calendar for the first half of 2009:

March 7: Chiditarod (www.chiditarod.org)

March 29: Shamrock Shuffle (http://www.shamrockshuffle.com)

April 11: Illinois Half Marathon (www.illinoismarathon.com)

May 24: My 25th birthday and the Madison half marathon (www.madisonmarathon.com)

June 11-12: MC200 (www.mc200.com)

Jeebus.

NO JULY RACES.

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I love this piece of transcript from The Elephant: http://communities.canada.com/shareit/blogs/theelephant/archive/2008/12/18/blagojevich-speaks-about-jogging.aspx

“BLAGOJEVICH: Just hang loose. Hang loose. Now, can I get a run in, do you think?

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Is this your first run since this whole…

BLAGOJEVICH: No, I’ve been running. I can’t — I’ve had to go to other places because of you guys. But yes, so if I actually leave here, you won’t follow me? I’ll be able to run?

QUESTION: Well, we can’t promise that.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: If we could get a shot? Yes, we’re not as fast as you, anyway.

BLAGOJEVICH: It’s a pretty good pace. As governors go, it’s a pretty good pace.

(CROSSTALK)

BLAGOJEVICH: It’s, like, eight-and-a-half minutes. (INAUDIBLE) six- and-a-half to eight miles, depending upon what (INAUDIBLE)

QUESTION: Has that been helping through this ordeal, to exercise and keep your routine?

BLAGOJEVICH: Well, it’s always a good thing to do. It’s always — it’s a good, healthy thing, and it clears your mind, and hopefully, keeps love in your heart.”

This is when they were interviewing him in front of his Ravenswood Manor house just a few days after he was arrested. Makes you wonder who the fastest governor is and what the run distance was depending on. Does his pace suffer from the stress. And in terms of keeping the love in your heart, I think what he’s feeling is oxygen flow…I love running but I can’t say running makes more loving.

He was also running when the House first voted to impeach him. The second time, after the new legislature had been seated, he wasn’t running. Maybe it was too cold or there aren’t enough good running streets in Springfield.

A few running sites have posted times for him. The Windy Citizen’s In It for the Long Run (http://initforthelongrun.windycitizen.com/) reports him getting slower with age:

1984 Chicago Marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Office was NOT able to confirm that Blagojevich ran or finished this race.
1989 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., finishing time 3:03:47.
1997 Chicago Marathon, finishing time 3:22:36.
2005 River to River Relay in Southern Illinois, ran the longest leg of 10.5 miles.

And the Chicago Running Examiner (http://www.examiner.com/x-560-Chicago-Running-Examiner~y2008m12d18-Governor-Blagojevich-Goes-Jogging—-or-is-it-Running) says he’s a little slower than his alleged 8:30s.

Blagojevich completed the 15K race, which is not on a flat course I might add, in 1:20:54—a 8:42/pace with nary a hair out of place. At the post race awards ceremony he was booed by a few folks

They also have the great video that goes with the story.

Not suprisingly, if you Google “Blagojevich running” you get a lot of hits about him running for office. “Blagojevich jogging” yields better results. Either way, he’s surely moving quickly away from a big problem. I can sympathize. Self-deprecation is hard while you’re running, at least when it comes to things outside of the physical world. Thinking about how much your ass hurts is preferable to thinking about potential impeachment or jail time.

I’m very tempted to run west sometime when I know he might be headed out. You never know what you might run into, and unless he’s running at his 1997 pace or faster, I can keep up.

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So a weird thing happened to me yesterday. It was Sunday at 4:45 p.m. I was grousing because my parents had come to visit and taken up most of my day, and I hadn’t completed a long run yet during the weekend. It was getting dark, and I was not in the mood to start an outdoor 12-miler, so I laced up and ran the 1.15 miles to the gym.

I got there and took the only treadmill with no one running on the adjacents, as is tradition in both treadmill running and bathroom stall use. But as I looked down into the cupholders of the treadmill next to me I noticed a man’s wallet. I briefly considered bringing it to the front desk, but figured I’d give him a few minutes to come back before manhandling his things.

He did come back. Reeking like an ashtray. Duder had gone out for a cigarette MID-RUN. Then he jumped back on at maybe nine-minute pace and finished off another two or three miles.

WTF? I don’t even like running after I eat a cookie. How can this guy consume nicotine and just romp back on like that?

Upon further research, Dr. English’s running website points out that in Asia, many runners smoke. Some even smoke WHILE running the Honolulu marathon: http://coachjoeenglish.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/training-what-is-the-impact-of-smoking-on-runners/

I’ts not like I’ve NEVER smoked a cigarette, but to me the whole thing feels a bit like bulimia: doing something bad and then trying to make up for it that may or may not really be effective. I know now is the time for New Year’s resolutions, and maybe he is doing the trying to lose weight but not the trying to give up smoking. In my mind, though, it’d be much more effective in the opposite order.

On the other hand, I’m not going to begrudge anyone for trying. Running is always good if you actually want to do it and are physically able to.

But next time give me the heads up so I can move down to the next treadmill, stinky.

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So Happy New Year’s!

And sorry to start this again on a bummed out topic, but I’ve been wondering the last few days if Seasonal Affective Disorder gets to runners more than other people. I had two weeks off of work, during which I got to frequently run during daylight hours. Now that I’m back at work, I feel edgy. My intial instinct was that since I’ve spent four to eight hours a week running outside in the daylight from March to October, maybe that was what was making me off.

Ironically, a little web research reveals that going outside to run should actually CURE SAD:

http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2008/12/opt-for-an-outdoor-run-to-chase-away-the-winter-blues/

“We must do our best to be outdoors (and tolerate the temps!) Standing by a window doesn’t do it. (It’s like why you use different camera settings when taking photographs outdoors and indoors. And with the angle and darkened glass of many car windshields, your retina doesn’t get enough sunlight while you’re driving, even when it’s sunny.)”

and http://www.competitiverunner.com/winterruns.php

“But it also means beautiful pre-dawn or evening moonlight reflecting off the snow. It means watching the sunrise at the end of a long run. It means quiet, meditative runs down the middle of a dark, rarely used street; the only noise being that of your breath and the sound of your feet on the pavement. Yes, winter running can be a challenge, but it can also be its own reward. ”

http://blog.medbroadcast.com/?p=1192

“I also love winter running! I recall back in my college days that just as exam season was picking up, a brisk run on a cold night was just what I needed to clear my head and invigorate my brain for those late night study sessions. If it means we are psycho, let’s get psycho together.
Stay fit!”

… so maybe I should get off the treadmill and do my runs at lunch. I can’t keep NEVER seeng the daylight. So it’s either that or checking www.sunrisesunset.com every day to see when I will be able to run in the light again!!

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Anyone who has picked up any piece of athletic literature in the past month probably knows about the Nike + Human Race. The ginourmous marketing stunt on August 31 included 29 races in major metro areas throughout the world, as well as runners who had purchased a Nike + band handing in their times for a 10K. The “world’s largest running event” included just under 14,000 runners in Chicago.

In case you missed it here’s the youtube flack for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8q9y7md-c&feature=related

Overall, interesting concept, not perfectly executed.

The Pros:
-Dri-fit t-shirt with your number printed on it exactly like everyone else. Very cool, very unique (ironically by being all the same), plus I love not having to have that stiff race bib feeling.
-Post race entertainment different in any city. Had I not searched for my friend before hitting the concert, Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy probably would have been crowd-surfing ON ME. And they played their newest song, which played for the first time on the radio today.
-Chicago had the chance to and did successfully prove that we can kick any other city’s ass. Biggest turnout in the US, bitches, plus better times than anyone but Portland (but considering that’s based on an average and we had a lot more people, I don’t feel so bad.)
-All kinds of people who would never think to do it tried it out. Spreading the good word of running is always a high priority and I was happy to see so many young Chicagoans embrace it.

The Cons:
-Really REALLY hard to find your friends when everyone’s wearing the same thing. Which is probably why my friend handed me a solid wallop, beating me 44:55 to 46:17.
-Why oh why do we have to include getting on the highway in these kind of races? We have 18 miles of lakeshore path.
-The tech/web aspect is a bit overkill. The “syncing station” for the big brother Nike + bands was heavily guarded, as if they thought I might drop my blue gatorade into their snazzy laptops. The results page, while designed well, doesn’t give me the chance to compare my time to anyone except the top 10 in a given category. Even in the smallest category I can choose (Chicago women) I’m still 94th. I want to see who finished near me, not just the top 10. I had to go to smaresults.com to get that.

Overall, I approve. Hopefully next year it won’t be on Labor Day weekend and the website will entail fewer complicated website processes.

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I’m running an upcoming race with a bib that I purchased from another runner on craigslist.

I failed to sign up for race in time, but was still interested in running. I remember one of my co-workers selling her Shamrock Shuffle bib last year and decided see if there were any available for the upcoming event. There were, and after about six tries, I got two responses from people whose numbers were still available. I took the first that came to me, which happened to be a young woman only one age group away from my own (and as of Saturday, I’m the oldest person in my age group anyway). The exchange went smoothly- I gave her $50 in cash, the face value of the ticket, and she gave me the schwag bag with the race chip and the bib.

Just before I left to pick up the bib, though, one of my co-workers brought up some interesting points. Is it wrong to buy a bib? On a moral level, I don’t think it is, unless you’re being scalped. But also, you are then not the one who signed the “I can die doing this” waiver. If something happens to me during the race, no one will be able to tell that I’m not the girl I bought the bib from. If there’s a debacle like last year’s Chicago marathon, then what do you do? There could be a thousand people there with purchased bibs. And how are they insured?

Is there any way we can start doing waiting lists for races AND allowing runners the opportunity to drop out until about 2 weeks before the race, at a cost? I know volunteers work hard to get the packets out on time, but there has to be a little leeway for the handful of racers that might opt out. Most people, especially young people, just don’t plan far enough ahead to know if they’ll be able to make a race. Plus, there’s injuries, unexpected job transfers, etc. etc. The race charity or staff can still benefit from maybe more money than they would before. Especially in cases like the Chicago Marathon, where bidders are already looking for craiglist bibs. The race is more than four months away! That’s crazy. You can’t even know if you’ll be able to prepare that far ahead.

I understand that we should discourage jumping ship at the last minute, but sometimes it just happens, and with limited entries, why not make someone happy who otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance? This also eliminates having people buying bibs on the cheap at the last minute. Some entries for this run are selling as much as 30 percent below face value. That means someone is losing $15 so someone else can run. That’s just not fair.

Other runners argue that there would also be a market to scalp more popular races. While this might be the case, I think the scope of it is limited to negligible. I dont think the demand for any race is so high that someone will be able to make substantial profits off of it. If people are scalping race bibs, the people buying them are morons. There’s enough honest people selling at face value that you should be able to wait and find something better. There would have to be a united front of scalpers to make that work, and I doubt that will happen in the running community.

For me, I don’t plan on using this technique as a standby, just a way to get out of a pinch for a race I’ve wanted to do for two years now, and to complete my perfect golden birthday weekend. I have a friend who hasn’t run as herself for years. Maybe she could use a hand.

To read some other opinions, visit http://forums.runnersworld.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/493106038/m/6051095101

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Crain’s profiles local business runners:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=29815

A couple of my running buddies are taking place in the corporate challenge or have running clubs at their offices. One (Molex) was even featured in this article.

My company offers nothing of the sort– no health club discounts, no organized running, nothing. Fuck, it seems that it’s discouraged with the strict hours. I tried to take an two hours off before going on a business trip to squeeze in a run and I was slapped on the wrist.

But enough bitching; there’s some positive that comes out of the companies that do offer such benefits for their employees. I can’t think of a better way of getting to know your co-workers than going out for a long, sweaty lakefront jaunt. Going out to lunch together is all well and good, but you’re probably going somewhere with cheap/unhealthy foods, and you have no basis of things to start talking about. Runners can always talk about running. Some can even talk about biking, weight-lifting, swimming, spinning, beer, food, you name it.

My friend at Molex points out something else about the runs. They make everyone equal. I’m not sure the CEO of my company knows who I am, even after a year and a half of working there and much of it more or less solo on my gig. One employee describes it like this:

“On one particularly hot day, she continued to sweat even after her shower. The clerk at the cafeteria checkout line asked her if she was OK, and Ms. Martello explained that she had just been out with the running club.

Behind her in line was company Chairman and CEO Stephen Lilienthal, who praised her efforts and paid for her lunch.”

Nice.

This kind of activity can be especially important to those in creative professions. One runner notes that the lunch run means you get a fresh start in the afternoon. I like that. I can be livid and ready to punch someone by 11:30, but just 40 short minutes at Crunch or on the Lake Shore Path means I’m at least approachable by 1. I had attributed it to the shower in the past– I’ve always found myself happier when clean. But I think the blood flow and adrenaline might have something to do with it as well.

And yes, the article indicates that we may or may not be… well, nuts. I’m surprised that more women aren’t featured in the article, as I thought we might be more prevalent among social runners at this point. I was taken aback that the women interviewed preferred weight training– the wear and tear from a good weight routine outweigh running most of the time in my opinion. But we’re not nuts. I don’t think there is a more efficient way to get in shape. You can’t cheat at running like you can at most other workouts. I’ve tried, it doesn’t work. Plus the desire to get done sometimes makes you chug along a bit faster (see me in the last mile yesterday.)

I think one point the article may miss is the increased efficiency overall. I think more is accomplished when you encourage your workers to do something that they enjoy and also something that keeps them awake during the day.

Finish strong.

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It’s official. Of the five “Bad Habits” detailed in the article “Habits to Break: These easy fixes to common mistakes will make you a healthier runner” by Kara Mayer Robinson, I take part in… all of them. Let’s start from the top:

#1: “You are your own medic.” Really, google is my medic. After all, isn’t google the solution to everything? I’ve diagnosed IT band problems, “female issues,” pulled muscles and hip tendonitis. Now, there’s a good chance I’ve been wrong, but since doctors aren’t free now that I’m no longer able to go to the college athletic trainer, I fend for myself unless I think I’m in danger of doing permanent damage. Also, a doctor might force me into taking medication, and I’ve never been a fan of that. It gets in the way of my erratic schedules and means I have something else to remember every day.

RWs recommendation See a doctor as soon as you feel nagging pain
My solution: maybe I should hit althetico a bit more often. But there’s no way you’re going to get me to go every time I feel nagging pain. I’ll try not running for a week and if it doesn’t go away, THEN I’ll enlist a trainer.

#2: “You never stretch.” Pretty much. My spin instructor maks me, and last night my running buddies encouraged it. But in general, that’s ten minutes that I could use… eating, doing laundry or writing a blog post about poo. I know I should, I’m part of that instant gratification generation that doesn’t do preventative things if they have to go out of thier way to do them. No real good excuse other than don’t tend to feel like taking the time. Except for today, when I got as far as sitting down on the pavement in the courtyard before I realized Desperate Housewives started in 19 minutes and I wanted a shower. I decided to shower and then stretch. Then I forgot to stretch.

RW’s recommendation: Drop a mile from your run and use that time to stretch
My solution: Really? I’m such an addict. I think I should just actually plan out more running time. Or remember to actually stretch while watching TV.

#3 “You’re a night owl.” Apparently, people function best on 5-10 hours of sleep and runner should be on the high end of that. I’ve compromised to seven or sometimes a little less on weeknights and generally catch up where I can on the weekend. I could probably get eight and feel better, but I can’t bring myself to get in bed at 11 most nights, which is why my pre-work work-outs are getting more sparse. Mostly, it’s not that I’m not tired, just that I want more fuck-around time to read, watch TV, play on te internet, etc.

RW’s recommendation: Log hours of sleep in your training log and note trends to see if you need to sleep more.
My solution: I should probably do that. Or just try to get an extra 15 or 20 minutes if i can.

#4: “You forgo sunscreen.” For running? Damn straight. That’s the only way I get a tan. When I’m going to an outdoor concert or to hang out a the beach all day then yes, but it’s complicated enough to get ready to go running and I don’t think the sweatproof junk really works.

RW’s recommendation: Sweatproof sunscreen, avoid midday runs.
My solution: Maybe for post-work runs I’ll try the sweatproof again.

#5: “You never rest.” I run days a week. I took one week of just two early last month, but that’s the first time I’ve taken fewer since August. It puts me in a better mood, it’s sort of regulatory for my bodily systems, calorie intake, etc. Plus I feel bad about taking days off. Especially if I take a nap on those days which has been happening a lot lately.

RW’s recommendation: Cross-train, do yoga, walk. Or take a day off to get a massage and breakfast with a friend.
My solution: I like that one. If I can convince myself to not run for a few days.

So maybe I should change my habits. I get a little draggy and dread running here and there and maybe this would put a little pep back into my habits.

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I had every intention of running 14 miles after work today. I packed my bag the night before, didn’t drink, didn’t indulge in that second cup of coffee, ate a somewhat reasonable lunch.

But Something stopped me.

It was about 38 degrees and raining most of the day, and of course, like umbrellas are wont to do, mine was on the floor of my boyfriend’s car. So I’m sure the walking to lunch and to press conferences sans umbrella in the nearly frigid temperature put me in a prevailing bad mood. But I’m not sure that’s what Something was.

Donald Trump threw a little shindig at his new Hotel and Tower at Wabash and the River. He was actually on time and answered mostly relevant questions, but I was somewhat late leaving because I couldn’t resist taking the camera for a tour of the suites and spa. But that wasn’t the Something either.

When I got to the gym I realized that I didn’t really have great cold weather clothes in my bag. Also, after losing my college iPod with all its glorious pirated music on it, I didn’t want to junk my Garmin or iPod in the rain. So treadmill it was, natch. That wasn’t the Something either.

Upon jumping on the treadmill, which I don’t frequent after the Chicago spring decides to turn past the 50-degree mark, I discovered that the treadmill TVs now only get music video stations. Plus, I wore out a good portion of the Modern Alternative channel over the long winter. So my hope of getting a movie for the one hour and 52 minutes I would be on there was quashed. No biggie, 30 videos should do it. Not Something.

Compensating for a two-week-old pulled groin injury, I’ve been putting a lot of weight on the outer side of my right hip. And sleeping on my left side. Weird pain in those enigmatic parts of the body I never knew I had. Something? Maybe.

Ultimately, I think Something was that I had to stop after 70 minutes as the health club won’t allow you longer than an hour workout and a 10 minute cool down. After my allotted time, I was only at 8.9 and on the verge of vomiting from the random pain, the boredom of the videos I’d seen a dozen times already and the tired from the rain and the cold. I couldn’t restart; couldn’t get my body up for that last 5.1 miles. I bonked. It sucked, I almost cried on the bus on the way home from guilt.

But sometimes, Something just stops us. It just wasn’t meant to be. At least for today…

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OH SHIT

I did not seek this out. It came up on the side of the gmail when I opened my CARA newsletter. I swear.

But now that it’s come up…

I think most people who have run more than ten miles have at some point had that “Oh, God, I have to stop running or I’m going to crap my shorts” moment. The last time I had it I was (luckily?) within about a third of a mile of a construction site with a port-o-potty. I made it. It was touch and go there for a while.

The catch is that you need to get somewhere appropriate to take a dump as fast as possible. But if you keep running you’re going to aggrevate the problem, which could end badly. I find the best option is to walk fast. And try to think about anything but shit. Which is hard when you’re clenching your cheeks together so hard it feels like you’re trying to hold a dollar bill in your crack.

If you can accomplish that, plan to stay in the bathroom for a good ten minutes. You never know when you’re going to hit another wave. And hold your breathe. Your already smell like sweat and feet and armpit, you’re not going to be making it any better. When you finish, don’t stop moving; walk around until you recover the feeling in your intestines and then start running, or if you’re finished with the run, rest, but try to avoid laying down.

So the article above recommends some ways to avoid being gross, like I am on occassion. Don’t eat two hours before. Don’t eat high fat foods. Don’t eat high fiber foods (beans, bran, fruit, salad.) Don’t eat foods with sugar substitutes. Don’t consume caffeine or hot fluids. No milk.

Wow. I think that encompasses almost everything I consume in a day. Which basically means the only way for me to avoid it is to run before I eat anything. The funny thing is, that’s when it seems to be the worst. My poo problems have subsided since I started doing my long runs after work, and I consume caffeine like it’s going out of style at my high-stress journalism job. Besides, going out to eat at lunch pretty much contains two options in Chicago: high fat or salad.

The last part of the article recommends gradually increaing mileage until your issue goes away. Maybe that’s what has helped me. I decreased greatly last fall after the Chicago distance classic, but I’m back up to about 13.5 miles on Sundays or Mondays. I still have a passing-out-on-the-couch issue, but I no longer have to give the all-clear before I make the sprint to the john after a long run.

The one other recommendation that I can make: Poop first. Mom had it right: You should have gone before you left home.

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