Just some stuff

I haven't posted in a while and I don't have a theme for this post. Just some miscellaneous stuff:

1.  Shoes.  My shoes are at 200+ miles.  At 300 miles it's time for new shoes. I have a feeling I'm going to go through shoes a lot faster. And since I overpronate and wear orthotics, I get the extra cushiony stability shoes which cost ALOT. Of course.  That's why I try to get as many miles as possible.

My shoe closet doesn't compare with my husband's:

I'm in so much trouble for posting this picture. But you have to see it to believe it.

2.  Heat.  It's been exceptionally hot.  Too hot. Running in the heat has been unbearable and that's when I'm running in 70 degree weather at 6:00 am.  Looks like next week will be better.

3.  Tired.  I've noticed that as I do morning runs, and more miles, I'm getting really tired by the end of the week. Heck, by Wednesday I'm exhausted at 7:00 p.m.  I can't get to bed any earlier, either. The kids go to bed by 9:00, and I need time to unwind.  It's just not enough sleep to keep me going. I have to figure out how to get more sleep.  This is also why I haven't been updating the blog. Cause I'm tired, people.

4.  De-stress.  I've noticed that when I come home from a particularly stressful day from work the thing I want most to do is run.  I think running outside makes a big difference. Just go out the door and start running down the street. Let my mind wander, or just look around.  Or put on some kick-ass tunes.

Now enjoy some kick-ass running tunes:

Embrace the challenge

I was thinking today about how we are trying teach my 9 year old son to embrace challenges, rather than avoid them.  He is starting baseball season, and this year it's kid pitch, with three strikes, three outs, sliding and stealing.  It's much different from what he's used to. He's being pushed out of his comfort zone into unknown territory, and it's HARD.

We are trying to explain to him how challenges are good for him, and that the way to learn is to practice the fundamentals so that when game time comes, he will have enough confidence to play.   To do the hard things.

That is why I'm doing the marathon.  To move to the next challenge.  I'm also out of my comfort zone by training with a group.  I'm typically a solitary runner; give me some tunes, or the birds chirping at the sunrise, and the road ahead, and I'm in heaven.  Running with a group has its own challenges, especially for an introvert like me.

I think that's why, today, when we did six miles, I was tired.  Really tired. I'm not usually so tired after only six miles.  But not only was I concentrating on my pace, I was trying to make conversation.  For me, that's the exhausting part! Nevertheless, I feel that it is important to bond with the group so that when the marathon comes, we will all be able to support each other all the way across the finish line.

I encourage everyone to try to push themselves out of their comfort zone. Even if it is a small step, you will feel stronger for having attempted it.  And if you need others around you to help you get there, don't hesitate to ask!  Likely they want to do it, too.

Gadgets

Best of Tokyo Marathon 2011 Live Ustream from Joseph Tame on Vimeo.


I'm slow, and I haven't ever run a marathon (yet) but I still seem to collect gadgets and gear for running (at least I'm not like this guy).  This morning was a good example. I had on my left wrist the giant Garmin Forerunner that my husband and I share (you can share if you don't use all the features). On my right shoulder I had my new iPhone in an armband with headphones.  I was trying out the Runkeeper app for the iPhone to see if it could replace the Garmin, but I wasn't sure how it would work.

Perhaps I haven't figured it all out yet, but with my armband, I couldn't see my pace or mileage on the iPhone very easily.  I also couldn't do anything with the phone while I was running.  I usually run about halfway and then decide I need music for the way back. With the iPhone in my armband, I would have had to come to a complete stop, take off the armband, pause Runkeeper, and then try to load my music. If I needed to adjust the volume I would have had to take the phone out of the armband. I bought a cheap armband at Target, so I assume that there are better ones out there, but even so, I can't imagine being able to do anything with the phone while I'm running, even changing songs on the iPod.

Cool things about Runkeeper include audio cues that tell you when you get to a mile, and can tell you your average pace and your split pace at each mile.  Runkeeper does your splits, but doesn't appear to keep the total time after each split like the Garmin does (so in case you run a little over 4 miles, but you want your average pace for just the 4 miles, you can see the total time for 4 miles on the Garmin and figure it out from that).  You can access your music within the Runkeeper app, which is cool if you are prepared to listen to it the entire time. You can see a map of your run, too.  The information automatically is downloaded onto the Runkeeper website, and you can get more information about the run, including the elevation.  I assume the Garmin website will do all of this too, but we never hooked it up, and you would have to sync it with the computer to transfer all the data.

Runkeeper does not sync with Dailymile either. I really like Dailymile, and so I don't think I'll stop using it.  But this means I will have four different places where I can track my runs - Runkeeper, Dailymile, the MIT website and my own fitness spreadsheet.  Kind of overkill, I think.

I might take the iPhone on my longer runs just so I have a phone with me in case I need it. And while I'm with the pace group I won't need to constantly check my pace.  But I can't imagine using this set up for all of my runs.

I still love my new iPhone.  But maybe it can't do EVERYTHING.