Running with Cool Shoes!

Yes, it's been awhile, but I'm back with Shoesday Tuesday!

Here they are!  I usually only wear these in the winter - not sure why...

 I love them because they remind me of the 1940s.  Don't you think?  I always wear them with fishnet stockings.  I must say...Hubby does appreciate a nice pair of fishnets - but that's a whole other post!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Running with a Running Book!

I've been able to finish a couple books lately - I really do enjoy reading.  I've been trying to instill that love of reading in my kids.  I remember hearing LaVar Burton (if you have kids, you may remember that he hosted "Reading Rainbow" on PBS stations) talk about one of his fondest memories of his mother, and one of the reasons he loved books so much was because he always saw his mother with a book in her hand.  So far my love of books has rubbed off on Baby Girl.  She loves going to the library and to Barnes and Noble.  That makes me happy.  On the other hand, Baby Boy is a reluctant reader.  He's a good reader, he just needs to find that one author or genre that is going to get him excited about reading.

So, I finished Born to Run recently. What a great book!  It's a true story about a group of runners way down in the copper Canyons of rural Mexico.  They are ultra runners - people who run around 100 miles at a time...just because!  Wow!  But here's the thing - they run either barefoot, or with these little ol' "flip-floppy" sandals.

The author went to Mexico to figure out how this group of runners could run so far, with so little on their feet, and avoid injuries.  What he found was a group of people who ran simply because they loved running.  He also discovered some interesting things about runners and running.

Did you know...

Research studies have shown that there is a direct correlation on the amount of money you spend on running shoes and your chances of sustaining an injury while running?  People who spent more than $90 on a pair of running shoes were 50% more likely to be injured than those that spent less than $90.  (Whew, my last pair was $89 - Nike Pegasus - just under the wire!)  The reasoning is that more expensive shoes have more padding, which masks any pain you may feel from little missteps you make while running.  If you feel the pain, you will change your gait or do whatever you need to do to stop the pain!  Makes sense to me, and it makes sense that these runners in Mexico don't sustain many injuries.

When I was at the Expo at my last race, there was a booth selling these shoes.

They were $100. They are called Vibram Five Fingers. It's supposed to be the next best thing to running barefoot.  They look really interesting and I'd love to try a pair, but I can't justify spending $100 on something that may be really uncomfortable.  (Hmmm, how can I finagle a free pair?)

Then, I saw these on Oprah's Favorite Things Show.

They are Nike Free running shoes.  $85.  Again, just under the wire! 

I just can't see myself running barefoot.  I've got a real problem with dirty feet. 

Born to Run really made me rethink my reluctance to run a full marathon.  Really, 26.2 doesn't seem that far when you are reading about 100 mile races!

There was this great female runner in the book who was a "surfer chick" that was a really wild ultra runner.  She ran anywhere, anytime, just because she loved it!  She wasn't worried about what she ran in, or what she looked like - she just loved running!  She inspired me so I started running without my hair in a pony tail (I know, pretty wild, huh).  But I'm not giving up my Nike dri-fit tanks with the built-in sports bra!

The funny thing about this book was that it was recommended to me from a non-runner!  That's how interesting it is.  You don't have to be a runner to enjoy the story.

So, here's a question...has anyone out there tried running barefoot?  How did it go?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Running...and running...crazily!

I love races.  It's the crowd - so many people, (wanting a goody bag), with 1 destination in mind - the finish line!  I actually love trying to beat my times, and in this, my 2nd year of running, I have been beating my times - it's just the energy of so many runners!

In the last 6 weeks, I've run 5 races!  I think I stretched myself too thin.  But I have been so excited about running!   Here are highlights of some of the races!

Susan G. Komen - I ran the 5k with Baby Boy and the 1 miler with Baby Girl.  I'm so proud of both of them for running!  Baby Boy could leave me in the dust, but he doesn't realize it yet!  I can keep up with a 12 year old, but when I start running with a 16 year old - he will finish before I even start sweating!

 

Baby Girl's Girl Scout troop volunteered to cheer on the runners and to hand out medals!  The girls got to meet a local (retired) NFL player - Lorenzo Neal.  He last played for the Chargers.  The girls were very excited! 

Baby Boy and I did a relay for the local Half Marathon.  5.5 miles for him, 7.6 for me.  We didn't run together since it was a relay, and Baby Boy was not happy about that.  But he ran really well - 8:48 minute miles and I was so full of pride watching him at the end of he leg!  He loved it!  We both got great running shirts, a beautiful medal, and a finisher's sweatshirt!  Talk about great swag!!  He was so proud of the medal.  He ran cross country for his middle school, and never got even a ribbon for his finishes, so this medal was very special to him.

Together we ran the half marathon in 2 hours!  So proud of him!  I love running with Baby Boy!  

Thanks for visiting today!

Running with Thanks!

Thanksgiving...a day for giving thanks...especially for smoke alarms!  No, no...it's not as bad as you may be thinking.  It's actually an annual tradition!  Ok, what the heck am I talking about?  Well, it all begins with Alton Brown!  I love Alton Brown and just about everything that he does.  He has this fabulous Roasted Turkey recipe that we have tried the last 3 years - all with the same results - delicious moist turkey, and an annual test of our smoke alarm!

It all starts with a great brine - you soak your turkey overnight.  Then, you dry it off, stuff it with aromatics, lube it up with oil, and stick it in the oven at a toasty 500 degrees for 30 minutes to get a fantastic browning on the old bird!  This is where the fun begins!  See, our oven works great up to about 450 degrees, but when the temps reach 500, the oven can't seem to control all the smoke coming off the turkey.  We've tried everything - fans, open windows, oven vent on high...everything.  So now, we just stand someone near the smoke alarm to fan away the smoke and turn it off.  We accept it as the price of a delicious turkey!

Hope your Thanksgiving was full of family, friends, and many blessings!  Oh, I think I hear the smoke alarm - dinner's ready!

Running and Catching Up!

I've got lots to catch up on, and since I'm on vacation, it seems like a great time to do just that! 

So, let's begin...I went to my high school reunion recently, not long ago, in early Fall - let's leave it at that.  Glad I went, but will most likely never go back again. 

I guess my expectations were a little high, I had a little scenario running through my head that I'd connect with someone that I just had a passing friendship with in high school, and maybe find a running partner or someone with whom I had more in common with since 25 years had passed - uh, nope!  

I did reacquaint myself with a gal that I thought was just so together in high school.  She always dressed so amazingly well, and carried herself with such poise.  We started talking, and she's as "normal" as anyone.  Has the same children, job, family issues as me and she was so "down to earth".  I'm so glad we got to talk that evening.

I also got to see an old friend that I had known since 7th grade.  She was always so stressed and upset about something in the 6 years we went to school together.  She had a really strict (on the verge of abusive) mom and I swear, I thought she would either run away and end up living on the streets, or do herself some harm.  But, she was doing really well with her life.  Had 3 boys, working on her Master's Degree, and happy with her life.  That made the night worthwhile.

And I have to be honest, I was hoping that the gals would all be fat and the men bald...I was right on the 2nd one.  The girls I went to school with had really taken care of themselves, but the guys - wow, there were so many bald heads there I couldn't believe it!  It made me wonder...when do men get to the point that they just say, "I don't have enough to keep growing, I'm just going to shave it all off!"  Bald looks good on some people, say, Bruce Willis, Vin Diesel, but not so much on the class of 1985!

And, lastly, the "stupid and loud" girls that I went to high school with, uh...still stupid and loud!  The only difference seemed to be that now they could legally purchase their alcohol!  Sorry, being 43 and acting like you're 23 just doesn't work anymore!

Finally, at the end of the night I got a voice mail from Baby Girl, with her breathy 10 year old voice, saying, "Mommy, when are you coming home?"  I know right then that while high school was a nice place to visit, there was only one place that mattered to me now - home with my family.  The biggest "Ah-hah" of the night - I really like who I am and where I am in my life right now!  And it just took 3 hours of the past to help me realize that!

Thanks for visiting!

Running...Away from a Book!

 

Sorry, David...I just couldn't do it!  I couldn't finish it!  I did something that I've rarely done in the past!  I had to close your book and walk away! 

You had me laughing till I cried, and nearly peed my pants in Me Talk Pretty One Day!  

 I can't tell you how many times I had to call someone while I was reading that book and quote from your stories!  I drove around with your book in my car and read it to anyone who asked for a ride - it was their ticket for transportation!

Your stories in Holidays on Ice will never allow me to look at Santa's helpers in the same way ever again!  I even drove all the way to Carmel to hear you speak.  I got your autograph in my copy of When You Are Engulfed in Flames and I didn't take your photograph - just like your sign asked.  My friend had you sign her "Bucket" - we loved you!

 But Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk...I just couldn't read it!  You're hysterically funny - but all those weird human traits and foibles displayed in animals - it was just sad and depressing.  Animals deserve better than to be portrayed as vain and shallow.  Yes, I see how strange that is for me to enjoy and laugh at humans portrayed in this way, but animals...I can't read that.

I'm looking forward to your next book - and I realize that not everyone will like everything an author writes, but, I just had to tell you...sorry.