Who is "them?" Running stores. I went to buy new shoes at a running store in Annapolis that shall remain nameless, mainly because the owner seems like a really nice guy and I wouldn't want to say anything critical of his store. I was also thinking about buying new running socks.
My shoes ended up costing about $130, and the store wanted $9 for one pair of the lowest-end running sock. I bought the shoes because I feel guilty about going to a running store and getting fitted and then not buying the shoes. How about a poll: Do the rest of you runners out there feel similarly guilty? When I got home, I experienced a sinking moment when Eugene looked my shoes up on a military exchange website. They were going for about $70 to $80 (can't remember). It's always a suckerpunch when you realize that you paid almost 50% too much for something. The upshot? For anyone who has access to a military exchange, get your shoes there, especially if you just buy the latest model of the same pair of shoes and don't feel a need to get re-fitted.
Happily, the whole night wasn't lost. I passed the socks up and went to Target instead. I got six pair of 100% synthetic material Champion brand athletic socks for the same price that the running store wanted for one paid. The socks work fine, so another piece of advice; buy your running socks at Target. Something to note, though; Target doesn't seem to carry 100% synthetic athletic socks for men.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
But I run marathons!
I'm going way back, all the way to late April or early May. The sordid events that I am about to explain happened so long ago (at least in blog time) that I can't remember when they occurred, other than the generic "awhile ago."
Eugene and I are very busy people. We work long hours and are always running off to one activity or another. As a result, we aren't as proactive as we could be about yard work, proactive being a kind euphemism for lazy. I'm far more guilty of this than Eugene. At any rate, we decided to have a big Memorial Day barbeque because we figured that it would motivate us to really get things done.
And it did. I attacked the garden patches with unprecendented fervor. I spent over five hours on my hands and knees one Saturday relentlessly weeding. Note to self: don't let weeds go for two years; it's not pretty. At the end of the day, I was in pain like I had never been in pain before. My wrists were screaming, and I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was sore for days. I felt worse than I usually do after marathons that I run without really training. I was shocked to be in so much pain because as a person who has run a few marathons in a state of woeful unpreparedness, I figured that I had a really really high tolerance for pain. I never would have imagined that a measly five hours in a garden could cause me that much pain.
Ironically enough, I was reading Better Homes and Gardens and saw an article on pre-gardening stretches. Ordinarily, I would have scoffed at such a wussy idea like stretching before gardening. Now, I am a true believer and will definitely do my pre-gardening warmup stretches.
Eugene and I are very busy people. We work long hours and are always running off to one activity or another. As a result, we aren't as proactive as we could be about yard work, proactive being a kind euphemism for lazy. I'm far more guilty of this than Eugene. At any rate, we decided to have a big Memorial Day barbeque because we figured that it would motivate us to really get things done.
And it did. I attacked the garden patches with unprecendented fervor. I spent over five hours on my hands and knees one Saturday relentlessly weeding. Note to self: don't let weeds go for two years; it's not pretty. At the end of the day, I was in pain like I had never been in pain before. My wrists were screaming, and I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was sore for days. I felt worse than I usually do after marathons that I run without really training. I was shocked to be in so much pain because as a person who has run a few marathons in a state of woeful unpreparedness, I figured that I had a really really high tolerance for pain. I never would have imagined that a measly five hours in a garden could cause me that much pain.
Ironically enough, I was reading Better Homes and Gardens and saw an article on pre-gardening stretches. Ordinarily, I would have scoffed at such a wussy idea like stretching before gardening. Now, I am a true believer and will definitely do my pre-gardening warmup stretches.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
We finished!
I was so wiped out last night, I forgot to tell people we finished! Matt finished a strong last 2 legs and brought us into DC. Compared to our experience at Ragnar, this finish was much better organized. They had the runners come off the C&O trail, through Georgetown, and finally into the park adjacent to the FDR Memorial.
The Washington Post had an article about the relay today - and our team got mentioned!
And no, we didn't see Mayor Fenty - although I did run with him for a few miles during the Marine Corps Marathon 2 years ago.
More to follow - today is yard work - I will go back and fill in posts, as well as add more photos.
The Washington Post had an article about the relay today - and our team got mentioned!
And no, we didn't see Mayor Fenty - although I did run with him for a few miles during the Marine Corps Marathon 2 years ago.
More to follow - today is yard work - I will go back and fill in posts, as well as add more photos.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Final 2 legs
So despite the heat we are now standing by for the final 2 legs. After a beautiful 14 mile run last night, I had one of the toughest 13 mile stretches of my life. Hot and humid, and don't forget that I slept about an hour and have already run 24 miles....
Kevin is now finishing up his last 2 legs, and Matt is getting ready to take us into DC. Our revised ETA at FDR is now between 6 and 6:30. See you there!
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Home stretch
The end is in sight... Greg is wrapping up 29 and 30, and getting ready for 12.8 on 31 and 32... It's warm, but thankfully not as warm as yesterday.
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IT issues
It appears we are having air card issues... So I'm going to try and update via the good old blackberry. In a nutshell, we've made it through the night safely - definitely tired though. Nobody got that much sleep. D is currently on leg 28 and Greg is prepping for 29 and 30. After I got into a footrace last night with some girl in the last 1/2 mile of 20, I am not sure how my legs are going to hold up.
A bunch of teams got held at 5 am at the C&O trail start.... Seems we were ahead of pace and the trail wasn't open yet.
Right now we're projected to arrive at the finish line between 3 and 3:30... Updates to follow.
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