Take it and Run Thursday: Gearing up for Summer

This week's theme is ... Gearing Up For Summer. With the really warm summer temperatures around the corner, it is time to dust off our warm weather gear, tips and know how in order to transition and run well into summer. Share your best tips for how you transition from cooler to warmer temperatures as well as stay cool during those hot weather runs.

Summer to me means awesome trail races, fun runs at the beach and in the mountains (Mt. Tam being a personal fav), and incorporating ladders and stairs into runs (I guess this goes hand in hand with some of the trail races). On the downside it means dehydration risk, poison oak (I seem to get it every Summer - typically on Angel Island), and weird runner's sunburns making cap sleeve dresses on Monday at the office impossible.

Summer Running by Marathon Mom featuring Nike Shoes

My tips for Summer running?

• Coconut Water - the BEST sports drink hands down
• Cool clothes - I'm a fan of Under Armour shorts and Lululemon tanks
• Good running socks - Nike makes some great cool socks
• Water water water! (I hate the belts, though - they make me have to go to the bathroom way too often)
• Garmin - gotta track those runs!

Take it and Run Thursday: Running blogs

Running Blogs - How and Why? Most of our TIaRT participants are also running bloggers - it's a way for them to talk about and think about their running. But we also know that about half of the runners in the Lounge aren't bloggers and many are interested in getting started but not sure how to get started, why to do it or how it can help their running. Share your tips for how you use your blog to help your running. Talk about how/why you started, what keeps you blogging and how you use it to keep you running.


A good friend of ours started blogging and it helped curb her shopping habit. Rad! I started to try to enjoy the same benefits, but to no avail - no cubing for me. But what I did notice is blogging was a great outlet to rant and talk about all the wacky things that happen in San Francisco. Eventually I turned my blog to running - a healthier outlet. Having a blog where I can write about my running adventures helps:

• Inspire me to race - and do well in the races (it is after all fun to toot one's own horn)
• Meet other runners - the online world connects us through stories
• Daydream - I have a wishlist of about 10 races I need to do in life, blogging about them will hopefully help me put check marks next to those listed

It's also fun posting pictures and race and workout write-ups to reference back to. All the trails start meshing together after a while so it's nice to remind myself which 20k had the 4,000 foot climb, and which only had 2,000 feet.

I do have to admit, more than writing a running blog I love reading running blogs - other runners are the best inspiration to get out there and train and go!

Take it and Run Thursday: Ode to My Running Shoes

Ode to My Running Shoes. Runners are crazy about their running shoes. We know your friends and family stopped being interested in hearing you talk about your running shoes about six pairs ago, but your fellow runners just can't get enough. Tell us about your favorite running shoes, why you bought them, why you love them and what they do for your running. Only one catch - you need to do it in the same number of words as the dollars it took to buy them.

We've had the best of times, we've had the worst of times
Running shoes, we've done it all
We've run, walked, and limped through Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall

Nike Air Max Triax, my heart was once with you
But when you turned all retro, I turned to another shoe

Saucony, you housed my first orthodic
But around cushion, support, sole, and look, you weren't so melodic

New Balance got me through the Bend Marathon - I never thought I'd walk again
But the weight and price weren't appealing, so I let my NB's dim

Mizuno oh Minzuo, the good times we have had
Your sexy shoe felt good, but my podietrist said you were too bad

ASICS, how I love you - on trails, road, and gym floors - a shoe, a friend, and more
Bi-monthly I get a new pair at the store (store being Sports Basement where I only have to drop $60 :) )

Under Armour you bolted in, like a running ray of light
I toggle you and my Asics for training and racing plight

Take it and Run Thursday: Spring Training Tips

Spring training tips... The welcome change from winter to spring season brings a natural change in our running as well. We start to running more, longer, faster or just different than we did in our "off months".

I love Spring training (the running kind, not the baseball kind). It's a time of transition (think high school - cross country turns into track), of great races, beautiful runs, and great weather (sometimes, in San Francisco we're not always so blessed). Here are my tips and tricks for Spring Training:

• Get out early - early morning runs are great because they get your day off to a good start AND during the Spring and Summer months they're important to beat the heat
• Explore - with the clouds and rain lifting, running in the Spring is the best time to see things around the city or on the dirt trails
• Incorporate other types of training - outside yoga? Rad. Swimming? A great complement that cools you down.
  
• Drink water! This is important with any run short or long but in the hotter months, or during those times when you're running further because it's nicer out, hydration is key.
• Layer - the sun may be out but the weather can still surprise you; you don't want to be 10-miles out and have the sunny sky turn to rain
  

Take it and Run Thursday: Only in running

Today's theme is .... Only in running... Have you ever noticed that your definition of "acceptable" changes when it comes to your running? Your standards of public dislays of bodily functions lower, you find it acceptable to give bear hugs to sweaty complete strangers who you bonded with in the last mile of a tough race, you easily pay $100+ for a pair of shoes you may wear a few months, and on and on. Share your take of the interesting and peculiar things running brings into our lives.

When I was a kid my mom read me Ms. Manners to go to sleep. I'm a please and thank you person. I try to hold the door for strangers, I always introduce myself to the "new kid" at work, I never litter, I let the pregnant lady or older woman sit on the bus ... pretty standard stuff, really. Don't get me wrong, though - I absolutely have my "real life"quarks. Living in San Francisco I fume when out-of-towners don't know how to drive (I often give the tall finger hello - terrible, I know). I can't stand when people walk 4-in-a-row on sidewalks so often briskly walk around. But running brings out a different side.

Before a race I'm no stranger to the outdoor loo. I'll try to be discreet, of course, but there are times when action is required - the Kaiser half marathon was one of these for example. Before the Kaiser race, the line for the port-a-potty was 300 yards long so I ran to the woods. Once there I found a group of men and women around a tree. Shamelessly, I joined.

I'm a big fan of the "runner's etiquette" - shouting "on your right!" Is not rude during a race, it's required. On the flip side, staying to one side of the trail is imperative.

Even though as a kid parents taught us to never talk to strangers, during races strangers are my best friends. 1,000 ft. climb in the middle of a trail race? The guy next to me turns into family and we egg each other on. All runners coming the other direction get a wave, a smile, and a "great job!" On the street in "real life" I would never be so bold as to say hello to everyone (there was a crazy lady in San Anselmo that used to do that - it didn't work so well for her).

Bottom line, there's race world/runner's world, and then the rest of it. Different rules but similar gestalt - be polite, proper action for proper situation, have fun.

Taking it and Run Thursday: Common Mistakes

Today's theme is .... Common mistakes and cardinal sins of running. What are some of the most common mistakes you make with your running? Why? What did you learn from them? And of all your mistakes, which ones have you vowed to never to again and would urge other runners to avoid this most evil pitfall.

There's a thin line between pushing it hard enough to PR and pushing it too far in running, and I've erred on both sides of that line. I think the biggest mistake in running is pushing it too far/too hard - I've done this a few times and the downside is much more massive than the up. Our bodies are pretty good about telling us when enough is enough (i.e. a stress fracture rearing its ugly bum is a great sign to stop for a while, ice, stretch, and hit the pool or bike instead of track or trail).

A long time ago when I "ran in uniform (aka high-school track) - I really pushed it and wound up pushing my knee right out of place. I ran off and on after that but it wasn't really fun and I kept hurting myself - the end result, I didn't' really run for 10-years.

On the flip side, and it's a bit funny lumping these two together, it's important to remember the mind tires before the body. In a marathon that little voice at mile 20 always seems to whisper "don't worry, it's ok to stop." This is the thin line paradigm - it is indeed OK to stop if your body is breaking down BUT often times runners (like me) fall into the mind-game pitfall and stop because of the little voice.

What a balancing act!

I guess the moral of my TiART entry this week is to find the balance in running and not fall to the body breaking side or mind melting side - just listen to your body and have fun.

Take it and Run Thursday: Backwards TIaRT - You Ask the Question

Every week Runner's Lounge posts a topic for runners to comment on. This week they've turned the tables and are leaving the door open for runners' questions.

As I'm somewhat of a race junky now (seriously, I love them - the adrenalin, the pukey feeling at the beginning ... and sometimes the end, the mud (I like the trails), and the gummy bears when you cross the finish), I'm curious - what's the race that changed your life AND/OR the one race everyone needs to do before they die?

I've done most of the Marin trail races, the San Diego Marathon, and the Bend Marathon. I've dappled in half marathons, Bay to Breakers, and other local 10ks. With my 30th birthday coming up in October I'm considering a half Iron Man in Santa Cruz ... and these are great races! But I'm not feeling that moved. Do I need to throw a Great Wall of China Marathon in the mix? Today I read on Julianne's blog that she's doing the Hope Runs 777 Challenge (which I'm blown away by - major kudos!) and covering these seven marathons:

DATE	RACE	LOCATION
January 2010	ING	Miami, Florida USA
February 2010	Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon	Beppu JAPAN
February 2010	Buller Marathon	Westport NEW ZEALAND
February 2010	TBA	EUROPE
March 2010	Kilimanjaro Marathon	Moshi TANZANIA
March 2010	Antarctica Marathon	King George Island ANTARCTICA
March 2010	Maraton Fin del Mundo	Ushuaia ARGENTINA

So what's the best? The most life changing? The most beautiful? What's it for races?

TIART: Why Didn't They Get It? The Marathon Explained

What is it that attracts us to the marathon? What is so special that we give us so much and run for so long just for the pleasure of yet running more on the big day Why do we do it over and over? How do you explain the mysterious pull of the marathon? Why do you run marathons?

The very first man to run a "marathon" died at the end. 26.2 miles was a true test of strength. Then again, he was naked, shoeless, and didn't have water stops, GU, and live music every few miles.

I was first "attracted" to marathons in college when my roommate and I made life-long goal lists. We set a goal to run a marathon before we graduated and ran the Bend Oregon marathon in 5:45 (pretty slow considering it was all down hill). We wanted to do it just because a marathon seemed so foreign and outrageous.

Last year I decided to run another marathon - this time it was to see if I could. I started running again as a New Year's resolution and the resolution stuck - I was addicted. So I wanted to see what my mind could do. I remember a phrase from a long time ago - "the mind tires before the body" - marathons are the true test of this notion. 13miles? Fine - difficult, but do-able. 20miles? Hard, you start wondering why. 26miles? A true test. 26.2? Why in the world did they add the .2 - why couldn't Marathon be closer to Athens? The finish line? Total accomplishment.

Take it and Run Thursday: Running Through Transitions

Every week, a great running networking site posts a topic for "Take it and Run Thursday" - this week, it's "Running Through Transitions." This is my first week actually writing on the topic because it resonated so well when I read it.

To me transition means change. It means having to be flexible and not insisting on the norm or comfort zone(s) because these don't exist anymore. Transition means giving up some things and gaining others - usually, transitions are a good thing. I think.

We have a few transitions coming up:

• My company is working through the economic roller coaster
• Matt and I are moving - initially we had slated February 26th but the girl who wants to take over our current apartment is living in a hotel until we move out, so the new move date? February 13th - it's going to be a busy two weeks!
• I just became an "Ambassador" for my favorite clothing company - this means I'm going to be in some of their posters and postcards ... the catch? The photo shoot is in a week or two - I'll be 15-16 weeks pregnant and looking more like a before picture than a fitness icon. But the truth? I'll be a mommy-to-be on the run - and that makes me happy.
  
• Most important, we're pregnant with TWINS! (side note, we learned what the nurse thinks their sexes are today - but it's super top secret until confirmed)

So what does running have to do with it? I run because I can. I run because it makes me feel good. I run because it makes transitions a lot easier. Work stress? Go for a job. Moving stress and OD'ing from packing? Some hill sprints are in order. Ambassador? Well, I run, therefore I can spandex. TWINS?! That one we'll see - running is certainly helping me think through this pregnancy - it's my time to be alone and I don't think I'm going to get much alone time in a few months.

Running through transitions means breathing, reflecting or just turning your brain off, and getting through the transition to the finish line - the change. Running through means beating the obstacles and enjoying the end result. Running through transitions means changing pace when needed - slowing down to catch breath and take in views.