Wednesday, November 9, 2011

There's a She-Wolf in your closet.... or running down McMullen Booth Road!

I originally thought I might surprise you all and actually write about sewing since I'm attempting to upcycle some of my old exercise gear into something I can run in but seeing how I have only one leg sewn on and I'm not going for a Shakira She-Wolf look, it'll have to wait until another day.
Sure, it looks just like this- but the sweatpants/ t-shirt version, which is also super sexy
Before I forget, as promised, here are some of Helen's tips for starting runners- I've added my own unhelpful comments and observations in red:

Ok so....running...... There are lots of things that people don't tell you when you are training for a half marathon...... some of the most important things to do are.......

1: Make sure whatever hair style you chose, it doesn't interfere or annoy you. I personally like to have my hair up in a pony tail with a headband of some sort...I'm talking like.....thin head band that keeps whispy fly away out of my face. Nothing annoys me more when running....I use under armor but you can get a lot of different types....KEY THING....make sure it's not too tight...i did this and it created a HUGE headache..and that's no fun! Okay, I use a headband and it's helpful. I think for the race I'll use a headband/earwarmer thing in the beginning because my ears always hurt when they're cold.

I Googled running hair and got this so naturally this will be my hairstyle on race day.
2: Make sure you are comfortable! In the winter, i always wear layers...and these are thin layers or moisture wicking material. like under armor....( i'm going to say UA from now on because...well....i'm an under armor slut).....lol.... ok...Winter time i usually wear UA cold gear tight pants. Any type will do...Nike makes some nice ones too. I DO NOT layer on the bottom half. Top half i usually wear an UA long sleeve cold gear shirt and a tighter UA fleece. I sometimes even wear an UA t-shirt between the two if it's extra cold. This gives me the option to strip layers while getting warm and re apply layers when i'm cold. :) I don't find leggings to be too hot...jogging pants ( like addidas) are way to hot for me.... Good to know because otherwise I would just buy the cheapest thing out there and ya'll would find me passed out on McMullen Booth Road because my new pants had all the breathability of a garbage bag.


Of course, if I look this hot in a garbage bag, I might consider it anyway...
I don't wear a beanie or hat. Unless it's raining...cause there is nothing like getting rain in your eyes...especially when you wear glasses. Anyways...during the winter i wear a headband type of UA or nike band that goes around the ears but doesn't cover the head. This allows for heat to escape through my scalp but keeps my ears warm....This is just me :) but you might find it helpful..

3: GLIDE.......Glide is a product that is like....super important....it looks like a bar of deodorant...but is so much better. Its a product that helps with chafing...now...you are skinny so you probably don't chafe...but ....I don't chafe usually either...except when i run a half marathon..or train for it... Anyways...I ALWAYS put Glide on when i'm doing a long distance run ( 8K or more). I put it on my feet, in between toes, heals, arms ( where they hit my rib cage), and sometimes the lining of my bra ( if its really hot). also put it between my thighs up top..just in case my legs decide to be friends and touch eachother. The Girl type glide is exactly the same and the regular type glide...so don't bother getting the girl unless you like the pink top. GLIDE is a must....i swear by it...it prevents me from getting blisters on me toes and feet... which can really ruin your run if you get them... I bought this and used it for the first time on Sunday to make sure it didn't feel greasy and it didn't. The hard part is that I won't be able to tell if it's really working until Bobby starts getting chafing and I can do the 'told ya so, told ya so, told ya told ya told ya so' dance while holding my stick of Glide. Which does not have a pink lid, btw.



4: Gu...... GU is super important. It's a substance that replaces your electrolytes that you have burned. It's like a gel / cake frosting type of substance. There are MANY types of Gu....and different brands. It's important to train with the Gu so you know which one you can tolerate while running. Example.... I "tested' the Shot blocks Margarita flavor one day.... I liked how it tasted. Well....when i decided to eat this during my run.....my stomach DID NOT like it.....so....point of the matter.... USE your energy supplement WHILE training and make sure you like the flavor while running and stick with it....I've tried so many kinds and I have come to the conclusion that my body likes strawberry Shot Blocks or Gu Chomps...nothing else... I usually eat the GU packet around mile 5-6 and then at mile 9-10. Sometimes i get so tired that I eat small little pieces of it along the way....this helps give me a natural energy boost. ( your body uses these carbs, sugars, and electrolytes to help you keep going the 13.1 miles). Anyways... Seriously consider it..... This entire paragraph sounded like gibberish to me the first time I read it but now that I'm a seasoned runner of five weeks and have made one trip to Sports Authority, I can now be considered an expert. We tried some of these out on Sunday and I kept my blueberry pomegranate  Gu Chomps down for the run so not blowing chunks is always good.



This Sunday, Bobby and I ran our five mile training run and even with the walking, we averaged about an eleven minute mile for the run. No short bus this time!


We looked like this. But not hot.
Prior to the run on Sunday, Shrimp and I took Echo to the Sarasota flea market to see dad hard at work at his friend's nut stand (insert every joke imaginable involving dad, nuts, warm nuts, nut stand, and flea market here- we made them all) and while we initially walked in and said, "Oh my god, this is the reason why we don't go to flea markets", by the time we made the walk around the perimeter booths we had acquired day-glo feathers clamped into our hair, permanent hair jewels, feathered hair clip accessories, and a new pair of jeggings. 




I figure if they're good enough for Conan...
I would have gotten my teeth whitened too but by that time I had run out of cash. There's always next time! We figure at that point we'll be reduced to getting fake nails and a temporary tramp stamp for the baby and a new wardrobe for ourselves to accommodate our new mini-donut eating asses. That place just sucks you in and doesn't let you leave until you look like one of them but I gotta admit, we weren't fighting it too hard either.


After the leisurely afternoon of de-classing ourselves, I took the opportunity to unshamefully raid Echo's Halloween candy and greedily swallow whole a few (dozen) mini candy bars. Which came in helpful when running just an hour later because halfway through the run I was able to pick up the pace and while I'm sure to the outside world and Bobby it just looked like I was an extremely gifted athlete, I was yelling in my head "Almooooooooond Joooooooooy" and running off my sugar high like a supermodel running from a cupcake.


That's right. I was so fast I was an actual blur. It doesn't just happen in the movies.
I love that show, so help me god.
Tonight was date night, as is every Tuesday, and I had originally planned on doing a run when Bobby got home but instead I decided that I would try to smooth out the wrinkles in my sheets by laying on them horizontally for about an hour. This may be misconstrued as 'napping' but I assure you that I was actually watching those episodes of Reba. Okay, that was more embarrassing than just napping. Anyhow, I had the right intentions; after all, I was wearing my workout clothes with the theory that I would suddenly becoming animated and sprint from the house willy nilly style and let the workout fever take over my body. It didn't happen exactly like that, but it was close. I got up and we went and got a greek salad instead.


That was delicious. Now let's go running!
We had a glass of wine with dinner and decided that since it was so early, we'd go the Taste Cafe in Safety Harbor to hang out for a little while longer and have another glass of wine. Naturally, after eating a salad that contained potato salad, radishes, pepperocinis,and anchovies and then consuming two glasses of white wine, I felt like a jog! After all, I was already wearing the outfit so I just decided I'd run home from Taste. Bobby persuaded me that perhaps that wasn't the best idea so we went home and got the dogs and did our run around the block instead (about 2 miles).


This was our first run that did not have any breaks; it was just a warm up walk and then 20 minutes of running and then a five minute cool down. Man, that salad was feeling like a good idea about ten minutes in! Although I had to take a few walk breaks for about 30 seconds, we were able to keep running, which kinda pissed me off that Bobby was able to keep up with me. I mean seriously, do I need to slip him an Ambien before we run so that I can finally leave him in the dust for once? I really expected him to peter out at some point, but nope! There he was, right by my side the whole time! Whatever dude. Can't you give this Polack a break and fake not being able to run sometimes? Just once? Our next run is Sunday- hopefully I can get my hands on some laxatives before then. Sorry babe, next time throw me a bone or something!


Throw me a bone or rampant diarrhea- your choice!




4 comments:

Anonymous said...

very funny!

Anna said...

thanks!

Tiff For Tat said...

Well gosh I don't know who wouldn't run with their hair in a french twist..haha!

Anna said...

I know, I hadn't considered it before, but since Google said it was okay, then it must be okay!