Thoughts from the Week

I. Numbers
II. HM tips
III. Rain
IV. Tornadoes
V. Cyclists
VI. Ice baths


I. Lauren, welcome to the 100 mile club along with my Mom (who was in for a while, sorry!) and Sean. That makes member number 10 (with a runningahead log) for the year. For those 10, I'm ballparking that we've done about 2,000 miles this year.


100 mile club:
Lauren
Sean
Lisa
Pat
Kevin
Nikki
Brian
Sri
Knapp
Tang


The shortest distance from the East to West Coast would be 2,092 miles from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL.

In less than a month, the team will have collectively crossed America, which I guess overshot Brian's hope of collectively running all along the east coast of America.


Pat and Lauren, I used your ten miler as motivation for my tempo run (or some semblance of a tempo run). When the wall hit me, I just kept thinking "ten, ten, ten" which inevitably sounded like "Tang, Tang, Tang".


II. For those running their first half in these upcoming months, I thought this was pretty helpful:
half-marathon tips for first timers



III. Running while it's Pouring Outside

Pros:
-You look hardcore with a hint of insanity

Cons:
-Your shoes will be wet for a couple of days and you need another pair (unless you get NB 904s--those things were bone-dry the next morning)

Hints:
-You'll have to high step through puddles to avoid carrying an extra 5 pounds of water weight in your shoes.


Is it safe to say that if it is raining, you can just click rain for your log and not humid as well?




IV. You know you are running in Texas...

The emergency alert system used outside during the monthly test goes off and it's NOT the first Wednesday of the month. Running during this probably was the equivalent to running during the Cold War. Except instead of the Cold War it's a tornado.

and I guess my log is not from Texas since "Tornado" is not an option to check off for conditions.




V. Wanting to be the stereotypical suburbanite, I headed to the neighborhood Starbucks for some coffee and pages of Once A Runner last week. As I opened my car door, I knew something was up.

Cyclists.

I, armed with my runner's book, was walking in to a lion's den (lions that idolized Lance, dressed up in spandex, colored sponsored jerseys, and strange shoes) after their weekly ride.




VI. After runs, many pros take an ice bath or dip themselves in to the waters near Mammoth Lakes, Cali, like Meb, to decrease inflammation. I figure, if it works for them, it must work for us mortals. So now my pool is not only just a pool but doubles as a cold bath for my legs post-run.