I SO didn't want to get up this morning. I looked outside and saw the heavy dark clouds that are becoming too much of a fixture in the sky lately and decided to give myself 10 more minutes in bed. Surprisingly 10 minutes later I actually got back up and repeating my morning mantra-"both feet on the floor" I got up and got dressed for a morning run.
Stepping outside I was greeted with a slight breeze and a chilly mist that I knew I would appreciate later in my run. I set the Nike trainer my husband and I share and took off to see if I could run the 7km in 45 minutes. My legs felt like someone had filled them with puddy, they felt sluggish and raising my legs took a bit more effort than I thought it would. But after a kilometer they had warmed up and aside from a pesky side stitch I felt ready to dig into the run. As I ran along the road beside the shore I noticed how calm the ocean was compared to the huge fluffy clouds that were forming in the sky. I thought that maybe Mother Nature has her signals mixed up and prayed that I would make it through this run without a huge downpour.
The last leg of my run was a long stretch uphill back to my subdivision. As dozens of cars passed by I was glad that I've found a job that allows me to have such flexible hours so I can get out and have a run before work. I ran over the crest of the last hill and I saw a beautiful sight coming over the horizon-the Sun! I checked my Nike trainer and saw I had finished my 7km run in 46 minutes, not too bad considering my slow start. I ran back down to my house listening to "Running the Sahara" soundtrack imagining the sun and sand knowing I had gotten a beautiful start to my day just by going for a run.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Mosquito Click doohickey really works!
Okay, so my husband is in medical sales. He travels all over the states to sell his company's wares at various trade shows. During a visit to Las Vegas this past spring he brought home a Mosquito Click(er). This thing looks like something you might use to punch holes in a garden for seeds, but instead it literally "zapps" your mosquito bite into submission and even takes away the swelling. I was hesitant to use it (I remember in fact telling my husband that he was crazy to use that zapper thing on his face for a bite). But after this past weekend and a run through some woods resulting in over 15 bites on my legs, I relented and decided for the sake of scratching my skin off I would try this zapper thing. Well, it works. I read the packaging to see how many times I would have to "zap" myself. I had to click about 10 times on one, really bad bite, but after about 30 seconds the urge to Itch was GONE!! Now this isn't a one-time cure. I've had to zap various bites a few times, but the results are always the same, the itch is gone.
This gadget probably isn't a good idea for anyone with a pace-maker or nerve issue-it really does give an electrical shock you can see at the bottom of the thing, but for a healthy person who spends alot of time outdoors (like us runners) this thing is total magic.
This gadget probably isn't a good idea for anyone with a pace-maker or nerve issue-it really does give an electrical shock you can see at the bottom of the thing, but for a healthy person who spends alot of time outdoors (like us runners) this thing is total magic.
Getting back on track
I feel like these past two weeks have been a bit of a running and diet vacation for me. I have only run a total of 4 times and my diet has completly gone out the window. So, today I resolved that I would get everything back on track. I've noticed how grumpy I am when I don't follow my regular schedule and that needs to change.
I've been reading alot from Mark's Daily Apple (MDA) and trying to figure out how I can incorporate his type of lifestyle into that of an aspiring endurance athlete. These past 2 years I've been told that as an endurance runner I need alot of carbohydrates in order to run. For me that was a lisence to eat bread. Never mind carbs can come from vegetables and fruit too, my eyes were set on a nice soft loaf of white bread. Yummm. That's worked out okay and I've lost weight, but I haven't feel really strong. I know that when I ate low-carb before I had alot more energy and just felt happier overall, but a low carb diet is REALLY hard to maintain with a young child and a full time job. So, I think I've figured out that I can still have my carbs, just through more vegetables and fruit (like Grok). We'll see how this affects my running.
I've been reading alot from Mark's Daily Apple (MDA) and trying to figure out how I can incorporate his type of lifestyle into that of an aspiring endurance athlete. These past 2 years I've been told that as an endurance runner I need alot of carbohydrates in order to run. For me that was a lisence to eat bread. Never mind carbs can come from vegetables and fruit too, my eyes were set on a nice soft loaf of white bread. Yummm. That's worked out okay and I've lost weight, but I haven't feel really strong. I know that when I ate low-carb before I had alot more energy and just felt happier overall, but a low carb diet is REALLY hard to maintain with a young child and a full time job. So, I think I've figured out that I can still have my carbs, just through more vegetables and fruit (like Grok). We'll see how this affects my running.
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