Oppressive Heat + No Breakfast = Stupid Run

I woke up a little late this morning and almost didn't go for a run. I remembered that it was supposed to rain and drop the temps a little bit so I consulted with my outside thermometer that read 77 degrees. "Ah perfect" as I laced on my shoes and quickly geared up for a run.

The cacophony of cicadas (say that ten times fast) should have been the first tip-off to how hot it was going to be. If you don't know what a cicada is, watch any movie set in the South during the heat of summer when folks were fanning themselves on the front porch drinking lemonade and melting into their rocking chairs. In the background you will hear this undulating chattering noise from cicada bugs. The chatter increases the hotter it gets...but I digress...

I remembered that I had forgotten to eat something as I approached the track but decided to soldier on. After a half mile, my legs decided not to cooperate as I was breathing in huge chunks of hot, humid air. The cicadas were now giggling at me and telling their little buggy friends. I dropped the Ullrey podcast like a hot potato as I could not keep up, and walked the remaining mile back to my house to ABBA. Dumb run dumb run dumb run.

In better news, I went to go see my sister and new nephew! I apologize to any bitter infertiles out there, but I leave you with my too cute nephew holding up his head. He is one month old today!!!

Power song of the day: "Fake It" by Seether

You Can't Have a Superhero Without an Arch-Enemy

Superman has Lex Luthor, Batman has the Joker...and Marshmarathon has the dreaded Aunt Flo. Having dealt with her for a number of years, I know how she operates and can almost predict her entrance, but it doesn't make it that much easier. 

As with any arch nemesis, Aunt Flo usually sends some of her henchmen ahead of her to stir up trouble and weaken her foe before she attacks:

Bloatrix - has mighty powers of fluid shifting and retention and can slow things down to a measly crawl. She also has the power to split seams, pop buttons and cause sausage fingers.

Dirty, filthy, lying scale - has the powerful ability to change the gravitational pull of the Earth only when you step on a scale.

Gobble-lins - affect appetite centers of the brain, especially the chocolate gland in the cerebellum causing food cravings of massive proportions. 

The Emotionator - perhaps the most evil of all the henchmen with the ability to swing moods so fast, it makes grown men cry. 

I think all four  were working on me today. I was so apathetic about going for a run this morning, that I stopped at 2 miles. My pace was crap, my "runs" were crap and my calves had no energy to push off. I was even talking smack to Ullrey on the Week 4 podcast. He would pipe in with "this next run is only 5 minutes, you can do it" to which I retorted "screw off!" After 5 minutes he would say "Great job! Now walk for another 90 seconds and we'll follow it up with a 3 minute run". "The hell you say" I spat...then tried to do it anyway. Sometimes a little verbal defiance helps with physical obedience. Ullrey to me is like Alfred to Batman. I don't always heed his wisdom.

Feeling a bit deflated, I went and bought groceries and an apple fritter (nom nom). Feeling guilty about the apple fritter, I decided to give it another 2 miles around the neighborhood to work off the donut. The first mile was great and the second mile was crap again. Oh well. Tomorrow will be a rest day (if you consider working a 12 hour shift a day of rest)

Power song of the day: "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls

Work It! I'll put my thang down flip it and reverse it...

There's nothing like a good Missy E song to get you in the running mood. What started out to be a rest day turned into a running morning. The weather was perfect with a nice breeze before the rain that I knew was coming. Despite 4 hours of sleep (I dunno why), I got out and did 4 miles and week 4 of the Couch to 5K podcast by Ullrey. Again, I should remind you dear reader, that when I say 4 miles, I end up walking most of that. Also, before you get jealous that I am on week 4, remember that I have been doing this for about 2-3 months. Yeah...I'm a little slow.

So, what's on my list of running necessities nowadays?

• chapstick - preferably with SPF protection
  
• sunglasses - for looking cool  for protecting my retinas
  
• ventilated hat - to catch the sweat before it runs into my eyes and shade the sun
  
• iPod with Nike plus - for tracking my time, pace, mileage. This thing is so cool. I've seen mods for affixing the shoe pod in non-Nike shoes so you don't have to buy the special Nikes. At any time during your run you can press the center button on your ipod and a voice tells you how far you've gone and time and current pace. Accuracy? Meh. It's close enough for me. At the end of your workout she will tell you your stats. If you happen to have run your longest or fastest, you may get a verbal "atta boy" from Lance Armstrong or Tiger Woods.
  
• Tech clothing - is becoming verra verra cool. Most days I throw on a comfy T-shirt and above the knee yoga pants, but on hot days a moisture wicking "tech" shirt is great! I also bought some "tech" socks that are supposed to keep your feet drier than cotton. Wouldn't you know they have some wool content? Duh.
  
• Road ID - (no affiliation) You may laugh, but as I get my aged, ample rear on the track, I think about what if I have a heart attack or get hit by a car or pass out? This little bit of geekery has my name, birthdate, emergency phone numbers, blood type and allergies engraved on it. Kinda lame, but gives me one less excuse for running.
  

On the knitting front, I am getting SO CLOSE to having my house as it was before hurricane Ike. Just in time for this next hurricane season! I thought I would share some before and after pictures of my lovely room. BEFORE:

Insulation everywhere

You can see part of the ceiling hole in the upper left corner of the picture

AFTER:

I just love my new cabinet for yarn! It is the Linnarp cabinet by Ikea. It is a solid wood cabinet (except the back) stained red and is the perfect size. I'll bet you can't tell what my favorite color is!

The Adventures of Marshmarathon and KnittyKnurse

WAIT! (insert superhero fanfare) What was that that just zoomed past at 4 miles per hour? Faster than a speeding tricycle, more powerful than a loco moron, able to leap small curbs in a single bound. Is it a gnat? an ice cream truck? NO! It's MARSHMARATHON!!!  Yes, Marshmarathon...a strange ample woman who has an alter-ego with inflated delusions of running a marathon, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal infants. Marshmarathon - who can change the course of mighty running tracks, bend nickel plated knitting needles with her bare hands, and who, disguised as Knitty Knurse, mild mannered nurse who knits with other mild mannered knitters...FIGHTS A NEVER ENDING BATTLE...OF FLAB, APATHY AND TO HAVE HER OWN WAY! And now, another exciting episode in the adventures of Marshmarathon...

Yes, I changed my blog title, so don't get all confuzzled. I just wanted it to reflect more of who I am now rather than "Knitterly Diversions" which is a milk-toast, golly-gee-willickers sort of title that I didn't care for much when I created it anyway!

What's behind the new title? My daughter talked me into an INSANE thing called a marathon in about 8 months. I had only been jog/walking sporadically for about 2-3 months when this idea popped up. I'm going to try to post semi-regularly to keep you apprised of my progress (or lack thereof). 

I've been quite apprehensive about telling anyone about the prospect of a marathon because...well...I don't really look like the "runner" type. I'm a bit...more..."ample" you can say. Some days I feel like the female running version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow man...hence the name "Marshmarathon".  I still have not told anyone in my family, except my daughter (whose crazy idea this was from the beginning). I wanted to avoid any negative comments or looks of incredulity. If you see me in person, please resist the urge to giggle and point. I'm fine being your source of amusement as long as I'm not aware of it.

I've been training more seriously for 3 weeks, jog/walking 4-5 days per week following a combination of Couch to 5K using podcasts from Robert Ullrey and Hal Higdon's plan for running. My hopes? Lose some weight, improve my time, and finish a marathon without dying.

I have bad days and good days and will regale you with tales of both. Today was a good day. It's good to start a new blog focus from the perspective of a good day. I was able to progress to week 4 of the Couch to 5K program! Woohoo! I even improved my best pace, although I'm not ready to reveal my pace to you guys. I'm only in competition with myself at this point. 

SO...stay tuned to this space for continued tales of Marshmarathon and KnittyKnurse!