Running Gadgets/Gear

I love gadgets. I can geek-ify just about anything.

I don't just have a yarn stash and a few projects going, but I have all of my yarn and projects catalogued, measured and fully documented on Ravelry.com. While looking through my yarn cabinet is fun, I can just refer to my online stash meter and determine how many yards of what yarn I have. I tend to be quite OCD about things. I've embraced it.

Running is no different. There are so many products out there with the promise of more convenient runs, easier runs, products to help stave away problems. Following are a few of the things I like to use:

Shoes:  Brooks Adrenaline shoes. I'm sold. After buying shoes on my own at local sports outlets, a friend encouraged me to be evaluated and fitted for running shoes. Skeptically, I went to On The Run and was helped by a very young salesperson. I'm thinking that I have pairs of shoes older than she is! She watched me walk and trot in the store and went to the back and brought back several pairs of shoes. She said that I need a shoe for stability and cushion. The second pair of shoes I put on were Brooks. It's as if the clouds parted and the jogging fairy sprinkled magic fairy dust on my feet. I knew they were perfect. Sighing, I asked how much they were. "They're on sale for $70". I could have fallen out of my chair. Here I was paying about that much at outlet stores for inferior shoes. I'm on my second pair now. I'm a fan.

While we're talking about shoes, it's important to have some kind of identification on your person when running. Accidents happen. You can get a cheap shoe ID tag at any running store to store emergency phone numbers.


Socks: when I began running, I used my tried and true plain old white athletic cotton socks. True, cotton does absorb moisture, but it does very little to wick it from your skin. After prolonged running, you can get blisters from damp cotton socks. My fave? Thorlo. They have excellent cushioning at the heel and forefoot, but pull moisture away from my feet. I buy mine at the local Academy store. I've tried Ballega's and one other expensive brand that I ended up returning, and have always come back to Thorlo.



Shirts: For winter running, I have an UnderArmour long sleeved shirt. UnderArmour has been top of their line for years. Other cheaper brands try to replicate the heat retaining properties of Underarmour but miss the mark. The cheap substitutes are just that...cheap. I used to wear a heavy sweatshirt to run in the cold, but I get better movement out of my UA. And look how stylish I am! ;-) This is me after the Houston Aramco Half Marathon. It was about 50 degrees and I felt fine in only this shirt.

For summer running, I have a few short sleeved "tech" shirts that wick away moisture and allow ventilation. I was skeptical about "tech" shirts too, but like I mentioned before, cotton absorbs and holds onto moisture. After a long summer run, that cotton tshirt would be soaked and sticking to me. Not so with tech shirts. The hat I'm wearing to the left is an UnderArmour ventilated hat, perfect for warmer weather.

Running Bra: If you have a little more up top and don't want the girls flopping up into your face when you run, invest in a good sports bra. I've been using an Enell bra for about 6 months now and it holds up like iron.


Hair: Really anything so far mostly involving a ponytail and hat or headband to keep the hair and sweat out of my face. I had the opportunity to buy a Bondiband and love it. I used it during the half marathon to keep the wind off of my ears and keep the headphones in my ears and found the added benefit of wicking material. As if you couldn't tell by now, I'm big into wicking fabrics as I tend to be a big sweaty pig when I run.

Now, let's get technical. After running for awhile, improving time is a big motivator. The Nike Plus system links a little pod in your shoe to your ipod or iphone and can give you input as to your pace and time. It works off of your cadence and footfalls on the ground. The drawbacks are if you tend to change your strides, it makes it less accurate. You DO NOT have to buy the Nike Plus shoes. If you Google "Nike Plus hack" you will find all manner of ways to affix that little pod to whatever shoe you choose to wear.

Wanting more, I decided to purchase the Garmin 405 Forerunner. Although I do run with this almost every time (if it's charged), for the money it's really not that much better than the Nike Plus as far as the information you get from it. In fact, I used both to check accuracy and the Nike Plus wasn't far off. It's an expensive toy. Don't get me wrong, I love to use it and check my pace and speed, I just don't think it was quite worth the money.

Time To Shake the Doughnuts...

Yes, it's time to shake the spirit of doughnuts past right off my body. My plain glazed and iced cake doughnut booty needs to go. Now that the half marathon is over, I'm going to spend the next month SERIOUSLY trying to shed some pounds. You see, I want to keep running and am addicted to the 5K, 10K, half marathon schtick. It's got to be easier to run without carrying extra weight around. Imagine running around carrying two small (or one large) toddler(s) around...you get the idea. You would think that training for a half-marathon would be the ticket to shedding weight, but not so. Longer runs need more fuel and that becomes a delicate balance (or excuse). "I'm a runner, I need to eat this bread" didn't quite work for me weight-wise.

My secret, extra special, scientific, complicated way to lose weight? Counting calories. 1600 per day. Oh I'm sure if I wanted to do it "right" I could also measure protein, carbs, fat, fiber, intake of macro and micronutrients...but as much as like like to geekify everything, I won't follow it too long. As much as I hate to write down everything that goes into my pie-hole, it's the only thing to hold me accountable.

Someone once told me that the definition of crazy was to keep doing things the same way expecting a different result. So, my "theories" of eating whatever amounts of food I want as long as I ate quality food are out the window. Sure, I didn't gain as much weight eating quality (and some crappy) foods. I felt better and I actually pretty much maintained my weight for a year. Losing is a different story. I've already lost the few holiday pounds I had put on.

In wedding/knitting news, I started knitting my daughter's wedding shawl. She picked the pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark or Ravelry link here. I'm knitting it out of Baruffa Cashwool which is one of the softest and thinnest laceweight yarns I have knit with. It should truly be a shawl that floats/glides on air. It's inexpensive and a good value for the 1460 yards it contains.

Half Marathon

I know, I've been a bad blogger. The half marathon was 3 days ago and I'm just getting around to blogging about it. Things have been quite busy around here at Casa del Marshmarathon! We took a vacation to Disneyworld (of which I'll also have to blog about later), holidays, training, continued planning of the wedding...and...and...I'm spent! Even as we speak, DD is coming in here to tell me that I'm supposed to go with her to the florist in about an hour to see about...well...flowers.

Back to the half marathon... I stayed in a hotel room in Houston so I wouldn't have to drive around street detours, get frustrated with parking and could just walk out of my hotel to the starting line. The hotel was very nice, but the open plan of the lobby and upper rooms was very noisy acoustically, and I didn't sleep very well.

The day of the race, there were so. many. people. It was crazy! We filled the George R. Brown convention center! We filled the streets. The energy was contagious. So many bodies ready to push the limits! We hear the starting cannon and cheer! It took me 20 minutes just to reach the starting line there were so many of us!

Miles 0-5 I felt great! The air was chilly but invigorating. I got to see the sunrise from an overpass over Houston. My legs felt strong and I only walked up a couple of inclines. I didn't make the mistake of starting out too fast. My pace was steady. I smiled at the camera, I took in my surroundings, I waved to folks on the side of the road waving and cheering us on. I took it all in and absorbed the experience of it. I felt very zen.

Mile 6-9 - okay, a bit of a challenge here. Focusing on breathing, walking through all water stops, and inclines. Legs starting to burn and not wanting to cooperate as much. Downed a gu pack (should be called "ew" pack) some water and some sport beans which does help. More people on the side of the road cheering now.

Mile 10-11 - Wait, what mile marker did I just pass? What's my name? Thankfully there are even more people and entertainment to distract the runners. Elvis impersonators, funny signs, cheerleaders, rock bands, balloons, noisemakers...much needed distractions from my own body's protests. Feet feeling the pounding. Walking a bit more now. See the 12 mile sign. Start to cry...wait...crying takes more air...STOP CRYING! Okay, crying over. THERE'S NO CRYING IN RUNNING!

Mile 12-13 - running through downtown again, lots of people. Can't think in complete sentences anymore. Focused. Can't even hear my headphones - take them off. Can't feel my feet. Hoping my foot shaped stumps can carry me across the finish line. See the finish line banner. Almost start crying again. Remember it takes more air and stop. Pumping arms to make my body go. Finish! Right after finishing I hear my name called from the sidelines. I see my daughter's face and we hug through a separation in the fence. I am crying now, so glad she came for me!

I am so glad I did this race. Do I want to do another? You betcha! Pain is addicting!!!

2010: The Year We Make Contact

We all like fresh starts, so it's time for my 2010 list of resolutions improvements! Resolutions are usually too much to bite off, so I choose to set small reasonable/reachable goals for myself. 


1 - Be more social - I have a natural introvert nature. Always have. I mean, I play well with others just as long as the group isn't too large, but many times I let my hermit tendencies take over. I don't want to be a social butterfly, because that would be impossible for me. That would be like asking the Pope to do standup comedy. ("A Rabbi, a Deacon and myself walk into a bar...") God made us all with unique qualities for a reason. We can't all be the life of the party, but I do need to make more people connections. I made some really great knitting friends over the internet who are now some of my BFF's in real life (IRL) also. (blows kisses to those who read this blog) To echo sentiments from some of my friends, "you need to get out more", which will help following the aftermath of #3 below.

2 - Finish half marathon and continue running - Sunday, January 17!!! I could have trained more, but I think I did pretty well for myself for where I am right now. I intend to continue running and will likely sign up for another half marathon after this one is over to continue the cattle prod to the buttocks motivation. 

3 - Get through my daughter's wedding alive (or at least without threatening to mame someone) while she obsesses over invitations, decorations and accessories. I'm not a frou-frou wedding planner-type person. When I got married (long ago) I just told my bridesmaids to wear a nice pastel dress and they carried a single flower down the aisle. Although she is far from a diva bridezilla, the number of tiny, miniscule decisions that she's asking of me is enough to make my head spin at times. The other day, I told her she had 2 more wedding related questions/requests to request of me for the rest of the day and to choose wisely. 

4 - Simplify and de-stuffify my house/life - I've already started this one thanks to Hurricane Ike. My garage is already full of crap to get rid of, but I want to go through my house and cull the things I don't need. The catch-phrase lately is "simplify" and I could use a little of that.


I also intend to continue working on last year's improvements. It's all about baby steps...set small reasonable goals for yourself one day at a time...one tiny step at a time. Right Bob?

Out with the old...

I like that the new year is a time to reflect on the past year, condense it down to a manageable pieces, pick out the things you didn't like and try to make the new year better. Like jellybeans. I can do without the black ones in my life thankyouverymuch.

I'm not much of a "resolution" person. It's hard for me to say "I'm going to lose 20 pounds" or "my house will be clean every day" or "I'm going to teach pigs to fly". That just sets me up for failure and disappointment. Instead, I try to work on things. Even if I make them only a little better, it's still better right??? Let's take last year's list for example:

1 - blog more. - Done! More doesn't mean every day. It just means more.
2 - not have too many UFO's going at once. For the most part, I tried to have no more than 5 things going at once. Something easy, something portable, something challenging, something practical and a wild card.
3 - spin more. Again, "more" is a relative word. Compared to last year (before I got my spinning wheel) I did spin more...just not very much.
4 - Get this house decluttered after hurricane ike - Done! (with pics)
5 - Get back into running. I refocused my blog to include running...hence Marshmarathon was born. I then became inspired and kept up my motivation and continued to progress albeit quite slowly and often took a two steps forward one step back approach. Signing up for the Aramco Half Marathon was a good motivator like a cattle prod to the buttocks! Injuries be damned!
6 - Worry less and enjoy the little things in life - I lost my job in February when our company's contract lost the renewal and got another job which is less hours per week, easier but a little less money. So worth it!
7 - Go on a trip with my daughter. Uh...will have to settle for Schlitterbahn and shelling out the bucks for a wedding.
8 - Lose weight and eat healthier. Again, it's all relative. I think I lost a grand total of 10 pounds but hey...I didn't gain!
9 - Knit a little every day. Nope. Just didn't do this one.

10 - Knit more from my stash. I did do this one!

I still don't know what my New Year's list will be this year. Still workin on it!!!

Running Hurts Every Time...That's Why it Works

God must have a brain chemical devoted to pain amnesia. You know the one. The one that makes women partially forget what labor felt like? Well, he has an even more powerful one for runners.

The next day, we forget that running is uncomfortable. THE NEXT DAY! Something always hurts, taking breaths is a struggle, making the limbs obey is a struggle. We pant and gasp and walk like zombies back to our cars where we guzzle water. We get home and ice our knees or calves and moan. We sleep. Then, like the Etch-A-Sketch-for-brains we are we think "wow, the weather is great for running today". What sane person does this? (I say with an air of incredulity as if I AM sane)

The constant tearing down is what builds us up. Such an imitation of life, no? I need to write this so I can read it later for when my logical brain tries to tell me that running is too hard and I should stop.

The half marathon is in January. (insert panic attack here). I just need to finish... before the cripple cart comes and scrapes the rest of us off the pavement.

Losing a Heifer and Gaining Two Calves

Okay, even though I live in Podunk-ville where the main Saturday evening entertainment is the lavish social galas at walmart (black wolf tshirt optional. Seriously, check the reviews on the tshirt. Too funneh), the above title is not a livestock reference. I AM referring to the newly forming lumps arising from mah pasty white gams as evidenced by the pictoral reference below. Wee-haw! Mah humps, mah lovely lady lumps...check it out! Is it wrong that I take satisfaction from flexing and touching my calves? It's like growing your own produce. It just makes you want to smile.

AND and and and I have gotten below a certain weight (which shall remain nameless), hence the "losing a heifer" reference. AND and and and I ran my fastest 2 miler last night, even if I had to walk a bit. My power song of the run? Jump by Van Halen. This well worn, high school head bangin', master-class air guitar and drum staple on my ipod did the trick. Just as I was about to walk as the music started to slow, I hear David Lee Roth's musical squeal shift my buns into motion. Go Marshmarathon, go!

On the knitting front, I'm still working on the Empire Tunic. It's cotton, it hurts my hands and it's not the best stuff to knit with...but you wanna see the carrot colored wonder yarn dangling on the end of a stick taunting me to finish? With 1717 yards of squooshy woolen wonder with colors like that of the surface of the sun and just as intense...I give you...Wollmeise lace!

This is wanting to become a Girasole SOOOOOOO bad right now, as soon as I can finish this tunic. Then...I'll be knitting on this for the next 10 years!

Post Race Signup High

I was up until 1:30am this morning so I could sign up for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. I WOULD have been able to sign up at 12:01 am like the website said, but do you think that a million and one people were also trying to access the site at 12:01am having a seizure on the refresh button just as I was? Do you think the website crashed quite a bit even in mid registration? Do you think that the powers that be could have anticipated the frenzy? Really? Like, maybe they could have used something besides a Commodore 64? At 2pm today, 13,200 people are signed up for one of the races. This is going to sell out fast.

After springing out of bed at the crack of 9:45 and doing some fiddle-fart things around the house, I decided I wanted to go for a run outside. It was 12 noon. I haz teh dumbz. Knowing it would be a craptastic run, I went anyway in true stubborn fashion fueled by the high of signing up for a major race that I'm a little bit skeerd of. I don't know what I pulled outta my butt, but I ran 2 full miles at 12 noon in Texas in almost full sun. Three days ago I felt like I could barely make 2 miles on an indoor dreadmill! The body is a mysterious thing, but I think mine should be named Sybil.

I thought more about why I'm running and have come to this conclusion: I have to find my identity apart from being someone's mom or someone's nurse. My child rearing days are coming to a close and I'm feeling the vacuum start to pull at me. What is my life about now? Working and making money to pad my death bed in old age? Yay. fun. I guess this is why people have mid life crises, although I don't think I've quite hit my midpoint. I'm just getting a head start.

Actual Knitting!

I finally finished and blocked my textured shawl! It's so soft and smooshy...of course...it's alpaca! I used Henry's Attic Alpaca Prime. This will be great to curl up on the couch with when the weather starts getting colder. As hot as it's been lately, I can only dream! I'll have to post the links later. The last part of a shawl seems to go on FOREVER!

In running news... I made it to 2 miles without walking...outside! Gasping? yes. Legs aching? yes. But I made it. It wasn't a fluke either because yesterday I ran 2.25 miles on the treadmill. I'm due to join up with a local running club this Saturday at 6:00am for a long run. I think that will keep me motivated as well. In one week the signups for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon will be up and I plan on entering. Sooooo...this may be a bit of a mid life crisis thing...running a half marathon...but at least it's not convertibles and wild behavior (more than usual). I'm serious when I say that never in my entire life do I remember running 2 full miles before!!

As the mother of a college aged child (gosh, did I really say that?) we tend to have a bit (a lot) of denial regarding their flight from the nest. I knew eventually she would leave home, but like Scarlett O'Hara "I'll think about that tomorrah!" Well, her current plan (that she recently burst my bubble with) would place her going away to college Spring of 2010. My sweet little bundle of joy that I can actually say I ENJOY playing room-mate to (except for the clothes and crap on the floor) will be leaving the nest in LESS THAN A YEAR. So, is a mid-life crisis warranted? You betcha.

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

Run = Suck today

Today's run sucked big time. My calves just would not cooperate and out of 2 miles I only barely trotted for 5 minutes. This pain was not working itself out by walking, so I listened to my body and went home. suck suck suck. I totally overdid it yesterday. 

My sister had her baby (my first nephew) 6/1/09 and I went to see them yesterday. I blame the holding-a-newborn-baby endorphins for making me do something stoopid and running for 3 sets of 8 minute runs at a bit faster pace than my usual despite my calves protest. Did I think I could ACTUALLY progress as quickly as THE ULLREY wanted me to? Obviously not. I just hate to waste a day off from work by NOT running! suck suck suck.

But lookee!! My first nephew!

Why I Run (or try to)

What started out as a challenge from my daughter to run a marathon, has blossomed into a compulsion to run. It's hard to explain, since I was previously a self-proclaimed loather of all things athletic. I used to be content to sit on my couch and watch the boob tube and knit and make fun of people who exercised. "yeah, I don't run because my pantyhose always catch on fire" or some other quip of its kind. However, when the dishes in the sink are even trying to reach their own height record and the laundry can create its own dead lift maximum, I find myself wanting to set my own personal records. Will I be faster today? Will I run longer today? The laundry and dishes and even the TV will be there when I get back.

Lacing up my shoes, I start to feel the adrenaline surge and I feel powerful. I step outside and breathe in the outdoors. It is easy to forget the dishes and laundry and work and have this moment for myself. I leave the phone, the internet and others behind me. The only person who needs me, is me right now. I am untethered. As I jog or walk, I feel the lifting breeze around me. Even at 85 degrees I am not uncomfortable. The scent of a backyard barbecue wafts around me and I wonder what the occasion could be or what they are cooking. As I round the corner, the fresh cool, clean smell of a nearby yard sprinkler invigorates me as I run through the halos of rainbows and smile to myself. I turn down my music player so I can hear the mockingbirds at play watching me from nearby trees. 

A mile into my run, I hit my stride and focus on my rhythmic breath pairing with my footfalls on the pavement. I challenge myself. "Just a little bit longer" or "a longer stride" or "if I could just make it to that telephone pole". Although I still cannot run a full mile without walking a bit, I am feeling stronger with every day that I try. As I make the last stretch for home, I feel like a horse that makes sight of the barn at home and step up my pace for this last bit of the run. The clouds over the houses are alight with a pink and orange glow from the rising sun. I walk up the driveway to my house and although I have worked up a good sweat and my legs feel spent of most of their energy, I feel mentally lighter. I can now approach the rest of my day with a renewed focus. This is why I run.

Inspired

Spirit of the Marathon should be required viewing for all runners and wannabe runners. This movie is truly inspirational and presented from the perspective of elite runners and everyday people like me. I dare you to watch it and not have a little tear in your eye or at least a swelling of pride and inspiration. 

Best line from the movie "People run the marathon to prove that there is still triumph and there is still possibility in their lives". This could not ring more true to me right now. 

I share with you the theatrical trailer. The movie is a free instant view if you have a Netflix account. 

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!