The Boston Marathon

I never ran the Boston Marathon, but would love to someday. As I blog about preparing for a marathon one of the most famous marathon's is bombed. I just can't imagine who would have done something like that to a marathon, let alone any sporting event.

Marathons promote health and fitness. In San Francisco we have the Bay to Breakers which is a spectacle that any tourist would never forget. People run naked, in costumes, with small homemade vehicles, and joined together in long dragons. It's insane, and so much fun. If someone was to do something like that to such a wild event, I just can't imagine. Of course, I could never imagine a bomb going off at any marathon. The Boston marathon, is the oldest in the country, and one of the best known in the world. People come from all over to run it, either professionally, for an accomplishment, or just because.

The day of the bombing, I was going to run, but opted to run stairs in the local mall. It's been really windy and cold here. The cold isn't the problem, but the crazy wind makes runny unpleasant. I went in doors, and ran up and down the large staircases, and along the walk ways until the stores opened. Security knows me, and lets me run, until 10am. From there I can run the stairs, but not in the common areas. I appreciate them for being so understanding and kind about it. I left the mall, and went to my favorite PHO' place for soup, and back to my son's, to work on the computer until it was time to pick up the kids. It was a ordinary day, doing ordinary things, until I turned on the television. The day I ran stairs, others ran the marathon and experience something that will alter their life forever.

No one knows who did this. If the FBI, ATF or President do, they are keeping quiet. It could of been a number of things, but I think it was a homegrown terrorist with a axe to grind with either the government, or someone specifically. It's a attention getter and right in line with some lone wolf nutcase. Whoever, it was it was meant to wound and maim, rather than kill. Although, it did kill.

I will continue to talk about running, training getting ready for a marathon. I'm not going to let anyone take away my freedom to do what I love, by way of psychological fear. Tomorrow morning, the plan is to get up early and run 4 miles, than back to my son's, get the kids ready for school and head home. It will be in honor of those who were so horribly wounded, and for a little 8yr old boy who lost his life.No one is going to take this away from me.

Training for a Marathon, Equipment, Part Three

As I said in Part one in Training for a marathon is the cheapest form of exercise. All you need that is your biggest expense, a good pair of running shoes. You need a good pair of comfortable shoes, that are meant for running to prevent injury. Make sure they are meant for running!! There is a ton of shoes out there, that LOOK like running shoes, but aren't.

If you want to enjoy what you're doing a good pair of shoes are the necessity. They offer padding against shock of running on pavement. They can save knees, ankles and hips. As I advice before, if you find a good pair you like, and fit your foot well, buy two pair. They go in and out of style just like clothes do with the season. Here today gone tomorrow, literally. What is very important, they must fit the foot properly. Have your foot fitted for a proper size. Not all shoes are made the same, sized the same or fit the same. Research, research and research again. My personal favorite running shoe is a woman's Nike

running shoe. I try to get them on-sale to buy two pair at a time. As I write, I'm wearing my favorite beat up ugly pair, because I just came in from running stairs at the mall. I LOVE these shoes, but to be honest a friend of mine, who is a runner, hates them. Shoes are a very personal choice, and how it fits your foot and how it feels on the foot makes all the difference. 

The next thing is water bottles. Yes, not all water bottles are created equal. When I'm running I have a waist belt made by Camelbak. It has a bottle holder with for a Camelbak, 22oz water bottle, a small pouch area for my cell phone, and keys. It rest comfortable against the small of my back. Surprisingly running with a 22oz bottle can add weight. There is a number of ways to carry water. There is those belts that with several small bottles around the waist, which is evenly distributed for balance. That is the key, make sure you're not off balance. Then there are the bottles that are easily held in the hand with a handle to fit the hand. Any and all of these can be expensive. For my belt and bottle it was almost $30, but I use it all the time. It was well worth the investment.I've had it for several years now.

The sporting goods industry has really taken advantage of women's desire to look good even while running. I'm appalled at the prices for something like running pants! It's ridiculous! Hunt around on-line for affordable clothing. Name brands aren't necessary, believe me, no one cares. Hit the discount racks at the local sporting goods. I just scooped up a couple of tank tops for $4 apiece. It's also a good time to find stuff for winter that is on clearance. I got a pair of black long jogging pants with a bright orange stripe on the leg for $19.

There is one thing that is a great investment for winter, it's something called a second skin. It's what football players wear in winter on the field. It's a very thin and is great to wear under t-shirts. It really keeps the warmth in and the cold out. No need for bulky sweatshirts, all the time. 

Most everything you buy for running, other than shoes, will last years. Clothing will have to be replaced every few years, shoes, if running a lot, at least twice a year. Still, it's one of the cheapest forms of exercise. If the weather is cold and wet, got to a mall and fast walk, take the stairs, it's keeps the endurance up. If you've got two legs you can walk, run, take stairs, something.  Now go forth and train.

Training for a marathon. Keeping safe. Part Two

I love to run, but the reality of being outdoors, things happen. 

There are some hazards to be aware of:

      

• Stepping off of curbs, always look over the right or left shoulder for turning traffic.  
• Run on assigned paths. DON’T run in bike lanes! If it can avoid it, don’t run on streets or roads.
•  Don’t wear ear plugs with music blasting. Someone coming up from behind won’t be heard. It could be a person or a dog.
•  If running during dawn or dust, wear a head lamp to be seen by oncoming traffic, cyclists or runners.
• Always wear bright colors to be seen. 
• Always be aware of your surroundings. 

Pepper Spray: I carry pepper spray. I don’t advice everyone carry it. I’m trained in how to use it from my years in law enforcement. If you’re considering carrying pepper spray for protection while running, think carefully, before you buy. Go to your local police department and see if they are giving free instructions on how to use pepper spray. They often will give some simple defensive tactic courses for runners. Few know that pepper spray doesn’t work on everyone, especially the insane and druggies. If you carry it and are threatened while running, be ready to use it if you pull it. Don’t threaten, just spray. Then turn and run like you’ve never run before, screaming.

Tasers: Tasers are a defensive tactic I don’t like to see runners use. The small personal Tasers on the market come in all kinds of colors, including pink. What I don’t like about them, they’re no good unless you’re right up on top of someone and have to press the Taser into their body. It’s a very dangerous place to be for anyone. The Taser can be taken away easily, and used on you. Never use a defensive tactic that requires grabbing or touching an assailant. Becoming over whelmed by them is a real possibility in those situations. Things can go bad, very quickly. Just be aware.  

Defensive Tactic Courses: Defensive tactic courses are always a good idea. Some police departments give courses for free. Whatever you decide to do, the idea of use of force tactics is to get away from the assailant, not stand and kick ass. You might want too, my advice, don’t. Get out as fast as possible. Pepper Spray and a Taser will knock someone down. That’s the goal, to get away, not stand and fight.

The key to safety is to know the area. Run when there is plenty of light. Try to run on well used busy trails. Keep a charged cell phone on your person, go forth run and have fun.

Training for a marathon, Part One

Last year I didn’t run any marathons, due to an ankle injury, prior to that I ran maybe one or two a year. Although, it’s not a lot, it’s a great goal and training tool to lose weight, and show the world what you can accomplish. But-training and planning for something like a marathon is very important. Even for a short 5K which is 3.5 miles. You need to train for it with a slow build up on distance.

In my last post about exercise, I talked about the illnesses that plagued me over the winter months. I had felt like I had to start at the bottom again for my training and diet. I’m planning on two fall marathons this year, so I’m starting now. Those are half-marathons 14 miles. I might do a couple of 5K’s to practice, but the training is to make the 14miles. I’ve run short distances recently on my treadmill, than went for a big run over the weekend of 6 miles. I felt every mile by the time I was done. I had blisters and sore toes. My thighs ached for two days, but I felt good about making the distance. I really didn’t expect I would get that far. I didn’t run the whole distance, but did a run walk. When training, that is the best way. Run, walk.

Starting out: Running by far, is the cheapest form of exercise. You don’t need a gym. You’re outside. It’s great for the soul and to clear the mind. Very relaxing. The only equipment needed is a good pair of running shoes. That is a complete necessity, and in my opinion a requirement. A good pair of shoes is the most expensive investment. They help prevent injury. Research the shoes, read the reviews, and talk to runners. Then start trying on shoes. When you find a pair you like, and are lucky enough to find them on sale at a good price, buy two pair. Keep watching to see if they go on clearance and buy some more. When you start to train and run more and more, shoes will have to be replaced every few months, again to help prevent injury. The supports break down with all the pounding. I go through about 3 to 4 pair a year.

Another thing is socks. There are socks made for running. The toes, heels and top of the foot are padded. It helps with blisters. They’re not a cure all, you’ll get blisters especially on your first long run, but the socks help. You might find no matter what you do there is a spot on your foot that blisters. For me it’s my little toe and the toe next to it on my left foot. I wrap them with surgical tap. You’ll figure out your feet as you start to run distances.

Ignore all the cute running clothes. Wear what is comfortable and go for it. Exercise clothing is expensive. Just dress for the weather and in layers.

The Run: Training for a run is pretty simple. There is only a little bit of science to it. Start low and slow. If you haven’t run in a long, long time or ever, don’t run, but walk. Start with walking. Build up to a fast walk, by walking distances. Mark goals, by distance. Don’t overdue when you first start, even with walking. If you’re out of shape, even walking can produce injuries and blisters. Take it slow and listen to your body.  

Now you feel you’re at the point of running. Again, take it slow. Stretch, walk for at least 10 minutes. Then go into a slow jog for five minutes. Walk for five minutes, then run five. This is the beginning of your training schedule. Do this until you feel comfortable increasing the run. Do that by two minutes, building up to five. How long does this take? Depends on conditioning. Listen to your body. The goal is to run more than you walk. Be patient with your progress and don’t push it. Starting out, do a run walk every other day. Joints and muscles need time to recover when out of shape. At first, everything hurts. To prevent injury recovery is essential.

The Marathon: When picking your first marathon, think small. Very small. Try a 5K first. They are only about a 1hr of running and fun. Make sure you’re having fun. Practice the course, or one that is similar and the same distance. Time yourself and see if you can make it. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment. Build up from there and move up the longer distance and keep training.

My most important advice, listen to your body. Don’t disregard sharp continuous joint pain. It could be a sign of an injury. You don’t have to have a incident to be injured. It just happens and can be very sudden. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!! Always..Now go forth, train and have fun.  

Cleansing Green Tea

This cleansing green tea I make often for me and hubs. It's a ice tea and helps with the digestive system. Especially if you have acid reflux. It's not a cure, but it does help to settle the stomach and get it in working order. I try to drink one pitcher a week. It's very refreshing.

8 cups boiling water
8 green tea, tea bags
1 bunch of fresh mint
2tbs. Fresh ginger
2 cups ice
2 fresh lemons


Boil water to make tea. Pour over the tea bags making 8 cups. Let seep for 5 minutes. In a ice tea container, place 1/4 of the bunch of fresh mint. Break the mint into piece. Peel the ginger. With peeler peel pieces of ginger measure about 2tbs. Add two cups of ice. Discard the tea bags and pour the tea over the mixture of mint, ginger and ice, add the juice of the lemons. Let it set for 1hr. to cool. It's not a sweet tea and I don't recommend adding sugar, honey or sweetener to this drink. It could counter the healthy properties.

Week Four: Diet, exercise, and inspiration

I’m into week four of my diet and exercise program. I got completely knocked off my schedule and diet for over 10 days by the Nero Stomach Virus. When I say this is the worst flu I’ve had since the 70’s, I’m completely serious. It really sucked.

I lost 5lbs with the flu, but put back on at least 3lbs of weight since I was able to start to eat regular meals. I don’t count this week for any weight loss for that reason. Not taking in any food, including liquids for days is extremely unhealthy way to lose weight. My immune system was already compromised with the flu. Rapid weight loss on top of it can weaken the system even more. The weight gain that came back after something like this is important to rebuilding strength against catching something else and being reinfected. When I was able to eat, I ate my regular healthy diet. It took a while for my stomach to be able to figure what I wanted it to do. My whole body did that, for a couple of days it protested by feeling like I was getting sick all over again. I finally settled down and things are back to normal.  I’m still struggling with my energy levels, with sudden dips.

Getting back to exercise was the most frustrating for me. I don’t take lying around watching television on the couch well. Sick or not, I wanted to be outside and moving. When I had the energy to start to actually move, I started with walking. Prior to the flu, I was running 3miles, preparing for a 5K. The reality of it, I had to start over again. I’m back up to 3 miles, so I gained it back much faster than I expected. The key was to listen to my body. It told me what it could start to do and didn’t have the energy to do.

This whole adventure into illness was very disappointing for me. What got me going and inspired me was when I was walking stairs at the mall, I ran into an inmate I use to work around in law enforcement. He was at the mall for the same reason I was, running the big numerous staircases.

The Shirt. Hoping I'll look better in it than I do now.

I was surprised he recognized me. We chatted for just a moment. Running the stairs in the mall, was what he called his non-workout day. When I knew him he was a pretty bad drug addict in and out of jail. Now he’s clean and returned to his one great love, boxing. He’s too old to compete, but now trains troubled youths, going down his old path. He works out 5 days a week, has non-workout in the mall. Then one day of rest, when he actually doesn’t do any type of workout. He told me he’s on a high protein diet, and eats very clean. He looked great! Clean from his drugs, healthy and focused. He inspired me to keep going. The day I saw him, I was on a low energy day, thinking of just going home. I kept going figuring if he could recover from a really bad drug addiction that was threatening to end his life early. I could recover from the flu, and run those stairs.

I’m always looking for things to inspire my workouts, to keep me on a diet. Right now its clothes I want to fit into and look good for The Romantic Times conference. I hung a top on my closet door that is a bit snug, I’m determined to wear, and wear well. I see it every day reminding of my goal. It’s about this time in our diet that is the dividing line of going forward or quitting. 80% of dieters who started on January 1st will quit before Valentines. I’m determined not to be one of them.