Almost As Good As Bullet Points

Non-Training Related (Pictures of Our Dogs):
This is my cute dog, Wasabi. He's a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. (Picture should be clickable for an even closer up view of His Fluffiness.)











This is a picture of my other cute dog. She's a Redbone Coonhound puppy named Tallulah Rockstar. She's way bigger now, but I love this picture of her.









She's sort of crazy and obsessed with her tennis ball. This is a picture of her sleeping - with the tennis ball IN her mouth - and her tongue hanging out. (Clickable for full sized craziness.)

Before you ask, I do not run with my dogs ever. EVER. Because I am a terrible dog mom. And they are INSANE on a leash. Seriously. We need professional help when it comes to walking. Running is not going to happen with out intervention of the whispering kind.


Training Related (Warning: Much Lower Cute Factor):
The Shoe Switcheroo: A few days before boot camp (July '86) I went to a store for real runners. There I unquestioningly plunked down a ridiculous amount of money for the shoes the sales guy told me to buy. Usually one to challenge the norm and ask annoying questions beginning with the word "why" - I was uncharacteristically silent on that shopping trip. (Maybe I was getting a jump start on the "yessir" mentality?) Therefore, I have no idea why the guy chose Saucony Jazz shoes for me. However - they got me through boot camp so they couldn't be half bad, now could they? Adventurous soul that I am when it comes to fitness, I continued to buy the same Saucony Jazz running shoe (Generation nth) until this February. After 22 years of sporadic running with small issues like sore shins and toes that fall asleep, I wondered if (perhaps) I should branch out and switch up shoes. I took myself to Fleet Feet and got my feet professionally measured, knees marked, and stride assessed. I tried on lots of different shoes. ("Lots" being four pairs. That was four times the number I'd ever tried on before.) I narrowed it down to two pairs which both felt fine (but what do I know?!) - Asics (Gel-Landreth) and Brooks (Glycerin? Like the soap? Who names these things??) I went with the Asics because they were $15 cheaper. I liked them for about a week. After that it felt like I had no support. Sure they were light weight but then again, so are my bare feet! It won't hurt my feelings if I can chalk this new knee pain up to my shoes! I had already decided I did NOT want another pair of them - even before I had any pain. What I haven't decided is what to do next time! Should I go back to the Saucony's (and deal with known, minor toe/shin issues), try the Brooks (which turn out to be the shoe that my partner Donna has worn for years with no problem), or start all over with a re-fit and trying on new brands? I have plenty of time to worry obsessively think rationally about this issue. I can't afford new shoes until next month. (And sadly, I have nowhere near 300 miles on the Asics.)

ITB's and Me: I read lots of blogs. ("Lots" here being way more than four. In fact, "lots" here meaning way more than I want to admit in public.) I've read a frightening number of posts about injuries and issues with things like tarsals, acl's, mcl's, pcl's, neuromas, itb's, etc. Some people (not that I'm naming names or anything, Southbay Girl) even post pictures - which is cool to many (most) yet disturbing to some (me). I read a lot of these things with my hands over my eyes while singing "la la la" to myself because frankly, it totally squicks me out. Perhaps my way of reading is not the best if the goal is comprehension. I did know the itb had something to do with knees and red foam rollers (thanks to glamour girls like IMAble and IronGeekGirl). But not having read their injury posts carefully (la la la) and not believing I could end up with a normal, running-induced, knee issue (really, I'm much more likely to splash through a puddle of toxic slime and later discover some green, pus-filled weirdness on my ankle - LA LA LA!) it didn't occur to me to wonder if I even had itb's that could get hurt! I feel almost like a hardcore chica, now. If it weren't for the, you know, pain and difficulty running, I could almost enjoy being part of the club. As it is, though, I quit. I won't let it hold me back. I'll wear the old shoes and throw in some walk breaks and stretching. I may even smash it with a BRICK. (We have a 2 hour ride and a 45 minute run on the TP for tomorrow. Will report back on who smashed whom.)

Friends Who Have Lost Their Minds: In case you haven't seen it, RBR has gone and done it! She's signed up for a half. A HALF IRON - that is!! Not only that, but she's thrown it out there - the whole enchilada in 2009. Wowzers. Go RBR Go!

Friends Who Are Racing This Weekend: Shirley's tackling the revenge monster in the Gulf, Southbay Girl is hitting her first trail race, and Stef is kicking it in Hurricane, Utah at the St. George Oly. Good luck pals! Race hard, stay safe, and write us some killer race reports, ok?