August 31st

Distance: 3.5 miles
Song of the Run: Rape Me - Nirvana
Weather: 64 degrees

Run Notes:
We are experiencing some great weather in the Northeast. It was actually a little chilly on my run this morning, something I haven't felt in a long time. A lite run today, since yesterday was a long one. I am focusing on next Monday's 20k.

School is Back!
My daughter went back to school today. She is now a junior in high school. I know she is ready for it but I don't think I am.

Unlike most kids, my daughter has been looking forward to the beginning of the new school year. She is the only kid I know who gets excited when the stores start putting out supplies in July. We usually have books, notebooks, pens, etc. before August. When I asked her if she had put her things together for this morning, she told me she had done it 2 weeks ago. Although I know this about her I still shake my head.

So she was ready to leave bright and early this a.m., however, she had to endure the first day of school picture taking ritual. I have been doing this every year and even though I now get grief I have a great retrospective of her school years. I know the first day of college I won't be there but I'll be able to look back at where we've been.

August 30

Distance: 11.5 miles
Song of the Run: Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Weather: Overcast, 66 degrees

Run Notes:
I hadn't meant to run so far but yesterday turned out to be a slug day. I didn't run yesterday. It was cold and I was just too tired. So I stayed in and watched movies with my family and pigged out on pizza. So this morning I figured I had carbo loaded up and just went for it. Besides, the weather was cool and I the run was going well, so, I kept running. Since I did nothing yesterday, I needed to lift weights this morning. I feel so studly.

August 28th

Distance: 8 miles Song of the Run: Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day Weather: A cool 66 degrees. Rain. Tropical storm Danny offshore.

Run Notes:
A cool run. The exact path of tropical storm Danny is not known, so I went for a semi long run this morning. Glad I went when I did, it started raining as I came up to my house. I got my husband out for a run with me. Well sort of a run. I pushed him to do three miles so we parted at the top of the hill. I hope it didn't kill him. He was off to work by the time I came back from my run.

Making the Time
My husband says the problem with being in shape is that is takes up a lot of time. Is this the reason America is so overweight? I understand how much time it takes to exercise. I put in at least an hour to two hours everyday running or lifting weights. I only have breakfast with my family one day a week. The one day I take off. Granted it works out for all of us. My husband doesn't talk much in the morning and my daughter is downright surly. So in someways it is to my advantage not to be around in the a.m. At first it was hard to get out of the house and not sit at the table reading the paper, but we adjusted. In the long run, I realized I wasn't missing much and was much happier out doing something that makes me feel good.

So for everyone that thinks they do not have the time to exercise, I say miss an episode of some stupid sitcom and go do something with your body! It is not neccessary to put in two hours. You can make a change with just a half an hour a day. It is truly not that difficult and will make all the difference in the world.

August 25

Distance: 11.4 miles
Song of the Run: I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Weather: Beautiful 73 degrees

Run Notes:
After the last two runs in which I was sucking wind, I finally had a wonderful run. Very proud of the distance and that I am still feeling strong afterwards. My only regret is that I veered from my original route at the last minute and by doing so bypassed the place to stop for water earlier in the run. Still it worked out.

The Morning Run
I have always felt morning runners were more relaxed and friendly. It's one of the reasons I am willing to get up so early and get out there. I get a lot of "hellos" in the a.m. and not just from runners. Bikers, gardeners, and walkers will also give you a greeting. The only major change in the 30 years I have been running are those who have earbuds on and so tuned into whatever they are listening to that they tend to not notice anyone. It's sad that they are missing out on the human interaction element of the run.

Part of running for me is the opportunity to see the neighborhoods and the people that live in them. I notice the changes in the houses and yards. I often see the same people day after day and it makes me feel connected somehow. You become part of the community of the morning.

The highlight of today's run was a man in an Alfa Romeo Spider. Convertible and tomato red. What a hot car! As I ran passed I called out to him, "Fantastic car!" He smiled and said thank you, then revved it a couple of times. It gave me a good laugh! These chance meetings are just as important a link to the life of the neighborhood.

Everyday I see something new. Landscaping, wildlife, construction, but most of all it is the people. They are running, walking the dog, riding to work, gardening, or maybe just picking up the newspaper. They keep me going with a simple wave, a smile, or hello. So for those of you immersed in your ipods let me just tell you; you have no idea what you are missing.

August 24

Distance: 5 miles
Song of the Run: 21 Guns - Green Day
Weather: 75 degrees, No Humidity!!!!!!

Run Notes:
Short run today which is sad since it is beautiful outside today. This is the first day in almost two weeks it has not been hot, humid, and nasty. I ran eight miles on Saturday and felt just awful. I think it was the humidity. So glad we are looking at a stretch of good weather.

I am feeling a bit under the weather today so did a very limited run. Not sure what is going on, I only hope it passes quickly.

August 21

Distance: 5 miles
Song of the Run: Human - The Killers
Weather: Opressively humid

Run Notes:
Wow! I stepped out of the house this morning into a wall of humidity. Needless to say I was unable to put in the miles I had intended. I hope the morning of the race is not like this. I don't think I can do 20K when the dew point is 70. The highlight of the run was the deer crossing the road right in front of me. It was a doe and she was alone. I do not run in the country, so it was an unusual sight.


The weather was not the only reason I didn't run so far. My daughter came home late last night from a party and I stayed up to make sure she got in okay. Then we talked until 2:30A. She will be a junior this year and I know I only have a couple of years left before she is here at all. She comes in all wide awake and tells me about her evening. It's wonderful! I hear about her date, what he said, what they did and so on. I ask you, how many moms get that opportunity?! I feel fortunate that she feels comfortable enough to share these things with me. Yes, it does make it hard to get up early to beat the heat for a long run, and I am tired the next day, but I will take the late night talks anytime.

August 20

Distance: Intervals, 3 miles LOL
Song of the Run: Lips of an Angel - Hinder

Run Notes:
The intention, schedule, was to run intervals this morning. Hah! The old body was just too tired this morning. I got up, put on my running stuff and then procrastinated getting out of the house..I did not want to run. I finally got going but by then it was too hot. I did a couple of feeble intervals before giving up and settle for an easy three miles.

Sometimes you should just listen to your body.

August 19th

Distance: 8 miles
Song of the Run: Dirty Little Secret - All-American Rejects

Run Notes:
Coming back from a long run and putting in eight miles makes me feel pretty damn good. Got a late start which was unfortunate since it is another 90 degree day.

Running Shoes
I got a new pair of running shoes yesterday and it makes me happy. I have been running in Asics Gel-Kayanos for years and other than the usual toenail problems they have been good to me. I have been running in them so long I thought that it might be time to try a different shoe. Little did I know what I had let myself in for.

I began to research running shoes and was overwhelmed. Fist you must determine your foot type. Do you have a high, normal, or low arch? What is your gait? Are you a pronator, supinator, or neutral? Then there is the question of what type of runner are you. Trails? Racing? Are you looking for shoe with stability, cushioning or responsive one?

So many shoes, so many questions! My head was beginning to swim. How did I arrive at wearing Kayanos? I guess I must of answered all of these questions at one time.

I went to a couple of local running stores and mentioned that I was thinking of changing shoes after years of running in a certain pair. At each store the salespeople there looked at me like I was crazy. Why would I change after all these years? I thought I might find something better and cheaper. Every person told me to stay with the same shoe. Well, that would be easier than trying on 15 different shoes.

In the end I had the answers to all of those questions. So tomorrow I will put my new Kayanos on and start breaking them in for the road race.

August 17th

Distance: 10.5 miles
Song of the Run: No One Mourns the Wicked

Run Notes:
Put in a long run to get ready for the upcoming 20K. It went well, however I am a little worried about blisters under my toenails. I have the runner's nail. I worry about it with the upcoming long run.

Runner's Feet
The ugly truth is that most runners have nasty looking feet. They suffer from wonderful things like toenail fungus, black toenails, and runner's nail. In addition to that the toes and heels are calloused. During the winter I do not mind it so much since my feet are covered, but come summer I want to wear sandals and look girlie. It's hard to do when you have toenails that are falling off.

I keep my nails short. I cut the nail a bit rounded and as short as possible without risking an ingrown toenail. When I do get an infection or blister back behind the nail, I soak the foot in warm water and a disinfectant such as betadine. Then I disinfect a needle and poke the blistered infected area behind the nail to relieve the pressure from the serus fluid. Sometimes I have to do this for a couple of days before it goes away. Continue soaking the area and eventually you can pull off the nail. Sounds awfully painful but by the time you get to this point it doesn't feel so bad.

I cover the now unprotected toe when running. It just doesn't look so great in sandals. I have also read that by removing the nail, which is no longer attached, it shortens the amount of time for a new one to grow back. I have to confess in all honesty that during the summer I tend to try to keep the nail by filing them thin. Then I cover them with a dark nail polish.

Even if I can camoflage my nails, I have to work hard on the rest of my calloused feet. I try to be good by giving myself a pedicure each week. I soak them in a nice epsom salt bath and gently pumice them. The hard part is not pumicing them too far, you need some callous to protect them.

It's a lot of work keeping my feet in shape and they don't always look very pretty. However, for all the work they do during my runs I think it's worth it.

August 15

Distance: 3 miles
Song of the Run: "That's What You Get for Waking Up in Vegas" - Katy Perry

Run Notes:
Short run today after the long eight of yesterday. Besides, today is a weight workout day as well. The legs felt tired but made it up the long hill. Very hot today. Some days it is harder to push yourself out onto the road and today was one of them. However, once I get out and start running it always feels worth it.

Who is Responsible for Your Health?
I have challenged the family to running the 5K race on Labor Day. While my husband is enthusiastic my 16-year old is not entirely happy. I did kick her out of the house for a mile run this morning. We'll see how far we get on this subject.

My motivation for getting them moving is based on health. That and the article in the NY Times this morning about fat tax and whether obese people should pay more for health insurance. I'm sure a lot of people would think just the idea of such a thing as unfair. However, when you think about it the high cost of obesity, and diabetes which is often associated with it, it makes sense. Unless people are willing to change behavior we can talk about health reform all we want but it will not mean the country will get healthier.

So who is responsible for getting America healthier? The proposal in the article suggested it is indeed up to the government. It took the responsibility on in its war against smoking, so why have they not waged a campaign against obesity? And if they did do you think it would work? Isn't obesity considered an epidemic? Then perhaps the government should step in with higher taxes on junk food and limiting the types of food served in schools, thereby changing people's habits which contribute to the problem.

All of this brings me back to my family with its history of heart disease and diabetes. I am pushing them into another pattern of behavior which I hope will result in having them stick around a little longer.

August 14th

Distance: 8 miles
Song of the run: "Take it Easy" The Eagles

Running Notes:
I was in California the past week with no access to a computer. While visiting my mother I made sure to run at least 5 miles everyday. This posed a bit of a problem since the city she lives in has seen better days and finding a route to get the distance I needed was a bit of a problem. The best moment was running in on a sketchy street and going by a couple of guys wearing matching black bandanas, chains on their pockets and heavily tatooed. They gave me a cheery "good morning," I nodded to them and picked up the pace. I realized later they were the only people who greeted me during my run.'

It was good to get back to my neighborhood and out for a long run this morning. I decided to do the 20k New Haven road race on Labor Day. I'll have to get in a couple of 10 milers in the next two weeks. I have run this race before. It is relatively a flat, fast race. My only objection to it is that it takes you through some of the ugliest parts of New Haven. I figured it would be a good prep for the half marathon I want to do in the fall.

Fall? Hmmm, the summer is almost over. Where did it go?